Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1941-1945

Sermon Of Bishop Buddy On Novena Broadcast At Chicago's Famed Shrine I ( Continued from Page 3) (John. 5-36)"

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The Professor on the train in- terrupted to say that my argu- ment about the miracles was not convincing. "All right, now you yourself stated that Jesus Christ is the greatest character that ever lived on earth. In your opinion, would the greatest character have to speak the truth?" "Certainly He would," replied my inquirer. "Now Christ said He was Dl- vfoe. H~ knew, of course, that the Jews resisted His claim to Divin- ity; and thus, He challenged in- vestio-ation: 'If I do not the works of M; Father, believe Me not; but if I do these, you will not believe Me but the works that you may kn~w and believe that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father. Perhaps you recall the oath of the high priest in the Synagogue: 'I adjure Thee by the living God that Thou tell us whether Thou art Christ the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered: 'Thou hast said it.' ,, Then to my train companion: "A:re you acquainted with the facts of the Resurrec.tion in which Christ summarized the proofs of His Divine Mission? He prophesied His own Resurrection, which fact is proved by a preponderance of evidence, because He appeared not only to a few, but to many-even to more than 500 brethren - at once. (St. Paul, 1; Cor. 15-6). Then said the State College Pro- fessor, "The arguments you give surely urge belief; bu,t for my part, they are not conclusive. More- over," he said, "I do not want to have '1nything to do with what you Catholics call dogmas." "Well," said I, "What are dogmas?" He didn't know. Dogmas are simply established truths. Math- ematics has certain dogmas which are permanent and fixed because they are grounded in the very na- ture of reason itself. For example, the principle that the whole is greater th!l.11 any of its parts. "Let me relate an incMent in the life of Christ which, for me, proves His Divinity beyond question. Do you remember the account i.n St. Luke's Gospel (Luke. 7-37)-how the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a poor girl caught in sin. They were going to stone her to death, That was the Law of Moses. And Christ challenged them, say- ing: 'Let him who Is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.'

"While it ls not mentioned in Holy Scripture, my own comic- tion is that the very seducer of this victim was there with his hands full of stones. That ls al- ways the way. And these Scribes and Pharisees, whose Jives were doubtless a thousand times blacker than the woman they condemned, looked at one another, dropped their stones and went sneaking away like whipped curs. And Je- sus who had been writing on :the gro 1 und, raised Himself and said to her: 'Womal'I, where are they? Is anyone left to condemn thee?" She said, 'No one, Lord.' Jesus said 'Neither will I condemn the:. Go thy way, and from now on sin no more.'-(L-..ike. 7-37). ;'That was Divine." To this, the Professor co=ent- ed, "Mister, you are now speaking my language." "Very well then, listen to an- other fact in the life of Christ. You recall how Simon, one of the Pharisees invited Christ to dine with him: and Christ accepted the invitation. Now it was the com- mon custom in those days to ex- tend three cour,tesies to a guest: First, the host presented a. towel and water with which to b'athe the feet; then the roads were dusty and the people wore sandals, If the gues.t was greater than you- for example-like your Father or Mother, you would bathe their feet for them; but if i.t was some- one your equal, like your brother or sister, you would simply pro- vide them with water and towel. Recall how Our Lord went around at the Last Supper and bathed the feet of the disciples, putting Him- self below them in dignity. The second courtesy was to a!l,9int the head with perfumed oil, after which they gave the Kiss of Peace. Now when Christ went i.n_to the house of the Pharisee, they snubbed Him, They gave Him none of these courtesies, and let Him take the last place at table. And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, upon hearing that He was at table in the Phari- see's house brought an alabaster jar of oin~ent, and standing be- hind Him at His feet, she began to bathe His feet with her tears, and dried them wHh her long, brown wavy hair, and kissed His feet and an o I n t e d them with ointment. At this, the Pharisees a.t the table pretended to be

shocked. (They were not shocked, but just pretended to be) and murmured within themselves, say- ing: 'Were this Man the Prophet, He would surely know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him; for she is a sin- ner.' And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, answered and said: 'Simon I have something to say to the~.' And he said, 'Master, speak.' 'A certain money-le:ider had two debtors: the one owed 500 denarii, and other 50. As they had no means of paying, he for- gave them both. Which of them forgiven will love him most?' Si- mon answered and saoid, 'I sup- pose to whom he forgave most.' And He said to him, 'Thou has judged rightly.' And turning to the woman, He said to Simon, 'Dost thou see this woman? I came into thy house. Thy gavest Me no water for My feet; but she has ba.thed My feet with her tears, and has dried them with her hair. Thou gavest Me no kiss, but she, from the moment she entered, has not ceased to kiss My feet. Thou didst not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet. Wherefore, I say to :thee, her &ins, many a;.; they are, shall be for- given her because she has loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven loves little.' "And He said to her, 'Thy sins are forgiven thee.' And they who were at table began to say within themselves, 'Who is this Man who even forgives sins?' But He said to the woman, 'Thy faith has saved thee. Go in peace, As long as the world exists what has hap- pened here today will be told i.n memory of her.' Then Christ lifted up the sinner-lifted her up from the dust, from the dirt and the dirty insinuations-lifted up Mary Magdalene ,the sinner, and made her Mary Magdalene the Saint. And that was Divine!" Then my cold-blooded train companion exclaimed: "Do you mean that Christ goes out of His way to seek the sinner-and the I sinner can go to Christ?" "Precisely, not only that, Christ is more anxious :to forgive, than the sinner is to be forgiven.'' "Then," said the Professor, Father, I take back everything I have said. Jesus Christ was Di- vine!"

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