DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 11, 16 March 1905, Page 19

DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

His Lordsfhrp the Right Rev. Dr. Lcnihan, Bishop of Auckland, has issued the following Lenten Pastoral, under date, February 25 :— Next Sunlday, the first of the six which come during Lent, is one of tlie nios>t solemn throughout tne yeax". It has tihe same privilege as Passion an,d Palm Sujidays —that is, i,t niever gives place to any feast, not even to that of the patron, titular siarat, or dedication of the church. In the ancient calendars it is called Invocaibit, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass. In the middle ages it was called Brand Sunday, because the young people, wjio had misconducted themselves during the carnivtal, were obliged to slhow themselves to-day, at the church, with a torch in tiheir hands, as a kind of public satisfaction for their riot and excess. Lent solemnly opens on that day. The four pre. ceding days were added since the time of St. Gregory the Great, in order to make up forty days of fasting. Neither oan we look upon Asth Wednesday as the solemn opening ol the season, for the faithful are not bound to hear Macs on tihat day. The Holy Church, seeing hex children now assembled together, speaks to them, in her office of Matins, these eloquent and noble wor.ds of St. Leo the Great : ' Having to announce to you, dearly beloved, the most sacred and chief fast, how can I more more appropriately begin, than with the words of the Apostle^ in whom Christ Himself sipoke, and by saying io you what! has just been read : Behold ! Now is the acceptable time ; behold ! now i's the day of salvation. For although there be no time, which is not replete with aivine 'gifts, and we may always, by God's' grace, have access to His mercy— yet ought we" all to redouble our efforts to make spiritual progress and be animated' with unusual confidence, now that the anniversary of the Say of our redemption is approaching, inviting us to devote ourselves to every goott work, tihat we may celebrate with piurity of body" and mind, The Incomparable Mystery of Our Lord's Passion. 1 It is true that our devotion and reverence towards so great a mystery should be kept up during the whole year, and we ourselves be, at all times, in the eyes of God, the siame as we are bound to be at the Easter Solemnity. But this is an effort which only few among us have the courage to sustain. The weakness of the flesh induces ,us to relent our austerities ; the various occupations of every day life take up our thoughtsi ; and thus, qven the virtuous find their hearts clogged by t)his world's d)ust. Hence it is, that our Lord has most providentially given us tlhese forty days, whose holy exercises should be to us a remedy, whereby to regain our puiity of soul. The good works and the holy fastimgs of 'this season were instituted as an atonement arid obliteration of the sins we commit during the rest of the year. 1 Now, therefore, that we are about to enter upon these days, which are so full of mystery, and were instituted for the holy purpose of purifying both our soul and body, let us, dearly beloved, be careful to do as the Apostle bids us, and cleanse ouisiehes from all defilement of the flesh and the spirit : that thus the combat between the two substances being made less fierce, the soul, which, when she herself is subject to God, ought to be the ruler of the body, will recover her own dignity and position. Let us also avoid giving offence to any man, so that there be none to blame or speak evil things of us?. For we deserve the harsih remarks of iriifidels, and we provoke the tongues of the wicked to blaspheme religion, when we, who fast, lead unholy lives. ' For our faist does not consist in the mere abstaining from food ; nor is it of much use to deny food t 0 our body unlejss we restrain the soul from sin.' Each Sunday of Lent Offers to our consideration a passage from the Gospel which is in keeping with Uhe sentiments wherewith the Church would have us be filled. On Sunday next she brings before us the temptation of our Lord in the desert What light and encouragement there is for us in this instruction ! We acknowledge ourselves to be sinners ; we are engaged, at this very time, in doing penance for the sins we have committed ; but, how was it that we fell into sin? The devil tempted us. we did not reject the temptatiilom ; then we yielded to the suggestion and tihe sin was committed. This is the history of our past • and such it would, also, be for the future, were we! not to profit by tihe lesson given us by our Redeemer.

When the Apostle speaks of the wonderful mercy" shown us by our Divine Saviour, Who vouchsafed to make Himself Tike us in all things, save in sin, he justly lays stress on his temptations. He* Who was very God, humbled Himself even so low as this, to prove how tenderly He compassionated us. Here, then, we have the Saint of Sainte allowing tihe wicked slpirit to approach Him, in order that we might learn from His example how we are to gain victory under temptation. Satan has had his eye upon Jesus ; he is troubled at beholding such matchless virtue. The wonderful circumstances of his birth— the shepherds called by angels to HW enb t and the Magi guided by the' star ; the Infant's escape from Hero'd's plot ; the testimony rendered to this new Prophet by John the Baptist— all these things which seem so out of keeping with the thirty years spent in obscurity at Nazareth, are a mystery to the infernal serpent, and fill him with apprehension. The Ineffable Mystery of the Incarnation has been accomplished unknown to him ; he never ortce suspects that the humble Virgin Mary is she who was foretold by the Prophet Isaias as having to bring forth the Emmia/niuel ; but he is aware th a t the time is come, that the last week spoken of to Daniel has begun its course, and that the \ery pagans are looking towards Judea for a deliverer. He is afraid of this Jesus • He resolved to speak with Him, adxdettcit from him some expression which will show him whether He be the Son of God or not ; he will tempt Him to some imperfection, or sin, which, should He commit will prove that tine object; of so muih fear is, after all, but a mortal man. , „- The enemy of God and men was, of course disappointed. He approached Jesus ; but all efforts only turn to his own confusion. Our Redeemer, with all the self possession and easy majesty of a God-man, repels the attacks of Satan ; but He reveals not his heavenly origin. The wicked sjpirit retires, without having made any discovery beyond this,— that Jesus is a Prophet, faithful t o God. Later on, when he sees the Son of God treated with contempt, calumniated and persecuted , when he finds that his own attomipts' to ha\e Him put to death, are so successful ;-*-h& pride and his blindness will be at their height : and not till Jesus expires on the Cross, will he learn, that his victim was not merely Man, but Man and God. Then will he discover, how all his plots against Jesus have but served to manifest, in all their beauty, the Mercy and Justice of God— His Mercy, because He sayejd mankind ; ankl His Justice, because He broke the power of hell for ever. These Were the Designs of Divine Providence in emitting tihe wicked spirit to defile, by his presence, the retreat of Jesus, and speak to Him, and lay hus hands upon Him. But, let us consider the triple temjptation in all its circumstances ; for o ur Redeemer only suffered it in order that He might instruct and ( ncourage us We have three enemies to fight agtainst • our soul has three dangers ; for as the Beloved disciple slays : All that is in the world, is the-concupis-cence of the) flesh, and the concupiscence of 'the J eyes and the pride of life ! By the concupiscence of the fle.n, is meant the love- of sensual things, which covets whatever is a.greeable to the flesih, and, when not curbea, draws the soul into unlawful pleasures Cpncupigcence of the eyes expresses the love of the Roods of thus world, such as riches, and possessions • these dazzle the eye, and then seduce the heart. Pride ol life is that confidence in ourselves, which leads us to be \ain a nd presumptuous, and makes us forget that all we hive— our life and every good gift— we have from C od. Not one of our sins but what comejs from one iof tjicse three sources ; not one of our temptations but what aims at making us accept the concupiscence of t»he flesh, or the coracupiscenoe of the eyes, or the pride of life. Qur Savious, then, Who would be our model in all thmgs, deigned to subject Himself to these three temptations. *^ ,-v F iV st of aW « Satan tempts Him in - w<hat regards the Flesft— He suggests to Him to satisfy the cravtfnes of hunger by working a miracle, and changing the stones into bread. If Jesus consent, and 1 shows a ; n eagerness in giving this indulgence to His body tWe tempter will conclude that He is but a frail, mortal subject to concupiscence like other men. When he tempts us, who have inherited evil comcupjiscenice from Adam, his suggestions go further than this • he endeavors to defile the soul by the body. But the sov,ereign holiness of the Incarnate Word could never ' permit Satan to use upon Him the power which he has receivea of tempting m a n in Tiis outward senses The lesson, therefore, which the Son of God here gives u«s

is one of temperance': but we know, that, for us, temperance is the mother of purity, and that intemperance excites our senses to rebel. The Second Temptation is to Pride. Cast thyself down : the Angels shall bear thee up in tlaefr hands. The enemy is anxious to see if the favors of heaven have producea" in Jesti&'s soul that haughtiness, that ungrateful self-confidence which makes the creatiure arrogate God's gifts to itself, and foiiget it's benefactor Here, also, he is foiled ; our Redeemer's humility confounds the pride of the rebel angel. He then makes the last effort : he hopes to gain over by ambition Him who has given such proofs of temperance and humility. He shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ; and says to Him : All these will I give Thee, if falling a»w n tbou wilt adore me. Jesus rejects the wretched offer, and drives from him' the seducer, the prince of tfiis world ; hereby teaching us, that we must despise the iiches of .this world, as often as our keeping or getting them is to be on the condition of our violating the law of Gold and paying homage to Satan. But, let us observe how it is, that our Dhinc Model, our Redeemer, overcomes the tempter. Does He hearken to his words ? Does He allow the tem,ptatio n time ? and give it strength by delay ? We did so, when we wore temipted, and we fell. But o ur Lord immediately meets each temptation with the shield of God's word. He says : It is written .* Not on bread alone doth man live. It is written : Thou shalt not temi^t the Lord* thy God. It is written: The Lord tfliy God shalt tHiou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve. This, then, mus,t be our practice fqr the time t o come. Eve brought perdition on herself and on the whole human race, because she listened to the serpei/t. He that dallies with temptation is sure to fall. We are now in a season of extraordinary grace ; our 'hearts are on the watch, dangerous occasions are remo\od ; everything that savors of worldliness is laid aside ; our souls purified hy prayer, fasting, and almsdeeds, are to rise witih Christ to a new life— but shall we persevere ? All depenfls upon how we behave under tem,ptatipu. Here, at the very opening of Lent, the Cnurch gives us this passage of the Holy Gospel, that we may hau« not only precept, but example. If we be attentive and faithful, th«j lessen she gives us will produce. it& fnut ; and when we come to the Easier Solemnity, we shall have those siure pledges of perseverance, vigilance, selfdiffidence, prayer, and the never-failing help of Dhine Grace. General Progress. (Here his Lordship gives a tabulated statement showing the work done in the various pans-lies during the past twelve months. The total indebtedness of the diocese on January 1, 1904, was £11,592 'Is 5d Thiis was increased auring the year by a sum of £5751 12s mating a total of £17,343 16s sd. The collections for the reduction of this totalled £3902 0s sd, loa\ing a debt on the aiocese of £13,441 16s. In connection with this increase of debt it is gratifying to know that new properties have been secured, new churches and presbyteries, and better accommodation supplied where needed. Hi! Lordship then gives in detail an account of the \ arums properties purchased, the works that have been carried out, and other information regarding the progress of tyhe diocese 'during the year. At the Cathedral more ao commiodation was needed for visiting priests, and Ails a House, now known as St. Patrick's Hall, has been thoroughly renovated and is now suitable for committee meetings ana gatherings. At Avon'dale an acre of land has- been purchased and Mrs. Moriarty has made a gift of an acre and a half of land adjoining. A large allotment, situated at the rear of the churoh and school has been secured at Ponsonby. Extensive impressments have been effected in the church at the Norih Shore, and an excellent house and property secured for presbytery purposes. Improvements have been made in the church at Onehunga, and a commodious church has been erected at Ellerslie. At Onewhero a new ohiirch has been built on property given by Mr. Griffin, and a new presbytery is in course of erection at Tuakau on an acre of land given by Mr. Drumgool. The church at Waipipi is being rebuilt. Tne deeds of an acre of land in Hamilton have been secured, and at Waihou a property of three acres has been purchased for Churoh purposes. A new presbytery has 1 bpen built at Waihi the work carried out in that district duting the post' four years consisting of a church, convent, school, snl presbytery. At Otkaihau a new church has been erected on a site donated by Mr. Connolly, and the Mill Hill Fathers have erected new churches at Whangaroa, Keri Keri, and Whakarewarewa. The Rev. Miiohael Egan has handed over the deeds of a property at Coromandel for the benefit of the Seminary fund. The schools at Cam-

bridge, Panmjure, and Howick have been placed under tfte care of the Sisters of the Mission, who have opened convents at the first and last-named places. Missions have 'been given during the year in thirteen disitricts, at the close of which the Sacrament of Confirmation was administered to 497 candidates. The golden jubilee of the pr)iest/hood of the Very Rev. Vicar-General, Monfcignor Paul, occurs in August next, arid it has boen decided to celebrate the event in a worthy manner, a committee of clergy and laity having been set up for this purpose. The Sisters of Mercy have opened branch convents at Te Aro'ha and Gisborne, and tine schools at these pjaces are under their charge. There is now every prospect of establishing the fund for the infirm clergy of the diocese on a satisfactory footing by rating each parish annually at an amount specified m this pastoral.) Arrangements are now being made with the Redemptorist FaWhers (continues his Lordship) to carry on a series of missions throughout the diocese. To carry out these successfully it is absolutely necessary that a census of each parish should be taken, so tfoat the mis>sioners as well as the priest in charge may have somp idea of the numbers- of Catholics in each district. At the close of each mission the visitation of the parish w,ill be made and tlhe Sacrament of Confirmation will be administered by the Bishop, and I shall expect a com--plete return of the censuis of each parish at that time. You will arrange for the Forty Hours' Adoration at some convenient time during the year. In a Decree Urbis et Orbis (dated 17th June, 1904, an, Indulgence has been granted to all vho recite the prayer, l Cor Jesu SacratKsimum, Miserere nobis,' after Mass, an>l while this is not of obligation, the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences has stated in a letter of August ,19, 1904, that the Holy Father exhorts lall pr,iests to recite this simple invocation. You are therefore authorised and exhorted to say this prayer : * Most Sacred Heart of Jesjus have mercy on us ' after the prayers at the end of low Maps. During the year 1904 some of our priests left us, but we have been reinforced by seven others. Death has stei7ed upon Mother Paul, of the community of the Sisters of Mercy, Ponscinby, who was sio well I nawn for her virtue and admirable qualities. For se\eral terms she held the position of Rev. Mother, and helped greatly to preserve that spirit of piety and charity for which the community is so well known. She had ho'ipd to celebrate her golden jubilee in 1904, and preparations were being made for this, but God called her to Him/self. I also have to record the death of Brother Mark, the director of the Marist Brothers' College, whose lamentable death occurred so suddenly in No\etn'ber last. His loss is keenly felt not only by his community a nd the pupils of the "college, but by all who came into 1 contact with him. May God have mercy cjn the souls of our departed. Please read the Lenten Dispensations (a copy of which accompanies this Pastoral' to your people on Ouinqiiacesima Sunday, and place the copy afterwards i n the jorch of joir church. 'Given from Bishop's IToi'se, Ponsonby, on February 25, 1905, and appointed to be read on Quinquagesfcma Sunday. The collection for the Diocesan Fund (to meet the expenses -of the Bishop in travelling throughout the diocese) will be made on the first Sunday o f Lent or following Sundays. * GEO M LENIHAN. Bishop of Auckland.