The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-04-12
BISHOP OCONNOR
IN SERMON URGES
RENEWAL OF FAITH
Prelate Speaks in st. Patrick's
Cathedral on the Teachings
of Christ.
RESURRECTION PROOF
OF CHRIST'S DIVINITY
Head of Newark Diocese Makes
an Eloquent Address on
Easter.

Faith in Christ's Teachings, the
Duty That Follows from the Resurrec-
ton was the subject of a sermon
preached yesterday in st. Patrick's Ca
thedral by the Right Rev. John j.
O'Connor. bishop of the Roman Catho-
lice Diocese of Newark. The bishop
%eloquently declared Chat the fact of
the resurrection was proof of Christ's
divinity and that by that proof we
should implicitly trust and believe His
teachings. He said in part:
Christ claimed to be not only God,
but the supreme prophet. priest and
ruler Of mankind BY His resurrec-
ton He confirmed His right not only
to be worshipped as God, but also to be
obeyed In that threefold capacity OF
prophet, priest and king. His resur-
r~ection, therefore, implies our duty to
accept ALI His doctrines (the dogmatic
principle), to receive His graces
through the channels which He APP
pointed (the sacramento SYSTEM and
to observe the commandments of God
and His church AS divine ordinances
tthe moral direetion).
Renewal of Faith.
TIE feast of our Lords resurrection"
said the bishop, in opening. may well
serve as an occasion for the renewal of
our faith. not only in the divinity of
Christ, but in all the doctrines which
Christ taught. He had foretold that he
would rise again from the dead, and
had appealed to the fact of His resur-
rection as a convincing proof of the
truth of His assertion that He was
truly the Son of God. Had Christ not
been what He claimed to be. God could
not have permitted the fulflment of
that prophecy or the accomplishment of
that miracle. Believing as We do in
the resurrection of Christ. we must be-
lieve in His divinity, in proof of which
that great miracle was wrought. The
proper celebration of this feast, there
fore, implies on our part a fervent re-
newal of our faith in the fundamental
Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ,
While truly man, is also truly God.
With st. Peter. we are to say TO our
Lord: Thou art the Christ. the Son of
the living God. and with ST. Thomas,
My Lord and my God
I'm like manner Christ has taught
definite doctrines in regard to family
life. the unity and in~dissolubility of
Christian marriage. the mutual duties
of parents and children, the sacredness
of the home.
Needles to say that mere accept
ance of the, doctrines taught by Christ
and confirmed as true by His Resur-
rection is not sufficient for salvation.
Faith without good works is dead. But
II is of the utmost Importance to re-
member that faith is the beginning and
root of justification. and that it is
essential for us to believe all the teach
ings of Christ, whether dogmatic, sac
ramental or moral, even If 1t should
happen from time to time that we do
no conform all our actions to those
teachings.
I'm her cathechisms, her books of re-
ligious Instruction and especially
through the authorized teaching of her
priests and bishops, the church con-
tinues to hand down from one genera
ton to another those same doctrines
which Christ taught and to confirm
the truth of which He rose from the
dead. AS thousands of those who saw
and heard Christ refused to accept His
teachings, so today thousands Of those
who hear and see His duly accredited
representative, the Catholic Church, re-
fuse to accept her doctrines.
His Moral Teachings.
"In His moral teaching Christ has re-
enacted the Ten Commandments laid
down in the old law and He has given
to His Church authority to establish
such precepts as may be deemed use
full or necessary for the preservation of
morality and righteous conduct among
all who aspire to be followers of Christ
and thus attain everlasting life. The
celebration of the Feast Of Christ's Res
direction is a reminder to us that by
that resurrection His authority as
lawgiver was confirmed. I'M hence
that we are to obey His moral pre-
cepts whether as contained in the De-
dialogue, which He reafflrmed, or as con-
tanned in the commandments of that
Church to which He entrusted not only
the teaching of His doctrine and the
administration of His sacrainents, but
the enforcing OF His rules and com
mands in the domain of moral conduct.
such, then, is the lesson of Christ's
resurrection 1t is the chief proof of
His divinity and h confirmation of His
threshold Office as our prophet priest
and king to whom we are to render
the homage of our faith in His doc
f-ines, our firm reliance on His sacrifice
and sacraments, our willing and cheer
full obedience to the commands He a
enjoined."