Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-02-04


devotces used To travel many miles to
he cured of their physical pains at the
tomb of ST. .Ann de Bcaupre. or at
the healing spring" of l.our,ies. or by
the flowing robes of St Anthony
1t. Patrick or 81. Bernard. but never
did tomb or fabled water or flow
ing garments of dead saints have such
curative qualities. spiritual or physical,
as will have the wedding garments of
Jesus Christ.
Their Healing Virtues.
How do | know this: The symbols
Of the myrrh and the aloes and the cas-
Biz teach it, They were all used medic
finally. The myrrh. as is well known"
writes an authority. was celebrated
for lis Use in medicines The ancients
prepared Il wine of myrrh and also an
oil Of myrrh 1t was found as an in
gredient in many of the celebrated com
pound medicines" 'Myrrh is especial
ly of great use" says another author.
along with aloetic medicines and COM
pounds of iron" The medicinal quality
OF aloeS is defined in every dictionary.
and ciSSia was also used as Il drug by
the ancientS Thus when we come in
touch with ChriSts wedding garments
we know that they are going to heal
all of our diseases and assuage all our
pains and he the balm which will take
away every heartache. In Goethe's
Faust we are taught that the royal
robes of God shall appeal TO us mostly
by sight and not by touch. But would
change the wording of the master poet
of Germany. as | describe the healing
as follows:
Here at the roaring loom of time ply
And weave for God the garment thou
fecrst him by
Pain. sickness. suffering. pain of the
head. pain in the heart. all to disap-
pear before the touch of Christ's we'd
ding robes. oh. think of the blessed
rapture of such wedding ceremony
with the Divine Bridegroom, | remem-
Der some years ago | was called to of
ficiate at the saddest wedding of my
life. \ young woman was dying. Even
then the summons of death was pound
ing nj her bedroom door But before
she left earth she wanted rs bride to
clasp the hand of the lover by her
side. We silently entered the sick
room. The breathing was heavy and
low. but the eye of the sufferer was
bright and happy. 4 strong young
man stood by the side of the sickbed
In nj h.
young bridegroom could give to the
bride his love. but he could not give
TO her health. The words IT'LL death
do you part" never had such solemnity
for me as ut that service. Even then
death was saying to the couple being
wed: You must part. You must part
ut once. ! am death. and am coming
10 court your bride" But ut the heav-
enly marriage of the Divine Bride
groom there shall he no pain on any
face, no heartache in any breast. no
hacking cough. no fearful eye The
garments that smell of the myrrh and
the aloes and the casSia are curative
robes. They are wedding garments
scented with myrrh medicine. and
with aloes. medicine. and with CAS-
STA. medicine.
A JOY In Suffering.
But have the royal robes of Christ no
higher purpose than the mere proven
ton of pain or of heartaches? If that
be all the efficacy of these wedding
garments of the Divine Bridegroom,
then | say let me have my pain and
heartaches. There is sometimes a joy
in suffering. There is sometimes
peace in pain. As Tennyson writes, "It
is better TO have loved and lost than
never 10 have loved at ALL" That we'd
ding ring upon your hand-would you
wish never 10 have had it placed there?
1t may be many years ago since the
hand that put ii upon your finger was
laid in the grave. Would you like to
blot out all the memories you have had
with that earthly life? oh no." you
answer. NO. no. My joy today is in
living in the beautiful halls of memo
ry and in thinking over again all the
happy days we spent together. would
sooner have had dear husband as he
We iiiNC MN tuhtI AWAY
than never 10 have known what the
companionship of such husband
meant to Il wife" If you have an in
durable physical pain. would you have
the physician give TO you an opiate to
deaden your sensibilties and your
mind for years TO come? 'Oh. no." you
answer. then | would be nothing more
than alternating creature or log or
Il stone. Better my thinking mind with
pain than continual Inconsistencies
without pain. " Well. then, the we'd
ding robes of Christ must do more for
us than merely alleviate suffering. else
we would want none of them. | would
not wish TO live a thousand years on
earth if to do ii would have TO endure
the mere animal existence of an Austria
liam aborigine. even though then |
might not know physical or mental suf
fering
Thus | come to the climax of my
subject. The royal robes of Christ
give to us Il positive assurance that
the marriage ceremony of the Divine
Dt.i.1 % Oh, Ia