The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-28
APPLIES MIRACLE
 ID SPIRITUAL LIFE Father coyIe Breaches on Deaf
 ness and Dumb1ess THOSE WHO LIVE IN SIN Pastor of St. PauI's Church Addresses 
THOSE WHO LIVE IN SIN
Pastor of St. Pauls Church Addresses Words of AdmonItlon to Non- Practical Catholics. Parish
 Census Being Taken.

The Rev. Father Coyle, pastor of St. Paurs church, was the preacher at last mass yesterday. The gospel lesson was from St. Mark XII, S1-s7, being the story of Jesus making the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.
 The pastors theme was "rhe Spiritually Deaf and Dumb" Father Coyle, after telling how the Savior met sorrow and affiiction everywhere, and how with gen. tlest kindness bade suffering cease, de- scribed deafness and dumbness as a most terrible affliction. Tt Is to be in the midst of men and yet one apart" said the speak CT, Tt Is never to hear the sweet voice of sympathy, the whisper of affection; never to receive into the soul the sounds that make life glad, never to know the triu of joyous laughter, the music of the sea or shore. And then to be dumb besides; to have thoughts fast gathering round the heart and no voice to pour them into sympathetic ears!''
 The preacher then reminded his hearers that far more severe than physical deaf ness was spiritual deafness. Among the classes spiritually deaf and dumb, said Father Coyle, were the non-practical Catholics-Catholics who remain in mortal sin. Sad examples prove that faith may be lost altogether and If faith then prayer. Such Catholics, the priest said, might be seemingly like other catho- lies, yet they were deaf and dumb-deaf to every voice that calls them to repent ance and amendment; dumb to prayer, dumb to confession, deaf to the warn ings of impending doom.
 Father Coyle concluded his discourse as follows:
 Thought of Death.
 Docs the spiritually deaf and dumb person-this non-praetical Cathole-ever think of death? Surely he must for ex amples enough of sudden death of un- looked-for disaster, are found In every daily paper These must sometimes have brought to his mind the reality that he, too, must one day die, but with the dire fatuity of his class, with diabolcal per versity, he persuades himself that he can commit mortal sin, live Gods enemy for years and years, and then after giving the best part of his life to the service of Satan give a few moments to God and be Gods friend forever in eternity In the company of those holy souls who whilst on earth waged unceasing war on the foes of their salvation-the world, ..Ae flesh and the devil-and thereby merited the welcome. Well done, thou good and faithful servant
 '"rhe non-practical Catholic, therefore. takes for granted many things that may fail him; that he shall have time to re- pent, that he of all others shall not be called suddenly away, that he shall have the grace to repent, that he after abus- ing and rejecting and trampling on the graces for a lifetime, shall at the ex- tremity not abuse it, that he shall have priest; that no accident shall prevent this. In short he takes it for granted that things will arrange themselves as he needs and wishes and not as he un- fortunately deserves.
 Did such a person ever pray? Never in the proper sense of the word. Through custom a few set formulae and phrases may have fashioned themselves on his lips but they never came from the heart; for this is certain, prayer-perseverng fervent prayer and mortal sin can never remain long in the same soul. If a person lives on in mortal sin that person does not in the proper sense of the word pray.
 Deplorable State.
 This then is the life of the ordinary deaf and dumb Catholic, a truly deplor- able state; in truth worse, far worse than the state of the physically deaf and dumb man mentioned in the gospel today. But for such also Jesus passes by Jesus loves him as He loved His faithful proto- type; loves him so that He would endure for him were it necessary, Calvary's cru cifixion and death. Jesus Is ready to heal such persons. Let us, if such we know. and many of us have relatives and friends who are thus spiritually afflicted. be as the friends of the deaf and dumb man, and by our prayers bring them to the Savior, and He in mercy will perform another miracle. He will restore them to spiritual hearing and spiritual speech. He will awaken their dormant faith and unloose their tongues in thanksgiving, praise and fervent prayer
 The board of trustees of St. Paul's met after mass and discussed and acted on several important matters. Progress is being made on the work of taking a cen sus of the parish The Rev. Father Kit rick is making a house to house can vass. He is being assisted by MT. Gaudin. When the work is completed the name. with residence, of every Catholic within the bounds of St. Paul's will be enrolled in a book in alphabetical order.
 Today is the feast of St. Augustine, who was one of the great doctors of the church, and tomorrow will be the fesat of the heheading of John the Raptist