The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-10-13

regard must without any considera-
ton whatever be debarred from a
function for which he is not qualified
Your dignity demands this, since, as
We have said, the preachers are your
substitutes. The good of Holy Church
demands it, for surely if any one
should be the "salt of the earth and
the light of the world" Matt. v:1S,
Ia, it is the man who is engaged in
the ministry of the Word. With these
rules duly laid down it may seem
superfluous to proceed further and ex-
plain what should be the purpose and
method of the sacred function OF
preaching. For if we select our sacred
orators in accordance with the norm
given by Us, they can not fail to be
endowed with the requisite virtues,
or set before themselves a worthy
purpose or follow the right method
in their preaching. Nevertheless it
will be serviceable to throw some light
on these two points, that thus the
reason may become clearer why some
fall short of the ideal of a good
preacher.
The purpose which sacred orators
should keep before their minds in per-
forming their duty may be understood
from the fact that they may and
ought to say of themselves, as did st.
Paul, For Christ therefore we are
ambassadors" CT Cor. v:2O). If
then they are ambassadors OF
Christ they ought to have the
same purpose in discharging their
Office that Christ had in comforting
it on them, nay, the very one that
Christ Himself had while living
upon earth. For neither the Apostles,
nor the preachers who followed the
Apostles had different mission from
Christs: LAS the Father hath sent me,
/ also send you" John xX:21. Now
we know why Christ descended from
heaven, for He says expressly: For
this came l into the world; that |
should give testimony to the truth
John xviii: 80, Il am come that they
may have life" John X:1O).
Duties of Preachers.
Both these purposes therefore must
be carried out by the men who devote
themselves to the sacred ministry OF
preaching. They must diffuse the
light of truth made known by God,
and in those who hear them they must
quicken and nourish the supernatural
life In a word by seeking the sal
walton of souls, they are to promote
the glory of God. AS it would, there
fore, be wrong to call anyone a physi-
clan who does not practice medicine,
or to style anyone professor of some
art who does not teach that art, he
who in his preaching neglects to lead
men to a fuller knowledge of God and
on the way of eternal salvation may
be called an idle declaimer, but not a
preacher of the Gospel. And would
there were no such declaimers! What
motive is it that sWays them most ?
Some are moved by the desire of vain
glory and to satisfy it: They ponder
how they can express high rather than
practical thoughts, causing weak
minds to admire them, instead OF
working out the salvation of their
hearers. They are ashamed of what
is simple and plain, lest they be
thought to know nothing else. They
are ashamed to give milk to the little
ones (Gillebertus Alb, In Cant. Can't
cor. Serm. xvii, 81 Whereas Jesus
Christ proved by the lowliness of his
hearers that He was the One Whom
men were awaiting: "The poor have
the Gospel preached to them Matt.
xi:5). What efforts do such men make
TO acquire reputation by their sermons
from the size and wealth of the cities
and splendor of the great church in
which they preach. But since among
the truths revealed by God there are
some which brighten the weakness of
our corrupt nature, and which there
fore are not calculated to attract the
multitude, they carefully avoid them,
and treat themes, in which, the place
excepted, there is nothing sacred.
Not seldom it happens that in the very
midst of a discourse upon the things
of eternity, they turn to politics, par
ticularly if any question of this kind
lust then deeply engross the minds of
their hearers. They seem to have
only one aim, to please their hearers
and curry favor with those whom st.
Paul describes as having itching
ears (QI Tim. iv:3) Hence that UNI
restrained and undignified gesture
such as may be seen on the stage or
on the hustings, that effeminate lower
ing of the voice or those tragic out
bursts; that diction peculiar to jour
nalism; those frequent illusions to
profane and non-Catholic literature,
but not to the Sacred Scriptures or
the Holy Fathers; finally that volu-
bility of utterance often affected by
them, wherewith they strike the ears
and gain their hearers admiration,
but give them no lesson to carry home
How sadly are those preachers de-
ceiyed Granted that they receive the
applause of the uneducated, which
they seek with such great labor, and
not without sacrilege, is it really
worth while when we consider that
they are condemned by every prudent
man. and, what is worse, have reason
to fear the stern judgment of Christ
Not all, however, who depart from