The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-04
Rev. Father Duffy Occupies Pull
pit at St, PauPS
OFFICE OF HOLY SPIRIT
The Church has Seen Kingdoms Rise
and Fall, Histories Begun and
Flnlshed-Blshop Allen Issues
Circular Letter.

from the Right Rev. Edward P. Allen
bishop of Mobile, addressed to the clergy,
was read. In this circular the bishop
directs that the annual collection for the
Holy Father be taken up in all the
churches of the diocese on Trinity Sun
day next Sunday)
The bishop concludes as follows;
The Novena In honor Of the Holy Spirit
ordered in 1897 should be said this year
as usual.
1 take this opportunity to thank you
and the faithful of the diocese for the
offerings made for the sufferers of San
Francisco disaster They amounted to
$780,
To avert evils and sickness from the
diocese you will say in future, until
further notice, in all the masses which
the rubrics permit, the prayer, Deus,
qui non morten sed penitentlam desideras,
taken from the Mass pro vitanda morta-
ltate.
Please read this in the masses on PEN
tecost and Trinity and add such remarks
as your wisdom and prudence may sug-
gest.
at high mass at st. Pauls church yes
terday, his theme being the feast of
Pentecost. He chose for his text a por-
ton of the espistle-Acts H. 1-14-ap-
pointed to be read, In his introduction
f ather Duffy told of Daniels prophecy
in which the mysteries of the future
were unfolded to the King of Assyria and
in which he pictured four kingdoms that
were to follow each other; Chrst's King
dom being the one that shall forever"
After sketching the foundation of this
kingdom and the Inauguration of it's
power the preached said in part:
Obstacles Considered.
But that we may understand more
closely and appreciate more fully the
| nature and extent of the blessings which
the Holy Ghost poured out on the Apos-
| ties we must consider the obstacles aris-
ing to the propagation of Christs Gospel
and the extension of His divinely insti-
tuted Kingdom
(a) In the person of our Lord Himself,
the founder of that Kingdom
OBJ In the nature and tenets of the
Gospel which He came on the earth to
establish.
(c) And of the means He adopted, and
the persons He made use of for the
| preaching of the Gospel
| We shall consider these points for the
moment in the light of reason alone and
| together apart from faith and revelation.
In a remote corner of an eastern land
little favored by nature and among a
people who had by their religion isolated
| themselves for two thousand years from
the rest of the human race there was
born a man who called himself and was
known to his followers as Jesus Christ
Poverty the most extreme attended his
BIRTH his infancy was passed amongst
the discomforts and privations of exile;
and his whole life was showed with a
want of all the luxuries and almost the
necessities of life so great that he could
say with truth 1.-The foxes have holes
and the birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of man hath not where to lay
his head. Matt. VIII, 20. When about
80 years old and after three years of
public teaching He was ostracised by
His own kindred and outside the Holy
City of His race. He was crucified be-
tween two thieves. In the hour of His
desolation there was none to help Him.
He died in torture and there was none
to compassionate His sufferings except
the mother who bore Him, one disciple,
and Magdalen whom He had converted
from a sinful life. With the tears of
only these upon His dead face He was
committed to the tomb.
Sermon on the Mount.
And what was the Gospel this Teacher
of Mankind announced? To answer that
question, 1 will merely direct your at
tention to the discourse with which He
opened His public ministry-the Sermon
| on the Mount. Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the meek, for they shall pos
| sess the land. Blessed are they that hun
ger and thirst after justice, for they shall
| be filled Blessed are the mercifu1 for
| they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are
| the clean of heart for they shall see
| Cod 1t was, therefore, a gospel of con-
tinual restraint and self-denial. Such it
was at the beginning, and 1t never varied
| throughout His life on earth. And in
His gospel of curbing mems passions, of
love for the poor and mercy and COM
passion for the penitent of despising
pomp and riches and forgiveness of in
iuries and affronts, Christ commissioned
His apostles to preach to the whole world
attaching to it's observance or neglect
eternal happiness or misery.
Here we may we'll ask What quakfi-
cations had the apostles for mission so
arduous and so dangerous as to bring a
world. which, for four thousand years,
| had consolidated itself in irreligion. which
was bound together by all bonds of pag-
anlsm and by the intellectual traditions
and false PHILOSOPHERS of all ages, to ac-
cent a gospel so repugnant to their hui
man feelings and so restrainful of their
base human passions?
And I may assume that again, judging
| the matter in the light of human rea-
son alone, they had scarcely a single
qualification. They were men taken from
the humblest ranks of life; men without
learning and without courage. In the
hour of danger and trial when ruin, dis
aster and disgrace alone seemed left for
their Master, who to all outward SEEM
ing. used no longer any claim to the
title or office of the Messiah which He
had assumed not one amongst them all
had sufficient courage to stand by that