Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-03-18

I'll JAO 0ookS4 "a ~ 0OAAAA 10y SAO
narrative of Jesus crossing the Sea OF
Galilee, followed by a great multitude
| who had seen him perform miracles,
and the multiplying of the five barley
loaves and two fishes, so as to feed
5000, leaving twelve baskets filed
with the fragments, %whereupon believ-
ing Him they desired to take Him by
force and make Him King, but he
again fed to the mountain. He spoke
in part as follows:
1T was during the last year of the
mortal life of our Lord on earth that
He crossed the Sea of Galilee. together
with his disciples, to preach the tidings
of salvation, the Gospel of charity and
peace. His public ministry had been
wonderful in its results. The doctrines
that he preached were new and strange.
| The Jews had had very limited ideas
of the sublime virtue OF charity.t The
| scribes and Pharisees had lost the very
| essence of religion. Outward forms
| and ceremonies, conformity to the ex-
| act letter of the law and not to its
spirit. Our Lord showed that it was
not contrary to the spirit of truth to
| do good even on the Sabbath Day and
Gentiles as well as Jews were the OBJ
| jects of His divine compassion. He
| openly condemned their detestable hy-
| pocrisy. He was the first to call the
poor to him spiritually.
ct is not, Therefore, to be wondered
| at that the mere literal practicers of
the old law were dismayed and that
! they, the scribes and Pharasees, tried
| to get rid of Christ Jesus, who was
| drawing the poor people to Himself.
| His doctrines from their very sublim-
| ity seemed strange. They were con-
| founded. They could say nothing
| nothing to stay His influence; SO, that
| when He crossed the Sea of Galilee He
had a great multitude of followers to
| hear Him preach words of wisdom and
| eternal salvation, that came from His
| divine lips. Now, a new kind of divine
| miracle is wrought. He was perfect
man, but also God Almighty, Creator
| of Heaven and all things, and as He
| could create, He could change and null
| tiply the loaves and fishes-only an
| other form of creation. The crowds
were hungry with long fasting in the
wilderness. Human aid was wanting,
| but they had gotten Him in their midst
who could feed them in the wilder
ness. This is a good example for us,
| in that we should never fail to make
| our sacrifices for His sake. He will
| feed us spiritually. He that taketh
| care of the lilies of the field and the
| birds of the air. He will ever care for
His faithful servants, who babe 5000
| to sit down to five barley loaves and
| two little fishes. He commanded them
to take and eat and there remained
| twelve baskets of fragments. Certain
ly a great miracle, but it only pre6g-
ured, was a symbol Of a greater mir
acle He would perform and institute,
obviously having reference thereto, the
| institution of the most holy eucharist.
AS this subject has been fully pre-
| scented and explained within the near
| past, we shall proceed to the last feat
ture Of the days Gospel. We might
ask ourselves as question, What is our
gratitude? What is our faith after
| what our Lord Jesus has given US?
Everything that we have m from
| God. All temporal gifts cannot COM
pare with the priceless gifts Of grace.
He is the Shepherd leading us to green
pastures. Verify this man is the prot
| phet that is to come into the world.
| Our faith must spring forth; our graf
| itude also. We must have a lively
| sense of his gifts. We address Him
| in prayer and He seems to speak to US.
| After the ascension He left with the
| Apostles and their successors the abun-
| dant means of salvation in His holy
| church. We must speak therefore, to
| our Lord in accents of alteration. We
must speak to our erring brethren that
| they may return to the true fold. We
must act so as to edify the faith at
| large.
The crowds wished to honor our
-,
| Lord, and in their simplicity they
wanted to make Him King; the very
| Lord of Heaven and earth! How the
crowds tried to keep Him in their
| midst!
To those who are lacking grace, the
| church is as a city set upon a hill. As
many as are in a state of mortal sin,
| let them not delay. The time for re-
p%entance is here, act accordingly.
| Christ never ceases to nourish our souls
with the divine gift of faith and grace.
| But. as said, after the ascension He
walked no longer on the earth. Then
it devolved upon His Apostles and
their successors to teach. What q
sublime mission to be the first among
a people and convert them.
Surh was the