The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-26
PAULlST MISSION.
Father O'Hern Delivers Lecture On
Invocation of the Saints"

The Paulist mission at st. Paufs
church was well attended last night. The
Rev. Father Healy answered a number OF
question. and the Rev Father O'Hern
delivered u lecture on The Invocation
of the Saints" The discourse was re-
garded by those who heard 1t as one of
the most interesting and eloquent Of the
mission series. Father O'Hern said in
part:
THE deadllest foe Of Cathollcity is ig
norance of her teaching; the hardest task
of the Catholic missionary is to remove
the Misunderstanding which have been
growing up in his hearers minds all their
life, and to open their eyes to a just
view of the Catholic religion. Concern
ing the churohs teaching as to the
blessed mother of Christ and tho saints,
there is an especially prolific and pecull-
arly persistent and unfair amount OF
such misunderstanding. The common
idea with those outside of the church Is
that by honorng the saints In heaven
Catholics interfere with the one medi-
atorship OF Christ put obstacles between
the human soul and God, and gave to
creatures the worship which tho deity
alone should receive This idea Is abso-
lutely contradictory to Catholic doctrine.
The church's strict and uncompromis-
ing doctrine is that Christ our Savior
is the one sole and single source of Sal
walton. That there Is no other name In
heaven or on earth by which men may be
saved that no saint that ever lived or
ever will live has any sanctity, goodness
or virtue except by the Redeemer's
merits and free gifts. and that every
grace and favor vouchsafed by God to
men comes from the Incarnate Lord The
saints are simply tho holy friends of
God now in the Joy of Paradise; and 1t Is
good and useiul-so says Catholic doc
trine-ror US to ask them to pray for us
before the throne of God This is the
churchs doctrine and far from interfer-
ing in the slightest with our Lords medi-
storship, it brings it out into greater
prominence For only He can give us
what we ask the saints are only fellow
suppMants with ourselves in asking.
."rhe doctrine rests upon common sense
and sacred scripture. Everybody ac-
knowledges that 1t Is good, helpful and
consoling to ask the prayers of devout
people on earth. Now IL 1t is not wrong
to ask a person still living, still liable to
sin, still subject to temptation and in
frmty, to pray for us, how can 1t pos
sibly be wrong to ask Gods saints in
heaven, who are no longer subject to sin
fulness, TO pray for US also? Can liv-
ing person pray for us; and yet when
that person Is before Gods sight III
heaven, Is he suddenly paralyzed in his
power OF beseeching for u.s. Common
sense sufficiently answers that question.
If earthly supplica uons for one another
are good immeasurably better must be
the heavenly applications OF our breth-
rem of the church triumphant who share
our Lords solictude for our santincation
| and salvation.
"The scripture on this point is clear
Our Lord says there is joy before the
angels of God over one sinner that re-
| penis; Revelation declares that the four
| and twenty ancients in heaven bear
| golden Walls full of doors which are the
prayers Of the saints. Moses by his in
| vocation obtained victory for the Israeli
| ties. IL he any less powerful in heaven
| The subject of the lecture tonight will
| be 'Pugatory.'