The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-27
CHR|ST'S LOVE IS
 PREACHERS THEME
Father CsyIe Compares Old
 Dispensation With New
MESSAGE OF TENDERNESS
Taking His Text From Gospel Ap- pointed for Third Sunday After Epiphany the Priest Delivers
 Impressive Sermon.

At high mass at St. PauIs church yesterday-the third Sunday after Epi- phany-the Rev. Father McDermott was celebrant and the Rev Father Ccyle oe- cupied the pulpit. After reading the gospel of the day-Matthew viii, 1-1S- Father Coyle chose this text for his ser- mon: And, behold, leper came and adored Him. saying. Lord. if thou wilt thou canst make me clean And Jesuss. stretching forth His hand, touched him. saying; I will. Be thou made clean. And immediately his leprosy was clean"
 The preacher spoke as follows: Dur ing the past few weeks the Holy Church has placed before us the mysteries of the childhood and infancy. of Christ. On Christmas night we were brought to the Bethlehem cave and saw there God, the Lord of all. a helpless babe on pallet of straw. We heard the glad song that an- gels sang on that holy night, when, to wondering shepherds, they proclaimed the advent of peace and good will. We saw the kings that came from the east with their precious and mysterious gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. We say too, how Christ. though God of all and author of the law. submitted himself to the observance of Mosaic ritual, and was circumcised and received His adorable name; and then for one brief instant the veil that conceals the hidden life was lifted, and we saw how Christ fulfilled his Fathers will by perfect obedience and submission to His creatures, by being subject to His foster father, Joseph, and Mary, His mother: by the exact observ- ance of the daily duties that fell to the lot of Hebrew peasant of His day and time
 Today, however, and on all suc- ceeding Sundays of the ecclesiastical year. the church selects passages of holy writ dealing with the public life of our Lord, and would have us draw lessons from the labors and sufferings, from the parables and miracles, that Christ ut tered and worked when He went about establishing His kingdom and doing the work that His Father gave Kim to do.
 chrlst's Message.
 Today's gospel. then, shows us a typi- cal gospel scene. We see Christ coming down from the mountain where He de- livered that marvellous discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount--a discourse that, if He never uttered another word or never proved His words by deeds be- yond the power of mere man to do, would yet prove Him divine, for that discourse struck new message of hope for the oppressed and dowptrodden and toll worn. It ran counter to the received .fx.to
 that discourse He showed that not wealth or riches or position or honor, but power ty, lowliness. modification, are the means that lead to mans ultimate end-God and eternal joy.
 Christ then came down from the noun tain and a multitude followed Him. Yes, a multitude of the lowly and poor and despised. They were His friends. The Pharisee might seoff, the scribe cavil. thes hypocrite avoid Him when piercing look read his very soul; whose words lashed scorn, but the common people saw in Christ great leader, a man with a mes sage of cheer and hope, man with more than mans pity for the ills of body and mind. As He came down one stood apart -one who, smitten with loathsome lep- rosy, was not permitted to dwell in the cities of men, but was forced to seek shelter in mountain caves He, poor wretch, had heard even there, rumors of the gentle Christ the mild prophet from Nazareth, and he placed himself in his way with the pitiful cry, Lord if thou wilt. thou canst make me clean.' Jesus stretched forth His hand, touched him, saying. 'I will; be thou made clean and forthwith the leprosy was cleansed.
 Lesson For Us.
 What a lesson for usl '- We are lepers, too. When our souls are stained with mortal sin, they are more displeasing and loathsome in the sight of God and high heaven than ever was rotting body of leper in the days when our Lord lived and worked wonders. Our leprosy is hidden, but is none the less dreadful Yes we may go among our friends and laugh and jest and make merry; but this is Gods eternal truth, if we die in that state we are damned eternally in hell But yet, while life lasts, God is merci- ful. Yes, Gods mercy is above all His works. Why, even in the old days of the iron dispensation, when Ian eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" obtained, when Jehovah had to deal with stiff necked people, even then Gods mercy was more than Gods justice. To Moses, He says, speaking of the sinner: ''If he cry to Me, I will hear him because am compassionate" Speaking through Eze-' kiel, He says: Son of man, say to the children of Israel. thus have you spoken, saying, our iniquities and our sins are upon us; we pine away in them. How, then can we live? As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the sinner but rather that the wiclxed turn