The Penn's Grove record., 1904-04-08

hlcted by the omnipotent hand of an an
CRY God.
But this is a melancholy thought. God
has other motives than fear to deter Us
from sin and to inspire US with the reso-
luton to persevere in His grace. And it
Is a pleasure to turn from the thought Of
punishment to that of reward.
The first effect of a good life that can
not tall to impress you strongly is the
cheerfulness and joy corn O. the testimony
of a good conscience. Instead of the de-
pressing and overpowering sense of guilt
produced by sin, you now experience a
Light heartedness and a b~uoyancy which
tells you plainly that a terrible weight
has been lifted from your soul. The DOM
inant note of your life now is peace, that
peace which surpasseth all understand
ing, the peace that enables you to look
the world in the face unconscious of pub
lie offense or secret deflement. You were
strangers to this Deaee while you were
aware that you were not in the friendship
of God. Now that it is yours you viii
guard it against all attacks and never
again forfeit 1T by sin. You will not allow
yourselves to be blinded by the seductive
and fleeing pleasures of the moment. You
will be brave and loyal and steadfast in
temptation and remain true to your God
and grateful for His mereies. EvermOre
you will keep before your minds the prom
Use of our Lord: "Be faithful until death
and | will give thee the crown of life"
And when, at lc-s, the struggle is about
to close and this dreary world is fading
from you sight, with the smile of God
sweetly reckoning you on, YOU will be able
to lay down yo1i weary heads in peace
and resignation. You viii take courage
from the declaration of Christ: "He that
perseveres unto the end, he shall be
saved" Death will have no terrors for
you because you viii be able to regard it
as the gate through which all must pass
to enter upon the rewards f eternal life.
The inspired words of Holy Scripture:
BLESSED are the dead who die in the
Lord" viii find their fulfllment in your
case, for you will go e~heerfully with the
seal OF faith to the sweet repose Of ever
lasting peace.
Whittier? To God and HIS heaven. Let
US consider our reward. Let US try to
pierce the skies and catcI a glimpse of the
joys awaiting US. Our mental vision
ranges over the myriads angels md arch-
angels, patriarehs and prophets, apostles
and martyrs, confessors and virgins, who
bask in the sunshine of the presence of
God. Our souls are transported beyond
the bounds of the material body when we
think that we, too. are called to Join in
the praise of God, with the nine choirs of
angels. Our hearts expand with joy when
we behold those now rejoicing who, like
US, have battled with s-e enemies Of their
salvation. They have fought the good
fight, they have finished their course, they
have kept the faith. Now they are enjoy
ing the crown of justice which God, the
just judge, has awarded them for their
fidelity. They are placed beyond the
reach of tribulation, for in heaven God
shall wipe way all tears from their eyes;
and death shall be no more, nor mourn
ing, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any
more, for these things have passed away"
How clearly does their happy state ex-
emplify the apostles words: "The suffer
ings OF the present time are unworthy Of
being compared to the glory to come
which shall be revealed to u.s."
And to think that the blessedness Of the
marked out for you. This is the final
vocation to which God has called you.
Listen to st. Paul: "You are come" says
he, "to the Mount of Zion, and to the city
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusa-
lem, and the many thousands of angels,
and the church of the first born who are
written in heaven, and God the Judge of
All, and Jesus the Mediator of the New
Testament" Has earth any joys compared
to these? Is there anything under God
which can Justify us in FORGETTING this i'm
ltlO hdpUllC66s ClG EnaA NC q
more loving father than God, a sweeter
friend than Christ, a kinder mother than
Mary, nobler brothers and sisters than the
apostles, martyrs ana virgins already re-
joicing before the throne of Godg Oh,
what humiliation it must cause us to feel
ourselves so sin stained and unworthy,
and yet to know that we are called to as
soeiate with such purity and ~splendori
Who are we that we should aspire to the
companionship of the blessed! What have
we done that with them we should gaze
forever on the blissful vision of God, that
we should intone the canticles of adora-
ton with the curing seraphim, that we
should kneel as children at the feet of
the Immaculate Mary, that we should con-
sort with such saints as Peter and Paul,
that we should proclaim the glory of the
Lamb of God with John the Baptist, that
we should sing His praises with Holy
David, that we should repose in peace and
rest with the victorious martyrs, that we
should attend in the train of Christ with
spotless virgins, that we should behold the
bright radiance of eternal truth and beau
ty with st. Augustine and St. Thomas?
All this and u~nspeakably more is the lot
of those who are numbered among the
saints. And yet it is to this that God
invites us, calls US and e~ntreats us.
Let us listen to His voice and let our
thoughts and affections dwell in heaven,
and let us serve God as the saints served
Him. Strive heroieally, consistently and
steadfastly with your passions. Follow
faithfully the means of perseverance point
ed out to you in the holy tribunal of PEN
ance. Keep in sight the crown Of glory
laid up for you. And although your names
may not be registered among the canon
lied, nevertheless a recurrence of this
happy day will find you reigning in bliss.
The storm viii be past, the haven reached,
the inheritance secured. Happiness n
speakablel for "eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the
heart of man, what things God hath pre-
pared for those who love Him" May you
and I and all who love God one day be
numbered among those who stand before
the throne when God shall wipe away all
tears from our eyes, and death shall be no
more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sor-
row shall be any more; for those things
shall nave passed away"