The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-04-17
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The DIVINE GUEST OF The LIvlNG TEMPLE

"
Nothing in the course of nature,
nothing in the previous history of man
can create rational presumption
lagainst it; indeed, presumption, as we
i pointed out, points the other way
Hence the belief that Christ is God
stands free to be judged on its own
4 intrinsic claim. The best and noblest
of our race, men and women Of every
Igeneration for twenty centuries OF
every rank and station, of every degree
and kind of intellectual capacity, have
lived the lives of saints and heroes,
or died the death of martyrs and fur.
thered by their example and activities
the material, moral, social, and spirit
ual welfare of mankind solely in re.
lance on their personal intercourse
with God through Jesus Christ.
Their life's character was deter.
mined by the conviction that Christ
is God; their heroic sacrifices were
made with a view to conform to His
will as being divine; the ideals which
they loved more than life were ideals
which He furnished; their hopes were
entirely based upon His promise OF
victory and reward. Their life is a
/ life of faith in Jesus Christ. From
beginning to end, in all its parts and
aspects and elements, this religious
life was created and determined by
Christ. He it is who raised up the
human soul, bound in hopeless mis-
cries, and crushed by the weight of a
dying pagan civilization, placed it upon
a tidal wave of new experiences, and
gave to it a spirituality of character
and an elevation of conduct to which
is due all the true progress of the
world.
All this has been brought about by
the conviction that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself. This
faith has persisted through centuries
of change, despite the prejudiees OF
human passion, the fierceness of proud
intelleetualism, and the opposition Of
Caesarism. 1t is giving to the world
of today miracles of penitence, mir
acles of purity, miracles of love. II
has given to all the progressive races
their distinctive character. 1t has
created a moral atmosphere and fur
nished moral ideals which influence
the lives of even the men who deny
| it's claims.
i Now Christianity has existed only in
the form of faith which has Christ
as it's object, which processes Hin
very God. The witness of the writers
of the New Testament is so explicit
so clear, that even the cleverest Of
adverse critics no longer question it
To the New Testament Christians
Christ was the Prince of Life, the
Lord of ALI, the Judge of the Living
and the Dead, the Giyer of the Spirit
the Fulfiller of all the promises of Goo
at Gods right hand. | must leave
/ 1t to those who are interested
Il to read the New Testament will
the reverence and care which the in
comparable records of SO stupendous {
fact deserve, to satisfy themselves tina
the Christ of the writer's and Chris
tian societies which they addressed i:
truly God. Those who deny it leave
the greatest phenomenon in human
| experience, the greatest fact in tn,
worlds history without other cause
than misrepresentation or deceit.
/, But can this belief that Christ i,
n God, so touchingly protested by tn,
French boy, who, dying on the storm
swept field of Flanders, dipped hi
fingers in mortal wound and wrote OF
the hard ground with his own blood
Il believe in Jesus Christ" the faitl
which is SO enshrined in the pages o
the New Testament, that to eliminate
it, one would have to tear the booI
to shreds, can that faith be justified
by an appeal to Jesus? Is the mind o
Christians about Christ supported b,
the mind of Christ about Himself?
dt is He Himself Who reports tn,
revelation of His Godhead made a
: the baptism. He, not the Baptist, wht
sees the Heavens rent, and the dow
} descending; and it is to Him TIT
heavenly voice is addressed, "Thol
art my beloved Son, in this am vel
pleased" He appropriated to Him
self the titles of the Messiah, and H,
claims to fulfill the Messianic prophe
cies. He claims to be greater thar
Abraham and Moses. He habituall,
calls God his Father. He forgive,
sins in answer to the observation tina
God alone can forgive sin. He allow.
Nathaniel, the Apostles and Martha tt
call Him Son of God. Four time.
| does He proclaim Himself the Son O
| God before the man born blind, tt
1.-THE Jews in the temple. and twice
before the Sanhedrin when interro
gated solemnly the night before HI
| died. He deliberately died for the
1 title because He made Himself the
Son of God
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