THE

Ecclesiastical Review
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·■ Ui Ecclesia aedificationem accipiat."

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THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

112

The Canon Law on Sermon Preaching. AUniversity, Rome. Bv
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Men at Work at Worship. America Joins the Liturgical Moment.
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THE

Ecclesiastical Review
Volume 10>.—August. 1940.—No. 2.

THE PREACHING OP CHRIST.

TITAS Jesus Christ an orator? It was not necessary for Him
"’
to be one. He came to die for man and secondly to
teach him. He could have done both these things without
oratory. But all available evidence indicates that He was a
great orator.
In fact, if there is anywhere loveliness in this world, it is
found in the character of Jesus Christ; and if any power in
words, it is His Gospel. The priest must turn first to Him
tor instruction in preaching. It requires no apostolic love,
nor devotion of a disciple to appreciate His mastery of thought
and diction. A none too willing world acclaims them. Why?
Because He said great things well; said them clearly, briefly,
convincingly; said them powerfully and often beautifully.
Not that He made oratory His goal, or surrendered to mere
s-owy ans or to meretricious ornaments of rhetoric. His
eloquence was homely yet majestic, cogent yet reserved, simple
« well as sublime. That the pitifully incomplete record of His
dyings rings with power and charm alone proves that.
Brom the beginning of His public life, when in the synagogue
i: Nazareth, He said, " Today is fulfilled the Scriptures m
'
ear’,” to His last dying word on the Cross, we find He
r.o trivial word, expressed no dull platitude. Ve may
jastiy infer, too, that Jesus possessed a charm of voice and grace
®anner consonant with the perfect Man He was. and w.th
dignity, simplicity and courtesy inherent in the Divine
«penality. ” No man spoke like this man.” To have heard
speak has been the dream of every Christian preacher since
• - Apostles.

THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

114

But what more definitely are the qualities and traits of our
Lord’s preaching?
We must remember, as I have said, that the record is pitituhy
incomplete. Many divine lessons lingered in the Evangelism
minds only in larger outline, their details blurred by time and
the rigors of apostolic life. In telling the story, they over­
looked a hundred details we would have rejoiced to know:—
the tone of voice, the telling glance or gesture, that illumined
an obscure thought. The greater part of what He said was
never written, and what was recorded suffered, as all oratory
does, by being consigned to cold print, and by translation into
foreign tongues.
The first prominent trait we observe is that when teaching
He employed the simplest terms, spoke of ordinary occupa­
tions and events of daily life, and gathered analogies and com­
parisons from the world of nature and common experience.
He talked to fishermen of their nets, to husbandmen of then
fields and the fruits thereof, to townsmen of their houses and
^re®ts- Hu allusions were always well known to His listeners,
dealing with things they saw, handled or dealt with frequent! v.
as the weather, wine-skins, taxes and salt. His language was
gurative but clear, colored, but precise; homely, in the
ongmal sense of the word, but beautiful. He drew simple
pictures using the objects:
R'.Wl ;

Tree»
i
er,
I n:-r

House»

Men

Clouds
Rain
Lightning

Garment»
'-a.iJies

£v<ry stX

~*i’C 'W™** wrought,
ij.jtcd.

and

*'

With a command .of the «La.
! ' ■ ?' :
*■ ■ : .
a.
■ ne»

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’ '*

Lher- '‘i' n:Ti

nu.: .

··■" -”*···»<.. -nd aii n -·
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1 ··* ;»u Jea.n

W

Μ»

404« ««««H ll( I,

THE PREACHING OF CHRIST.

King and kingdom
Fishermen and the sea
Masters and servants
Army and soldiers

115

Light and darkness
Health and sickness
Hunger and thirst
Harvest and reapers.

For example, see how clearly and yet artfully He worked out
the figure of the vine in John 25: 1-8:
I am the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman. Every
branch in me that beareth fruit, he will purge it that it may bear
more fruit. Now you are clean by reason of the word I have
spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can­
not bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can
you unless you abide in me. I am the vine: You the branches;
he that abideth in me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit;
for without me you can do nothing. If anyone abide not in me,
he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they
shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask
whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. In this is my
Father glorified; that you bring forth very' much fruit, and be­
come my disciples.

A remarkable feature of His preaching was His constant use
figures of speech. Not that it was strange for Him to use
tiie metaphor and the parable among imaginative, figure-loving
orientals. St. Jerome, who lived amongst them said: " It is
t'namon among Syrians, and especially Palestinians, to add
parables to their every lesson; so that what cannot be com­
prehended by the listeners through simple instruction, may be
gnsped through comparison and examples.” 1
Christ was speaking to the world. It might therefore sur­
prise us to find many of His most solemn commands and revela­
res expressed in figures. Probably the depths and magnifi-tice of mystical truths can only be adequately reached by
figurative language. Explaining the necessity of Baptism, for
«ample. He said: " Unless a man be born again of water and
the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven.”
Announcing His impending Passion: " Amen, amen, I say to
'”-u, unless the grain of wheat falling in the ground die, it
t^maiaeth alone. But if it die it bringeth forth much fruit.”
-John 12: 24, 25.

0 -*3

’Ciwimm. Matt. XVHI, ΙΛ. J.

fil

THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

The momentous choice of Peter as chief of the Apostles was
made known in these words: " Thou art Peter and upon tais
rock Î will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not
prevail against it.”—"Feed my lambs; feed my sheep.” This
is all imagery of the brightest sort, yet clear and profoundly
expressive.
A favorite type of sermon was the parable. The parable is
a story and a comparison, a similitude, which stimulates the
mind to search for a hidden meaning or application. It is a
lesson whose truth is embodied in a tale. The Good Shepherd,
The Prodigal Son, The Sower and the Seed are the titles from
the world’s greatest set of sermons, our Lord’s parables.
The parables of the Gospel number about seventy. Our
Lord propounded them not according to any system that we
can see, except that they are a description of the Kingdom of
Heaven, its members and their obligations. Here is a list of
them:
The Sower
The Seed
The Tares or Cockle
The Mustard Seed
The Leaven
The Hidden Treasure
The Pearl of Great Price
The Fishing-net
The Harvest and Laborers
The Bridegroom and Wedding Guests
The Old Garment and Wine-bottles
The Old and New Wine
'Wayward Ohtldreri
Keal Defilement
Uprooted Plants, Blind Leaders
The Children and the Dogs
J* ^8^.0« Christ, Kingdom of Satan
1 ne Laborers m the Vineyard
The Wicked Husbandman
The Marriage of the King’s Son
The Great Supper
Signs of the End
The Body and the Eagles

7HE PREACW^tj ί)Γ CHRIST

The Barren Γ>g Tree
The Good Tree and the Bad
The Pharisee end the Tubbe tn
The Last Puce at the 1 cr-t
Poor Guests
The Rich Fool
The Vigilant Sers mts
The Thief in the Night
The Faithful Steward

The Ten Virgins
The Closed Doors
Unprofitable Suivants
The Good Sanriutan
The Five Talents
The Pounds
The Unjust Steward
The Rich Man and 1 a/arus
Serving Two, Masters
The Unmerciful Servant
The Mote and the Beim
Pearls Before Sv. me
The Son Who Asked for Bread
The Friend Coming at Night
The Unjust Judge
The Two Debtors
The Salt of the Earth
The Lamp on its Srmd
The Citv on the Mountain
The Builder
The King at War
The Disc.ples, Sériants. Hou'thjld
Tr.e Prudent Htra'ehol'iar
The House Built on a Rock, on Sand
The Light of th- Vutld
The Gram of Wheit
The Vine
The King’s Son and the Tribute
The Physician
The Good Shepherd
The Lost Sheep
The Lost Coin
The Prodigal Son

117

11S

THE P REACHING OF CHRIST.

THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

I
It is an interesting list and reveals how extensively our Lord
used the story in His teachings. We are aware, of course, that
He used this form of lesson, not only to teach His disciples,
but sometimes also to teach only His disciples. Their veiled
meaning, which He disclosed later to His friends, confused
His enemies, allowing Him time to organize His Church, and
pursue His course of instruction without violent interruption
until the end.
Three parables, taken almost at random, reveal His style o:
preaching. First, the Good Shepherd. It is the Baptist, the
most austere of the Prophets, who describes Jesus and His mis­
sion in the loveliest imagery. John calls Him the Lamb of
God, and the Bridegroom of the race, two figures capable ot
most consoling development. Jesus Himself gives us a third,
the Good Shepherd.
Of all the parables, probably the most universally appealing
are the Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep. The reasons for
this are not hard to find. Any reference to sheep is likely ta
be understood in nearly every part of the world. Sheep are
raised in nine-tenths of its countries. There is no State, ter
example, in these United States, which has not its grazing
Bc' do. the heure itself is engaging. The world, trom
the day Christ uttered it, seized upon it as its favorite character­
ization of our Saviour. There were one hundred and four­
teen pictures of the Good Shepherd in the catacombs. Ancient
Christian art represented Christ, the Good Shepherd, in one
hundred and fifty v
. There b no telling how many modern
concepts have been added to these, Wherever Christianity has
penetrated, rhe al’.uv.on is classic.
The Jewish inhabitants of Palestine to whom Christ preached
tne parables understtOd Him perfectly. Sheep-raisinc. together
wth cultivation of vineyards and olive groves and rishinc.
formed their chief occupation. It wa« so even in the time ct
the Patriarchs. The herdsmen of Abraham and Lot quarreled
-■ their great flocks, which this same land was not " able t?
-■■■
Joseph’s Brethren told Pharoah, " We thy servants arc
shepherds;” and David tended sheep in the very field where
a thouund years later shepherds ” were keeping the night
■
·■ -er their fios ,
n the first Christmas night.

119

The image was venerable with age and hallowed by use long
before Christ identified Himself as the Good Shepherd. The
Prophets Lzechiel and Micheas used the figure, and David in
the Psalms. In fact God had already announced the coming
of the Messiah under the beautiful image of the Shepherd.
furthermore, the figure was much more expressive to these
Syrian followers of Judaism than it might be to us. Their
l.ves were simpler, and their few possessions, as sheep, of greater
concern. Usually the farthest horizon of their lives were the
neighboring hills, the desert of the adjacent sea; and their intereits centered around their homes, their sheep, the olive groves
and vineyards, fields of wheat, and their synagogue. Their
idea of magnificence was the Temple in Jersualem, and their
dream of luxury was a piece of cloth twice-dyed in Tyrian
purple. They had few worldly contacts other than these, no
complex civilization, and assuredly no scientific diversions
itch as amuse our day. In the simplicity oi their existence,
-.heap were sometimes their companions, with whom association
was almost unbelievably close. It was a Palestinian snepherd
whom the Prophet Nathan described in his parable preached to
King David;
hut the poor man had nothing at all but one little ewe lamb,
which fie had bought and nourished up, and which had grown
up in his house together with his children, eating of his bread
and drinking of his cup, and sleeping in. his bosom·, and it was
unto him as a daughter.—II Kings 12: 3.

With these facts in mind we can comprehend the eloquence
of these two parables.
Tut Good Shvchero

,

Arren. amen I say to you: He that entereth not by the door
Ata the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a
thief and a robber. But he that entereth by the door is the
diepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openetht and the sheep
hear his voice·.
de CJlleth his own sheep by name, and he
leadeth them out. And when he hath let out Ids own sheep, he
goeth before them; and the sheep follow him because they know
his voice. But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him,
because they know not the voice of the stranger.

12θ

THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

This proverb Jesus spoke to them.

But they understood not

what he spoke to them. Jesus therefore said to them again:
Amen, amen I say to you: I am the door of the sheep. Al.
others as many as have come are thieves and robbers: and t-.t
sheep heard them not. I am the door. By me if any man shni

enter in, he shall be saved: and he shall go in, and go out. ana
shall
find
pasture.
The
thief
cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy·
I am come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life ror
his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, who*
own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and lea’-’eth the
sheep, and fiieth because he is a hireling: and he hath no are

for1 the
am sheep.
the good shepherd: and 1 know mine and mine know roe.
As the Father knoweth roe and I know the Father: and I lay down
my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have, that are not ot
this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice
and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.—John 10: I-Î6.

The Lost Sheep
And He spoke to them this parable, saying:
|sjsT^5l<’
y°u that bath an hundred sheep: and if he shall
and
1
he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert,
he
^’«h was lost, until he find it? And when.
in» horn» r’tn /*’
BP°n kis shoulders rejoicing: and corc*’ Rciofce sri-F °Se< 'Sr k’4’
and neighbors, saying to them:
I Say to w.>/
because I have found my sheep that was lost/’
■ -i....
10 there shall be py in heaven iifoa one
' f*a”nce, more than upon ninety-nine that need

■.

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accentuates the iatesse feeling

P«WiC«»· 0" * Si

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mis its «athing'tebuke' to compile*®1 gown», ®°f

its magnihee-t •'Wfhr.i,·'. H pr>de :s l'-* v.‘Ϊ,Λ
·:·ikd tn -hat -.he exaltation of the humble n
<■· :.: talc. Hero
-»cfx: d.ranu,
'kir.
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,·

THE PREACHING OF CHRIST.
The Pharisee and

the

121

Publican

And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised
others, he spoke also this parable:
Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee,
the other a Publican. The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with­
in himself: " O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest
of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this Publican.
Hast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess.”
And the Publican, standing afar off, would not so much as
lift up his eyes towards heaven: but struck his breast, saying: " O
God. be merciful to me a sinner.”
I say to you, this man went down into his house justified
rather than the other, because everyone that exalteth himself shall
be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.—
—Luke 18: 9-14.

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, devoid of figures,
j likewise straight narrative, unadorned. As Christ draws the
picture, we sense the drama aroused by associated ideas. Dives
feasted every day. (The average Syrian of that day rarely
feasted, and occasionally did not dine at all. ) He was clothed
tn purple and fine linen. The Tyrian purple is a deep crimson
fye, a gorgeous color, expensive as it was famous. A pound
of wool dyed in it was worth, in those days, the equivalent of
two hundred dollars. Lazarus, in contrast, is in rags; an object
°» p.'ty even to the dogs, who lick his sores.
Dives

and

Lazarus

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and
fine hnen: and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was
« certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate full of sores,
desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s
table, and no man gave to him; moreover the dogs came and
licked h-'s sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and
carried by angels into .Abraham’s bosom. And the rich man
Lio died: and he was buried in hell.
And in hell, lifting up his ejes when he was in torments, he
saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom: and he cried,
ind said: ’’ Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of lus finger m water, and cool my tongue:
for I am tormented in this flame.”
■■■*· i .‘••oraham said to him: *'n. -em.T.'b.-r that thou didst
receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil

■
the ecclesiastical review.

222

things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And
besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos:
so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from
thence come hither.”
And he said: " Then, Father, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst
send him to my father’s house, for I have five brethren, that he
may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of
torments.”
And Abraham said to him: " They have Moses and the Prophets;
let them listen to them.” But he said: “ No, Father Abritant,
but if one will go to them from the dead, they will do penance."
And he said to him: " If they listen not to Moses and the
Prophets, neither will they believe if one rise again from the

dead.”—Luke lé: 19-51.

Thus our Lord taught, varying His illustrations. An ob­
servation of His style reveals that His method of teaching was
not the philosophical process of ordered reasoning; much less
was it the critical dissection of the Law, practised by the rabbis
of His day, the swallowing a camel and straining out a gnat:
nor was it oratorical. Christ’s style of preaching, in general,
was homiletic, that is, simple, informal, expository. He re­
peated the lessons again and again, under different guises,
changing the figures. The Kingdom of God becomes the
Mtaven in the loaf”, the "pear! of great price”, which the
merchant so.d all to possess. The Apostles were the " salt of
the earta , the ” light of the world
the Church, " a citv
stoT of the Sower and îhe Seed
soul of mar yFC of ,^,vire g«ce for recognition in the
ot fn-in· The narahlM nf
W*:,«

■gsrener■ grepes of thorns or figs of thistles?.. By.. their fruits you
F.ail un·.)·*· then'./
<i:- ...
;1 Γ·.
ap;Iy as His words
• ·“
■'
> '.F is there among you, of whom, it his
■■

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.

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THE PREACHING OF CHRIST.

123

aphorism. These epigrams were always trenchant and often
spiced with paradox; for example:
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father that is in heaven,
he is my brother and my sister and my mother.—Matt. 12.
Lay up to yourselves treasure in heaven: where neither the
moth nor the rust consumes, and where thieves do not break
through and steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart
also.—Matt. 6: 20, 21.
He that findeth his life shall lose it; he that shall lose his life
for me shall find it.—Matt. 10: 39.
So shall the last be first, and the first last.—Matt. 20: 16.

He had the ability to state a whole case in a few words:
■' What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and
suffer the loss of his soul? ”
He spoke with confidence and “ with authority,” His hearers
noted. Sometimes His language was strangely arresting, pro­
voking wonder and curiosity; for example, His conversation
with Nicodemus:
Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he can­
not see the kingdom of God.
How can a man be born again when he is old? . . .
Amen, amen I sav to thee, unless a man be born again of water
md the Holy Ghost. he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
—John 3:3-5.

Without courage and shrewdness the world would hardly
«‘put Him, no matter how good He proved to be. Our
’"-cur’s teaching was usually an exposition of doctrine, but
when disputes were forced upon Him, as occasionally happened,
-"‘e results, from the standpoint of dialectics, "were interesting.
St. Luke’s Gospel we read:
And it came to pass that on one of these days, as He was
teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, the
thief priests and scribes, with the ancients met together, and spoke
io Ittm saying: "Tell us by what authority thou dost these
things? ” Or, ** Who is He that hath given thee this authority? ”
And Jesus answering, said to them: " I also will ask you one thing.
Answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of
fan? ” But they thought within themselves, saying: “ If we

■I

124

THE ecclesiastical review.
shall say, From heaven; he will say: Why then did you not be­
lieve him? But if we say, Of men, the whole people will stone
us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet,” And they
answered that they knew not whence it was.
And Jesus said to them: " Neither do I tell you by what author­
ity I do these things,”—Luke 20: 1-8.

Shortly after this these same Jewish leaders sent spies that
they might trap Him in His words:
And they asked him, saying: " Master, we know that thou
speakest and teachest rightly: and that thou dost not respect any
person, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to
give tribute to Caesar or no? ” But he considering their guile,
said to them: " Why tempt you me? Show me a penny. Whose
image and inscription hath it? ” They answering, said to him,
aesar s
And he said to them: " Render therefore to Caesar

^Sc«ll not resigned to their failure in debate with Him, some
or the Sadducee came to Him with an astute question, about a
woman who f-3j >esen husbands, one after the other:
wife shall she be? And Jesus said to
ct y*'» world marry, and are given in marrn’·
** accouated worthy of that word.
■’*·' take w v i: ν*? frOni th® de3<i’ sIu'i neith«r be married,
v .·,!
die any more: for thev are
‘
-hrAc 2Ô; 55.5g.

ria '1 k. , “

■1> yield the field, they began to withdraw,
-·-·· Y
',tk ,SJdy r° dr3~

Ho- M, v
,,.ιΗ
:.k, j ....
.■·"·■

! ti

« argument. He said to them:

THE PREACHING OF CHRIST.

125

another shall come in his own name, him you will receive
and again in John 8, where He concludes a sublime vindication
of His Divinity with, " Which of you shall convince me of

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe
in me. in my Father’s house there are many mansions. If
not I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for
>ou, I will come again and will take you to mvself: that where
1 «η you also may be.
. h you ask me anything in my name that I will do. If you
J°ve me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father,
he will give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with
you forever. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot rel'etve> because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him: but you shall
know Ium- beCattse |je shall abide with you, and shall be in you.
' '-I a.’t leave you orphans, I will come to you. Yet a little
anu rhe world seeth me no more. But you see me: bei*1' I
you skJd live. In that day you shall know,
- am ,n the Father, and vou in me, and I in vou.

·,'ta r

For simple minds He had simple words and figures. For
example, see how patiently, and skilfully He drew out the
Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, confounding, yet saving her.
For the Doctors of the Law He wrapt the grand theology of
His Divinity in apt and illuminating phrases. For the poor
unlettered throng He revealed the truth in homely phrases. The
Pharisees’ conceit He punctured with subtle argument. The
humbled sinners He consoled in gentle parables.
His sharp logic, and prompt rising to the challenge of debate
delighted His humble followers, while His gentle reasonableness
reassured them. His words, at times, disarmed even His bit­
terest enemies. " Why have you not brought Him? ”, the
Pharisees asked them who were sent to take Him prisoner.
They could only reply, “ Never man spake like this man.”
There was no weakness in Christ’s oratorical armor. He
was kmd to the kind, innocent to the innocent, and perverse
to me perverse. He was consoling or majestic as occasion de­
manded; calm and subdued, or caustic and indignant as neces­
sity prescribed.
No traveler leaving home was ever more consoling than
-feus in His last discourse to His Apostles:

! £

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THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

126

If any one love me he will keep my word, and my Father wdl
love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him.
. . . Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, nor let it be afraid.—John 14.

The tender and affectionate discourse continues through John
15 and 16.
Nor is there in all literature a passage more transcendentally
majestic than Jesus’ description, in prophetic language, of the
tragic end of the world, and the ensuing pageantry of Judg­
ment Day. No Christian reads it without trembling.
When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation,
which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy
place: he that readeth let him understand. Then they that art
in Judea, let them flee to the mountains: and he that is on the
housetop, kt him not come down to take anything out of ths
house: and he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his
coat. And woe to them chat are with child and that give suck tn
those days. But pray that your flight be not in the winter or on
the sabbath. For there shall be great tribulation, such as hath
days had been shortened, no fk«h
sake of the elect, those days shall
to shall
you: arise
JLO, here
Christ, and
or there:
do not believe him. For »y
there
falseisChrists
prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to
deceive (if possible) even the elect. Behold I have told it to
you, beforehand. If therefore thev shall say to you: Behold he is
m the desert, go you not out: Behold he is'in the closets, believe
it not. For as lightning someth out of the east, and appeiretn
UfSto tW .^€&1·.;\::3θ:::ΐ4ι:3ΐΪ·.·· also the i.CGwdngi:.ûf: the Son of man
be. Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be
BttaadiegHiiay; » :.s aaa*—— s“..... .

tier
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« 18

.

' ' ‘nw K and

of heaven

THE PREACHING OF CHRIST.

127

And he shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a great voice:
and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, and
from the farthest parts of the heavens, to the utmost bounds of
them. And from a fig tree learn a parable: when the branch
thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that
summer is nigh, even at the doors. Amen, I say to you, that
this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven
and earth shall pass but my word shall not pass.—Matt. 24: 1Î-3T.

Christ’s indignation, though rare, could be devastating, as
when
He began to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of
his miracles, for that they had not done penance. " Woe to thee,
Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had
been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they
had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to
you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgment, than for you. And thou Capharnaum, shalt thou be
exalted up to heaven? Thou shalt go down, even unto hell. For
if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that have been
wrought in thee, perhaps it had remained to this day.—Matt.
11: 20-23.

Or, when He beheld seated in the chair of Moses fawning
aypocrites, devouring the houses of widows, the while praying
long prayers:
Vce to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because vou make
clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are
full of rapine and uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee, first make
clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may
become clean.
'Toe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are
like whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful,
but w.thin are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness. So
outwardly appear to men just; but inwardly you are full
cf hypocrisy and iniquity.
Fdl ye up the measure of vour fathers. Ye serpents, generWn of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell?—

r- being forced to cauterize an infected wound:
But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe
m me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged

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12g

THE ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW.

about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depths of
the sea.
Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be
that scandals come; but nevertheless woe to that man by whoa
the scandal cometh.
And if thy hand or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off anil
cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed
or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into ever­
lasting fire.
And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from
thee. It is better for thee, having one eye to enter into life, thia
having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.—Matt. 17.

H·
Hi
■

Κ3, at the table of die rich Pharisee, at the bedside of the sick
poor on the Temple porch, sometimes in the synagogues,
t-ough their rulers were usually His enemies. He would gather
ijuju

t

or a snip ana spea.iL

lu

use txuww

.rung t.;e ,f,ore .tjo-jt
gfea£ nec o£ Judgmen£ Day: or hah
and Pf/”™*101” for 3 funeral service, to speak of eternal lite,
* j_ wtn r·'^
dead to life, co illustrate His text.
Christ*" ‘“«^pnraneoas. if we can apply that term w

rhe surr.n.r j· ,3 'e:7:n.S ',f ths opportunity of the moment.
Hsrruct
,P'ί. iS‘J
'?niPir;i:-on
scene> to reach and
In
opportune and convincing,
-cu ·>ι»>χ'Γη3{ - - .

jl·
a··

■

■'• ’•■-••-tions nf rhc ?
'v r».açu3
Asi<!:; f„ ,n.

d of unearthly beauty, all in the
lives.
of enc.'uragement (Luke 10), and an
a
Christ apparently gave the
Ji.arv < r bom·'eric tra.rJng. except, m must
r.,r,rt’.;n.ty or [gening « Him, a «unerb

r:

’ rhe

the ion^z single

f

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Mat

? he Senn

'•to,. I "
“ ?" ■< '-Wr·...-.
i .
in .nc.'med to
4“ AV U*‘ -?rc‘V Μ>β ω a ^.-nir.arv of
ίκ.-u' af -x-h^h differed ήχη? -

THE PREACHING OF CHRIST.

129

mentally from this one; and that this was chosen as a more
complete expression of the moral code of the Gospel. Its
Circk transitions of thought, the undeveloped parables, the
closely strewn maxims, make it appear a résumé rather than a
complete report of Christ’s teaching that day.
Nevertheless, it is the most comprehensive sermon we have,
and is a kind of orchestral prelude to the Gospel as a whole,
containing a hint of its entire message. Incomplete though
be, :t is the world's greatest sermon. We may well imagine
:te breathless interest with which the Israelites listened to those
subversive words beginning:
Bitssed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have
tneir nil. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Bussed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed
are they that suffer persecution for justice sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you,
«ώ persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly,
tor my sake. Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great
m heaven.—-Matt. Î: 3-12.

Here is a tone, a spiritual quality, far above any worldly
^isdom: "lou are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose
M savor, wherewith shall it be salted?”—“Lay not up to
yourseh treasure on earth: where the rust and the moth con-

WT

’

*

. , dy nor -sryle, nor by £he use of contemporary subjects,
COnfine His teaching to any one age. Marvelously
Q-r paSe^
doctrine so that no word or expression in His
u
°^r‘as
to one generation. He is not only of Galilee,
w°rfd; not only of time, but of eternity. " Con—· —e Lhe$ of the field, how they grow: they labor not,
5°
spin. But I say unto you that not even Solomon
1- \ j? 8lory was arrayed as one of these. And of the grass
’ 1 · · God doth so clothe: how much more you, O
,:t - :--:h. Love your enemies: do good to them that
"·« .--U. .^nc|
on

vt

I

And when He had ended, a great multitude followed Him
down from the mountain, and “ many were in admiration of
His doctrine ”. " How came this man by all these things,” they
said, *' and what wisdom is this that is given to Him.” They
saw in Him a Leader conscious of His supreme command, de­
livering His message with gracious ease and power, putting inra
His words some of the majesty of their mountains and the
depths of their starry heavens. For ail the world, He had
succeeded in expressing in the crude medium of our language,
some of the qualities of infinite Love and Loveliness. After ail
He is the Word of God.
But with »11 the transcendent bc>«?appa«« “ SnMta
thew’s account of the Sermon on the .
’ ,
| cImuc»»
aware that only a hint or suggestum of Chn t s «I «
can be eonveved by printed guotat.ons. There ate «P
hare
«sreelr_ souuu
sounded.
However, there is much tQ
WM
■ .
haw scarcely
_
dowa
the student ot preaching tn what v e im c o
. rnmmon
There are: His excellent simplicity and brevity, His
.
touch, the use of ordinary terms, the packe p rase a..
maxim. There is the use of colorful imagery of story im­
parable, together with a considerable amount o t*mau » He chose the expeditious moment to reveal a trutn, to nr
a charge. He built up a setting, or at least chose one tor
announcements. He aroused interest, wonder, fear.
e syr
prised and charmed people. He had the habit of exbbiung
an idea under various guises, holding it up, turning it «<?'*>■
for all to see. Above all we see in His preaching the gvfli«e
and patient repetition of spiritual. lessons day .after, day;;;wM^cfer,=aoet,c.fa£hefc
.. ;. ·
And m chat last respect, it is important to realize that Chr:st*■
p-'wer over men did not consist merely in the excellence or
ίί« rhetoric or the quality of His voice. It consisted æ that
fcwnfc. wartroth and light. Sheer eloquencealone could
never save the world. . Without the spirit of Christ the greyest
Matpc Js ibiKa«j*s§HBedingreshraaj“*s“ed: :~®:rittH»«!=*' '---- *■■* ”
i ■>·

■!«..« τ'ί

»

MEDITATION. SOUL ACTION.

I.
ψΗΕ ROOT of Catholic Action in the communitv is imtnanent supernatural action in the individual soul. It is
preeminently Christ-life vivifying each separate member of
His .Mystical Body, and all the members collectively, united
as they are to one another and to their Head with the corporate
uit’ty of a single organism. Those who have been thinking
according to the mind of the Church on this subject are in
agreement that we have approached or deviated from the ideal
vf Catholic Action in proportion as we have approached or
deviated from this supernatural concept of God acting in the
oui. Moreover it is generally conceded that to foster this
-tatnanent supernatural action in the soul, mental prayer has an
■■npcrunt and unique place. God’s gift of grace to us is
'jgr.iScer.t, yet always incomprehensible and mysterious.
Mental prayer, while it can never exhaust the knowledge of
supernatural life in God, can and should seek after the love
'-i God in the inexhaustible treasure house of His Divine Life.

farces that seem reliable the accusation that many diocesan
P"ests do not meditate; for if they are not engaging in some
;onn cf mental prayer, then they are not in condition to lead
“heir people into the fertile and promising land of supernatural
Catholic Action. Of course there is no other Catholic Action.
Ï have no mtention of commenting on the present state of
Hintil prayer among priests. I hope that I would be the
‘ Γ·:· t~· consider myself presumptuous and rash to do so. It is
r»:hr the purpose of this article to present certain phases ot
•Te^tat-yn or mental prayer in an attractive and helpful light
n -le tope that there may be some who will find in these few
“r?i.tions encouragement to continue their habit of mental
' ■ -Ar cr to find renewed interest, if perchance mental prayer
^a- ’s spa'icual program has fallen into desuetude.
i’ficultie; frequently experienced by young priests in con■a
meditation at the time of their first assignment
i ■- ·> wori. ar :e from conditions quite common to their
. "
diocesan priests and quite different from conditions

Γ-

l