The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-02-26
strange admixture of clustered con-
formulation and missionary zeal never

strange admixture of clustered con-
temptation and missionary zeal, never:
once since it's foundation has ceased
to haunt mankind. Go where one will,
the spell of Rome is never far off. In
all places where men gather, as soon
as the theme of religion is raised, it
is upon Rome that the argument will
turn. What is the secret of the
Church of Rome's influence? asks the
outsider How is it that wherever
you go on this continent her churches
are crowded Sunday after Sunday,
while in the week day, morning after
morning, there are scores of worship
pers in her churches at early and in
convenient hours of the morning, and
this too at a day when the church-go-
ing spirit in most quarters is said to
be waning or dead?
What is this Mass OF which Catho-
lies talk so much? some non-Catholic
asks. The Mass is the Church's CEN
trail act of worship. 1t is the sacri-
flee of the New Law, and is really an
epitome of our Lords life. 1t is a
great action Of which He is the GEN.
trail figure. No wonder that it has
fascinated all varieties of minds.
81 could attend Mass forever and
not be tired once wrote Cardinal
Newman. ITO me- he once wrote,
nothing is so consoling, so piercing,
so thrilling, as the Mass. 1t is not
the invocation merely, but if I dare
use the word, the evocation OF the
eternal"
The Mass is the Church's great
quadruple act of alteration, thanks
giving, penance and petition. 1t is
full of thought-compelling details
each with it's own significance. The
action is quick, the words hurry on.
Quickly they co." wrote Cardinal
Newman, "for they are awful words
,,',of sacrifice; they are a work too
great to delay upon, as when it, was
said in the beginning: What thou
doest, do quickly" Quickly they
pass, for the Lord Jesus goes with
them, as He passed along the lake
| in the days of His flesh, quickly cali
| ing first one and then another; quick
| ly they pass, because, as the light
ming which shineth from one part Of
| the heaven into the other, so is the
coming of the Son of Man. Quickly
| they pass for they are as the words
of Moses, when the Lord came down
in the cloud, calling on the name OF
kthe Lord as He passed by. And as
4 Moses on the mountains, so we too
make haste wrote Newman, and
! bow our heads and adore. So we, all
lround, each in his place, look out for
the great Advent, waiting for the
moving of the water, each in his
! place, with his own heart, with his
i own wants, with his own thoughts
with his own Intentions, with his own
i prayers, separate but concordant
i watching what is. going on, uniting
in its contamination; not painfully
and hopelessly following a hard form
of prayer from beginning to end, but
like the concert Of musical instru
ments, each differing, but concurrins
in sweet harmony, we take our par1
i with Gods priest, supporting him, vet
| guarded by him.
i What. wonderful service it is!
From the. opening "Asperges' to- ths
final Thanksgiving, the Mass grips
! the mind with unique insistence.. Al
/ the, Gloria sounds, forth there rises
L in memory the song Of the angels
! who appeared to the shepherds ant
! accompanied them to the stable a
j Bethlehem. by the Collects are rep
A. sa