Evening journal., 1913-12-03
"LOVE OF COD''
AS SERMON THEME
AT CATHEDRAL

At the Cathedral retreat last evening
Father Mccarthy took as IBIS subject
~1le Love OF God as the Fulfilling Of tho
i.aw.r and showed that men do not love
God more because they do not know
Him. Were not man made, Ice said. to
know the spiritual TO know Cod there
would be mo- need OF intelligence in man
Kind and the instinct of Tie lower ami
mails would be sufficient But God puts
so often and so clearly before as words
like, Learn OF Me, for am meek and
humble Of hearth God. wishes MS TO
read and ponder upon Ills words, since
lie came to be our teacher in all things,
in all virtues, but especially in meek
ness, humility poverty Hence WEI
must study TO make ourselves familiar
with the life OF ON Lord" said Father
Mccarthy. 80 do this we must be-
gin by reading the Holy Scriptures;
there is found there a fidelity and a di
vine skill not found elsepher
~lhe Vatican Council suys that man
Dmy.f .fby the 'e OF reason alone, come
TO this knowledge of God. But how
much easier It is by the light OF revela
ton that tells MS that love is the full /
nlling OF the law; tn t a compendium /
OF the law is contained in the words. l
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with /
thy whole heart and with thy whole
mind, and with thy whole strength;
and thy neighbor as thyself' There
fore. love OF God must be possible nay
must be easy for ALL since the God who
made Us and knows the human heart 1
knows also Whit Is most natural for
Us. But God wants our whole heart. /
and not divided loves for He loves |
each of us personally. individually. as
thought we alone existed. God asks for
our love; il IS the oniy thing He asks /
desires or values. and it is the only
thing that we have power 90 refuse to
God We can refuse H. and, unfortu- /
nateIy. so many do refuse il. Yet. 4
thought lie win seek and inspire il by
His goodness to MS, God will not compel
cur love.
And yet, believe that we love God !
more than we suspect. When we read of /
uttered by inhdel heads of /
governments we think at once OF the !
abyss bridged OF the hand writing
dotted out, and we feel horrer-strcken;
when we read Of church property and
hings sci apart for the service Of God
and that Gods priests are
,bliged TO resort to book binding. to Jobs
Is compositors, 60 manual labor, in
rider TO live; when we bear of the fall
NJ OF OF religious vocations we are
addened and panied because Col Is not
erved, His law is not kept, and God. I
Who Is love- IS not loSed And we pray
he Lord to send laborers into His vine
ard and into the harvest field When
We read in the daily press of the terrible
lays put on the publie stage this past
all plays of the most appalling inn
morality and the most disgusting obscen-
ty, our hearts are filled with sorrow
hat God ds So offended and that souls
re thus turned away from the Saviour
gho died for them
These are proofs. brethren. that we
o love God Besides, what brings SO
aany of YOU here every evening and in
he early mornings What is the inccn \
i've for gaining by good works 50 mony
if il be not love of COD IN (
our hearts! The only fault is that 50
iany of us serve God only through fear.
nd fear is but the beginning OF wisdom. {
{ is infinitely more pleasing 10 God. in :
itely more sweet 20 serve God through {
lve. When Ills hand is raised ovef v1u
D benediction here tonight. ask ~ f.od
hat love which lie camr 20 cnkinils, !,
-hict IS His new commandment, .ind d
iiich Is the fulfilling OF the law, IA