The Idaho recorder., 1922-11-10
CATHOLIC SERMON.

Text: "And after this | saw a great
crowd which no man could number,
of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, |.
and tongues, standing before the
throne, and in the sight of the Lamb,
clothed with white garments and
palms in their hands; and they cried I
with a loud voice saying: Salvation to
our God, who sitteth upon the throne,
and TO the Lamb" Revelation VII, O.
10. i
Father j. E. Mates of St. Charles
Catholic church preached last Sunday
from the foregoing text. He said in
part:
The War Mothers of Salmon and
Lemhi county are working nobIy and
hard to complete a memorial hospital
as a monument and remembrance of
the noble deeds of our soldier boys
who went out to fight in the world
war for the principals of liberty and
democracy. The heroic deeds and sac
rifices of these boys, many of them
sons of the War Mothers, should live
and be handed down to the memory of
coming generations and be light to
them to follow high and noble stand
ards.
The Catholic church and the War
Mothers in this instance are follow
ing similar motives, in preserving
and perpetuating the lives and deeds
of noble men. Therefore the church
has set aside the first day of Nov
ember as the Feast of All Saints,
those servants of God, who like st.
Paul can say: | have fought good
fight and preserved the grace of God,
therefore there is laid up for me
crown of glory" But the memorial
day Of the church has an added inn
portance, the memorial in memory of
our soldier boys is for cause we
hope not to face again--war OF men
against men; but the memorial day
of the Saints is for a cause we all,
who are of age and reason, must go
through. The war of the soldiers of
Jesus Christ against the unseen
enemy, the world, the flesh and the
devil. Therefore the apostle admon-
ishes the Christians in last Sundays
'epistle: Ephes. 6:10-17, 'Be strength
ened in the Lord, and in the power
of His might. Put ye on the armor Of
God that We may stand against the
wiles of the devil: For our wrestling
is not against flesh and blood, but
against the princes and powers,
against the world rulers OF this dark
ness, against the spirits of wicked
ness in high places" The church
therefore points to the Saints, the vic
torious soldiers of Jesus Christ, and
asks US to profit by their examples
and follow their ways.
By saint we mean generally one
who is in heaven. But not all who en-
joy the glory in heaven are regarded
as canonized saints held up for an ex-
ample for us, but only such whose
| lives and deeds are inviting imita-
tion. Thus little children clothed in
1.-THE robes of baptism are in heaven, but
| they have done nothing for as to inn
itate. Heaven to them is not a re.
ward, but a gratuitous gift. The
penitent bandit and murderer cruci-
1 fled with Christ is in heaven, canon
lied by Christ himself when to his
prayer: Lord remember me when
Thou will enter your Kingdom" the
Saviour replied: amen, say to thee,
today yet thou shall be with me in
Paradise His deathbed conversion
is too risky and dangerous TO follow
We had the example lately of man
who put Off his Christian duties un-
til the last and then could not get
the priest he longed for One who
lives without the priest may have tc
die without the service Of the minis.
ter of God. Neglect il dangerous. A
saint must have practised heoric vir.
tues, or if he had sinned grieviousIy
like David and St. Peter and others
must have also given example Of ar
dent conversion and amendment n
least two incontestable miracles o
God, proving beyond doubt his sane
tity and friendship with God, thu
church requires before she will declar,
reputed saint to be in heaven. Al
expert is appointed called the devil'i
advocate or lawyer, who must max,
an oath to try every possible mean!
to Illustrate if possible the canoniz
alton. Only after every shadow o
doubt is removed viii he or she b,
judged worthy of our yeneration; bu
never alteration which belongs to Got
alone. Christ answered his temptei
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