The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-01-14
1 HOME OF THE BLESSED
SACRAMENT.

was, SD u speak, only one PARISH
church for all Israel. The Mountain
of the House of the Lord" was pre-
pared ION the top of the mountains"
and exalted above the hills" Come
and let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord, and to the house of the God
of Jacob, and He will teach us his
ways, and we will walk in his paths;
for the Law shall come forth from
Sion, and the Word of the Lord from
Jerusalem. 'In every place there is
sacrifice, and a clean oblation." Where
ever the glorious Name is known and
confessed, though only handful of the
poorest be gathered together, though
the place of meeting be as wretched
as the Stable of Bethlehem, there is
the good God willing to set His taber-
nacle in their midst; to walk among
them; to be their God; and to recog-
Mise them as His Chosen People.
The first and supreme purpose of
parish church is to provide an altar
for the Adorable Sacrifice and a
shelter for the Divine Presence. You
have not forgotten, no one could for
get, the infinitely tender as we'll as
sacred association of the First Mass
The Injunction ''Do this in commem-
Grafton of Me" has never ceased to
haunt the Church's memory or to melt
her heart. Once for all the liturgical
breaking of bread" took it's place as
the one outstanding feature OF her
worship. The "Ecclesia," the place
of assembly, became straightway the
"Dominicum' the House of Our Lord.
For many long year Of unceasing
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out into fierce persecution, she cher
ished her gift in silence and conceal
ment. Her oratories, like our own in
penal days, were dark and hidden
sanctuaries: room in some Christian
house, or, when the storm was at it's
height, a subterraneous chamber
among the resting places of her heroic
dead. Yet even then her mind was
busy about the great future that she
knew was hers. She spent the weary
centuries weaving assiduously the
precious web of Sacred Liturgy where
with to veil the Divine Mysteries with
becoming splendour when her hour
had come. She evolved the rite of
Holy Mass as we, know it now in all
| its essential features. She elaborated
her Sacramento Ritual so that the
outward sign might speak volumes to
the inward sense. She chose her les
sons from the Old and New Testament.
She selected her psalms and canticles,
and composed her earliest hymns, and
taught her children how to while
away the long vigils in holy song.
Then, too, she poured out her heart
in preface and in prayer, those in
spired utterances, recurring in her
services like gems threaded on a
golden cord.
At length when dawn flushed the
sky and the voice of Constantine an
nounced freedom and honour to the
disciples of the Cross, the Church
came forth from her catacombs we'll
furnished for her larger opportunities.
Like Queen she took possession of
the basilicas built for her, and the
pagan world realised with breathless
astonishment the wonder of Catholic
worship. The despised Christian mys-
teries, opening out their petals and diff
fusing their odour in the light of day,
captivated the human soul as no other
rite ever had or ever will The old
gods fed. Their temples fell into
ruins. Churches grew up with all the
profusion of spring. The prophecy
had come true. The name of the One
God was great among the Gentiles, and
! the clean oblation was ascending be-
fore the throne from the rising to the
setting of the sun.
ST will set my tabernacle in the midst
of YOU" First and last, dear brethren,
this new church of yours is a Mass
house: and, were it a thousand times
as magnificent, thousand times as
costly, it would still be feeble in.
strument to reveal the glories of Holy
/ Mass. But such as it is, SO far be.
yond what it is given to other congre.
] cations to possess, you are bound by
every tie to use it to good effect. II
must be for you a point of honour
nay, matter of conscience, to dis
play in this church the noblest type
] of Divine Service. For the young
priests of the diocese you must pro
vide a training-ground, where they
can learn only the best traditions. For
the missions of the diocese, less bless
ed than yourselves, you must be a
model and an inspiration. For your
separated brethren you must be mis-
sionaries, showing them all the wealth
of spiritual help they have lost, and
which it is still possible for them te
regain. All this is expected Of you
and / feel sure the expectation will
not be disappointed. Pride is vile
word, and I will not exhort you tc
take pride in your church. I viii
rather say, undertake the work Of pro
viding all that is requisite for the glory
J of Catholic worship with enthusiasm
/ generosity and deep feeling of piety
, In such scheme place can always
be found for the gifts of the poor, Sc
, peculiarly dear to the Sacred Heart
But as congregation would ask yol
to bear i'm mind that petty economy i!
! never so out Of place as when makins
! offerings to Him "who openeth Hi:
hand and f1lleth with blessing ever,
| living creature" The best is infinitel,
unworthy. Less than the best is in
! sufferably mean. Clothe your priests
for the divine offices with "a robe o
, glory" Make your sanctuary resplen
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