The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-10-07
SERMON PREACHED IN THE
CATHEDRAL BY THE MOST
REVEREND ARCHBISHOP, ON
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ocTo-
Der.

IldA, luI VI grace. InG IIOFU Is
with thee: blessed art thou amongst
women." This, the salute of the
archangel Gabriel to Mary the Virgin
OF Nazareth when coming to announce
the great mystery of the Incarnation.
This, to-day our salute to Mary, the
mother of Jesus. Hail full of grace:
the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou amongst women!" Who blames
our salute blames the salute of the
messenger from Heaven: who blames
our salute blames Holy Writ which
transcribcs the words of the arch.
angel
Hail, full Of grace" Who blamcs
our salute blames the Christendom of
nineteen centuries through whose
whole history the words of the arch.
angel have been echoed far and wide
in loyal repetition amid the nations
of the earth. Who blames us, pro-
claims the Virgin of Nazareth a false
prophecies. Mary herself it is who
in her "Magnifcat" made the proc
lamation: For, behold, from hence
forth all nations shall call me bless
ed
The prophecy of Mary is recorded
by the inspired hand of the Evangel-
list. To be loyal to that prophecy, to
be the children of the Gospel, we
must to-day say, as heretofore Chris.
tians of every age have said: Hail,
full of grace: the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou amongst women. ~
Men who would censure our salute,
men who refuse TO repeat it. sever
themselves from the great army of
the SONS of the Gospel and say that
Mary spoke d falsehood when she
made the announcements: For, be-
hold, from hcnceforth all generations
shall call me blessed" This our
faith: Mary spoke the truth: the
Evangelist wrote the truth: therefore
again and again shall we say Hail,
full of grace: the L ord is with thee"
Let no one make the objection:
The archangel speaking in Nazareth
was in the visible presence of the
Virgin, while to-day tenant of the
skies, she no 1onger is able to hear
us. Mary, today, hcarkens to our words
and replies thereto, as nineteen cen
turies ago she hearkencd to the words
of Gabriel and made reply to them.
This is our faith-thc faith of the
Apostles Creed-"I believe in the
Communion of Saints" Beautiful the
teaching of the Christian Church!
Saints in Heaven, saints in Purgatory,
saints on earth, form beneath the
smiles of the Omnipotent a fold, a
family. Each one is concerned in
the welfare of tho other: each one
speaks to the other: each one replies
to the other. The Lord God Who has
co-ordained all of them into this one
ness, knows we'll in His mysterious
ways how to put the one in direct
communion with the other: how to
make known to the one the whisper
ings of the other. This the Church
of God teaches: this we believe;
when we say to Mary: Hail, full of
grace" Mary hears our words and
gives to them instant recognition.
Hail, full of grace: the Lord is
with thee; blessed art thou amongst
have spoken the salute? Why to-day
should we not speak it? Is not Mary
worthy of this tribute of eXultant
praise? Was too much said to her
by the archangel? Is too much said
by ourselves as we re-echo his words?
The creature, indeed, Mary ever is
the daughter of Adam and Eve-the
ictn IF fo1 T,,E Sc ,6a
below the Infinite God. There is no
misapprehension on our part as to
the immense, the unbridgeable chasm
between Mary's creatureship and
Gods eternal majesty. | pause not,
to still even with the waving of the
hand, the Calumny that Catholics in
their faith and in their practice fain
would make Mary the equal of God,
fain would in their devotions give to
her the place of God. The calumny is
contemptible; the mere product of
darkening ignorance. Yes, the crea-
ture Mary is: as the creature we
value her and honor her. But in
Mary how exalted, how holy, how
beautiful the creature. The arch
GliSCI JClS JidB oHG 10 lult VI dIC
The plcntitude of Gods favors, sucl
as may be extended to creatures, arC
her dowry. So rich is she in grace
that, emphatically, the Lord is will
her. So high is she, SO near to His
love that she is blessed amongst
women" Who so exalted? Who ST
beauteous? The archangel gives the
reason: Therefore. the Holy which
shall be born of thee shall be callet
the Son of Cod" st. Elizabeth give!
the reason: Blessed art thol
amongst women and blessed is th'
fruit of thy womb; and whence is thi:
to me that the mother of our Lore
should come to me?' The nearer W.
are to the rays of the midday sun
the more do we sparkle beneath it
splendors; the more is its warmth in
fused into our beings. The neare
one is to Almighty God, the NOR
purified one is from all dross O
earth: the more transfused one i
with divine love. the more perfect
the reflected image of divine life an
beauty The nearness of Mary to th