Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-02
CONFERENCE
FOR CHARITY
EARTIMEUs TYPICAL OF WORLD,
SAYS BISHOP coNATY
BEGoAR OF JERICHO Is MADE
SUBJECT OF SERMON
Impressive Symbol Drawn in Story Of
Poor Mendlcant Whose Sight
Was Restored When He
Asked for 1t


Catholic university, preached yester-
day morning at the Cathedral of ST.
Vibiana.
A special collection for the confer
ence Of st. Vincent de Paul was taken
up at the order of the bishop. This
conference expends about $500 MONTH
ly in aiding the poor.
Bishop Conaty took for his topic
''The Blind Man of Jericho" and said:
1.-THE scene of the birth of these blind
men was symbolic of the condition
| into which sin had reduced the human
race Theirs was a cry of suffering
| for relief, of weakness for strength, of
humanity for salvation. The blindness
| of the poor beggar was symbolical of
the darkness that had fallen upon hu-
man intelligence In mans wanderings
away from God. His cry for mercy
was a cry for truth, for light and life.
Jesus Christ, the divine Savior, came
| that man might be saved from sin,
| that truth might guide his intelligence,
| that light might show him his path
way.
"Jesus Christ came to save human
| ity, to ennoble it by lifting 1t out OF
the degradation and misery into which
sin had plunged it. He was the light
| illumining all men who came into the
| world; he was the truth which alone
could fully satisfy mans intelligence
and fill his heart with the goodness
which it craved. Jesus Christ, passing
by the blind man of Jericho, is indica-
| tive of the constant unceasing sympa-
thy of Christ for suffering. Its lesson
| is to tell all men that salvation is ever
near, that the truth is within reach
and that the SUN of justice shines
| for ALL"
Results of Shining
| The bishop dwelt upon the condition
of humanity as a result of its yielding
to sinfulness and showed that in mans
different wanderings he had allowed
himself to be deceived by the falsehood
which pretended to satisfy his mind
and by the false values of life which
| had counterfeited for him true enjoy
ment.
| The blind man of Jericho is typical
| Of the various stages of human ex-
| istence in which man has followed
either his passions or the false guides
of life, only to realize the degradation
and misery of life without God. The
| bishop spoke of the result OF paganism
upon human life and said the various
| vagaries of men had caused to be set
up false idols and false worship, and
| man had been blinded so as not to see
| the light and beggared SO as not TO
| have the wherewith to live as God had
| designed him. The bishop spoke of the
false gods of selfishness and appetite
before whose shrines men have at all
| times worshiped, and said:
Christ came to establish for the first
| time among men the true idea of un-
| selfishness by preaching the gospel OF
| salvation through (which Gods love
| fills mans heart and Gods forgive
ness blots out mans sin. Jesus Christ
stands as the great figure of compass
| sion for human weakness, of salvation
| for human sinfulness. His mercy is
| the source of the great blessings OF
redemption. If man would only realize
| the contrasts between the kingdom of
sin and the kingdom of virtue, between
| the rule of evil and the rule of good,
| between the service of Satan and that
| of Christ, he would see at once under
| the tattered garments of the blind
beggar the result of obedience to sin
fulness, and in the beggar who re-
| ceived not only his sight but also the
aims wherewith to buy the necessities
of life, he would recognize the beggar
| of humanity relieved by the touch of
| Christ and restored to its full inheri-
| tance in the enjoyment of the light
and the truth of life.
! lord, that-I may see is the great
prayer of life. The cry of blind Bar
timous has not in 1t a single note of
despair; it is the cry of confidence in
| Jesus Christ to restore the sight which
had been lost and to relieve the beg
gary into which he had fallen.
Is the Cry of Weakness
| 1T is the cry of weakness which
realizes that the hand of strength will
lift it up; it is the cry of the conf
dence of humanity in it's Saviour
"a touching lesson is that of Christ
and Bartimeus, than which there is
no more consoling belief in the mercy
and love of Jesus Christ for the hu-
manity which he came to redeem 1t
speaks to the individual, no matter
what his condition, and tells him that
| salvation is for him, that Christ is
near him, that as he passes by he is
ready to answer his appeal. Jesus,
son of David, have mercy on me- is
the cry of human heart realizing that
| God not only can but will save, that
God is near and ready to hear the cry
of his children. We need more faith in
| God, we are weak in confidence, we
need to strengthen our faith by be-
| lieving firmly that Jesus Christ is still
| the Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
David, with mercy in his hands, ready
| to bestow it upon the poorest and most
abject of his creatures.
"The blind man of Jericho appealed
| not TO the CrOWu WHICH Daue MIN HOlu
his peace as If he were too insignif1-
cant to deserve even a passing consid-
Grafton from him who was working
miracles among men, but to the gem
! tle compassionate Saviour who heard
the cry of suffering and heard the
heartfelt petition, Lord, that I may
sees and answered his prayer and re-
stored his sight"
The bishop urged that all learn to
trust more in the divine Saviour, as the
blind man did, and go to him IN our
necessities in order that we may be
rid of the evil which sin has brought
| into our lives.
| He closed by referring to the mis-
sion which was to be opened the fol-
| lowing Sunday and said that 1t would
| indeed be a time of special visitation
when the divine Saviour stood ready
more abundantly than ever to answer
the prayer of his children that they
| might be led in his ways and might
have the courage to follow his light
and to accept his truth.
| -