New Britain herald., 1926-11-02
CHRIST IS DIVINE
 PRIEST DECLARES
First Sermon on Catholic Dogma
 at St. Mary's Church

INcNs IONCS anu iANN- John Carter Smyth Of the Paulist Fathers, New York city, began series of lectures explaining the fundamental teachings of the Cath olic chrch at St. Mary's church last night.
 These expositions are intended to correct the many false concepts of Catholic doctrine that obtain among non-Catholics, and to give to those who seek a wider knowledge of his toric Christianity a justification of the ancient Christian faith, the priests announced.
 Many non-Catholics were present last evening to hear the opening lec- ture which was the Catholic answer to the scriptural question what think ye of Christi" Father Smyth said In part: Tt is a matter of measureless importance for us to know who is Jesus Christ. It is strange fact, and g. sad fact, that the world today does not know the answer to this question. Jesus Christ is by the admission of all, whether believers or unbelievers, the founder of Christianity, and the author of a new civilization. He is the most i'm portant figure In history and yet there are many even among the learned who admit they have no definite conviction concerning the ul- innate cause Of His greatness.
 stIT1inty ,t in+n rlJ the question He Himself flung back upon the Jews in His day, What think you of Christ, whose Son is He?' and you will be astounded at the number and variety and the un- certainty of the answers that come back to you
 ''The principal and only problem concerning the nature of Christ is this: Can we study His mind, His sayings, His deeds, His life, and His l death, and above all the enormous and eternal consequences of His life and death, and conclude that He is adequately explained by being named | human? Is He first and last and only human or is He divine? And when we ask Is Christ Divinc?' we have no elastic understanding of the word divine as when we say there is a spark of divinity in all men. We mean Is He God? The God who is | the creator of the universe? And l when as Catholics we answer that l Jesus Christ is true God as He is true man, we mean not that He is a man who enjoyed particular close union with God, or a man in whom the Godhead dwelt, more intimately than in any other man, but we mean that Jesus Christ had the right to say, I am God,' just as truly as you
 and have the right to say, I am a
 man.
 Now the argument is very simple
 for it is precisely this: not only had
 Jesus Christ the righ. to say I am
 God but he did say it. The argu-
 ment is from Christ's own conscious
 ness. witnessed by Christ's own words. Christ declared that He was ruler, redeemer and final judge of the world. He said that all things were delivered to Him and that He possessed all authority in heaven and on earth. He demanded abso- lute self surrender of those who would be His disciples They must abandon not only their worldly goods, but they must leave father and mother, husband and wife, if summoned by Him. He preached Himself as the sum total of the gos- pei. He assumed a position of au- thority different from that of any others teacher or group of teachers. He claimed an absolute incompar- able devotion to His own person as the indispensable condition to mem- | bership in the kingdom of heaven. osopher ever dreamed of demand ing-love of Himself as we'll as ad- l herence to His teachings. Jesus Christ died because of this claim 1 that he was God. When his ene- mics hailed Him before Pilate they cried, We have law that this man must die because he maketh him 1 self equal to Cod" Pilate wrote the inscription for the cross to be nailed over His head Jesus of Nag areth, King of the Jews But His enemies objected. They wanted the words of His death warrant: He calleth himself Gods equal
 And Christ admitted the impeach- ment. He could not retract and be l truthful. He stretched out His hands and they crucitled Him. The l last testimony of His divinity was the outpouring of His blood.
 How utterly futile in the face of these facts is the contention that Christ as a good man and yet not strictly divine. If He were not di- vine these clai and demands are enormously eXtravagant, preposter- ously impertinent and in short noth- ing short of imposture and insanity
 No mere man has the right to as- sert such absolute authority over his fellow man; no mere man could as sume such tremendous personal | prerogatives without being relegated to the head Of all the charlatans that ever appeared among men. Yet l the bitterest of His enemies admit | His wisdom and paradoxica as 1t may seem His meelrnagq and His