Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-12-26
MANY ATTENDED
 Y. XMAS MASSES
MONSG. LUCEY PREACHED ON
 "THE DIVINITY OF CHRISTI " AT HIGH MASS.
st. JOseph's Church Beautifully Deco. rated and Music Was An At.
 tractie Feature.

l yeSlcIudy iuOIuIu6, CNIlSLIudS, Wclc of the usual impressive character. The four atars of the church were handsomely decorated by the ladies in charge of them, with evergreens and flowers. The choir, under the leadership of Miss Stella Matz, rem dered the Christmas music with 1 pleasing effect. The special collec- tion taken up was an Offering to the priests of the church and amounted to $120. The masses were at 5, 5:45, 7:3O, 8, S:45 and 1O:3O am. The 5 o'clock mass held a crowded church as it was the chief mass for receiv- ing holy communion. At night the service was at 7:3O when Father Nacke, the assistant priest, delivered an able sermon on ''The Nativity of Christ" descriptively and historically reviewed.
 The pastor, Monsignor Lucey, preached at the high mass, which was celebrated at 1O:30 a. m., on "The Divinity of Christi As an introduce tion to the subject he spoke of the :! tender associations which cluster around Christmas and which recall many happy scenes of childhood, when father and mother were living and all the family were gathered around the old fash oned fire place, joy and happiness beaming on every countenance. +'9't*.
 Approaching the special subject of the days sermon, Monsignor Lucey spoke in part as follows:
 "The divinity of Christ, being a fundamental doctr ne of the Christian world, every member of the church of Christ should, now and. then, espec- ially on a 1feastad day like Christmas, recall 10 mind at least the ordinary proofs of the great event. Briefly fstated in Catholic theology they are: First, the testimony of Christ him.
 
 testimony by this his miracles; third, the testimony Of the Jew sh prophets; fourth, the testimony of his apostles; fifth, the testimony of the church of Christ. 't
 Christ, the Saviour, always main tained that He was God. I and the Father are one John 10-3O, one in substance, power, wisdom and glory. Amen, amen, say unto you, what things soever the Father doeth, these the Son also doeth in. like manner For as the Father raiseth up the dead and givetR life, so the Son also give;h life to whom he will, that all men may honor the Son as they honor the Father John V.-19. On one occasion our Lord asked the apostles whom do men say that the Son of man is?' And they answered. some say that you1 Ax, John the :Bapt st and others, and others that You are Jeremiah's, or one of the prophets. Then our, Lord said to them, But whom do you say I am," and Peter speaking in the name of the others declared: We believe that You are Christ, the Son of the living God For this profession of faith. our Lord blessed Peter saying, Blessed are thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my Father in fheaven.' Math. XVI. 13. We know from bible history that when Christ appeared to the apostles On the evening of resurrection from l the dead (Easter Sunday), Thomas, one of the apostles, was not present and when informed of the fact he loudly proclaimed: Except I shall see in h's hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hands into his side, will not believe !
 Eight days afterward when the apostles were gathered, in the same place and Thomas with them, Christ suddenly appeared, the doors being shut, and turning to Thomas invited him to apply his test, when Thomas cried out from the depths of his heart, My Lord and my God
 "The power of these and other cita- tat ons to verify the claim of Christ comes from the acknowledged histor- ical fact that He was a man. of the very highest integrity. No immoral act was ever attributed to. him. His greatest enemies could find no flaw Tn His character and the anti-Chris- tian critics of all ages since his life time have beenfeunable to say any thing else, than that He was great and uOCd man Ruf if Christ did not