The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-06-07
SERMON OF BISHOP LAWLER
The Early Centuries.
Continued from page IL

eSteeming the greatness of the treas
ure they possessed in the Holy Eu-
charist sought to fill their houses of
worship with something of the glory
of paradise. We find the same prin-
then. Lucian directed his sneers
at the golden ceilings of the rooms
used for Christian services. The
cataeombs were not without ornament
and symbolic emblems. The freedom
secured to the Christian religion by
the conversion of Constantine was the
signal for erecting beautiful churches
in all parts of the Roman empire. The
churches of Rome before the invasion
of the barbarians from the north were
Respondent with earths richest and
rareSt treasures. When Julian, the
apostate, confiscated the Eucharistic
vessels of gold and of silver in the
Church of Antioch he was offended at
their richness and remarked iron
ically: Behold what fine vessels they
use in the worship of the Son of
Mary"
The Middle Ages. "
AS our minds sweep over the Middle
Ages and as we view the thousands Of
stately cathedrals, beautiful churches,
and gorgeous chapels in every land of
Christendom, those artistic wonders
with which Catholicity crowned the
earth as with diadem of richest
gems, we cannot but be impressed
with the luminous fact that our fore
fathers in the ancient faith We'd with
one another in erecting those wonder
full faneS and in making them supe-
rior to all other contemporary struc-
lures in beauty and in majestic pro-
portions.
The Source of Their Inspiration.
AS this edifying panorama rises
before us out of a glorious past we
naturally seek the cause of it. What
was the secret of their enthusiasm?
What was the source of their zeal?
What was the controlling motive of
their willingness to make such secri-
fees for the beauty of Gods house?
If you ask the reason why they built
their houses of God SO magnifCently
and adorned them SO richly my answer
is that they thus expressed their love
for religion and that their inspiration
came pre-eminently from their belief
in the Real Presence. The Holy Eu-
Charist was the powerful influence that
babe those medieval churches rise
into the clouds as if to bear the hon.
age of earth to the "One that stitch
upon the throne" in heaven.
You wonder at the magnitude of the
Pantheon, that masterpiece of pagan
architecture" said Michael Angelo to
his contemporaries. You are sur
prised that the earth can support it.,
but | will place it in the air" And
he did it, The dome of ST. Peters
church in Rome is of the same dimen-
sions as the ancient Pantheon. His
Catholic mind imbued with correct
ideas of the surprising magnifcence
that BELTS the sacramento home Of
Our Emmanuel conceived the mighty
project and his lofty genius carried it
into execution. Thus was built ST.
Peters matchless dome-"that vast
and wondrous dome to which Diana S
marvel was a CELL"
So it was in those ages of faith
The greatest minds planned grand
palaces for their Eucharistic King and
the faithful with willing hands and
generous hearts erected them and
filled them with grandeur, grandeur
in every detail-grandeu which often
remained unobserved by the eyes of
man but which was always visible and
pleasing to Him for whose glory alone
it was intended.
The Church the VestibuIe of Heaven.
To Catholics the house of God has
spiritual meaning all its own. 1t
means more than a monument, more
than meeting place, more than tenn
pie, more than house of prayer. Our
faith brings heaven near to us and
makes our every church a Bethlehem,
Nazareth, Calvary, a sacramento
abiding place of the Word made flesh
who delights to dwell in the midst of
the children of men.
The Altar, the Center of Attraction.
Though the church has other pur-
poses it is above all things else the
home of the Blessed Sacrament. With
in its hallowed precincts it is the altar
for the sacrifice of the Mass which is
the center of attraction. Little Won
der that it is so. Is not the altar the
throne of our hidden God before whom
we bend the knee and bow the head
in alteration? Do we not kneel before
it and pray in the lines of st. Thomas:
Hidden God, devoutly l adore Thee
truly present underneath these wells"
The church grows out of the altar
and the altar finds it's raison d etre
in the Holy Eucharist. All the beau
ties of the Catholic Church converge
toward the altar, the throne of the
lamb. All it's symbolism points to the
sanctuary The Church is the house
of God prominently because it is the
sacramento home of Jesus Christ, our
Emmanuel, our God with us. 1t is His
house in every community. 1t is in
tended as an abode to shelter Him.
He is its Tenant, its Soul quickening
and ennobling it. AS Catholics we
love the house of God particularly
because it is His home and as proof
of our affection we strive to make it
a terrestrial heaven for His presence,
q fit symbol of the Jerusalem that is