The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-02
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
CARDINAL GIBBONS.
Theme: Our Christian Dignity

breast an uncomfortable ambition OF
human glory. Men labor from morn
ing till night, they hunger and thirst,
to attain some dignity, to acnleVe
some conquest, to arrive at some Gov
eted goal, which Is the aim or tne!r
aspirations. This ambition is lauo-
able if kept within legitimate bounds,
because it Is an incentive to human
activity. But how men fail in the at
tempt to achieve the object OF their
earthly desires, and then there FOL
lows a revulsion from action to des-
pair.
Let us pause while we are within
the precincts of this sacred temple,
and let us consider before God what
constitutes the highest and noblest
dignity Of man. It consists in the
consideration that we can claim God
Himself for our Father; Jesus Christ
for our elder Brother, and the King
dom of Heaven for our prospective In
heritance. This thought ennooies
our ambition, 1t lights up our aspir,
alton to a celestial kingdom, and
reaches beyond the bounds OF time
eternity.
when the fullness of time was
come" says St. Paul, God sent HIS
Son, made of woman, that He might
redeem US, that we might receive the
adoption of sons" Thus, by one
stroke of Divine clemency, a three
fold blessing Is conferred upon us,
our guilt Is removed, the chains OF
slavery are stricken from our feet;
and we are adopted into the family
of God, to enjoy the joyous liberty
Of children of God. Behold" cries
out st. John, what manner of char
Ity the Father has for US, that we
should be, and should be called, the
children Of God" Dearly beloved
he continues, I'VE are now the chill
dren of God, and when He will ap-
pear we shall be like unto Him, be-
cause we shall see Him as He Is"
When the world tempts us, when
passion assails US, let us spurn the
tempter, and say: I am a son OF Coo.
I am born for greater things. I am
destined for Heaven. I will not be
the slave of sin. Let this thought In
spire us to heroic deeds. And when
He shall appear, we shall be like
Him. for we shall see Him as He Is.
We shall be like Him in justice ana
sauctity. like Him in immortality,
like unto Him in eternal glory and
felicity. Just as the atom sparkling
in the sunbeam partakes OF the splen-
dor Of the sun, 81 shall we, .basktnS
in the eternal sunshine OF Gods pres
ence, participate in His glory ever
lasting.
How much more affectionately does
God treat US than He treated the chill
d1en of Israel, though they were His
chosen people. The Jews lived under
the law of fear. They were governed
by fear. They were restrained from
vice more by the fear OF punishment
than by the hope Of reward. There
are but very few instances In all the
Old Testament In which the Hebrew
people presumed to call God their
father. They addressed Him as their
Lord and Master, their King, tnelr
Ruler and Judge.
In addressing our prayers to God,
what name Is more frequently on our
lips than the name of Father? The
name of Father Is applied to God ESQ
times in the New Testament, though
the New Testament occupies less than
one-fourth the space Of the Old Test
ament. And what prayer Is more IA
mtliar to US than that best and most
comprehensive Of all prayers, the
"Our Father" Like little children
who u with confidence to their
earthly parents, we can rush IN spirit
into the arms Of our Father and say
to Him, "Our Father, who art IN
Heaven" 49,,
In being made the children of God
we also become the brothers and sis
tiers of Jesus Christ. "Jesus," says
the apostle, "is not ashamed to call
us His brothers." Would not we be
ashamed to recognize a fallen brother
who had disgraced his family and his
name by a d~issipated life? How often
have we grieved and dishonored our
elder Brother, Jesus, by U slntui
lifei How often have we defled that
sacred image of our Father and His
Father which is stamped on our I'M
mortal souls! And yet Jesus IS not
ashamed to call US His brothers.
Nav. He leads US to the waters OF life,
where those stains may be washed
away, so that the image OF His Fa-
Their and our Father may appear once
more resplendent on Jul souls.
Jesus came down from Heaven to
earth that He might lift US from
earth to Heaven. He assumed our
frail human nature that He might
make us partakers of the Divine Ma.
ture. Though He is God, Light OF
Light, true God of true God, begot-
ten, not made, consubstantial to HIS
Father, by whom all things were
made, yet He became bone OF our
bone and flesh of our flesh that lie
might infuse into us the spirit OF
righteousness and immortality.
He made Himself a slave, that we
might enjoy the glorious liberty OF
the children Of God. He became
Door, that we might possess the riches
of Divine Grace. You know" says
St. Paul, the grace of u Lord
Jesus Christ, that being rich, He be-
came Door for our sS.kes, that through
His poverty We might be rich
And, coming among us, He does
not present Himself to US empty
handed, like a poor relation. He
comes laden with gifts. He has left
us His gospel to be a lamp to- our
feet, a light to guide us in our path
way through the pilgrimage OF life.
He has left us the delicious banquet
of the Eucharist, which He has pre-
pared and to which He invites us, say
ing: Come unto Me, all we who
labor and are heavily burdened, and
I will refresh you and give rest to
YOUR souls" "He that eateth My