The Shrine to Life at
The Mount of the House of the Lord
FATHER DIVINE Speaks as follows:
I need not say more at this instance. I merely had arisen to say, as we have visiting friends with us, it is our pleasure to have not only those of our honored guests, but others, as our doors are open daily. Whosoever they may be, matters not who they may be, they are welcome to participate in the act of association and come in enjoying just what we are enjoying-in other words, to enjoy just what we are enjoying.
Now, at this instance I would like to say, we have the great pleasure and the honor and the appreciation of having the Archbishop Francis with us today. I AM sure you all are pleased to have him with us today. I AM sure you all are pleased to have him as well as I. It is appreciated-his presence-and an honor and a pleasure, we consider by harmonization we can accomplish great things. Through the unity of the spirit and by harmonizing together, your actual prayers are heard and answered speedily, as prayer is the heart's sincere desire unuttered and unexpressed; as you know not how to pray as you ought, the Spirit itself maketh intercession in groanings at times which cannot be uttered by your conscious mentality. You cannot fathom it out-but that something within, giveth you that inner urge and a desire to depart from sin, from vice and from crime and from debauchery of every kind, that you might get a foretaste of this glory you say DIVINE and become to be heirs of salvation and be purchased of GOD, born of HIS SPIRIT and washed in His blood.
At this instance we shall ask Archbishop Francis if he cares to say anything. I AM sure we are all waiting to hear from him. We consider it a privilege and a blessing to have his presence. By concentrating in the POSITIVE direction, through harmonization we can accomplish all things, as I afore said, Archbishop Francis is a constant visitor to the different audiences commonly known as the PEACE MISSION, and as he usually brings a party with him of his co-workers and friends, we feel it our duty to be mindful and careful how we entertain him, even though he is not a stranger among us today. We are going to say if the Archbishop would like to have a world to say, we will be pleased to hear from him. I thank you.
"Peace FATHER! Peace, Angels! Peace, Children and Peace to the strangers within the gates. After all the lovely things FATHER has said, I should be ungrateful if I did not rise to say just what is in my heart. To come here is one of the greatest pleasures I have. I have not been here with you personally, for a considerable time, but I AM constantly with you in my mind and spirit. I have two of your brethren living in my house at the present time, so they bring to me reports, and I always know that the report is, it is well. .
For years now I have been coming here, and I have seen your smiling, happy faces. I have seen the Peace that FATHER has brought into your lives, and the reconstruction. I have seen things that are really hard for me to express, because they are evidences of this great Power that you have among you.
"Today is the first day of spring. Perhaps that is why I came-I don't know. I hope that I am springing into a new life with you. Today is also St. Benedict's day. I happen to belong to a religious order that was founded by St. Benedict. St. Benedict was the Founder of the order of monks of the Catholic Church, and he would have been very happy to have been here with you. He was a great lover of PEACE. His motto, like your greeting, was PEACE. On the top of all of our letters we have been taught to write the word 'PAX', which is Latin for PEACE, so even before I came here I had a feeling which is similar to what you have.
"Then St. Benedict also taught this, as taught by FATHER DIVINE: then are they truly monks when they earn their living by the labor of their own hands, as did our fathers and the Apostles. He taught that all of the laborers in the harvest should be laborers in deed as well as in word. St. Benedict did not like 'parasite-ism'. St. Benedict had many things in common and was the forerunner of what is being brought about among you people in this very concrete manner.
'It is my great pleasure always, to come here, and I come as often as I can, I enjoy it so much; and I enjoy the memory which I take away with me to tell others, and Eke one of old, I always try to bring my choicest friends with me. Today it is my great pleasure to bring with me a very remarkable man, Mr. Steuden. Mr. Steuden is a noted New York lawyer, but he is more than that-he is a great soul. His home is the home of all appreciative and good people. The keynote of his life is hospitality, and I am sure he is enjoying his experience among us today.
'I have also brought with me Miss Nora Holt, who is a very noted writer. Miss Holt comes from the green island of Ireland. It has another name now, but I can't think of it. I can't keep up with the map of Europe these days-it changes so rapidly. Nfiss Holt is a very dear friend who has a keen appreciation of all that is going on.
"I also have with me Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis has lived in the South Sea Islands. He has traveled a great deal, he has written a great deal and has manifested himself from the beginning with a very fair attitude toward FATHER DIVINE and the work that is going on.
"I have brought them today to see with their own eyes and to hear with their own ears, and I am sure they will long remember their experiences.
"Of course Father Victor is always with me. Father Victor always has a kind smile and a kind word. I must tell you that Father Victor, who was my first coworker, is sort of my son in the Faith. The first sermon he ever preached in his life, he preached at the request of FATHER at the old place at One Hundred and Fifteenth Street. So you see Father Victor has great things to remember, and he is also the editor of a magazine which goes to fourteen countries, a magazine that goes by the Latin name for PEACE; so he has many things in common with you.
"So, that is all I have to say today, the first day of spring; and may this be a springtime in all of your souls, to rise and carry on by standing with FATHER in the City and also in those glorious parts a field which you have in the Northern part of New York State; and when I Motor abroad, I see the works of GOD being carried on in the green fields of the earth. FATHER, I want to thank YOU very much."
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