Pulpit Orator CONTAINING SEVEN ELABORATE SKELETON SERMONS, OR, HOMILETIC, DOGMATICAL, LITURGICAL, SYMBOLICAL, AND MORAL SKETCHES, FOR EVERY SUNDAY OF THE YEAR. ALSO ELABORATE SKELETON SERMONS FOR THE CHIEF FESTIVALS AND OTHER OCCASIONS. BY THE REV. JOHN EVANGELIST ZOLLNER. TRANSLA TED FROM THE GERMAN, WITH PERMISSION OF THE A UTHOR, AND ADAPTED B F THE REV. AUGUSTINE WIRTH, O. S. B. WITH PREFACE BY THE REV. A. A. LAMBING. Fifteenth Revised Edition VOL. V. From the Fifteenth to the Last Sunday after Pentecost. Jfrebericfc $)uôtet & <£o., Printers to the Holy Apostolic See and the Sacred Congregation of Rftos RAHSBON ROME NEW YORK CINCINNATI Copyright, 1904. B. STEINBACK, Of the firm of Pr. Pustet & Co CONTENTS. Page FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—How we must manifest the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost........................................................................................... 7 2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Raising of the Young Man of Naim to Life.............................................................................................................. 15 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—Why we must work out our Salvation with Fear................................................................................. ......... 22 4. Liturgical Sketch.—Funerals......................................................... 28 5. Symbolical Sketch.—The Widow of Naim, a Symbol of the Church 34 6. Moral Sketch.—We ought always to be prepared for Death . . 41 7. Moral Sketch.—Three Mothers......................................................... 45 SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch —St. Paul exhorts and consoles the Ephesians and prays for them....................................................................................... 51 2. Homiletic Sketch.—Christ heals the Dropsical Man, and instructs the Pharisees in Humility............................................................................ 59 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass .... 67 4. Liturgical Sketch.—Veneration of the Holy Name of Mary . . 73 5. Symbolical Sketch.—The Healing of five Persons by Jesus on Sabbath days teaches us how we are to sanctify Sundays and Holidays............................................................................................................ 80 6. Moral Sketch.—Pride..................................................... 87 7. Moral Sketch.—The Sanctification of Sundays and Holidays . . 94 SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—Admonition to Unity.......................................... 101 2. Homiletic Sketch.—Questions relating to the greatest Command­ ment, and also to Christ.......................................................................... 107 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—Christ, true God and true Man .... 113 4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Mother of Dolors.......................................... 121 5. Symbolical Sketch.—Fire, a Symbol of the Love of God . . . 126 6. Moral Sketch.—Why we must love God................................................133 7. Moral Sketch.—How must we love God?............................................... 139 EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—The graces which the Corinthians had re­ ceived and might yet expect................................................................ ...... 2. Homiletic Sketch.—Twofold Healing of the Man sick of the Palsy........................................................................................................... ...... 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Remission of Sins..................................... 160 ·. Liturgical Sketch.—The Rosary.......................................................... 166 CONTENTS ?*<· EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.—Continubd. 5. Symbolical Sketch —Similarity between us Christians and the Man sick of the Palsy 6. Moral Sketch.—Unchaste Thoughts and Desire* ...... 7. Moral Sketch.—Blasphemy .............................................. ..... . . . 172 ............................... 179 185 NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—Spiritual Renovation.................................... . 191 2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Rejection of the Jews, and the Calling of the Gentiles....................................................................................... 199 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—The small Number of the Elect .... 206 4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Anniversary of the Dedication of a Church 212 6. Symbolical Sketch.—Charity, the Wedding Garment...................... 219 6. Moral Sketch.—Signs of Election and Reprobation ..... 225 7. Moral Sketch.—The Reverence due to Priests ................................. 233 N PENTECOST. TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER 1. Homiletic Sketch.—Exhortation to Circumspection, and some other Directions ............................................................................................... 240 2. Homiletic Sketch.—Christ heals the Son of a Ruler...................... 247 8. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Rule of Faith........................................... 254 4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Ceremonies of Extreme Unction . . . 261 5. Symbolical Sketch.—Fever, the Figure of Sin................................. 266 6. Moral Sketch.—Influence of the Example of Parents upon their Children................... .... ........................................................................ 274 7. Moral Sketch.—The Sickness of the Body is a Blessing to the Soul 279 TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—Resisting the Enemies of our Salvation . . 285 2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Merciful Master and the Unmerciful Ser­ vant .......................................................................................................... 292 8. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Pains of Hell........................................... 299 4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Ceremonies of the Sacrament of Penance 306 δ. Symbolical Sketch.—The four elementary Rules of Arithmetic in 311 their Application to the Spiritual Life . . 6. Second Symbolical Sketch.—The Unmerciful Servant, or un318 worthy Penitents............................................. 324 7. Moral Sketch.—Restitution.............................. TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—St. Paul speaks of his tender Love for the Philippians, and begs various Graces for them ...... 330 2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Coin of the Tribute...................................... 337 8. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Veneration of Images........................... 4. Liturgical Sketch.—The pictorial Representation of God and the 350 Saints........................................ λ Symbolical Sketch.—Coins a Figure of Good Works . . . · · 856 CONTENTS. Pag· TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.—Continued. 6. Moral Sketch,—A false Friend is more dangerous than an open Enemy............................... 364 7. Moral Sketch,—When do we render to God the things that are God’s?......................................................................................................... 369 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—St. Paul exhorts the Philippians to imitate him, and gives them some special Precepts.......................................... 375 2. Homiletic Sketch.—Jesus healing the Sick and raising the Dead 382 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Resurrection of the Dead.......................... 390 4. Liturgical Sketch. —Cemeteries............................................................... 396 5. Symbolical Sketch.—Death, a Sleep.....................................................402 6. Moral Sketch.—When must we think of Death?............................... 409 7. Moral Sketch.—The death of the just Man.......................................... 414 LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1. Homiletic Sketch.—Prayer and Thanksgiving.....................................420 2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World............................................................................................... 427 3. Dogmatical Sketch.—How Jesus Christ will hold the last Judg­ ment ...............................................................................................................436 4. Liturgical Sketch.—Processions........................................................ 443 5. Symbolical Sketch.—The Abomination of Desolation, a Figure of Sin............................................................................................................... 449 6. Moral Sketch.—Our Death is for us the End of the World and the Last Judgment..................................................................... 456 7. Moral Sketch.—What we must do in order to be prepared for the Last Judgment.................................................................................... 462 GENERAL INDEX. See Volume VI., Page 473 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. Epistle.— ^/ 5: 25 to 6:10. Brethren: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, and if a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every one prove his own work, and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. For every one shall bear his own burden. And let him that is instructed in the word communicate to him that instructeth him, in all good things. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting. Andin doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing. There­ fore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. 1. HOMILETIC SKETCH. HOW WE MUST MANIFEST THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY GHOST. St. Paul begins the lesson of this day, which is taken from his Epistle to the Galatians, with the words : If we live in the Spirit^ let us also walk in the Spirit. To live in the Spirit, means to be animated and governed by the Holy Ghost, to possess sanctifying grace. To walk in the Spirit means to live piously and virtuously. The Apostle means to say : If the Holy Ghost lives and rules in us by his grace, we must manifest it outwardly by good conduct. S Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. Hence St. Jerome says: "If we have life through the Spirit, we must live according to the Spirit, and no longer serve the flesh.” St. Paul then enters more into detail and shows how we must manifest the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, namely: I. By guarding against ambition and priât ; II. By practicing meekness ; III By works of Christian charity. Part L I. St. Paul warns us against ambition and pride when he says: Let us not be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. (a.) To seek honor is not wrong in itself, for honor is, of all earthly things, the most excellent, and is incomparably more precious than money and goods, as we read in the Book of Proverbs (22: 1): “A good name is better than great riches.” Honor and a good name promote temporal welfare, for a man who enjoys a good reputation is loved by every one, is well received everywhere and finds employment and remuneration. Honor and a good name keep man from evil and are an incentive to a blameless and upright life. Lastly, he who stands in good repute and has the confidence of people can contribute very much to their temporal and spiritual welfare. Hence St Francis of Sales says : "Chanty compels us and humility permits us to care for our honor, because it helps us to perform services use­ ful to our neighbor.” In so far as honor is a means of doing good, i. e., of promoting the honor of God and the good of our neighbor, we must seek it and be solicitous for its preservation. (b.) Hence the Apostle does not forbid us to seek honor, but only vain honor and vainglory. He cautions us against vainglory or ambition. Who are they that seek vainglory or are ambitious ? All the proud, and especially those who have an inordinate desire for the esteem and praise of men and do all in their power to satisfy this desire. They display their good qualities and actions to gain the applause of men ; they elevate themselves above others and give people to understand that no one equals them ; they wish always to be honored and preferred before others. This ambition is contrary to the fundamental virtue of Christianity —namely, humility, and is particularly displeasing to God. Hence Christ severely rebuked the Apostles who from ambition quarrelled about precedence, and intimated to them that unless they should be converted and become humble as a little child, they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 1. Homiletic Sketch, 9 (e.) Ambition is culpable, not only in itself, but also on account of its evil consequences; for it excites the mind and begets envy, discord, dissension and strife. This is the reason why the Apostle Karns us against ambition. The ambitious man, seeing that others are considered equal to him or even preferred before him, is very much displeased, and ill-will and envy arise in his heart. His fellow-men also are indignant when they perceive that he boasts of his prerogatives, looks down upon them with contempt and claims from them undue consideration. The ambition of men is the cause that there is so much disquietude, so much envy, strife and contention in the world. Let him who is solicitous for peace and harmony shun ambition and pride and be truly humble, 2. The Apostle alleges another motive why we should guard against ambition and pride when he writes: For ifany man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. (a.) St. Paul declares that man is nothing. This is only too true. Of himself man is less than nothing; for he is misery and sin combined. He is born in sin, he usually lives in sin, and he may die in sin ; when left to himself he is capable of nothing but of rushing headlong into all kinds of disorders. Look at your body, how frail it isl What will become of it? The food of worms, dust and ashes. Look at your soul 1 in the very first instant of its union with the body it was already contaminated with sin ; its powers are weakened and helpless in all that concerns eternal salvation. Consider what must be done with man in order to attain his final object. He must be cleansed from sin, and be sanctified. And this can be done only by the grace of God; left to himself man remains a sinner for ever. After man is justified by the grace of God, can he persevere of his own strength in justice ? By no means : he constantly needs the grace of God in order not to lose justice. Thus man of himself is a mere nothing. Why then should we yield to vain thoughts, and imagine our­ selves to be something, whereas we are nothing? (à) And if, nevertheless, many people are so vain and proud, whence does this arise? Chiefly from self-love; for it is self-love that so blinds man that he does not see his misery and weakness, and that ascribes to himself and to his merits the good he has or does, and therefore he does not give the honor to God. Do not suffer yourselves to be blinded by self-love, but consider very often in the light of faith, that of yourselves you are nothing, and can do nothing and you will not find it difficult to suppress all pride and ambition and to remain humble. 3. But let every one prove his own work; and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another, for every one shall bear his own burden. / (a.) In these words the Apostle teaches us how we can guard ourselves against ambition and pride. If we prove ourselves, and seriously and impartially think of the things we have com­ mitted or omitted, we shall find very much that is wrong and sinful. This knowledge of our sinfulness, at which we arrive by this proving of ourselves, will banish all proud and vain thoughts from our hearts and cause us to humble ourselves before God and man. It will produce still another advantage, for coming thereby to the knowledge of our faults, we shall feel ourselves urged to correct these faults and to labor for our perfection. When we humble ourselves sincerely and endeavor to perfect ourselves we shall have glory before God, which is incomparably more precious and valuable than all the honors of the world, for what does it profit us if all men praise us and God reprehends us? if men extol us up to heaven while God looks down upon us with detestation? if men call us blessed when God con­ demns us? (ό.) In proving ourselves we must not look at others and make a comparison between ourselves and them, for self-love might easily blind us to think ourselves better than they, and thus yield to vain, self-complacent thoughts. Since every one must bear his own burden, i. e., must answer for his own faults and sins (and even for those of others, if he make himself accessory to them), he must pay attention to himself, and not to others; judge himself only and not others, and thus he will be secure against self-conceit and pride. Examine yourselves often, that you may come to a better knowledge of yourselves, for the more you know yourselves, the clearer you will see your misery and sins, and then it will be an easy task to keep all vanity, pride and ambition at a distance and to be truly humble. But if you must make a comparison be­ tween yourselves and others, do not consider lukewarm persons infected with the spirit of the world, but consider the saints; consider their lives, their actions, their mortifications, their con­ tempt of the world, and their virtues, and you will blush at the comparison. I assure you, and exclaim, full of humility: “ My God what are the saints, and what am I?” Part II. Another virtue that we must practice is meekness. I. The Apostle exhorts us to this virtue in these words: If a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual (have made greater progress in the spiritual life), instruct suck a one in the \ — Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. — .— 10 i. Homiletic Sketch. 11 spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted (and by proud confidence, fall into the same sin). The Apostle here recommends meekness, especially in fraternal correction, for several reasons. (a.) First of all, he presupposes that he who is to be corrected has not erred with deliberation and through malice, but rather through inadvertence and surprise. It would certainly be acting most uncharitably to inveigh against such a one in anger and to treat him with severity. He has not yet a corrupt heart, there­ fore he is to be dealt with mildly and by friendly instruction and admonition to be warned against a repetition of the fault. Herein parents sometimes make great mistakes. When a child from ignorance or inadvertence does wrong, they become angry, and scold and chastise it with the greatest severity, as if it had com­ mitted a great fault, whilst they either entirely overlook real and often very considerable faults, or only make use of gentle words in correcting them. (£.) Even when the error is committed with premeditation and malice, the correction is to be made in the spirit of meekness ; at all events, one must not allow one’s self to be carried away by the heat of passion. A warm gentle rain penetrates the dry soil and refreshes it, whilst a violent shower runs off quickly, beats down the grain and makes the earth harder than it had been before. A reprimand administered with charity and gentleness is always well received and has frequently the best effect, whilst rebukes and reproaches repel, and instead of amending persons only make them more obstinate. “With a spoonful of honey,” St. Francis of Sales very appropriately says, “you will catch more flies than with a barrel of vinegar.” (r.) Another reason why we must proceed mildly and gently when reprimanding is the thought that we ourselves are weak and frail, and deserve more blame than praise. Perhaps we our­ selves have frequently committed, and are more or less infected with, the same fault that we must reprimand in others. Should not this be a motive for us to proceed leniently and mildly with our brother ? And suppose that we are entirely free from this fault, have we any guarantee that we shall be free from it for the future ? Does not the Apostle say: “He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall?—I. Cor. io: 12. God fre­ quently permits those who in the heat of passion reprimand their subordinates on account of a fault and chastise them with too great severity, to fall into the same or into a still greater fault, that they may learn to have compassion for the erring and to reprimand them with mildness. Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. 2. When the Apostle says: Bear ye one another's burdens,' and so you shallfulfil the law of Christ, he gives us another motive for meekness; for with these words he admonishes us to bear with patience the faults and frailties of others and to act mildly with them. Why should we act thus ? (a.) Chiefly because others bear our burdens, i, e., must have patience with our faults. We are apt to believe that we are no burden to others and that they have nothing to bear from us. It is self-love that leads us to this belief, and so blinds us that we think ourselves perfect. We have our own faults, and we may be sure there is much in us that is burdensome to others. Now if our fellow-men must bear our faults, is it not just that we should also bear theirs and treat them gently ? Oh, that married people, brothers and sisters, and neighbors would never forget the words of the Apostle: "Bear ye one another’s burdens,” and would have patience with one another and live in peace and concord I (3.) The principal motive for the practice of meekness should be the law of Christ, according to the words of the Apostle: So you shallfulfil the law of Christ. What law is this? Charity, as Christ himself says: "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”—John 15 : 12. "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.”—John 13: 35. But charity necessarily includes meek­ ness, for, as the Apostle says, "it is patient, is not provoked to anger, beareth all things, endureth all things.”—I. Cor. 13: 4-7. He therefore whose anger is suddenly excited against his neigh­ bor, who treats him harshly, and calumniates and reviles him; in short, he who offends against meekness, sins against the prin­ cipal commandment of Christ, charity, and does not deserve the name of a disciple of the meek Jesus. Fight, therefore, against all inordinate motions of anger, ill-humor and impatience; say and do nothing contrary to meekness. Preserve meekness especially when reprimanding others ; never administer a rebuke except in the spirit of charity and meekness in order to gain their hearts and, if possible, to amend them. Be indulgent to the failings and frailties of your fellow-men, and never forget that you are faulty in many things, and that others must bear many burdens on your account. Look at Jesus and learn of him to be meek and humble of heart.—Matt. 11: 29. Part ΙΠ. In the last verses of the epistle of this day the Apostle exhorte us to the practice of works of ch arity. i. Homiletic Sketch. 13 Let hint that is instructed in the word communicate to him that instructeth him, in all good things. 1. (a.) The first, therefore, towards whom you must show your­ selves charitable, are, according to the words of the Apostle, your Pastors; you must contribute to their necessary support, and cheerfully give them their dues. Christ says : ‘ ‘ The laborer is worthy of his hire.”—Luke 10: 7. Since the pastors of souls labor for the salvation of men and exhaust their strength in so doing, they certainly have a claim to what they need for their support. Hence the Apostle says: “Know you not, that they who work in the holy place, eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar, partake with the altar? So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel, should live by the gospel.”—I. Cor. 9: 13, 14. (Z>.) The words of the Apostle: Be not deceived; God is not mocked, refer to the subterfuges and excuses by which avaricious, covetous, and envious Catholics refuse their priests the necessary support, curtail it, or give it with ill-will. They may perhaps try to make themselves and others believe that their uncharitable and unjust action is right and just, but it is not so before God, the Omniscient, who at the last day will call them to a strict account. Beware of refusing to give your priests their dues, and of cur­ tailing them. 2. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life ever­ lasting. That is, if you make an improper use of your temporal goods, and abuse them for the gratification of your passions, you sow in the flesh, and of it you will reap perdition—your temporal goods will bring eternal damnation upon you. But if you employ your temporal goods for the relief of the poor, or for other good purposes, you sow in the spirit, and you will reap life everlasting ; in the world to come God will richly reward you for your acts of charity. Moreover, we have here an important motive for the practice of the works of mercy; they, as we know, weigh heavily in the scales at the Last Judgment, and are decisive. He who practices them is just, and with the just he will enter into life everlasting : he who omits them when he should practice them, will be damned in everlasting fire. “Judgment without mercy,” says St. James, “to him that hath not done mercy; and mercy exalteth itself above judgment.”—2 : 13. 3. Arid in doing good let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing. In these words the Apostle points again to the Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. reward which is in store for all good works, but especially for th* works of mercy and charity, but he adds the condition: Not failing. Like all other good works, the works of mercy must be practiced unceasingly, if we expect heaven as a reward, for “he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.”—Mall. 10:22. There are persons who, when young, are liberal, but who, when they become older, cease to be so and will not hear of giving alms; for advanced age is, alas! more prone to avarice. The very contrary should be the case. The older we become, the more we should detach our hearts from temporal things, and, therefore, also give more abundant alms. 4. The end of our lesson reads: Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (a.) Here the Apostle exhorts us to employ our lifetime in works of mercy, for the reason that life is very uncertain and fleeting, and death approaches, when we can do no more good works and gain no more merits for heaven. The thought of the frailty of our life and the uncertainty of the hour of death ought to be reason enough for us to do every possible good, and especially to practice the works of Christian charity while we have the means of doing it, considering that God for this very purpose has appointed us his stewards in bestowing on us the goods of this world. (bi) Moreover, the Apostle exhorts us to do good to all, who­ ever they may be, or in whatever relation they may stand to us. Our charity must extend to all men, even to our enemies, that we may be children of our Father, who is in heaven, "who maketh his sun to rise upon the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.”—Matt. 5:45. I (f.) But, according to the admonition of the Apostle, we ought to do good to those in particular who are of the same faith as ourselves. They are nearer to us than infidels and heretics, be­ cause with us they constitute one Christian community and family. Now if the members of one community or family must first relieve one another, it must be much more so with those who profess the same faith as ourselves. As Catholics we ought to do good to our fellow-Catholics, and prefer them to all who are not of the same faith. PERORATION. Be solicitous, then, to practice the three virtues to which St. Paul exhorts us in the epistle of this day. Be humble of heart, 2. Homiletic Sketch. 15 and therefore shun all vainglory, vanity, pride, and ambition, con­ sidering that “God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble.”—James 4: 6. Be meek, avoid all rudeness, vulgarity, bad temper and bitterness; have patience with the failings, frailties and short comings of your neighbor; do not forget that you yourselves are not above reproach, and that you need the indulgence of God and man. Be charitable and merciful towards all men, but especially towards those who are of the same faith, for charity is the outgrowth of love, which is the principal com­ mandment of the Christian law. Blessed are you if you unceas­ ingly practice these three important virtues of humility, meekness and charity ; as true and faithful followers of Jesus Christ you have the hope of eternal life. Amen. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. Gospel.—Luke 1: 1116. At that time: Jesus went into a city called Naim: and there went with him his disciples and a great multitude. And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, be­ hold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, he said to her: Weep not. And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, say­ ing: A great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God hath visited his people. 2. HOMILETIC SKETCH. THE RAISING OF THE YOUNG MAN OF NAIM TO LIFE. Our divine Saviour had healed the servant of the centurion at Capharnaum, where he stayed most of his time during his public life. Thence he went to Naim, a small city in Galilee, situated at the foot of Mount Thabor. Naim in English means beautiful, pleasant, cosy. This city derived its name from its beauti­ ful location and picturesque surroundings. But no matter now ιό Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. pleasant and cosy a place may be, that fell destroyer, Death, cannot be kept away. As the Latin poet has so beautifully ex­ pressed it: “He advances with unerring step, and knocks for ad­ mittance at the stately palaces of the rich, as well as at the humble cottages of the poor.” Thus this unwelcome guest had found his way into the beautiful city, for when our Blessed Redeemer, accompanied by his disciples and a great multitude of people, came nigh to the gate of the city, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Let us, to-day, make a meditation on the miracle referred to in the gospel, and with that object we shall consider the two following points: I. A dead man is carried out of Naim ; IL Christ raises the dead man to life. Part I. The gospel says: When Jesus came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow ; and a great multitude of the city was with her. These words contain a great deal of instruction. i. Christ came to Naim just at the moment the dead man was being carried out. This was certainly a remarkable coincidence, which must not be attributed to blind fate or mere chance, but to a divine arrangement. Christ wished to make use of this opportunity, and to glorify his Father by the working of a great miracle, as well as to console the deeply afflicted heart of the poor widow, and manifest himself as the Redeemer of the world. Hence this remarkable coincidence. From it we can learn — (a.) Thalnothing, however trifling and insignificant, is accidental, but is either ordained or permitted by God. Christ expressly says : “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God ? (And there are so many millions of them.) Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”— Luke 12: 6, 7. In all the events and accidents of life we must recognize God’s all-ruling providence and seek to profit by them. If it is something pleasing, let us give thanks to God, make a good use of it, and employ it for the glory of God, and our own and our neighbor’s salvation. If something painful happens to us, let us be patient and offer it up to God as a penance for our sins. (0.) That man's extremity is Gods opportunity. The young man had died, his body was on its way to the grave ; who could then have hoped that he would have returned again to life? But 2. Homiletic Sketch. 17 when all human aid was ineffectual Jesus appeared. Let us stand firm in our confidence in God, in every situation of life, for ‘‘our God is our refuge and strength ; a helper in troubles ”—Ps. 45 : 2. Let us not waver in our faith, especially in these days when so many and such powerful enemies arise against our holy Mother the Church, and do their utmost to bring about her destruction. Let us do what the early Christians did, pray, have patience and confidence in God, who will give us peace when his hour is come. 2. A dead man was carried out. This is repeated every day and everywhere. Where is the city, village or house from which no dead are carried outl Man comes into the world to die. The moment he is born he begins to die ; and he ceases to die only when he ceases to live. Life is but a lingering death. The day will come when we also shall die and be carried out. “All things go to one place: of earth they were made, and into earth they return together.” — Ecrites. 3 : 20. But what an important thing is death. It is decisive for all eternity; if we die a good death, we shall be saved for ever; if we die a bad death, we shall be lost for ever. Ought we not seriously to consider this ? And yet there are many Christians who take more trouble about everything else than about dying. Their anxiety early and late is how they can make money, attain honor and dignities, or gratify their passions; these things occupy them early and late, but they never, or hardly ever, think of what they must do in order to die well. What blindness ! Oh, that we would often meditate on the words of Christ: “What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?”— Matt. 16: 26. 3. The dead man who was carried out was only a youth, for Christ said to him: Young man, I say to thee, arise. No one is secure against death ; all must fall beneath the fatal scythe, not only the grown and withered grass, but also the young and tender blades just beginning to sprout. Young people should consider this, and not live heedlessly and forgetful of God. The young man of Naim certainly did not think that he would die so soon, and yet he did. No one has a lease of live; the old must die, the young may die. Not a year passes that young people do not die in this parish. If death should snatch you away while you are in a state of mortal sin, you would be lost for ever. Consider this, and do not desecrate the best years of life with sins and vices, but serve God and keep his commandments. 4. The dead man who was carried out was the only son of his mother. It is a great affliction for parents to lose a child by death, especially when it is their only child. They weep, and are oftenV 2 18 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. times almost inconsolable in their sorrow. Now the question arises : “Why does God take children away from parents, and sometimes their only child ?” We cannot, indeed, answer this question with certainty, for the counsels of God are inscrutable. But this much we know, that God always does well and wisely when he snatches away a child by death. Many parents would perhaps spoil that child in their blind love, especially when it is their only one, and so it would turn out badly afterwards, do much mischief in the world, and finally perish eternally. Now, to prevent such an evil God calls that child to himself whilst it is innocent, in order to save its soul. Should parents, then, grieve immoderately at the death of their children? 5. The gospel remarks that the mother of the young man was a widow. The saying was verified here, “misfortunes never come singly.” It was not enough that the unfortunate woman had lost her husband ; she also loses her only son, the comfort of her life, and the support of her old age. Had she perhaps deserved that so much affliction should come upon her? Certainly not; for if she had not been pious and God-fearing, Jesus would not have shown himself so compassionate and raised her son to life. Thus again we see that God visits the pious with crosses and afflictions. But he does it for their good, in order to free them more and more from their faults, to perfect them and to give them an opportunity of increasing their merits, and to reward them here­ after with a greater crown of glory. 6. Lastly, we read in the gospel that a great multitude of the city was with her. As we see, funeral processions were customary with the Jews in the Old Law, and were conducted as with us in the New Law. Relatives and acquaintances paid the last honors to the departed man, and accompanied his body to its final rest­ ing place. There is no doubt that they also prayed for the dead, for prayers and sacrifices for the dead were prescribed among the Jews, and in the Second Book of Machabees we read : “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.”—12:46. Take part in funeral services, but in such a way as becomes Christians. Go to the grave with the dead, to show your respect and esteem, and pray devoutly for the repose of their souls ; think at the same time of the frailty of human life, the uncertainty of the hour of death, and of eternity, and make good resolutions so to live that you need not fear death. If you attend funeral processions in such a way they will be profitable both to you and to the departed. 2. Homiletic Sketch. 19 Part II. We will now consider how Christ raised the dead man to life. The gospel relates this miracle in the following words: Whom when the Lord had seen (the mother), being moved- with mercy towards her, he said to her : Weep not. And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it stood still. And he said: Youngman, I say to thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 1. Here we plainly see what an affectionate heart Jesus had. As soon as he saw the deeply afflicted mother following the corpse of her only son with sobs and tears, he was moved with compassion. This was not the only time that he showed the good­ ness of his heart. He had compassion on the hungry multitudes in the desert; he wept at the grave of Lazarus; so profound a sorrow seized him at the sight of Jerusalem, that he wept and said : “If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are for thy peace: but now they are hidden from thy eyes.”—Luke 19: 41, 42. We, too, must be compassionate if we are true Christians. The principal Christian virtue is charity; and compassion is an offspring of charity, for he who sincerely loves his neighbor feels compassion when he sees him afflicted or suffering. Human society constitutes one body, and every in­ dividual man is a member of this body. Now, as in a natural body the pain which one member feels is from sympathy extend­ ed to others, especially to those in close proximity, so every man, especially if he be ennobled by the spirit of Christianity, feels the sorrows and afflictions of his fellow-men. A man without sympathy is as it were a dead member in the body of human society and utterly un-Christian, because he is destitute of charity, the principal virtue of Christianity. Various passions, such as envy, hatred and avarice sometimes carry a man so far that they strip him of all sympathy with the unfortunate and afflicted ; in fact, he even rejoices at their sufferings. We are men and Chris­ tians; let us have compassion and mercy on all whom we see in misery and affliction. St. Gregory says : “Sympathy is the most precious alms, for if we give our sympathy to the unhappy, we give them what they value most, our heart; they themselves are consoled when they see that we take a lively and heartfelt interest in their sufferings.” 2. Jesus said to the widow: Weep not. He does not say so by way of reproach, as if he would blame the widow for weep­ ing, or forbid it, but only to manifest his sympathy for her and to console her, as we also say when we have compassion on an unfortunate man and try to comfort him. We Christians are not 20 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. forbidden to weep at the graves of our relations and friends, since Christ himself wept at the grave of Lazarus {John 11: 35); and we read: “My son, shed tears over the dead, and begin to lament as if thou hadst suffered some great harm.”—Ecclus. 38: 16. And in the Acts of the Apostles we read: “And devout men took order for St. Stephen’s funeral, and made great mourning over him.”—8:2. But this mourning over the dead must not be immoderate and un-Christiau. The true Christian comforts himself at the death of his friends, bearing in mind that whatever God does is well done, and that there will be a resurrection of the dead when he shall see the departed dear ones again, and be united with them for ever. The heathens and infidels who have no hope (Z Thess. 4:12) may mourn immoderate­ ly over the death of their friends and abandon themselves to despair; we Christians do not thus; our mourning is tempered with consolation and resignation to the will of God; mitigated and sweetened by the hope that we shall see one another again. 3. Our Lord came near and touched the bier, thus intimating to those that carried it to stand still, and said : Young man, I say to thee, arise. Here Jesus Christ manifests himself as the omni­ potent God, to whom everything is subject, and whose word heaven and earth obey. The Apostles and many saints worked miracles, not by their own power, but in the name of Jesus. Thus the miracles which Christ wrought, and those wrought by the saints in his name, are an incontrovertible proof of his Divinity. When he says: Young man, I say io thee, arise, he is as omnipotent as God his Father, and he has aright to say: “What things soever the Father doth, these the Son also doth in like manner. As the Father raiseth up the dead and giveth life: so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.”—John 5: 19-21. We must give thanks to Jesus for having proved his Divinity so clearly and incontrovertibly. For there is nothing so consoling and encouraging in every situation of life as the belief that Jesus Christ is truly God. If he is truly God his doctrine is true and divine, and everything that he has done and suffered for us has an infinite value; we are truly redeemed; we need not fear for the Church which he promised to protect; if we serve him with a loving heart, we can live peaceably and die happily. 4. At the words of Jesus: “Young man, I say to thee, arise,” he that was dead, sat up and began to speak. At the words : “Young man, I say to thee, arise,” the soul of the young man returns from the spirit world into its body, and animates it with new life; he sits up and lives, and as a sign that he lives he begins to speak. Thus Jesus raised the young man to life. As Christ raised the young man of Naim, so he will raise all men from the dead 2. Homiletic Sketch. 21 at the end of the world. He himself assures us of this “The hour cometh wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things shall came forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.”—John 5 : 28. 29. Let us then walk in the fear of God, and be careful to keep our body in honor, never abusing it by sin, especially by impurity, that we may hope for a joyous resurrection. It is said of the young man that he began to speak. What did he say? Certainly something appropriate. There is no doubt that he gave thanks to Christ in the most glowingwords for the grace of being raised to life, adored him with the most profound veneration, and promised to dedicate himself to him and to love him with all his heart. When Jesus, in the Sacrament of Penance, raises you from the death of sin to the life of grace, he bestows on you a greater grace than on the young man of Naim, whom he raised from natural death. You have far more reason fervently to give thanks to Christ after every confession, to adore him, and to make the strongest resolutions henceforth zealously to serve him. If you have not done this heretofore, do so for the future. And he delivered him to his mother. Jesus could with justice have demanded that he should join his disciples and follow him. But no; he made no such demand, but returned him to his mother. Here Jesus gives us a beautiful example of the way in which we must do good to our neighbor without any selfish intention. Let us be satisfied that God knows the good we do, and will reward us for it, and let us beware of receiving praise for it from men, lest we share the fate of the Scribes and Phari­ sees, of whom Jesus says that they have already received their reward. Jesus, by delivering the young man to his mother, in­ timated that she had power over him, and that he, as her child, was obliged to obey her in all just and lawful things. Why should not man willingly obey those to whom he owes his life ? Now, there are children who grievously sin against obedience. The older they become, the more stubborn they become towards their parents; they will not obey their mother when she is a widow, and they so embitter her life by their disobedience and bad conduct that she wishes to follow her husband into the grave. Woe to such children: “The eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labor of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brook pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.”— Prov. 30: 17. PERORATION. And there came a fear on them all; and they glorified God, say­ ing: A great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God hath visited 22 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. hispeople. We need not wonder that all who were witnesses of this miracle and saw how the young man, at the word of Christ, suddenly sat up and lived, were filled with a holy fear. We should have been similarly affected had we been eye-witnesses of this miracle. It is natural for fear and awe to take possession of man when God manifests himself in his infinite power, and especially when he brings a dead man back to life. But what the people then did, when full of enthusiasm, praising and glorifying God, we also ought to do to-day and every day of our lives. Let us praise and glorify God with a heart full of thanks that he has raised up the great Prophet foretold by Moses (Deut. 18: 15); that is, that he has sent his only-begotten Son, to whom we owe our redemption from sin and from eternal damnation, our recon­ ciliation with God, and grace and life everlasting. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 DOGMATICAL SKETCH. WHY WE MUST WORK OUT OUR SALVATION WITH FEAR. And there came a fear on them all.—Luke 7:16. St. Luke observes at the conclusion of this day’s gospel that there came a fear on them all when they saw that at the words of Jesus: Young man, I say to thee, arise, the dead man sat up, began to speak, left the bier, and went to his mother. No wonder that all who were witnesses of this event were struck with fear, for why should not man be in awe and fear when he beholds the manifestation of divine Omnipotence ? Why should he not be terrified when a dead man who belongs already to the next world, suddenly returns again to this mortal life? Such a fear ought to come upon us, not only in wonderful events, but it ought rather to be our constant companion during life. So long as we live in this valley of tears we are not secure of salvation; dangers beset us and threaten us on all sides. But if we walk in the fear of God we shall guard ourselves against injustice and sin, and be anxious that we may be able hereafter to give a good account of our stewardship. I shall exhort you therefore to-day in the words of the Apostle : “W ork out youi salvation with fear 3. Dogmatical «ketch. 23 and trembling” {Phil. 2: 12), and give you three reasons for doing so: /. The uncertainty of our salvation; II. The dangers that menace our soul; III. The strict justice of God. Part I. It is a dogma of the Catholic Church that no man, without a special revelation from above, can have full certainty whether he will be saved or not. “ Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love, or hatred.”—Eccltes. 9: 1. Now, since man knows not whether God loves or hates him, i. e.y whether he is in a state of sanctifying grace or not, it is obvious that he can not be perfectly secure of his salvation. St. Paul says of himself: I am not conscious to myself of any thing; yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me is the Lord.”—I. Cor. 4: 4. If the Apostle, so highly favored by God, did not know with cer­ tainty whether he would be saved, how much less can we know it who are subject to so many defects and failings. Although we must hope for our salvation with confidence, yet we must not lay aside all fear, because we do not know infallibly — I. Whether we are now truly just. (a.) Many actions -which are considered good by men, are not so before God. We may perform works of fraternal charity, we may have compassion on the poor, we may observe the com­ mandments of God and of his Church, and be conscientious in the discharge of our duties, but have we on that account a full assurance that we are just? No; for it is not enough to do good; it must also be done in the right manner; a great deal especially depends on good intention. Without it even the best actions are worthless in the eyes of God, as we see in the Scribes and Pharisees. Hence it is possible that God, owing to our lack of a good intention, will reject much of what we think good and meritorious. (Æ.) The words of the Lord to the bishop of Laodicea are appli­ cable to many Christians: “Thou sayest: I am rich, and made wealthy, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”— Apoc. 3: 17. They have a mistaken conscience, and, in their delusion, they think themselves just, whereas they are sinners. They do not commit adultery, they neither rob nor steal, they do many good things, and outwardly fulfil the precepts of reli- * a: Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. : gion; butin their hearts they entertain immoderate pride, and vain human praise is the motive of all their actions. Are they just? They think so, but deceive themselves, for without humility true justice, able to stand the test before God, is absolutely im­ possible. They have a heart that is attracted by money, as iron by the magnet. Though they can neveruse the tenth part of their possessions for their support, they will not hear of giving alms. Are they just? They think so, because they have acquired their wealth honestly; but they deceive themselves, for, as Christ assures us, no man can serve God and mammon. In their business or trade they commit various frauds and injustices, which they do not consider sinful because others do the same. Are they just ? They think so, but deceive themselves; for whatever is unjust God condemns, though the whole world commends it. They neglect the duties of their state of life; they keep silence at the excesses of their children and do not reprimand them for their sins and vices. Are they just? They think so, because in other respects they are good; but they are mistaken, for the Apostle says: “If any man have not care of his own, and especially o'r those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.’’—Ζ. Tim. 5: 8. Thus there are very many Christians who think themselves just, but in reality are not so. They will be obliged to confess before the judgment-seat of God: “We have erred from the way of truth; and the light of justice hath not shined unto us; and the sun of understanding hath not risen upon us.”— Wisd. 5 : 6. May not we also be mistaken ? Certainly ; the possibility at least cannot be denied; and on that account we must not be without fear for our salvation. 2. Whether we shall be just unto the end. It is possible that by grievous sins we may fall from grace. (λ.) History convinces us of this. Saul was at first a good king, and did what was right before God. But he remained good for two years only; then he fell into grievous sins, was hardened in evil and came to ruin. What a wise and excellent ruler was Solomon; but he sinned, fell into idolatry, and we do not know whether in the end he found grace with God or not. Judas was good at first; like Peter he had left all to follow Jesus, and in return was promised a hundred fold with the rest of the Apost­ les; he preached the gospel, and had power to baptize; but to what a miserable end he came! (3.) Experience teaches the same, and places before us only too many instances of human inconstancy and fickleness. During missions, jubilees, and on other occasions, many Catholics exhibit 3. Dogmatical Sketch. 25 a very commendable zeal ; they make a general confession, and firm resolutions to do penance. For some time everything goes well; they shun evil occasions, bridle their passions, and so live that they have the highest hopes. But their zeal gradually grows cold ; they neglect prayer, the frequent reception of the sacra­ ments, and other pious exercises ; they begin again their inter­ course with the wicked, seek again their former evil occasions, and thus it happens that they relapse into their former sins, and their last state becomes worse than the first. And how many innocent souls are there who fall victims to corruption ! How many sons and daughters, the hope and consolation of their parents, fall into bad company, where by little and little they lose the fear of God, become frivolous and thoughtless, and fall into utter destruction! How many Catholics, even of advanced age, turn their back upon God, whom they had served faithfully for so many years, and enter upon the path of sin and ruinl Thus it is certain that man is very frail, and always runs the risk of losing God’s grace, and with it eternal salvation. Since we are not secure of our salvation, we must never lose sight of the admonition of the Apostle: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”—Phil. 2: 12. And salutary fear is also necessary on account of the dangers to the soul which menace us on all sides. Part H. The dangers to the soul, to which we are exposed during our whole life, arise, as faith teaches us — (#.) From ourselves. We read of a certain Thomas Rotarius, that he imagined himself made of glass; therefore he was con­ tinually in dread that he might be broken. He would let no one come near him, and cried out when he saw any one approach him. This man, of course, was insane, but this insanity illustrates che truth that our moral strength is brittle and fragile like glass. Hence the Apostle says that we have the treasure of grace (our virtue, such as it is) in earthen vessels.—II. Cor. 4:7. In conse­ quence of original sin, evil concupiscence arose in us, and is a fruitful source of temptation. “Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured.”—James 1:14. We are tempted now to pride, then to covetousness, now to impurity, and then to anger. Sometimes one temptation ceases only when another arises fully as bad and even worse. We-shall never be entirely free from these temptations so long as we live. (bi) From the world, as St. John (/. John 2: 16) writes: “All that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the 26 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life.” How much that we hear and see in the world is reprehensible. The com­ mandments are boldly’ violated, the truths of our holy religion are ridiculed, infidelity and vice defended and commended. The zealous, faithful Catholic often experiences neglect, contempt and persecution, whilst the infidel who lives solely according to the flesh is honored and wins the applause of the many. The world tries every means to entangle us in its snares and destroy us. Now it displays before our eyes what flatters sensuality, then it makes us the most glorious promises, or it has recourse to threats, oppresses and persecutes us in order to win us over to its side. Even Catholics who were once pious may easily succumb to the temptation! (a) From Satan, who, as St. Peter writes : "goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”—Z. Peter 5: 8. All men are exposed to his attacks, especially the just. When these have made great progress in perfection and are not much dis­ quieted by the world, the devil begins his work and exerts him­ self in every way for their destruction. History proves that the saints suffered most from diabolical temptations. This is easily explained. So long as men live in heedlessness and sin, the devil need not take any pains with them ; they are already on the road to hell ; but when they are converted to God’s service, he assails them in every possible way, in order to win them back, especially when he sees that the world and concupiscence cannot prevail against them. In temptations so great and numerous we need not wonder that even the most tried servants of God have sometimes fallen. Remember David, who believed himself to be so firm in virtue that he said: ‘T shall never be moved” (Ps. 29:7); Joas, to whom the Sacred Scripture itself gives the praise, "that he did what was good before the Lord” (ZZ Parel. 24: 2) ; Origen and Tertullian, those two great lights of the Church ; Heraclius and Henry VIII. of England, who were justly considered patterns of Christian rulers; they sinned, and with them thousands of other servants of God have sinned, and many of them have perished for ever. How many may there be among us who will share the lot of those unfortunate souls! Let us therefore walk cautiously and in salutary fear so long as we live, specially remembering that we must appear before a judge whose justice is inexorable. God is infinitely just and therefore punishes not only grievous sins but also small faults. 3. Dogmatical Sketch, 27 (a.) Grievous sins. Examples: The fallen angels. They sinned but once, and in thought only, and without mercy God cast them from their heavenly seats and plunged them into the abyss of hell, where they are tormented for ever. Our first parents. They ate of the fruit of the tree of which God had forbidden them to eat. On account of this one sin not only they, but their whole posterity, were punished most severely, and millions of souls are lost eternally in consequence of this sin. The people in Noe’s time ; the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha; the Jevos of Jerusalem, who on account of their sins were delivered to temporal and eternal perdition. God is just; the vials of his wrath are emptied upon all who dare to transgress his holy commandments. There­ fore he says himself: “If you will not amend, but will walk con­ trary to me, I also will walk contrary to you, and will strike you seven times for your sins. And I will bring in upon you the sword that shall avenge my covenant.”—Levit. 26: 23-25. And St. John writes: “The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abomin­ able, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idol­ aters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”— Apoc. 21: 8. (£.) Smallfaults. We have examples in Lof s who, because she looked back at the burning Sodom, was at once changed into a statue of salt : in Qza, who, on account of an irreverent touch of the ark of the covenant, suddenly fell dead to the ground; in Moses, who, because of a little diffidence in the omni­ potence of God, was not allowed to enter with the other Israel­ ites into the land of promise, but died in the desert. St. Jerome confesses of himself that, in a dream, he received, by the command of Jesus, most painful stripes because he had read a book of the Gentiles. St. Catherine of Siena says that on account of a volun­ tary distraction in prayer she was so severely reprimanded that she would rather have endured all the contempt of the world than such a censure. So severely does God punish small faults I Hence the saints feared the justice of God and could scarcely divest themselves of a certain terror when they thought of their future account. Examples: St. Arsenius, who had served God with great fervor for seventy years, trembled at the approach of death. St. Agatho, when on his death-bed, was seized with great fear, and said to those around him, and who, in order to comfort him, reminded him of his pious life : “O friends, the judgments of God differ from the judgments of men.” Now, when even the saints trembled at the contemplation of God’s justice, what shall we do, who are anything but saints? What shall we do, who know not whether there are perhaps sins upon us which we do not remember, and therefore neither repent of them, nor confess 28 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. them? we who cannot tell whether the little good we do is not null and void before God on account of shortcomings; and lastly, we who do not know whether we have not perhaps long ago lost the grace of God on account of our numerous sins. Nothing then remains for us but to walk continually in the fear of God. PERORATION. Let us never forget the admonition of the Apostle : “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” It is difficult to be saved, because it is difficult to persevere faithfully to the end. You know this, and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Therefore be cautious, and caution will save you. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You are making a journey through a forest infested with robbers. You know the danger ; arm your­ selves, procure a body-guard to protect you, and you will arrive safe at your journey’s end. Blessed are you if childlike fear of God is the constant companion of your life ! it will keep you from evil, enliven and strengthen your zeal for virtue and penance so that you may persevere in the state of grace to the end, and thus may find the words of the Holy Ghost verified in you: “Blessed is the man that is always fearful.” —Prav. 28: 14. Amen. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 4. LITURGICAL SKETCH Behold, a dead man was carried out the only son of his mother; and the was a widow; and a great multitude of the city was with her.— Luke 7:12. What was done with the youth of Naim, according to the gospel of this day, will sooner or later happen to us all. We shall die, and about forty-eight hours after our death our funeral obsequies will take place. A deeply afflicted, weeping mother walked behind the coffin of her only son, the solace of her life, and the staff of her old age. Many people took part in the funeral procession, to show the last marks of respect to the dead man, and to console his poor mother. When we are carried 4. Liturgical Sketch. 29 out, a larger or smaller multitude of people will accompany our funeral. But one thing that happened at the funeral mentioned in the gospel of this day will not occur at ours. Jesus will not come and raise us to life, as he raised the youth of Naim. Our lifeless body will be delivered to the earth and remain there till the last day, when Jesus Christ will raise all the dead to life. I now propose to explain how Catholic funerals are carried out. /. The blessing of the body ; II The funeral-procession; III The burial of the body. Part I. First, the bell is tolled. This is an invitation to the faithful to show to the departed the last act of charity and to attend the funeral, or at least to say a prayer for the repose of his soul. When you die you will wish many persons to accompany your body to the grave and there pray for you. What you wish others to do unto you, do you also unto them. Go to their funeral, not from worldly interest, but from Christian charity, with the inten­ tion of bringing consolation and help to the departed by means of devout prayer. 1. 2. The priest and people assemble in the place where the corpse lies. The officiating priest is vested in a surplice and a black stole, or in a cope of the same color. The faithful, espe­ cially the relatives of the dead, also wear black clothes. Black is the color that symbolizes death, and manifests our mourning at the departure of our fellow-men. In primitive times the funeral obsequies had more of the character of joy than of sadness. This was chiefly in consequence of the funeral solemnities of the pagans. They hired men and women to raise loud lamentations over the dead. For better pay they would cut their arms with a knife ; they lacerated their cheeks, dishevelled their hair, and perpetrated other follies; they had also female choristers who sang funeral hymns. The Church rejected this exaggerated and spurious mourning as entirely un-Christian ; and when the rela­ tives transgressed against the proper observance of mourning, she always disapproved of it. St. Paul, writing to the Thessa­ lonians, says: “We will not have you ignorant concerning them thatareasleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope.”—I. Thess. 4; 12. St. Cyprian says: xr. 22, cap. 2): “In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass the same Christ is contained and immolated in an un­ bloody manner, who once offered himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross;... for the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; the manner alone of offering being different.” Part IL Holy mass is a true sacrifice. i. Jesus Christ teaches this, saying: “This is my body, which is given for you. This is my blood, which shall be shed for you.” —Luke 22: 19, 20. Here he already does in a mysterious manner what he did the following day on the cross ; he dies in a mysterious manner, representing, separated from each other, his body under the appearance of bread, and his blood under the appearance of wine. Now if, as no one doubts, his death on the cross was a true sacrifice, the mass must also be a true sacrifice, because here his death takes place in a mysterious manner in virtue of the words of consecration by which the bread and wine are changed into his body and blood. Again, when Christ says : “This is my body which is given for you,” he declares that it is the same body that he gives as a sacrifice for men. Consequently, he was present as a victim, after he had spoken these words. The same is to be said of the blood, which the Apostles drank ; it was the blood of the same Christ who immolated himself for the salvation of mankind. 2. St. Paul teaches the same. He writes: “We (Christians) have an altar, whereof they (the Jews) have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle.”—Heb. 13: 10. To eat of the altar evidently means nothing else than to eat of the sacrifice which is offered upon the altar. By those who serve the tabernacle the Jews are to be understood, who must not eat of the sacrifice of the Chris­ tians, because they are not Christians. What sacrifice can this be? Certainly not the sacrifice on the cross, for neither Chris­ tians nor Jews can eat of this; consequently it can mean only the holy sacrifice of the mass which is offered upon the altar and eaten as food in holy communion. The same Apostle makes a comparison (Z. Cor. 10: 14-21) be­ tween the partakers of the Christian sacrifice and those of the Jewish victims, evidently considering that the Christian table is an altar where Christ is mystically immolated and afterwards eaten bv the faithful, as in the Jewish sacrifices the victim was 3- Dogmatical Sketch, 7» first offered on the altar, and then eaten by the people; whence the Apostle infers that they who were partakers of this great sacrifice of the flesh and blood of Christ should not be partakers with devils, by eating of the meats sacrificed to idols. In the consecration of the Holy Eucharist bread and wine are really changed into the body and the blood of Christ; and, consequently, in and by this consecration, the real body and blood of Christ, our victim which was immolated for us upon the cross, is in the mass exhibited and presented to God ; and as the sacrifice that was offered upon the altar of the cross was a real sacrifice, so the sacrifice of the mass is properly a sacrifice, because in both the victim is the same, the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. 3. Tradition. In the history of the martyrdom of the Apostle St. Andrew, which the priests of Achaia wrote, we read that this apostle said to the Governor Ægeas: “I daily offer to the Almighty, the one and true God, not the odor of incense, neither the flesh and blood of oxen, but I offer the immaculate Lamb whose flesh is eaten indeed after being offered, but the Lamb remains whole, undivided, undefiled and living.” The Apostle here evidently speaks of the holy mass as a sacrifice, in which Jesus, the Lamb of God, who has been immolated on the altar, is daily offered. St. Irenaeus says: “The sacrifice of the New Law is the Last Supper. When Jesus instituted it as a sacrament, he also insti­ tuted it as a sacrifice. When he said: ‘This is my body ; this is my blood,’ he taught us that this is the sacrifice of the New Law, a sacri­ fice which the Church offers throughout the whole world as she received it from the Apostles.” Does not St. Irenaeus plainly and emphatically call the holy mass a sacrifice ? St. Cyprian writes: “If Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, is him­ self the High-priest of God the Father, and has offered himself to his Father as a sacrifice, and ordained that the same should be done for a commemoration of him, every priest who imitates that which Jesus did is really Christ’s vicegerent and officiates in his person ; he offers in the Church a sacrifice to God as he sees Christ himself offer.” This same Father in many other passages calls the Last Supper a sacrifice. Very affecting is a scene which the historian Philostorgius describes. During the reign of the Emperor Maximinian a holy priest and martyr named Lucian was cast into prison and cruelly tortured on account of his faith. Wishing before his death once more to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the mass, and there being no altar in the prison, he ordered the few faithful who had come to visit him to put what was necessary for mass on his breast, he being prostrate on the ground, and thus he consecrated the bread and wine. This occurred in the year 312, and Philostorgius T2 Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost. adds: “He offered the adorable sacrifice, partook of it himself and permitted those who were present to partake of the imma­ culate sacrifice. And while he was offering, the Christians sorrounded the dying priest, in order that the heathens might not see what was done.” 4. The Councils of the Church. The first Ecumenical Council of Nice (325) says of the mass: “Here at the divine table we must not view as bread and wine that which is set before us, but we must lift up our spirit and know in faith that the Lamb of God lies on that holy table, that Lamb which takes away the sins of the world, and which has been immolated by the priest in an unbloody manner.” The Council of Toullana declares : “It having come to our knowledge, that in Armenia those who offer the unbloody sacrifice offer only wine at the holy banquet, without adding water to it, we declare ♦hat a bishop or a priest, who doesnot act according to the Apos­ tolic tradition and add water to the wine, and thus offer the un­ bloody sacrifice, is to be suspended.” The second Council of Nice (787) calls the Sacrament of the Altar “our unbloody sacri­ fice, which is offered by the priest.” 5. Lastly, the most ancient liturgies. These were books which contained the prayers of the holy mass, together with the rubrics which explained how the sacrifice of the mass was to be offered ; they were what we at present call missals or mass-books. All these liturgies, of which some, judging from their principal con­ tents, originate from the Apostles, or from the time of the Apos­ tles, and according to which the holy sacrifice of the mass is offered in all the parts of the world, give evidence that the mass has always been considered a sacrifice and, with little variation^ has always been celebrated as it is to day. In all these liturgies we find special mention made of the three principal parts of the mass, namely, the Offertory, the Consecration, and the Com­ munion. PERORATION. These are a few facts to prove that the mass is truly and pro­ perly a sacrifice. Christ instituted it at his Last Supper and cele­ brated it for the first time ; afterwards the Apostles celebrated it; and it has been celebrated by the bishops and priests of the Catholic Church throughout the whole world up to this very day. This is a stubborn fact which no one can gainsay ; hence many heretics confess that the mass is properly a sacrifice and they sincerely regret that they no longer possess it. They fre­ 4· Liturgical Sketch. 73 quently go to mass and even come to Catholic priests, requesting them to say a mass for them. Thank God that you are children of the Catholic Church, which to this day celebrates the holy sacrifice of the mass as it has been celebrated for more than eigh­ teen hundred years. Have the greatest reverence for this thrice holy, adorable, and tremendous sacrifice, always assisting at it in the spirit of penance and interior recollection and devotion, in order that you may become partakers of its fruits. Amen. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 4. LITURGICAL SKETCH. VENERATION OF THE HOLY NAME OF MARY. The virgin's name was Mary.—Luke i : 27. The feast of the Name of Mary was first introduced through the devotion of the faithful, and afterwards, in the year 1513, was approved of by the Apostolic See for the city and diocese of Cuenca, Spain. Pope Innocent XI. extended it to the whole Christian world, in grateful remembrance of the victory which the Christian army, through the intercession of Mary, gained over the Turks at Vienna. This feast is celebrated annually on the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, because among the Jews the custom prevailed of giving children their names a few days after their birth. The name of Mary is venerable because it is the name of her who is the Mother of God. She is the purest, the most glorious and perfect of all the daughters of Eve ; she is the Queen of heaven and earth. I shall speak to day of the veneration due to the holy Name of Mary, and shall answer the two following questions: I. Why must we venerate the name of Mary ? IL How must we venerate it? Part I. According to the holy Fathers, and the interpreters of the Sacred Scriptures, the word Mary means lady, star, or sea. In this threefold meaning the Blessed Virgin justly bears the name of Mary, and this her name justly deserves our highest veneration. Mary means — Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost. i. Lady. (a.) This name is due to her, for royal blood flowed in he/ veins; she is a descendant of the royal house of David. But she deserves still more to be called Lady because she is the Mother of God. She is a noble Lady; noble, not through man, but through God. Jesus Christ, whom she conceived and brought forth, is the Son of God, King of heaven and earth. Where is there a mother who brought forth such a son ? Therefore she justly claims the highest nobility. She is a mother ; she therefore possesses the right of mothers, who can command their children She is the Mother of Jesus .· to her belongs the right to give commands to Jesus; she is the Mother of God; by divine ordi­ nance she can command God to obey; he obeys her every call, anticipates her every wish, for of him it is said : “He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them.”— Luke 2:51. This maternal relation of Mary to Jesus exists even now in heaven. Mary remains for ever the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus for ever the Son of Mary. When she turns to her Son in order to obtain any grace of him for us, she does so, not like the angels and saints, as a servant, but as the Mother of God, and her word avails much more than that of any angel or saint. “Thou (Blessed Mother of God) approachest the golden tribunal of divine justice, not as a petitioner, but as one who commands, not as a servant, but as a mother.”—St. Peter Damian. How great is the dignity of Mary ! how truly is she called Lady ! (Æ.) Mary is not a haughty Lady and Mother, but a Lady full of meekness and goodness; therefore we call her “our Blessed Lady,” “our dear Lady.” She most tenderly loves us, and her hands are ever open to give us ample proofs of her love. St. Bernard says : “All in Mary is full of grace and mercy, for as Mother of mercy she has become all to all ; because of her great love she has become a debtor to the just and to sinners ; to all she opens the bosom of mercy, that all may share her fulness.” Who therefore would not venerate the name of Mary, since this name gives such eloquent testimony of her dignity and goodness ? 2. Star. Mary is also called a star ; hence in the Litany of Loretto she is saluted as the morning star, and, in a hymn, as the star of the sea. (a.) Mary resembles that star which we call the morning and evening star; morning star, because it disappears in the morning at the rising of the sun ; evening star, because it appears again ùnmediately after the setting of the sun, and looks down benignly upon us. A night of four thousand years had settled upon the 4. Liturgical Sketch. 75 earth; the people were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death; they were sunk in idolatry and were scarcely able to distinguish between virtue and vice. At length Jesus Christ appeared, the long night gave place to day, for he led men again to the true knowledge and worship of God. Jesus is the light of the world, the Sun of Justice. But as the morning star precedes the sun and announces the approach of day, so Mary preceded Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice, and announced the day of salvation. (Æ.) The morning star disappears when the sun rises, but be­ comes visible again soon after the sun sets, and it is then called the evening star. Thus also Mary retired and led a hidden life during the public life of Jesus, who shone by word and deed like the sun; and it was only when the Sun of Justice began to set, that Mary showed herself as the evening star, for we see her on Calvary, standing under the cross of her Son. And now that Jesus has ascended into heaven, Mary shines in the Church as a friendly star, and her gentle light will never be obscured till the end of time. (c.) The morning star surpasses all others in splendor, but it belongs to those planets which derive their light, not from them­ selves, but from the sun. Herein also Mary resembles the morn­ ing star, for she surpasses all the angels and saints in the splendor of her dignity and sanctity; but she derives her dignity, her ful­ ness of grace, her favor, her exemption from original sin, not from herself, but from and through the blood of her Son. All that she has, and is, she derives from Christ, her Son, and she says with the Apostle: “By the grace of God I am what I am.” —I. Cor. 15: 10. (