The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-04-02
THE METROPOLITAN AND COLORADO CATHOLIC: APRIL 1904

presence in Judea and Galilee. A Prophet once
stood upon an eastern hill and beheld the God of
his fathers worshipped and glorifed among the
Gentiles. The vision has become a reality. When
the robed priest bows down. and the bell rings, and
the incense rises. the faithful may see in spirit
and in faith what the prophet behed in vision
the holy Sacrifice the clean oblation, Gods glory
among the Gentiles. By its sacred mystery ancient
types of worship have been fulfilled and Christ's
own promises have reached out to every age the
rlpened fruit of His saving vine "He that eat
eth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me
and | in him. He is in very truth the
Emmanuel, the God with US; and His Church in
Bethlehem. the City of Bread. This is that tree
of knowledge set up in the garden of the Church.
of which If any man eat he shall not taste death
forever This is that Sacred Presence before which
the afflicted soul finds hope and consultations This
IS that worship in spirit and in truth which the
Eternal Father so desired, and which the Son came
ON earth to establish This is that Lamb which
was slain before the foundations of the world
Here is that altar which st. Paul contrasts so
strongly with that which preceded it. and on ac-
count OF which he exacts such purity of CON
science.
To the unbelever all explanation of the Holy
Sacrifice and, through it, the Real Presence seems
unsatisfactory Some say the Mass as a sacrifice
derogates from the Cross which was surely sufi-
Gent No doubht, the Cross was sufficient, and
more than sufficient, for worlds gutier thar even
this poor guilty world of ours The Mass does not
add one jot little to the efficacy of the Cross as
If the Cross wanted aught to complete is full
atOnement. But the Mass does add to the Cross in
the sense of making it perpetual. Having loved
His own who were in the world, He would love
them to the end" What to us in this Western Henri
sphere and in this twentieth century would be Cal
vary without some loving perpetuation and me-
mortal of its tragic mystery The heart of man
could never, indeed, have asked for such gift but
now that 1t has been given our heart expands with
new faith and hope and love We see how much
richer is our humble Church than the proud Tenn
pie OF Jerusalem 1t had but the Tables of the
Law we have the Lawgiver Himself 1t had but the
Loaves OF Proposition; have the Living Bread
that came down from heaven" the Bread of Eter-
nal Life The Mass, and, through it, the Presence
OF Jesus, brings Bethlehem and Nazareth and Cal !
vary together to each faithful disciple in love and
humility, in praise and prayer in faith and hope
as they could never have been done without its
Tonight, then, PROSTATE ourselves in love
md humility before this adorable Presence repos-
ng on our altar, and pour forth our hearts in
grateful Thanksgiving for this generous gift. 80
Lord, to whom shall go2 Thou hast the words
II eternal life" Teach hearts to love Thee fill
hem with holy appreciation. Grant, that we
nay never invite Thee to our humble house and
hen betray Thee with the traitors kiss Teach us
o love Thee always-to love Thee to the end. as
Thou hast loved us.