Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-27
BISHOP CONATY
ASSISTS AT MASS
FORTY HOURS ADoRATIoM is
BEGUN AT CATHEDRAL
Rev. Joseph McManus breaches Ser
mon, in Which He Reviews Origin
of Devotional Period Now
Being Held

Yesterday morning the forty hours
alteration opened at the Cathedral OF
st. Vibiana with a solemn mass In
which Bishop Conaty assisted. Rev
Joseph McManus preached the sermon,
in which he said, in part:
Three hundred and fifty years have
rolled over the history of the church
since the devotion we share in today
took shape and form in the mind OF
an Italian priest. 1t was in the days
of the great desertion of the sixteenth
century. The storm which had long
been gathering now burst over the fair
lands of Christendom. Baneful heresy
seemed to strike deep root in many
hitherto faithful lands.
THE beliefs and practices of the
church, which practically all Christian
lands accepted for 1900 years, were now
bitterly assailed. The most sacred of
all her doctrines, that which surround
ed the blessed sacrament, was attacked
with special malice and profanity.
I'm the midst of this general desola-
ton, a humble priest of Milan resolved
to throw open the door of the taber-
nacle and place the Lord of Hosts
upon a humble throne for the adora-
ton of his yet faithful followers. For
forty hours that alteration was con-
tinued in honor of His forty hours
sojourn in the tomb.
-Four years later in the year 1860
Plus w approved of the custom of
having the blessed sacrament exposed
for forty hours. In 1892 Clement VIII
introduced the practice into the city
of Rome and so arranged that the ex-
position was commenced in one church
when it had ceased in another. Little
by little the devotion spread through
other countries of Europe, and today
1t has won the allegiance of every
Catholic land
Stir SIumbering Faith
what does the church expect of us.
her children, on this occasion? She
calls upon US to stir up our slumber-
ing faith, to enliven our hope and in
f1uence our love. We ought to stir up
our faith by every consideration which
Catholic teaching suggests to us. Here
upon the altar is the Babe of Bethle-
hem, the Child of Nazareth and the
transfigured Lord of Thabor We are
in the presence of the Man of Sorrows
whose body was broken and whose
blood was shed. We have in our midst
none less than the God who created
us, the Savior Who redeemed us, the
Christ who will judge us.
This is our faith. Who then, shall
place limits to our hope or our love?
In the blessed euchrist Christ is pres
ent with infinite graces and favors for
each one of his children.
you stand by the seashore and look
out on its vast expanse. You know you
can draw forth it's waters at will and
never visibly diminish it. We come
to Jesus in the most holy euchrist and
faith tells us that there Is no limit to
the graces we may receive. 1t is not
merely something which seems bound
less as the ocean, but is the Infinite
himself
Strength for the Weak
'If we are weak, we can here find
strength. If we are faint-hearted, here
is the source of courage. If temptl-
tions assail us and seem to engulf us,
then there is he who stilled the wind
and the waves and brought a great
calm.
Brethren, let our love be in pro-
portion to our faith and hope. Let us
rally around the God of the altar and
show him we are still capable of re-
turning some little love for the infinite
love he has shown to man In the
most holy sacrament of his love-"
Rev. Francis Conaty preached at the
vesper service last night. The adora-
ton will close with a solemn mass
Tuesday morning.