The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-05-23
QUEEN OF APOSTLES.
The Love of the Missionary Priest
Absorbed in God and His Blessed
Mother.

The saints, after spending their best
talents in behalf of the glory of Mary,
and leaving us beautiful works of the
highest order of merit, finish always
by asserting that they still lack words
to express their admiration for the
great Mother of God, and ask pardon
for their innocent temerity in attempt
ing to do so.
But since the mouth speaks from
the abundance of the heart, writes
Reverend M. J. Batavian, c.. NJ, in
Catholic Missions" why cannot 1 be
permitted to join the others in their
canticles of praise? Mary is the T1oth-
er of all, and each has the right to
say, Mother, I love you"
My subject is simple and precise;
Mary is for all mother and queen,
but she is especially such for us mis-
sionaries, because we, above all others,
need her love and sweet protection.
But, before following the missionary
from the cradle to the tomb, under
the rays of this Star of the Morning, P"
l wish, in a word, to explain all that
is in my mind.
You must acknowledge that the mis-
sionary is not q man like other men.
BY his desires, aspirations, his life and
death, he is apart from the rest of
humanity. In the flower of his youth,
when the heart expands with joy of
living, he voluntarily leaves parents,
friends, country, family.
Where does he go? To the end of
the world. What does he seek? Souls.
What does he carry? His cross and
rosary. He will suffer, he will preach
about the new God, and souls will be
converted
Where it is necessary to work, he
will work; to suffer, he will suffer;
if he must die, he will die; but he
knows that Christianity will rise pure
and strong where he has fallen and
will bless his memory. What his life
will be, he knows; his death he can
not guess, but he hopes it will be a
martyrs.
One must acknowledge that the hui
man heart, even the strongest and
most energetic, needs to love. For
that it was created A heart? Ger
tainly the missionary possesses one.
If he apparently consents to treat it
as nothing and crush under his feet
the most tender and legitimate affec-
tons, it is because his heart is filled
with an excess of higher love. He
loves his God, his Jesus, whose sweet
image appears to him each day, ask
ing him to work for the conversion of
souls. He loves this Master with all
his strength. And how can he love
Jesus without loving Mary, who gave
Him to us? He cannot. Mary! o,
how sweetly this name vibrates in
the apostles soul! Do you wish to
know why? Listen:
There is, dominating the lives OF
missionaries, venerated image, which
consoles, appeases and smiles always
Star of our Heaven, Mary is also the
love of our hearts. And this love is
never cold, it must be confident, ten.
der, childish, candid and ingenious
or it could not exist. Mary is not fol
us so much the Queen of Heaven and
0dTJu, d SuUIlI1G creature WIZ IO1ChCS
divinity itself, as a mother, and, tC
quote M. Ollier, Our Lady and Mis-
tress." 1t is she who is our ideal, the
force that sustains our souls anG
directs them. Yes, / repeat, she is
our ideal of strength, beauty and ten
derness. She attracts us. charms us
We are not her servants, but her chill
dren, her chevaliers.
At the time of the Crusades, wher
a knight went to battle, he. did MOI
blush to incline his lance before one
of the ladies of the tournament. We
chevaliers of Christ and Our Lady, are
fighting In a rude crusade which viii
finish only at the end of the world.
Before whom do we bow? Before
Mary, celestial vision, whose grace en-
tees and charms.
Is it necessary to say she is oul
Mother? The love of child for it
mother is strong. 1t survives all. NJ
man entirely forgets his mother. Th'
wounded. soldier calls on her after thu
battle, when he sees himself los
amongst the dead. She is his las
thought,