The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-04
CROWDS CONTINUE
 TO ATTEND MISSION
Children's Service Yesterday After noon at St. Paul'-Early Morn
 ing Service Largely Attended

.
 
 An unusually large attendance was present at the S o'clock mass yester- day morning at the mission at St. Paurs. Father Clark was cclebrant. During the mass Father Maher was kept busy giving holy communion to the large number that approached the altar rails.
 After the mass Father Clark ex- plafned satisfaction for sin, which IS one of the four points of the sacrament | of penance. He showed how frequently sorrow for sin and confession of sin avafls the penitent nothing unless the penitent makes satisfaction or repara- 1 tion He instanced thea case of man guilty of dishonest, guilty of stealing a certain amount Of money. lie showed that here reparation or resti- tuition Is necessary; that the amount taken must be given back, and given 1 back to the person from whom it was taken. This, the preacher said, may | be done secretly. no man is bound to | incriminate himself, to rob himself and his family of good name or reputation, but yet restitution must be somehow made to the injured party.
 | If not possible to give it to him, it should be given to his heirs, to his es- | raLo. f1d dSSeTteu LfdL lIeQucIlly people guilty of dishonesty wish to make a donation of the amount taken | to some good charity This, the speaker l emphatically said, is not permissible, | for the money is not his to give, and | it is not his province to decide how it l Is to be disposed of. It must, when ever at all possible. be given back where it belongs It is only when it is absolutely impossible to give back to the original possessors. his heirs or assignees, stolen goods or their full value, that these man be given to charity:
 When sins are committed directly against Almighty God. the satisfaction the penance in other words, usually
 takes the form of prayer or good works, and that debt, for 1t is a debt, must be liquidated at the earliest pos
 sible opportunity, usually right after
 confession, and before the party leaves
 the church, unless, as sometimes hap.
 pens, the penance extends over peHod
 of time, certain prayers for certain days
 The o'clock mass also drew a very
 large attendance. Father Maher spoke
 along the same general lines, urging his hearers to avail themselves of tn, l great opportunities afforded by tn,
 mission for the frequent reception O
 the sacraments. He also gave instruc
 tions as to the proper method of mak
 ing confession, so as to derive tn,
 fullest possible fruit from the grea
 sacrament that makes n-stained soul pure and spotless in Gods sight Ther was large number at holy communio,
 also at the g o'clock mass
 The childrens mission opened at 23t 1 with very large attendance of pupil l from St. Pauls parochia1 schools an, from other schools also. Father Clarl | xrrn- oI,. 4l.. . and after the recitation of five decade of the rosary, he gave few instruction regarding beads, scapulars and scapula medals. He then impressed on them tn l, necessity of strict observance of tw : duties, if they would he good boys an, girls now and good men and womel 7 hereafter: the duty of fidelity to morn ing and evening prayer, and the duty o love, respect and obedience to their fath . CTS and mothers He impressed these du
 ties by parables and examples from hi , experience of many years as a mission ary
 The inquiry class, already quite large } had some new accessions last night . Father Maher's method of imparting in formation and answering questions i
 giving entire satisfaction. Father Mahe
 has had an experience of very man,
 years in conducting such classes. The 7:30 services drew another capacit.
 audience. Father Maher filled the pulpit
 He announced that on Friday the devo
 tion of the forty hours would conmenc
 and pointed out that Friday was tn first Friday of the month, the peopl
 had the opportunity of assisting at tn forty hours, of attending first Friday de votions, of making the mission and o
 satisfying the third and fourth of tn
 church's precepts at the same time.
 The sermon proper was on the sacrific lof the mass. The preacher went back t Old Testament history, and showed how
 in the days, when the Jew ish nation wa the chosen people of God, God was wor
 shipped by sacrifice. He showed too. tha
 even Pagan nations, with but a glimme
 of the ancient revelation left, yet wor
 shipped their deities by sacrifice: h
 showed how in the fulness of time, a the ancient sacrifices of tie old dispensa ton eliminated in the great sacrifice o
 Calvary, when the Man-God offered Him
 self, bleeding victim, for man. The
 he showed how the mass is that sam
 sacrifice continued in an unbloody mar
 ner and carried down by the priesthoo
 in all the centuries of Christian tint
 How it is the new and clean oblatio the Prophet Malachi, peering down age foretold would be offered among the Ger tiles from rise to set of sun He endeay Iored to awaken in his hearers deep ar preclation of the spiritual treasures ( the mass and averred that he conld ne understand how any one with scintill of love for a God that loved him even { iCalvarys bloody cross, could refuse Ispend one hour in 16S, nay one-half hot in 336 half hours, in arr sting at mas
 The speaker showed also that in all age
 of history it is the mass that has bee
 assailed, for. 3aid he the mass and tf
 real presence of the Lord brought abol in holy mass are the life and heart the church. Parishioners of St. Paul express themselves delighted with u
 great success of this years mission.