Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-23


 proved He is the Son of God? He says never saw those miracles. I only | believe what I see with my own eyes. | What do we do when we read the pages of history? What do we do in our justice courts where we take the | testimony of others, take the judge sitting on the bench, the prisoner be- hind the bars who has been condemn ed. The judge says: I condemn you to hang by the neck until life Is ex- tinct, and God have mercy on you. say to the judge: Why condemn that man? The judge answers: Why, he murdered a man. But did you see him do it? No, but they tell me it is so. Think of it here in this country of ours, the land of the free: a man takes a life for another's without seeing. What do we do when we read the pages of history? Supposing you hold a celebration for Washington, the fla ther of this country. You have a l of his glory to our public. He talks about other great generals such as Alexander the great, Hannibal and | others, and someone in the audience | stands up and says: I do not believe | what you have said. I do not believe that there was ever man George | Washington. Why not? .. asks the speaker. The dis5eltever answers: My principle is, only believe what I see.
 The Gospel a History.
 Friends, what is the gospel? It is the history of Jesus Christ. It mar rates His life. Born in Bethlehem, labored among the people for three years, lived 80 years in Palestine, and was put to death on the cross at Cal vary. The gospel is history. Can you quote any historian in the world who has written histories who can say at the end: l was an eye witness; I was | there? No, you can't!
 1 What did the sacred vritajsS of 70 gospel expect in return? They did not expect any earthly gain. They simply held up the facts to the world. They | brought forth the faults of their na-
 t1on with regret. They had no earthly | gain and there is no such interesting story as the gospel. They are the | most sfncerest men who ever write history. ecause they not only saw
 but laid down their lives. Can you name to me a historian who has laid | down his life to show his sincerity? ? Yet, the sacred writers freely, gladly | laid down their lives for what they 1 wrote. When we quote the gospel, we
 quote history.
 | Surrounded by Mysteries.
 In religion some say there are mys-
 terious things and truths we do not 1 understand. Friends did you ever re- 1 altze that every time. you step into l the garden of nature you are sur
 rounded by mysteries? Take the color
 of the flowers. the perfume of the | flowers, they are all mysteries How
 is 1t I can go out into the fields, pick ! @ berry which is sweet and nutritious
 and in the same field pick a berry which Is bitter and poisonous? These
 berries have been raised on the same
 soil, had the same rain, had the same
 sunlight. Why Is 1t the flowers vary in color? Can you explain? Now, you can't, nor can the most noted botan-
 tsts in the world tell. Take the per- ! nf t1,e
 yet they grow in the same soil, under
 the same sun. No living man can ex-
 plain the color or the perfume of the flowers. I ask of the disbeliever, who
 is heat, light. coal. electricity? He ] can't answer, Nor the wizards can
 not. They do not know what electric
 ity Is or what more they can do with
 1t, or I may ask what Is death what
 Is life. the secrets of individuality. No
 man can explain these. They are
 mysteries and we are surrounded by
 mysteries. Unbelief is therefore un-
 reasonable in its most. It is mean and
 dishonorable in It's causes.
 Fashion to snSsr at Religion.
 Friends, the more you study your
 faith the more you will love 1t and
 you will become attaShed to it. It
 seems today to be the fashion to sheer l at religion. Does 1t matter what a
 man believes? Do you think a man
 is guided by what he believes in re-
 ligton? It does make a difference
 what a man believes.
 Jesus Christ came to this earth to
 teach a truth and he died for that
 truth. In our order there are IT, 900
 men who have taken solemn vows,
 VOWS of poverty, VOWS of obedience
 that is not contrary to God and VOWS | of discipline And do you think these
 17.000 men are standing on the pulpit day after day, preaching what they do not believe.
 Knows He Is Preaching Truth
 No they are not. He stands out and
 tells men the truths and knows he
 is preaching the truth. It does mat ter what a man believes for if 1t did
 not Jesus would not have died on the l cross. The more a man makes a | shipwreck of his faith he shlpwrecks his morals, When a young man takes a stand with the unbeHevers he seeks more liberty for passions. When the
 heart is black with vice then it is
 that they are far from the church. , Through acts of impurity they drift , not only away from Christianity but
 from the doors of the church Immor- ality is the cause for the loss of faith. Christ died on the cross and gave us infinite proof of His love and loyalty. , l'No man showed or gave better proof l and yet you turn your back on Him. You have neglected the mass the holy
 sacraments. Yes, then, remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. God Al mighty has a right to that day. He is the Creator. He gave us our body, our life. and he says, Remember the Sabbath day and keep 1t holy. No man ever lost his faith who went to holy sacrament. The common cause. the great cause is that men. withdraw . themselves from God. Men of Nor
 wich, you know how far away you
 have drifted.
 It requires the Catholic faith to go 1 to confession. It requires courage. Some men stay away because they are afraid.
 Reasons for Unbelief.
 Reasons for unbelief are ignorance,
 irrespect and cowardice. I ask you to hold fast to your faith. It Is your greatest treasure. Above all live up to | your faith. Be men that go to mass. :. 1 This is a result which we want this mission which we have been concuct- ing for the past two weeks to obtain. I never saw you before I came here, } 1 do not know one of you. but you are souls belonging to Jesus Christ and , we want to see you men of Jesus Christ. Prayer, men. is the golden key to the treasure-house of God.
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