Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-09

the thoughts and emotions of the soul | in such environment.
 "But, brethren. we are not here this morning merely to honor the deceased prelate, much as he deserves it. The pontifical mass celebrated $ not one of thanksgiving for his virtues and achievements. No, it is celebrated that God may have mercy on his soul. We are met primarily to join in this cry for mercy. Great and appalling are the responsibilities of the Episcopate, so great that the most enlightened fathers of the church feared them. Hence there may be at least minor of- lenses which may retard his entering into the sanctuary into which nothing dehled can enter-defiled even in little things. Should the sovereign pontiff pass to judgment, we offer similar prayers and sacrifices for him because the responsibilities of the man are never lost in the splendor of the office. For two purposes, then, are we here this morning, to honor the dead and 10 pray for the dead. As the public journals have already given in detail the biography of the late archbishop, It Is not necessary they should repeat It. But the external actions of men are not adequate evidences of their real worth. It is the inner life oe motive and purity of intention, and disinter- l eSted sacrifice, that constitute the greatness of goodness Great deeds inspired by ambition and tinted with vanity count as nothing before God. and very soon sink into insignificance. and are forgotten by men. The world knows its weakness, and honors the magnanimity that despfses It's ephem- eral praise. The deceased prelate shrank from it; his one great motive of action was to please God and bene- | lit, not merely please his fellow men. Here you find the secret of his love of solitude and communion with God. We daily hear of men who know not, or. knowing, ignore the true philosophy or sanctity, stating that pious bishops and priests did we'll in the middle ages, but that in this twentieth cen- tury we need not ascetics, but sturdy men. The truth is, we need the com bination of both, but if they are not found united, the ascetic is preferable.
 The man who acts and prays as inc ascetic at home will be the most sue cessful churchman in public. The purity of motive of our beloved and holy deceased friend was also the key to his most laborious life. He work ed for God in his presence, and never thought he could do enough. know from personal observation how extraordinary were his labors. He
 performed them not only with pa- tience, but with almost boyish en- thusiasm. Someone has said that en- thusiasm is out of place in advanced age, and that it belongs to youth alone. No, it belongs to motive alone. The young, fired by the en- thusiasm of ambition. love, or, higher still, human philanthropy, are all af1ame until their desire is accom- Iplished. When ambition and love are satiated or dead from disappointment. when philanthropy is chilled by the baseness and ingratitude of those be- lfriended, enthusiasm dies, but as God
 can never change, and the ambition to serve and love Him and aid our broth CTS in distress for His sake must be permanent as Himself the enthusiasm of the true Christian becomes peren- nial. Hence. Tertullian in the sec ond century called the old Christian men beys-senes pueri Hence also the fOrtitude of the deceased when cir cumstances called for it's exercise.
 The three archbishops of this great see were types of different character istic virtues. The Most Rev John
 Hughes stands out as the most strik- ing exemplification of courage, when
 courage was much needed. Cardinal McCloskey was distinguished for his
 marvellous prudence, by which he con quered without fighting. Archbishop Corrigan seemed to belong to the Car dinal McCloslley class of men, but when principle was involved he was as immovable as Archbishop Hughes. I His motto, 'Dominius petra mea,'
 The Lord is my rock was first that of the meek but brave patriarch Mos es. The archbishop himself was as lrock-mossy and yielding on the sur face, but beneath firm and immovable.
 He was brave with the courage of God, for whom alone lie acted and
 suffered His humility seemed to make him timid. 1 know. on the tes- timony of Cardinal McCloskey, that he did all in his power to prevent his name being sent to Rome for the dig nity of archbishop of New York He feared the awful responsibility. So did some of the greatest bishops that ever lived, but when they had to ac- cept the office they became the brav- est So did St Ambrose, who after ward resisted the Roman conqueror
 Theodosius. and St Thomas of Beckett
 who brayed the anger of the English king, Henry 1T. In the combination of gentle modesty and fearless forti- tude. the Christian bishop should fol- low his great model the shepherd and
 bishop of our souls. Jesus Christ A . newspaper of high literary standing in this city compared Archbishop Corri- gan with St Francis of Assissi. and
 said that the perfume of his virtues would remain like that of the virtues < of St Francis long after he Ind passed away He had many points of re semblance, because both were fashion