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Show n:tcry tfca Se&son of Joy end Gladness. Easter day, the. second greatest church festival iu ' the calendar, the harbinger Jf spring, the type of new life, with all its gladness is upon jis. Perhaps it is wrong to put it in second place, but. general ac-" ac-" ceptance must give first place to the day of the nativity.. na-tivity.. ' Although the observance of Easter in its ritualistic' ritual-istic' form is confined to certain branches "of the Christian church, yet its spirit and significance aije recognized by all, anI in some form or other this movable festival is observed in Christian churches of all denominations. Easter indeed inaugurates . the season of gladness, of joy, of resurrection. The renewal of life in nature, aside from the beliefs which Christians hold. dear, impels in the human mind thoughts of. the renewal of life beyond the veil of mystery. . The Christian belief in the' divinity, the life, .death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareh receives its renewal in most potent form at this season. Upon this belief the hope of the Christian depends. At this time we. deem the words of the Intermoun-tain Intermoun-tain Catholic most fitting: . ' . ! "In Calvary, beneath the shadow of the Cross, the true Christian, finds consolation in all his sorrows sor-rows and weaknesses, beside the empty tomb od Easter Sunday his faith' is so strengthened that it can withstand all opposition. The Cross points out man's redemption.-, The need of redemption has been the, universal tradition of the human family in all ages. ' It is recorded in Genesis, and St Paul proclaimed it when he wrote that. 'through Adam sin entered into the world, and by sin the corruption of human nature.' Experience confirms this truth. The patriarchs sighed and prayed for the advent 'of the Messiah: the -prophets foretold the time of his coming.' All prophecies were verified in Christ On .Calvary, on Good Friday, the world was redeemed re-deemed and man's lost inheritance heaven re-, stored, and on Easter Sunday the truth of Christ's mission was confirmed, and since then, for twenty centuries, Christianity has been a living factor in the history of the world." |