Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-13
EASTER SERMON
BY PRELATE At
THE CATHEDRAL
Bishop O'Connor Takes for His
Subject Lessons of the
Resurrection.

Bishop O'Connor oficiated and
preached at ST. Patrick's Cathedral
at high mass Yesterday. The rector,
Monsignor Whelan. offieiated as arch
riest. Rev. John A. Dillon was dea-
con of the mass.
The edifce was thronged and the
music was exceptionally good. The
altar was a bower of palms and
flowers
Accompanied by a string orchestra
and the organ, quartet and the choir
sang Haydn's mass. The musical pro-
gram also included PRIESTS March. :"
Soldiers of Christ, Arise" and Christ
the Lord Is Risen" Bishop O'Connor
again OBLIGATED at solemn pontifical
vespers and benedict on in the eve
ming. Bishop O'Connor's sermon at
the morning service was as follows
"You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who
was crucified; He is risen, He is not
here; behold the place where they
laid Him.
THE sentiments that fill our hearts
today are those of JOY and gratitude
to God for the event which this fes-
tiVal commentaries. Christ our Lord
Is risen from the dead The suffer-
ings and sorrows of His Passion and
death are for the moment obseured
III our memory by the dazzling splen-
dor of His triumphant resurrection.
As at the time of His transfigura-
ton, so now His garments ale whittier
than snow and His face doth shine
as the sun. The hidden divinity of
the Goldman pierees through the out
ward form of II s humanity ana he
stands before us as the divine con-
queror of sin and death, glorious and
victorious forevermore.
Easter is pre- eminently the festi-
val OF the Divinity of Christ, of the
divine and eternal sonship of Him
who, though truly God, humnied
Himself for our sake by assum ng
the form of our humanity Dying on
the cross it had been said of Hin:
lie saved others. Himself He can
not save and again, IT He be the
Son OF God. let II m come down from
the cross and we will believe Him.
The designs OF Gods providence for
the salvation of mankind d d not per-
nit Him TO accept the challenge
then and there. It behooVed Him to
die that we might live But in His
g'or' GUS resurrection He hath "aVed
Himself He hath come down from
the cross. Risen again. He fieth
LOW no IiOIG. ut pOt iblo VI AsNttih
and tne grave have swung open 80
Him OYER whom death and the grave
wcu'd have had no power lave for
His own grac 'ous will. Redemption
accomplished the empire of Gin utef-
TAR. wn, the SlngGom of grace and
mercy established, Christ the risen
Lord and Saviour, comes forth the
Kine and ruler Of mankind, to reign
supreme for Ter IN the hearts and
affections of all who live and serve
God.
Christ as Man.
"Ordinarily t S the sacred human
Atty of Christ that appeals to our
hearts and wins our love. Christ as
man is the living realization of our
highest id, ais and Hottest concep-
I ons Ct all that ennobling and at
tractive in human nature. In Him we
behold the actualization OF those hu-
qualities OF perfection, whether OF
mind or heart, which have inspired
the poet. the painter, the orator, IN
the r efforts to portray the IDEAL type
of human excellence. To know Christ
as man is to love Him, to worship
Him, to initiate Him, or TO acknoWi-
edge ourselves incapable of admiration
and esteem fer the highest attributes
of human nature exhib ted their
most beneflcent and attractive FORM
Had Christ been man and nothing
more: had His human nature been
terminated and crowned w tn a hu-
man personality, His life. His teach
ings, His example, His work ana SUI.
fering among men would have placed
Him on an eminence among sages ana
heroes Witht ut q rival to dispute II
claims to the Veneration, graf tude
and Owe OF mankind. ReParde d from
the purely human point Of view, lie
has elieted the admiration and affec-
ton Il countless men and women who,
in the Rht of history and experience,
saw c,ear'y that no man ever thought,
spoke CT acted as Christ d; that no
human life ever embraced as Ills ola
the height and depth and breadth or
all the excellence of wisdom and love
of which human nature is capable
such would have been the verdict
pronounced on the life OF Christ by
succeeding ages IL II crucitix on and
death had ended His earthly career.
HIS place in history would have been
secure as that OF the wisest and best
of men. Yet il this were al, His mis-
sion would have been q failure, the
prophee es concerning II m unfulfilled,
the redemption Of mankind unaccom-
plished. For that which pre-emlnent-
ly distinguishes Christ our Lord and
elevates Him In our regard infinitely
beyond the greatest and best of men
is the fact that He was God as well
as mon AVID II 5 thie fnot which Is
emphasized and brought home to our
console usncss by n rnsurr elton
from the dead. As man He died but
as God He rose again ny His own
power, triumr hant over death and the
grave. And it is berause Chr 81 is
Cod that we pay 10 Him that supreme
homage OF mind end heart VIII 'ch we
owe IA eur creator and sovereigp LORD.
on this feast Of Easter. above all
other festivals % Inc year. we profess
our faith in Christ as truly God. VINO,
because He loved US. became man
without ceasing to be. as He had al
ways been. co-edual with God the
Father and Gcd the Holy Ghost