The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-06-07
Address at BLESSING of the
CrucifIx at Cemetery Sunday
By Rev. Father Wiibrord, the Heart Church

row? Hear how mournfully our err
Gifted Saviour appeals To Us: 20 a
u We who pass by the way, attend, an
see If there be any sorrow like TO m
sorrow; for deep as the sea is my al
fliction."
The cross Is the banner or standar
, OF Christianity, just as the stars an
stripes is the Nag of our countr!
Your Nag shows what country you be
long to; the cross what religion yol
belong to. You are willing 10 live, I
die as a good citizen. for your flal
and you should be willing and glad L
die as a good Christian for the cross
You would allow no one To insult tn
cross above all you would not one
! it any outrage yourself. The cross
| like a banner or Nag. is a reminder o
all that has been done for you by YOU
| Redcemer. 1t is a momento of His
wonderful love for each one of you, 9
love So great that He did not hesitate
at no sacrifice To save you.
Again the cross Is a sign OF recon
cilidtiOn; it encourages the sinner
not 10 despair, no matter what his
sins may be. and teaches him. that by
the infinite merits gained on the cross,
he can obtain mere. Further the
cross is a sign OF reconciliation I'm
another way. God has the cross con-
stautly before His eyes; it moves him
10 compassion; IL calms His anger
and IL arrests His chastising arm.
The cross erected between heaven and
earth between God and the sinner,
necessarily calls TO Him for mercy.
Happy the sinner, If he Is not insen-
sible TO Gods love and forbearance
and If ne will avail himself OF the
time of mercy, and not delay his con-
version. But woe to those sinners
who abuse Gods mercy, for the
cross which is now the sign of recon
citation, viii not remain so. The mo-
ment will come, namely the last day
of judgement when the cross will
have another aspect. instead of plead
ing for mercy for sinners will call for
vengeance and wrath against them. II
is on this terrible da', Of which sim
ners think so little, or not at all; yet
this day they shall not escape.
trumpet will sound To the four parts
of the earth and an Angel will call out
with a loud voice: Arise, We dead,
and come To Judgement" At the
same moment, says the Holy writ
they will arise, the graves will open
and each win assume the same body
which ne had here on earth. The
first thing which will then be seen,
and which like tightening will sudden
ly appear i'm the sky, is the cross:
Then shall appear the sign of the
''Son OF Man" Beneath this cross the
Judge will be seated on a cloud, ac-
by the Angels in Heaven.
Awful, fearful moment for the unre
pentant sinner. The cross that plead
ed for mercy for pardon for the sim
ner here upon earth. will now call
Gods vengeance and just punishments
upon him. Depart from Me wicked
creature" the Saviour will say to the
sinner, Depart from Me
into everlasting fire."
My friends who can hear this. who
can think of it without shuddering and
trembling? Yet this will happen to
every sinner who will not truly con-
vert, not sincerely renounce his sins.
Would you see this wretched lot, have
resource to pennance. amend and al
ter your life. The cross yet calls for
pardon on you, avail yourself of the
time o. mercy.
As regards you virtuous souls. take |
care that you remain steadfast in vir-
tue; think of the glorious cross that
viii appear i'm the heavens. think of |
those consoling words which you will |
hear If you continue to serve your
God faithfully; Come, blessed of my |
father, possess we the Kingdom, which |
has been prepared for YOU from the
of the world"
My friends, 1t Is but a few days
since, by the observance Of Memorial
Day, our country honored the heroes
who gave their blood and life for the
OF the Union.
We,too. are assembled here today to
honor our dead. and we do so rightly,
'or Holy Scripture says, blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord" (Apos.
SIV.13)
This day brings To us the thought
Of our loved ones resting beneath the
sod, and reminds us that we have a
duty to perform towards them. The
grave that separates them from us,
ought not to be the limit OF our af-
lection for them Their mortal re-
mains lie untouched here-1And their
souls?-They stood before the judge
ment seat Of God and received SEN
tencc. Was theirs the purity required
for the beatifc vision of God? Holy