The Irish standard., 1901-02-23

holy mission, and God willed that it
be accomplished. The Godgiven voca-
ton so shone in her that her good
works led men to glorify their Father
who is in heaven, and the fame OF her
sanctity spread far and wide; the nigh
and the humble sought her advance,
and many sought temporal and physi-
cal relief at her hands. 10 feed the
hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to
comfort the sorroWful, to instruct the
ignorant, to bury the dead-these are
corporal and spiritual works of mercy,
and the life OF st. Brigid abounded in
them. Even the power of miracles was
given to her; she gave sight to the
blind, speech to the dumb; like Elias,
she walked dry foot over the water.
Brigid visited all the provinces of
Ireland, founded converts in them, and
thus her spiritual children We're NUM-
bered by the thousands, and they,
trained in the spirit Of their great alb
beSs, gave themselves over to works Of
charity, education and philanthropy
everywhere for charity sceketh not
her own, but seeks all reachable good
to others, like the love of God from
which it springs. st. Brigid was en-
dowed with such genius for organiza-
ton and control that she left the con-
vent system of Ireland unit under
one government and animated with the
same spirit.
But while we admire the humility,
the charity and the zeal which drove
st. Brigid to spend herself for others,
there is another virtue which shone
with extraordinary splendor in her. 1t
is the virtue Of chastity for which she
is most famous, and which seems to
be the dominant virtue Of the daugh-
ters of Erin the wide world over and
from generation to generation. Thank
God that this heroic virtue is not con-
fined to Irish women; thank God that
it has it's advocates and it's brilliant eX.
ponents among other peoples, too; but
somehow or other Christian thought
seems to presuppOse it in the Irish Wo-
man; it is instilctively felt that purity
must be hers. Great, grand, glorious
prejudgment, expectation, demand.
That purity of thought, word and az
in, l,o III f.tn ..,f
st. Brigid is to be expected, otherwise
she could not lave succeeded in her
mission; that chastity must have
shown forth in ner converts also is a
necessary conclusion, for otherwise
they could not have existed long, much
less have tiourished during long sue
stand SO classically eminent for this
virtue there must have been in her
character and deneanOr Il sacred
mark that impressed an exalted re-
spect for this virtue on all who saw
ller, men and women alike, and passed
down traditionally for fifteen hundred
years. Common experience shows
hat such as are not pinned down by
family cares can do more for the pub
lie good than if they We're thus con-
strained. Well ordered charity begins
ut home, and the man VINO has not the
care of his own house is worse than
IN intidcl, and hath denied the faith
practically: the married couple have
divinely imposed duties toward one
another and to their families. duties
which they cannot neglect without sin.
Wherefore those who dedicate their
lives to the service of humanity, to that
humanity which the Lord has made.
must De free from marriage Obliga
tiolls. that is they must not assume
thcm. Further, they must continually
push aside from themselves every i'll
clnatipn that savors of it; they must
set their hearts love OH God and good
to the neighbor, wht ther friend or foe:
they must he disrl tangled from all
that savors OF SelliSllness. SD that they
may throw tn, mselves. heart anu soul
llntrammelell and uncnlharraSScd. fear.
lcssly, hravely into every need and
duty that presents itself. This manner
of life is not for all: it is only for IL
small minority, but it is 50 important
in the designs of Providence that God
not only gives special graces to such
rs He moves to it. but the Blessed Re
decme. h0nOlcd ii by selecting His
mother from this class. People of this
class emulate the angels. who neither
marry ncr are given in marriage. but
devote tl.cir energy to the service of
the Almighty. and are in many things
the ministers OF His providence to the
human race. The virgin who is worthy
of this calling lrvotcS her whole life
to it without hope of earthly reward.
1t is IL life Of labor. of fatigue. of self
sacrifice. n life Of throwing of ones
self away--i life in which ST. Brigitl
was a star of the first magnitude But
all does not end here; there is an ctcr-
nal life beyond the portals Of the grave
and there. says st. John in prophetic
vision: ~ saw. ard behold. Il Laml,
stood on Mount Sion. and with Him
a hundred and forty-four thousand
having His name ana the name