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Show I ST. PATRICK THE ! APOSTLE OF IRELAND 1 . l j An Epitome of His Successful Labors The I Shamrock a Sacred Emblem His Fol- j lowers Faithful to their Mission. j 1 tWritlcn for the Intcrmountain Catholic.) j Wherever there flows a drop of Ohio blood, the I 1 ,1 f ibe Holy Aposllc of Erin is pure to awaken f . : . -1 1 succeeding year a responsive chord of sym- j piiihy iiud veneration. Among the apostles of the J ii niiMis. if we except the original twelve, none has j i 11 mi profound a personal impress upon his word, j and une is hailed witli so much gratitude over so v idc an expanse of earth as Patrick, the Apostle i Inland. j While the land of his birth is still a matter of ii.-iuic, and we know only the great, outlines of ! his mission, yet his personality stands out before . i!- as vivid ami as bold as though an artist had ' sketched him. His works are his biography. The ; enduring love of his spiritual children takes tho phe-e of annals, and their invincible fidelity to his ! a -hi lips is the mot Miblinie monument lie could j have wished. Jle found in Ireland a people noble, ,i hivalrous and ardent ; gifted with high artistic j lates and far advanced in culture, social retine- ' ni nt and the arts of peace. Their poets and teach- its were trained for long years in schools, and their soldiers acknowledged a manly and elevated discipline dis-cipline which became ihe model of mediaeval knighthood. Their laws were minute and exact and their whole social framework admirably adaptd to the reception of all that was purest and ii!il spiritual in the Christian message. On this jiatnral basis. Fatriok built with supernatural wis- ; i-m his edifice. Ho made ihe law of Christ casy j for a people, who could be led, but not driven. He I blessed and purified what was not contrary to the law of nature and the Gospel, and withii his own lifetime he saw the sons and daughters of the Irish I thronging his churches, tilling his monasteries and t causing: the praises of the Creator to resound on ' very hilltop where idols had boon adored, and in I every plain where false gods had been propitiated, ; or the spirits of earth, and air, and sea, mollified i by superstition. A great writer has traced for us ihe might and sweetness of his character, the versatile mind and simple heart, the- varying tact ! und fixed resolve, the large, design and tho minute M'licitudc, the fiery zeal and the genial temper, the 4 skill in devising and the reliance on God, the readi- ness and the patience, the self "possession and strong outbursts of holy passion the abiding consciousness con-sciousness of authority and the ever present humil- ity which distinguished the man whom God had set I a-ido as a vesel of election to gain to Christ the ! inhabitants of Ireland. He was the apostle not of j tiie noble and wealthy alone, though, with, great fhrewdness he began with them. Transport your- i selves in imagination lo the plains of royal Meath, 5 ihe very heart of Ireland. The land around is beautiful to behold, fruitful and abundant, undulat-; undulat-; jng lo the hilltops, rich in verdure, covered on every 1 side with lovely woods. . Before us stands the hill j f Tara, and the summit of this hill is crowned j with a palace of Ireland's high king. It is Easter ) ' Sunday morning in the year 4-32. As we enter the palace, behold a strange and singular sight presents itelf to our view. Ireland's monarch sits upon his i throne in high council. Around him are the kings and chieftains of the nation, for Ireland was, even I 1'nen, divided into four kingdoms. Around these I a rain, on both sides were the pagan priests, the I famous old Druids of fire worship. Still in another semi-circle are seated on thrones the ancient min" ! Mnh of Ireland, with snow-white flowing beards, ? tlieir harps before litem, filling the morning air wiili ihe glorious melody of Ireland's music and 4 f accompanying' the strains with the time-honored f-.rory of Ireland's heroes and her glorious kings. f a sudden a shadow falls upon the threshold; a man appears, mitre on head, crozier in hand, with ! i!ie cross nf Christ stamned upon it. All look at the ! intruder with amazement. Who is be? What mes- f n-ire does he bring? It is the great St. Patrick, : i: v l.re glorious feast is annually celebrated through- "M! the Imgth and breadth of the civilized world. I Jle has come from the source of Christianity to -eH, h the Catholic faith to the Irish kings and j ir people. And how did they receive him? His- o.ry iclls tis that ihey received him as became a h'trlily civilized and enlightened people. They did 1 Jiot, jjkf. other nations, arise in arms to denounce I e uuth, and put its messenger to death, but sat I ;'.d calmly listened to his story. They disputed j v him, and when at length they found that Pat- !' i' ks rr ligion was reasonable, when, by his words, brought conviction to their minds, they listened, i-n-s and chiefs, Druids and bards, to the truth, iruth that made them free. I Never was there a people that so quickly saw the I 1 st t. s0 frcf v embraced the truth, and took it into I -irif- minds and hearts as did Ireland on the day of I ' r glorious conversion. This conversion is ihe iv'erk of one man in sixty years. It was complete. ' '! nnstained by blood. Contrast the conduct of 3 1 1- kings and people with that of the most civilized ' the jHK.-icnt nations, Rome's rulers and emperors, MT ihe labors of the apostles themselves, and f ' apostolic men, continued without interruption ' "'! lliree conluries under the very eye of Christ's j I v'' "ar on earth, ihe faith they would plant was sup- I "-'d m he so thoroughly washed out by the blood ' ' it.- victims, that a medal was struck by imperial '"mmand 1o commemorate ihe extinction of ihe j J 'brisuan name. Xot so wilh Ireland. She received j I freely ihe message from Patrick's lip?, surrounded I ir with honor and veneration, and before he I dirr MO fingniar oonsolalion that he alone sin.,n: an 1ne apostles found a people entirely I rijrsn and left them entirely Christian. : . Open the pages of history and there we shall I 1lrd ihat. in a short, time after her conversion Ire-l Ire-l V, l.;nd. from north, to south, and from east to west, y covered with schools and monasteries in which j J rn.. revered for ihir learning received thousands J f f nudnitf uho flocked to them from every land, j cr jhree Jaucdred ars Ireland uas the chief eeat 1 ; 'r A :' ST. PATRICK. 9 ' - ' , of learning in Europe, the one bright and peaceful spot in a world covered over with dark clouds and torn by the sword of battle. The foot of the Roman soldier never trod her fair bosom, and she escaped the wrath of the barbarous hordes that wreaked divine vengeance upon the mighty Roman empire that, drunk with the blood of Christians, was now reeling to its fall. At one time history tells us there were seven thousand students in Armah alone, and with it in renown vied the schools of Cashel and Lismore, Bangor, Clonard, Clonnacnoisc, Beg Erin on the Slaney and Mungret on the Shan" non. There are many other sainted and historic spots where the round towers and groups of churches still remain, though in ruins, silent but eloquent witnesses of the glory and sanctity and learning of Ireland's first Christianity. ' Enjoying the blessings of peace, the light of divine faith and the facilities for learning and knowledge which made her become the great school and university of the world, Ireland sent her mis-, sionaries to nearly every country of Europe. They carried the light of the Gospel and of Christian, civilization, not merely to the people of Celtic origin, ori-gin, but to others as well. England, then in possession pos-session of the Anglo'Saxon, was still pagan. The ancient Britons kept their Christianity to themselves, them-selves, they even' refused to preach to the Saxons lest they might be saved, but Ireland east a look of pity on the neighboring country and in the sixth and seventh centuries numbers of her missionaries traversed the countries of Europe, sproading as they went the knowledge of the Christian religion and the true God. After' three hundred years of peaceful repose came Ireland's . first scourge, the Danish invasion. For three hundred long years fierce armies poured in upon the land. For all this time .Ireland was challenged to fight for her faith. She was called upon to prove to the world that until the Irish race, and the Irish character ceased to exist, the faith which Patrick had given them would never be destroyed. The gallant fight went on, and how fierce and bitter it was is attested even today by fhe number of mounds and raths to be found scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land. In these raths the bodies of the baffled Danes were buried. They tell us of the thousands and tens of thousands of invaders that tried in rain to wrest the faith from Ireland. Three hundred years of war! Do you know what that means? We have had here but four short years of civil war. and yet we know the awful consequences. conse-quences. The great American revolution only lasted eight years, and how great wera the losses. But think of three hundred years of warfare. War in every province, in every county, in every village of the-land. And yet "at the end of these three hundred years Ireland's faith was as fresh and as vigorous as ever. Picture to yourself Brian Boru at the battle of Clontarf, mounted on his noble war-horse, war-horse, a type of the Irish warrior, despite his S3 years of age, clad in his grand armor, in one uplifted up-lifted hand the battle axe, and in the other the crucifix. Is that not a sublime picture of faith? No wonder the poet tells us to remember "the glories of Brian the. Brave." When, after three centuries of unceasing warfare, war-fare, they had finally repelled the invaders, breathing breath-ing time was hardly given before the Xorman foe attacked them, bringing other centuries of violence and bloodshed, and this strife had not yet ceased when England's defection from the faith added the fanaticism of religious frenzy to the already existing exist-ing causes of hatred, ushering in a new period of suffering more fearful and woes indescribable. The hislory of this blood'stainod period need not , be .1 old. O'Connell never spoke as eloquently as s)eak Ireland's sad and solemn ruins, her roofless churches, her broken walls and "crumbling arches, her fallen and shattered crosses. The traveler to Jerusalem who beholds the worn and weary children of Israel sitting iu helpless grief amidst the scattered scat-tered stones of Solomon's temple, need not be told how the enemies of the Holy City compassed her about, how the sword and famine and devouring flame swallowed up the people; how her walls were broken down, her Holy of Holies profaned, her priests slaughtered, her streets made desolate until not a stone was left upon a stone. The massacres of Wexford and Drohedea, the confiscation in a single sin-gle day of half the land of Ireland, the driving of her people into the ports of iluiister. to be shipped to regions of .death and pestilences' the ejpujsioa of , , i i i every Catholic from thjc rich fields of Ulster, the exile of the whole natidn beyond the Shannon, the violated treaty of Limerick are but episodes in the tragedy of centuries; .Even the penal code tells but half the story. .. Catholic Ireland at this period, as far theworld cbuld see, ceased to exist. She seemed to sink" out of sight, forgotten even by Catholic nations, left even like Christ himself upon the cross, abandoned to all appearance even by God himself. Her children were bound by the triple chain of slavery (her fj'ueflains being imprisoned and their lands-confiscated), ignorance (education being prohibited by penal laws) and destitution (being (be-ing deprived of all earthly possessions), and no eye coidd search far enough into the future to spe any reason for hoping that, a brighter day would dawn. Everything seemed to indicate that the Irish and their faith were dead and buried in the common grave of tryranny and ignominy. But she resisted, she fought for her faith, and never was there a day during all those hundreds of years when Ireland lost courage or. lowered her flag. That flag has been defeated in many a field, it is true; it has been stained with the blood of Ireland's best and most faithful sons, but never has Ireland for a single hour hesitated to lift that porstrate banner, fling it to the breezo of Heaven and proclaim pro-claim to the world that it is still unconquered. Scripture tells us that when the Jews were banished into captivity in Babylon, men said to Tobias to the man who was mindful of the Lord with all his heart: "Tobias where is thy hope T' He answered: "Speak not so, for we are the children of God, and look forward to that life which he will give to those who never change their faith from him." How applicable are those words to Ireland. Ireland kept her faith to God and hence enshrined in the national na-tional heart there has been, wherever the Irishman exists, tho glory upon his head of the man whose courage in the hour of danger could be relied upon. Nearly every nation in Europe knew the courage of the Irish soldier. Need we speak of the thousands thou-sands and thousands of Irish soldiers in France? Blenheim and Fontenoy recall memories dear to every Irish heart. As a memorial of their services in the causes of France Louis XVI gave the Irish brigade a banner with this inscription. ''Semper et ubique fidelis" (always and ever faithful.) She is the only nation that has the high honor of holding aloft a national emblem which is at the same time a secred emblem, the dear little shamrock. sham-rock. Other nations have pictured upon their ban" ners the figures of lilies and roses, of bears and lions and eagles which, however' eloquently the patriot's zeal may praise them, certainly possess no sacred character. Xot so with Ireland. Her national na-tional emblem was selected, by her apostle and patron saint, selected for a secred purpose, and was consecrated from its birth as a. living type of the grandest mystery of our faith, the Holy and Undivided Un-divided Trinity. Every true Irishman discovers at a glance what a sublime and solemn lesson this fact conveys, and it is this, viz, that faith und fatherland, father-land, God and country, religion and nationality ought to be inseparably united. As the shamrock itself clings to Irish soil and seeks its life by sending its roots deep into the veins of the earth so Patrick's faith must cling to Irish breasts, and .sow its roots deep down into every Irish heart. Such is the lesson les-son Patrick taught our forefathers, of which the shamrock is a perpetual reminder. As a matter of fact Ireland's nationality was ever associated with Catholicity, Irish and Catholic have ever been associated as-sociated together, and have almost become synonymous terms in one language. They were identified on the memorable day of Clontarf, when Brian Boru fell with the crucifix uplifted to Heaven, while the foeman's steel lay quivering in his' heart. They were identified1 when Lawrence O'Toole fought, the (enemies of his country in the streets of Dublin; they are identified still by Irish men and .women assemblings in the house of God for the principal feature of the national festival. The faith of Patrick is inseparably wedded to the Irish heart. No sacriligious hand should strive to sever this nuptial bond What God hath joined together to-gether let no man put asunder. Loyalty to God is' a sacred duty which is incumbent on all. It means the existence and perpetuation of national life. This mighty nation, founded on Christian prin-; ciples, claims the allegiance and loyalty, of its citi" 1 zens.. This is best observed and satisfied by those who. follow-the divina injunction "Give io (Uaesar what belong to Caesar and to God what belongs to God," or in the daily observance of that grandest of all spectacles, namely, Christian faith in practical prac-tical operation. This means love and loyalty to God and country and their laws. Prpfession without with-out observance is vain and empty. Only the "doers of the word" are entitled to praise and merit. "Example "Ex-ample is more forcible than precept." "People look at my six days in the week to sec what I mean on the seventh." The good example of the early Christians Chris-tians led many from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christianity. Bad example has the contrary con-trary effect. The ancient prophets reproached the Israelites that their evil habits and sinful lives dishonored the Almighty before the pagans. Xo such reproach should be ever addressed to a true Christian. If many be converted and brought into the Church by the zeal and piety of her children, thousands are kept out. by the scandalous and disedifying lives of others. If true Christians would show to their fellow fel-low citizens what kind of man Christian faith has power to produce, not the ranting demagogue, nor the hishonest citizen, not the scheming politician, but the man who in his private and public life is an exemplary man, who gives daily proof of his justice jus-tice , temperance, purity honesty, and all the other virtues that are born of a deep abiding spirit of faith, then would the light spread. If there be Catholics throughout the length and breadth of this land who do not feel called upon to reproduce in their lives the high ideal; if there be some who, led away by popular praise, lucre or gain, have become cold in the profession of their faith; who have, perhaps, at times blushed for that in which they should glory, the shamrock is not their emblem. Instead of being a badge of honor it is for such a one a stigma of reproach, an emblem, in" deed, of glory but of glory that is tarnished and defiled. Xone but a traitor will insult his country's flag. To do so means dishonor and reproach. The little shamrock recalls happy memories, heroic deeds and many sacrifices, which are " forgotten only by a few. May that number be still more diminished. Ma, ; e glory of that faith which it recalls extend its benign influence wider and deeper each year, till it may be truly said of its native soil, which has borne the brunt of the battle for fifteen centuries, cen-turies, and which, like the beloved disciple John, has not only stood courageously and faithful be" neath the cross of the Good Master, and been nailed to it, on account of fidelity to him ; Erin far from thy shores we salute thee as the prophet saluted the Tromised Land,, and as, the" Geni .of the Ocean," neither the sun, nor the moon ever! hone on a more beautiful or fairer land that Emerld Isle. Ji jr. g- - |