The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-10-28
PROMISE OF A REDEEMER.

PROMISE OF A REDEEMER. s
The incarnation of the Second Person
of the Holy Trinity brings home three
important facts concerning the divine
economy of salvation, viz: first, the
promise of the Redeemer; second, the
preparation of mankind for a Re-
deemer; third, the fulfillment of the
prophecies concerning the Redeemer
in the person of Jesus Christ.
Opening the book of Genesis, we
read of the fall of our first parents.
Scarcely had the sin been committed
when the voice of God was heard in
the Garden of Paradise saying to the
serpent: Because thou hast done this
thing, thou art cursed among the
cattle and the beasts of the eafth-I
will put enmities between thee and
the woman, and thy seed and her
seed, and she shall crush thy head
and thou shalt lie in wait for her
heel" (Gen. iii, IA. 49, AS though
God would have said: "You have at
tackled the first woman and have
vanquished her, but l will raise an
other who will be invincible, l will
raise up another who will be your
enemy and who will wage against you
a continual war, and with what effect?
She shall crush your head; she shall
crush and destroy your empire. You
boast of having conquered mankind,
of having closed heaven and opened
the abyss of hell, but you will be dis
appointed, for through this woman
there shall arise one who shall over
come you, who shall regain for man
his innocence, and his lost rights to
heaven" Such was the first promise
of a redeemer offered by Almighty
God.
Abraham and Isaac.
AS time went on, men multiplied
upon the earth, but soon forgot God
and fell into idolatry. God resolved
to choose a people of His own who
would remain faithful to Him. He
called Abraham, the first patriarch,
and father of the Hebrew race, and
" uS UlC00Cu. ~ SOh was OOAA "
the father of a great race, that in
him all the nations of the earth might
be blessed A son was born to
him, Isaac, and he was asked to
sacrifice that son. He did not delay,
but was on the point of offering UP
that&1son, when he was told not. to
lay his hand upon the boy. by my
own self have sworn, said the Lord,
because thou hast done this thing and
hast not spared thy only-begotten son,
for my sake. I will bless thee, and
I will multiply thy seed as the stars
of heaven, and as the sand that is
by the seashore-and in thy seed all
the nations of the earth be blessed"
(Gen. %, 49, How were they to be
blessed? Blessed by having a Re-
deemer born to them.
Abraham passed out of the world,
his son Isaac remained, and the same
word, the same promise that was
made to Abraham was repeated to
Isaac. We read that the famine came
upon the land and the Lord appeared
to Isaac and said: go not down to
Egypt but stay in the land that
shall tell thee, and sojourn in it and
| will be with thee, and / will multiply
thy seed, and in thy seed all the ma
tions of the earth shall be blessed
(Gen. XVI, A. Isaac had two sons
Jacob and Esau. From which of the
two is the Redeemer to be born
Balaam, the prophet, answered the
question: "Out of Jacob shall He
come that shall rule" Numbers
xiv, 1872 About the year 1865 B. c.
it was foretold that the Messias would
spring from the family of David, to the
exclusion of all other contemporaries
of David descended from Jacob, 81
will raise up thy seed after thee ant
| will establish the throne of his king
dom forever; will be to him father
and he shall be to me a son." G
Kings vii, IL, 14.)
FuIfiIIment Of Prophecy.
The time came for Jacob to pas
out of this world; his IL sons wer'
brought to him; he blessed then
separately, and when he came to Juda
he said to him: "Juda, thee shall tn.
brethren praise; thy hand shall be OF
the necks of thy enemies; the sons o
thy Father shall bow down to thee
the sceptre shall not be taken from
Juda,. or a ruler from his thigh. til
he, be come that is to be sent and h
shall be the expectation of nations.
(Gen. xix, 10) Behold the state
ment as to the time of the coming Q
the Messias. He was not to come III
til the sceptre, that is, the politica