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Pentecost Sunday at the
Metropolitan Cathedral.
Sermon by His Grace the Archbishop of Metboorae
There was a large a a g r ^ M
the Metropolitan CacitedraJ es reri-tc.ost
Sunday. «ken the feast—one of
the grtatt-it of tie liturgies yeix—
observed wuh s&ach p<<tsp ir.-d
splendour. The statel;- tefeBK-rvies
rer ailed th'/s« on greater feast: is the
Catholic countries, «t:tri; p&nbrtir.
and emphasised the wondrous advance
the CLurch has made ber.-eadj tfee
Southern Cross ia less char! thre^quarters
of a century, for, as •a.a; remarked
fay the Arcftbishop. it is only
72 years since the first Ma :: war
offered in Melbourne, in the mid-t c-f
very husnbie circumstances.
THE SOLEMN" HIGH MASS.
The choral part of the ceremor.rcof
the day was of special
exceUer.ct.
and in keeping with the joyous rhar.-.^tfr
of
the
feast,
the
birthday
of
Mother Church.
At 11 a.m. an imposing
procession issued from the -acrbty,
and proceeded through the channel
to the sanctuary.
First came the
cross-bearer and acolytes, a long- line
of altar attendants,
the
sub-deacon,
the deacon, the celebrant of the High
Ma?.-., fa'-riy the Archbishop and Metropolitan.
in cappa magna, attended
by two of the members of the Diocesan
Council,
Very
Kev.
Dean
I'helan,
V.G..
arid Verv
Kev.
Dean
Hegarty, P.P.,"V.F. '
His Gra' c. proc eeded to the foot or
the altar to join with the celebrant in
the psalm.
"Judica
Me L>eus," and
thrri took his seat on the throne, attended
by the members of the Council.
The rolcbrant of the High Mas- w»-
the
Very
Rev.
M.
Carey,
P.P.:
deacon, Kev. J.
P. O'Connell:
subdeacon,
Kev. M. F, M'Kenna.
The
High Altar and ifs approaches, thanks
to the artistic skill'of the Cathedral
sacristan
(Mr.- Gnoney), was
aglow
with all that could
strengthen
faith
and enkindle piety.-
One wondered
where so rare a collection of flowers
was obtained.at
this season of
the
year.
•'.-.-''
1'nder the capable direction of Professor
Frederic
Beard, Messe Solcnnello,
"St.
Cecilia"
(Gounod), wa<sung
by the principals and
the full
choir.
"Jubilate Deo" (Mozart) was
also rendered with thrilling effect.
THE SERMON,
The large congregation rose en
masse as his Grace the Archbishop
proceeded to the pulpit to deliver the
occasional sermon. The ornamentation
over the pulpit, which enables the
voice of tbe preacher to be distinctly
heard throughout every portion of the
noble fane under the aegis of the
Apostle*of the Irish race, depicts, in
symbolic form, the ever-abiding presence
of the Holy Ghost with the
Churcl)—a dove with expanded wings
—and it was particularly appropriate
on that day—the feast of the descent
of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles.
The most rev. prelate took for his
text: "I believe In the Holy Ghost,
the Holy Catholic Church." (Apostles'
Creed.) His Grace said:—
We are celebrating to-day tbe
birthday of the Universal Church,
and at the same time, by a felicitous
coincidence, the birthday of the Catholic
Church in Melbourne.
On Pentecost Sunday, seventy-two
years ago, .the first Mass was celebrated,
and the work of the ministry
was begun in Melbourne.
The few and forlorn Catholics of
that day assisted at the Holy Sacrifice
In an unrooted store, which
must have brought to' their minds the
circumstances In which the Saviour
was born into the world. r They
could got Imagine that, in a comparatively
Abort time, Catholio. worshippers.
Would assist at the same Holy
Sacrlfttte In a majestic Cathedral,
capable of accommodating the whole
population of the Melbourne of thp£
time.
MARVELLOUS PROGRESS OF Tftffi
CHURCH IN VICTORIA.
They did not' think that ihey were
planting in the Mil that^y
a tioy
mustard seed *rhich,wo$i>grow aafl
increase till its branches, ^ h e d
oufc
to „ tha furthest limits otwhat
was.
then known as Port Phillip
Settlement,
byt is now the State of Victoria.
Could they then eee ln vision
this vast
ttructure
crowning Eastern
HttMjmna the noble. chnrchet
that
>«f \tlfc-'lettsc/- .and
i i & i j ^ l & t
churches dlMi - and • »t>a<
vents and -school* and
and
reHgioue;
^
tbat'^ltti
xh&r mads nmld be ksst is wosiler,
asd tfeeir hearts vosld
se fail
of
praise aed gratiisde to
God.
Est have we,
wso
hare sees
s&arreis sills osr own eyes, less refe-
SGS to be gntefsl for sack
m a cifes *&UOBE of God's powerfsi asi
protecting- care?
On? eratltade sfeosM 3I90 go oat
to-day to ifeoee who laid Use foosdations
of the CTsurefc so solsdlr asd
so well.
Tmsy, others have laboured,
and
have
estered
iato
their
labours.
Bat to-day «-e are more immediately
concerned ^kh ibe fomsdatioii
and structure
of the whole Church ef
Christ on earth, and with Its Divine
plan and purpose.
RATIONALISTIC THEORIES.
It is an okf subject, but, thcugh
ancient, it is ever
new.
In our own
times it has acquired as Intense interest
by
reason of
the
erroneous
and
rationalistic-
theories
advanced
regarding it-
Some go so far as to deny that
Christ established
any
Charch
on
earth.
A
prominent
rationalistic
writer of tbe present time makes this
bold
assertion,
but
admits that
if
Christ had established a Church, tbe .
action
of the Catholic Church
has
been consistent throughout, and that
her doctrines, including the infallibility
of the Pope, would follow naturally
from that first postulate. Others
admit
that
Christ
established
a
Church, but of these, each section,
though
contradicting
the
others,
claims to be the Church of Christ, as
if Christ had
established
many, or
could have established,
a
false
as
well as a true Church.
This is really the pivot on which
all religious controversies now turn.
Did Christ establish
a
Church
on
earth?
Did
He make that Church
His own articulate voice to proclaim
to men for all time the "truth," to
give testimony to which He was born
and
came into
the world?
"For
this," He said, "was I born, and for
this came I into the world, that
I
should give testimony to the truth"
(John xviii., 37).
Or, on the other
hand,
did He leave
men
to
grope
their blind
way through
life in
a
state of
perpetual
doubt and
perplexity
regarding the truth contained
in His revelation?
Again,
if
He
established
His
Church on earth, did He give It legislative
powers to bind and to loose,
to provide for the spiritual good of
its members, with an authority analagous
to that which He gave to the
State to legislate for the
temporal
interests of its subjects?
PROCLAIM OUR CATHOLIC
FAITH.
For us there is only one answer to
these questions.
We
are here today
to proclaim our faith in the two
purposes for which
Christ came oh
earth.
One was to atone for sin—
that is, to restore to the
Eternal
Father the extrinsic glory which was
taken from'Him by sin.
Hence He
assumed our human nature by uniting
to His Divine Person a
human
body and soul, so that in His human
nature He might be capable of suffering
and! satisfying for sin, and by
the union of His human nature
to
His
Divine
PerBon
He
might
be
capable of making
that satisfaction
and merit of Infinite value.
But we must bear in mind
that .
satisfaction
for sin
did not
necessarily;;
imply
the
reconciliation
of
men to God 's friendship.
Even we,
If we pardon an enemy, do not necessarily'take
blm back again to
our
friendship; But Christ's bounty did
Hot stopwhen this first object of His
coming Was accomplished.
He made
provision for the salvation of every
jftan
that
somfeth
into this
world.,
HB was the "Way," tlhe '"Truth," and
the "tlte."
He was to show
the
jry- .T^^t^ii^t^ttl^Snd
to
*
«
e
trutn,
ana to
^
do so as long as any
Adam
lived on this earth.
Fo.r He was a
Priest
for ever, according
to
theorder
of Melchleedech.
Hie Priesthood
has- not ceased,
; r
St. stgpliiaft
tawtlim
in the attitude
.right
always
IVfc-re His Ascension He estabilM&i-i
Hfe Church on earth, so thlff
H* sicht speak and act through His
.-';•>.:•*? representatives for: all time.
Hr sheeted the twelve ApofetteS as
first rulers of His Church, and
^ considerable part of the
T"ETf<e of His public ministry in
pr-.••iT-iss- then* for their future
V„-rV Htr Eiad<? Peter the Head,
gfTins him the keys of the, Kingiiom
c: K>3Vi?B, the power of loosing
isi hladfse, the care of the lambs
i-^ tie sheep. For Peter He
.riy^i as efficacious prayer,
-hi:
should not fail," but
-converted, he should
iv-aSrs his brethren." During the
forry days after His Resurrection He
f-rther expialaed to His Apostles the
pUn aso
of His Kingdom on
COMMISSION TO THE
APOSTLES.
Be:ore His Ascension He crystalin
a few words the purpose, exduration,
and powers
of
the
W3^3iL5sioa He entrusted
to them.
All p-ower." He said, "is given
to
"Teach all nations," &c.
A; the first rulers were not to live
till tb-f cossanimation of the world,
and ;'r.e promise of efficacious assistance
is
last for all time,
there
must
a succession of rulers
and
pastors, enjoying
the
same powers
and
efficacious
assistance.
This
com mission
embraced
all
men—
"teach
ail
nations";
all
revealed
truth—"all things whatsoever I have
commanded you"': all time—"even to
tfce consummation of
the
world";
"fficaeioup assistance in the execution
of the commission, as both in
the
Old and New Testament God's
promise
"to be with any one'' implies infaiii'Me
assistance.
Moreover,
Christ
promised
that
the teaching, as well as the sanctify
ing
presence, of
the
Holy
Ghost
should abide in the Church for ever.
"And,"
He
said,
"I
will
ask
the
Father, and He will give you another
Paraclete, that He may abide with
you for ever." Then He indicated
the special office which the Holy
Spirit was to fill in the Church: —
"But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things,
ana bring all things to your mind
whatsoever I shall have said to you."
TEACHING AND PRESENCE OF
THE HOLY GHOST.
And again he emphasises the
teaching office and presence of the
Holy Ghost in the Church: "I have
many things to say to you, but you
canr.ot bear them now; but when "the
Spirit of Truth is come, He will teach
you all truth." (John xvi., 12-13.)
I have said enough to show: —
First, besides atoning for sin, the
promulgation and preservation of
truth was tbe great object of Christ's
coming on earth. Second, that He
wished that the truth of His Gospel
should remain amongst men to the
end of time. Third, that for the
promulgation and preservation of
that Gospel He established a teaching
body which He called His
Church—"On this rock," He said to
Peter, "I will build my Church."-.
Fourth, that He promised to be with
His Church to the consummation of
the world. Fifth, that after His
Ascension He sent the Holy Ghost to
be not only the Comforter and Sanetifier,
but, in a special sense, the
Teacher of the Church for ever.
Sixth, that the indwelling of the Holy
Ghost as Teacher preserves this
Church from error, and gives that
certainty which is necessary for an
act of Divine faith. Seventh, that
He provided for a succession of pastors,
who were to inherit the ordinary
powers, to exercise the same
ministry, and to enjoy the same efficacious
assistance which was promised
as a permanent privilege.
Such, dear brethren,. Is the glorious,
the ancient, the historic, the
Catholic and Infallible Church In
which we have been incorporated by
baptism. Such is the Church in
which we profess our faith in the
Apostles' Creed, "I believe In the
Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic
Church."
.,,'
Though .all the operations .of the •
Blessed Trinity, ad contra, or out- *
side the Divine nature, are common
to each of the three Persons, still by v
appropriation special works^are at- -^
tributed In Holy Scripture t6. teachi
Thus, creation to the father, redemption
to the Son, and
1
san^tlflcatlon,'
of which the church is' the. 4hStn*-
ment, to- thte Hbly Ghost. "I believe
in the Holy Ghost, the /Holy
Catholic Church;", , '
God be praised, dear brethreh, that
we are members of that Church, not
tossed about by every wirid oT goctrine.
ttot divided Into spcts,,flpt
!
pendihg on any earthly power,
circumscribed within national limits
bfft one holy, catholic, and apostolic
such as it was in potency on that
first Pen&feoo^ffJ^daj^ and such as it
will be W£i4 consummation 01 the
- world.
At the conclusion of the High. M^,
his-' Gi&ce, attired in full canoju-als
solemnly imparted the Papal Bcucdiri
tion,- to which
a plenary
induljj,n (e
was attached.
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