The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-11-05
SERMON ON HOMECOMING DAY


of parents, of Church, and of God, and
to exercise it in the upbuilding of bows
into the stature of cultured Christian
manhood; nursery for the selection
and development of vocations to the
priesthood Not in a haphazard wav.
not in the merely worldly way of an
educational undertaking was this work
organized. Our institution was not an
experiment in plan and purpose. II
took its place with thousands of kim
dred establishments scattered through
out the world. 1t had back of it the
austerely formulated but masterful
laws of the Church, dating from the
fury, but embodying the tried wisdom
of many an earlier age. 1t rested on
the educational ideals and traditions
found in the Catholic Church alone,
end deriving their origin from Christ
and His Apostles. Bearing the i'm
press of the genius and far-seeing wis
dom of it's illustrious founder, it had.
in its inception, humble as that was,
the guidance and support of men of
European and American training and
experience. In it's very first year, it
had, in its student-body, such a cos
mopolitan gathering as could hardly
have been duplicated elsewhere.
The Real Foundation.
What was the fundamental principle
on which this undertaking was begun?
hfc.
is natural yearning for God; in every
soul regenerated in Baptism, there is
a capacity for God given in super.
natural manner. The logical sequel
of such natural yearning for God is
Faith. The beginning of the process
of filling mans supernatural capacity
for God is likewise Faith. The end is
the possession of the Infinite in man.
ner transcending all human under
standing. From this fundamental
stand, there flows a world of conse-
quences for the individual, for the fam
lily, for the state. In each and every
soul nationally taking this basic stand,
there God takes root and grows, so to
speak, under the benign impulse of
the graces that await the action of
mans free will in all his conscious
life
The conservation and the increase
of Faith unto imperishable fruit is the
work that falls to the lot of any pastor,
il is true. But there are those whom
God calls more specially, more myster-
iously, to higher places, to greater
tasks and responsibilities in His King
dom. Can any of us doubt there is
mark of special favor and often of
special choice placed on all who are
privileged to have higher Catholic
education?
1t was in this latter light that we
were looked upon the moment we were
placed in the charge and Jurisdiction of
cur Alma Mater. That was her suf-
ficient reason for her unvarying, uni
form action in referring all our life and
work to the one principle of solidarity
our Faith. Faith, she assumed, is
the daily bread of the soul whose des-
tiny is the supernatural and eternal vi
sion of God. 1t was that bread she
chiefly kept us praying for, the sub
stance of things to be hoped for as
st. Paul says; or as the Council of
Trent puts it: "the foundation of our
salvation, the root of our justifica-
ton" a thing founded simply and sole
ly on the infinite truth and veracity of
God
Abuses of Faith.
To make us the more appreciative of
cur privilege as her students, she
warned us against the abuse of Faith.
"He who does not believe that Jesus
is the author and the finisher of our
faith is already condemned" God was
under no obligation to make Himself
known to us otherwise than in the
adumbrations OF His infinite perfec-
tons, as they may be learned from His
creation. Even this knowledge would
have been something to be eternally
thankful for.
In our baptism, however, He inn
planted in us and here placed under a
specially fostering care, so that we are
the more answerable for it, the begin
ming of an eternal participation in His
own Infinite happiness; the beginning
of an eternal blessedness, to be con-
summated in the intuitive vision of
His infinite essence, of His divine life,
of the ravishing harmonies of His i'm
penetrable nature.
Oh, what cause and theme for this
days rejoicing and how it gives a
more than earthly meaning to the
words of our Savior: 81 am the true
vine and you are the branches. In this
is my Father glorified that you bring
forth very much fruit and become my
disciples. These things have | spoken
TO you that my joy may be yours and
your joy may be filled" John Is, IL.
There is another consideration that
will at once account for the solicitous
attitude of our Alma Mater towards us,
and enlighten us on our greater an
swera bleness before God, not only for
more intelligent and abundant use of
the supernatural means to our super
natural end-hope, charity, the virtues
and good works-but also for a
more active participation, even a lay
as distinct from a priestly participa-
ton, in the work of spreading Christ's
saving truth. Anticipating the ration.
alistic atmosphere and the Materials
tic environment which crowd upon so
much of our present intellectual life,