JESUS-CHRIST THE REDEEMER

To owr venerable brethren.

the Patriarehs, Primates, A rehbishops, Bishops and other ordinaries, at pea e and in communion with the Holy See.

LEO XIII, POPE, Venerable brethren, * Health and apostolie benediction

Although those who direct their gaze towards the future cannot be free from disquietude; aithough even the subjects of fear which happen to arise are many and grave at a time in which so numerous and se deep-seated evils affect society and individuals; however, this close of the century seems by divine grace to vive rise to hopes and consolations. No one, in fact, will think that it is without importance for the common salvation that the thoughts and mind of all people are renewed, that the zeal of Christian piety and faith has been reanimated. These virtues have been revived or fortified. in these times amongst a great number, as sp ‘cial manifest proofs testify.

In the midst of the seduetions of the world, and notwithstanding so many attacks directed against piety, we have seen at a signal from the Sovereign Pontiff many

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pilgrims hasten from every quarter of the world to Rome to the tomb of the holy apostles. | We have seen the citizens of the Eternal City and strangers accomplish openly works of piety; trusting entirely in the indulgences which the Church will offer them, seek with an increasing ardor the means of preparing for their eternal salvation. Who, therefore, on the other hand, would not be moved by this p'ety more lively than usual, whieh is manifested towards the Saviour of the human race, and to whieh all eyes can testify ? We may easily judge that it is worthy of the most flouri hing epochs of Christianity, this zeal of so many thousands of men who with unanimous intentions and sentiments from east to west salute together the name and cetebrate together the praises of Jesus-Christ.

May it please God that these flames of ancient. religion now bursting forth may be followed by a vast fire, and that the excellent example given by so many may draw on all the others. What is there, in fact. which is so necessary for this age as the regeneration ot Christian spirit and the ancient virtues in States which extend throughout the world ? What is disastrous is that the others, far too many, remain deaf, and do not listen to the warnings which such an arising of piety offers.

If, however, they knew * the gift of God,” if they thought that nothing more unfortunate could happen to a man than to be withdrawn from the Liberator of the world, or to have abandoned Chr'.'ian morals and precepts, they would assuredly arouse themselves and hasten to escape their too certain loss by a change of life.

Now to maintain upon earth, to extend the Empire of the Son of God; to labor with zeal in order that men may be saved by the participation of the Divine graces, is the duty of the Church. This duty is so important and clings to the Chureh so closely that all its authority and power rest chiefly upon this task. — It seems to us that up to this day we have applied ourselves according

rld to to our strength to fulfil this mission in the ministry of

'e seen the Supreme Pontificate a minitry very diffieult and j BOC Out full of care. Zs for you, venerable brethren, in an

In the habitual and even daily manner you consecrate with us

k with to this same task your chief thoughts and labors.

r their

| Sut all of us, looking to the circumstances which surr hand,

round us, ought to make still greater efforts. Upon the

y than accasion especitly of this holy year, we must spread | of the more aid more the knowledge and love of Jesus-Christ 3

ye may

s hi by our teaching, our counsels, our exhortions. — If only rn hing m

oue voiee eould be heard, no. so mueh we mean by

usands those who are accustomed to receive with well disposed À ments ears all Christian maxims, as by all others, alas, the T

d cete- great majority of whom preserve the name of Christain, while they lead a life deprived of faith in and love towards Christ. — It is concerning them, most of all, we feel pity. We wish that they especially would attentively consider what 1s their conduct, and how far they will wander away, if they do not recover their good

it. reliast fire, ly may which is

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which Assuredly, not to have known Jesus-Christ at any * Fous i time or in any way is a very great misfortune. In such E do not a case, however, obstinaey and ingratitude are not [4 of piety added. But to deny or forget Our Lord after baving 11 xs known Him is a erime so horrible and unfeeling that it id if they seems hardly possible for a man to go so far. — Jesus is, ppen to in fact, the princivle and source of all good. — Just as of the the human race could not have been redeemed without x nd pre- the grace of Christ, so the world could not be saved with- 4 es and out the virtue of Christ. * Neither is there salvation in } change any other. For there is no other name under Heaven L1 : given to man whereby we must be saved." (Acts iv., 12.) i 1 npire of What is the way of mortals when Jesus, “ the power H

at men

of God and the wisdom of God," is banished from | graces, them, what their morals, their misery, is too clearly 81 portant taught us by the example of nations deprived of Chris- Bt thority tian light. | Any one who reflects for a short time upon ! us to us the spiritual blindness of these people already sketched cording by St. Paul (Rom. L) or remembers their depravity, .

29S ERI eL . p.

their superstitions and their monstrous passions will surely feel his soul carried away by pity and horror.

Surely the masses are aware of the facts we here recall, nevertheless, the generality of people neither reflect or trouble about them. As far as that goes pride would not mislead, nor idleness weaken so many people if everywhere the remembrance was kept of Divine favors, if people recollected oftener from what condition Christ has taken man, and to what He has raised him. Mankind, disinherited and exiled for so many centuries, was drawn daily towards death, plunged into these terrible evils, and into others also, in consequence of the if fault of our first parents. And these evils could not be \ eured by any human help when Our Lord Jesus-Christ appeared

God Himself, at the beginning of the world had solemnly promised that His Son would overcome and strike down the serpent: the result of this promise was that the world waited with a burning desire for the coming of Christ. The revelations of the Holy Prophets had for some time clearly announced that all hope rested on Him. Still more, the vorious destinies, sayings and doings, the institutions, laws, ceremonies and sacrifices of particular people whom God had chosen had shown in an exact and distinct manner that the perfect and absolute salvation of mankind rested in Christ.

He was announced throughout the ages as the future Priest, the Expiatory Victim, as the One who should restore human liberty, the Prince of Peace, the Doctor of all Nations, the Founder of a Kingdom which should last forever. These titles, images 8 and pro} Yecies diffe-

| ring in appearances, but in re ty : agreeit ing, pointed to . à that One alone as He who should one day give Himself i for our salvation cn aecount of the aud love which E He bore us.

" When the time pointed by Divine Wisdom had | arrived, the only Son of God made Man, in shedding 54 His blood, satisfied for men in à perfect and most fruit-

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ful manner the outraged majesty of His Father. . And He cl: vimed mankind which was redeemed at such a price, “ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, but with the Precious Blood of Jesus-Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled” (I. Pet. L, 18-19). Thus He placed anew under His authority, in truly redeeming them as His very own, all those who had already, submitted to His power and dominion, beeause He had created them and owned them all, * You are not your own, for you are bought with a great price” (I. Cor. iv., 19, 20). Thus all has been restored by God Mem onus Christ. “That He might make known unto us the mystery of His will, ac cording to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in ‘Him, in the dispensation of the fulness of times to re-establish all things in Christ” (Eph., L, 9, 10).

When Jesus, in fastening himself to the Cross, had destroyed the decree which was unfavorable for us, the Divine angers were directly appeased. The bonds of the Ancient Servitude were broken in favor of afflicted and erring mankind: the goodwill of God was reconciled again for us, the interdicted access to eternal blessedness was reopened for us, and the right to gain it and the necessary means to reach there were given to us. Then, when aroused from a long ani deadly lethargy, man distinguished that light of tr ^ on which his mind had been bent, and for which hc ..ad looked in vain through so many centuries.

He recognized in the Bret place that he was born to a happiness much ! r and more magnificent than that which his sen: erceived, this fragile and transitory happiness, to uisition of which he had at first !imited his throughts and attentions. — He understood that the constitutive principle of human life, the supreme laws to which all our deeds must be brought as their

end, is that which is left to us from God and which we are called upon to return one day to God We see the conscience ofthe human dignity revive,

whieh had renewed its life from this sonre: id on this

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basis. — All hearts have opened themselves to a feeling of brotherhood, and consequently our duties aud our rights were the ones brought to perfeetion, the others made up of all pieces, At the same time were raised up in different. directions such virtues that none of the ancient philophers were able even to suspect them.

But then the designs of men, the conduet of their life and their habits took another course. And when the knowledge of the Redeemer was spread far away, when virtue, destructive of ignorance and of ancient vices had penetrated the deepest veins of governments, then there followed this revolution which, thanks to Christian e!vilization, renewed the fnee of the earth.

Venerable brothers, assuredly one relishes the endless charm of recalling these facts.” Tn them is found moreover à great and powerful lesson; that js that we should give thanks from our whole soul to the Divine

Saviour and labour foi this that He may be thanked as much as it is possible,

We are Separated by many centuries from the sources and first fruits of the redemption, but what matter, since the power of this redemption perpetuates itself, since its benefits remain lasting and immortal ? He who once saved mankind lost by sin, saves it anew and will save it always: “Who gave himself a redemption ror al,” dg Tim., ii 6) ‘AI shall be made alive in Jesus-Christ, " (I. Cor., xv, 22) « And of His Kingdom there shall be no end. ” (St.-Luke, i, 83),

Therefore, according to God’s eternal de

signs, the salvation of all men and of e

ach one rest entirely in Jesus- Christ, Those who abandon Christ, by that very act doom themselves With a blind fury to their own ruin, At the same time, inasmueh as it is in them, they aet in such a way that human society, tossed by a violent tempest, may be drawn towards this mass of scourges and misfortunes whieh the Redeemer

in His goodness has seattered,

In faet, all those who fall into these out-of-the-way roads are led 1

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from the goal which they desired to reach. In the same

Way if they repulse the genuine and sincere light of

truth, their intellects are fatally usurped hy darkness and their minds are misled everywhere by erroneous and calamitous ideas. What hope can remain to those who abandon the principle and source of life But, Christ alone is the way, the truth and the life; “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John, xiv, 6) In such a manner, if man forsakes Jesus, these three chief necessaries for the salvation of all men disappear at the same time.

It is necessary to enlarge on a fact of which experience constantly reminds us, and of which, even in the midst of a vast abundance of perishable goods each one feels the reality in the very depths of his being ? Thus it is thut there is nothing, outside of God, on which the human will ean absolutely and in all things find contentment.

The final end of man is God. — And all this life spent here on earth most truly bears the aspect and image of a journey toa strange land. Moreover Christ is the Way for us because the end of this course is so partieularly difficult and dangerous, that we cannot, in any way, reach the supreme and absolute good, which is God, if we have not had Him, Christ, for our master and our guide. “No one comes to the Father, but through Me." (St.-John, xiv, 16).

In what sense is it said: "If this is not done through Christ?” In the first place and above all these words mean: “If it is not done by His grace.” This nevertheless would remain useless to man if. he neglected to accomplish the commands and laws of Christ. Jesus, in fact, after having secured our salvation, accomplished that which was of so much consequence to perform. He has left us His law to protect and direct mankind in His name, in order that guided by His rule, men might have the strength to give up a perverse life and march in a confident pace towarda God. “Going therefore

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4 ER teach ye all nations eo Coaching them to observe