The Irish standard., 1914-03-28
The Catholic Priest and HI. Mother.

11E lKlSH
The Catholic Priest and His Mother.
Bless God, my dear friend, yes, bless
the good God with me, for l am now
the mother of priest. 1t was to you
wrote twenty-five years ago when
this dear child was given to me. I
remember it well; l was beside myself
with joy, felt the little creature alive
at my side. stretched out my hand
towards him! l touched him in his
cradle as If to assure myself that
really possessed him. But. ali! what
difference between that Joy and the
happiness that is mine today, hap.
piness that exalts my very soul and
fills it with sentiments truly sublime.
am the mother of a priest today.
These little hands that 1 kissed with
tenderest affection now five and
twenty years ago, these hands are
consecrated today; these fingers have
touched my very God. This infant
intelligence that received from me it's
light and to which 1 have shown the
end and the purpose of life has grown
apace and been imbued with the saw
ing truths; by study and grace it has
far surpassed my own-and behold, it
is consecrated today! This body that
cared for and protected, that caused
me many a night of anguish and tears,
when sickness seemed anxious to rob
me of my treasure, is now big and
strong and consecrated to God. A
servant Of the soul of priest, it will
endure fatigue to lift up the sinner, in
struct the ignorant, to give the good
Lord to every intelligent creature who
seeks and asks for Him.
This heart, ali, this pure heart that
has never desired any other than
mothers love-a heart that trembled
at the very thought of contact with
anything earthly-this heart is conse.
Grated today. The love which actuates
1t is charity pure and undefiled. oh,
my son, know him we'll. know what
treasures lie hidden in his noble ma
ture. The love of that heart will be
a protecting barrier against the world
and against himself. And when God
will lead across his path some falter-
ing, feeble soul, prey to anxiety or
plunged in the depths of despair, ah,
then he will know how and where to
find words to comfort and console, to
inspire with confidence in the good
ness of merciful God.
Yes, yes, my child will accomplish
great good; he will be according to
the heart of God, he will be the very
soul of charity. Yes, am the mother
of priest, real true priest.
What shall say to you about yes
terday's ceremony? l was there, but
I saw nothing except him; 1 saw him
kneel; I saw him stand; 1 saw him
PROSTATE and rise again; l saw him
come from under the hands of the
bishop that were imposed upon his
head-a priest!
And this morning he said his first
Mass in the little chapel of an hum
BILE convent. The only pomp was a
sacred silence and two lighted can.
dies; the only attendants, little child
who served him and l, I, his mother,
and a few intimate friends.
But all, when one wishes to picture
the happiness of heaven must one not
say it is the happiness of a mother
who sees God descend from heaven
at the voice of her son, to come to her
while she is lost in alteration so pro-
found that she forgets the world, for.
gets everything else and thinks only
Of God and her son.
There he stood, tall and majestic;
gravity and grace marked every move
ment. / was very near the altar; I
did not stir; my very senses seemed
numb. Suddenly I heard the weight
of his body bending before the Sacred
Host. l did not pray; at least I do
not know what you would call it; it
was the ecstacy of Christian mother
Il simply said: Thank you, my God.
o thank you"
He was mine-this priest. 1t was l
who formed his little body. His soul
was illumined by my own. But he is
no longer mine; he belongs to You
and to You alone. Guard and protect
him from every shadow of evil; he is
the salt Of the earth, do not let the salt
lose it's SAVIOR. My God, love you and
I love him. respect him, I venerate
him for he is your priest.
At the moment of Holy Communion
the server seeing me approach, re-
cited the Confiteor; the Celebrant
turned about and raising his right
hand gave the dissolution to his moth
er! My poor child; 1 heard him sob.
Then he took the ciborium and ad.
vanced towards me. 1t was God whom
my son was bringing to me. All, that
moment! That union! God, His
priest and 1. Did l pray?
Really I know nothing about it. An
unspeakable peace enveloped my
whole being; I burst into tears; they
were tears of love and gratitude, and
T said worry n,liot1v. "Mv God NV