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Show f I EASTER THOUGHTS. 1 oat of t"e Resurrection, which is celebrated cele-brated on Sunday, commemorates a twofold victory. 9 Through his resurrection Christ conquered sin and e death. Upon it rests the 'faith of Christians, "If j Christ be not risen then is our faith vain," wrote ' St. Paul. The faith founded upon the Resurrec- ; ) I tion is but a continuation of the faith which is coeval with the history of the human race. Chris- t .tianity was the primitive religion. It was also the I universal religion, and was based on Catholic prin x; eiples. It has been always and everywhere held. p 1 hough not by all individuals, or even nations. Xor I k Jias Jt teen al"ays free from error or .superstition. ! Jj Yot aI1 heathen religions, when reduced to their I n'rst Principles, with their differences eliminated 1 f nJ viewed only in their positive, permanent teach- I s irjr' contain Christian principles first revealed by J 11)0 Patriarchal religion, afterwards held by the j ' t synagogue and still taught by the Catholic church, j ' The Sarior camc in fulfillment of the promise made I A to Adam. He was sent by his Heavenly Father to j brin man to the knowledge of the truth. He died to inspire hope, and draw all to h;s loving heart. j this beiD? "e fire he desired to see enkindled. But I 5 1,e aro?e from Ite grave, by giving life to his dead ! f" bodv- '"Etroy Ibis body and in three days I will d build it tip again." ! Thc trrnd of modern thought, as well as the I tendency of novo! religious views during the last ! century were to place Jesus on the same level with Ihe rest of humanity by denying his divinity. s 'Avowed enemies of the Christian religion have, it I J is trUPbeeen loud in their praxes of its founder. n "Whatever may be the unexpected phenomena of f . . 1n futiu-c." wrote Kenan, "Jesus cannot be sur- r t" passed," that is, surpassed in wisdom, piety, sm- I ''crc lovc a,1(1 genuine sympathy for humanity. But j t Benan, following in the footsteps of Voltaire. ' b ihough less hostile and not so profane, denied the I r divinity of Christ. J y leFS fotel to religion and revealed truths are 0 the religious views which would deny him to be, in I tllc strictest srnce, a man of Providence sent from I hoavr n to he tJie Savior and Kodeemer of the world. ! i I '"God p0 !oved the world that he gave His only be- 1 gotten Son todio, that whosoever should believe in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." I 31 any claiming the Christian name compromise i' ! infidelity by denying, not only the divinity of Christ, but the npirat ion of the Bible and its au- thority on matters of faith which transcend human ' xperionoe. They treat it as a good book, replete v"'1n striking passages, containing some genuine V'etry and touching narratives, yet in many of its narratives mythical. This tendency, so prevalent in the last century, and still continued, led to the ; mult iplieation of new creeds, some of which did not "uilive their founders, whilst others collapsed under : ike withering influence of skepticism and agnosti- I ! ' i'Ji. In Calvcry, beneath the shadow of the Cross. ''he irue Christian finds consolation in all his sor- '''''ws and weaknesses, beside the empty tomb on I Easter Sunday his faith is so strengthened that it -an withstand all opposition. The Cross points out man's redemption. The need of redemption has been ib' universal tradition of thc human family in all I a-f- Jt is recorded in Genesis, and St. Paul pro- I claimed it when he wrote that "through Adam sin I entered into the world, and by sin thc corruption of j human nature" Eiperience confirms this truth, f patriarchs sighed" and. prayed for the advent I ,,f 1,10 Messiah; the. prophets foretold the time" of J hh wminp. All prophecies were"vereficd in Christ. I On Calvary, on Good Friday, the world was redeemed, re-deemed, and man's lost inheritance heaven re-storedj re-storedj Tjnd 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. Christianity is Christ, and without him would have no historical existence. He "is the way and the truth and thc life. Xo man comcth to the Father but by me." As a model Christianity Chris-tianity points to, him as "the way," as a teacher j Christian morality directs men's thoughts to him j as At he truth." He is "the life" of humanity, too. J It is this life, "the Word made flesh," or God in-! in-! ca mate, that mediates between God and man. With- out this' supernatural life "no man comcth to thc Fn 1 brr j ,1 Jesus were simply man he could not effect j the reconciliation which the justice and sanctity of j God demanded, leeausc man, who is finite, could J not commune directly with the Eternal Father. ! There, would be no common ground for fellowship, i Add to this the fact that human nature was de-! de-! pjavod, and it follows that man could not-commune f - Avilh infinite holiness, which is one of God's attri butes. Thc snme reason that would require Jesus to j be divine, also demands that he be human, so that j he, in his' humanity, may reach the hearts of men." i Under the aspect of his twofold nature, divine and ! human, he became, ihe mediator between God and j man. and, by living in communion with man, he in-j in-j fused a new life into tho human race. Herein is verified what St. aul expresses: "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." Easter rnp.-ilU snd foivfirms those hamrv thoughts. . The emigration from Italy continues unabated and the population of that, country must be greatly great-ly on the decrease. Tho. Italians who arc coming to this country at present are doing what the Irish did fifty years ago; they are building our railroads rail-roads and with pick and shovel preparing the way for great public works. They are not mechanics and depend on their strength and industry to earn a livelihood. They are splendid specimens of physical phy-sical manhood, and it is a shame and a pity that their priests .do not accompany them, as the Irish I priests accompanied the Irish emigrants of a half-century half-century ago, when they were a blessing to Church and State. , This notice, from the Western Watchman, directs di-rects attention to lack of spiritual advantages afforded to our Italian brethren in the faith. Xor do their priests, who accompany or follow them up, seem to succeed in animating the faith of adults, or instilling the true Catholic spirit into the minds of their children. |