The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-11-22

At mission for nOn-CathOlics re-
Gently held in Philadelphia church
the Rev. Xavier Sutton of the Pas
sionist Order delivered the following
sermon on "Why Priests Do Not
We'd:
Among mankind there are great
leading truths upon which all men
are agreed-the love of the beautiful,
the admiration of the grand, the
esteem for what is good and virtuous
and among these is included the
love of purity and chastity. Inidels
and materialists have praised and
even Brahmans have eXtOlled it.
Savage tribes have invested it with
a holy character. Wherever we go
we find among all nations respect
and love for it, even among the pa
gans. Livy tells us that the vestals
were commanded to remain virgins.
Moreover, those who do not possess
this virtue assume the garb of purity
and pretend to have it. Only the most
degraded publicly proclaim their lack
of it, and the debauched man who
enters into the presence of pure
maiden feels his inferiority and is
abashcd and ashamed and instinct
lively pays respect to the purity she
possesses. Why is it that we instinct
lively love and cherish what is pure
and chaste? 1t springs from our
nature, because our soul, created by
God, is after His own image and like
ness. 1t is the divine within us going
out and loving what is pure and Civ
ing us the triumph of the soul over
matter.
This virtue has ever been the glory
of the Catholic church. She has ever
inculcated it on her Children fostered
it and held it up before the people as
an excellent virtue to practice. Our
Savior is our model. A virgin Him
self, He selected virgin for His
mother. He eXtolled it in his beati-
tudes, for he said, BLESSED are the
pure of heart, for they shall see God"
Go back in the history of the Catho-
lie church and see the thousands of
young men and women who forsook
all in order to follow Christ in pur-
ity and chastity. Did not he say,
"Come, follow me?" Did he not in
vite us? He virgin, the model ever
before us, shall we not walk in His
footsteps and practice this most beau
tiful virtue?
Now as to the law of the church.
No one who is married can be ordain-
ed priest. No priest can ever enter
into the married state. The law was
made in the early ages of the church.
AS early as the year 305 we read that
none can become priest except
single person. Later there were fur
ther regulations, but they only en-
forced what had previously been prac-
ticed by the apostles. They were
single men, except those previously
married, and they afterward led
chaste life. This law is not forced
on any one. You are not compelled
to become priest. Every one who
feels himself called to the priesthood
knows this law will bind him.
Why is this regulation? Why are
priests debarred from the n,arried
state? 1t is not to cast any reflection
on the good ladies or to insinuate
that they are hindrance to man.
But the duties of priest are so many,
80 grave, so serious, that the church
does not wish him to be hampered
by the cares of a family. The church
wants this body of men, the priest
hood, as free as their Master was.
But the church has more funda-
mental reason, because the ideas of
sacrifice and marriage are mutually
repugnant. The two are not to be
placed together. In all religions In
which they have had sacrifice this
idea prevails. 1t was so among those
who attended the fires before the al
tar of Vesta and among the priests
of Egypt. The chief priests as soon
as they entered the service of their