Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1901-11-26
The BELIEF OF CATHOLICS. >
Sermon BY Rev. Father Sigl
AT St. Mary's Roman
Catholic Church.

"When Christ had died and risen, He
remained forty days on earth, often ap
| pearing 10 His apostles. and speaking to
them concerning the Kingdom OF God
| He did this to prove all the more clearly
the truth of His resurrection, and to
make hnal arrangements for the work
OF the church.
alt was after His resurrection that He
gave the apostles the universal commis
sion All power is given unto Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore teach
ye all nations, baptizing them in the
name OF the Father, and of the Son, and
OF the Holy Ghost, teaching them to OBJ
serve whatsoever / have commanded
YOU. II was after HIS resurrection that
He said to His apostles Receive ye
the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall for
give, they are forgiven them, and whose
sins ye shall retain, these are retained
''lt was after His resurrection that He
gave to all His apostles the powers OF the
Episcopate. Now, too, He wished TO
fulfill His promise to make St. Peter the
rock of the church. the foundation upon
which all must rest; the bearer and the
keeper OF the keys of The Kingdom of
Heaven. In a word, He was abou, to
return to Heaven, and He wished to
give to St. Peter a clear and explicit
commission to act as His representative
on earth. The scene is ralated by St,
John In the 2Ist chapter, 1913 verse -
when they had dined. Jesus saith to
Simon Peter Simon, son of iona,
lowest thou Me more than these 2 He
saith to Him: Yea, Lord, Thou know
est that ! love Thee. He saith to him:
Feed my lambs
of iona; lowest thou me 2 He saith to
Him Yea. Lord, Thou knowest that
love Thee He saith to him Feed
my lambs. He saith TO him the third
time Simon, son of iona, lowest thou
Me? Peter was grieved because He
had said to him the third time Lowest
thou Me and he said to Him Lord,
Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest
that | love Thee. he said to him
Feed my sheep. Now the title dearest
to the heart of Jesus was the title of the
good shepherd. That He would be like
good shepherd in the care He would
take of His children, was one OF the
marks the ancient prophets gave of Him.
He loved to call Himself the Good Shep.
herd. He made use of the parable of the
lost sheep to show the love He has for
straying souls. And now He makes
Peter the shepherd of His flock.
"But first He demands of him great
love, to show that only then will he be
ht representative of the Divine Shepherd
1t his heart is filled with love. He de-
mands more of Peter than of the rest.
Lowest thou Me more than these1' Three
times does He repeat the question SO that
Peter began to fear that there might be
some doubt in the mind OF Christ as to
the sincerity of his affection, and he said:
Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou
knowest that l love Thee Christ gives
Peter charge of the whole flock without
any exception Feed my lambs, feed
my sheep. The lambs are evidently the
young, the tender. We may include in
them the weak in faith. The sheep are
the more fully developed-parents, priests.
bishops. But all, young or old, ignorant
or learned, priests or laymen, are given
into the care of ST. Peter"
The preacher then went on to show
how the primacy OF Peter was acknowl-
edged by the other apostles and by the
Christians of the first age; that Peter was
the spokesman of the apostles on the day
OF Pentecost; that he received and pro-
mulgated the special revelation in regard
to the admission of Gentiles into the
church; that he was the presiding officer
of the council OF the apostles held in
Jerusalem; in fact that he was the ac-
knowledged head OF the church.