The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-02-11


"And Jesus coming spoke to them,
saying: All power is given to Me in
Heaven and on earth. Going, there
fore, teach We all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Ghost;
teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you:
and behold | am with you all days,
even to the consummation of the
world" Matth. xviii, 1920.
From mouth of none other did
words proceed like unto the words
spoken by Jesus to the Apostles COM
missioned to repeat His teachings to
the nations of the earth, across all
space, adown all time: in the mind of
none other did thoughts germinate
like unto the thoughts wrapt up in the
words of Jesus. The most daring
mortal, howsoever vaulting the ambi-
ton heart nurtured, or stupendous the
forces hand might grasp, should in
stantly have retreated from the might
mess visioned in those thoughts, in
those words, under penalty of quick
conviction of widest madness, in
sured by subsequent ignominious fail
ure. Yet so did Jesus think, and so
did Jesus speak; and that the right
was His so to think and so to speak,
nineteen centuries of Christian his
tory make solemn attestation. Jesus
so thought and so spoke, and the
right was His to so do, because He
was God-God appearing in human
form, the Teacher, the Saviour of
mankind.
We are in the presence of the super
natural, as standing nigh to Jesus
on the summit of Olivet we hearken
to the sublime command: "All power
is given Me in heaven and on earth;
Going, therefore, teach all nations"
And no less are we in the presence
of the supernatural this morning, in
the church of Ann Arbor while taking
part in the sacred ceremonies of an
episcopal conservation. Did not Jesus
say: And behold / am with you
all days even unto the consummation
of the world?" And what the mean
ing of those words, be it not that the
command spoken on Olivet to the
eleven was spoken both to them and
! to others needed in the perpetuation
of the Masters work and rightly chos-
en- to bear it's burthens? In the apos-
tolate instituted by Jesus men come
and go: the apostolate itself abides,
as abides the work of Jesus-"Even
to the consummation of the world"
The episcopal conservation witnessed
| to this morning-nought else is it than
the supreme act of the perpetuation of
the apostolate instituted by Jesus.
The words of the Master are without
recall: spoken for all time, they reach
whenever and wherever, through the
laying on of apostolic hands, an heir
is begotten to the apostolate: first
spoken on Olivet the words are again
spoken-"All power is given to Me
in heaven and on earth: Going, there
fore, teach all nations-and behold
the consummation of the world" 1t
is the supernatural today in Ann Ar
Dor, as of yore on Olivet.
| The supernatural speaks from the
skies, bidding you, newly-begotten
Apostle, be it's herald before the ma
tions of the earth: Going, therefore,
teach all nations, teaching them to OBJ
serve all things whatsoever | have
commanded you" Hence, my charge
to you-the charge of Jesus, the
author of your apostolate: preach the
Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel brought
from heaven to earth, the Gospel of
the Supernatural.
The Denial of the Supernatural.
The Supernatural! Urgent the call
to trumpet forth it's doctrines, to un-
sheathe in it's defence the sword of
the word. The twentieth century ac-
claims itself the age of unbelief in the
supernatural The notion that above
the earth there is ought to which
recognition is due, it scorns and re-
Dukes, when it does not meet it with
threats of violent warfare
I quote typical instances of the
trend of prevalent opinion with regard
to the supernatural-Dr. Charles w.
4
Juares in France. Depicting what he
confidently gives forth as the religion
of the future, the late president of
Harvard University makes this asser-
ton: There will be no supernatural
element in it." Addressing the law
makers of France, Monsieur Juares
exclaims: Close the heavens; dark
en- the lighted sky: nought there is
on high: here is all that awaits man:
earth is his only paradise" And as
DR.. Eliot and Monsieur Juares write
and speak, so the hundreds, the thou
sands" thinkers" whom the age hon.
ors, leaders whom multitudes are
proud to follow. Nor for themselves
only do those thinkers" and lead
ers" write and speak They but syn
thetize ideas and resolves OF legions
Il