The Manual of The Holy Catholic Church Vol 1-2 (1906)

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thurch or "Imprimatur" of His Grace, The Most Reverend James
Edward Quigley, D. D, Archbishop of Chicago, is printed "vvith Seal and
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Signature afSxed on the page following copyright.

f j
Catholic Art Studio, Chicago,
LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR

THE MANUAL OF THE
HOLY (T ATHOLIC C HURCH

EiUBRACIISa
THE BEAUTiFUL TEACHINGS or

THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH
AND EXPLAINED IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SIMPLIFIED
Containing Nearly Eight Hundred Instructions which Lead the Reader Step by Step from the
Origin of Christianity, Into all the Truths of Religion, and which Explain in
a Clear and Comprehensive jNIanner Every Point of Our Koly Faith.
THE WHOLE SUPPORTED BY
FIFTEEN HUNDRED PROOFS FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURES
SECOND P ART
LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR OB

The True Catholic in The Church of Christ
The Ceremonies of the Church, Acts of Adoration in the Home, The Holy Rosary, A Simple
Method of Confession, Home Studies For Altar Boys, How
to Assist the Sick and Dying,
Golden Thoughts on the Principal Feasts, and the Principal Feasts and Fasts Ex-
plained. With Chapters on The Happiness of Heaven, The Veneration and
Invocation of the Saints, Our Guardian Angels, The Veneration
Due the Mother of God and the Use of Holy Images.
INCLUD'NG
Selections from Writings and Sayings of the Saints, The Religious and Moral Training of Children.
The Duties of Children to Their Parents and Explanations of Important Facts in Church History.
TO WHICH IS ADDED
A CATHOLIC HOME DICTIONARY AND CYCLOPEDIA
THE WHOLE ADAFIED FROM THE WRITINGS OF
His Eminence James, Cardinal Gibbons; Right Rev. Bishop Hay; Right Rev. Dr. Challoner; Rev. Arthur
Devine, C. P.; Rev. Daniel O'Loan; Right Rev. Joseph Oswald Smith; Mother M. Loyola; Mo^'i^r
Mary Salome; Dom. Morrell, O. S. F.; Rev. D. V. Phalen; Rev. T. B. Scannell, B. D.; Rev.
T. F. Galwey; Rev. Joseph Wilhelm, D. D.; and other eminent authorities,
BY
REV. JAMES J. McGO VERN, D. D.

Published with the ApmoBATiow of
THE MOST REV. JAMES EDWARD QUIGLEY D. D

AKCHBIsnOP OF CHICAGO
CATHOLIC AR? AND PUBLICATION OFFICE. CHICAGO, lU
COPYRIGHT, 1906
BY
JAMES J. McGOVERN
Jattfhtts tfduardus
Dei et Hpostolicae Sedis Gratia
§lrchiept0copu0 ®hicrt0tenst0.
<si-^^-c-t_
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2»ebication
Zo 1F3i8 (3race
XTbe HDost IRevevenb
3âmes jgbwarb (Sûigle^, 5). 2),
Hrcbbisbop of (Tbicaoo,
Ubt8 volume is respectfully bebicateb.
James 3. nDc6overn, ID. 2).
Cbicago, IFlUnols,
ffeast of tbe assumption,
THB MAINUAl
OF
THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

SECOND PART

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OR
THE TRUE CATHOLIC

IN
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

Ceremonies of the Church
CHAPTER I.
EXPLANATION OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.

PAGB
The Meaning of Sacred Rite orCeremony 2
Sacred Ceremonies Instituted by Jesus Christ 4
Why Latin is Used in the Church 7
Why the Sign of the Cross is so Frequently Used 9
Instructions on the Ceremonies of Baptism 11
Instructions Regarding God-fathers and God-mothers 16
Private Baptism 17
Ceremonies of the Sacrament of Confirmation 18
The Order and Ceremonies of the Mass

Simplified and Explained
CHAPTER n.
EXPLANATION OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES (Continued).
The Sacrifice of the Mass in the Sacrament of the Eucharist 20
The Meaning of the Sacred Vestments 21
The Five Colors of the Vestments 22
vii
viii CONTENTS.
PAGE
Wty Incense is Used in the Mass 23
The Manner of Assisting at Mass 32
Ceremonies in the Sacrament of Penance 35
Ceremonies in the Sacrament of Extreme Unction 36
Ceremonies in the Sacrament of Holy Orders 38
Ceremonies in the Sacrament of Marriage 39
The Blessings of Candies, Ashes and Palms,

and The Ceremonies of Holy Week
CHAPTER III.
The Ceremonies on the Feast of the Purification 43

The Blessing of the Candles 43
The Distribution of the Candles 44
The Procession 44
ASH WEDNESDAY.
The Ceremonies of the Blessing of the Ashes 45
The Blessing and Distribution of the Ashes 46
THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY WEEK.

The Blessing of the Palms on Pahn Sunday 47
The Distribution of the Palms and the Procession 48
THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY THURSDAY.

The Mass 50
The Procession to the Altar of Repose 51
Hymn for Holy Thursday 52
THE CEREMONIES OF GOOD FRIDAY.

The Ceremonies at the Adoration of the Cross 54
The Procession from the Altar of Repose 56
THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY SATURDAY.
The Blessing of the Fire, the Incense and the Paschal Candle 59
The Prophecies and the Blessing of the Font 61
The Litany and the Mass 63
CONTENTS. ix
The Ceremonies of Forty Hours* Devotion,

the
also the Sacramentals Explained
CHAPTER IV.

'AGE
The Ceremonies of the Forty Hours 65
The First Day 66
Tlie Second Day 68
The Third Day 68
THE SACRAMENTALS EXPLAINED.

What is Meant by the Sacramentals 70
The Elifects of the Sacramentals 70
The Ceremonies of the Sacraments Necessary 72
Acts of Adoration in the Home for Every Day

in the Week
CHAPTER V.
AN APPROVED METHOD OF VISITING THE BLESSED

SACRAMENT.
MONDAY.
Christ 's Incarnation 74
Tlie Nativity 74
The Circumoision 75
TUESDAY.
Christ 's Mauifesitajtiou 76
The Presentation 76
The Flight Into Egypt 77
WEDNESDAY.
Christ 'a Baptisan 78
His Fast 78
His Preaching 79
S CONTENTS.
THURSDAY. FAOE
Christ 's Entry into Jerusalem 80
Washing the Disciples' Feet 81
Institution of the Blessed Eucharist 81
FEIDAY.
Christ 's Agony in the Garden 82
Christ Before Pilate 83
Christ Scourged and Crowned with Thorns 84
SATURDAY.
Christ Crucified 85
Christ Dying on the Cross 86
Christ Buried 86
SUNDAY.
Christ 's Resurrection 87
The Veneration of the Blessed Sacrament 88
A Home Study for Altar Boys

Talks With the Altar Boy at Home 91
Responses to be Memorized by Sei-vers at Mass 93
The Holy Rosary with Aids to Its Devout

Recitation
CHAPTER VI.
HOW TO SAY THE ROSARY.
The Joyful Mysteries 102
The Sorrowful Mysteries 108
The Glorious Mysteries 116
A Simple Method of Confession

CHAPTER YII.
THE WAY TO MAKE A TRUE CONFESSION.
Preparations for Confession 129
We Must Carefully Examine Our Conscience 130
CONTENTS. xi
FAeB
"We Must Take Time and Care to Make a Good Act of Contrition . . 135
We Must Eenouuce Our Sins and Begin a New Life 148
When Sins Must, or May, Be Confessed Again 150
The Sacramental Seal of Confession 151
Holo to Assist the Sick and Dying
CHAPTER Vni.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE IN CARE OF THE SICK

AND DYING
Advice on Visiting the Sick 152
Advice to Those Assisting Dying Persons 153
How Dying Non-Catholic
to Assist a 154
Other Eecommendations About the Sick 155
The Last Sacrament 155
Special Instructions for Extreme Unction 156
Golden Thoughts on the Principal Feasts of the

Church
CHAPTER IX.
HELPS ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE PRINCIPAL FEASTS

AND FASTS.
The New Year 157

The Epiphany or Little Christmas. 158
The Feast of the Holy Name 160
The Marriage of the Virgin 162
The Feast of the Purification 164
St. Valentine 166
Ash Wednesday 168
xii CONTENTS.
PAGE
St. Patrick 170
St. Gabriel 170
St. Joseph 171
Lady Day (The Annunciation) 172
Golden Thoughts — Continued

CHAPTER X.

AND FASTS.
Easter-tide 175
St. Michael, the Archangel 179
The Ascension 181
Pentecost 183
Corpus Christi Day 186
Sacred Heart of Jesus 188
St.John the Baptist 190
The Apostles Sts. Peter and Paul 193

CHAPTER XI.
AND FASTS.
The Visitation 196
St. Vincent of Paul 19S
Mary Magdalen 201
St. Ignatius Loyola 203
The Transfiguration 205
The Assumption 207
St. Augustine 209
Our Lady's Birthday 211
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross 213
CONTENTS.

CHAPTER Xn.
AND FASTS. page
St. Raphael 216

All Saints Day 218
Tlae Commemoration of the Dead 220
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin 222
St. Francis Xavier 224
Our Lady's Immaculate Conception 226
Qiristmas Day 228
Christmas Week 232
The Feasts and Fasts of the Church for Every

Day In the Year
CHAPTER Xin.
THE FEASTS AND FASTS EXPLAINED.

Exi>lanation of the Feasts and Fasts 234
Table of Movable Feasts 239
Feasts of the Church for Every Day in the Year 240
The True Happiness of Heaven

CHAPTER XIV.
THE SOULS OF THE JUST TO LIVE WITH GOD.
The Eternal Happiness of Heaven 244
The Saints and Angels in Heaven 246
The Veneration of the Saints 247
The Invocation of the Saints 248
Our Guardian Angels 250
Honor and Veneration Due the Blessed Virgin 251
The Use of Holy Images „ .255
XIV CONTENTS.
Choke Selections from the Writings and Sayings

of Our Patron Saints
CHAPTER XV.
THE TEACHINGS OF THE SAINTS.

PAGES
258, 259
The Mass and Holy Commtmion
Prayer and Blessings 258,260,267,270
Divine Providence and Salvation 264, 268, 271
Holy Fear and the Service of God 265, 266, 270, 272, 274
Devotion to the Sacred Heart 260
The Sublime Sanctity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 259
Education and True Ivnowledge 266, 269, 272, 274, 275
The Virtue of Faith 258, 260, 263, 272

i257, 262, 263, 266, 271
Charity
Confidence and Hope 258, 260, 261
Meekness, Humility, Mercy and Compassion 262, 267
Kindness, Love and Friendship 261, 262, 263, 269, 270, 275
Fortitude and Perseverence 261, 267
Prudence, Reliance and Obedience 264, 265, 266, 269
Purity of Intention, Oi'der and Regularity 263, 277
Poverty, Suffering and Son-ow 264, 268, 270, 273
Self-renunciation and Self-disti-ust 263, 273
Ttuth, Peace and Patience 263, 264,275
Diligence, Affability and Fidelity 273, 275, 276
Constancy and Zeal 259, 262, 263, 267
Idleness, Worldliness and Vainglory 272, 276
Impatience, Ingratitude and Inconstancy 272, 274, 276
Care of the Sick 265, 270

Purgatory 260, 273, 275
Heaven 259, 268. 277

CONTENTS. XV
The Religious and Moral Training of Children

CHAPTER XVI.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE CATHOLIC HOME.

PAGE
Advice to Parents 278
Care of CMldren 279
Mistakes of Mothers 280
Early Religious Training 282
As the Twig is Bent, So the Tree Will Grow 285
Pai-ents Should Work Together 290
111 Ti-eatment of aiildren 292
Win the Love of Your Children 294
Never Chastise a Child When Angiy 296
Parents Should Set a Good Example 298
The Honor Due to Parents 300
Teach Your Child to be Reverent 301
The Duties of Children to Their Parents 302
Lessons on Infancy and Youth 304
Important Facts in Church History Explained

CHAPTER XWI.
One Hundred and Fifty Questions and Answers 305 to 334
The Catholic Home Dictionary and Cyclopedia

CHAPTER XWII.
A Brief Explanation of the Docti'ines, Discipline, Rites, Cere-
monies and Councils of the Catholic Church, including an
Abridged Account of the Religious Orders 335 to 409
Decrees on Daily Communion and Modern Errors

Receiving Daily the Most Holy Eucharist 416
Syllabus of Pope Pius X 422
Catholic Art Studio, Chic
MATER DOLOROSA
Light From The Altar
OR
THE TRUE CATHOLIC

IN
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
The Ceremonies of the Church

CHAPTER I
EXPLANATION OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES
Q. Wbat is properly meant by a rite or ceremony?

A. A rite or cei'emony, most general sense, is an out-
taken in its
ward action or sign, used to bring to our minds some truth which does
not fall under the senses or to excite certain sentiments in the minds
of those who witness it, or to testify to others the affections of our
souls. Thus, in all courts of justice, there are certain outward fonns
or ceremonies appointed to be observed, as necessary for carrying on
the business done there, with regularity and order. The distinguish-
ing robes and other badges of office used by magistrates, are so many
ceremonies which bring to our mind the dignity of their station, and
the authority with which they are vested, and excite in us the nec-
essary respect and veneration due to their character. In common
life itself, the outward actions of bowing or uncovering the head to
one another, are ceremonies by which we testify our mutual regard

and esteem; and the very rules of good breeding in company, are
but so many rites or ceremonies, by which we express our resjêct
for one another, improve our mutual good-will and carry on the inter-
course of life with proper decorum.
2 LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
Q. Is the use of ceremonies necessary in liuman life!
A. According to the present providence under which we live, and
the frame and disposition of human nature, the use of external rites
or ceremonies is so absolutely necessaiy, that it is impossible to dis-
charge the ordinary duties of society, whether civil or religious with-
out them.
THE MEANING OF SACRED RITE OR CEREMONY.

Q. What meant by a sacred rite or ceremony?
is
A. A sacred ceremony is an outward action or sign, to be used

in the external exercise of religion.
First, For the necessary uniformity in performing all the exterior
duties of religion. It is imix)6sible to perform the outward acts of
religion, such as administering the sacraments, offering up sacrifice
or the like, without using some external actions in doing so, that is,
tvithout ceremonies. Now,

two things ought chiefly to be
in these,
had in view, first, that the most orderly be used; and, secondly, that
all the members of the Church use the same. The majesty of God,
and the sanctity of religion, require the first, in order to excite in the
minds of men the proi:>er sentiments of reverence and devotion; and
etxperience itself shows how much the sacred ceremonies of religion
cause The uniformity in religion, so necessary for preserving
this.
union among Christians, demands the second; which' has also this
good effect, that the faithful are never at a loss to join with those of
their own religion, in all its requirements, in whatever part of the
world they may be. And this shows how necessary it is, that these
ceremonies should be authorized by the commands of the Church;
because, if it were left to every one to use such ceremonies in religion
as he i^leases, neither of these two ends could be attained, but all would
be confusion and disorder.
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.

Second, That by these outward ceremonies, we may express to
Almighty God in external worship the dispositions of our souls. Thus,
by using the sign of thei cross, we profess our faith in a crucified
Savior, and that all our hopes are fo'unded on the merits of his death
TEE TRUE CATHOLIC. 3
u^xm the cross;by kneeling, or bowing our bodies, which are postures
of humility and supplication, we show our interior dependence on
Almighty God, and the resjêct and reverence we give him, like the
humble publican in the Gospel. Now this external worship is an honor
done to God, and it makes manifest to others our piety toward him,
and our example excites them to the same and, when it proceeds from
;
the heart, is highly agreeable to God, and is what He requires from

us besides, the internal resiêct and reverence of our souls, is very much
;
increased by the reverential actions of our bodies.

Third, That by these outward ceremonies, the great truths and in-
structions of religion may be represented in a sensible and striking
manner to the eyes of the i>eople.
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES FIRST INSTITUTED BY GOD

HIMSELF.
Q. By whom were religious ceremonies instituted?
A. They were by God himself from the very earliest
first instituted
ages of the world for we find Cain and Abel employed in offering up
;
sacrifices and gifts to God; Noah did the same after the flood, as did
the Patriarchs after him. Now, they must have been induced to do
this, as an act of external worship due to God, and which necessarily
required to be done by some action, indicating the dispositions of their

souls, either by the express command of God himself, or by the light of
reason impressed on their minds by his Almighty hand; for we find
that their actions were agreeable to God, and met with his approbation.
God Almighty expressly instituted the sacred ceremony of circum-
cision with Abraham, as a sign of the covenant made with him, and
commanded it to be used by his posterity, under the pain of death, as a
distinctive mark of his true religion. Of Jacob we read, that, after
his mysterious dream, "arising in the morning, he took the stone which
he had laid under his head, and set it up for a title, pouring oil upon
—
the top of it and he made a vow," Gen. xxviii. 18. And God highly
approved of this religious ceremony used by him, saying, "I am the
God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and made a vow to
me," Gen. xxxi, 13. And when afterwards he was pleased to reveal to
Moses the whole fonn of religion with which he was required toi be
worshiped by his people, what a vast number of most august and mys-
terions ceremonies did he not ordain to be used in all the parts of it,
both as memorials of the favors conferred on that people, and as types

and emblems of the more perfect religion to be afterwards revealed by
Jesus Christ; and these ceremonies He commanded to be observed with
the strictest attention, so as to threaten the severest punishment upon
those who should profane them.
SACRED CEREMONIES INSTITUTED BY JESUS CHRIST.
In the second place, sacred ceremonies were instituted by Jesus

Christ, and the use of them is approved and accepted by the
fully
Church. In curing the man who had been born blind, "he spat on the
ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay upon his
eyes and said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, and he went, and
;
washed, and he came seeing," John ix. 6. Again, in curing the deaf
and dumb man, "Taking him aside from the multitude, He put his
fingers into his ears, and spitting, He touched his tongue and looking;
up to heaven. He groaned and said, Ephpheta, that is, be thou opened,

and immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue
was loosed, and he spoke right, '
' Mark vii, 33.
At the last supôer, when He instituted the holy sacrament, "Jesus

took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to His disciples," Matth.
xxvi. 26. And after He had done so. He gave them express orders to
do what He had done, which is literally observed throughout the whole
Church to this day. After his resurrection, "He breathed on His
Apostles," and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," John xx, to show
by that ceremony of breathing upon them, the communication of His
Divine Spirit which He Thus Jesus Christ in-
thereby gave them.
stituted sacred ceremonies, and authorized them by His example; and
the Church, on that account, has retained and uses these very rites.
SACRED CEREMONIES ALSO INSTITUTED BY THE APOSTLES

AND THEIR SUCCESSORS.
In the third place, sacred ceremonies were instituted by the Apos-
tles and their successors for though our blessed Savior ordained some
;
Himself, and authorized the use of them in general by His example,

yet He left the determination of particular ceremonies to his Apostles,

and their successors in oifice, the pastors of the Church, whom He ap-
pointed, with full authority, to sanction whatever might he proper, ac-
cording to circumstances, for "the edification of the body of Christ,"
Eph. iv. And we find that many of the ceremonies used at Mass, and
in administering the Sacraments, were instituted by the Apostles
themselves and were also adopted throughout the whole Church from
the very earliest ages, and attested by the most learned writers of
Christianity, including the sign of the cross, holy water, and the greater
lârt of the sacramental ceremonies. The Church also at different times
instituted such sacred ceremonies as she judged proper, and as circum-
stances required to be done, according to the power communicated to
her by Jesus Christ.
Q. But are not the religious ceremonies used in the Catholic
Church, contrary to the simplicity and hmnility of the Gosijel!
A. No. Because, first, whatever conduces to preserve order and de-
corum in the worship of God, is not contrary to the humility and sim-
plicity of religion; for our reason teaches us that order ought to be
observed in all things, and especially in what regards the sen-ice of
the Almighty ; St. Paul expressly commands, that '
' all things be done
decently and according to order." 1 Cor. xiv. 40. And, after having
given some general rules to be observed at their religious meetings, he
concludes, "The rest I will set in order when I come," 1 Cor. xi. 34.
Now, all the public ceremonies of the Church are ordained for this end,
— to preserve uniformity in all the exterior acts of religion.
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES RENDER US MORE VIRTUOUSLY

INCLINED TOWARDS THE SERVICE OF GOD.
Second, Whatever has a connection with virtue is used for no other

view but to render us more virtuous and better disposed towards
the service of God, and cannot possibly be against the humility and
simplicity of religion for this can never forbid any external action
;
which is performed with an humble and sincere heart, in order to honor

God. Now, all the ceremonies of religion are intended to excite in our
minds a high idea of the magnificence and grandeur of Almighty God,
and a just sense of our own weakness and infirmities; and they are
used on purpose to give public homage to God, as our sovereign Lord,
and to acknowledge our own dei)endence on him.
Third, The humility and simplicity of the Gospel consists in a deep
sense of the infinite majesty of God, and of our own unworthiness, and
in a total submission to him, seeking his honor and glory, and the ac-
complishment of liis holy will in all things. Now, experience itself
teaches, that nothing contributes more effectively to excite in our souls
a reverential respect of the Divine Majesty, with a sense of our own
nothingness in his presence, than those august and solemn ceremonies
which the Church uses.
Fourth, Sacred ceremonies are so far from being contrary to the
humility and simplicity of the Gosi>el, that they are grounded on tlie
very constitution and frame of our nature, which must be instructed in
spiritual things, by means of such helps as fall under our senses, for
the same reason that Almighty God, by means of sensible tilings in the
Holy Sacraments, confers his grace, which is spiritual, and invisible,
on O'ur souls.
Can anything be conceived more splendid and ma.gnificent

Finally,
than what God himself commanded to be done both in the sacred vest-
ments used by his priests in the Old Law, and the profusion of riches
in every thing regarding his temple? and shall we accuse him on this
account of encouraging worldly pride and vanity in his people? This
example of God himself gives the most ample sanction to all the mag-
nificence that can beused in his holy service.
Q. Do not the ceremonies convey too much of worldly ostentation,
which nourishes pride instead of humility such as the ornamentation
;
of altars and the magnificence of priestly vestments?

A. It is surprising to see how prone people are to deceive them-
selves. Let us suppose the greatest splendor and magnificence to be
used in the cases mentioned, in whose heart can they be imagined to
nourish pride or vanity ? not in the people who see them.
On the contrary, experience in both cases teaches, that ceremonies
produce the opposite effect, and inspire the beholders with sentiments
of reverence and respect. Now as to the priests whO' use these sacred
vestments, however rich and magnificent they may be, they serve only
to bring to mind the passion of Jesus Christ, which they represent, and
:
THE TRUE CATHOLIC. 7
the sacred virtues of humility, purity, mortification, and love of Jesus

Christ, with which his priests ought to be adorned.
Q. Ought we then to' pay great respect to sacred ceremonies'?
A. Most undoubtedly ; they deserve very great respect and vene-
ration to be paid them, both on account of the ends for which they are
used and of the sacred truths which they represent and holy instructions
which they impart, and of the authority by which they are instituted;
and, therefore, the Church in the general council of T'rent, condemns,
and pronounces an anathema on all those who shall presume to say
that it is lawful to despise or ridicule or, to alter or change by private
authority, any of the approved ceremonies of the Church. Sess. vii.
can. 13.
God himself api')roves the resi>ect we ought to pay to them, both
by the commendation given in scripture to those who used them, as the
humble Publican and St. Mary Magdalen; and also by the miraculous
victory given to the people of God over the Amalechites, which in a
manner wholly depended upon a sacred ceremony used by Moses of
holding up his hands in prayer during the engagement; for, "when
Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame, but, if he let them down a
little Ameleo overcame," Exod. xvii. 11. But as Moses' hands were
heavy, "Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides," till a
complete victory was gained.
WHY LATIN IS USED IN THE CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH.
Q. Why does the Church make use of the Latin language in admin-
istering the Sacraments, and in her other public offices of religion!
A. AVhen the Christian religion was first published to the world,
the Latin was the common language over Western parts of Eu-
all the
rope, and all the public offices of the Church were performed in
that language. In process of time, when many barbarous nations
spread over Europe, they soon altered the Latin language, and thus, by
mixing it with their own, produced the various languages which are
now commonly used in different parts of the world. Amidst these
changes of the vulgar langnages, the Church wisely jndged it necessary
\o preserve the use of the Latin in all her public offices, chiefly for two
reasons
8 LIGHT FROM TEE ALTAR.
First, to preserve the greater uniformity in all external worship
among all from which this great good also arises, that
her members ;
all her members, wherever they go, at whatever distance from their
own coamtiy, find themselves always at home in the exercises of re-
ligious duties, as we find the same rules observed and the same lan-
guage used in the Church ceremony.
THE USE OF LATIN PREVENTS FREaUENT MODIFICATIONS

Secondly, It is observed, that all living languages are subject to
great changes, both in the way of speaking and in the signification of
words ; this would have occasioned frequent modifications of the Church
ceremonials had they used the languages in each country; and this
could not have been done without introducing much confusion and many
doubtful meanings. "Whereas the Latin being an unchangeable lan-
guage, fixed in its signification: and incapable of change, the con-
stant use of it in all religious offices contributes, in no small degree, to
preserve the purity of religion itself, and shuts the door against dan-
gerous innovations.
Q. But is not this a loss to the people who do not understand Latin?
A. By no means; for, in the first place, the part which belongs to
the priest to perform, both in the administration of the Sacraments,
and in celebrating the holy sacrifice of the ilass, is not to pray along
with the people, but to pray for them, and in their name, as their dep-
uty and ambassador to God, and the most jDart of what he says, and
everything he does, is wholly suited to the public character which he
bears so that, though he were to use the
; common language, the people
could not join in saying the same i^rayers.
But, in the second place, as all are instructed from their infancy
in the by daily practice,
nature of the ceremonies, and accustomed tO' it
having prayers in their manuals, and books of devotion, which are

ada]3ted to them, and by which they accomjiany him through every part
of his functions. Neither are they ignorant of the nature of the
prayers he says for them, as they have them explained in books of in-
struction; and therefore, have no difficulty in joining their prayers

and intentions with him.
Q. Is this practice authorized by the scripture?
:
A. It is; for, during the Babylonish captivity, the people lost the
knowledge of the old Hebrew language in which the scriptures were
written, and therefore, upon their return to Jerusalem, after the cap-
tivity, when Xehemias and Esdras the priest read the law to the people,
they were obliged "to interpret to them the words of the law," Xehem.
viii. 13and from that time forward, the language they spoke was the
;
Syriac, into which the scriptures were not translated from the Hebrew
till after our Savior's time, and yet all their public offices were taken
out of the law, psalms, and prophets.

Besides, we find this command given by God himself: "Let no man
be in the tabernacle when the high priest goeth into the sanctuaiy to
pray for himself and his house, and for the whole congregation of Is-
rael, until he come out," Lev. xvi. 17. In consequence of this it is re-
corded of Zacharias, St. John the Baptist's father, that when "accord-
ing to the custom of the priestly office, it was his lot to otfer incense,
going into the temple of the Lord, all the multitude of the people were
praying without, at the hour of incense," Luke i. 9.
"VVliere we by God's direct command, public prayers made by
see,
the priests expressh* for the people, and the sacrifice of incense offered
for them, and yet not one of them permitted so much as to be present,
much less to hear and understand what the priest was saying to God
for them; yet they assisted without, at this function, joined in prayer
along with it, and doubtless were no less partakers of the benefits of it,
than if they had both heard and seen the whole.
WHY THE SIGN OF THE CROSS IS SO FREQUENTLY USED.
Q. AATiy is the sign of the cross so frequently made use of in the

administration of the Sacraments?
A. The sign of the cross is a sacred ceremony which is more fre-
quently used in the Church in the administration of the Sacraments,
and in otfering up the holy sacrifice, and upon numerous other occa-
sions, than any other ceremony whatsoever, and there are several very
strong and imjôrtant reasons for doing so
First,The sacred sign of the cross is an external means of keeping
us in mind of the two great and most imiwrtant truths of our holy
religion, the Unity and Trinity of God and the incarnation and death
of Jesus Christ; wliicli two mysteries are the sum of all Christian
knowledge.
In making the sign we openly profess that we believe in one God
and three Persons that God the Son was made man, and died on the
;
cross for us, and that we are faithful members of the Church of
Christ, that is, of that sacred body of which Christ is the head.
It is also, on many occasions, an external protestation of our hope
and confidence in God, through the merits of Christ, "by whom we
have access in one Spirit to the Father," Eph. ii. 18.
It is also a memorial of the infinite love of God towards us, who
out of pure love for us, gave his only begotten Son to die on the cross
for our salvation; and as nothing contributes more effectually to in-
flame our hearts with love towards our friends than the memory of
their love for us, this sacred sign is an incentive to our love for God
and for Jesus Christ: because it is a memorial of his love for us,
and of all the great benefits he obtained for us by its means his victory;
over Satan, sin, and hell, his blotting out the hand-writing that was
against us, his reconciling us with God, and opening to us the kingdom
of heaven.
It is a great defence against all the assaults of the devil. St. Paul
tells us, that Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, "spoiled princi-
palities and powers, and made a show of them, confidently triumphing
openly over them in himself," Coh ii. 15.
Q. In what manner must we use this holy sign, in order to' partake
of these benefits'?
A. As circumcision was the mark of the people of God under the
law, so the sign of the cross is the mark of the followers of Christ under
the Gosjjel; consequently, "The sign of the cross profiteth indeed, if
we obey the gospel, if it be planted in the heart and spirit as well as
in the body."
Q. Is the use of the sign of the cross very ancient in theChurch?
A. It is and the practice of the
as ancient as Christianity itself;
l^rimitive Christians in using it, is thus described by Tertullian of the
second century: "At every step, at our coming in and going out, when
we put on our clothes or shoes, when we wash, when we sit down to
table, when we light a candle, when we go to bed— whatever conversa-
tion employs us, we imprint on our foreheads the sign of the cross."
Instructions on the Ceremonies of Baptism

Q. How are the ceremonies used in the administration of the Sacra-
ment of baptism divided?
A. Some go tefore baptism, some accompany the Sacramental ac-
tion, and some follow after it.
Q. "What are the ceremonies that go before baptism? and what is

their signification?
A. Before we explain the ceremonies themselves, we must observe,
that, in places where the Catholic religion is established, the water,
kept in the baptismal font, to be used in this Sacrament, is solemnly
blessed on the eve of Easter and Pentecost, to serve throughout the
whole year. It is blessed on the eve of Easter, because, "all we who
are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death; for we are
buried together with him by baptism unto death, that as Christ is
risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk
in newness of life," Eom. vi. 3. It is blessed on the eve of Pentecost,
because it is the Holy Ghost who gives to the waters of bai^tism the
power and efficacy of sanctifying our souls, and because the baptism
of Christ is "with the Holy Ghost and with fire," Matth. iii. 11. AVhen
a person is presented for baptism, the priest meets him at the door
of the Church, to denote, that as he is not as yet of the number of the
no right to enter into that sacred place and there, after
faithful, he has ;
asking what he demands from the Churcb, and telling him the condi-
tions on which the demand will be granted, he proceeds to prepare him
for receiving it as follows:
BY BAPTISM WE RECEIVE A NEW AND SPIRITUAL LIFE.
First, He breathes uiôn him, and says. Depart from vie, thou un-
clean spirit, and give place to the Holy Ghost the Comforter. This
ceremony is taken from the example of God himself, who having
"foi-med man of the slime of the earth, he breathed into his face the
breath oflife, and man became a living soul," Gen. ii. 7; and from the
example of Jesus Christ who when communicating to his Apostles the

Holy Ghost, he breathed on them and said, "Eeceive ye the Holy
;
12 TjIGet from the altar.

Ghost," Jolin XX. 22. And
it signifies, that by baptism we receive a
new and by grace

spiritual life through the operation of the Holy
Ghost, who is given to us, and makes us his temples.
Second, He makes the sign of the cross upon the forehead, and upon
the breast, because God ordered all those that belonged to him to have
"the mark Thau set upon their foreheads," Ezek. ix. 4. which is "the
seal of the living God," Eev. vii. 2; and denotes that the person who
receives it begins now to be one of the flock of Jesus Christ, and will,
by the Sacrament of Baptism, soon be admitted to his fold, according
to that of our Savior, "other sheep I have who are not of this fold,
them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall
be one fold and one sheplierd," John x. 16. Now, this sacred sign is
planted on the forehead, to show, that after baptism we should never
be asliamed of the cross of Christ, nor afraid to profess his doctrine;
and is implanted on the breast, near the heart, to show that we should
love the cross of Christ, and cheerfully submit to bear whatever por-
tion of it he shall be pleased afterwards to lay upon us ; being assured,
that, "if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him," 2. Tim.
ii. 12.
BY BAPTISM WE ARE SOLEMNLY DEDICATED AND CONSE-

CRATED TO GOD.
Third, He puts a little blessed salt into the person's mouth, saying.
Receive the salt of luisdom; may it he unto thee a propitiation unto life
everlasting. The ceremony is taken from a command of God in tlie

old law, which says, ""Whatsoever sacrifice thou offerest, thou shalt
season it with salt," Lev.Because salt is an emblem of wisdom
ii. 13.
or discretion, without which none of our actions are agreeable to God
and Christ himself says, "Have salt in you," Mark ix. 49, meaning
that heavenly wisdom of which he says, "Be ye, therefore, wise as ser-
pents, and simple as doves," Matth. x. 16. This ceremony therefore,
denotes that by baptism we are solemnly dedicated and consecrated to
God, as a sacrifice and oblation to his holy will; and that we ought
ever after to presence our souls from the eori-ui^tion of sin, by the salt
of the heavenly wisdom, by which alone we ought to regulate our whole
life and conversation. Now our Savior proposes the wisdom of the
TEE TRUj^ catholic. 13
serpent as an emblem of the wisdom of a Cliristian, because, as that

animal, (according to what St. Cbrysostom tells us,) wben pursued by
its enemies, uses all care to presei've its bead, whatever becomes of the
rest of its body; so the wisdom of the gospel teaches us to be only
solicitous for the salvation of our souls, and ready to part with every
thing else rather tlian to lose our souls, according to that of our Savior,
"What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose hia own
soul?" Mark viii. 36.
BY BAPTISM WE ENTER THE CHURCH OF GOD.
Fourth, The priest proceeds to the exorcisms, by which, in the

name of Jesus Christ, and through the merits of his death upon the
cross (the sign of which is here frequently made upon the person to be
baptized) he commands the devil to depart from the soul, whom God
has chosen to be admitted to the grace of baptism, and orders him to
give place to the Holy Ghost, who comes to take possession of him and
make him his temple. This he does in consequence of that power over
unclean spirits, which Jesus Christ left to the pastors of his church,
to whom he "gave power over unclean spirits to cast them out," Matth.
X. 1; or as St. Mark expresses it, "he gave them power to cast out
devils," Mark iii. 15; and St. Luke, "He gave them power and author-
ity over all devils," Luke ix. 1. By this means, the person being pre-
pared to be admitted into the Church, as one delivered in a great meas-
ure, from the power of Satan, and belonging to Jesus Christ, the priest
introduces him into that part of the church where the baptismal font
is, saying, Enter into the Church of God, that thou mayest have part
with Christ unto everlasting life. And while they are proceeding to
the font, the priest, together with the person to be baptized, (or his
godfather and godmother, if he be a child) recite with an audible voice,
the apostles' creed, and the Lord's prayer, to show that it is only by
true faith in Jesus Christ that we are entitled to enter into His Church
and become members of it.
Fifth, Then the priest recites another exorcism, and at the end of
it touches the ear and nostrils of the person to be baptized with a little
spittle, saying, Ephpheta, that is, he thou opened into an odor of sicect-
ness; but be thou put to flight, Devil, for the judgment of God ivill
be at havd. This ceremony is taken from the example of Jesus Chiist,
who when they had brought to him "one that was deaf and dimib—
taking him aside from the multitude, he put his fingers into his ears,
and spitting, he touched his tongue^ and— said tO' him, Ephpheta, that
is, be thou opened; and immediately his ears were opened, and the
string of his tongue and he spoke right, Mark vii. 32 and
was loosed, ;
by it is signified, that, as Jesus Christ, by this ceremony, cured the

deaf and dumb man, so, by the grace of baptism, the ears of our soul
are opened, to hear the word of God, and the inspirations of his Holy
Spirit and that obeying his holy will manifested to us by this means,
;
we become "an odor of sweetness, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleas-

ing to God," Philip, iv. 18; and likewise, by our good example, "a
good odor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish,"
2 Cor. ii. 15. These are the ceremonies which go before baptism, and
which are, as it were, a preparation for it.
THE SACRED OBLIGATION OF BAPTISM.

Q. What are the ceremonies that accompany the sacramental ac-
tion?
A. As baptism is between God and the soul, there are
a covenant
two essential conditions required on our part to prepare us for re-
ceiving it, to renounce for ever, the devil and the world, and to adhere
to Jesus Christ by faith; wherefore, being now arrived at the sacred
font. First, The i>erson to be baptized, (or his godfather and god-
mother, in his name) makes a solemn renunciation of the devil, and all
his works and iwmps, declaring, that he renounces, for ever, the ser-
vice of the devil,and that he detests all the maxims and vanities of the
world, which are the pomps of the devil, and that he abhors all sin,
which are his works; that he embraces the ser\ace of Jesus Christ,
and vows and promises to adhere constantly to the maxims and rules
of his gospel, and to continue his faithful disciple. This is the sacred
obligation in which we engage at baptism, this is the solemn promise
we make, upon the keeping of which our eternal life so much depends.
Second, Then the priest anoints him with holy oil on the breast
and between the shoulders, making the sign of the cross, and saying,
7 anoint thee ivith the oil of salvation, in Christ Jesxis our Lord, that
thou mai/est have life everlasting. Tliis ceremony is taken from the
example of what God did in the old law, where he commanded, that all
those things which immediately regarded his service, and wei-e to be
sanctified for that end, and consecrated, should be anointed with holy
oil; as is declared in the thirtieth and fortieth chapters of Exodus,
where he says, "And thou shalt consecrate all with the oil of unction,
that they may be most holy, Exod. outward unction
xl, 11. Now, the
with oil is an emblem of the inward grace of the Holy Ghost, which
sanctifies the soul; for, as oil gives light, warms, cures wounds, and
strengthens weak i>arts, so the grace of the Holy Ghost enlightens the
understanding, inflames the heart, cures the wounds of the soul, and
strengthens its weakness. Hence of our Savior it is said, that "God
anointed liim with the Holy Ghost, " Acts x. 38. And St. John says to
his disciples, "You have an unction from the Holy One, and know all
things," 1 John ii. 20. This ceremony, therefore, signifies, that the
person to be baptized, having renounced the devil and undertaken to
fight manfully against him, will receive a plenteous grace from the
Holy Ghost in baptism, to direct him in this warfare, to assist him
and strengthen him to resist all his spiritual enemies and, at the same ;
time, is God by
consecrated to Holy unction for this purjwse. He
this
is therefore anointed on the breast, to show that this grace will fortify
his breast with great courage and resolution; and between the shoul-
ders, to show that the grace of baptism will sweeten the yoke of Christ,
and make the burden of his commands light, easy, and even delightful
to him.
TJdrd, The priest interrogates the person to be baptized concern-
ing his faith in the blessed Trinity, and in the incarnation and death
of our Savior; because our Savior says, "he that believes and is bap-
tized shall be saved,
'
' Mark xvi. ; to show that faith is a previous dispo-
sition necessarily required before baptism; whicb, as children cannot
actually have themselves, their godfathers and godmothers answer for
them, with the obligation of seeing them instructed in the faith, when
they come to an age capable of it. Lastly, The priest inquires if the
person be willing to be baptized, because none can receive baptism
against their will; and getting his consent, he immediately baptizes
him, and thus administers the sacrament.
16 LIGET FROM THE ALTAR.
CEREMONIES USED AFTER BAPTISM.
Q, What are the ceremonies used after baptism?

A. First, The new Christian is immediately anointed on the crown
of the head with holy chrism, in imitation of the anointing of kings
and by God's command in the old law; and signifies that royal
priests
priesthood, to which we are raised by baptism, according to that of St.
Peter, "you are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy na-
tion," 1 Pet. ii. 9.
Second, He is clothed with a white garment, as an emblem of the

spotless innocence with which his soul is adorned ; and the priest, when
he puts it on him, prays that he may cany it unstained before the
Judgment-seat of Christ.
Third, A lighted candle is jût an emblem of the
into his hand, as
light ofgood example, which he is obliged to give by obeying the com-
mands of God, according to what our Savior says, "so let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your father which is in heaven," Math. v. 16. AMiile the priest gives
him this candle, he exhorts him to preserve this baptism and keep the
commands of God free from stain.
Fourth, The priest then gives him his leave to depart in peace.
Instructions Regarding Godfathers and

Godmothers
Q. What is the meaning of having godfathers and godmothers in

baptism?
A. It is, First, That they may present to the Church the ^jerson to
be baptized, and be the witnesses of his baptism.
Second, That they may answer in his name, when the person to
be baptized is a child.
Third, That they may be sureties to the Church for his observ-
ance of the promises they make for him;
;
Fourth, That tliey may be his instructors in all the duties of a

Christian
Fifth, To give the child's name to the priest.
Q. How many godfathers and godmothers should there hel

A. One godfather for a boy, and one godmother for a girl is suffi-
cient; or, at most, one godfather and one godmother for each person
to be baptized.
QUALIFICATIONS AND OBLIGATIONS OF GOD-FATHERS AND

GOD-MOTHERS.
Q. "\Miat qualifications are required in those who are chosen for

this office?
A. That a person be proper for this office, it is necessary, First,
That he be a member of the Catholic Church, otherwise he cannot be
fit for bringing up the child in the true faith.
Second, That he be sufficiently instructed in his religion and in the
Christian doctrine, othei-wise he cannot be able to teach it to another.
Third, That he lead a Christian life, free from any public scandal,
otherwise his example will destroy, instead of edify the child to
whom he is godfather.
Q. Whsd are the obligations of the godfathers and godmothers?
A. First, To see that the child be instructed in the Christian doc-
trine, and to supply any neglect on the side of the parents.
Q. What kindred do they contract by being godfathers and god-
mothers ?
A. They contract a spiritual kindred, both with the child and its
natural parents, which is an impediment to marriage between them;
and the same impediment is contracted in the sacrament of confiima-

tion.
PRIVATE BAPTISM.
"When a new-born infant is in danger of death, some one should give

it private baptism. It is not necessary to send for a priest, as it may
die before he can come. If the child recovers, it should be taken to the
church to have the ceremonies supplied.
18 TAGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
Private Baptism is thus given : Take natural water and pour it on
the child, saying, while pouring, these words:
I BAPTIZE THEE IN TIIE NAME OF THE PATHEE, AND
OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST.
Taking care to pronounce the words while pouring the water, and
to let the water touch the skin of the head.
Ceremonies of the Sacrament of

Confirmation
Q. "What are the ceremonies used in confinnation?

A. They are the following:
First, The annointing of the forehead is made by making the sign of
the cross, to show, that, being now confirmed in the service of Jesus
Christ, and enlisted with his soldiers, we should never be ashamed of
our master's livery, but boldly profess ourselves disciples of a crucified
Savior, and members of his Church, in spite of all that the world can
do against us, either by ridicule or persecution; being mindful of his
words, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this
adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall be ashamed of
him, when he shall come in the gloiy of his father with the holy an-
gels,"—Mark viii. 38.
AFTER CONFIRMATION,
Second, Immediately after confirmation, the Bishop gives the per-

son confirmed a on the cheek, to teach us that, being now a
little bloiv
soldier of Jesus Christ, we may manfully fight against all our enemies,
and bear with meekness and patience all crosses, persecutions, and
trials, for the sake and glory of our Lord and Master.
Third, In giving this little blow, the bishop says, peace he ivith you,
to teach us, that the only way to true peace in this world, as well as in
the next, is to suffer patiently for Christ's sake, and also to encourage
us to do so from the hoi>es of the reward, according to our Lord's

promise, "Learn of me, for I am meek aad humble of heart, and you
shall find rest to your souls," Matth. xi. 29.
Fourth, The candidate takes a new name, which ought to be the

name of some saint, whom he chooses for his particular patron, and
whose virtuous example he should strive to- imitate.
Fifth, The candidate has one godfather, if a boy, and one godmother,
if a girl, of whom the same things are to be observed as of those in bap-
tism.
THE CONFIRMATION NAME.

The person confirmed takes a new name, in addition to those of
Ms Baptism.
This name must be that of a Saint, whom he chooses for his imtron,
and whose virtuous example in following Christ he resolves to strive
to imitate.
THE NEGLECT OF CONFIRMATION.

To neglect to receive this Sacrament through sloth or contempt,
especially in one subject to temptations against faith, or to persecu-
tion, would, therefore, be a grave sin.
Nevertheless, Confirmation is not absolutely necessary for salva-

tion, since, in fact, it was not instituted, likeBaptism and Penance, to
justify the sinner, but to increase the grace and holiness of those
already justified.
The Order and Ceremonies of the Mass
Simplified and Explained
CHAPTER II
THE MOST SOLEMN WORSHIP

Q. Are the faithful obliged to be present at the sacrifice of the
mass?
A. They are obliged by a precept of the Church to be present
upon all Sundays and holydays.
Q. Why does the Church oblige all her children to assist at the
sacrifice of the mass upon all Sundays and holydays?
A. That as Sundays and holydays are particularly set apart for
the worship of God, and the sanctification of their souls they may
answer these ends by assembling together on these days, to commemo-
rate the death of Christ, and to offer to God this most solemn worship
of sacrifice, by the hands of the priest, and of their high-priest Christ
Jesus: First, in testimony of God's sovereignty, and a homage due to
his divine majesty: Second, to give thanks for all his blessings gen-
eral and particular Third,
: tobeg mercy and jmrdon for all their sins
Fourth, to obtain all necessaiy graces from the fountain of all grace.
Q. Why might not this as well be done without going to hear mass?
A. Because, as we have seen in a foregoing chapter, the mass
is a sacrifice instituted by Christ to be offered for all those ends. And
as in this sacrifice Christ himself is both the priest and the victim, who
here presents to his eternal Father that same body and blood by which
we were redeemed; it must be evident, that there can be no better
means of adoring God, and offering our homage to him, than by unit-
ing ourselves to the sacrifice of his only Son; no more acceptable
thanksgiving than that which is here offered, by and through Jesus
Christ; no means of obtaining mercy and pardon comparable to this
oblation of the blood of the Lamb in fine, no more seasonable time for
;
obtaining the favors of heaven, than when we appear before the throne
20
of grace witli him, and through him, in whom his Father is always
well pleased.
what disposition of soul ought persons then go to hear mass?
Q. In
A. They ought tO' go as if they were going to Mount Calvary, to
be present at the passion and death of their Redeemer; since the mass
is indeed the same sacrifice as that which he there offered. And con-
sequently there can be no better devotion iov the tiine of the mass than
that which has relation tO' the passion of Christ, which is therein com-
memorated and represented to the eternal Father. And all the faithful,
when they are at Mass, should endeavor to put their souls in the same
dispositions of adoration, thanksgiving, love and rejjentance for their
sins, with which a good Christian would have assisted at the sacrifice
of the cross, had he been present there.
Q. Do Mass who, instead of attending to this great sac-
those hear
rifice, allow themselves to be carried away with wilful distractions'?
A. Such as those do not hear Mass, that is, they do not fulfil the
precept of the Church, nor satisfy tlie obligation of the day.
Q. What must be said of those who, during the time of the Mass,
are laughing and talking, or pass that time in worldly amusemeuts?
A. These are not only guilty, like the former, of breaking the pre-
cept of the Church, but also must answer for the scandal that they
give by their bad example, and for hindering others from attending to
their duty; as well as for profaning tliose most sacred mysteries.
THE MEANING OF SACRED VESTMENTS.

Q. Explain to me the order and ceremonies of the Mass.
A. The priest, in saying Mass, represents the person of Christ,
who is the high-priest of the new law, and' the Mass itself represents
his passion ; the vestments, represent those with which Christ was
ignominiously clothed at the time of liis i:)assion. Thus, for instance,
the Amice represents the rag orclout with which the Jews muffled our
Savior's face, when blow they bid him prophesy who it was
at every
that struck him. St. Luke xxii. 64. The Alb represents the white gar-
ment with wliich he was vested by Herod. The Girdle, Maniple, and
Stole, represent the cords and bands with which he was bound in the
. different stages of his passion. The Chasuble, or outward vestment
represents the purple garment with which he was clothed as a mock
king; upon the back of which there is a cross, to represent that which
Christ bore on his sacred shoulders. Lastly, Tlie priest's Tonsure, or
crown, is crown of thorns which our Savior wore.
to represent the
Moreover, as in the old law, the priests that were to officiate in sacred
functions had, by the appointment of God, vestments assig-ued for that
puriDOse, as well for the greater dignity and solemnity of the divine
worship, as to signify and represent the virtues which God required
of his ministers, so it was proper, that in the Church of the New Tes-
tament, Christ's ministers should, in their sacred functions, be distin-
guished from the laity by their sacred vestments, which might also
represent the virtues which God requires in them: thus the Amice,
which is first put upon the head, represents divine hope, which the
Apostle calls the helmet of salvation ; the Alb, innocence of life ; the
Girdle (with which the loins are begirt), purity and patient-suffering,
the labors of this mortal life ; the Stole, the sweet yoke of Christ to be
borne in this life, in order to obtain a happy immortality in the next
in fine, the Chasuble, which as uppermost, covers all the rest, the virtue
of charity.
THE FIVE COLORS OF THE VESTMENTS.

In these vestments the Church makes use of five colors, the white,
on the feast of our Lord, of the blessed Virgin, of the Angels, and of
the Saints that were not martyrs; the red, on the feast of Pente-
cost, of the Invention and Exaltation of the Cross, and of the Apostles
and Martyrs; the green, on the greater part of the Sundays; the
violet, in the penitential times of Advent and Lent, and upon Vigils
and Emberdays; and the black upon Good-Friday, and in the Masses
for the dead.
Q. Why is there always a crucifix upon the altar, at the time of
Mass?
A. That, as the Mass is said in remembrance of Christ's passion
and and
death, the priest people may have always before their eyes the
image that represents his passion and death.
Q. "WTiat is the meaning of having lighted candles upon the altar,
at the time of Mass?
A. First, To honor the triumph of our King, which is there cele-

brated by these lights, which are tokens of our joy, and of his glory.
Second, To denote the light of faith, with which we are to approach
him.
Q. What is the meaning of making a genuflection at the altar!
A. First, Because the altar is a figure of Christ, who is not only our
sacrifice and our high-priest, but our altar too, inasmuch as we are to
offer our prayers and sacrifices through him. Secondly, Because the
altar is the seat of the divine mysteries, and therefore deserves our rev-
erence.
WHY INCENSE IS USED IN THE MASS.
Q. What is the meaning of the use of incense in the Mass and other
offices of the Church?
A. Incense is an emblem of prayer, ascending to God from a heart
inflamed witli his love, as the smoke of incense ascends on high from
the fire of the censer. Hence the royal prophet, Psal. cxl. says, 'Let
my prayer, Lord, be directed like incense in thy sight.' And St-
John in the Revelation, chapter v. 8, and chapter viii. 4, saw the fou.
and twenty elders and the angel offering up tO' God odors and incense^
which were the prayers of the saints. Moreover the incensing of the
altar, of the priest, &c., is, according to the use of the Church, a token of
honor to the thing that is incensed not of divine honor, since we also-
;
incense the whole choir and the people, but of a due resi>ect for the
things of God, for his ministers and people.
Q. What is the need of singing, and of music in the divine service ?
A. To help us to raise our hearts to heaven, and to celebrate with
greater solemnity the divine pi'aises.
THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MASS EXPLAINED.

Q. Explain the different parts of the Mass, and the ceremonies'?
A. First, The priest standing at the foot of the altar, having made a
low reverence, begins with the sign of the cross, saying, In nomine
Patris, &c.. In the name of the Father, and of the Son,and of the Holy
Ghost, and then recites alternately with the server the 42nd Psalm,
Judica me, Deus, £c. Judge me, God, «S:c. composed by David, in the
time that he was loersecuted by Saul, and kept at a distance from the
tabernacle or temple of God, and expressing his ardent desires and
hopes of approaching God's' and offering praise and sacrifice to
altar,
him. And therefore this Psalm is most proper here, as expressing the
sentiments of the soul, with which we ought to come to this holy
sacrifice.
Second, The priest, bowing low at the foot of the altar, says the Con-
fiteor, or general confession, aclmowledgiug his sins to God, to the
whole court of heaven, and to all the faithful there assembled, and
begging their prayers to God for him and the server repeats the same
:
in the name of the people to the end that both priest and people may
;
prepare themselves for this great sacrifice, by a sincere repentance

for their sins. Our opponents object to this form of confession,
because thereinwe confess our sins to the saints as if this was giving ;
them an honor that belongs to God alone, not considering that the con-
fessing of our sins to any one, so far from being an honor iêculiar to
God, is what we are directed in scripture to do to one another, St.
James v. 16. And accordingly in this veiy fomi, which we call the
Confiteor, we not only confess our sins to God, and to his saints, but
the priest also confesses to the people, and the people toi the priest.
THE OPENING OF THE MASS.

up to the altar begs for himself and the
Third, The priest in going
people, that God would take away their iniquities, that they may be
worthy to enter into his sanctuary. Then coming up to the altar he
kisses it in reverence to Christ, of whom it is a figure; and going to
the book he reads what is called the introit, or opening of the Mass;
which is different every day, and generally an Anthem taken out of
the scripture, with the first verse of one of the Psalms, and the Gloria
Patri, to glorify the blessed Trinity.
Fourth, He returns to the middle of the altar, and says alternately
with the server the Kyrie Eleison, or Lord, have mercy on us, which
is said three times toi God the Father; three times, Christe Eleison,
or Christ have mercy on us, to God the Son; and three times again
Kyrie Eleison, to God the Holy Ghost. This frequently calling for
THE TRUE CAtHOLIC. 25
mercy, teaches us the necessity of approaching this sacrifice with a pen-

itential spirit, and that the best devotion for the beginning of the Mass,
is to offer up to God the sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart.
Fifth, After the Kyrie Eleison, the priest recites the Gloria in
Ex-
celsis, Gloiy be to God on high, &c. being an excellent hymn and
IJrayer to God, the beginning of which was sung by the angels at the
birth of Christ. This being a hjann of joy, is omitted in the Masses
for the dead, and in the penitential times of Advent, Lent, &c. After
this the priest turning about to the people, says, "Dominus vohiscum,"
"the Lord be with you." Response. "Et cum Spiritu tuo," "and with
thy spirit." Then returning to the book, he says, "Oremus," "Let
us pray;" and then reads the collects or prayers of that day, conclud-
ing them with the usual termination, "Per Dominum nostrum," &c.
"Through our Lord Jesus Christ," &c. with which the Church com-
monly concludes all her prayers, as hoping for no mercy, grace or
blessing, but through our Savior Jesus Christ.
Sixth, After the collects,
read the lesson or epistle of the day
is
(and upon Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Emberweeks several

lessons or epistles), at the end of which the server answers, "Deo Gra-
tias," i. e. "thanks be to God;" to give God thanks for the heavenly
instructions contained in that divine lesson of holy writ. The lesson
or followed by the gradual or tract, consisting of some de-
ejîstle is
vout passage taken from scripture; to which are joined the alleluias,
to praise God with joy, excepting in the penitential times.
AFTER THE EPISTLE AND GRADUAL.

Seventh, After the epistle and gradual, the book is removed to the
other side of the altar, in order to read the gospel of the day; which
removal of the book represents the passing from the preaching of the
old law, figuredby the lesson or epistle, to the gospel of Jesus Christ,
expounded by the priests of the new law. The priest before he reads
the gospel, makes his prayer, bowing down before the middle of the
altar, that God would cleanse his heart and his lips, that he may be
worthy to declare his gospel. At the beginning of the gospel both
priest and people make the sign of the cross: First, upon their fore-
heads, tO' signify that they will not be ashamed of the cross of Christ
and his doctrine; second, upon their mouth, to signify that they will
profess it in words third, upon their breast, to signify that they will
;
always keep it in their hearts. During the gospel, the people stand, to
show, by this posture, their readiness to go and do whatsoever they shall
be commanded by their Savior and his divine word. At the end, the
server answers, in the name of the people, "Laus tibi Christe," "Praise
be to thee, Christ;" to give praise to our Eedeemer for his heavenly
doctrine; and the priest kisses the book, in reverence to those sacred
words which he has been reading out of it. In the high or solemn
Mass, the gospel sung by the deacon, and lighted candles held by the
servers on each side, denote the light which Christ brought us by his
gospel.
Eighth, After the gospel upon all Svmdays, as also upon the feasts of
our Lord, the blessed Virgin, the apostles, and of the doctors
of the Church, the priest standing at the middle of the altar recites the
Nicene Creed, and kneels down at these words, "Et homo fadus est,"
"And was made man," in reverence to the mystery of our Lord's
incarnation. Then turning about to the people, he greets them with
the usual salutation, " Domiiins vobiscum," "the Lord be with you."
Eesponse, "Et cum spiritu tuo," "And with thy spirit." After which
he reads a short passage of scripture called the Offertory, and then
takes off the veil from the chalice, in order to proceed to the offering
of bread and wine for the sacrifice.
THE BLESSING OF THE BREAD AND WINE.
Ninth, He offers first the bread upon the paten, or little plate, then
pours the wine into the chalice, mingling with it a little water, and
offers that up in like manner, begging that this sacrifice may be ac-
cepted of by the Almighty for the remission of sins, for all there
present, for all the faithful living and dead, and for the salvation of
the world. Th^n bowing down, he says, "In the spirit of humility,
and in a contrite mind, may we he received by thee, Lord: and so
may our sacrifice be made this day in thy sight, that it may please thee,
O Lord God." Then he blesses the bread and wine with the sign
of the cross, invoking the Holy Ghost, saying, "Come, thou, the Sano-
tifier, and eternal God, and bless this sacrifice pre-

the Almighty,
pared for thy holy name." And after this he goes to the corner of the
altar, and there washes the tips of his fingers, saying "Lavabo," &c.
"I will wash my hands among the innocent, and I will encompass thy
altar, O Lord, '
' &c. as in the latter part of the 25th Psalm. This wash-
ing of the fingers denotes the cleanness and purity of soul with which
these divine mysteries are to be celebrated; which ought to be such,
as not only toi wash away all greater filth, but even the dust which
stickstoi the tips of our fingers, by which are signified the smallest
faultsand imperfections.
Tenth, After washing his fingers the priest returns to the middle
of the altar, and there bowing down, begs of the blessed Trinity to
receive this oblation in memory of the passion, resurrection and ascen-
sion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and for an honorable commemoration
of the blessed Virgin and of all the saints, that they may intercede for
us in heaven, whose memory we celebrate on earth. Then turning
about to the people, he says, "Orate Fratres." &c. that is, "Brethren,
pray that my and yours may be made acceptable in the sight
sacrifice
of God the Father Almighty." The server answers in the name of the
people, "May the Lord receive this sacrifice from thy hands, to all
praise and glory of his own name and for our benefit, and that of all
his holy Church."
Eleventh, Then the priest says, in a low voice, the prayers called the
Secreta, which corresjoond to the collects of the day, and are different
every day. He concludes by saying aloud, "Per omnia saecula saecu-
lorum," that is, "world without end." Eesponse. Amen. Then after
the usual salutation, "Tlie Lord be with you," Eesponse, "and with thy
spirit," he admonishes the people to lift up their hearts to God (Sur-
sum cor da), and to join with him in giving thanks to our Lord.
{Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro) to which the server answers,
"Dignum et justum est," "It is meet and just." Then follows the
Preface, so called because it serves as an introduction to the Canon of
the Mass; in which, after solemnly acknowledging ourselves bomid in
duty ever to give thanks to God, through his Son Jesus Christ, whose
majesty all the choirs of angels ever praise and adore, we humbly beg
leave to have our voices admitted together with theirs in that celestial
hymn, " Sanctus, Sanctus," &c. i. e. "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God o
hosts." The heavens and earth are full of Hosanna in the
thy glory.
highest. "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanua
in the highest."
ô*^
THE CANON OF THE MASS.

Twelfth, After the Preface follows the Canon of the Mass, or the
most sacred or solemn j)art of this divine service, which is read with a
low voice, as well to express the silence of Christ in his passion, and his
hiding at that time his glory and his divinity, as to signify the vast
importance of that common cause of all mankind, which the priest is
then representing, as were in secret to the ear of God, and the rever-
it
ence and awe with which both priest and people ought to assist at
these tremendous mysteries. The Canon then begins by invoking the
Father of mercies, through Jesus Christ his Son, to accept this sac-
rifice for the holy Catholic Church, for the Pope, for the bishop, for
rulers, and for all tlie professors of the Catholic and Apostolic faith,
throughout the whole world. Then follows the Memento, or commem-
oration of the living, for whom, in particular, the priest intends to
offer up the Mass, or who have been particularly recommended to his
prayers, &c. To which is subjoined a remembrance of all there pres-
ent, followed by a solemn commemoration of the blessed Virgin, the
apostles and martyrs, and all the saints, to honor their memory by
naming them in the sacred mysteries, to communicate with them, and
to beg of Grod the help of their intercession, through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Then the priest spreads his hands over the bread and wine, which
are to be consecrated into the body and blood of Christ (according to
the ancient ceremony prescribed in the Levitical law, Levit. i. 3, 4, 16,
that the priest or personswho offered sacrifice, should laj' their hands
upon the victim, before it was immolated), and he begs that God
would accept this oblation which he makes in the name of the whole
Church, and that he would grant us peace in this life, and eternal sal-
vation in the next. Then he blesses the bread and wine with the sign
of the cross (a ceremony frequently repeated in the Mass, in memory
of Christ's passion, of which this sacnfice is the memorial; and to
give us to understand that all grace and sanctity flow from the cross
of Christ, that is, from Christ crucified), and he jorays that God
i
would render tliis oblation blessed, received, approved, reasonable and

acceptable, that it may be made tO' us the body and blood of liis most
beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Tben he proceeds to the con-
secration, first of the bread into the body of our Lord, and then of
the wine into his blood; which consecration is made by the words of
Christ pronounced by the i^riest in his name, and as bearing his per-
son : and this is the chief action of the Mass, in which the very essence
of this sacrifice consists: because, by the separate consecration of the
bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ are really exhibited and
presented to God, and Christ is mystically immolated.
Immediately after the consecration follows the elevation, first of
the host, then of the chalice, in remembrance of Christ's elevation
upon the cross, and that the people may adore their Lord veiled under
these sacred signs. At the elevation of the chalice, the priest recites
those words of Christ, "As
you shall do these things, you
often as
shall do them in remembrance of me." Then he goes on making a
solemn commemoration of the passion, resurrection and ascension of
Christ, and begging of God to accept this sacrifice, as he was pleased
to accept the oblation of Abel, Abraham and Melchisedech and to com- ;
mand that it may, by his holy angel, be presented upon the altar above
in presence of his divine Majesty, for the benefit of all those that shall
partake of these mysteries here below.
THE MEMENTO OB REMEMBRANCE FOR THE DEAD.
Then the priest makes the Memento or remembrance for the dead;
praying for all those that are gone before us with the sign of faith,
and rest in the sleep of peace, and in particular for those for whom
he desires to offer this sacrifice, that God would grant them a place
of refreshment, light and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then
raising his voice at Nobis quoque peccatoribus, and to us sinners &c.
he strikes his breast in token of repentance, like the humble publican
in the gospel, and begs of God mercy and pardon, and to be admitted
into some part and society with the holy apostles and martyrs, through
Christ our Lord. He proceeds, "By whom, O Lord, thou dost always
create, sanctify, enliven, bless and give us all these good things."
30 LIGHT FROM THE ALTAE.
Tlien kneeling down, and taking the sacred host in his hand, he makes
the sign of the cross with it over the chalice, saying, "Through him,
and with him, and in him, is to thee, God the Father in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, all honor and glorj-;" which last words he pronounces
elevating a little the host and chalice from the altar; and then kneels
down, saying, with a loud voice, "Per omnia saecula saeculorum."
"For ever and ever."
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Thirteenth, After this follows the "Pater Noster," or "Lord's

Prayer," which is pronounced with a loud voice; and in token of the
people's joining in this prayer, the server in their name says aloud the
last petition, "Bed libera nos a malo," "But The
deliver us from evil."
priest answers. Amen: and goes on with a low voice, begging that we
may be delivered from all evils, past, present and to come and by the ;
intercession of the blessed Virgin, and of all the saints, be favored with
peace, in our days, and secured from sin and all disturbances, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Then he breaks the host, in imitation of
Christ's breaking the bread before he gave it to his disciples, and in
remembrance of his body being broken for us upon the cross and puts ;
a particle of it into the chalice, saying to the people, "The peace of

the Lord be always with you." Answer, "And with thy spirit."
This ceremony of mixing a particle of the host with the species of
wine in the chalice represents the re-uniting of Christ's body, blood
and soul at his resurrection, and the priest's wish or prayer for peace,
at the time of this ceremony, puts us in mind of that "Pax vobis,"
or "Peace be unto you," which our Lord spoke to his disciples when
he first came to them after his resurrection, St. John sx. 19, 21, 26.
THE AGNES DEI.
Fourteenth, Then follows the "Agnus Dei," &c. which the priest
pronoimces three times, striking his breast in token of reiêntance the ;
words ar'c, "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us." At the third time, instead of have mercy on us,
he says, grant us peace. After the Agnus Dei, follow three prayers,
which the priest says to himself by way of preparation for receiving
the blessed sacrament. After which kneeling down, and then rising and
taJiing uj) the blessed sacrament, he three times strikes his breast, say-
ing, "Domine non sum dignus, &c. "Lord I am not worthy that thou
shouldst enter under my roof but only thou
; saj^ the word, and my soul
shall be healed." Then receiving the sacred host he says, "The body
of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul to life everlasting. Amen."
Having paused awhile, he proceeds to the receiving of the chalice, using
the like words, "The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ," &c. Then fol-
lows the communion of the people, if any are to receive.

Fifteenth, After the communion, the priest takes first a little wine
into the chalice, which is called the first ablution in order to consum-
mate what remains of the consecrated species in, the chalice and then ;
takes a little wine and water, which is called the second ablution, upon
his fingers, over the chalice, to the end that no particle of the blessed
sacrament may remain adhering to his fingers, but that all may be
washed into the chalice and so received. Then wiping the chalice, and
covering it, he goes to the book and reads a versicle of the holy scrip-
ture, called the Comrziunion, because it was formerly sung
in the high
Mass, at the time of holy communion. After he turns about to this,
the people with the usual salutation, Dominus vobiscum; and then re-
turning to the book, reads the collects, or prayers called the Post-com-
munion: after which he again greets the people with Dominus vobiscum;
and gives them leave tO' depart, with "Ite Missa est," i. e. "Go, the
Mass is done. Here, bowing before the altar, he makes a short prayer
'
'
to the blessed Trinity and then gives his blessing tO' all there present
;
in the name of the same blessed Trinity, "Benedicat vos," &c. "May
the Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
bless you." He concludes, reading at the corner of the altar, the begin-
ning of the gospel according" to St. John, which the people hear stand-
ing; but at these words, Verhum
caro factum est, The word was made
flesh, both priest and people kneel, in reverence to the mystery of
Christ's incarnation. The server at the end answers, ''Deo gratias,"
"thanks be to God." And then the priest departs from the altar, recit-
ing to himself the Benedicitc, or the canticle of the three children, in-
viting all creatures in heaven and earth to bless and praise our Lord.
THE MANNER OF ASSISTING AT MASS.

Q. In what manner ought we
assist at the Mass?
A. In saying such prayers and devotions as are most suitable to* that
holy sacrifice; which having union with the passion of Christ, is best
heard when those who are present turn the attention and affections of
their souls towards the mysteries of the passions of our Lord.
Q. Is it not a good way of hearing Mass to accompany the priest
through every part of it, so as to accommodate one's devotion to what
he is then about?
A. It is a very good and profitable way : Not that the very prayers
of the priest, in theCanon and Consecration, are always proper for the
people, but that in every part of the Mass it is proper that the people
should use such prayers as are adapted to what the priest is then doing.
Q. What kind of prayers and devotion are the best adapted to the
several parts of the Mass?
A. First, In the beginning of the Mass an earnest application of the
soul to God, by way of begging his divine grace fgr worthily and j)rof-
itably assisting at this sacrifice.
Second, At the Confiteor, and what follows until the Kyre Eleison
inclusively, those present ought to make an humble confession of their
sins to God, with most hearty repentance earnestly begging his mercy.
Third, At the Gloria in Excelsis, let them join in that heavenly hymn,
and excite their souls tO' the affections expressed therein.
Fourth, At the Collects, let them recommend to God their own
necessities and those of the whole Church.
Fifth, At the Epistle, Gradual, and Gospel, either let them attend
to the heavenly lessons contained in them or, if they have not the con-
;
venience for this, let them employ themselves in giving thanks toi God
for revealing to us his divine truths, and instructing us not only by
his servants the prophets and apostles, but also by his Son; and beg-
ging of God that their lives may be always conformable to the maxims
of his gospel.
Sixth, At the Credo, let them recite it to themselves, with a lively
faith of the great truths contained in it.
Seventh, At the Offertory, let them join with the priest in offering
up first the host, and then the chalice, for themselves and for the whole
Clmrch; but let them at the same time unite themselves closely with
their High Priest, Christ Jesus, and with him, through him, and in
him, offer up their hearts and souls to God, to be consecrated to his
divine service, and change into him and in particular at the mingling
;
of the water with the wine in the chalice, let them pray for this happy
union with God.
Eighth, At the Lavabo, when the priest washes his fingers at the cor-
ner of the altar, let there excite in their souls a hearty act of I'epen-
tance, and beg to be washed from their sins in the blood of the Lamb.
Ninth, When the priest turns about and says, Orate Fratres, let
them pray that God would accept of that oblation for his own honor
and their salvation.
Tenth, At the Preface, let them raise up their hearts to God at Sur-
sum Corda, and pour forth their souls in thanksgiving to him; join-
ing themselves with the heavenly choirs, and with them humbly and
fervently pronouncing that sacred hymn, "Sanctus," &c., "Holy, Holy,
Holy, Lord God of Hosts," &c.
Eleventh, During the Canon of the Mass, let them, together with the
priest, and together with the invisible priest, Christ Jesus, offer up
the sacrifice, for the four ends of sacrifice, viz. 1. For God's honor,
adoration and gloiy. 2. In thanksgiving for all his benefits, and es-
pecially for our redemption through Jesus Christ. 3. To obtainmercy
and pardon through him for all their sins. 4. To obtain all graces
and blessings of which they stand in need. Let them all join in the
solemn commemoration that is here made of the passion, resurrection
and ascension of the Son of God, and of the gloiy of his Church trium-
phant in heaven.
Tuelfth, At the Memento for the living, let them earnestly recom-
mend to God their parents, friends, benefactors, &c. their superiors,
spiritual and temporal; those that have particularly desired their
prayers; those that are in agony, or have great necessities, tempta-
tion, or affliction; those to whom they have given scandal or bad ex-
ample; their enemies, and all unbelievers and sinners, that God may
convert them; in fine, all true servants of God; and all such for whom
God would have them tc pray.
Thirteenth, At the Consecration and Elevation let them again offer
themselves to God with and through Christ, and with all the reverence
of their souls, adore their Lord there really present under the sacra-
mental veils.
Fourteenth, At the Memento for the dead, let them represent to the
eternal Father this victim which takes away the sins of the world, in
behalf of all the faithful departed in the communion of the Church, and
particularly of their relations, friends, &c. and those who stand most
in need of prayers, or for whom God is best pleased that they should
pray.
Fifteenth, At the Pater Noster, let them join in that heavenly
prayer; begging in the first petition (Hallowed be thy name), the honor
and glory of God's name; in the second petition, the propagation of his
kingdom here upon earth, and that they may have a share in his
kingdom in Heaven; in the third petition, the perfect accomplishment
of his will by all, and in all in the fourth, the participation of the
:
bread of life ; in the fifth, the forgiveness of their sins ; in the sixth,
the grace of God against temptations; and in the seventh, a deliver-
ance from all evils.
Sixteenth, At the breaking of the host, let them remember Christ's

body broken for them upon the cross, and let them pray for that peace
which the priest wishes them, with God, with their neighbors, and with
themselves.
Seventeenth. At the Agnus Dei, &c. let them, in the spirit of hu-
mility and contrition, beg mercy and pardon for their sins.
Eighteenth, Durisg the following prayers, and whilst the priest is
receiving, let them make a spiritual communion. 1. By a lively faith of
the real presence of the Lamb of God slain for our sins, and of the
abundance of grace which he brings to those that receive him worthily.
2. By an ardent desire of partaking of this life-giving food. 3. By
humbly acknowledging at the Domine nan sum dignus, and heartily be-
wailing their unworthiness and sins, which hinder them from daring
to approach to this heavenly table. 4. By fervent prayer, begging
that Christ would communicate to them some share in those graces
which he brings with him to the worthy receiver, and that he would
come at least spiritually to their souls, and take possession of them,
and unite them to himself by an indissoluble bond of love.
Nineteenth, After the communion let them return thanks to God for
the passion and death of his Son, and for having been permitted to
assist at these divine mysteries; let tliem receive with humility the
benediction given by the priest in the name of the blessed Trinity; let
them beg pardon for their negligences and distractions; and so offer-
ing themselves and all their undertakings to God, depart in peace.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE RESIDING WHERE IT IS IMPOS-

SIBLE TO HEAR MASS.
Q. "What if a person, through the absolute necessity of his unhappy

circumstances, should be in a place where he can never hear Mass, do
you think he might not then be allowed to join in prayer with those
of anothei- communion, by way of supplying this defect?
A. No. It is a misfortune, and a great misfortune, to be kept like
David, when ho was persecuted by Saul, at a distance from the temple
of God, and his sacred mysteries; but it would be a crime to join ones'
self upon that account with others whose woirshii> the Church rejects as
sacrilegious and impious. In such a case therefore a Christian must
serve his God alone to the best of his power, by offering to him the hom-
age of prayer, adoration, contrition, &c. He must frequently hear ]klass
in spirit by joining himself with all the faithful throughout the world,
wherever they are offering to God that divine sacrifice; ever sighing
after these heavenly mysteries, and praying for his deliveiy from tiiar
Babylon, which keeps him at a distance from the temple of God.
Ceremonies Used in the Sacrament of

Penance
Q. What is the form and manner of confession?
A. The penitent, having duly prepared by prayer, by a serious
examination of his conscience, and a hearty contrition for his sins,
kneels down at the confession chair on one side of the priest, ancJ
making the sign of upon himself, asks the priest's blessing,
the cross
saying, '
Pray, Father, give me your
blessing. Then the priest blesses
'
him in the following words: 'The Lord be in thy heart, and in thy
lips, that thou mayest tnily and humbly confess all thy sins, in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.*
After which the penitent says the Confiteor, in Latin, or in English, as
far as Mea Culpa, &c. and then accuses himself of all his sins, as to
the kind, number, and aggravating circumstances; and concludes vrith
this or like form: 'Of these, and all other sins of my whole life, I
Immbly accuse myself; I am heartily soriy for them, I beg pardon of
God, and i>enance and absolution of you my ghostly father.' And so
he finishes the Coniiteor, 'Therefore, I beseech thee,' &c. Aiid then
attends tO' the instnictions given by the priest, and himibly accepts
the penance enjoined.
Q. "What is the fonn of absolution?
A. First, The priest says, 'May the Almighty God have mercy on
thee, and forgive thee thy sins, and bring thee to life everlasting,
Amen.'
Then stretching forth his right hand towards the penitent, he says,
'May the Almighty and merciful Lord give thee i>ardon, absolution,
and remission of thy sins. Amen.'
Our Lord Jesus Christ absolve thee, and I, by his authority, absolve
thee, in the first j)lace, from eveiy bond of excommunication or inter-
dict, as far as I have power and thou standest in need: in the next
place, I absolve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, f
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.'
May the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits of the blessed
'
Virgin Mary, and of all the saints, and whatsoever good thou shalt do,
or whatsoever evil thou shalt suffer, be to thee unto the remission of
thy sins, the increase of grace, and the recomijense of everlasting life.
Amen.'

Extreme Unction
Q. "What is the fonn and manner of administering the sacrament of
extreme unction!
A. First, The priest having instructed and prepared the sick person
to this sacrament, recites, if the time permit, certain prayers pre-
scribed in the Eitual, to beg God's blessing upon the sick and that his
holy angels may defend them, that dwell in that habitation, from all
evil.
Second, Is said tlie Confiteor, or general form of cO'nfession and

absolution; and the priest exhorts all present to join in prayer for the
person that is sick; and if opportunity permit, according to the quality
or number of persons there i>resent, to recite the seven penitential
Psalms with the Litanies, or other prayers, upon this occasion.
Third, The priest, making three times the sign of the cross upon the
sick person, at the name of the blessed Trinity, says, 'In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, may
power of the all
devil be extinguished in thee, by the laying on of our hands, and the

invocation of all the holy angels, archangels, patriarchs, prophets, apos-
tles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the saints. Amen.'
Fourth, Dii>ping his thumb in the holy oil of the infirm, he anoints
the sick i>erson in the form of a cross, upon the eyes, ears, nose, mouth,
hands and feet; at each anointing making use of this form of prayer.
'Through this holy unction, and his own most tender mercy, may the
Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed by thy sight.
Amen.' And so of the hearing, and the rest, adapting the fonn to the
several senses.
Lord have mercy on us, Christ
Fifth, After this the priest goes on :
'
have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Our Father, &c. And lead
us not into temptation. R. But deliver us from evil. V. Save thy
servant. R. Trusting in thee, my God. F. Send him, Lord, help
from thy sanctuary. R. And do thou defend him from Sion. F. Be
to him, O Lord, a tower of strength. R. From the face of the enemy.
F. Let not the enemy have any power over him. R. Nor the son of
iniquity be able to hurt him. F. Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let
my ciy oome unto thee. F. The Lord be with you. R. And with
thy spirit.
PRAYERS FOR SICK PERSONS.

Lord God, who has said by thy Apostle James Is any one sick :
among you? Let him call for the priests of the Church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the ;
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall ease him; and if
he be in sins they shall be remitted to him heal we beseech thee, 0, our
:
Redeemer, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, the maladies of this sick
man, cure his wounds and forgive him his sins, and expel from him
all pains of mind and body, and mercifully restore unto Mm perfect
and exterior, that being recovered by thy
health, both as to the interior
mercy, he may return to his former duties. AVho with the Father and
the Holy Ghost, lives and reigiis one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
PRAYER.
Look down, we beseech thee, Lord, on thy servant, (Name), faint-
ing under the infiiToity of his body, and refresh a soul which thou hast
created : that he, being improved by thy chastisements may be saved
by thy medicine. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER.
Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, who, by impart-
ing the grace of thy benediction to sick bodies, preservest, according
to the multitude of thy mercies, the work of thy hands favorably at- ;
tend to the invocation of thy name, and deliver thy sers'ant from his
illness, and restoring him to health, raise him up by thy right hand,
and strengthen him by thy virtue, defend him by thy power, and re-
store him with all desired prosperity tO' thy holy Church. Through
Clirist our Lord. Amen.
Ceremonies Used in Sacrament of Holy

Orders
Q. Inwhat manner is the order of priesthood administered?
A. The person that is to be ordained is presented to the bishop in
the name of the Church, that he may be devoted to priesthood, and bear-
ing testimony of his being worthy of that office. Then the bishop
publishes to the clergy and people there present the designed pro-
motion, that if any one has anything to allege against the i>erson
that is to l>e ordained, he may one appears
freely declare it. If no
to allege anything against him, the bishop proceeds to admonish
him of the duties and functions of the priesthood, and tO' exhort him
to a diligent discharge thereof. After which, both the bishop and the
person that is to be ordained, prostrate themselves in prayer,

whilst the litanies are sung or said by the choir or clergy there pres-
ent; which being ended, the bishop stands up, and the person that
is to be ordained kneeling, the bishop and then all the priests
first,
there present, one after another, lay both their hands on his head,
which imposition of hands is immediately followed by the solemn
prayers of consecration, and by revesting him with the priestly orna-
ments; then the Holy Ghost is invoked by the hymn, Veni Creator'.
After which the bishop anoints the hands ofl the person ordained, and
then delivers into his hands the chalice with the wine and water, and
the paten with the bread, saying, 'Receive the power to offer sacrifice
to God, and celebrate Mass, as well for the living as for the dead, in
the name of the Lord.' Then the person ordained says Mass with the
bishop, and receives the holy communion at his hands. At the end of
the Mass the bishop again imposes his hands upon him, saying those
words of Christ: St. John xx. 22, 23, 'Receive the Holy Ghost: whose
sins thou shalt forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins thou
shalt retain, they are retained. After which he receives from him the
'
promise of obedience, and gives him the kiss of jDeace.

Marriage
what manner does the Catholic Church proceed in the admin-
Q. In
istration of matrimony!
A. First, She orders that the bans should be proclaimed on three
Sundays, or festival days, before the celebration of marriage; to the
end, that ifany one knows of any impediment why the parties should
not by the law of God, of his Church, be joined in matrimony, he may
declare it.
Second, The parties are to be married by their own liarish priest, in

the presence of two or three witnesses.
Third, The parties express, in the presence of the pi-iest, their
mutual consent according to the usual form cf the Church after which
; ;
the priest says I join you in matrimony, in the name of the Father,
:
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Fourth, The priest blesses the ring according to this form.
V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made
heaven and earth.
V. Lord hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
F. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
PRAYER WHEX BLESSING THE RIXG.
Bless, O Lord, this ring, which we bless in thy name, that she
that shall wear it, keeping inviolable fidelity to her spouse, may ever
remain in peace and in thy will, and always live in mutual charity.
Through Christ our Lord. Akien.
Then the priest sprinkles the ring with holy water j and the bride-
groom taking it, puts it on the fourth finger of the left hand of the
bride, saying, 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
holy Ghost. Amen.'
After this the priest says, V. Confirm, God, this which thou
hast wrought in us. R. From thy holy temple which is in Jeiiisalem.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy
on us. Our Father,
&c. And lead us not into temptation. R. But
deliver us from evil. V. Save thy servants. R. Trusting in thee,
my God. V. Send them help, Lord, from thy sanctuary. R. And
defend them from Sion. V. Be to them, Lord, a tower of strength.
R. Against the face of the enemy. V. Lord hear my prayer. R. And
let my cry come unto thee. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with
thy spirit.
MARRIAGE PRAYER.
Look down, Lord, we beseech thee, npoii those thy servants, and
afford thy favorable assistance to thine own institution by which thou
liast ordained the propagation of mankind, that they who are joined
together by thy authority, may be preserved by thy aid. Througli
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fifth, After this, if the nuptial benediction is to be given, the priest
says the Mass ap^winted in the Missal, for the bridegroom and the
bride; and having said the Pater Noster, turning about to the newly
married couple, he says over them the following prayers:
PRAYER THAT THE MARRIAGE TIE BE PERPETUAL.

Mercifully give ear, O Lord, to our prayers, and let thy grace ac-
company by which thou hast ordained the propa-
this thy institution,
gation of mankind; that this tie, which is made by thy authority,
may be preserved by thy grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, &c.
PRAYER OFFERED FOR THE BRIDE.

God, who by thy onmipotent hand didst create all things of noth-
ing; whoat the first forming of the world having made man to the like-
ness of God, didst out of his flesh make the woman, give her to him
for his help, and by this didst infonn us that what in its beginning
was one, ought never be separated: God, who by so excellent a
mystery hast consecrated this union of both sexes, that thou wouldst
have it be a type of that great sacrament which is between Christ and
his Church: God, by whom this contract and mutual union has
been ordained, and privileged with a blessing, which alone has not
been recalled, either in punishment of original sin, or by the sentence
of the flood, mercifully look on this thy servant the bride, who is
now to be given in marriage, earnestly desires to be received under

thy protection. May love and peace abound in her; may she many in
Christ faithful and chaste ; may she ever imitate those holy women of
former times; may she be as acceptable to her husband as Rachel, as
discreet as Rebecca; may she in her years and fidelity be like Sarah,
and may the author of evil at no time have any share in her actions
may she be steady in faith and the commandments may she l>e tnie to
;
her engagements, and flee all unlawful addresses; may she fortify her
infirmity by thy disciple; may she be gravely bashful, venerably
modest, and well-learned in the doctrine of heaven may
she be fniitful
;
in her offspring; may she be approved and innocent; and may her
happy be to arrive at length to the rest of the blessed in the kingdom
lot
of heaven ; may they both see their children 's children to the third and
fourth generation, and live to a happy old age. Through th^ same
Lord Jesus Christ, &c.
After the priest's communion, they both receive the blessed sacra-
ment, and in the end of the Mass, before the usual blessing of the people,
the priest turns to the bridegroom and bride, and says:
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be
with you, and you may fulfill his blessing in you, that you may see
your children's children to the third and fourth generation, and
afterwards enter into the possession of everlasting life, by the help
of our Lord Jesus Christ who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
;
liveth and reigneth God for ever and ever. Amen.

Then the priest admonishes them to be faithful to one another, to
love one another, and to live in the fear of God, and exhorts them to
be continent, by mutual consent, at the times of devotion, and especially
at the times of fasting, and of great solemnities, and then he finishes
the Mass in the usual manner.
THE NUPTIAL MASS.

The Nuptial Mass is either the Missa pro Sponso et Sponsa, for
the bridegroom and bride or else the Mass of the Sunday, Holy Day
;
of Obligation, or "double of the first or second class," as the greater

feasts are called, on which the marriage may be solemnized with spe-
;
cial prayers, however, for the married couple from the Mass Pro
Sponso et Sponsa.
The Blessing of Candles, Ashes and Palms
and the Ceremonies of Holy Week
CHAPTER III
THE CEREMONIES ON THE FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION
On a table are placed the following requisites: 1. Tlie claalice for

the mass, prepared as usual and covered with white veil and burse,
unless the Feast of the Purification falls on one of the privileged Sun-
days, when the color should be violet. 2. A white chasuble, stole, and
maniple. 3. The censer and incense-boat. 4. The holy water vessel
and aspersory. 5. A dish or plate, with a slice of bread and a vessel
oi water for washing the celebrant's hands, together with a towel for
wiping them. 6. The wine and water-cmets, and the finiger- towel.
7. A book or books containing the antiphons, to be recited during the
procession.
Onthe altar the ornaments— viz., the antependium and taberaacle

"êil— are violet, but beneath them are similar ornaments of white.
The violet ones are removed before the mass begins, unless, as above,
the day be one of the privileged Sundays, for which violet is the proper
color. The flowers and other movable ornaments are also removed
from the altar during the blessing of the candles, &c., but are replaced
before the mass. At the epistle corner is placed the missal on its stand.
In the sanctuary, at the epistle corner, is placed a table covered with

a white cloth. On this are placed the candles to be blessed, and over
all another white cloth is drawn. Near the table stands the processional
cross.
In the sacristy are prepared for the celebrant, amice, alb, cincture,
violet stole, and cope.
THE BLESSING OF THE CANDLES.

The celebrant, having put
on the vestments, proceeds to the altar.
A.t the foot of the altar he makes the proper reverence, ascends the
t; tps kissc-s the altar, and goes to the missal at the epistle corner.
43
Having turned towards the missal, he says, Dominus vohiscum, and
reads the five prayers which follow. Before each one he says Oremus,
but neither disjoins his hands nor bows. AVhile saying the words, he
makes the sign of the cross over the candles with his right hand, keep-
ing, meantime, his left on the altar. Having recited the fifth prayer,
he puts incense into the censer, blessing it with the usual formula;
then takes the aspersory and sprinkles the candles while saying the
Aspcrges me, &c., and afterwards incenses them. He may then deliver
a short instruction to the people on the institution and meaning of the
Feast of the Purification, and on the symbolism of the blessed candles.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CANDLES.

The celebrant, immediately after incensing the candles, goes to
the centre of the altar, kneels on the upper step, and takes from the
altar one of the blessed candles, previously placed there by the server,
kisses it,and hands it to the server. He then rises and returns to the
missal, and reads, in an audible tone, the antiphons and the canticle.
Having repeated the antiphons, the celebrant proceeds to distribute
the candles to the people kneeling at the rails. He begins at the epistle
side, and proceeds to the other extremity of the sanctuary, after which
he returns again to the epistle side, and so on. When all have received
and there, standing on
candles, he goes to the epistle side of the altar,
the floor, washes his hands, after which he comes to the front of the
altar, makes the proper reverence, and goes up to the missal, and reads
the antiphons and prayers.
THE PROCESSION.
If it is customary to have the procession, the celebrant, having said
the prayer Exandi, after the distribution of the candles, goes to the
middle of the altar, and receives from the server a lighted candle and
a book containing the antiphons to be recited during the procession.
Then, turning towards the people, he says Procedmmis in pace, or
sings it, if there is a choir. The choir, where there is a competent one,
will also sing the antiphons during the procession. The procession
may go outside the Church, or may be confined to the interior, accord-

ing to custom or circumstances. If goes outside, the Eesponsory
it
Ohtulerunt is begun when it returns. Arrived at the altar, the cele-

brant gives his candle to the first server, and goes to the bench to vest
for mass. He puts off the cope and violet stole, and' puts on white
vestments, imless the day be one of the privileged Sundays, the color
for which is violet.
The server removes the violet ornaments from the altar and re-
places the flowers. If the mass is of the Feast, lighted candles should
be held during the Gospel, and from the Sanctus to the Communion.
Ash Wednesday
THE CEREMONIES OF THE BLESSING OF ASHES
On the table are placed the chalice prepared for mass, with violet
veil and burse, a and maniple, a censer and incense-
violet chasuble
boat, the holy water and aspersory, the requisites for washing and
wiping the celebrant's hands, including bread crumbs, and the cruets
and finger-towel.
The altar has a violet antependium, and the veil of the tabeniacle
should be of the same color. The missal is placed on its stand as usual,
at the epistle corner, and beside it on the table of the altar is a little
dish or plate, made of silver, or of some other becoming material, con-
taining the ashes of palms, blessed the preceding Palm Sunday. These
ashes should l>e carefully ground, and should be used dry, and not as
they are often used, in a pastiy state. Until the beginning of the
ceremonies the dish containing the ashes is covered either with its own
proper cover or with a violet veil.
In the sacristy are laid out the vestments for the celebrant and the
servers. For the celebrant the vestments are amice, alb, cincture,
violet otole and cojê but if there is no violet cope, the stole alone
; will
suflB'ê. For the servers there are soutanes and sui-plices.
46 LIUUT tUOM THE ALTAK.
THE BLESSING AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE ASHES.

The celebrant in blessing the ashes observes the directions given
for blessing the candles on the Feast of the Purification. Having
vested, therefore, in amice, alb, cincture, and violet stole, and, if con-
venient, in co'iê also of the same color, he goes to the altar. At the
foot of the altar he genuflects, ot inclines profoundly, and goes up to
the altar. He kisses the altar, and goes directly to the missal, and
reads aloud the antiphon, as given in the missal. And, still standing
in the same place, and without disjoining his hands or bowing, he says
in the same loud tone, Dominus vohiscum, and Oremus, and recites the
prayers. Before each prayer the celebrant says Orem.us, but without
any ceremony of any kind. Having recited the fourth prayer, he put s
incense into the censer, and blesses it as usual, and then sprinkles and
incenses the ashes. He may at this stage, if it is customary, give an
instruction to the jêople on the ceremonies of this day.
After the infiruction, or immediately after the incensing, when
there is no instruction, the celebrant goes to the centre of the altar,
and, kneeling with his face to the altar, he takes the ashes, and makes
the sign of the cross on his own forehead. He then returns to the
missal,and reads the antiphons, imless there is a choir to sing them,
in which case the celebrant omits them altogether, and proceeds with
the distribution of the ashes. In distributing the ashes he begins at
the epistle corner, and while putting them on the head of each one he
says in Latin, "Remember that thou art but dust and unto dust thou
shalt return." Having finished the distribution, he washes his hands
at the epistle corner, then returns to the missal by the front of the
altar, recites the prayer Concede, after which he bows to the cross, and
goes to vest for mass.
The sei-vers meanwhile prepare the censer, and during the fourth
and last prayers takes the holy water and asjiersory, and approach
the steps on the epistle side, and assist at the sprinkling and incensing
of the ashes.
The Ceremonies of Holy Week

Explained
THE BLESSING OF THE PALMS ON PALM SUNDAY
On the table are placed the following:—!. The chalice, with veil
and burse of violet color. 2. A chasuble and maniple of the same color.
3. A censer and incense-boat. 4. The requisites for washing and wip-
mg the celebrant's hands. 5. The cruets and finger-towel. 6. A book

containing the antiphons to be recited during the procession.
On palm branches are fixed between the candlesticks in
the altar
the spaces usually occupied by flowers the missal is on its stand at the
;
epistle comer, and the antependium and tabernacle-veil are violet

colored.
In the sanctuary, at the epistle corner, is placed a table covered
with a white cloth, and on this are laid the palm branches which are to
be blessed. The processional cross stands in the usual place near the
table. covered with a violet veil, and on the top of it is a piece
It is
of ribbon of the same color to bind on a palm branch for the pro-
cession.
In the sacristy are prepa^red three soutanes, and as many surplices
for the ser\'ers and for the celebrant, amice, alb, cincture, and
; violet
stole, and, where convenient, a cope of the same color.
THE BLESSING OF THE PALMS.

The celebrant, having vested in amice, alb, cincture, and violet
stole,blesses the water, then assumes the violet cope, and, with a
previous inclination to the cross, proceeds to the altar, ascends the
steps, kisses it, and goes to the missal. He does not sign the book or
himself, but, keeping his hands joined, rtads aloud the antiphon
Eosanna; and same tone and without turning round or disjoin-
in the
ing his hands, he says Dominus vobiscum, and Oremus, follow'ed by a
prayer. He then reads the Epistle, and the Responsory or Gradual;
and, standing in the same place, but inclining towards the centre of the
altar, he says Miinda cor meum, &c. Having finished this prayer, he
again stands erect, and reads the Gospel. Before the Gospel he says
Dominus vobiscum, Sequeniia, &c., and signs the book, and himself in
the usual way, and after it he kisses the book and says Per Evangelica
dicta. Here he puts off the maniple, and, keeping his hands still joined,
he says Dominus vobiscum, Oremus, the prayer, and the preface. At
the Sanctus he inclines towards the cross on the altar, stands erect
lagain, and signs himself at the Benedictus precisely as in the mass.
After this he reads the five prayers which follow, and keeps his hands
joined except when making the sign of the cross over the palms. "When
he extends the right hand to" make the sign of the cross, he places the
left on the altar. After the fifth prayer, he spiinkles and incenses the
paJms, and then, turning to the book and keeping his hands joined, he
says, Dominus vobiscum, and the prayer Deus, qui Filium.
While the celebrant is vesting, the servers light the candles on the
altar and when the holy water is blessed, they put some of it into the
;
vessel used. All being in readiness, the servers bow to the cross and
to the celebrant, and accompany him to the altar. Tliey walk in front,
carrying the holy water and aspersory.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PALMS AND THE PROCESSION.

The celebrant, at the conclusion of the last prayer for the blessing
of the palms, goes to the middle of the altar, kneels on the upper step,
and takes from the altar the palm-branch previously placed there by
one of the sei-vers. He kisses the i)alm, hands it to the first server, and
returns to the missal to read the antiphons Pueri Hebraeorum, &c.,
unless they are snng by a choir, in which case he omits them altogether,
and begins to' distribute the palms as soon as he has received his own.
Having completed the distribution, the celebrant washes his hands
standing at the ejjistle corner, and returns to the missal by the front
of the altar. AVitli hands joined he says Dominus vobiscum and the
prayer Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, then he goes to the middle of
the altar, receives his palm branch, and a book containing the antiphons
for the procession from the server, and, turning towards the people,
says in a loud voice, or sings if tJiere is a choir, Procedamus in pace.
Wearing his biretta, he walks in the rear of the procession between
TEE TREE CATEOLIC. 49
two servers, and reads alternately the prescribed antipbons. The pro-
cession should go outside the church, and when, returning, those in
front have reached the door, they halt, the celebrant and the two
servers come foi*ward, and two servers enter and close the door, and,
standing with their faces towards it, recite the versicles, Glor'm laus,
&c. The celebrant outside resjônds. When a few or all the versicles
and responses have been thus relocated, one server knocks at the door
with the point or lower extremity of the cross. The door is opened,
and the procession enters. If the procession cannot for any reason
go outside the church, these ceremonies may take place at an inner
door. As he enters the celebrant recites the Responsory, Ingrediente
Domino. When he returns to the sanctuary, he gives his palm, book,
and biretta to one of the servêrs, makes the proper reverence to the
altar, and goes to the bench or table, where he puts off the cope and
puts on the maniple and chasuble. He then celebrates mass as usual.
The Ceremonies of Holy Thursday

The altar is adorned as for a solemn feast. The color of the ant?'
jjendium and tabernacle veil is white, and white is also the veil which
covers the cross on the altar. The missal is on its stand at the eiîstk
comer.
On the table are the following requisites:—!. The chalice for
the mass, prepared as usual, but with two instead of one large Host on
the paten. The veil 2. A second chalice, in which
and burse are white.
the Host to be preserved be placed after the communion of the
will
celebrant, with pall, paten, and veil of white silk, and a ribbon of the
same material and color. 3. A ciborium containing particles for the
communion of the [These are to be placed on the table
people.
only, in case one of the servêrs or attendants has the right or privilege
of handling the sacred vessels ; otherwise they are brought to the altar
in the usual way by the celebrant himself.] 4. Tlie cruets and finger-
towel. 5. The censers and incense-boat (either here or in the sacristy).
6. A white benediction veil, and a cope of the same color. 7. A rattle to
supply the place of the bell.

50 LIGET FROM TEE ALTAR.
In the sanctuary are the processional cross, covered with a violet
veil, and the canopy for the procession to the Altar of Repose.
In the sacristy are prepared — 1. Soutanes and suiijlices for the

three servers. 2. Amice, alb, cincture, white maniple, stole, and
chasuble. 3. A violet stole for the ceremony of strii>ping the altars.
4. Candles and torches for the procession.
In the chapel of Eepose, which should be at some distance from the
altar, where mass is celebrated, but may be within the sanctuary, is
prepared an altar, called the Altar of Eepose. This altar is richly and
tastefully decorated, and a large number of candles are placed on it
and about it. At the centre of it is placed a highly ornamented taber-
nacle, for the reception of the Blessed Sacrament. Inside this taber-
nacle a corporal is spread, and another is spread on the altar.
THE MASS.
The Celebrant mass of Holy Thursday omits the psalm
of the
Judica, and consecrates two large Hosts. In other resjiects the mass
of this day up to the consumption of the Precious Blood does not differ
from the mass of any other day. Having consumed the Precious Blood
and covered the chalice, the celebrant uncovers the second chalice,
places it on the corporal, and puts the Host into it. He then covers it
with the pall, the paten (with the concave part downwards), and the
white yeil. This veil, which should be soft and i>liable, he gathers about
the stem of the chalice, and secures it with the ribbon. If the chalice
used in the mass must be used also for preserving the Host, it is puri-
fied and wiped in the ordinaiy way, and at the usual time. After
putting the Host into the chalice in this case the celebrant purifies his
fingers in the vessel kept on the altar for that puipose.
Communion is given as usual, and during the remainder of the
mass the celebrant observes the directions given for mass in the pres-
ence of the Blessed Sacrament. Having returned to the altar after giv-
ing communion to the people and placed the ciborium in the tabernacle
he receives the first ablution in the chalice, and having consumed it
genuflects, and goes to the epistle corner for the second ablution. ^Vlien
he returns to the centre he again genuflects, takes the ablution, wipes
and covers the chalice as usual. This done he again genuflects, and goes
to read the Communion. Wlien he returns to the middle of the altar

to say Dominus vohiscum, he genuflects, kisses the altar, and retiring
slightly towards the gospel side, turns towards the people, as when
saying Misereatur and Indulgentiam before giving communion. He
tui-ns again tO' the altar, repeats the genuflection, and goes to read the
Post communion, after which, with the same reverence as before, he
says Dominus vohiscum, and lie, missa est. When he turns to the
altar to say the prayer Flaceat he genuflects, says the prayer, kisses
the altar, says Benedicat vos, again genuflects, and turns, as before,
when saying Dominus vohiscum, to give the blessing. He does not
complete the circle as usual, but turns by his left to the chart, without
going to the middle or genuflecting. At the words et verhum caro
factum est he genuflects towards the Blessed Sacrament. Having read
the Gospel he returns to the middle of the altar, genuflects, and goes
to the bench or table to change his vestments for the procession.
The Servers' duties in the mass of Holy Thursday are precisely the
same as in any other mass, except that the bell is rung during the
recital of the Gloria in excelsis, and not afterwards. At the Sanctus,
the consecration, and the Dotnine non sum dignus, the rattle is used
instead of the bell. During the last Gospel the server prepares the
censer and incense boat.
THE PROCESSION AND THE STRIPPING OF THE ALTARS.

The Celebrant having laid aside the chasuble and maniple and
assumed the white cope goes to the front of the altar, genuflects on
both knees on the pavement or floor of the sanctuary, and then kneels
for a short time on the first step. Having said a short pi'ayer he rises,
puts incense into the censer without blessing and again Imeeling,
it,
incenses the Blessed Sacrament in the usual way. The benediction

veil is now put on liis shoulders by one of the servers, and he goes ui>
to the altar, genuflects, takes the chalice containing the Blessed Sac-
rament by th? knob with liis left hand, and places his right on the top
of it.One of the servers draws the ends of the veil over both hands
as well as the chalice. The celebrant then turns towards the people,
and begins the hymn Pange lingua. He intones it if there is a choir
to sing it or if it is to be recited, he merely repeats the words aloud.
;
Hymn for Holy Thursday

PANGE LINGUA
LATIN VERSION. ENGUSH TRANSLATION.
Pange lingua gloriosi, Sing, O my tongue; adore and praise
Corporis mysterium, The depth of God's mysterious ways;

Sanguinisque pretiosi, How Christ, the world's great King, bestowed
Quem in mundi pretium, His flesh, concealed in human food;
Fructus ventris generosi, And mankind the blood that paid

left
Eex efifudit gentium. The ransom for the souls he made.
Nobis datus, nobis natus Given from above, and born for man,
Ex intacta virgine, From virgin chaste his life began;
Et in mundo conversatus He lived on earth, and preached to sow
Sparso verbi semine; The seeds of heavenly truth below,

Sui moras incolatus Then sealed his mission from above
Miro clausit ordine. With strange effects of power and love.
In suprema nocte coena 'Twas on that ev'ning, when the last
Eecumbens cum fratribus, And most mysterious supper past,

Observata lege plene When Christ with his disciples sat.
Cibis cum legalibus, To close the law with legal meat.
Cibum turbee duodenas Then to the twelve himself bestow 'd.
Se dat suis manibus. With his own hands to be their food.
Verbum caro, panem verum The Word, made flesh for love of man
Verbo carnem eflScit: His word turns bread to flesh again:
Fitque sanguis Chrlsti merum, And wine to blood, unseen by sense,
Et si sensus deficit, By virtue of omnipotence:
Ad firmandum cor sincerum, And here the faithful rest secure.
Sola fides sufficit. Whilst God can vouch, and faith insure.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum To this mysterious table now.

Veneremur cernui, Our knees, our hearts, and sense we bow:
Let ancient rites resign their place
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui; To nobler elements of grace:
Prestet fides supplementum And faith for all defects supply.
Sensuum defectui. Whilst sense is lost in mystery.
Genitori, Genitoque To God the Father, born of none.

Laus et jubilatio, To Christ, his co-eternal Son,
Salus, honor, virtus, quoqu* And holy Ghost whose equal rays
Sit et benedictio; From both proceed, be equal praise:
Procedenti ab utroque One honor, jubUee, and fame,
Compar sit laudatio, For ever bless his glorious name.
Amen. Amen.
TEE TRUE CATEOLIC. 53
Arrived at the Altar of Eepose the celebrant places the ehalicfe on

the corporal, genuflects, and descends the steps, and kneels on the
lowest, where the benediction veil is removed. He then rises, puts
incense into the censer without blessing and incenses the Blessed
it,
Sacrament. After this the Tantum ergo by the celebrant or

is recited
sung by the choir; the celebrant puts the Blessed Sacrament in the
tabernacle, and secures the door, and having descended the steps, he
kneels, says a short prayer, rises, genuflects on both knees, and returns
to the altar. He now removes the Blessed Sacrament from the high
altar to the Altar of Eejxise, or some other suitable place, and in doing
so observes the customary ceremonies. Having comj^leted this he goes
to the sacristy, puts off the coi>e, and exchanges tlie white stole for a
violet one, and, accompanied by the servers, returns again to the sanc-
tuary to strip the altars. Having laid aside his biretta, and genu-
flected to the cross, he goes up the steins with the sei-vers, and while
stripping the altar with their assistance he recites the antii>hon
Diviserunt, with the psalm, Deiis, Deus mens. After stripping the
high altar he proceeds to sti-ip the other altars of the chui-ch, con-
tinuing to recite the psalm; and when he has strijijêd the altars, and
finished the psalm, he returns to the sacristy.
The Ceremonies of Good Friday

The altar completely stripped of cloths and ornaments of every
is
kind. The cross covered with a violet veil, and sLx candlesticks with
candles) of unbleached wax, alone it. On the steps in a line
remain on
with the centre of the altar placed a cushion with a violet coveiing.
is
A table is covered with a white cloth, which does not, however,

extend to the ground on all sides,but merely covers the surface of the
table itself. On it is laid a cloth for the altar, neatly folded. This
cloth should be as nearly as possible of the exact dimensions of the
table of the altar, so as not to hang down at either end. In addition
to this the table bears the following:—!. The missal and its stand. 2,
A burse containing a corporal and a with a purifieator laid on
pall,
top of it, together with a chalice veil; both the burse and the veil are
54 LIGHT FROM THE 'ALTAR.
black. 3. Tlie censer and incense-boat, unless tbe sacristy is a more
convenient place to keep them. 4. The cruets and finger-towel.
In tlie sanctuary convenient to the table is the processional cross,
a cushion with a violet covering, on which to lay the cross for the
adoration, a piece of violet carpeting, to extend in front of this cushion,
and a long veil of white silk to spread over the cushion, and to extend
a short distance over the violet cari:)eting as well.
In the chapel of Repose are candles for the procession, a white
benediction veil, and on the altar itself a coiiôral is spread.
In the sacristy are prepared the usual black vestments for the
celebrant, cassocks and surplices for the servers.
THE CEREMONIES AT THE ADORATION OF THE CROSS.

Tlie Celebrant vested as for a requiem mass proceeds to the altar,
genuflects to the cross, and then, kneeling on the floor in front of the
altar, prostrates himself on the cushion laid on the steps. Having
remained in this position for a short time during which— the servers
spread a cloth on the altar, and place the missal and stand at the epistle
corner— he rises, goes up to the altar, kisses it and proceeds to the
missal, where he reads in the usual tone of voice the first lesson and
tract. At the conclusion of the tract he says in the same tone, Oremiis,
Flectamus genua, and genuflects and when Levate is said by the serv-
;
ers, he stands erect, and reads with hands joined the prayer Deus,
a quo. After this he reads the second Lesson and Tract, followed by
the Passion, the whole of which he reads at the epistle corner. He
says the M
inula cor meum also at the epistle comer, but bows towards
the cross while saying it, and does not say Juhe Domine after it. He
does not kiss the missal when he has concluded the reading of the Pas-
sion. The celebrant after reading the Passion proceeds to read the
monitions and i>rayers as given in the missal. Before each of the
prayers, except the eighth, he says renins, Flectamus genua, and
genuflects, as do all in the church; and when the servers respond
Levate, all stand up again.
The Servers do not light the candles at the beginning of the cere-
mony. While the celebrant is prostrate at the foot of the altar the
server takes tlie altar-cloth, previously laid on the table, and spreads
it on the and carries the missal to the epistle comer. "When the
altar,
celebrant rises, the server removes the cushion from before him, and
puts it away. "Wliile the celebrant reads the lessons, the server stands
in front of the altar, or in any convenient place towards the epistle
side. Each time the celebrant says Flectamus genua, he genuflects,

and, rising at once, says Levate. Towards the conclusion of these
prayers the serv-ers arrange the violet cushion in front of the altar,
and spread the carpet and white veil.
The celebrant, after reading the prayers, goes to the bench at the
epistle side of the sanctuary, or to the table, and puts off the chasuble
only. He then returns to the middle of the altar, genuflects, and taking
the cross reverently from its place on the altar, he descends again to
the floor of the sanctuary. There standing at the epistle corner, with
his face towards the people, he uncovers the upper part of the cross
as far as the transverse bar, and raising it the height of his breast, the
figure on the cross being towards the people, he reads in a grave but
distinct tone from the missal held in front of him by one of the servers
the words Ecce lignum crucis, and continues in the same tone, In quo
solus mundi perpendit; Venite adoremus. This invitation to adore
should be spoken by the servers, whoi, like all present, except the cele-
brant, genuflect. Of course, if there is a choir, the celebrant will sing
Ecce lignum crutis, and what follows up to Venite adoremus, which
the choir will sing, while all but the celebrant genuflect. At the epistle
comer the celebrant uncovers the right arm of the cross, and at the
middle of the altar removes the veil entirely, and on both occasions says
(or sings) Ecce lignum crucis, &e., in a higher tone than before, and
also raises the cross somewhat higher, still keeping the fignire on it to-
wards the people.
WhenVenite adoremus has been said or sung the third time the
celebrant carries the cross by the gospel side to lay it on the cushion
prepared for it. While laying it on the cushion he kneels, and genu-
flects to the cross after rising from his Imees. He then goes to the
epistle side, and puts and proceeds to adore the cross.
off his shoes,
He times— first, when within six paces
genuflects on both knees three
of the cross; secondly, at about half this distance from it; and thirdly,
immediately in front of it. While Imeeling each time he inclines pro-
foundly, and the third time he kisses the feet of the crucifix. Then
56 LICnT FROM THE ALTAR.
rising he genuflects on one knee to tlae cross, returns to the epistle cor-
ner, and puts on his shoes. While the people are adoring the cross he
sits at the Epistle corner and reads the Improperia, alternately with
the servers, or by himself, if the servers cannot do their part properly.
When the adoration is over the celebrant goes by the front of the altar
to the place where the cross is laid, genuflects on one knee, aud, taking
it up, transfers it to its customary place, spreads the corjôral on the
altar, again genuflects, and returns to the bench, where he resumes the
chasuble.
Wlien the celebrant goes to lay the cross on the cushion the server
retires to the epistle corner, and after tlie celebrant has adored the
cross they adore it in a similar manner. Having adored the cross
they remain near the cross while the people adore it.
Toward the end of the adoration one of the servers lights the can-
dles on the altar, and carries the burse and purificator to the altar, and
lays them near the centre of it and transfers the missal to the gospel
side. The adoration over and the cross removed, the sei-^êr takes away
the cushion, veil, and carpet used during the adoration, prepares the
censer, and removes the veil from the processional cross.
THE PROCESSION FROM THE ALTAR OF REPOSE.
The celebrant, having resumed the chasuble, comes to the front of

the altar, genuflects, and puts incense into the censer without blessing
it, and having again genuflected, he takes his biretta and follows the
procession to the Altar of Eepose.
Arrived in front of the Altar of Eepose, the celebrant genuflects on
both knees, and rising, kneels on the first step and says a short prayer.
He then ascends the altar, genuflects, opens the tabernacle, again genu-
and going down puts incense into the censer, and incenses the
flects,
Blessed Sacrament on bended. Imees. He goes up to the altar once

more, then genuflects, takes the chalice containing the Host from the
tabernacle, and, if a ciboriiun with consecrated particles remains in
the tabernacle, he genuflects and closes it. He kneels on the edge of
the upper step while the veil is put on his shoulders, rises, genuflects,
takes the chalice by the knob with his left hand, places his right on the
top of it, and draws the ends of the benediction veil over all. Then,
turning round, lie recites in a clear voice the first line of the hymn Vex-
illa Regis prodeunt, or intones it if there is a choir to continue the
singing of The procession returns to the main altar in. the same
it.
order in which it came to the Altar of Eci>ose.

Having come to the main altar, the celebrant places the chalice on
the corporal, genuflects, descends the steps, puts off the benediction
veil, and having replenished the censer with incense, he kneels and
incenses the Blessed Sacrament. He then goes up to the altar, re-
moves the veil from the chalice, places the paten on the corporal, and
the pall in the usual i^lace, and by inverting the chalice transfers the
Host from it to the i>aten. If his fingers should touch the Host, he
should purify them in the vessel kept for the puirpose on the altar.
Having previously genuflected, he takes the chalice to the epistle cor-
ner, and puts wine and water into it, but does not bless the water. He
may either hold the chalice in his left hand all the time or place it on
the pall, but must not leave it on the altar-cloth. Neither should he
wipe the interior of it either before or after putting the wine and water
into it. He retunis to the centre of the altar, genuflects, and places
the chalice in the usual iX)sition, and covers it with the pall. Stand-
ing at the centre he puts incense into' the censer, saying as usual : In-
censum istud, etc., and incenses the ohlata, the cross, and the altar, as
in solemn mass, but he himself is not incensed. Having handed the
censer to the thurifer at the epistle comer, he descends the steps, and,
taking cai'e not to turn his back to the Blessed Sacrament, he washes
his hands, standing at the epistle comer, and faces the people.
He returns by the lateral steps tO' the centre of the altar, and hav-
ing genuflected, he inclines as usual, and says in an audible tone: In
spiritu humilitatis, etc. He then kisses the altar, genuflects, retires
slightly towards the gospel comer, and, turning towards the people
as at other times when the Blessed Sacrament is on the altar, he says
Orate fratres, and returns by his left without completing the circle,
and again genuflects. The celebrant recites the Pater Noster as usual,
followed by the prayer Libera, which, however, he recites in the same
elevated tone in which he recites the Pater Noster. Having concluded
this prayer he genuflects, uncovers the chalice, puts the paten beneath
the Host, and taking the Host in his right hand he elevates it soi that
it can be seen by all, meantime holding the paten in his left, which rests
on the coii30ral. He immediately lowers the Host over the chalice,
and divides it in the usual manner, putting the small particles into the
clialioe, without any word or sign. He covers the chalice, genuflects,
and inclining moderately, and keeping his joined hands resting as
usual on the front of the altar, he says the prayer Per eptio Corporis,
etc.,which is the third of the three prayers usually said before the com-
munion, and omits the other two: He genuflects, says Panem coeles-
tem, and Domine von sum dignus, precisely as in an ordinary mass, and
while saying Corpus Domini, etc., he signs himself as usual with the
Host. After a short meditation he uncovers the chalice, genuflects,
and having purified the corporal audi paten, as usual, he consumes the
Sacred Particle together with the wine in the chalice, hut does not sign
himself with the chalice, nor say any words. He omits the usual ablu-
tion of the chalice, and has his fingers purified at once with wine and
water. He consumes this purification at the centre of the altar, wipes
the chalice, covers it as usual, and then bowing his head, and having
his hands joined in front of his breast, he says Quod ore sumpsimus,
etc., but omits the second prayer. Corpus tuum, etc. Having recited
the above prayer, he descends, genuflects, and returns to the sacristy.
The Ceremonies of Holy Saturday
In the porch or immediately outside the door of the church is placed

a table covered with a white cloth. On this table are the following requi-
sites: 1. A' missal on its stand. 2. The five grains of incense on a
silver dish. 3. A censer and incense-boat. 4. A vessel containing holy

water and an aspersory. 5. "White maniple, stole, and dalmatic. 6.
A wax taper. Near the crowned with a, triple

table stands the reed
candle, a brasier ar chafing dish for the new fire, and a pair of tongs
for transferring some of the fire into the censer. The fire is lighted
before the ceremony begins.
The high altar is prepared as for a solemn feast. Candles of the
ordinary bleached wax are in the candlesticks, but are not lighted un-
til the beginning of mass. The cross is uncoveiiid. but the pictures
and statues remain covered until after the litany.
In the sanctuary, on tlie gosi>el side, is a lectern for sui>poi-ting the

missal during the reading of the Exultet. It stands in the place where
tlie Gosjael is sung in solemn mass, and faces the altar. Behind the
lectern, and a little to the left, is the Paschal candle on the candlesticki
and near it is a wooden or marhle stand for the reed. The lamps of the
sanctuar}' are ready to he lighted.
In the baptistery, or immediately outside it, if more convenient, is a
table covered with a white cloth, on which are laid: 1. Two silver ves-
sels, containing respectively chrism andoil of catechumens. 2. The
requisites for washing and drying the celebrant's hands, including

pieces of bread and soap, as well as cotton to remove the holy oils. 3.
A sponge or coarse towel to wipe the edges of the font, and a finer towel
to wipe the Paschal candle after being immersed in the water. 4. The
ordinary vessel for holy water, and the aspersory. Suitable vessels
are also provided for transferring the blessed water to the receptacles
at the church doors.
On the table are the chalice prepared for mass, with white veil and
burse, the ciiiets and finger-towel, and a missal for the Exultet and the
mass.
In the sacristy are the usual vestments for mass of white color, to-
gether with a violet stole and cope for the blessing of the fire, and a
maniple, stole, and chasuble of the same color for the I'eading of the
prophecies. These last-named vestments may, however, be laid on
the table, or on a bench at tlie epistle side. As four servers are re-
quired on this day, cassocks and surjilices will be provided for them
in the sacristy. The processional cross is likewise in the sacristy.
THE BLESSING OF THE FIRE, THE INCENSE, AND THE

PASCHAL CANDLE.
The clebrant, vested in amice, alb, cincture, and stole of violet coloi',
together with a cope of the same color, if he can have such convenient-
ly, proceeds with his servers to the place prepared at the door of the
church for the blessing of the fire and incense. One server walks in
front, another follows him carrying the processional cross, and
two
others are respectively at the right and left of the celebrant. If th<
table is outside the door of the church the cross-bearer takes up his
Iôsition on the side opposite the door, but if it is inside, he stands
between it and the door. The celebrant faces tlie cross, and reads the
prayers for the blessing of the fire and the grains of incense. He keeps
his hands joined even when saying Domimts vohisciim, and Oremus.
Having concluded the fourth prayer, he puts incense into the censer,
into which the first server has put some of the new fire during the
reading of the fourth prayer. He blesses the incense as usual, sprin-
kles the fire and gTains of incense, saying Asperges me Domhie, etc.,
and then incenses them. Here the celebrant lays aside the cope and
violet stole, and puts on the white vestments above-mentioned namely, ;
maniple, stole, and dalmatic. The stole is worn on the left shoulder
as by a deacon. Thus vested, he again puts incense into the censer and
blesses it, and then taking the reed, he movesi towards the main altar.
On his left is the second server, carrying a taper lighted from the new
fire; immediately in front of him is the cross-bearer, and before the
cross-bearer are the first server with the censer, and the fourth, carry-
ing the grains of incense the latter on the right, the former on the left.
;
AVhen the celebrant enters the church, all stop; the celebrant inclines
the reed, one of the candles on it is lighted by the server at his side,
and he and the servers, the cross-bearer excepted, genuflect. While
on bended knee he says in a distinct tone, or sings if there is a choir,
the words Lumen CJiristi; then rises, as do the servers, who respond
Deo gratias, if this response is not sung by the choir. The second can-
dle is ligbted about the middle of the church, and the third in front of
the altar, and on each occasion the ceremonies just described are ob-
served. But the celebrant says (or sings) Lumen Christi in a higher
tone each time, and the response is each time said or sung in a corre-
sponding tone.
When Deo gratias has been said (or sung) the third time the cele-
brant receives the missal from the second server, to whom he in turn
hands the reed, and, kneeling on the first step of the altar, says the
Juhe Domine, omitting mnnda cor meum. Then rising, and genuflect-
ing to the altar, he goes to read the Exultet, preceded by the four serv-
ers. He stands in front of the lectern, with his back to the altar, hav-
ing on his right the cross-bearer and thurifer, and on his left the two
servers with the reed and grains of incense. Before commencing the
ExuUet, which he reads in a tone at once distinct and joyful, he in-

censes the missal.
After the words Curval Imperia, he puts the grains of incense into
the candle in the form of a cross. He lights the Paschal candle with
one of the branches of the triple candle at the words Rutilans iguis ac-
cendit; and at the words Apis mater eduxit, he pauses, while a server
lights thelamp or lamps of the church. Having finished the Exultet,
he returns to the sacristy to change his vestments.
THE PROPHECIES AND THE BLESSING OF THE FONT.

The celebrant, having come to the sacristy after the blessing of
the Paschal candle, puts off the white vestments, puts on maniple, stole,
and chasuble of violet color, and returns to the altar preceded by the
servers. At the foot of the altar he salutes the cross, then ascends,
and, having kissed the altar, goes to the missal at the epistle comer to
read the prophecies. He
reads both the prophecies and the prayers in
the same elevated tone, and when saying Flectamus genua which is —
said before each of the prayers excejDt the last —he genuflects, and
rises again when the seiîêrs, or one of them, responds, Levate. At
the conclusion of the last prayer he inclines to the cross, and ascends
to the bench on the epistle side, where he putsi off the chasuble and
maniple, and, if the church has a baptismal font, puts on a violet cope
but if it has no font, he goes in alb and stole to the front of the altar
for the litanies.
When there is a font to be blessed, the celebrant, vested as above,
or without the cope, proceeds to the baptistery. Twoi sen-ers walk on
his right and left, holding back the borders of the cope. Another car-
immediately before him, while in front of all
ries the processional cross
walks one carrying the lighted Paschal candle. When departing from
the sanctuary the celebrant begins the Tract, Siciit Cervus, which he
continues to read slowly, so as to finish it as he arrives at the baptis-
tery. Before the entrance to the baptistery all stop; the cross-bearer
turns roimd to face the celebrant, who reads, from the missal held bv
the fourth servêr, the prayer Dominus vohiscum, Oremus, and the
prayer Omnipoteus sempiterne Deus. After this he follows the cross-
bearer and candle-bearer into the baptistery, and standing, facing the
62 LIGHT FHUM THE ALTAH.
cross, on the opposite side of the font from it, he reads the second
prayer and the preface. While reading the preface, he obsei"v'es every-
thing prescribed by the rubrics, at the place at which it is prescribed.
After the words Gratiam de Spiritu Sancto, he divides the water cross-
wise with his right hand, which he immediately wipes with a towel pre-
sented by one of the sei-vers. He touches water with his right hand at
the words, Non infi iendo corrumpat; and, having made the sign of the
cross over the water thrice at the words Per Demn viviim, per Deum
verum, per Deum sanctum, and said the words. Super te ferebatur, he
pours water from the font with his right hand towards the four quar-
ters of the globe— 1, toward the east; 2, towards the west; 3, towards
the north; 4, towards the south. Tlie edges and sides of the font are
then wiped by one of the servers, and the celebrant proceeds. He
breathes twice on the water in the form of a cross, after the words Tu
benignus aspira, and at the next pause takes the Paschal candle, and
holding it perpendicularly, immerses the lower part of it in the water
of the font, saying, Descendat, etc. ; he then immerses the candle still
deeper, and repeats the words in a lo'uder voice ; and a third time the
candle is sunk still deeper, and the words repeated in a still higher tone.
Holding the candle thus immersed, he breathes thrice on the water, in
the form of the figure given in the missal ; and, after the words Fecun-
det effectu, he removes the candle, which is immediately wiped by the
first server, who from the celebrant. At the end of the pref-
receives it
ace, one of the servers transfers water from the font into' the vessel for
the aspersion, and presents the aspersory, previously dipped in it, to
the celebrant, who besprinldes himself and the bystanders, and then,
with a server on either hand, proceeds to sprinkle those who are in the
church. During this time the sei^vers remove the required quantity
of water from the font, or, if the water has been blessed in another ves-
sel, they transfer a sufficient quantity to the font.
When the celebrant returns to the font he takes first the vessel con-
taining the oil of catechumens, and pours some of it into the water,
saying, Sanctificetur, etc. ; then taking the chrism he pours some of it
also into the water, saying, Infusio, etc. Lastly, he pours of both to-
gether into the water, holding both, if convenient, in his right hand,
and making the sign of the cross with the stream of oil three times
while saying the words in which the crosses are marked in the missal.
He then mixes the oil thro'ugh the water with his right hand; and, hav-
ing rubb*3d off the oil and washed his hands, he confers baptism, if
there are any subjects ; if not, he returns at once to the altar.
THE LITANY AND THE MASS.

The celebrant reads the litanies kneeling at the front of the altar,
and either holding the missal in his own hands or having it resting on
a bench before him. At the versicle Peccatores, the candles on the al-
tar are lighted, and the violet antependium and other ornaments of
that color removed. The celebrant continues the litanies, up to Christ c
exaudi iios, inclusive, and then goes to the sacristy to vest for mass.
If the litanies are sung by a choir, the celebrant prostrates himself in
front of the altar, as on Good Friday morning, and remains in this posi-
tion until the chanters sing Peccatores.
In the sacristy the celebrant puts on white vestments, and returns
to the altar to celebrate mass. He says the psalm Jud'ica, and the Con-
usual; says also the prayer Aufer while going up to the altar,
fitecr, as
and having said Oremus, without moving from the middle of the altar,
he says the Kyrie eleison and Gloria in excelsis. While he says this
hymn the bells are rung, and the veils are removed from any pictures
or images not before unveiled. 'After the Epistle, Alleluia is repeated
three times, each time in a higher tone than before.There is no Creed,
no Offertory, and no Agnus Dei, and, in place of the versicle called the
Communion, Vespers are said. After Ite, missa est. Alleluia is rej)eat-
ed twice, and mass is concluded.
The Ceremonies at the Forty Hours' Devotion
CHAPTER IV
THE ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT EXPLAINED
"The prayer for forty consecutive hours before the Blessed Sacra-
ment in memory of the forty hours during which the Sacred Body of
Jesus was in the sepulchre began in Milan about the year 1534. Thence
it spread into other cities of Italy and was introduced into Rome, for
the first Sunday in eveiy month, by the Arch-confraternity of the

Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims (founded in the year 1548, by St.
Philip Neri) and for the third Sunday in the month by the Arch-con-
;
fraternity of our Lady of Prayer, in the year 1551."

"The devotion of the Forty Hours was established for ever by Pope
Clement VHI. for the whole course of the year in regular cootinuous
succession from one church to another, commencing on the first Simday
in Advent with the chapel in the AiX)stolical Palace, as appears from
the Constitution, Graves et diuturnae, Nov. 25, 1592. This Pope was
moved to establish this devotion by the public troubles of Holy Church,
in order that day and night the faithful might api>ease their Lord by
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament solemnly exposed, imploring
there His divine mercy. He further granted holy indulgences to those
who should assist at prayer during this solemn exposition." These
indulgences are A' plenary indulgence to all who being truly penitent,
after confession and communion, shall devoutly visit any church, and
pray there for jieace and union among Christian rulers, for the ex-
tirpation of heresy, for the triumph of the Church, or for other favors,
as the devotion of each one may suggest. An indulgence of ten years
and as many quarantines for every visit made with true contrition and
a fimi puii»se of going to confession. This indulgence was confirmed
by His Holiness, Pope Pius IX., by a Rescript of the Sacred Congi-ega-
64
tion of Indulgences, November 26, 1876 {and can be gained as often

each day as the visit is repeated.)
In answer tO' the petition of the Second Plenary Council of Balti-

more, the Congregation de rropagauda Fide extended! to all the dio-
ceses of the United States the ordinary indulgences attached to the ex-
position in Rome, at the same time sanctioning the interruption of the
exposition during the night, and dispensing with the procession at the
will of the pastor of each church,
THE CEREMONIES OF THE FORTY HOURS.

The Blessed Sacrament should be exposed at the high altar, the
drapery of which should be white, no matter what color the office of the
day requires. The altar-piece and any other paintings in the imme-
diate vicinity of the altar should be covered with white veils.
On the altar and about it, twenty wax candles should be kept light-
ed during the whole time of the exposition. The candles, at least those
on the altar and immediately around the Blessed Sacrament should be
of wax.
The cross remains on the altar as usual during the mass of Exposi-
tion. During the mass of Deposition it may
may not remain on the
or
altar, according to the custom of each church or place. But at all
other times it must be removed. The altar cards, also, must not be per-
mitted to remain on the altar except during mass.
All private masses celebrated in the church during the days of ex-
position, whether at the altar of Exposition or at another, take a com-
memoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The bell should not be rung
during the Exposition, unless, perhaps, at the principal mass.
At the altar of Exposition only the mass of the first and third days,
that is, the mass of Exposition and the mass of Deposition, as they are
called, should be celebrated. There are two evident exceptions, how-
ever one founded on a long existing custom of celebrating at the altar
;
of Exposition, the other founded on necessity, namely, if there is not a

second altar in the church. The same is to be said of the distribution
of communion as of the celebration of mass. It should not take place
at the altar of Exposition unless sanctioned by custom or justified by
necessity.
Kequiem masses are forbidden in a cliurcli in which, the Blessed
Sacrament is exposed, except on the Commemoration of All Souls,
when violet vestments are to be used.
THE FIRST DAY.

The mass of the first day is selected according to the directions just
given. The ceremonies until after the communion of the celebrant are
precisely the same as in an ordinaiy mass. Two large hosts, however,
are consecrated; one for the mass itself, the other for the exposition.
The preparations for the mass of Exposition include, besides the
things required for the mass, those alsoi that are required for the pro-
cession — namely, a cope of the same color as the vestments; a white
benediction veil, no matter of what color the vestments are the proces-
;
sional cross, the monstrance, a second large host, a second censer, can-
dles for those who are to take part in the procession; four, six, or eight
lanterns, if the procession is to go outside; the large canopy for the
procession proper, and the small canopy, which is extended over the
celebrant, while carrjdng the Blessed Sacrament between the altar and
the large canopy.
Wlien the celebrant has consumed the Precious Blood he i^laces the
chalice on the coiiôral, and covers it with the pall. A server brings
the monstrance from the table to the epistle side of the altar, and hands
it to the deacon. The latter removes the wliite veil, which is carried to
the table by a server, and places the monstrance on the corporal. He
then fixes in its place the lunette holding the consecrated Host and
places the monstrance on the back part of the coi^jDoral, taking care
that it face outwards. During the remainder of the mass the rules
laid down for a mass in presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed
must be observed. All salutations are omitted, and even the celebrant
genuflects each time he comes to the centre of the altar or departs from
it.
When the celebrant has finished reading the last Gosjjel, he goes to
the centre of the altar, genuflects on one knee, and goes by the lat-
eral steps to the bench. Arrived at the bench, he removes the
chasuble, in place of which he puts on a cope corresponding in color
with the other vestments.
The two thurifers now approach the celebrant, having their censers
replenished with fire. When passing the centre of the altar they genu-
llecton both knees, and when they come in front of the celebrant they
stand in single file. The celebrant, having assumed the cope, puts in-
cense into the censers, but does not bless it, and all proceed in front of
the altar, genuflect on both knees on the floor, and, rising, kneel on the
first step. In this position the celebrant incenses the Blessed Sacra-
ment with three double swings, making a i^rofound inclination of the
head before and after. The white benediction veil is now put on his
shoulders and he ascends the steps. Having genuflected, he takes hold
of the monstrance with both hands and turns, facing the people. As
soon as he has turned around he intones the Pange lingua, and the pro-
cession moves around the church.
The procession, which fonns part of the Forty Hours' Devotion, is
supposed to be confined to the church. It is, however, permitted to
proceed a short distance outside the church, if the interior does not af-
ford sufficient space. When the procession is confined to the church ii
goes from the altar by the right or gospel side, and returns by the left,or
epistle side; but when it leaves the precincts of the chui'ch it proceeds
directfrom the altar to the door by the centre of the nave, and, having
emerged from the door, it goes away by the right, returns to the door
by the left, and reaches the altar again by the same path by which it
came from the altar to the door.
When the procession returns to the altar the celebrant ascends and
places the monstrance on the throne prepared for it and then returns
to the lowest step. Having put incense into the censer he intones the
Tantum Ergo. At the Genitori, having received the censer, he incenses
the Blessed Sacrament.
The hymn is not followed by the versicle Panem de coelo, etc., but
immediately by the Litany of the Saints. At the end of the Psalm
rt^hich follows the Litany, the celebrant sings the versicles. At Dond-
vobiscumhe rises, sings the prayers, standing with his hands joined,
Jius
and at the end of the prayers again kneels, sings the versicle Domhit
cxaudi, etc. After a brief delay the celebrant returns to the sacristy,
making a double genuflection in front of the altar.
If for any reason there cannot be a procession, none of the other
ceremonies are to be omitted.
THE SECOND DAY.

Wherever it is customary during this devotion to replace the Bles-
sed Sacrament in the tabernacle at night and expose it again in the

morning, both deposition and exposition may be accompanied with the
singing of the Pange lingun, and the prayer Deus qui nobis, and the
deposition by Benediction in addition, or they may take place without
any special ceremonies, according to diocesan statutes and established
customs.
The mass on the second day should be a solemn votive pro pace, or
for whatever other necessity the Pope or bishop may order.
This mass should not be celebrated at the altar of exposition, nor
even at the altar where there is a tabernacle containing the Blessed Sac-
rament. Of course necessity, which recognizes no law, and custom, the
best interpreter of the law, justify a departure from this rule. The
mass pro pace, when it is said, requires violet vestments and the Glo-
ria and Credo are omitted except when this mass is celebrated on Sun-
day.
THE THIRD DAY.

The Blessed Sacrament is exposed early on the morning of the third
day, and prei>arations are made for celebrating mass at the altar of Ex-
position. These preparations are precisely the same as those for the
mass of the first day, except that on this occasion there is no second
Host, and no monstrance to be prepared. For the procession on this
day the same preparations are made as for the procession on the day
of exposition.
The mass is selected according to the directions already given, and
is celebrated with all the ceremonies proper to a mass sung or said in
the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exjiosed.
After finishing the last Gosjjel, the celebrant descends fro^mj the al-
tar, and proceeds to the bench, where he exchanges the
genuflects
chasuble for a coiê, and lays aside the maniple. Then all go at once
to the front of the altar, make a double genuflection on the floor and
rise to kneel on the first step.
THE TRUE CATHOLIC. fay
Immediately the Litanies are recited as on the first day. During

the Litanies, or before them, if necessary, the procession is formed, all
genuflecting on both knees to the Blessed Sacrament.

After the versiele Domine exaudi, and before Dominus vohiscum,
the celebrant rises and incense is put into both censers. He then goes
up to the altar, genuflects, tates down the monstrance from the throne,
and places it on a corjwral. He again genuflects, and takes the mon-
strance; having taken the monstrance in both hands, wliich should be
covered with the ends of the benediction veil, turns toward the people
and intones the Pange Lingua., and the procession moves around the
church. When the celebrant has arrived at the main altar and placed
the monstrance on the altar, the choir begins the Tantum ergo. At the
Genitori, the Blessed Sacrament is incensed, and at the end of the
hymn the versiele and response, Panem de coelo, etc., Omne delecta-
mentum, etc., are sung, to each of which in paschal time and during
the octave of Corpus Christi an Alleluia is added.
The celebrant now and sings without Dominus vohiscum the
rises,
prayer Dews qui nobis, and the others which follow. Having finished
the prayers, he again kneels, recites the versicles and responses until
he comes to Fidelium animae, which he says in a subdued tone. The
veil is placed an his shoulders, and he gives Benediction. After the
Benediction, the Blessed Sacrament is replaced in the tabernacle, and
^he celebrant and ser\'ers leave the sanctuary in the usual order.
When there cannot be a procession, it alone is omitted; everything
else is observed.
70 LIGHT FROM THE ALTAH,
The Sacramentals Explained

WHAT IS MEANT BY SACRAMENTALS.
Q. What is meant by the Sacramentals, and how many kinds are
there?
A. The Sacramentals are ecclesiastical ceremonies, or external
signs of religion, established by the Church for the spiritual and tem-
poral advantage of the faithful. They are called by this name because
they have a certain resemblance to the Sacraments.
There are four kinds of Sacramentals: First, Rites and ceremon-
ies used in the administration of the Sacraments.,
Second, Exorcisms used for banishing the demons, and the litur-
gical blessings given by the Sovereign Pontiff, by Bishops, by priests

in the exercise of their ministry, and, above all, the benediction of the
Most Holy Sacrament.
Third, Sacred things to which are attached some salutary virtue,
such as holy water, blessed bread, the crucifix, medals, beads, scapulars,
cords, palms, and sucli-like blessed things.
Fourth, Certain pious exercises, such as the invocation of the Holy
Name of Jesus, the sign of the Cross, a prayer said in the church, es-
pecially if the church be consecrated, the saying of the Pater noster
and of the Confiteor, and alms prescribed by the Church, etc.
The Sacramentals do not produce fruit or their effects of them-
selves, like the Sacraments, but only by virtue of the prayers of the
Church and the good acts and disposition of those who receive or use
them.
THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENTALS.
Q. What are the effects of the Sacramentals?
A. Their effects are as follows
First,To excite in the heart sentiments of piety by promoting grace.
Second, The remission of venial sins.
Third, The remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.
Fourth, To put to flight the demon and to repel his attacks.
Fifth, To presei^ve the faithful from temporal evils, to solace them

and cure their maladies when this may be in accordance with the will
of Divine Providence.
THE BLESSING OF THE PALMS, HOLY WATER AND

EXORCISMS.
Q. Explain about the palms blessed on Palm Sunday, and the
Paschal water, and the ordinary holy water and the exorcisms.
A. The palm branches which the faithful receive from the priest
and preserve in their houses have special virtue or efficacy by reason
of the prayers of the Church used in their blessing. Thus, in the
prayer of blessing we have the words: 'We beseech Thee, O Holy
Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God, that Thou wouldst be pleased to
bless and sanctify this creature that whoever receiveth it may
. . .
find protection of soul and body, and that it may prove, Lord, a sav-
ing I'emedy and a sacred sign of grace.' And again: 'O God, AVho
gatherest what is dispersed, and preservest what is gathered. Who
didst bless the people that carried boughs to meet Jesus; bless also
these branches of the i3alm-tree and olive tree, \phieh Thy servants
take with faith in honor of Thy name, that into whatever place they
may be carried the inhabitants of that place may obtain Thy blessing,
and Thy right hand preserve from all adversity and protect those that
have been redeemed by onr Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son.'
Second, We may also call attention to the words of the blessing of
the font on Holy Saturday, wherein it is said in reference made to the
wonderful power given to the water by Almighty God, 'A\Tio by a secret
mixture of His Divine virtue may render this water fruitful for the
regeneration of men, to the end that those who have been sanctified
in the immaculate womb of this Divine font, being born again new
creatures, may come forth as heavenly offsi>ring, and that all may be
brought forth to the same infancy by grace, their spiritual mother.
Therefore may all unclean spirits by Thy command, O Lord, depai't
far from hence; may the whole malice of diabolical deceit be entirely
banished may no power of the enemy prevail here, may he not fly about
;
to lay his snares, may he not creep in by his secret artifice, may he not
corrupt with his infection. May this holy and innocent creature be
free from the assaults of the enemy, and purified by the destruction of
all malice. May it be a living fountain, a regenerating water, a purify-
ing stream, that all those that are to be washed in this saving bath may
obtain, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the grace of perfect purifi-
cation,' etc.
In the blessing of the ordinary holy water, God is asked to infuse
the power of His benediction into may serve to drive away
it, that it
devils, to banish diseases, that Divine gi'ace may take its effect, and
that whatever house or place of the faithful may be sprinkled by it may
he cleansed and freed from evil, and that no pestilential spirit may
reside therein; that all the snares of the hidden enemy may be re-
moved, and that all that may be harmful to the peace and safety of the
inmates may be expelled by its aspersion.
THE DISPOSITIONS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE THE EFFECTS

OF THE SACRAMENTALS.
Q. "VAîat Disi>ositions are required to receive the effects of the Sae-
ramentals, and what power have they?
A. The Sacramentals may be understood to have the power of ef-
ficacy from the prayers of the Churcli.
Second, The faithful should and make use of them,
revei-ence
especially with regard to holy water, keeping it in their houses, and us-
ing it with faith for the puqioses for which it is blessed.
Third, The exorcisms work very nearly like the Sacraments be-
cause of the special power which Christ gave His Church over the
devils.
Fourth, The disjxisitions required for receiving the effects of the
Sacramentals are a spirit of faith and of piety, accompanied with sin-
cere repentance for our sins. This is the condition through which, for
example, one maj^ receive the remission of venial sins by making the
sign of the Cross or saying the Pater noster or Confiteor.
THE CEREMONIES OF THE SACRAMENTS NECESSARY.

Q. Are the Ceremonies of the Sacraments necessary?
A. Some are essential— that is, of such a nature that if omitted the
Sacrament would not be valid. These have for their object the matter
and form of the Sacraments. Some others, which precede and follo-e^
the administration of the Sacraments, although not essential, are of

great utility. The Church has established these in order to instruct
the faithful in the effects and the obligations of the Sacraments, to at-
tract their attention and to inspire them with respect and piety.
Q. How are the Rubrics divided?
A. Eubrics in general are divided into preceptive and directive.
Preceptive rubrics are those that bind under sin. Directive nibrics do
not bind under sin, but simply direct what is to be done by way of coun-
sel and instruction. This is the distinction as commonly understood,
and as the words themselves imply.
Q. Can a priest or Bishop make rubrics of his own either by adding
to or taking from the rubrics of the Missal or the Ritual?
A. No'. When the meaning of a rubric is doubtful or obscure, and
also in cases for which provision is not made in the rubric, there are
three authorities to which recourse may be had for guidance. These
are:
The decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Rites;
First,
Second, Customs;
Third, The opinions of rubricists or commentators on the rubrics.
It may hapi>en, however, that circumstances of place and time, as,
for example, in missionary countries and in times of persecutions,
might make it very difficult, or morally impossible, to observe all the
rubrics, and so customs are introduced at variance with them in such ;
cases the Ordinaiy must apply to Rome for an indult or dispensation,

according to the general ecclesiastical practice.
Acts of Adoration in the Home for Every
Day in the Week
CHAPTER V
Monday
I—CHRIST'S INCARNATION
I believe tliee, O my Jesus! to be truly present in this most holy

sacrament. I bow down and adore thee, the same God, who became
man for love of us. I believe it is thou thyself, whose incarnation the
angel Gabriel, sent by God, did announce to the blessed Virgin Mary,
declaring thy coming into the world. It is thyself, divine Word!
veiled in this adorable mystery, who was conceived in her pure and
most chaste womb, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Thou art, O
Jesus! the Son of the Most High, to whom thy Father has given an
eternal throne, and of whose kingdom there shall be no end. I adore
thee in this sacred mystery of the incarnation, here continued, as it
were, in the holy Eucharist. I adore thee in both thy humility and thy
love, which has thus made thee the grand sacrifice and victim of the
world. In return, 0' Jesus I offer myself to thee, to do thy holy will
!
in all things, to render myself a victim to thee, and to be thy faithful

servant for ever. Amen.
II.— HIS NATIVITY.
O Jesus born of the blessed Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, I adore

!
thee, and beheve thee here present in the adorable sacrament of the
altar. Thou art the first-bom of the blessed Virgin, wrapjDed in swad-
dling clothes, and laid in a manger, there being no place for thee in the
inn: admirable figures of thy poverty in the divine Eucharist! Thou
art that holy infant, whose birth was proclaimed to the shepherds by
74
THE MOTHER OF SORROWS
an angel. Thou art the king of heaven, to whom the multitude of the
heavenly host sing praises. Tliou art that gi'eat pastor, afterwhom the
shepherds went in haste to search, and whom they beheld with joy and
gladness. Thy become a new Bethlehem, or house of
holy church is
bread, wherein thou dost nourish us with thy sacred body; where the
altar is thy crib and the manger of thy eucharistic birth. Millions of
angels wait around thee the priests, are as Mary and Joseph, and thy
;
faithful adorers, as the holy shepherds. Grant, Jesus that the peace !
which was announced at thy birth, may be maintained in thy church;

and that there may never be wanting, to the end of the world, holy
souls, who, consecrating themselves as victims to thy love, may, in
imitation of thy virgin Mother, lay up in their hearts all thy great
mysteries, particularly this of the holy Eucharist, infinitely suqâssing
that of all the rest. Amen.
III-HIS CIRCUMCISION.
I believe thee, my Savior ! who was circumcised and named Jesus,

to be truly present in the holy Sacrament. I adore, under these sacred
veils, the same body, which suffered from the circumcision knife, and
the same blood, which issued from thy sacred veins. It was thus, O
Jesus ! thou didst begin the great sacrifice of thyself. It was thus,
divine victim! thou didst consecrate thy entrance into the world by a
ceremony equally painful, and humiliating. But what! O Lord! must
thy innocent body bear the punishment of our sins? must thy jiure
virginal blood be so early shed for us, poor criminals? must the Lord
of life be destined to die upon a cross? must the great Sovereign of all,
and who is above all laws, submit to a law of the most servile ? O prod-
igy of humility; This thou didst in thy circumcision, and it is what
thou coutiuuest to do in the holy Eucharist. In this mysteiy I adore
thee, no less as a SaWor and victim, than in the other. O my God, and
my love! may thy wounds save me; may the precious blood wash and
cleanse me may the holy name Jesus, which contains so much grandeur,
;
and so many excellencies, give me life. May thy sacred body finish
all my sorrows, and be as a sovereign balsam against the corruption
of my -^dces. Amen.
Our Fathex-— Hail Mary— Glory be, &c.
V6 LIGHT FROM TEE ALTAR.
Tuseday
L— CHRIST'S MANIFESTATION.
O Divine Jesus! whio wast adored by the wise men coming from
the east, I adore thee here present in the august sacrament of the altar.
Thou didst enlighten the Gentiles by the appearance of a star. Thou
didst draw them to thy sacred feet, and didst receive their lowest
homages, and devout presents, when, falling down, they adored and
offered to thee their gifts,— gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But, what
is this to the grace of the holy Eucharist! Thou art born, not once only,
but every day;— not in one place only, but in an infinity of places. We
need not pass the seas nor the deserts, nor need we undertake long
and perilous journeys, to find thee, and adore thee. Thou thyself
descendest from heaven to be present with us, and to search after us.
The wise men by a star obeyed the call, and thou comest at the priest's
I^ronouncing the words of consecration. O excess of love and charity!
It is but just, I should, Jesus ! imitate the faith of these holy princes,
and offer thee as presents, the gold of pure love, the incense of fei'vent
adoration, and the myrrh of continual mortification and penance. Alas
my ! —
God, and my all I have nothing I am nothing of myself. Do thou
then, give me wherewithal to offer to thee. It is thou, divine wis-
dom! who givest the gold of charity purified by fire;— it is thou, the
true high priest, who dost offer the most sweet smelling incense; and
as a victim, the myrrh of a most excellent sacrifice. From thee alone
can I have, and of thee alone do I ask these heavenly gifts ; may thy
bounty bestow them upon me!
II.-HIS PRESENTATION.
O my Jesus! victim of victims! presented in the temple of Jeru-

salem, I adore thee in this holy Sacrament. In thy presentation thou
didst fulfill the law, although thou wast not subject to it. Thy virgin
Mother presented thee ; thy eternal Father received thee ; and the
priests are appointed daily to offer thee in the blessed Eucharist. As
a first-born, thou wast consecrated to the Lord, and thou dost conse-
crate all those, who are bom of thee by baptism. Thou art the truth,
signified by the turtles and young pigeons offered in tlie sar;rifice of

purification; and in the sole offering of the Eucharist, thou art the
whole host, and the perfection of all sacrifices. my Jesus! what
sacrifices offer themselves with thee Holy Maiy offers thee and her-
!
self;— Saint Joseph renounces all the right, which, in quality of the
spouse of thy virgin Mother, he misrht have over thee;— devout
Simeon receiving thee in his arms, sacrifices Ms life, and dies with
love and joy;— the prophetess Anna, who had passed her days in the
temple, having seen thee, no longer of this world, but a victim sigh-
is
ing after heaven. 0'! that some spark of these sacrifices might reach
me, or rather that thou, who didst kindle these holy fires in their hearts,
and gathered them together in the holy Sacrament, might infiame my
heart with the same divine ardor. Grant, that in order worthily to
communicate and receive thee, I may approach thy holy altar with
Holy Ghost,
that justice, that respectful fear, that consolation of the
with which holy Simeon was filled; and, that, like him, I might
expire in love, after having possessed thee in the most sweet and
amiable of all thy mysteries.
III.—HIS FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.

my dear Jesus! who wast carried into Egypt, to avoid the per-
secution of Herod, I believe thee to be present in the blessed Sacra-
ment, and therefore most humbly adore thee. divine Savior! thou
wast no sooner boiTi, tlian thy sacred life was sought after. Thou
layedst aside that power, by which thou couldst easily have taken just
vengeance on thy persecutor. Thou didst choose to fly, as more con-
formable to that humility, which thou wouldst teach us. Thou didst
not thyself give advice to St. Joseph of the persecution, but by an
angel, that thou mightest obsei-ve a silence suitable to thy infant state.
Thou wast taken into Egrpt, didst remain there, and returned again
to the land of Israel, according to the orders of heaven. Here I behold,
O adorable Savior! in the holy Sacrament, a perfect model of thy
obedience, but with this difference: in thy flight into Egypt, my
amiable Jesus! holy Mary, Joseph, and an angel, dispose of thee, and
regulate all thy motions ; but, in the holy Eucharist, alas ! how many
unworthy priests exercise their ministry in regard to thee? If there
are, Lord, at this day, many Herods, -who persecute thee; may there
be also more holy souls, who, as so many innocent victims, daily sac-
rifice themselves to thee; and may I, from thy holy example in this
mysteiy, learn, in all occurrences of life, to depend entirely upon, and
to obey all the orders of thy Providence. Amen.
Our Father —Hail Ma ly— Glory be, &c.
Wednesday
L-CHRIST'S BAPTISM.
Adorable Jesus! baptized by St. John in the river Jordan! I be-
lieve thee to be here present, and adore thee in this holy Sacrament.
Thou didst go among sinners, O Jesus to be baptized. Thy holy precur-
!
sor had reason to refuse that ministiy in thy regard; but thou didst
command him, as thou wouldst fulfill all justice. He obeyed; he baptized
thee. The heavens were oi>ened, and the spirit of God descended upon
thee in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard, saying, "This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." I behold all this in thyself,
Jesus! here in the blessed Eucharist. Thou art not less humble,
when the priest consecrates, touches and receives thee, and gives thee
to those who cormnunicate, than when tlie Baptist poured the water
of Jordan on thy sacred head. that I might seriously endeavor to
imitate thy holy precursor, in a holy and penitential life! Fill my
soul, dear Jesus, with these sentiments, and with these dispositions,
eveiy time I receive thee in these sacred mysteries; for the heavens
are no less open at the time of consecration ; the Holj^ Ghost is equally
present, and thy eternal Father takes no less complacency in thee,
than at thy sacred baptism in Jordan. Thou art here truly the well
beloved Son of thy eternal Father; O, may I always be pleasing to
thee Amen.
!
II.-HIS FAST.
divine Jesus, fasting and tempted in the desert! I believe thee

to be present, and adore thee in the august Sacrament of the altar.
Thou wast by the sjiirit into the desert, where thou didst fast forty
led
days and forty nights. Thou didst permit the devil to tempt thee, and
to cany tbee to a pinnacle of the temple, and to a high mountain.

Adorable Jesus let me prostrate myself at thy sacred feet, in sur-
!
prise and astonishment, at these thy wonderful hmniliations. They

ai*e, O my Savior! tnily astonishing, but not equal to what thou dost
too frequently receive from sinners, who abuse and unworthily receive
thee. may I never be of the unhappy number of those, who thus
insult thy adorable person. Let me always render thee that profound
respect and reverence, which is due to thee. Make me comprehend
and understand, (as thou didst declare to the devil), the vanity and
emptiness of all worldly grandeur. Make me sensible of the force and
efficacy of thy divine word, and the strength of this heavenly bread,
that, aiToed with this holy sacrament, I may be invincible to the assaults
of the devil, and never more suffer him to prevail over me. Amen.
III.-HIS PREACHING.
Jesus ! who hast given us so many admirable instructions in thy

divine sermon on the mount, I adore thee in the holy sacrament. It
is from thy sacred words, delivered to thy discii^les and followers,
that we are instnicted in our preparation, and in the right use of this
adorable mystery. Thy sacred body and blood, is what renders thy
ministers the salt and light of the world. It is by thee, in this august
sacrament, it is by this bread of life, that we obtain the grace of the
eight beatitudes. By we
are taught and enabled patiently to
thee
suffer all things; to love ourenemies— to endeavor to be jxjrfect, as
our heavenly Father is perfect— to give alms— to pray and to fast;
to place our treasure in heaven— to avoid all superfuous cares and
solicitudes —
not to judge rashly of our neighbor— to walk in the nar-
row way— and, to build our house upon a rock. It is by thee, Jesus
in this admirable mystery, that we are fortified, and obtain strength
to practice those lessons thou hast taught us. my
adorable Savior!
thou hast authority to teach, and power to enable us to observe thy
all
divine laws. Assist my poor, weak and feeble soul, and fix it upon
the solid foundation of the glorious mystery of the Eucharist, which
we can never too much respect and reverence, as it is the law and rule
of life; that fountain of grace thou hast placed in thy church, and
which iêrfects our manners, fixes our desires, fills the whole capacity
of our souls, and by which my soul may be ever united to thee by love.
Amen.
Our Father— Hail Marj'— Gloiy be, &c.
Thursday
I.— CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.
O blessed Jesus! who didst triumphantly enter Jerusalem, I be-
lieve thou art truly present in the holy sacrament, and prostrate, 1
reverently adore thee. The i>eople, Jesus! having taken branches of
palms in their hands, went forth in a great multitude to meet thee,
ciying aloud: "Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." {St. Matt.
xi.) Thou comest, O Jesus! meek, and riding upon an ass, which
thy disciples had covered with their garments. Many spread their
own garments upon the road, and cutting boughs from the trees,
strewed them in the way, joining with those who went before, and
who followed thee, saying: "Blessed be the King who cometh in the
name of the Lord; iêace in heaven, and glory on high." {St. Luke,
xix.) Alas! my Jesus! how different is our behavior, when we are
about to receive thee in the blessed Sacrament. This demonstration
of joy in the Jews, a stiff-necked, unbelieving and ungi-ateful people,
who conspired to put thee to death, should instruct us Christians in
what we owe and what we ought to render by the
to thy sovereignty
sincerity of our worship,and the internal adoration of an humble heart.
May we sacrifice to thy glorj- and triumphant empire, our persons, our
hearts and souls, our goods, and all that we have; our homage, our
praises, our acclamations of joy, and our acknowledgments of thy reign
over us and make the earth resound with thy marvellous work. Come,
;
divine Jesus! great King, full of love! come into the house of my
soul. Maj the stones themselves, the hearts of the most hardened
sinners, break forth into thy praises, and, notwithstanding the mur-
murs of temptations, signified by the hearts of some of the Jews, grant
that I may follow thee, and do thou open the gates of heaven to my
poor soul, that she may sing to thee a perpetual Hosanna. Amen.
tion.
II.—WASHING THE DISCIPLES' FEET.

Jesus! wlio, before tbou didst institute the blessed Sacrament,
didst humbly condescend to wash thy disciples' feet, I adore thee really
present in this ineffable mysteiy. Having loved thy disciples, Jesus
in so tender a manner, thou Tvouldst love them to the end, and, in order
to dispose them to receive an eternal pledge of thy love in this holy
Eucharist, thou didst not disdain, King of kings, and Lord of lords!
to kneel down and wash their feet. Thou didst rise from the table,
and though thy eternal Father had put all things into thy hands, thou
didst, for our example, perfonn an act of the most surprising humilia-
tion, to teach us with what puritj' of heart and humility we ought to
approach thy adorable mysteries. Thou didst lay aside thy gannents,
gird thyself with a towel, pour water into a basin, and present thyself
to St. Peter to wash his feet. ye innumerable troops of heavenly
spirits! hasten, come and raise your sovereign Lord from the ground.
Thy humility, O Jesus ! forbids it, since thou dost even threaten St.
Peter with the worst privation that can be, if he would not let thee
wash In this miracle of humility, thou givest us an example
his feet.
which equally confounds our pride, and instructs us how to render to
our neighbor the most sincere proofs of humility and charity. It is
thy grace alone, adorable Jesus! that can enable us to practice these
heavenly virtues, so opposite to our corrupt nature. Of thee alone I
ask it; from thy pure goodness only can I expect it; and do thou
mercifullv grant
&'^ it ! Amen.
III.-INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST.

O divine Jesus ! who' didst institute the adorable sacrament of the
Eucharist ! and believe thou art as truly
I adore thee, and really pres-
ent on our altars, as thou wast in the room in which thou didst insti-
tute it. O divine mystery! in which thou continuest by the ministry
of thy priests, that great sacrifice of religion, which thou didst cele-
brate the night before thy passion. Thou, taking bread, gavest thanks,
and blessing it, thou didst break it, and gave it to thy disciples, saying:
"Take ye and eat: this my body." And taking the chalice thou gavest
it to them, saying Drink ye all of this for this is my blood of the
:
'
' :
New Testament, which shall be shed for many unto the remission of
sins." Here I behold, O Jesus! the grand liturgy of Christians— the
foundation and centre of the Catholic church— the object of our faith,
our hope, and our charity— the priesthood in its birth— the sacrifice
in its institution— the passover in its tmth— the conclusion of the law
—the pui"e host —the perfect oblation— the altar in the midst of the law
of nations. How many wonders, Jesus! are contained in this single
mystery. But nothing, adorable Savior of the world! nothing
makes thy love and charity appear with greater lustre, than that
thou didst not refuse the dignity of the priesthood, nor the
participation of these divine mysteries to the traitor Judas.
Thou didst perfectly know the wicked design of that perfidious apostle,
and yet thou didst bear with him, that he might have an opportunity
to repent. G-od of patience and mercy! couldst thou thyself extend
thy patience farther"? May there never be, O Lord, in thy Church,
any who, eating of this heavenly bread, shall lift their hand against
thee !May all rather, Jesus with thy beloved disciple, repose in
!
thy bosom, and there rest in the sweet sleep of thy love! Grant,
that the denial of Judas foretold by thee to St. Peter, may be an
instructive lesson to us, not to trust to ourselves, but to expect all
from thy grace, in a devout and worthy reception, and a right use
of these sacred mysteries. Amen.
Friday
I.-CHRIST'S AGONY IN THE GARDEN.
O Jesus, praying in the garden, and apprehended by the Jews! I
adore thee here, truly present, in this holy Sacrament. On entering
the garden of Gethsemane, thy blessed soul was seized with fear and
sorrow. O my Savior! it was tlie deplorable and criminal state of my
soul, that thus afflicted thee, and caused in thee such strange emotions
of pain and grief. Thou didst prostrate thyself on the ground, and
the more violent thy agony, the longer, the more feivent and sub-
missive was thy prayer to thy heavenJy Father, at the sight of the
O miserable sinner that
bitter chalice he presented to thee, and which,
I am, my sins procured for thee. Arising from thy prayer, thou didst
go t® meet thy enemies. Carried on by that ardor, thou hadst to suffer
and to shed thy blood for me, thou permittedst thyself tO' be taken and
bound as a criminal, by thy cruel and implacable enemies. Ah! my
Savior and my God! in how lively a manner does thy adorable Sac-
rament represent to me thy bloody agony, and cruel capture. Thou
art here the daily host and oblation for my sins thou appliest to me ;
the fruit of thy tears, of thy prayer, of thy bloody sweat, of all the
interior sacrifices thoumadest of thyself, and of all the indignities
put upon thee. Ah my
divine Jesus may there be nevermore a Judas
! !
to betray thee— a Peter to deny thee— apostles to fly away and leave
thee— armed soldiers to seize thee— or ministers of Satan to bind thee!
May I be in a state of perjêtual homage before thee, to receive on
the sterile land of my soul, that refreshing and fruitful dew of thy
which thou hast merited for
gi'ace, me by so many sufferings. Amen,
sweet Jesus Amen. !
II.- CHRIST BEFORE CAIPHAS, PILATE AND HEROD.
O Jesus, who wast led bound to Annas and Caiphas! I adore thee
in the holy sacrament of the altar. Ah, divine Savior! thou dost aban-
don thyself to the powers of darlcness; thou, who couldst so easily
defend thy glory by the ministry of a thousand legions of angels, to
what cruel outrages art thou resei-ved! Thou art dragged before
Caiphas the high priest, where the doctors of the law, thy declared
enemies, are met to consult on thy destruction. They iDroduce false
witnesses against thee, and dare to accuse thee. Thou makest no
answer, but with incomparable patience remainest silent, till the high
priest adjures thee by the living God, to sayif thou wast Christ. Thou
declarest and a murdering hand has the insolence to strike thee on
it,
the face, which is followed by a thousand outrages and insults, and all
judge thee worthy of death. In the morning, divine Savior! they lead
thee, bound as a guilty criminal, to Pontius Pilate, where tliy enemies
accuse thee of the most grievous crimes. The judge asketh thee, if
thou art a king, to which thou repliest in the affinnative, but that thy
kingdom was not of this world and then didst thou observe so ]>ro^
;
found a silence as surj^rised Pilate, and forced him to confess, that

he found no fault in thee. He sent thee to King Herod, where, ob-
serving the same silence, thou are scoffed at, and derided by him and
his whole court and, clothed with a white robe in mockery and de-
;
rision, thou art led back again to Pilate. Ah, dear Eedeemer! I adore
thee in this holy sacrament, under all these sufferings. I adore thy
sacred body, so cruelly treated; thy cheeks rudely bruised thy face —
spit upon— thy hands bound with chains— thy mouth without complaint
thy heart without gall— thy whole self sacrificed for our salvation.
! that I could render thee as many acts of perfect submission and
resignation, as thy cruel enemies have fonned black desi^s, false accu-
sations, and unheard of outrages against thee. O my sweet and suf-
fering Savior! I offer myself as a victim, to partake of thjy humilia-
tions and thy sufferings. Happy if, after having often, by my infi-
delities, renounced thee, like St. Peter, I may, by the gracious looks,
withdraw from myself and my ingratitudes, and weep bitterly for my

sins, through love for thee. Amen.
III.-CHRIST SCOURGED AND CROWNED WITH THORNS.
Sweet Eedeemer of mankind! who wast scourged at a pillar, and

crowned with thorns, I believe thee to be here present, and adore thee
in the holy sacrament. O my Jesus what wretch had the boldness and
!
impiety first to lift up his hand against thee? Thou art stripped and
tied to a pillar, and a troop of cruel soldiers discharge their rage upon
thy holy and innocent flesh. They cover thy sacred body with deeja
wounds, whence flowed thy precious blood, sufficient to purify and re-
deem a thousand worlds. Ah, what an excess of tenderness and bounty
for us miserable sinners! From this barbarous torment thou didst,
my
Jesus! pass to another equally cruel, and which caused thee
fresh pains and new sorrows. They crowned thy sacred head with
sharp thorns, and, to join insult to this cruel treatment, the soldiers
throw a purple garment over thy shoulders, put a reed in thy hand for
a sceptre, and, bending their knees, salute thee, in scom and derision,
saying: "Hail, King of the Jews!" then, striking thee with the reed,
they spit on thy adorable face, and thus mock and insult thee. Pilate
presents thee to the people in this deplorable condition, saying to
them: "Behold the man!" Ah. divine Savior! the same Jesus that
was thus barbarously treated I adore thee here truly present. I adore
!
thee; and, to make some reparation for all the cruel outrages com-
"BEHOLD THE MAN"
CHRIST AFTER THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR
mitted against thee, I accept tliee for my Sovereign and my King. I

confess thee to be the Son of God, our only Christ and Savior, in whom
alone is all hope for salvation; and as my sins were the cause of
my
all thy cruel tonnents, I, from my heart abhor and detest them, and
beseech thee to wash them away by thy i^recious blood, and those sacred
tears thou hast shed for me. Amen.
Our Father— Hail Marv— GIoit be. tc.
Saturday
I.— CHRIST CRUCIFIED.
Savior of the world! who wast delivered up to the Jews to l>e
crucitied; I believe thee to be present in the holy Sacrament, and I

adore thee therein, Pilate declared he could find no fault in thee ;
yet,
out of a vain fear of being thought an enemy to Caesar, he delivered
thee up to the Jews, that they might crucifyThey lay the heavy
thee.
burden of the cross upon thy tender wounded shoulders, and force thee
to bear it to Mount Calvary, followed by a great multitude of people,
and by the devout women, who' wept over thee. Thou arrivest at the
place of thy crucitlsion, where they strip thee of thy clothes; and,
nailing thy sacred hands and feet to the cross, they raise it between
the crosses of the two thieves where thou didst hang, during three
;
long hours, in the most agonizing pains and torments, insulted and
derided by the enemies, who, to increase the sufferings of thy
ci-uel
agony, gave thee vinegar and gall to drink. Ah! my adorable Savior!
that heart must be more hard and
insensible than a rock, which is not
melted into the utmost compassion at so dismal and tragic a scene of
cruelty and barbarity! Were we capable of shedding as many tears
as there axe drops of water in the ocean, how insufficient would they
be to express the sorrow, which ought to fill our hearts, at the sight
and consideration of thy dolorous and afflicting passion! dear
Jesus excite in my soul an ardent desire to give myself totally to thee,
!
to share in thy humiliations, to pity and jDartake of thy sufferings.

]\Iay I join my sacrifice to thine, since thy love continues thy sacrifice
in these adorable mysteries, by an inunolation altogether si>iritual and
divine; that in this holy sacrament I may
always have a view, and a
due sense of thy sufferings, and of thy great love to mankind. Amen.
II.-CHRIST DYING ON THE CROSS,
Jesus! expiring on the cross, and finishing the gi'eat work of

our redemption! I believe and adore thee, tnily present in the most
holy Sacrament of the altar, O! what sorrows what humiliations —
—
what mysteries— what oblations— what merits what prophecies— what
truths— what eternal designs, dost thou accomplish on the cross, and
apply to us by the divine Sacrament of the Eucharist! O my dear
Eedeemer! I adore thee thus expiring in the midst of the most cniel
torments ; I adore thy sacred body thus cruelly mangled thy precious
;
blood flowing from all parts thereof, and which thy love for us, rather
than the executioners, forced from thy veins. I adore thy sacred maj-
esty, outraged by the high priests, the doctors of law, the soldiery and
people; and desire to render thee the most profound respect and sub-
mission. I adore thee as our great high priest reconciling us to God;
—as up for our sins;— as our Savior applying to us
a victim offered
thy blood, and opening to us the kingdom of heaven. Mayest thou be
eternally praised, O Jesus! for this thine ineffable mercy! and may
thy unbloody, Eucharistic sacrifice on our altars, continually present
to our minds and hearts the mystery of thy sacred cross Be pleased, !
O victim of victims ! and draw

to mollify the hardness of our hearts,
us from the sepulchre of our vices; tliou, who, in thy dying moments,
didst work so many wonders, in darkening the sun— breaking the
rocks— rending the veil of the temple— opening the gi'aves- and caus-
ing the earth to tremble. Continue, O Jesus! in this holy Sacrament,
these marvellous effects on souls so insensible as ours, that thy prec-
ious blood may not be shed in vain for us and that, in receiving thee
;
as our salvatioUj wê may not, by an unworthy reception of thy sacred

mysteries, commit a gi-eater and more enormous sacrilege than that of
which the Jews were guilty. Amen.
III.-CHRIST BURIED.
O divine Jesus! whose side was opened by a lance, and who wast
laid in a sepulchre, I adore and believe thee here present in the holy
Sacrament. The centurion, seeing thee expire under circumstances so
extraordinary and affecting, confessed thee to be the Son of God. One
of tlie soldiers pierced thy side with his spear,and thence issued out
blood and water, Joseph and Nieodemus took down thy sacred body
from the cross ; and having embalmed and wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth, they placed it new sepulchre, wherein no one had ever been
in a
buried, whilst holy Magdalen and the devout women, observed where
it was laid. I behold nothing less, O my Jesus ! here in this holy taber-
nacle, than what was contained in thy venerable monument. The
veils, the species,and the outward accidents hide thee from our sight;
but thy sacred body is no less present, nor less the object of our
adoration and of our love. Thy priests and ministers succeed to the
holy functions of Joseph and Nieodemus, and we reverence the sacred
altar stone, as the sepulchre wherein we adore thy holy body as dead
for us. Stir up, divine Jesus! and increase our faith, our compas-
sion, and our love for thee. And as thou passest from this sepulchre,
when we receive thee into our hearts, mayest thou find, or rather form
therein, O dearest Savior, white linen cloths, and a new sepulchre
hewn out of a rock, from whence may be banished all corruption of
vice, and wherein may reign such an indelible purity, as may dispose
us for incorruptible glory. Amen.
Our Father— Hail Mary— Glory be, &c.
Sunday
I.-CHRIST'S RESURRECTION.
Adorable Jesus, who didst gloriously rise from the dead; I be-
lieve thee to be here truly present in the holy Sacrament. I adore
thee, Kingkings— the glorious conqueror of sin and death, who
of
didst rise from the grave early in the morning on the first day of the
week, and appear to St. Mary Magdalen, who went with her devout
companions to thy sepulchre, there to anoint thy sacred body. An
angel from heaven declared to them the joyful news of thy resurrec-
tion. He had rolled away the stone from the door of the monument;
and entering found not thy body, but only the linen cloths, wherein it
had been wrapped. Thou madest thy resurrection known by indubit-
able proofs. Holy Magdalen, and the other women, embraced thy
feet ; the two disciples at Emmaus knew thee in the breaking of bread
thou didst appear to St. Peter and the other apostles, and, in proof of
thy being truly risen, thou didst eat with them. All these mysteries,
my Jesus! continually subsist in the divine Eucharist. Prostrate
at thy feet, I here adore thy sacred body, brighter than the sun, which
transports our souls witli joy and admiration. Keceive, dear Savior!
the expression of an hmnble heart. Pennit me not to be like those dis-
ciples, who did not believe that thou wast risen; nor like those who,
from visiting thy sepulchre, turned back to Jemsalem. Make me like
pious Magdalen, remain at thy holy altar, assiduously attentive to that

divine and inetfable language, which stirred up in her heart, those
burning and enligbtening flames of love. may I continually say,
more from my heart than from my lips, Jesus my Lord, and partake
of thy celestial banquet, with that effusion of grace and fulness of a
new life, which is the fruit of thy glorious resurrection. Amen.
Instructions as to the Proper Veneration Due

the Blessed Sacrament
I. We must entertain a firm and lively faith in the truth of the

actual and real presence of Jesus Christ in this Sacrament, and at the
same time conceive so high an esteem of its excellence, that the bare
recollection of this mj'steiy may fill us with so profoimd a veneration,
as to excite in our souls a holy awe, a religious fear, whenever we
appear in its presence.
n. We
ought to burn continually with a heavenly ardor to obtain
the divine object contained in this Sacrament, and be animated with
an affectionate and grateful sense of his goodness exhibited to us
therein.
III. We should place our whole confidence in Jesus Christ, con-
cealed under the veils of this mystery, and have recourse to him in all
our wants, as the best friend we In prosijerity
can have in the world.
we should entertain ourselves with him on the subject of our joy,
and return him thanks for success. In adversity, we should pour
forth our tears before him, and implore his assistance. In our doubts,
we ought to beg his light and advice; and in our undertakings, his
supiôrt and protection.
IV. We should place all our comfort and happiness in conversing
with Jesus Christ in the blessed Sacrament, and be as assiduous as
possible in this holy exercise. "Wlien we retire, we ought to leave our
hearts and minds at the foot of his altars, to attend on him, and en-
treat the angels to adore and praise him for us during our absence,
and beg his blessing at our departure.
V. We
should make Jesus Christ, in this mystery, the daily sub-
ject ofour serious recollection, and have our thoughts and desires, in
a great measure, immovably fixed on this divine Sacrament. We
should admire incessantly the love he therein evinces for us —praise
and thank him for the graces and favors he bestows on us— adore the
humiliations to which, for our sakes, he there subjects himself— enter
in spirit into his divine heart, to join in all its operations, adore him
in the night when awake, and im^jlore his succor amidst the several
occurrences of the day.
VI. We should pay our adorations to him regularly three times a
day— morning, noon, and night. Those who are more at leisure may
go oftener, as was the i>ractice of some saints. Those, who cannot
conveniently perform this devotion in the church, may adore him in
spirit at home, as often as their devotion prompts them to it, by some-
times prostrating themselves on the ground with profound reverence,
to pay him adoration.
VII. We should hear mass every day with devotion, and never
fail, whilst we assist thereat, to do these three things: 1. Offer this
adorable sacrifice to the eternal Father, with the same intention
wherewith it is offered by Jesus Christ and his church. 2. Offer our-
selves as victims in unity with them. 3. Communicate byspiritually,
an ardent desire of receiving Jesus Chiist into our hearts.
YTil. We should communicate frequently with fervor and devo-
tion, and take all possible care to prepare ourselves in order to be bene-
fitted thereby.
IX. Whenever the blessed Sacrament is exposed, we ought to
hasten tliither to perform our adoration to Jesus Christ, and to assist
with reverence at processions, to obtain his benediction.
X. We should accompany the blessed Sacrament with devotion,
when it is carried to the sick.
XI. We should not fail on Thursdays, or even oftener, to i>erfo'nn
an act of atonement before the blessed Sacrament.
XII. We should do something for the sei-vnce of the altar, which
may tend to the honor of this adorable Sacrament.
XIII. We should make some present to Jesus Christ on our altars,
^s sacred ornaments, flowers, &c., according to our abilities.

XIV. We should procure masses to be said in honor of the blessed
Sacrament, on the Thursday in every month, or oftener.
first
XV. We should honor priests, in consideration of the sacred body

of Jesus Christ, which they consecrate and distribute to the faithful.
XVI. We should devote our bodies— our souls— our whole lives,
and all that we are and possess, to the holy Sacrament, and renew this
consecration daily, by offering up our actions, or reciting some pray-
ers by way of homage to Jesus Christ in this mystery, and as an
acknowledgment and thanksgiving for his ever being occupied in the
interests of our salvation.
XVII. We must imitate the admirable example he therein sets us,
of charity — hiumility — obedience — mortification — patience — re-
tirement—silence—prayer—and other virtues.
XVIII. We should every day meditate in a particular manner on
the several virtues which Jesus Christ eminently displays in this
mystery; for example, Sunday, on the love he bears to his Father—
Monday, on his charity towards men Tuesday, on his obedience—
Wednesday, on his huviiAiij— Thursday, on his poverty— Fr«(iaj/, on
his patience Saturday, on his resignation to the will of his Father.
Finally, we may honor these virtues, by adoring, admiring, and prais-
ing them; by offering them to the eternal Father; by thanking Jesus
Christ for having practised them for our instruction, and out of love
for us or by doing the like, with the view of paying him due homage
;
and veneration.
A Home Study for Altar Boys
A TALK WITH THE ALTAR BOY AT HOME.
One of the great cares of a priest is his altar boys. He is careful
in selecting them, spends much and
of his valuable time in teaching
training them, is full of anxiety and care for them, using all the means
in his power to keep them pure and innocent. He cares for them as a
gardener cares for his choicest plants, in them he finds great consola-
tion and delight.
ALTAR BOYS ESPECIALLY BLESSED.

They are beloved by
Altar boys are, as a rule, especially blessed.
our Blessed Lord, and certainly our Lady has for them a special af-
fection. Their parents look upon them with lo^Hng pride, and esteem
it a happiness for themselves that their children should be allowed to
assist at the altar of God. Their priest loves them, too, takes the
greatest interest in their spiritual welfare, and often interests himself
in their temporal state as well. They are also greatly respected by
others who do not enjoy the priviJege that they do. How fortunate,
how privileged you are who accompany God's minister to the very
altar steps! You have been chosen to attend on the priest, he does not
bid you remain at a distance till his return, but bids you accompany
him to the very altar of sacrifice.
WARNING TO ALTAR BOYS.
You should be warned danger into which altar boys are liable
of a
to fall. It is against becoming too much accustomed to approach-
ing so near our divine Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Unless

you are on your guard, you will gradually acquire the habit of serving
at Mass, assisting at Benediction, genuflecting before the tabernacle
and so forth, as a matter of course, without ever thinking why or in
whose honor these actions are i>erformed.
91
92 LIOET FROM THE ALTAR.
The various objects used in the divine service are indeed precious
in the eyes of God as well as in the eyes of man, as they are conse-
crated specially to Him, and moreover because they are a proof to God
of man's love for Him, since by constnicting them from the richest of
this world's productions, man testifies that nothing is too beautiful,
nothing too precious to be employed in the service of God. Yet far
above the costly altars, tabernacles, sacred vessels or vestments, though
they be of gold and silver, studded with diamonds and precious stones,
does God paize the souls of those who stand around those altars.
Think of the honor you are enjoying in the years of your youth
and how you are being prepared to face the storm of tribulation when
it rages and the wind of adversity when it blows, saying with assurance
and confidence: "In Thee, Lord, have I hoped. I shall not be con-
founded forever."
BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

Who can look upon priest and altar boys kneeling in adoration at
the foot of the altar, fonning a guard of honor round their Lord; and
see the incense, an emblem of prayer, rising from their midst; who
can listen to the strains of sweet music floating round the sacred ed-
ifice,echoing the praises of Jesus in the Sacrament of His love; who,
above all, can see eveiy head bowed down, whilst the priest, amidst
the most profound silence, broken only by the sweet sound of a bell,
raises the Sacred Host and blesses his pious flock, without being moved
even to shedding tears of joy?
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS.

The sacrament Holy Orders contains degrees through which a
of
person aspiring to the highest order, i. e., the priesthood, must pass
successively. The priesthood, diaconate and subdiaconate are called

"Greater or Holy Orders," the others "Lesser or Minor Orders."
The lesser orders are Acolyte, Exorcist, Reader, Porter. These four
•
orders are conferred by receiving from the bishop during the celebra-
tion of the holy Mass the instruments or books belonging to their re-
spective offices, with solemn prayers prescribed in the pontifical.
The office of acolyte is to serve at Mass, light the candles in the
cKurch, prepare the wine and water, and attend the greater ministers,
namely, the priest, deacon and subdeacon in the time of sacrifice.
How great and holy in the eyes of the Church must be the office
of serving at Mass, since she ordains that those who do so should be
specially called and should receive the office from the hands of her
bishops!
As circumstances require it, who have not
she permits that those
received the order of acolyte should nevertheless an acolyte's du- fulfil
ties. This should be considered a great pri^^lege, and you, dear youth,
are one of those who enjoy this honor. Since you have been so highly
favored as to be allowed, without receiving the order of acolyte from
the hands of a bishop, to attend God's ministers, it is but fitting that
you should show youi-self worthy of and gTateful for the favor, by lead-
ing the good life that the Church requires of her acolytes and other
ministers.
"Atthe Foot of the Altar" or prayers at Mass said by priest and
Altar Boys follow, and the responses should be memorized by the
Servers.
Prayers at Mass for Priest and Altar Boys

Responses to be Memorized by the Servers
AT THE FOOT OF THE ALTAR.
Latin Version. English Translation.
Priest. In nomine Patrisf et Filii et In the name of the Father, f and of
Spiritus Sancti. Amen. the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Introibo ad altare Dei. I will g-o in nnto the Altar of God.
Server. Ad Deum, qui laetificat juven- Unto God, who giveth joy to my youth,
tutem meam. Judge me, God, and distinguish my
P. Judica me, Deus, et diseerne cau- cause from the nation that is not holy:
sam meam de gente non saneta: ab ho- deliver me from the unjust and deceitful
mine iniquo et doloso enie me. man.
S. Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea. For Thou, God, art my strength, why
quare me repulisti? et quare tristis in- hast thou cast me off? and why go I sor-
cedo, dum affligit me inimicus? rowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me?
P. Emitte lucem tuam et veritatem Send forth Thy light and Thy truth
tuam; ipsa me deduxerunt et adJuxeruut they have led me and brought me unto
in montem sanctum tuimi, et in taber- Thy holy hill, and into Thy tabernacles,
nacula tua.
9-i LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
Et introibo ad altare Dei ad Deum,

S. : And I will go in unto the Altar of
qui laetificat juventutem meam. God: unto G-od, who giveth joy to my
youth.
P. Coufitebor tibi in cithara, Deus, I will Thee upon the harp,
praise
Deus mens: quare tristis es, anima mea? God, my
God: why art thou sad, my
et quare conturbas mef soul? and why dost you disquiet me?
S. Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc con- Hope thou in God, for I will yet praise
fitebor illi: salutare vultus met, et Deus Him: who is the salvation of my coun-
meus. tenance, and my God.
P. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Gloiy be to the Father, and to the Sou,
Saneto. and to the Holy Ghost.
S. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et As it was in the beginning, is now, and
semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
P. Introibo ad altare Dei. I will go in unto the Altar of God.
S. Ad Deum, qui laetificat juventutem Unto G^d, who giveth joy to my youth.
meam.
P. Ailjutorinm nostrum in nomine Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Domini.
S. Qui fecit coelum et terram. Who hath made heaven and earth.
P. Conliteor, ete. I confess to Almighty God, ete.
S. Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, May Almighty God have mercy upon
et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad thee, and forg-ive thee thy sius, and bring
vitam aeternam. thee unto life everlasting.
P. Amen. Amen.
S. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae I confess to Almighty God, to blessed
Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the
Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, Sanc- Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist,
tis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and
Sanctis, et tibi, pater: quia peccavi nimis to all the saints, and to you, father, that
cogitatione, verbo et opere; mea culpa, I have sinned exceedingly in thought,
mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. word and deed, through my
through fault,
my through my most grievous fault.
fault,
Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever
Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archange- Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel,
lum, beatimi Joannem Baptistam, sanctos blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apos-
Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes tles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints,
Sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad and you, father, to pray to the Lord our
Dominum Deum nostrum. God, for me.
P. Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, May Almighty God have mercy upon
et dimissis peccatis vestris perducat vos you, and forgive you your sins, and bring
ad vitam aeternam. you unto life everlasting.
S. Amen. Amen.
P. Indulgentiam, f absolutionem et May the Almighty and merciful Lord
remissionem peccatorum nostronmi tri- grant us pardon, f absolution, and remis-
buat nobis omnipotens et misericors Domi- sion of our sins.
nus.

Ameu. Amen.
P. Deus, tu conversns vivificabis. Thou shalt turn again, God, and
S. Et plebs tua laetabitur in te. quicken ns.
P. Osteude nobis, Domine, misericor- And Thy people shall rejoice in Thee.
diam tuam. Show Thy mercy,
us Lord.
S. Et Salutare tuum da nobis. And grant us Thy salvation.
P. Domine, esaudi orationein meam. O Lord, hear my prayer.
S. Et clamor mens ad te veniat. And let my cry come unto Thee.
P. Dominus vobiseum. The Lord be with you.
S. Et cum spiritu tuo. And with thy spirit.
AT THE MIDDLE OF THE ALTAR.

P. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy.
S. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy.
S. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy.
S. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy.
P. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy.
S. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy.
GLORIA.
Gloria in excelsis Deo; et in tena pax Glory be to God on high, and on earth
hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus peace to men of good will. We praise
te; beuedieimus te; adoramus te; glori- Thee; we bless Thee; we worship Thee;
ficamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter we glorify Thee. "We give Thee thanks
mag-nam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Res for Thy great glory, Lord God, heav-
coelestis, Deus Pater omnipoteus. Do- enly King, God the Father Almighty.
mine Fili nnigenite, Jesu Christe Domine : Lord, the Only-begotten Son, Jesus
Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis Christ; Lord God, Lamb of God, Son
peecata mundi, miserere nobis : qui tollis of the Father,who takest away the sins
peeeata mundi, suscipe deprecationem of the world, have mercy on us: Thou
nostram: qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, who takest away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus sanc- receive our prayer; Thou who sittest at
tus : Dominus tu solus altissi-
tu solus : the right hand of the Father, have mercy
mus, Jesu Christe, cum saneto Spiritu, in on us. For Thou only art holy: Thou
gloria Dei Patris. Amen. only art the Lord: Thou only, O Jesus
Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most
high in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
AFTER THE GLORIA.

P. Dominus vobiscimi. The Lord be with you.
P. Oremus . . . per omnia saecula sae- Let us pray . . . world without end.
culorum. Amen.
S. Amen.
AFTER THE EPISTLE.
S. Deo gratias. Thanks be to God.
BEFORE THE GOSPEL.

P. Dominus vobiscuru. The Lord be with you.
P. Sequentia sancti Evangelii secun- The coiitiuuatiou of the holy Gospel ac-
dum N. cording to N.
S. Gloria tibi, Domine. Glory be to Thee, Lord.
AFTER THE GOSPEL.

S. Laus tibi, Christe. Praise be to Thee, Christ.
CREDO.
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omni- I believe in one God, the Father Al-
potentem Faetorem coeli et terrae, visi- mighty, Maker of Heaven and earth, and
bilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in of ail things visible and invisible. And
unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begot-
Dei unigenitum, natum ante
et ex Patre ten Son of God, born of the Father be-
omnia saecula. Deum de Deo Lumen de ; fore all ages. God of God; Light of
Lumine; Deum verum de Deo vero; geni- Light; very God of very God; begotten,
tum non factum; eonsubstantialem Patri, not made; being of one substance with
per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter the Father, by whom all things were
nos homines, et propter- nostram salu- made. Who for us men, and for our sal-
tem, descendit de coelis, et incarnatus est vation, came down from heaven, and was
de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria Virgine: incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin
Et Homo Factus Est. Crucifixus etiam Mary: And was made Man. He was cru-
pro nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passus et cified also for us, suffered under Pontius
sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die Pilate, and was buried. The third day
secundum Scripturas; et ascendit in He rose again according to the Scrip-
coelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris: et tures; and ascended into Heaven, and
iterum venturus est cum gloria, judicare sitteth at the right hand of the Father:
vivos et mortuos; cujus regnl non erit and He shall come again with glory to
finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum judge both the living and the dead of :
et vivifieantem, qui ex Patre Filioque pro- whose kingdom there shall be no end.
cedit; qui cum Patre et Filio simul ado- And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord
ratur et conglorificatur ; qui locutus est and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from
per prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, Catho- the Father and the Son: who together
licam et Apostolicam Ecclesiam. Con- with the Father and the Son is wor-
fiteor unum baptisma in remissionem pec- shipped and glorified; who spoke by the
catorum. Et exspecto resurrectionem Prophets. And One Holy Catholic and

mortuonun et vitam venturi saeculi. Apostolic Church. I confess one Bap-
Amen. tism for the remission of sins. And I
look for the Resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
BEFORE THE OFFERTORY.

P. Dominns yobiscum. The Lord be with you.
P. Oremus. Let us pray.
AFTER THE OFFERTORY.

P. Orate fratres, ut . . . Pray, brethren, that . . .
S. Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de May the Lord receive the Sacrifice

manibus tuis ad laudem et gloriam nomi- from thy hands, to the praise and glory
nis sui, ad utilitatem quoque nostram of His name to our benefit, and to that
totiusque Ecclesiae suae sanctae. of all His Holy Church.
AT THE PREFACE.
P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. World without end.
S. Amen. Amen.
P. Dominus vobiscum. The Lord be with you.
P. Sursum corda. Lift up your hearts.
S. Habemus ad Dominum. We lift them up unto the Lord.
P. Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. Let us give thanks unto the Lord our
Dignum et justum est. God.
It is worthy and just.
SANCTUS.
Sanetus, sanetus, sanetus Dominus Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts.
Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt eoeli et terra Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
erloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Bene- Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he :
dietus, qui venit in nomine Domini, Ho- who Cometh in the name of the Lord.
.sauna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.
AT THE PATER NOSTER.

S. Amen. Amen.
Pater noster, qui es in coelis, saucti- Our Father, who art in Heaven, hal-
ftcetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum jwed be Thy name Thy kingdom come
:
tuum : fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo, et Thy will be done on earth as it is in
in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum Heaven. Give us this day our daily
98 LIQET FB02I THE ALTAR.
da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita bread : and forgive us our trespasses, as
nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitori- we forgive those who trespass against us.
bus nostris.
P. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. And lead us not into temptation.
S. Sed libera nos a male. But deliver us from evil.

S. Amen. Amen.
P. Pax f Domini sit f semper vobisf May the peace f of the Lord be f al-
cum. wa3's with f you.

AGNUS DEI.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peeeata mundi, Lamb of God, who takest away the sins
miserere nobis. of the world, have mercy on us.
miserere nobis. of tlie world, have mercy on lis.
dona nobis paeem. of the world, grant us Thy peace.
AFTER COMMUNION.
S. Et cum spiritu tuo, And with thy spirit.
P. Oremus per. omnia

. . saecida Let us pray . . . world without end.
saeculorum.
S. Amen. Amen.
P. Ite, missa est. Go, the Mass is ended.

P. Benedieamus Domino. Let us bless the Lord.
P. Requieseat in pace. May they rest in peace.
S. Amen. Amen.
P. Beuedicat vos omnipotens Deus, May Almighty God bless you; the Fa-
Pater et Filius f et Spiritus Sanctus. ther, the Son f and the Holy Ghost.
S. Amen. Amen.
P. Initium sancti Evangelii secundum The beginning of the holy Gospel ac-
Joannem. cording to John.
S. Gloria tibi, Domine. Glory be to Thee, Lord.
P. In jjrincipio, etc. In the beginning, etc.
The Holy Rosary with Aids to its Devout
Recitation
CHAPTER VI
How to Say the Rosary
There is little doubt tliat much time is -wasted over the Eosaiy of
our Lady, because those who use it -will not allow themselves time
enough to say it well.
Eosary were carefully said, it would help us, perha}>s, more
If the
than any other vocal prayer to bring the life of our Lord iuto our own
lives.
Xo one can teach us the real meaning of that life and its apiDlica-
tion to our own so well as our Lady, for she of all others knew the life
of our Lord best, and takes the most interest in our life.
Let us take her, then, as our guide, and ask her in all simplicity
that, whilst she listens to our prayers, she would teach us the life and
spirit of her Son. K we trust her she will most certainly help us.
The holy Eosaiyj used reverently and devoutly, is the best means of
putting ourselves under the guidance of our Mother in oui- study of
the life of our Lord.
To allow the life of our Lord a chance of being before our minds
whilst we pray, a more detailed presentation of the mysteries of the
Eosary than is usual becomes necessaiy. The mere statement, "the
Third Mystery, the Nativity," which is so often deemed sufficient, is,
from experience, plainly not so.
In the method which follows an attempt has been made to place
each mystery more vividly before the mind, and to present it in such
a way that we may see howmay concern ourselves. This detailed
it
presentment of the mysteiy may be valuable to us also, apart from

the use it serves in the devout recitation of the holy Eosary. It will
help us in meditation if we are accustomed to pi'actise that fonn of

99
mental prayer; and it will, moreover, give us a means of studying the
spirit of our Lord's life as it concerns ourselves. Tlius it will lay the
foundation of that prayer of aspiration to which all devout souls should
tend. This prayer of aspiration is one which we find many devout souls
unwilling to practise. very freedom, which the older masters of
Its
the spiritual life looked upon as one of its great virtues, is to so many
who have been accustomed to modem methods of meditation a cause
of suspicion. Why this is so it is difficult to understand. It is believed
that many devout souls waste a great deal of time in the prayer of
meditation which they might most profitably employ fox their souls'
good and for the benefit of others if they would have the courage to
pass out of meditation to the prayer of aspiration.
The great masters of prayer tell us that after a sufficient exercise
of meditation the soul, which is called to the exercise of mental prayer,
and through it to union with God, should by the use of acts of the will
occupy more and more of the time devoted to meditation, leaving
gradually the direct work of the understanding and trusting itself to
the goodness and kindness of God, pass immediately from the presen-
tation of a fact in our Lord's life (or other matter of their prayer)
to fervent acts of the will. By degrees these immediate acts, as they
are called, lead the soul tO' more pure
which have little or no con-
acts,
nection with the fact or mystery considered, until it comes to pass that
acts of resignation, desire of God's presence, longing for a time when
all infidelity of life will pass away, &e., become the constant habit of
the soul. After all, the good God does not need the thoughts of our
minds or understanding, but in many passages of Holy Scripture He
has sliown that He does most intensely desire the acts of our will. The
submission of our will under His holy guidance leads us necessarily to
the prayer of asiîration.
The next point is to convince ourselves that the "Hail Mary" is
not a mere fonnula. This has been made plain in the words which
follow the statement of the mystery, where an explanation is attempted
to show that the "Hail Mary" contains the elements of all the prayers
we may wish our Lady, asking her to help us to learn our
to offer to
Lord's life, and to bring the spirit of it into our own.
But more than this, it is shown how the "Hail Mary" may be used
in the prayer of immediate acts.
When reading the paraphrase over it will be well to dwell on any

thought which may strike one in order to give that thought a chance of
recurring to one 's mind at other times. As the habit of callmg to mind
the thoughts which were fruitful during the time of prayer grows it
will be followed by the habit of raising the heart of God in fervent
aspirations. The growth of this habit, fostered by humility and kind-
ness, will speedily prepare the soul for the prayer of aspiration, and
then the aspirations used during the time given to prayer will over-
flow into the rest of the life till we come to actually fulfil St. Paul's
precept of praying without ceasing.
It may be well for those who have the time to read the paraphrase
on the "Hail Mary" which is given for each mystery; and if it ex-
presses the meaning they would wish the "Hail Mary" to have, to
keep at least one of the petitions in mind whilst the decade is being
said.
Some may feel inclined to use these mysteries and prayers, for the
daily meditation ; and if they appeal to any individual they may be
used very profitably in this way. Any well-known vocal prayer can be
turned in this manner into profitable mental prayer.
It is well known that many who are living busy, active lives, are
so busy that a suggestion that extra time is needed for a particular
exercise is deemed a sufficient reason for leaving that exercise alone.
Now Rosaiy so many have formed the habit of
in the case of the holy
saying it daily that if one can see how the recitation can be improved
appreciably, and the time required for that improvement is shown to
be inconsiderable, perhaps even the busiest may be induced to take
that necessary time.
The busiest people can find time for a quarter of an hour once a
week— say on Sunday afternoon. One quarter of an hour once a week
spent carefully over one decade of the Eosary, will go a long way
towards making the recitation during the rest of the week more real
and more of a prayer than it was before and in about three months
;
all the decades of the Eosary will have been gone through. If we have
not much time it is imi>ossible to learn a lesson well, but with a
time used perseveringly and patiently much can be done.
little
After each mysteiy a few acts have been added which may be used
with profit by such as feel themselves drawn to this kind of prayer.
102 LIGET FROM TEE ALTAR.
The Holy Rosary — The Joyful Mysteries

7, The Annunciation
FiCTUBE our Lady praying in her room or in the little garden. The
subject of her prayer, as ever, is that she may become more united to
God. The angel appears, and Mary is afraid, not because of his pres-
ence but because of the honor he shows her. She does not know how
the design of God revealed to her by the angel is to be accomplished,
but she immediately resigns herself into God's hands: "Behold the
handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to Thy word."
She recognizes at once how greatly her consent will further God's
work in the world and in the souls of men. She sees that it is to be
through Jesus that men are to be united to God.
Eail, Mary! for the kindness of thy consent to be the means of
bringing Jesus to me. Fidl of grace, for the Source of all grace has
come to thee. The Lord is icitli thee all thy holy life by desire most ;
intimately and actually for the nine months thou didst bear Him in
thy womb and in the most perfect union with thee during His life upoia
;
earth, which is only more perfect now in heaven. Blessed art thou
amongst ivomen, chosen by God as the means of bringing His Son
nearer to all men. Blessed is the fruit of thy uomh, Jesus. In Him
we are united to our Beginning and our last End, God, blessed for ever.
Eoly Mary, Mother of God, great though thy dignity be, think not of
thyself only as I have done so often, but of us all, of me. Pray for us
sinners, for me so unworthy, so careless hitherto to imitate thy love
and holiness. Do not leave me any longer without thy Son. Let me
never leave Him by negligence, by self-seeking, by conceit. Now, when
I so much need help and encouragement; and do not forget me at the
hour of my death. Keep me in thy hand at that hour and show me thy
Son. Amen.
Acts.—Jesvis, united to your Mother, draw me also near to you.
Mary, my Mother, keep me united to your Son. "When shall I leave
all that keeps me from you, my my God? Make my will all

Lord and
yours. Do not become tired of me, Lord, because of my want of fidelity.
Catholic Art Studio, Chicago, III
MADONNA OF LOURDES
2. The Visitation
Maky and Joseph, bearing of their cousin Elizabeth's joy, go to con-

gratulate her. In the hill countiy, quite apart from the world, these
friends of God meet. They are almost His only friends on earth.
Mary and Joseph with her, are as usual, thinking of others, rejoicing
with those that rejoice, sympathizing with those who suffer and sorrow.
Not only the extraordinary joys and troubles attract their sympathy
and their love, but the daily, common wants of life. Our Lord and
his holy Mother wish to have part in every little event of our lives.
They wish to be friends to us at all times, and only require us to be
ready to take them into our confidence. They onh^ wait for our will.
They have come to the home of St. Elizabeth that Mary may assist her
and comfort her. Do thou also, dear Mother, come to me in myi need
and bring thy constant quiet joy with thee!
Our Lady was able to do much for her cousin; much quiet house-
hold work which only St. Elizabeth could aiDpreeiate. Many a little
burden she could take which was a relief to her aged cousin. It was
these little works of kindness that our Lord rewarded so signally by
revealing to St. Elizabeth the great dignity of His Mother.
Hail Mary! 1 greet thee for thy kindness to St. Elizabeth and to me
in all my trials and in all my joys. The Lord is uith thee, and thou
wilt bring Him to me. Bring me also to Him, good Mother. Blessed
art thou amongst ivomen, bringing joy to all. Bring to me also the
joy of thy Son's presence. Blessed is the fruit of thy icomb, Jesus.
His delight as thine is to be with the children of men. Ask Him to
encourage me in despondency, to strengthen me in failure, to support
me in effort, and to crown me and those who are kind to me in heaven.
Holy Mary, so close to God, tell me of His loving care for me, which
I have scarcely realized. Mother of God, revealing Him to me, draw
me to Him more and more. Pray for us sinners, do not abandon me
if I ever withdraw myself from thy divine Son and thee. Noic, when
I have to struggle and take such pains to be faithful now, when I need
;
so much help. And at the hour of my death, come with thy Son and
His priest. Teach me to see thy visitation then and to rejoice in it.
Make my death the happy entrance into thy conqiany for ever. Be
104 LIGBT FROM THE ALTAp.
kind to me in life; be kind to me in death, and make me kind as then
were to aU. Amen.
Acts. — Jesus draw me to imitate your divine jNIother in my love
of those who are related to me. When shall I be able to leave myself
and care for others!
Dear Mother Mary, cause of our joy, teach me to bring joy to all.
Teach me to leave myself. Let me share your Son with you. Leti me
share Him who when on earth went about doing good. Kind God, make
me kind always.
3. The Nativity
Picture the scene to yourself. The rough cave, as comfortable as the

short time St. Joseph had for preparation would allow him to make
it. The ox, which was stabled there, giving up its manger. The ass
which had carried our Lady from Nazareth. There is a shelter indeed,
but little else. The good God is satisfied with so little if the lieart is
given to Him.
Our Lady is contemplating her divine child in the manger. This
is the first time that Mary has seen her Son; the first time our Lord
has used His eyes to look at her face. How His eyes must have ached
for a sight of Mary, His Mother! In her arms He can only half see
her, so for both their sakes it is better He should be at a little distance.
Then again, He wants and all that he has done for
to see St. Joseph,
the comfort of Mary and Himself. He knows it already, but not by

human means, and this is what He came for, to lead me by human
means to His Father. It is only for a few moments He need be laid
in the manger, for He sees everything so quickly. How His eyes
change as He sees the eyes of Mar>'! "What an infinite love is in
them He holds out his little liands to her He must know her through
! ;
those too, and in her He knows us. Then as He stretches out His
arms to His Mother she takes him to her breast, and the few moments
of separation have but added to the fervor of her embrace.
Hail, Mary, the first object of the human eyes of Jesus, beg Him
to cast those loving eyes on me. Full of grace, both natural and spirit-
ual, the object of the eyes of Jesus. The Lord is uith thee. Thou
bast Him all to thyself, and yet thou art anxious that we should share
THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
Him with thee, because it was for us thou didst biing Him forth.
Keep me near Him always. Blessed art tlwî amongst icomen, in the
sight and hearing and near j^resence of tlie Source of all blessing.
Share thy blessedness with me. I have thought of Him so little; now
at least I wish to know Him and love Him with my eyes, my hands, my
lips and my whole person. Blessed is the fruit of thy icomb, Jesus,
the cause of all our joy. Holy Mary, Mother of God and my Mother,
show me thy Son that I may love Him, and that nothing may ever come
between us. Pray for ns sinners, for me, so careless, so forgetful of
thy Son. Pray for me, lest having known, I may forget Him and let
self come in again. No}c, as I see my Jesus; now, that I have turned
to Him and need all thy tender love to keep me in His sight, And at the
hour of my death, that then I may never leave Him, but be with Him
for ever. Amen.
Acts.—O Lord my God, why cannot I give you the little you are ask-
ing of me? It is so little and yet I hesitate. It will cost me a little
restraint. Take it, Lord, for your Mother's sake. Make me so full
of love that I shall no longer hesitate. Jesus, fill me with your own
resignation, your own detachment. Draw me to you. I will tiy to
work for you, to forget myself.
4. The Presentation
OuE Lady had her Son to God in the Temple and when He had
to offer ;
been accepted by the priests in God's name she was allowed to purchase
Him back again. She did so by offering two doves, which offering
was considered by the law to be within the means of the poor. Our
Lady was ready, nay anxious, to give all she had, but she was pleased
to show us that He may be purchased by the poor in spirit for such
little things. —
At the ceremony there are present Jesus, making a
full oblation of Himself to His Father for us Mary, showing her love
;
by offering her Son to God, and yet glad to have Him back again, hers
once more, and hers by another title; Joseph, quietly contemplating
the scene, and carrying the doves, the price of the redemption of Jesus
Simeon, full of joy, God has been so good to him as to let him
because
see the Christ; content now to die— "Now Thou dost dismiss Thy
servant, Lord, according to Thy word in peace, because my eyes have
seen Thy salvation." Anna, the prophetess, carefully watch-
Lastly,
ing all so that she may tell the good news to others.
Hail Mary, full of grace, ready to make whatever sacrifice God de-
manded, obtain for me the strength to make my sacrifice asked of me
—of my own will in little things; of my comfort of body; of the com-
fort of intercourse with those I love. Help me to see that these little
sacrifices are the price I have to pay to bring my Lord back to me.
The Lord is ivith thee, not to be separated from thee for years. Give me
the grace never to lose Him again by my infidelity. Blessed are thou
amongst women. Blessed for showing me how little I have to do to
have thy Son with me. Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy
Mary, so united in will to the will of God. Mother of God and my
Mother, thinking of me, interested in me, ready to bring me to Jesus.
Pray for its sinners, for me, so slow to sacrifice my time, my inclina-
tions, my prejudices for the sake of Jesus. Pray for me that I may
help others to Jesus. Never let me rob any one in the slightest degret
of the intercourse of Jesus. Noiv while I am living in the strength
of the sacrifices made by thee and thy Son. And at the hour of my
death, that I may be ready to leave all that I love on this earth and
come to thee and Jesus. Offer me then to thy Son that I may be taken
to His Sacred Heart for ever and ever. Amen.
—
Acts. Jesus, I offer you myself, worthless though I am. Keceive
me at the hands of your Mother, and give me back to her that she may
teach me all you would have me know. I do offer you. Lord, all I am,
all that I desire, all that I can do. It is so little, Lord let me offer it ;
in company with you that it may be of value because this offering is

made in imion with you. Do not reject my offering, Lord. Make me
sincere in my oblation. Let me keep nothing back.
5. The Finding in the Temple
Tkusting our Lord thoroughly, our Lady and St. Joseph pursued quite
contentedly their first day's journey out of Jerusalem. There were
many groups in which our Lord might be. He might lê with his rela-
tions from the little town of Nazareth. They had no fear for Him
They busied themselves, no doubt, in conversation about Him. Thej
were united in prayer with Him. He was not with them indeed, but
they were not, afraid of Him as our i>arents were of us wlien we were
children. And so during the whole day they were going further and
further away from Him, unsuspecting their loss. Towards evening
when they had selected a spot to rest for the night, Jesus was not
with them and they went about from one group to another of their
,
friends and acquaintances seeking Him. Then at last the full blow
fell upon them. He was not to be found. Blaming themselves they
went from tent to tent, again from group to group, and at last wearied
out they waited for the morning. When morning came they retraced
their steps as quickly as possible, but not neglecting to inquire wher-
ever there was a halting-place. How often they described Him to
strangers whom they met on the road! How minutely they told His
features. His dress. His manner And all in vain When they came
! !
to Jerusalem there was still enough light to enable them to go from

house to house where He was at all likely to be, but still in vain. Again
blaming themselves they spent the night in prayer and watchfulness.
They still hoped, but the light of their life was gone. Jesus was lost.
They blamed themselves, though they knew it was through no fault
of theirs He was separated from them. The next morning as soon as
it was light they sought Him in the old places where they had been
already, and they tried to think of houses they may have overlooked.
They were hot and weary when they went up into the Temple, and
there in a small side chamber they found Him among the doctors about
His Father's business.
Hail, Mary, so disconsolate at the loss of Jesus, make me feel what
it is to have Him with| me so that I may be able to take infinite pains
not to lose Him. Full of grace and sustained by grace through those
bitter days; sustain me if I should seem to lose Jesus by lack of
prayer. Sustain me, dear Mother, when my hour of trial comes. The
Lord is with thee, for thou didst never doubt His goodness even when
He left thee. Give me may never doubt
thy help, dear Mother, that I
my Lord whatever trialHe may send me. Teach me to trust Him
always, knowing that though I may feel desolate and disconsolate He
is about His Father's business.Blessed art thou amongst women,
teaching us to bear what God sends us for our good.
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Blessed when kind, blessed
when seemingly hard, blessiedl art Thou, Jesus, whatever happens.
Holy Mary, even in dejection united in will to God; encoui'aging St.
Joseph. Mother of God, left when there was a question of His Father's
business in order to teach me to he willing- to be left by all I love if it is
God's will. Pray for us sinners who think so much of ourselves, and
so little of our Father's business. Pray that I may earnestly seek
Jesus if I lose Him. Teach me to seek Him in all the common occu-
pations of life, that at least I may find Him in prayer and go down to
Nazareth with Him and live familiarly with Him all my life. Now,
even if everything seems easy, that I may gain the grace to bear up
when my loss comes. And at the hour of my death, pray for me and
also for those whom no one loves but Thy Son and thee, that then we
may find Jesus and go home with Him for ever. A'lincn.
—
Acts. O Jesus, how often I have lost you, and lost you through
my own fault! Grant that I may never lose you again. But if it be
your holy will to take yourself from me for a time, grant, sweet Lord,
that I may seek you till I find you. Let me find you, dear Jesus, es-
pecially in the temple of my own heart. Be constant about your
Father's business there, that I may love you and serve you with my
whole heart.
The Holy Rosary —The Sorrowful Mysteries
/. The Agony in the Garden
The Last Supper was finished. Our Lord had] sjwken to the disciples
and offered His last prayer in comjjany with them. He led the A^ws-
tles out into the Garden of Gethsemane, and retiring into the recesses
of the garden with Peter and James and John, He left them also, for
the burden He was now to take on Himself He alone could bear. He
wished, indeed, for their sympathy and for ours, but the burden of
the sins of the world was one He would carry Himself. Retiring a
little. He allowed the sight of all the sins of the whole world to be
present before Him. All my sins He would look upon, not in general
only but in detail. The imion of His human mind with His divine
nature enabled Him make every sin of mine the object of His whole
to
attention. My forgotten sins. The sins I have not acknowledged.
The sins I have tried to hide even from myself. He saw them all,
and the sight was His Precious Blood forced itself

so appalling that
through the pores of His skin and stood in drops upon His brow and
fell like tears to the ground. His human heart forced Him to come
to me in the persons of His chosen disciples for sympathy and I had
none to give Him. Thrice he came and thrice I was inditTerent, and
yet in spite of my sins which were torturing Him, and in spite of my
coldness He would go on with His Passion, for He loved me with an
infinite love, a love that even my unfaithfulness could not quench.
In our Lady He saw no sin, no want of thoroughness, no unfaith-
fulness. Her He would not have by Him lest He might forget my sin,
my want of love. To her I will have recourse that she may teach me
to imitate her innocence and her constant fidelity.
Hail, Mary! sinless one, and yet ready to bear the burden of my
sins for love of me. Full of grace, never sullied by sin thyself, strong
to bear the effects of my sin. The Lord
not bodily in
is icith thee,
this mystery, but in thou alone wert like Him in tliy purity
spirit, for
and in thy capacity to bear with the sins of the world. Blessed art
tlwu amongst women, exercising a true woman's prerogative, bearing
pain and distress for others. Blessed is the fruit of thy uomh, Jesus.
Blessed by men, but by me esjêcially, to whom He has been so good
all
and so kind. Holy Mary, with thy heart ever directed to God thy Son;
Mother of God and my Mother, loving me a jjoor sinner, though I
caused thy Son and thee such suffering. Pray for vs sinners, for me,
so careless of the pain my sins may cause. Now, that I may grieve for
all the suffering I have caused thy son and thee. And at the hour of
my may then receive
death, that I the fruit of all thy love. '
Amen.
Ads.—O Jesus, how could you be so kind to me who am so sinful,
so faithless? How you still bear with me? I do not deser^ê your
can'
love, Lord. I am not worth your pains. Still do not abandon me.
Jesus, I rely on you. You have borne the sight of my sins and wept
tears of blood over them. Give me tears of repentance that I may be
united to you at least in mourning over my own sins.
Dear Mother, sinless Virgin, love me still, and help me in spite of
myself.
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
No sooner had Pilate consented to the death of our Lord than he de-
livered Him Barabbas had been chosen
to the soldiers to be scourged.
and our Lord had been rejected. The soldiers bound our Lord to the
pillar, and taking off the garment with which Herod had clothed Him
they brought thongs and scourges, and in relays they most cruelly
scourged Him. He was in the power of the Roman soldiery, and there-
fore the limit prescribed by the Jewish law did not apply to Him. He
was scourged, we are told, as a slave. The Eoman soldiers quartered
in Jerusalem, would have no delicacy in the brutal punishment they
were inflicting. They were practised in the art of inflicting punish-
ment with the scourge. They were, as some contemplatives tell us,
bribed to make our Lord suffer the greatest i>ossible torture. When
they were weary of their brutal si>ort there was no sound six)t left on
His back or His chest. His body was one bleeding sore.
Our Lord had. no need to undergo this excessive torment. It did
not redeem man. Man was redeemed by the blood our Lord shed on
the cross, by His death on the cross. This previous shedding of His
blood was redundant. It did not atone for sin. What object, then,
could He have had? He wished to show us how much He loved us, and
loved each soul, for He saw that these excessive, superabundant and
seemingly useless sufferings would help us to gauge the depth of His
love and He also saw some of us, myself in particular, ready to find
;
excuses for not doing or suffeiing something which we see will help
some other soul to love Him, but which we find a difficulty or distaste
in doing.
Mary was was united
not present in body at the scourging, but she
to Him most closely in the will to do and suffer whatever might help
a single soul to love God more. She was always with Him, and in this
spirit she united herself to Him during the bitter scourging.
Mary! ever ready to do God's will, ever ready to sacrifice
Hail,
thyself,ready to take up difficult and unselfish methods when thou didst
see thou mightst help a soul to love thy Son. Full of grace, obtain
for me the grace to be generous in the service of God. The Lord i?
TEE TRUE CATHOLIC. Ill
with thee. Show Him Show me His meekness, His love,

also to me.
His ungrudging, unselfish service. Show me all these beauties of His
character that I may learn to follow Him even when He asks me hard
things which go against the grain. Blessed art thou amongst iromen.
Blessed in being so close a follower of thy Son in gentle care of such
a negligent, self-loving child as Iam. Blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
fJesus. Did he not give thee, dear Mother, all these qualities that He
might take them from thee, His Mother 1 Thy generosity it was that
He inherited, thy love. Holy Mary, sanctified by putting God first
always, and thyself second. Mother of God and devoted to Him as
only a mother can be watching every opportunity of pleasing Him, no
;
matter what trouble or pain or annoyance it may cost. Pray for us

sinners, for me most selfish, most ungenerous, thinking first of self. It
will be so difficult to change myself, dear Mother. Pray for me that I
may in time learn something of thy Son's generosity. Now— pray for
me noiv, that I may make good use of my opportunities. Obtain for
me the grace to learn generosity from all about me, and be ready now
to serve Him with a whole heart. And pray for me also at the hour
of my death, that I may at the call of God willingly, cheerfully and
generously die how, where and when He wills. Amen.
Acts.—O Jesus, my too loving Lord, why did you endure so much
for mel Was it. Lord, to make me love you? "Wliy then am I so back-
ward? Why am I so cold? Dear Lord, give me grace toi be generous
with you. Give me your own generosity, that I may suffer willingly
at your call, and not only suffer, but work generously for you and for
your friends.
J. The Crowning with Thorns
Otjk Lord is taken into the barrack-room of the Roman soldiers, and
there He is treated like a fool. Everything that He had said or that
had been said about Him at His trial is used simply to give sport to
these rude men. They were ingenious in their contemptuous abuse
of Him. They had heard Pilate ask, "Shall I crucify yO'Ur king?"
and the idea of the King of the Jews suggested the royal state, and this
they would give Him in mockery. They seated Him on a throne im-
112 IIGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
provised from the rude furniture of their guard-room. They found
him a sceptre them had taken as a trophy of some
in a reed one of
expedition, but there was no crown. One of them bethought Him of
a thorn-tree just near, and running out he brought back a long branch
full of shall) long thorns. It took a few minutes to twist the branch
into the form of a crown. They must be careful, for the thorns gave
an ugly wound. When the improvised crown was finished the joke
was greeted with loud laughter. Now they had their mock king with
all his royal surroundings. They were careful in putting the crown
on His head, not because of any respect they had for Him, but for the
care they had for their own fingers. "WTien in position they beat the
crown down upon his head, for it must be secure. The pain was most
intense. "Why did He suffer this! Because so many of us are touchy
about being laughed at, about our woi'ds being turned so as to apjêar
ridiculous ; because our temper and become annoyed, He would
we lose
show us how to bear this trial— a serious and hard trial. After suffer
ing this mockery during the whole night, the crowning as a mock
king, merely to keep tliese soldiers in a good humor; after carrying
the sceptre our Lord gives His first prayer on the cross for these very
men, aud excuses them to His Father: "Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do." Mary was not present, though united
most closely with her Son all the time. Her presence would have been
a relief to Him which He did not wish to feel.
Hail, Mary! even in this scene of mockery worthy of all honor.

Full of grace— ah\ give the grace not to be so sensitive, so liable to be
resentful when an unkind word is said to me. The Lord is ivith thee
— the object of thy deepest sympathy. Help me to rest in that thought
when am mocked and
I treated with scorn ; when I am laughed at for
my piety, &c. Let me rest in the thought that meekness makes me
nearer to Jesus, meek and humble of heart. Blessed are thou amongst
women. Humble Virgin, willing to be thought nothing of, willing that
Jesus should be treated with scorn for my sake, to teach me how to
bear ridicule and rebuffs. Blessed is the fruit of thy ivomh, Jesus,
meek and humble of heart. How different from me with my pride
and my sudden temper! Holy Mary, thinking not of thyself, but of
God's will, accepting willingly poverty or reproach, or whatever He
sends. Mother of God, and therefore joined to Him in love of lowli-
ness, in desire to be thought little of so as to attract men and lead them

to God. Pray for us sinners, so proud, so careless about God's will,
and especially for me in my dealings with my friends. Now pray for
me when I find things easier, that I may gain good habits which will
be strength to me later. And at the hour of tnij death, that by accept-
ing slights which Jesus sees are good for me, by joyfully acknowledg-
ing that I count for nothing, that it is well that I am not made much of,
I may be more like my scorned, derided Lord and dearer to thee,
my Mother Mary. Amen.
Acts.— Jesns, my King, be always King of my heart. Grant that
I may bear also mockery and ridicule in your sei'vice.
Mary, my Mother, I grieve for you.
Jesus, come to me and rule me as my King. Let me prepare for
you not a mock but a real throne in my heart. Let me give you a real
sceptre and acknowledge yor as my only King. Let me crown you
with the crown of generosity, and be ever more generous in my service
of you.
4, The Carrying of the Cross
Maey waits for our Lord at

a most difficult part of the road, praying all
the time. She feels every sharp stone which wounds His feet. She
feels every jolt of the cross on His shoulder, every tug of the cord with
which he is led by the soldiers, every drag of the clothes over the
wounds made by the scourges. She is most closely united to Him. She
knows that the sight of her will give Him as much pain as pleasure.
Her sympatny gives Him relief, but her suffering makes His more in-
tense. ÂTien He comes near they exchange glances, and both renew
the otfering they have often and often made together, accepting aV
that may in any way attract those whom He and she would love. They
both pray that their friends in all time may have the courage to bear
little things or great as God may will. The lesson of this mystery is
one of cheerful jjerseverance in the bearing the burden put upon us.
How cheerfully our Lord boi'e this cross He was sore and bruised,
!
yet He made no excuse. He made no complaint. "Weep not for Me,"

He said, as if to say, "I have willingly taken this cross upon Myself.
It represents the burden of sin, fashioned by each soul that I love. I
would lighten that burden; I would bear it all Myself." And yet the
good Lord allowed another, not His Mother, but a common man, to
help Him. At tirst, no doubt, unwillingly, but afterwards cheerfully
and joyfully, Simon of Cyrene assisted Him.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, teaching me the fortitude necessary in
my dull routine life. Love of Jesus and of those whom Jesus loved
was the reason of thy fortitude. Let me not do my work for any other
motive. Let me give my Lord a proof of my love in all I do or suffer.
The Lord is ivith thee. May He also be with me in my daily work and
in the burden of uncongenial occupations. Blessed art thou amongst
women, teaching them not to flinch when called upon to bear annoyance
and weariness. Blessed is the fruit of thy uomh, Jesus, "who bore mxv
sins on the tree." It was my burden Thou wast bearing up the hill,
with Mary watching there. Be kind to me, and let not my burden be
beyond my strength. Thou hast promised it, dear Lord. Be kind to
me, and help me to bear any great sacrifice if Tliou askest it. Do not
leave me to myself! do not abandon me. Holy Mary, ever united to
God both in joy and pain. Mother of God and my Mother, by the
suffering Thou didst endure as the Mother of Jesus, help me to lighten
His load. If the soldiers would have allowed thee thou wouldst have
taken the whole cross and borne it alone; let me by avoiding sin, by
not being a cause of sin to others by my temper, my unreasonableness,
my want of humility, my obstinacy, let me take a little off the weight
of the cross. Never let me add to it. Pray for us sinners, especially
for me, so thoughtless in causing annoyance, so careless of the results
of my actions if only I can be thought in the right. Teach me to think
less of myself and more of how I may relieve my Lord oi His burden.
Now, when I am God more faithfully; now, when I
trying to serve
find it easy to think of thy Son and thee, that I may gain a habit which
may last with me. And at the hour of my death, teach me to bear the
burdens I shrink from, to bear them with Jesus and thee, till I recog-
nize the bearing of the cross as the safest God for ever. Amen.
way to
Acts.—O Jesus, sharing your cross with one who was of little ac-
count, share it also with me, who' am of no account At least, when I
!
can help you, Lord, allow me to do so. Make me faithful that I may
be allowed to help you.
Mary, my Mother, help me to' bear my own bad habits I have

cross :
fallen into; the difficulties in the service of God which mysins have
brought upon me. When shall I so sympathize with you and your Son
that I may be willing to do and to suffer for Him? When shall 1 help
to lighten the burden of His friends, the poor, the neglected, the abused?
5. The Crucifixion
As theformer portion of His Passion had been without reserve, so the

last act on the cross was most complete. He would leave nothing un-
done that could attract the sympathy and love of men. He Himself
told the disciples just before His Passion that if He were lifted up He
would draw all things to Himself. He draws us by His merciful
thought for His executioners, giving them the only excuse that could
be found— "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He
attracts us by His divine kindness to the poor thief by His gift toi us ;
of His own Mother; by His allowing Himself to feel that desolation

which is such a severe trial to His servants. "My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?" He draws us to Himself by the intense
—
longing He exhibits for our soul's good "I thirst." He draws us
also to admire and to love Him by the very completeness of His work
for our salvation— "It is consummated." Lastly, He draws us by
His divine trust in His Father— "Father, into Thy hands I commend
My spirit." He parts with the last droi> of His Blood, and our Mother
consents to His sacrifice, consents willingly to His death. The crowd
still jeer at Him, though He is suffering death for their sakes. I am
at the foot of the cross also. I doi not jeer, thank God but even here
; I
will not be wholly generous. up some pet habit,
I still refuse to give
refuse something that Jesus asks me
Him. 0' Jesus! do not
to give
ask of me too hard a sacrifice, for I am so weak but do Thou give me
;
the grace and the courage to give Thee whatever Thou seest to be for
my good.
Hail, Mary! so completely resigned to God's will, so generous, not
hindering, but freely helping thy Son inHis great sacrifice how diff-
;
erent thou art from me who am so selfiesh, sogreedy of little enjoy-

ments! Put into me the spirit of resignation. I do not ask that I
might not care, or that I might not feel the sacrifice, but I ask that,
caring mucli and feeling most intensely, I may have the courage to re-
linquish whatever my Lord asks of me. Fxdl of grace, trusting in grace,
resting on gi'ace, not on self, as I have done. The Lord is with thee, now
more esijecially when thou art losing him. Blessed art tliou among.-^t
women, for here beneath the cross thou dost teach all to centre their love
on God, to study only His will, to love only what He would have us love.
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Blessed in the love He had for
me ; blessed in the help He has given me blessed in the wish He has given
;
me to know and loveHim better. O Jesus! if it be Tliy will, let me also

love others for Thy sake, but let me never be so attached to any one,
dear Lord, that I may become blind to Thy attractions, deaf to Thy
voice. Holy Mary, ever with thy will united to God's will. Mother of
God, and yet giving up thy Divine Son at the call of God, pray for us
sinners, especially for me, that I may have the courage to sacrifice my
pleasures and my joys in the interests of Jesurx Noiv, when I am will-
ing to do all that is asked of me, that I may gain courage to do the same
when I shall find it more difficult. And at the hour of my death. If ever
I leave my Lord, help me at least to return to Him then and love Him
with my whole heart, and all else in Him and for him. Amen.
Acts.— Jesus, draw me to yourself. Fill me with your generous,
whole-hearted spirit that I may have no reserves in your service. When
shall I allow myself to feel the full force of that sweet attraction? Pre-
serve me from being a hindrance to others, from standing between any
souland you. Dear Mother Mary, give me your own resignation, your
own generous love, that I may take you to my own and learn your spirit
and your love till my life is finished and I join you in your praise of our
Lord for ever and ever.
The Holy Rosary —The Glorious Mysteries

7. The Resurrection
Our Lord apiêars first to His Mother, then to Magdalen, and then
to the Apostles. He brings joy everywhere. He has no thought ex-
cept for their joy. How is His thoughtfulness for Magdalen
exquisite
The poor sinner who has given) her poor and apparently ruined life to
Him, and whose life and love have been accepted by Him, is called by
her name when most dejected, when almost distracted by the loss of
Him. Mary
'
'and she called Him by the dearest title, Master '—
! '
'
'
'
!
'
the one who teaches me, leads me, loves me, cares for me— Master, my
Master. Mary, His Mother, is with Him at that moment, not in
body, but in heart; and even in her triumph and joy caring for this
{X)or repentant sinner, loving her whom her Son loved, and glad that
He should leave herself because He was pleased to be hind to poor
Magdalen.
So also is she willing to procure joy for me, and to let her Son come
to me and call me by my name, if only through the faithful following
of her teaching, and the imitation of her life, I can bring myself to
acknowledge her Son as my Master in all things. My Master He is in

prayer, letting no business interfere with it. My Master in charity,
never thinking of Himself. My Master in prudence and reasonable-
ness, never asking another to do what He Himself is not willing to do.
My Master in fortitude when His Father's business demanded it. Thus
He must be to me a Master indeed, and His Mother will teach me how
I am to follow Him in all things till I am able to rise from the grave
to self, and can bring His joy into other lives.
Mary! loving all those who love thy Son; unselfishly letting
Hail,
Him go from thee for another's sake as thou didst unselfishly let Him
leave thee to be crucified.Full of grace and willing to use the grace
given to thee for others and for me also, dear Mother. The Lord is
with thee and last and always, but especially when He is kind to
first
those that love Him. Oh send Him also to me, that I may love Him as
—
Magdalen did wholly, without reserve, giving up at His word all other
love. Let me be ready to give up whatever He may ask me that He
may visit me and call me by my name. Blessed art thou amongst
women, teaching all, and me in particular, what it is that Jesus loves,
and what He wishes me to do that I may be worthy to Imow Him.
Blessed is the fruit of thy ivomh, Jesus. Blessed in the Ivype he has
given me by His Resurrection; blessed in the love He has taught me
by His care for thee and Magdalen and the poor frightened Apostles.
Holy Mary, knowing God's ways and detennined not to hinder them
for the sake of any joy of thy own. Mother of God and my Mother,
showing me Jesus. Teach me how to love Him and serve Him unsel-
]18 LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
fishly, purely, carefully. Pray for us
and especially for me,
sinners,
as thou didst pray for Magdalen, converting her from sin by tliy pray-
ers, and rejoicing her heart by thy generous gift of thy Son. Pray for
me, dear Mother, that I may not hesitate to give up my own joy when
it is for another's good. Now, when joy is very precious tO' me that I
may not think too highly of it, and may not value it, however great it
may be, above the love of my Lord. And at the hour of my death,
when shall triumph over death and come to thee. Make me happy
I, too,
in that hour by sending me Jesus to comfort me and to call me by my

name, that I may go to Him and be with Him for ever and ever. Amen.
—
Acts. Jesus, my Master, take possession of me. Teach me and
guide me, my Lord and Master. Teach me all goodness, and let me
not reap only sorrow and anxiety from your service, as I have so often
done hithertoi. In your goodness give me some little of the joy of your
Resurrection.
2. The Ascension
OtTK Lord had been for forty days with His disciples. He had con-
firmed them in the faith He had given to them. He had continued His
instructions, and after the Passion and Resurrection they were more
capable of understanding Him. He had brought many things to their
minds which they had heard and forgotten or only partially under-
stood, and now He is going to leave them. He had promised to be with
them always even to the end of the world, but it was expedient for them
that His bodily presence should be taken from them. It was necessary
that they should fight the battle of their life, not indeed without His
help, but stillmanner by themselves. "It is expedient for you
in a
that I go." Our Lady, too, had enjoyed much intercourse with Him,
and had learnt how she might be of use to the young Church how she ;
might see it through its first fervor; how she could help to keep alive
Son had implanted in the hearts of His followers. Our
the ideals her
Lord gave them all His last instructions, and as He was sijeaking to
them He raised His hands in blessing, and whilst He blessed them He
Himself was raised from the earth, and a cloud received Him out of
their sight.
Our Lady, the disciples, and the holy women kept their eyes fixed
upon Him as long as He was to be seen, and they were brought to the
earth again by the voices of the angels, who told them of His second
coming, and warned them that they must prepare for that coming by
fidelity to the And they went with great
teaching they had received.
joy to Jerusalem. Our Lady,
was full of joy, for she knew it was
too,
the will of God that she should remain and do much for her adopted
children.
Hail, Mary! in thy new life separated from and yet most united to
thy Son. Teach me to bring Him into my life ; to receive His blessing
with joy. Full of grace, the dispenser of grace in this new, lonely, but
most happy life. The Lord is with thee as He may also be with me,
blessing all me to labor for His interests, quietly, unob-
I do, inspiring
trusively, leaving thereward to Him, wholly trusting Him; trusting
all those who lead me to Him. Blessed art thou amongst ivomen, left
forlorn as so many are, such as are wives and mothers, having only
Jesus to trust in. Teach me to know Him and to love Him though I
see Him not.
Blessed is the fruit of thy iromh, Jesus. Blessed because of His
kindness to me; blessed because of all the helps He gives to me; blessed
especially because He has not left me an orphan. O Jesus! leave us
not orphans spiritually. In Thy goodness and Thy kindness be good
and kind to Holy Mary, even here willing only what God wills.
me.
Willingly taking St. John and the rest of the disciples and me instead
of Jesus. Oh, teach me to do God's will always. Mother of God and
my Mother Mother of God, and yet letting Jesus leave thee. Ah let
; !
me not leave thee, dear Mother. Let not those I love leave thee. Be
kind, too, to those who' have no one to love them. Do thou love them
and help them. Pray for us sinners, for me who so easily lose all
thought of Jesus after Holy Communion or after prayer. Pray for
me that I may always live with my Lord present in my heart. Nou\ in
joy and sweetness of a new life; and at the hour of death, pray for m*
that with thee and all the Saints I may be imited tO' Jesus for ever and
ever. Amen.
-ic^s.— Jesus, in your glory do not forget me. Though you are with-
drawn from my sight let me not forget you. Still make your home in
my heart, and rule everything I do. I can do nothing without you.
Keep me constant by your divine example. How much I have to thank
you for, Lord You have always been most kind. Let me not by my
!
120 LTUET FROM THE ALTAR.
negligence force you to say,
'
' I know you
But in your own time
not.
'
'
receive me you have gone to prepare for me. Mary, my

to the place
Mother, be as interested in my life as you were in the life of the infant
Church.
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost

Ten days after the Ascension our Lady and the disciples were gathered
together. They had sjjent the time since our Lord had gone from them
in prayer. "They were always
in the temple praising and blessing
God." On morning of the feast of Pentecost they were gathered
the
together. They did not know how the Holy Spirit was to come to them.
They were quietly waiting because of their great trust in our Lord.
Yet the Holy Sjîrit came suddenly, not without warning, for they had
been told, yet suddenly. They were all prepared. There was no
traitor among them, and therefore they all received according to their
needs and the needs of the Church. Tlie Holy Spirit brought them
the confirmation of their faith and fortitude which should enable them
to preach the faith to others. He instilled into them the spirit of kind-
ness and consideration of which our Lord had given them so many ex-
amples. Hitherto the Apostles had been inclined to be self-assertive,
even when they were so weak. Now in the strength brought them by
the Holy Spirit they were humble and meek, after the example of our
Lord; and because of that humility and meekness they were made
strong to do the very arduous work before them. Our Lady had from
the first learnt the sweet humility of her Son, and therefore when the
disciples failed she had always been strong, for she relied not at all on
herself.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, ever growing in grace, knowing thy dignity
and thy strength as the Mother of Jesus, yet relying on thy humility,
teach me to be humble of heart. Teach me to rely no longer on my-
self, but on the grace given to me by my Lord. The Lord is uith thee by
His Holy Spirit. The Lord has always been with thee, never leaving
thee. Get me the grace to be so careful and conscientious a follower
of thee that the spirit of my Lord may he with me the spirit of re- —
liance on His priests; the spirit of humility and trust in Him. Put
aside in me all self-assertion, and let me learn the kindness and meek-
ness which Jesus taught. Blessed art thou amongst women. Blessed
THE TRUE CATHOLIC. llil
in thy strength which is not thine but God's, the only source of true
strength. Blessed in thy weakness so readily acknowledged, so thank-
fully accei>ted. Blessed in thy dealings with the disciples. Take me
also under thy guardianship. Blessed is the fruit of thy icomh, Jesus,
promising the Comforter and sending Him according to promise.
Blessed in His care for me; blessed for the joy and comfort He has
sent me. Holy Mary, Mother of God, and apparently not needing
another incoming of the Holy Ghost, but receiving Him for
our sakes. Never content with the amount of grace received,
ever oiêning thy heart for more, make me also ready to accept
the graces Jesus offers me, though they may cost me trouble,
and perhaps anxiety. Pray for tis sinners, especially for me, so care-
less of grace, so easily kept by human respect from using the means of
grace, so easily turned from prayer. Pray for me, dear Mother, that
I may ever enlarge my heart for the grace of fortitude and of meek-
ness so that I may grow more and more like to Jesus and dear to Him.
Noic, whilst the spirit of Jesus is with me that I may corresiônd with
that grace and merit all that is needed for my life hereafter. And at
the hour of my death, that then, too, the Holy Spirit may strengthen
me and make me cheerful to accept God's will. Amen.
Acts. — O Jesus, I thank you for your kindness in sending the Holy
Spirit upon and ujwn the Church. Send Him also to me.
the Apostles
Let Him bring all things to my mind that I may never forget your
holy law. Holy Spirit, come to me and make me constant in prayer.
Make me constant in humility and in love of the holy Church. Make
me mindful of all that you are doing for the Church now. Let me see
your influence, and thank you for it always.
4. The Assumption
When the time of her death appointed by her Son arrived, it found
our Lady full of ever-increasing graces, ready to join our Lord in
heaven. That her pure soul should go to heaven where it had been in
desire during her whole life, it was necessary that she should die. The
separation of her most pure soul from her most chaste body she offered
as a last sacrifice to her divine Son. The discii^les laid her body in
the tomb, and some few days afterwards, coming to the tomb to satisfy
St. Thomas's devotion, they found the body was not there, and con-
cluded that their Lord and Master had given His divine Mother this
last privilege, and taken her body into heaven so that she might at once
enjoy the and complete glory destined for her in body as well as in
full
her soul. Our Lord wished for His own sake that our Lady should be
body and soul in heaven. He desired the same also for our sakes. She
was designed by God as the dispenser to His personal favors to us;
and as He took our flesh that He might be in perfect human accord with
us, so He wished His Mother to be to us not a separated soul, however
holy, but a complete being, body and soul. He wished this in order
to inspire us with more confidence in her.
Hail, Mary! my Mother, my advocate at the throne of God, gain for
me some of the strong desire that filled thy breast, to' be near thy Son,
to know Him and love Him in a close personal love. Teach me to be
afraid when I find myself forgetting Him. Full of grace, by which
thou wert so closely joined to God. Help me who am so far away from
Him, who so often forget Him and His interests. Beg of Him to jxiur
His grace into me that I may have some of that personal love of Him
which filled thy breast. The Lord is uith thee for ever now. Ah! if I
should ever leave Him, let the love of Him which I desire, and which
thou wilt obtain for me, bring me back again to Him. Blessed art thou
amongst women. Blessed on earth, doubly blessed now in heaven.
Blessed by thy close personal union which Jesus allowed thee, and
which thou didst guard so well. Let me also live always with my Lord,
and be blessed in a like manner. Let nothing come between Jesus and
myself; let nothing take my heart from Him. Blessed is the fruit of
thy womh, Jesus. Blessed for His love of thee which would not let
Him leave thy most pure body in the tomb. Blessed for the love He
has also for me. How kind He has been to me! Kind always, kind
everywhere. May I never lose that kindness. What a thought that I
may, if I am make my kind Jesus angry with me!
not careful, Holy
Mary, so humble though God wishes to glorify thee, even here cheer-
fully submitting to His will. Let me and commendation
also take praise
in the same spirit as tliou didst, passing it all on to my Lord. Mother of
God, having power with Him, power to command. Use thy power for
me. Let me ever advance in the love of my Lord till I may love Him with
the same personal, intense love which belonged to thee as His mother.
tasifSi
THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

(ST. MARY HELP US,^
Pray for us sinners, and most especially for me who am so kindly

treated by my Lord tliat I may not become unworthy of His favors.
No IV, when I feel His love and thine helping me, that I may prepare
myself for a time when things may not be so easy. And at the hour of
death, oh, pray for me then that I may go to Jesus to be with Him for
ever and ever. Ahncn.
Acts.—Hom good of you, Lord, for my sake, to take your Virgin
Mother into heaven body and soul You show me. Lord, that you wish
!
for my personal love and service.

Dear Mother Mary, I congratulate you on this gi'eat favor. Inter-
cede for me, dear Mother, that my body may not be to me a drag in
my s]>iritual life.
5. The Coronation
When our Lady entered heaven it was fitting that she should be
acknowledged as the Queen of Heaven, and therefore we love to think
of the glory given to her by her Son under the image of the greatest
earthly glory. She is the Queen of sanctity, and as such has a partic-
ular regard for all who are striving to follow her in the iâth of per-
fection. She is our patroness and protectress. Amid all her glory she
thinks of us— our wants and difficulties. Eaised so high in heaven
she sees all the more clearly our troubles great or small, and takes not
only a imiversal interest but a most i>ersonal and particular interest in
all that concerns us. As Queen of heaven and dispenser of the mani-
fold gifts of grace won by her Son, she is able to help us at all times.
She will use her power to the full if we will only acknowledge her queen-
ship and unite with all the Saints in giving her all the glory in our
power.
Hail, Mary, surrounded by the saints, let me be among those who
stand about thee. Ftdl of grace, empty of self that grace might take
the place of self. Look upon me so full of self that grace can find very
little room. Help me, dear Mother, to root out of myself my own will
so that I may be filled with thy spirit which is the Spirit of God. The
Lord is ivith thee, now for ever, thy crown and thy joy. Thou hast
been the cause of our joy. Be ever, dearest Mother, the cause of joy
to me may have my Lord always
that in gladness, casting aside fear, I
with me. Blessed art thou amongst women^ showing us how we mayi
share in thy blessedness by not seeking self, but by seeking Jesus thy
Son. Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Blessed in His suffer-
ings ; blessed because He has prepared a place for me in Heaven. Let
me not make myself unworthy of Him and thee, dear Mother. Holij
Mary, ever seeking God and His will in joy as in sorrow, Mother of
God, now that thou art in heaven and enjoying to the full the company
of thy Son, look down upon me so much in need of encouragement, aiid
give me some little of thy joy that I, too, may have Jesus with me.
Pray for us sinners, and especially for me, that I may cheerfully and
joyfully do the work God has given me, for thou knowest so well the
value of cheerful service. Thou knowest that I lose much by want of
cheerfulness, lose much for myself, and lose also' the power of bringing
joy to others. Noiv, in my little daily crosses, in my want of sympathy
with those around me; help me to bear ray own trials bravely that I
in my turn may by God's grace help others. And at the hour of my
death, do not forget me then. Take me under Thy siêcial care in that
hour that full of joy I may come to thee, not repining at the loss of
anything on earth, but rejoicing to come to Jesus and thee for ever.
Amen.
Acts.— Jesus, my King and my God, I thank you for the honor you
have done to your Mother. In your mercy allow me, unworthy though
I am, to join you and your Saints in thus honoring the Mother you
have given to me.
]\Iary, my Queen and my Mother, have a care for me. Bring me
nearer and nearer to your Son day by day. Grant me so to persevere
in my devotion to you that I may be acknowledged as your devoted
servant, your subject, your child.
lEE TRUE CATHOLIC. 125
The "Our Father"

Besides the ''Hail Mary" the "Our Fattier" enters into the holy
Rosary, so that these little helps would not be complete without some-
thing about this prayer being said.
The great beauty of the "Our Father" is that it was given to the
disciples by our Lord Himself, and in answer to the request that He
would teach them how to pray.
It may be used in so many ways. It would be too long to give a
paraphrase of "Our Father" for each mystery. But the general in-
tention of the Eosary, as explained in the Introduction, will allow us
to use it in relation to the Life of our Lord.
Our Father, shown to us by Thy Son in His life amongst us, mani-
fested by Him as Thou wert never known by men before, encourage
us to think of Thee under this loving title ; no longer to stand in dread
of Thee as the Almighty God, but run
Thee always
to be willing to to
as our Father icho art in heaven, yet coming to us at all times, and
taking Thy rest in our hearts with Thy Son and Thy Holy Spirit, mak-
ing our hearts glad. Give me grace so to imitate Thy Son Jesus that
where Thou| art I may be with Thee.
Hallowed be Thy name. To praise Thy holy name must be the
work of my life. Let me leara how to honor Thy name by studying
the method which Thy own Son has taught me in His life. This, I
know, my Father, is Thy wish, for it was Thou who didst send Him
to us that we might learn how Thou dost wish us to honor Thee.
Thy kingdom come, in the world, in the Church, and in the hearts
of men. Set up Thy kingdom in my heart. Establish Thy throne there
that I may give Thee all honor at all times in Thy own palace. Let
me be Thy own, subject to Thee at all times and in all things. Grant
me so to live that the kingdom of my Lord and Savior, Thy Son,
may be established forever in me, that I may do nothing but what Thou,
my King and Father, wishest me to do. Ah, me, how often I have re-
and tried to set up another king, even myself in Thy place That
belled !
Thy kingdom may be with me always grant Thy will be done. I must
not tiy to bend Thee to my have tried to do so often in my
will as I
prayers, but in searching lovingly in the life of Tliy Son which was
lived from first to last to do Thy will, I will try to' learn what Thy
divine will is. In my prayer to Thee I will try to leave what may seem
to me to be worth praying for that Thou mayst do just Thy will with
me in all things.
T% will he done, then, on earth here where Thou, art hidden
from
us, though so close in love and care; here where we must search and
take trouble to find out what Thy will is; here where we may make
mistakes as to what Thy divine will is. As it is in heaven— there, there
will be no difficulty, Father. There we shall see Thee even more
plainly than we sec our Lord Thy Son, for we shall have Thy will in us.
Would that it were so now that I might so have Thee in the centre of
my soul that my will should be Thj will, and the whole force of my will
should be that it was Thine, wholly resigned to Thee, moved only by
Thee, directed only to Thee.
Give us this day our daily bread, not only the food of the body which
we take from Thy hand, but that bread of life which Thy Son, urged
by Thee, siôke amongst us: "I speak the things My Father gives me
to speak." And not only this blessed bread of the word of Thy Son
and Thy word, given me each day in my prayer, but give me also daily
that other Bread which is no longer bread but the Body of Thy Son, if
not in the Holy Sacrament, at least spiritually. Give me a great desire
for this Bread of life and salvation.
And forgive us our trespasses, the daily, hourly infidelities I am
guilty of. It is good for me that I fail so often. Father, for my failure
forces me to fly to Thee for forgiveness. Eemember me, my God, Thy
son. Thy child, however erring and wilful, and help me to turn to
Thee and never to be tired of turning to Thee again and again, for
I know that Thou Make my faults less and less that I
lovest mercy.
may more when I do fail. As tee forgive
readily obtain forgiveness
them that trespass against us. Let me leam Thy own forgiving way,
dear Father. Tliou art so kind make me kind after Thy example, that
;
I may be ready to forgive if any offend me. Make me forgive without

reserve as freely and as completely as I hope Thou liast forgiven me.
And lead us not into temptation. How can I expect my Father
to lead me into temptation unless it be for my good? If I am to be
subjected to this trial do Thou, Lord, uphold me and let me trust in

Thee and turn at once to Thee. HowThy Son allowed the
lovingly
disciples to be tempted that they might learn their own weakness and
be forced to see that their whole strength lay in trust in Thee Do not !
let me fail in any temptation that may be for my good.
Deliver us from evil, more esiêcially evil of the soul, which is sin.
May Iby Thy power be kept free from all wilful sin. If it be Thy will,
let other evils come upon me, but be gentle with me, Father, for I am
so weak and unless Thou support me I shall be able to bear but little.
;
Help me, then, and strengthen me, and purify me by suffering if it

be Thy holy will, but do not let me ever leave Thee whatever pains I
have to bear. Thy will be done. Amen.
The Eight Beatitudes

(Matt. V. 3—10)
These are Christ's Commandments to His elect.

They are Commandments each "with a promise."
They are thus the Gosi)el of God in short, the "glad tidings"
brought us by the "orient from on high."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit"— those that in poverty are con-
tented in it ; those that in wealth use it not for themselves but for the
glory of God and the succor of God's little ones; those especially that
give up all to follow Christ— "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are the meek"— those that return good for evil, that for-
give injuries, that pray for their calumniators and enemies— "for they
shall possess the land."
"Blessed are they that mourn" — that grieve for sin, that deplore
the injury they and others have done to God— "for they shall be com-
forted."
"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness"—
who long not for pleasure or earthly gain, but long to be better and
better, to "go from virtue unto virtue," to "be justified still," and
"be sanctified still" further— "for they shall be filled (with the
righteousness they long for).
''Blessed are the merciful"— that show comiâssion to the frail,
the faltering, the suffering, and the poor that do the works of mercy,
;
corjaoral and spiritual

—"for they shall obtain mercy."
"Blessed are the clean of heart"— they that love holy purity; they
that are chaste in body and chaste in soul; they that are virgins in
will as well as in act— "for they shall see God."
"Blessed are the peace-makers"— they that love the peace of God;
they that lead men to peace by leading them to truth they that make
;
men to be at peace with God and at peace with each other— "for they
shall be called the children of God."
"Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake"
—that follow truth, obey the Faith, refuse to sin, and are, therefore,
persecuted by the wicked— "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
These Beatitudes, then, are so many modes of practising Charity
or love towards God; so many calls to perfection; so many command-
ments to those to whom
God's merest wish is law; so many paths
towards heaven; so many promises and pledges of future glory, be-
cause so many means of actually foretasting here below the joy and
the blessedness of heaven, as the ex^jerience of the saints has abun-
dantly proved.
A Simple Method of Confession
CHAPTER VII
PREPARATION FOR CONFESSION
We are going to confession. We have offended God by breaking

His Commandments, and by so doing we have hurt our own souls. But
thanks to His goodness and pity for our weakness, He is ready to for-
give us and to make us well and strong again, no matter what we have
done to hurt ourselves. "Come to Me, child," He says to us tenderly,
"and I will put you right again." He promises. He does not say
"lêrhaps." And so we do not hope, but know for certain that we shall
be put right if ice For the sacraments alicays give grace
do our part.
to those who receive them worthily. We come to Him, then, joyfully,
asking Him to do His part, and promising to do ours, which we know
consists of four things
We must heartily pray for grace to make a good confession.
I.
II. We must carefully examine our conscience.

III. We must take time and care to make a good act of contrition.
IV. We must resolve by the help of God to renounce our sins and
to begin a new life for the future.
I. WE MUST PRAY FOR GRACE TO MAKE A GOOD CONFES-

SION.
Because this is an important work and we can do no good work
without the help of God's grace. Because it is sometimes difficult to
tell our sins. And because prayer is the means fixed by God for get-
ting His help. "Ask," He says, "and you shall receive." You may
say one of the hymns to the Holy Spirit,
or
I believe that there, behind the tabernacle door, is the Judge of the
living and the dead, before whom I shall have to appear when I die, to
129
give an exact account of my wliole life. I believe that He will have to
judge me then with strict justice, that there will be no time foT confes-
sion and contrition then. O my Judge and my Savior, now while I
have time, help me to find out my sins and to confess them with true
sorrow, that I may stand without fear before You in the terrible hour
of judgment.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me a sinner now and at the
hour of mv death.
II. WE MUST CAREFULLY EXAMINE OUR CONSCIENCE.
you go to confession frequently, and always examine your con-

If
science at your night prayers, preparation for the Sacrament of
Penance becomes very easy. You come to it with the work half done.
Set to work briskly the minute you get into church, not looking about
and wasting time in distractions, but beginning at once with the first
of the four jDoints. Follow some order in the arrangement of what you
have to say— the ten commandments of God; the six precepts of the
Church; the seven deadly sins; or— to cover the same ground in an-
other way— your duties (1) to God; (2) to your neighbor; (3) to
yourself. Your sins will thus remain in your memory, and when your
examination is finished you will be able to leave them quietly and turn
to your next point. Without an orderly arrangement, examination of
conscience becomes difficult and wearisome, and even when it is fin-
ished, you will be running after your sins instead of thinking how to
get rid of them. Your sins have been called to mind in the examina-
tion of conscience which, of course, you make every night, and a veiy
short time will bring them before you now. For a month's confession,
eight or ten minutes, given in a businesslike way, to examination of
conscience, is enough. Give the rest of the time, another ten minutes,
to your contrition.
Wlien we have not been to confession for some time, and even in our
preparation for our weekly confession, we may sometimes find it useful
to recall the places we have been in, and the persons we have met.
This helps us to remember our sins. Any circumstance that changes
the kind of a sin and makes it much worse, e.g., striking a parent, steal-
ing anything belonging to a cliureli, must be mentioned; and as far as

we can we should say the number of times a sin has been committed.
After reasonable care has been given to examination of conscience, a
sin forgotten is forgiven. Only, if a mortal sin were to come to mind
later, we should have to confess it in our next confession, because
eveiy mortal sin must be confessed once.
Mortal means deadly. Three things are required to make a mor-
tal sin: (1) grave matter; (2) full knowledge; (3) full consent.
(1) Grave matter— the must be a gTievous sin, that is, the
sin
thought, word, action, or omission, must be something of very great im-
portance, going to Communion after breaking the fast; stealing a
e.g.,
large sum, or a small sum from a person extremely jjoor.

knowledge— not done by mistake or before we knew clearly
(2) Full
what we were about. The mind must think of the act and of its sin-
fulness at the time the act is done.
(3) Full consent— the act must deliberately agree to the tempta-
tion, whether of thought, word, or deed.
If there was not full knowledge, or full consent, but hesitation in
rejecting the temjjtation, or only half consent, the sin is venial, not
mortal, the soul is injured but not killed.
Venial means pardonable. Tliis sin is so called because it is more
easily pardoned than mortal sin. A lie of excuse, a small injury to our
neighbor, do not turn the soul away from God like mortal sin, and
therefore do not take away sanctifying grace. Nevertheless venial sin
is a great evil and should be repented of sincerely. It displeases God,
deprives the soul of many graces, weakens it by taking away its fear
of offending God, and in this way often leads to mortal sin. No one
ever comes to mortal sin, except through carlessness about venial sin.
Each venial sin deserves its own temporal punishment, and will pro-
long our purgatory.
The law of God
that every mortal sin is to be confessed and ab-
is
solved once. But

would not be safe to confess those sins only which
it
we know for certain were mortal, because we are so apt to deceive our-
selves. The only safe practice is to confess whatever is on our eon-
science —
and gives us trouble certain things as certain, doubtful things
as doubtful. Those who keep things back, who have secrets about their
sins, or try to settle their doubts themselves, are very unhappy. They
find confession a torture, they lose their peace and their confidence
in God, and perhaps give up His service altogether.
We are not bound to confess our venial sins, but it is well to do so.
A good practice is to pick out two or three of the chief ones and try to
]ye sorry for them. This is better than spending much time in trying to
remember them all.
EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
I. DUTIES TO GOD.
Confession. How long is it since my last? Did I do the four things
by way of preparation? Did I leave out anytliing I ought to have told?
Did I take time and care to make a good act of contrition? T\Tiat was
my purpose of amendment like? Did I say my penance carefully?
Communion. Did I make the usual acts before and after? And how?
Prayers. "When I kneel down to pray do I remember that I am
going to speak to God, and make at least a good start? Do I say my
prayers in a hurry, or looking about all the time? Have I said my
morning and night prayers, and without wilful distractions? Have I
examined my conscience at night and made a real act of sorrow for
my sins? Have I laughed or talked in church, or shown any irrever-
ence during Mass or Benediction? Have I done anything to distract
others at prayer? How do I listen to sermons or catechism? Have I
said grace before and after meals as I ought?
Havedone or read anything likely to injure my faith?
I
Have
I spoken with disrespect of God, or of holy things? Have I
said bad words?
Have I stayed away from Mass on any Sunday or Holyday of Ob-
ligation? Have I been late on these days, or inattentive?
II. DUTIES TO MY PARENTS, XEIGHBOR AND SUPERIORS.
Have I disobeyed parents, or any one else in authoritj^ over me?

Have I provoked them, or shown disrespect in word or manner? Have
I caused them great sorrow, or not helped tliem when they were jjoor,
or old, or sick? Have I done what I was told at once, or been anor^'
or answered back? Have I been obstinate, sulky, or impertinent when
told of my faults? Have I deceived my parents or those who are over

me!
Have I been in a ijassion? or kept up bad temper for a long time?
Have I struck any one or quarrelled? Have I called people names, or
in other ways provoked them? Have I wished harm to any one? Have
I refused to forgive? Have I given bad example to any one by word
or conduct? Or shared in any sin by proposing it, by defending it, by
silence, or in any other way? Have I done anything to spite my par-
companions?
ents, teachers, or
Have from studying, or working, or in any way
I prevented others
doing their duty? Have I ridiculed others for doing good?
Have I given unnecessary trouble to jjarents or superiors?
Have what did not belong to me, without
I stolen anything, or kept
trying to find the owner? Have
buying or selling? Have
I cheated in
I destroyed, wasted, or wilfully damaged things, or in any other way
been unjust in my dealings with my neighbor? Have I paid back
everything I owed?
Have I told lies, or lead others to tell them? (A lie of excuse that
does not harm another is a venial sin.) Have I told any lie that I
knew would be the cause of harm to another? (This is calumny, and
may be a mortal sin.) Have I made known any one's secret faults?
(This is detraction.) Have I injured my neighbor's character by
speaking ill of him, or listened loillingly to uncharitable conversation?
Have I judged anyone rashly, that is, thought ill of him without suffi-
cient cause? Have I made others quarrel, or made mischief by tale-

bearing?
Note.— If I have sinned by calumny, detraction, or theft, I must
repair as well as I can the harm I have done, and ask my confessor's
advice how to do it.
III. DUTIES TO MYSELF.
Have done anything wrong, by thought, word, or deed, against

I
purity or modesty? Have I got others to do wrong? Have I gone
with bad companions? or to dangerous amusements? Have I read bad
books, or given them to others?
Note 1.— A bad thought which is not wilful is no sin, but not to try
to put away the bad thought, to take pleasure in it, to consent to it
this is a sin.
Note 2.— Tale-telling to make mischief, or out of spite, is wrong.

But if you know of any immodest conduct or conversation carried on,
you must at once make it known to your parents, or those in authority,
and not fear to be called "tell-tale." If you neglect to do this, you
may become answerable for such sins by concealment.
Have I been vain of my abilities, my person, or my dress? Have
I despised others 1 Have I been jealous of others, or annoyed when my
companions were praised?
Have I committed sin by eating or drinking too much? Have I,
without leave, eaten meat on Friday, or on any day when it is for-
bidden? Have I kept the fasts of the Church unless lawfully dis-
pensed ?
Do I rise promptly in the morning, or am I lazy?
Have I been idle at my lessons? Have I stayed away from school
or kept others away?
Have I, through curiosity, read letters or anything I ought not to
have read? What about the duties and occupations of my daily life-
how have they been done— conscientiously, or carelessly? Have I
wasted time in ovennuch novel-reading, recreation, or in other ways?
What is my chief fault, from which most of the others come— pride,
anger, sloth, or what? Am I trying to conquer it?
Is there anything else I ought to confess, or as to which I want
advice ?
For parents and those in authority. —Do I see that all imder my
charge are properly cared for as to soul and body? that they are suffi-
ciently instructed, and have time for the discharge of their religious
duties? Do I watch over their companions, amusements, and reading,
and keep them as far as possible from idleness and occasion of sin?
Do I set them a good example ? Have I been excessive in reprehending
them, or neglected to give them just reproof?
For those who are employed.— Have I been disrespectful to my
employers? Have I wasted or wilfully damaged their goods? or allowed
others to do so? Have I stolen from them or given away their things
without leave? Have I been idle or careless at my work, or not done
what I was told to do ?
III. WE MUST TAKE TIME AND CARE TO MAKE A GOOD ACT

OF CONTRITION.
This is the chief part of our preparation, without which all the rest
is worse than useless. Not one sin will be forgiven without contrition.
And on the other hand, should any sin, even a grievous one, be for-
gotten after sufficient care, our act of contrition, which would include
that and every otlier grievous sin if we remembered it, would blot it
out.
The we must have is "a hearty sorrow for our sins, be-
contrition
cause by them we have offended so good a God, together with a fiitm
purpose of amendment." We get this sorrow by thinking of the
motives or reasons our faith puts before us for being sorry. Be sure,
then, to give yourself time, after your examination of conscience, to
think quietly over the motives for contrition.
The best motive for sorrow is God Himself —to be soi'ry for God's
sake, because He is infinitely good and deserving of all love, and be-
cause by sin we have displeased and disappointed Him whom we love.
This perfect contrition is so pleasing to God, that it obtains forgiveness
at once for all guilt, mortal or venial, even before confession and abso-
lution. If sufficiently intense, it remits all punishment too, eternal
and temporal. It remits more or less, according to our dispositions.
Imperfect contrition, called also attrition, is supernatural sorrow, but
chiefly for our own sake, because we have lost heaven, or deserved
hell or purgatory. Though less perfect than the other, it is good and
put into our hearts by the Holy Ghost. It will forgive venial sin and
remit a part of the temporal punishment, and is sufficient when joined
with confession and absolution for the forgiveness of mortal sin.
Our sorrow must include every mortal sin of which we have been
guilty. God cannot forgive some mortal sins and leave others unfor-
given. If we confess venial sins only, we must be sorry for at least
one.
God cannot forgive any sin, mortal or venial, without contrition.
It is a part of the matter of the sacrament. To make sure of our con-
trition, it is well to tell some sin of our past life for which we are truly
sorry and have reneived our act of contrition. We tell it, not to have
it forgiven, that was done long ago, but simply because of the obliga-
tion to have sorrow for at least one sin that we confess. Hence, to tell
it merely through habit and without having renewed our sorrow for it,
is of no use whatever.
We are to obtain contrition by earnestly asking for it, and by making
use of such; considerations as may lead us to it. "Ask," says our
Lord, "and you shall receive; seek and you shall find." We will ask
for it with all our heart, and we will seek for it by thinking over some
of the things which will move us to it.
"My God, give me tnie sorrow for having offended You. must I
come to You for it. I cannot get it by myself. But I know You want
to give it to me more than I want to have it. know there
I is nothing
You are so pleased to give. You tell me to ask and I shall receive, to
seek and I shall find, to knock and it shall be opened to me. I am
asking, seeking, knocking now. Give me what I want perfect con- —
trition for all my sins,sorrow for them because they have offended You
who Give me what I ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
'
are so good.
If we want to we must think quietly of the
be sorry for our sins,
motives or reasons why we should be sorry; we must tiy to find out

how bad sin is. It takes some thought to do this; well, we must give
the thought. Surely the great God of heaven and earth, who, if He
liked, might refuse to forgive us our sins, no matter how much trouble
we took, or how sorry we were, does not ask too much when He bids
us take a few minutes to find out the harm we have done ourselves and
Him, and to be soriy for it.
Any thought tlmt leads us to supernatural sorrow will serve our

purpose, and if one is enough we need not use more.
You may think how dreadful a thing sin is in itself; of the dismal
effects of mortal sin. How it kills the soul and deserves hell. How
it takes away the merit of our past good works, that is, makes us lose
the eternal reward gained by works we have done in a state
all the good
of grace. How it prevents any good work we may do whilst in a state
of mortal sin from meriting any eternal reward. Should not these
thoughts make us fear and hate sin above all other evils ?
Or take any thoughts about hell, purgatoiy, heaven, the sufferings

of Christ, the goodness of God. You need not use all, some will help
you at one time, some at another.
1. HELL.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the
heart of man what thingsGod hath prepared for those that love Him."
(1. Cor. 2.) Yes, and on the other hand— eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, nor can we have any idea of what
prepared after death for
is
those who have not loved Him, who die His enemies by mortal sin.
The Judgment is swiftly over, and before the friends on earth know
that the soul has left the body, it has gone to its place in hell, and begun
its eternity of misery. The exact nature of its pain we do not know,
but this we know, that our Lord always speaks of the punishment of
that fearful place as ire. "The wicked shall he cast into the furnace
of fire." (Matt. 13.) "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting
fire." (Matt. 25.)
Our Lord wants to frighten us about hell-tire noiv when the fear
will do us good, that we may not come to fear it when fear will be too
late. And words more fearful than the words about
so there are no
hell that fell from His gentle lips. "I am tormented in this flame,"
He makes the rich man say. "Every one shall be salted with fire."
"And the fire is not extinguished." "If thy hand scandalize thee, cut
it off; it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two
hands to go into hell into unquenchable fire." (Mark 9.) Fire— how
He repeats again and again that dreadful word! He wants to show
us that we must wrench ourselves free from books, amusements, com-
panions—things near and dear to us as hand or foot, rather than do
anything to deserve the awful punishment of the life to come.
And who are these that He wants to warn? Bad people only who
have no fear of mortal sin? No, but those too who are getting care-
less about venial sin, who say, "Oh, it is only a venial sin." He
showed St. Teresa the place in hell prepared for her if she had not
corrected a certain fault. The greatest saints must be afraid of hell.
"I say to you, my friends, fear Him who has power to cast into hell."
St. Paul was afraid, the saints were afraid. The catechism says hell
is one of the Four Last Things to be ever remembered. Why? That
we may all be afraid.
(tr
'The place of torments." Pain of every kind there. Pain most
awful in Pain never ceasing; always at a pitch of un-
its severity.
bearable intensity never a little less bad never soothed by hearing a

; ;
kind word never relieved by the least comfort, the least change. Paia
;
without merit; of no good to the wretched soul; not getting rid of its
guilt; not bringing it any nearer to the end of its punishment. Pain
such as this, unbearable from the first moment to go on for ever!
The pain of which our dear Lord speaks, whatever its nature may
be, reaches the soul. How, we do not know. But we know that the
pain it causes is more terrible by far than any pain of fire the body
can suffer. And even this pain is nothing compared with that which
makes hell what it is— the pain of Until we know who God is,
loss.
as He is known by all in the next world, we cannot understand in the

veiy least what the soul feels that has lost Him.
He is the life of all. The good have gained everything in gaining
Him. In losing Him, the wicked have lost"My God and my all!" all.
the saints exclaim in transports of joy. "Let me get to God," the

lost cry out in their suffocating agony, "I must, I will have Him."
They leap up each moment to reach Him, and each moment fall back
into the fire, wailing in their despair: "O God, whom I might have
loved— my God once, my God still— I have lost You, I have lost You
for ever, I have lost all —
and by my own fault!"
One most unbearable thoughts in hell, that place of bitter
of the
thoughts, is: "It is all my oivn fault! I need not have given way to
temptation. I should not have given way if I had prayed. I am lost,
(and for what? How long did the pleasure of a mortal sin last? I
am lost for so little, lost when I might so easily have been saved And !
now it is too late!" This thought those miserable souls have always
before them— /i is too late! What did the bad thief think of the choice
he had made, when he found himself in hell, and knew that his com-
panion of a few moments ago was in paradise with Jesus!
Is it not a fearful thought that I, I may be lost and go to hell!
Must I not hate and keep away from mortal sin, and be afraid of venial
sin?
ACT OF CONTRITION.
My God, because of the dreadful punishments which sia deserves,
I am heartily sorry for all my sins. Give me more and more sorrow,
and keep me from sin in the time to come.
2. PURGATORY.
Many people are more helped by the thought of purgatoiy than by
that of hell. They find purgatoiy teaches them more about the malice
of sin and makes them fear and hate it more.
The souls suffering in hell are the enemies of God. The holy souls
in purgatory are His friends and dear children. They love Him -mth
all their strength, and He loves them more tenderly than the fondest
mother ever loved her child. Yet see how He is obliged to treat them,
because, though their sins are forgiven, a debt of temporal punish-
ment remains.
The consequences of our sins do not end, assome of us seem to
think, with the confession of them. Sin and punishment go together
like aburn and pain. The first sacrament we receive takes away the
pain with the sin, but the Sacrament of Penance leaves a punishment
behind. We must try to bring home to ourselves the jiain of the pun-
ishment of sin in purgatory.
Purgatory is The exact nature of the suffer-
a dark close prison.
ings there we do not know, but Holy Scripture says some "shall be
saved yet so as by fire" (1 Cor. 3), and the greatest saints tell us that
the least pain there worse than anything that can l)e suffered in this
is
world. No words can tell what the poor souls endure. They hav^
nothing to do but to suffer intense and unceasing pain, without being
able to help themselves in the least. The pains of purgatory have to
be borne for months, years, perhaps centuries. Should not this thought
make us tremble! If I am careless about venial sin, how long I may
have to be there
From this terrible prison-house these souls cry to God, "Open to
us, Lord, open to us!" Oh, how they hate now the venial sins of
which they thought so little once. The
irreverence in church; the
wilful distractions in prayer
the unkindness to others in thought, and
;
word, and deed; the impatience when things were not to their liking;
the disobedience and disregard to parents; the bad example to com-
panions. "Oh, how foolish we were," they will cry, "not to believe
wliat we were told— that venial sin is not a little evil, but the greatest
in the world after mortal sin— that each venial sin has its distinct
debt of punishment to be paid either on earth or in purgatory!"
To come now to myself. What week will have
venial sins this past
to be punished by the grievous pains of purgatory, unless I do a will-
ing penance for them now? What venial sins must I avoid in future,
to prevent my debt of punishment from growing heavier ? Once inside
those gates my sorrow and good resolutions will be too late. Our
Lord will say to me: "The night has come, in which no man can work.
I tell thee thou canst not go hence till thou hast paid the last farthing. '
3. OUR HEAVENLY HOME.

Oh and sounds that come up before us when
the pleasant sights
we say the word "Home!" —
the favorite nooks, the delightful ram-
bles, the dear fireside, the faces of brothers and sisters, the familiar
voices, the freedom, the fun, the laughter. And, before and above all,
all in two words— father and mother!
"What is home?" a teacher asked.

"Where mother is," answered a little child.
And our Heavenly Home, what is tliat? Is it, as many seem to
imagine, mere freedom from pain, and sickness, and sorrow, and death
—a life without strife or care, without a moment's weariness or dis-
quiet—and that for ever? It is this, but much more than this.
It is the possession of every joy that our wildest dreams can picture,
joys of which God Himself can only speak as,
'
' The good things of the
Lord in the land of the living." (Ps. 26.)
It is to live in close and loving familiarity with angels and saints,
our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God.
It is to kneel at Mary's feet; to look up into her face; to hear her
words of love ; to feel the touch of her motherly hand.
be foT ever in the company of Jesus, among His dear and
It is to
chosen friends; seeing Him always; hearing His voice; receiving the
marks of His love, and loving Him ourselves with every power of heart
and soul.
It is to behold the unveiled Face of God; to know and love and

praise with unspeakable delight, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
who created, redeemed, and sanctified us, and made us for heaven and
for Himself. This is the joy that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor
heart conceived; the joy in which is all other joys, the joy that will
satisfy to the full every desire of the heart, and that for eternity.
Home is where our Father is, and therefore Heaven is Home.
This joy is the birthright of every baptized soul. It is my right.
A place in my Father's house has been prepared for me. It is known
there as mine, my name is written over it in letters of light.
But if ever I have committed a mortal sin, what have I done?
Thrown away my title-deeds to that place despised it consented never
; ;
to see it. "I cannot have it and the passing pleasure of this mortal
sin," I have said. "Well, let it go. God may give it to another for
all I care. I will exchange it for a place in the outer darkness, where
there is weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Angels and saints heard me and trembled. What if God should

take me at my word ? And why not f Why should my place in heaven
be kept for me? Thou hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of
heaven, the God that hath thy breath in his hand. (Dan. 5.) They
trembled; they waited. But why were not their swords unsheathed
against me? Why was not their eager zeal for God's glory let loose
to sweep me from off the earth into the place I had chosen? Wliy were
they thus patient with me? Because they always see the Face of my
Father who is in heaven. And they saw pity there. The Lord of
heaven is my Father— and He had patience. He would not take me
at my word. He would wait and call me back to Him, and give me
grace, and restore to me all I had lost, if only I would be soriy, and
let the Blood of Jesus flowing in the Sacrament of Penance make good
my losses and win back for me my place at Home.
4. THE SACRED PASSION.

good and useful to turn to hell and purgatoiy and heaven to
It is
find what we want— sorrow for our sins.
But the Sacred Passion of our Lord is more to us than all the
universe beside. There, if anywhere, we shall learn what sin is, by
what sin has done. There, if all other founts fail us, we shall draw
the sorrow we are seeking. But not all at once. It needs patient study
before it gives out its treasures. Above all, it needs the love that
dwells on detail. The reason why we can look at our crueifis unmoved
and unhelped, is the carelessness of our glance. If we would pass
slowly from wound to wound, we should find what we want before we
had gone far.
And so with the other scenes of the Passion. We look upon them
carelessly, as a whole. We try to gi-asp too much. If we would force
ourselvesnow and then to stay before one single circumstance of our
Lord's many pains, we should begin to understand something of what
He suffered for us, and to grieve for the sins which cost Him so much
to expiate.
Let us go to two or three of these scenes now, remembering that
when we have found what we want, we are to stay there, leaving the
remaining to be explored another day. Remembering, too, that it is
not enough to read, we must see; ive must feel.
THE SCOURGING.
See then at the foot of the marble steps leading from the balcony
of the governor's hall, a large court paved with reddish stones. At
one end a low pillar, not more than two
and a half in height, with
feet
an iron ring in the top. To this ring our Lord is fastened by His wrists,
so that His Sacred Body is painfully bent.
See those long lashes tipped with sharp pointed nails. They are
the scourges. Handle them, and think how they will rend and bruise
and tear to pieces when wielded by the strong arms of soldiers. Watch
these cruel men as they gather round their victim, whoi stands, as we
should, trembling and terrified, awaiting the first stroke.
Look at the scene in the courtyard as tlie scourgers begin their cruel
work. See how pitilessly, on back, and shoulders, and anns, their
furious blows are dealt. The delicate skin becomes red and swollen,
the Blood begins to trickle and flow down. Then the iron points fall-
ing thick and fast tear the flesh, until the sacred Body is one great
wound. And still they go on striking— striking on the open wounds.
The scourges and the ground are covered with fragments of His sacred
fleshthe Blood streams down upon the pavement.
;
No pity, no thought for Him, as the soldiers relieve one another.

From the sole of the foot to the top of the head, there is no soundness
—
in Him wounds, and bruises, and swelling sores.
And all for me! Do I thoroughly understand this? I believe it,
but have I evex' tried to make it real to myself? If I bad, I sbould

surely bate my sins wbicb bave been so cruel. I sbould love Him wbo
bas loved me so mucb as to bear tbis willingly for me.
my
Lord and my Savior, I do indeed bate my cruel sins wbicb
bave brougbt Tbee to tbis. How mucb it bas cost Tbee to undo tbe
barm tbat I bave done. Give me true sorrow for my sins and true
love of Tbee. And keep me from sin in tbe time to come.
THE CROWNING WITH THORNS.

Tbe scourging over, our Lord is loosed from tbe pillar. See Hiro
staggering feebly to find His clotbes wbicb tbe soldiers bave tbrown
bere and tbere. See Him trying witb weak and trembling bands to
lift tbe seamless robe over His bead, and bow tbe woolen tunic adberes
to tberaw wounds on every side. No pity, no belp, no word of comfort
from any. "I looked for one tbat would grieve togetber witb me
but tbere was none, and for one tbat would comfort me, and I found
none." (Ps. 68.)
Not only did He find none to pity Him, but a fresb torment, one
especially invented for Him, was at band. From tbe court of tbe
scourging He
dragged into tbe barrack-yard.
is
Jesus bad been called tbe King of tbe Jews. Tbe soldiers can get
some sfwrt out of tbis. Thej tbrow an old scarlet cloak on His
sboulders, seat Him on a stone bencb, and put His crown upon His
Head. Look at tbat crown. Feel it. A long spiny brancb of brier,
rougbly plaited into a wreatb— only rougbly, for tbe soldiers must
take care not to burt tbeir bands witb tbe tborns, wbicb in Palestine
are longer, sbarper, and mucb stronger. Tbey take tbis crown, put
it on His Head, axid. lest it sbould fall off, beat it down witb tbeir
sticks. Tbe tboras pierce His Head on every Tbrougb His bair
side.
tbe blood trickles down in many streams over His forebead, and with
tbe rusb of tears caused by tbe awful pain, fills His eyes and blinds
tbem. See His noble brow covered witb blood. His beautiful Face
on wbicb tbe angels desire to look, all spoilt and disfigured. His eyes
not knowing wbere to turn in tbeir intolerable agony. Tbink bow He
fixes tbem on you and asks you if you are not sorry for your share in
bringing Him to tbis.
It was for our evil thoughts He suffered in His Head. For our
vanity that His beautiful Face was disfigured and His eyes were filled
with blood.
See how in one mystery we may pass from pain to pain to feed
our loving sorrow. Tliis third among the sorrowful mysteries seems
to be a favorite with children. Ask them to which of the scenes in
the Passion they go by preference to gather sorrow for their sins, and
you will hear again and again: "Oh, to the crowning with thorns."
CALVARY.
And now Mount Calvary and stand beneath the cross

let us climb
as we might have stood that Friday afternoon long ago. The dark-
ness and stillness of night is all around. Eoman soldiers, Jewish
priests, the scofiSng Pharisees, the rabble, have been frightened into
silence. Look at Him as He hangs there, so white against the black-
ness, so still in His awful agony. Look at Him, and see how "from
the sole of the foot to the top of the no soundness in
head there is
Him, wounds and bruises and swelling sores." (Isaias 1.) The bleed-
ing hands and feet arrest our attention, and rightly. Yet we must
not forget that in this, the last scene of torture, the pains of every
other are renewed, and grow worse instead of lessening as the hours
drag on.
Look at His Head. For four hours it has borne its cruel crown,
a crown so often snatched off and put on again, so knocked about when
He fell, that the wounds it has made now number many hundreds.
He has nowhere to rest this aclijing Head. If He leans it against the
cross, the thorns are forced in deeper; if He lets it hang forward upon
His breast, the strain upon His hands becomes more intolerable.
See that pale, disfigured Face; the bruised sunken cheeks; tlie
parched lips; the eyes growing glazed and dim. "There is no beauty
in Him, nor comeliness, ...
no sightliness that we should be de-
sirous of Him." (Isaias 53.) And He was the most beautiful of the
children of men!
Each moment the nails driven into those delicate hands and feet
tear wider and wider the rent they have made. The wounds of the
scourging are smarting in the cold winds. The whole frame is quiver-
ing in its imbearable agoiiy. At ease on a soft bed, we cannot remain

long without turning. "VVbat was it to be stretched for three liours,
raw and bleeding as He was, on the hard, knotty wood of the cross!
"We shudder at the thought of a limb out of joint. What must it have
been to hang for three hours on those disjointed arms! We count it
a hardship to be thirsty on a hot day. What was the fierceness of the
tliirst which broke the silence of those uncomplaining Hjds!
And the sufferings of His Soul!

Pitied by none in that immense
crowd. Only words of mockery and hatred rising before His cross.
Only gall and vinegar lifted to His lips. Only four or five friends
true to Him, out of all the hundreds He had healed and helped. And
those few faithful ones, so far from being able to comfort Him, sorely
needed comfort themselves.
All He possesses on earth, His few poor clothes, are taken from
Him and divided among the soldiers. He has nothing left to Him in
the world. He lifts His eyes above th,e world. He seeks the Father's
Face— the Father whose will He has done so perfectly, so perseveringly
—to whom He has been obedient from His first breath in the manger
to this death on the cross. And that Face is turned away from Him.
He is treated as a sinner, as the chief among sinners, for all the sins
of the world are laid upon Him now. O sacred, suffering Soul of
Christ, who shall tell the anguish of Its desolation upon Calvary! See
Him as He drinks to the dregs this bitterest drop of His bitter chalice.
Hear the ciy of His breaking Heart: "My God, My God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me!"
The lightest pain suffered by Him who was God as well as man,
the least shedding of His most Precious Blood, was enough to redeem
a thousand worlds. But He would pour it out to the last drop, that I
might know how bad, how terrible a thing is sin.
Because I must be clothed with the best of everything— He must
hang naked on the cross
Because I am proud and desire to be thought better than I am—
He is treated as a sinner and a fool
For my greediness, His tongue is tormented with vinegar and gall,
His throat is parched with thirst
Because I like to be comfortable in everything and hate the least
little pain or inconvenience —
His shoulders are furrowed with stripes,
His hands and feet are bored with nails
Because I can suffer nothing at all in satisfaction for my sins— He
must be tortured from head to foot!
Because I have deserved to be abandoned by God— He is forsaken
by His Father in His honr of direst need!
All this for me! Oh, if I had seen Him on Calvary, and kno^vn His
pain was all for my sake, could I have found it in my heart to go away
and sin against Him! could I be as careless as I ami Was it worth
His while to show me so much love, for the little bit of love I have given
him in return?
Heneed not have suffered all this. He was not obliged to bear all
this for me. He might have left me to perish. But His heart would
not let Him. From the height of His cross He s&w all the ages to come,
all the men, women, and children that were to look to him to save them
from sin and hell. He saw me. He knew me just as I am. Did that
sight comfort Him 1 Or did His eyes fill with tears as He how
thought
little I should care for Him after all, how little I mind wounding His
Heart by my sins ?
But He saw me preparing for confession now. He saw I should
want now to be sorry for my sins. He was comforted by seeing me
kneeling here to-day.
5. GOD INFINITELY GOOD IN HIMSELF.

From seeing how good God has been to ns, we pass on easily to
think how good He must be in Himself.
God has given me all that I have my body, — my soul, my health,
my senses. He me my
has given father and mother, my home, my
friends, my education. How many see— children who have
children I
to save their souls as I have— yet who have fewer helps by far than
—
God has given me no one to love and care for them to teach, and to ;
warn them; to help them to get to heaven. What should I be now,

were I in their place?
God watches over me as the most loving of fathers, providing
plants, animals— all I need for food and clotliing; books, games— all
I need for my mind; the Sacraments, Mass, Benediction, Holy Com-
munion, holy inspirations and instructions— all I need for my soul. All
the beauty I see ia the sunshine and the flowei*s all that delights me ;
in scent or in song; all that makes me happy in the goodness and kind-
ness of others, is God's gift to me, to me, as if He had no one else to
think of. In everything He has made, He had me in view ; for me He
has heen contriving and planning as though I were alone in the world.
For notice this — if He weak creatures that
can be so good to little
can never be of any use to Him; if He wants to have them all round
and about Him in a happy eternity that He may delight in their joy-
how good He must be in Himself! Is it hard to be sorry for having
offended Him because He is good? Is not perfect contrition the easiest
as well as the best?
Should any one of these thoughts about hell, heaven, the sufferings
of our Lord, move you to sorrow for your sins, dwell upon it. You
need not go on to others, for you have found what you were seeking.
Many considerations are offered, not that you may wander through all,
but that there may be a variety to suit different tastes and moods. It
is because we huriy from one thought to anotlier, that we are moved
by none. The less we take to think about, the more fruit we often
find. But— the rule applies here as everywhere —nothing is to be found
without trouble.
Kemember, then, when you want to rouse yourself to contrition,
that it is not the number of motives you take, but the thoughtful jDon-
dering of one or two that will help you to wish you had never had any-
thing to do with sin, wish to tear yourself free of it, to hpte its bad work
in yourself or others.
You have noticed that these motives for sorrow mount like the
will
rungs of a ladder. All are useful and help us up to God. We should
use all, but not all at once. The highest is perfect contrition. Ask
God to put into your heart this best sorrow— sorrow for having offended
Him because He is so good.
My there were no hell or purgatory, no pain of any kind to
God, if
punish would be sorry for my sins because they have offended

sin, I
Thee who art so good. Give me more and more of this perfect sorrow,
and keep me from sin in the time to come.
IV. WE MUST RESOLVE BY THE GRACE OF GOD TO RE-

NOUNCE OUR SINS AND TO BEGIN A NEW LIFE FOR
THE FUTURE.
There can be no real sorrow for what we are going to take no pains
to avoid. If you are really soriy for having offended God by such and
such a fault, you will take reasonable care not to offend Him by re-
lêating that fault.
Eemember we have to make a purpose of amendment. Now a pur-
pose is not a mere passing wish, it is a strong intention or determina-
tion, it is the making up of our mind about something. Clearly then it
needs time and thought. This purpose, as has been said, is really part
of our act of contrition, for there can be no true sorrow for the wrong
we have done unless we intend not to do it again. Indeed, one of the
ways of testing the reality of our contrition is to see if we are going
to take any pains do better for the time to come. The purpose of
to
amendment we are bound to have is a firm determination to avoid all
mortal sin and the proximate occasions of mortal sin.
Any circumstance leading to sin is called an occasion of sin. It
may be proximate or remote. A proximate occasion is one which
usually leads us into sin. A remote occasion is one in which we some-
times though seldom commit sin. Persons, places, and things may all
become occasions of sin, some to one person, some to another. Certain
things, such as bad companions, improper conversations, bad books,
are always proximate occasions of sin. Each one of us is strictly bound
to avoid what is a proximate occasion of mortal sin to him. Some-
times by means of prayer, a more frequent use of the sacraments, and
other precautions, a proximate occasion may be made remote. But
should there be any person, place, or thing which, no matter what we
do, always leads us into mortal sin, we are bound to keep away from it
at any cost. Our Lord says, "If thy hand or thy foot scandalize thee,"
—that is, if something you care for as much as hand or foot, leads you
to commit sin— "cut it off and cast it from thee. It is better for thee
to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet to
be cast into everlasting fire." (Matt. 18.)
"We should, of coui'se, resolve to and if -we have

avoid venial sins too,
these only to confess we should pick out one at least and make a fii'm
resolve about that. If you cannot make up your mind what to choose,
think what our Lord woaikl advise, and you will make a good choice.
To be of any use, a resolution must be sensible. Here is one that
is not sensible: "I am never going to commit a sin again. I am going
to be bad in nothing and good in everything." The devil laughs at a
resolution like that. But if instead of this I say— "I will avoid that
dangerous occasion— I will say this aspiration when I am tempted —
willwatch over myself at such a time, or when talking to such a per-
son, so as to avoid thatfault— 1 will try to lessen the number of times
I fall and when I do fall I will come back to God at once with an act
;
of sorrow or love, and tiy again as if nothing had hapi>ened"— oh, the
devil does not laugh at this. He cannot afford to laugh. For this
means great loss to him, the overthrow of all his plans. Any one keep-
ing resolutions such as these will come safely out of all his temptations
and march over him up to a high place in heaven.
Kemember lastly, we are to resolve hy the grace of God to renounce
our sins. TTe cannot do it of ourselves, by our own strength. But
God has promised to help us always if we ask Him.
It need hardly be said that if our sorrow and puiiôse of amend-
ment are sincere, we shall be ready to do what is necessaiy to get our
sins forgiven and to amend our life. To refuse to forgive one who
has offended us, to give back ill-gotten goods, to restore as far as we
can a good name where we have taken it away by ealmnny or detrac-
tion, would i^rove that we are not really sorry for our sins, and there-
fore not in fit disi30sitions to receive the Sacrament of Penance.
Just before going into the confessional, make another hearty act of
sorrow for all you are about to confess, and for some sin of
the sins
your past life for which you are truly soriy. This confession of a past
sin is a most excellent practice, if we remember it is done for the sake
of arousing contrition. But nothing can be more useless— to say the
least— than to confess it merely by routine. Hence it is well in our act
of contrition to clearly include this sin.
150 LIGRT FROM THE ALTAR.
Instructions Before Confession
Remembei- once more that you are going to confess your sins to our
Blessed Savior, who is waiting to hear you, to help you, to absoive
you. Think of Him; tell it all to Him. This will take away any feel-
ing of fear as to what the priest may think or say. Never hide any-
thing in your conscience that makes it troubled or uncomfortable. If
you have any difficulty in telling any sin, or do not know how to say
it, begin with that sin, asking the jiriest to help you. Do not leave it
to the end. The priest will never be angrj^ with you. And as for a
littlepain or shame, we must willingly go through it to get the sin for-
given. Else we shall have the shame of hearing that sin told before
the whole world at the Last Day. One prayer Our Lady for
to help,
one brave effort, and you will be rewarded immediately by a

flood
of peace and happiness. Make each confession as if it were to be your

last. Leave nothing to be said at some future time— when you feel
—
better able to say it ^when you come to die. Clear up everything
now, so that whenever you leave the confessional you can say to your-
self: "If this should be the last time I ever receive the sacrament, I
think I could be content to meet our Lord at Judgment as I am now."
When Sins must, or may, be Confessed

Again.
First, If ever we knowingly leave ont a mortal sin in confession, or
if we receive absolution whilst knowing, that for some particular mor-
tal sin, or sins, we have no sorrow or purjiôse of amendment, we make
a bad confession.
In a bad confession no sins are forgiven, but another sin, a mortal
sin of sacrilege, is added to the fonner ones.
To be then restored to grace, we must confess both the sacrilege of
the bad confession and all our other mortal sins that have not been
rightly confessed insome former good confession.
To make a bad confession is a dreadful evil. Far better is it not to
confess at all. For when one bad confession is made, it is generally
followed by many others, and by many sacrilegious communions.
Second, Another and far happier reason for rejoeating our sins in
confession is, that, when we go to confession veiy frequently, we may
sometimes commit no sin of importance between one confession and
another. It is then needful, if we wish to be absolved and to obtain
the other graces of the Sacrament, to confess some sin of our past life
for unless some sin be confessed absolution cannot be given.
Third, And sometimes there is reason to make what is called a Gen-
eral Confession; that is, to confess all the sins of a year, of several
years, or of all our life, though our previous confessions have all been
good.
A General Confession is ad\nsable when it is likely to increase our
devotion, to make us realize our true spiritual state, to diminish our
scruples, or to contribute in any other way to our spiritual good.
A General Confession should only be made on rare occasions, as in
preparation for First Communion, or Marriage, or Holy Orders, or
the taking of religious vows, or Extreme Unction, or in time of mission
or retreat, and then with the consent of a prudent confessor.
The Sacramental Seal of Confession
The priest who hears a Sacramental Confession is bound, both

by charity, justice, the natural sanctity of a secret, the implied com-
mand of Christ, and by the esjjress law of the Church, never to
reveal —either by word, or sign, or gesture; for any possible reason;
to procure good, to avert evil ; neither under pain of death nor duiing
;
the lifetime, nor after the death of the penitent —without the }>enitent's
express consent, either any of the sins confessed, or anything confessed
about them, or in explanation of them, or the names or sins of accom-
plices, OT the penance imposed.
And the priest after confession cannot even speak to the penitent
on the sins confessed, unless it be for some very grave reason, and only
when he has the express permission of the penitent.
Likewise, all who by chance or wickedness overhear what is said
by the priest or penitent during confession, are boimd under pain
of mortal sin never to make it known.
How to Assist the Sick and Dying
CHAPTER VIII
ADVICE ON VISITING THE SIGK
Q. Is it a great act of charity to visit the sick?

A. It is doubtless a great act of charity to the sick, and highly
beneficial to those who practise it. Our blessed Savior assures us,
that what we do in this way to any of our Christian brethren, He
esteems as done to Himself. 1 was sick, and ye visited me, Mat. xxv.
36. And to encourage us in the practice of it, He declares in the
same chapter,, that the sentence of eternal happiness will be pro-
nounced on those who do to Him this charitable service in the persons
of His brethren; and that the neglect of it will be one cause of the
eternal reprobation of the wicked. To assist the sick, to relieve their
necessities, by ministering to them for the love of Grod as unto Jesus
Christ, is an act most agreeable in the sight of God, and one which
He will abundantly repay. But the most exalted charity to the sick
is to assist them in the conceras of their souls, and to help them to
prepare for a happy death. This may be done in various ways; by

encouraging them to suffer patiently; by exhorting them to perfect
resignation to the will of God; by suggesting to them good thoughts,
and pious acts of virtue particularly such as are most necessary for
their state, and by comforting them in their affliction. All are not
capable of doing this; but there are other acts of charity to the
—
sick which any one may perform such as, reading to them some
pious book proper for their state, particularly the passion of our
Savior in the Gospel, and praying with them.
152
ST. JANE FRANCES de CHANTAL
TEE TRUE CATEOLIC. 153
ADVICE TO THOSE ASSISTING DYING PERSONS.

Q. Is it a work of mercy tO' assist dying persons?
A. Most undoubtedly; it is one of the most charitable offices we
can do to our fellow-creatures in this world; for to die well is of
everlasting importance; our all is then at stake; our eternal life
is to be decided; eternal misery or happiness de^jends ujion it; con-
sequently, to assist our neighbor to die well is the greatest favor
we can do him. A dying person is exposed to many dangers from
mental and bodily weakness, and from the temptations of the devil
when the soul is between time and eternity; and therefore to
assist one to die well is most charitable act for
a ; Ee that is a
friend loveth at all times, and a brother is proved in distress, Prov.
xvii. 17. The Scriptures exhort to this great charity, saying, Com-
fort him (that is dying) in tlie departing of his spirit, Ecclus.
xxxviii. 24.
Q. In what does this assistance consist?
A. When the sick person receives the holy Viaticmn and Ex-
treme Unction, if he is capable of saying the prayers before and
after these sacraments, he ought certainly to do so; but it too often
happens that these sacraments are deferred till he is unable to collect
his thoughts, and in such cases the assistance to be given consists.
First, In reading beside the sick person the prayers before and
after receiving Viaticum and Extreme Unction. But as these prayers
are said for the sick, they must be read slowly, and with short pauses,
that they may fix attention and affection upon what is read. Should
weakness not allow attention of the sick to the whole at once, let it be
divided into different portions, and said at intervals, as one is able to
accompany them.
Second, In suggesting to the sick persons, from time to time, shert
acts of the virtues proper for them, in order tO' awaken their at-
tention to what most concerns them. This ought to be done slowly,
and in a plain and consoling tone of voice, in order to excite holy
affections in the dying soul, one or more acts being recited.
Third, ^Mien they fall into their agony, and are no longer capable
of receiving this assistance, what now ought to be done is, to frequently
154 LIGHT t'HOM THE ^LTAK.
sprinkle them with blessed water especially when in great suf-
fering; indeed this ought to be observed during the whole course
of the sickness. Frequently to repeat in the ear, in an audible and
distinct voice, the holy names of Jesus and Mary. To say the prayers
for the recommendation of a departing soul, in which all present should
join.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
When any one is in danger of death the first duty is to tell them
so. It is a cruelty and a crime not to let them know their danger,
whatever the doctor may sometimes say to the contrary.
If the danger is not immediate, get them first to settle their affairs
to arrange their family matters to pay their debts, and to be recon-
;
ciled to their enemies, if they have any.

Send for a priest as soon as possible.
Eead or say prayers. with the sick person; especially Acts of Cour
trition.
School-children ought to be taught to do these things. A^Tien
taught, they can often do them better than grown-up people. Some-
times friends and neighbors can do them better than near relations.
"When the priest is coming to give the last Sacraments, prepare for
him as directed on the following page.
"When the sick person is actually dying, and the jiriest is not pres-
ent, some one should read the Prayers for a Departing Soul.
HOW TO HELP A DYING NON-CATHOLIC

When a non-Catholic is dying, any Catholic, man, woman or child,
may help them to save their souls, should they manifest a desire for
spiritual help.
Tell tliem about the passion and death of Christ
How their sins helped to cracify Christ
How God is worthy to be loved and served for His goodness and
mercy.
In other words, suggest to them all the motives of Perfect Contri-
tion.
Make them acts of Faith in Christ, and in the truths of Faith,

for
as far as they know them; acts of Hope for the proper motives; and
acts of Perfect Contrition.
OTHER RECOMMEXDATIONS ABOUT THE SICK
Be always patient, kind, and generous with the sick.

Let nurses tend them with careful modesty.
Let none but good people come near the dying.
Let there be in their hearing no foolish or worldly talk.
Let a Crucifix or jdIous picture hang before them.
Take care not to catch their disease.
Take care not to breathe their breath.
Keep the sick room always neat and perfectly clean.
Keep it warm, with a fire if need be, but open the window some-=
times to let in fresh air.
As to food and medicine, do exactly as the doctor orders.
The Administration of the Blessed Eucharist and

Extreme Unction to the Sick and Dying
INSTRUCTIONS.
First, The sick-room ougTit to be clean and well ventilated, the

bed provided with clean covering and the patient washed and dressed
as becomes the dignity of the holy sacraments.
Second, A table ought to be placed in the sick-room near the
bed in such a way that it may be seen by the patient. Let the table
be covered with immaculate linen and upon it placed a crucifix be-
tween two wax candles, and a vessel of holy water with a palm branch
or any convenient sprig.
Third, Let the candles be lit before the entrance of the priest
into the dwelling of the sick person.
Fourth, The family should be present as far as possible during
the administration of the sacraments and offer their prayers for
the sick person.
Fifth, Let there be placed on the table a glass or a cup of pure
water and a piece of clean linen, the latter to be under the chin of the
sick person immediately before receiving holy conmiunion.
Sixth, As soon as the pi*iest arrives in the sick-room with the blessed
sacrament, all kneel down in reverence, and let them continue in this
position until the close of the sacred act, unless the sick person has
not yet received the Sacrament of Penance. In this event all will
leave the sick-room after the priest has blessed the patient with
holy water, and return to their kneeling position after the confession.
Seventh, If time and the condition of the sick person will permit it,
the preparatory prayers for Holy Communion may be recited by one of

the attendants before the arrival of the priest.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXTREME UNCTION.
Let there be on the table a plate with a little salt, and another
plate with some white cotton.
Besides washing the hands and face of the sick it is advisable to
wash also the feet, or at least wipe them with a moistened towel, after
removing the stockings.
After the anointing of the hands, let the counterpane at the foot
of the bed be turned up, in order that the priest may be conveniently
able to anoint the upper part of the feet.
Remark:— If the above can not be exactly observed in the event
of sudden sickness, let them be followed as far as is practicable.
1
THE SISTINE MADONNA
Golden Thoughts on the Principal Feasts of
Mother Church
CHAPTER IX
The New Year,

January 1.
New Year's Eve and midnight drawing near! Open the window
and solemn and joyous, over town and coun-
listen to the bells ringing
try. Wliy are they ringing! Night is the time for sleep and rest.
Why do they quiver in their lofty towers and bespeak attention when
men are weary? Quick, quick, the Old Year is dying. Let us fall
on our knees, and let us burden its speeding away with fervent prayer
for pardon, acts of loving contrition, and sincere thanksgiving. We
have received much from God —graces, and comfort. We have
helps,
offended often, falling from frailty, from passion, from sinful habit.
Come let us, weak children, make all right with our Heavenly Father.
Let us come close to Him and believe in His mercy and love. For
this is why the bells ring out to-night as the Old Year goes by, that
with sorrow and gratitude we may wipe away our errors and onr sins.
"Be merciful. Lord, to me a sinner," is the burden of our song.
Midnight strikes and still the bells ring on. Why do they not cease
with the Old Year? No, they may not cease yet; they have done but
half their task. Eing out a joyous peal, the New Year is coming, a gift
fresh from the hand of God, like a parchment rolled, unsullied, un-
marked by good or bad. "The bells promise this New Year to me—
my twentieth, thirtieth, sixtieth." Mark the "my." But how mucli
will be mine? I am living now and have seen the Old Year out, but
shall I be here at the close of the New? Shall I see the whole parch-
ment unrolled, and make my marks upon it as I did last year— good,
bad, indifferent, poor— like a careless child's copy? I can get no cer-
tain answer to this question. No one on earth can tell me how much of
157
the New Tear is to be mine. The doctor may say my heart is sound
and my constitution good, bi;t these will not keep me from fever, con-
tagion, or accident. What must I do then? Bring home to myself
this truth of uncertainty, and let it teach me to be wary in my doings
and heedful of my steps.
The midnight hour with the merry bells ringing is a time for reflec-
tion. I see myself standing and listening to the sound, reaching out
my hand to my Creator and taking from His time in drops, as it were
liftingup my face to Heaven and expecting the hours and the days as
they become due. What a hold God has on me! WTiat if I should
reach out my hand in vain? WTiat if I lift up my face and receive no
light? He is Lord and Master, and the moments are His. Blessed be
His Name for ever.
But the bells ring hope into my soul, and joy in the present and
trust in the future. WTiat is best is given always, what is best for me.
And He who did not fail me in the past will not fail me in the future.
from His hand a long life or a short one; joy or
I will take, therefore,
sorrow, ease or pain. And I will welcome each as a gift from One
Who loves and Who knows. And I will stand up firm and brave to
meet the unknown New Year, for I know He will not try me beyond
my strength; He will not give me a "stone when I ask for bread" nor
a "serpent when I ask for fish."
And I make a resolution for the New Year— only one: to be on
God's side unmistakably, not "one foot on land, one on sea," unstable
as the wind, but I resolve to keep all His commandments, all the pre-
cepts of the Church, to say my prayers faithfully. True-hearted Cath-
olics are needed in this dear country of ours. Please God, I will be
of their number.
The Epiphany or Little Christmas

January 6.
Our Christmas Day! For we were once represented by the Gen-

tiles—the people which were not God's particular own. So we stood
rather aside on the first Christmas Day, and watched the angels call
the Jewish shepherds into the manger and bring them to adore the
newrbom Babe. We were touched by their loving simplicity, their
J
ready faith, and we felt that those who came did their best to give
Him But the Jewish reception of the Messiah was
a loving welcome.
a sad fulfilment of prophecy— "His own received Him not."
Days rolled on, and months. The Holy Family moved from the
stable into the town when the census-visitors had gone home again.
Joseph worked at his carpenter's bench for a livelihood. The shep-
herds and their kin kept up reverent intercourse with the Child and
His Mother, but seemingly their circle of acquaintance did not widen
much, and they were only known in Bethlehem as poor but respectable
people from Nazareth.
A day came, however, when the dull little place witnessed an un-
usual sight. A company of travellers, evidently from the East, were
seen rapidly riding down the Jenisalem road. They guided their cam-
els with decided fingers, they looked neither right nor left, they asked
no directions, but made straight for the western gate and entered the
town. Then the idlers came out of their dark dwellings and watched
the new arrivals curiously, the little children ran by their side shouting,
the more respectable waited with what patience they could muster for
a sign that would make their direction clear. Had they looked up into
the heavens they would have seen the star, "His star." But they did
not look up and they did not see it.
More blessed than the Jewish townsfolk were the Gentiles from the
East. "Seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And
entering into the house, they found the Child with Maiy His Mother
and falling down, they adored Him. And opening their treasures,
they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Thus did the Gentiles come to Our Lord. A glorious coming it
was, with pomp, and majesty, and generosity, and love. For they
eame from a great distance, with much labor, with much self-denial;
with immense faith with rich gifts. So must we Gentiles come to Our
;
Lord. We may live but a step from His crib, yet business and distrac-
tion make our coming as it were from afar. Self-denial, too, is re-
quired for the putting aside of amusements, business, and self-interest.
Immense faith we need likewise, for tbe Eucharistic accidents are as
swathing bands upon our hidden King. And the rich gifts! Have
we any for Him? Or are we going to plead poverty? But such an
excuse will not hold good. For the gifts the Christmas Child loves
are not bought with gold, but with good will, and that all men can have.
If I have not gifts I must buy them at once— golden charity in deed,
if not in bounties quick ascending prayer from a heart burning with
;
love, and health-giving mortification. Such gifts must be mine. It

will never do to degenerate from the generosity of our Eastern an-
cestors.
Just one other thought from this beautiful Feast. The Gentiles
were brought to Our Lord in His earliest childhood, and He received
them with all graciousness and love. He admitted them into His fam-
ily, accepted their offerings, and filled them with exceeding great joy.
There are Gentiles about us now, those who are not Our Lord's par-
ticular own. Let us open wide our hearts to these, meet them with
common ground we can find. And there is
charity on every bit of
much common ground for us and for them— the love of God, of Our
Lord Jesus His poor, purity of intention, unselfish
Christ, the love for
devotion to duty. Fellow feeling working with fellow interests will
make us wondrous kind, will wann our hearts, and melt our stiffness,
strangeness, and our prejudices, and so perhaps by bright and cheer-
ing ways we may become a star, leading men whose hearts are aching,
whose eyes and ears are eager for the truth, to find "the Child with
Mary His Mother in the One Church of God.
'
Feast of the Holy Name

Josue the son of Nun was a great man— after Moses, the greatest
leader of the Jewish people. His name was Osee, but Moses changed
it to Josue or Jesus, which means Savior. Of him wonderful things
are said in Holy Scripture. He was "a young man who departed not
from the tabernacle"; a "man in whom is the Spirit"; to whom Moses
was commanded to give a "part of his glory." To' Josue himself
splendid promises were made and kept, because of his faithful corre-
spondence to his call from God. He was promised that the whole land
of Canaan should be given up to him that no man should resist him
!
that he should be exalted above his fellows ; that he should have rest
* *
My face shall go before thee and thou shalt have rest.
'
' And so it
came Josue led his people in amongst the warlike tribes

to pass that
of the West and subdued the mighty men of old. At the touch of his
Jordan "that came from above stood

soldiers' feet like the waters of the
in one place, swelling up like a mountain those that were be-
. .
neath ran down into the sea until they wholly failed." The fall of
Jericho followed; its walls crumbled at the blast of his silver trum-
pets; Hai was taken; turbulent idolaters and stiff-necked Israelites
submitted with astonishing docility to his rule. Finally there came
the crowning blessing of a great ruler's life — "The land
peace. rest-
ed from wars," and that glorious promise was fulfilled: "I will give
thee rest."
A thousand years or so rolled on, and many men were called Josue
or Jesus, for it was a common Jewish name.
But when the fulness of
time came there was bom Who was by the com-
a Child in Bethlehem
mand of an angel called Jesus, Savior. The world was a prey of the
devil and needed a Redeemer. Juda had departed from the ways of
God, and the glory of the house had passed from it. It still clung
with despairing grasp to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but these "liv-
ing" fathers of the true Jewish Church did not recogTiize their degen-
erate children. The idolaters of East and West knew no God. Still
it was out of their midst that worthy successors to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob were to be raised. The Jewish Church was to fall from its
destiny of children of God, but the world was to be saved by a Jewish
Savior, another Josue.
"I will make all things new." This was Our Lord's task —to make
all things new. And the newest and best of all renewing was the
change in meaning of the name Josue. For one thousand years Josue
had stood amongst the people as the ideal savior, the conqueror. Now
he was to be succeeded by another Josue surpassingly gi*eat in mis-
sion, in deed, and in victory, God-man with the healing name of Jesus.
His mission was to redeem the whole human race from eternal perdi-
tion; to show mankind the way to the eternal blessed land; to give
them supernatural victories over their enemies; to overcome Satan
and to establish the Kingdom of His Father over all the earth to sus-
tain it in the midst of trials and persecutions to the end of time. He
conquered men in the Jewish cities; death on Calvary; corruption in
the tomb; Heaven in His ascension. He conquers every day in the
hearts of His faithful children.
But the name of Jesus is not only a conquering power; it is sweet-
ness, soothing balm. We all have to conquer, and sometimes it is a
weary business. We want soothing and healing, and the healing is in
the Holy Name. Why have the saints lived with that Name in their
hearts, sung it in their raptures, died with it on their lips, but be-
cause it sums up everything beautiful and hopeful, in Heaven and
upon earth, iu time and in eternity.
We Catholics have a privilege. We bow the head, thereby paying
external homage to the Holy Name. We need not be aggressive about
it, nor ostentatious. A slight inclination, the raising of the hat, carries
homage with it. Outsiders have been struck to the heart at
the sight of a whole congregation bowing at the elevation. So
should they be struck by the inclination of the head when the name of
Jesus is uttered. Like the corn in the field when swept by the smn-
mer gentle breeze should our heads bow at the sound of Jesus.
The Marriage of the Virgin.

January 23.
Tliere an ancient tradition that when the time came for the Vir-
is
gin ]\Iary to be betrothed, her guardians ordered lots to be drawn, so

that God Himself might choose a worthy spouse for the Temple ward.
The order was that the candidates for Mary's hand should each deposit
in the Temple over night a rod of almond tree. When the morning came
and all were assembled at the place appointed, it was found that the
smooth rod of Joseph, son of Jacob, had blossomed into beautiful
flower and leaf. This sign was held by all as a testimony of Joseph's
worthiness. Tradition goes on to say that another young candidate,
Agabus by name, in despair at seeing himself put aside, broke his rod,
left the world, and dedicated his life to God.
This legend is depicted by Eaphael in his famous work, "Tlie Mar-
riage of the Virgin," preserved in the Brera, Milan. He reijresents
the Jewish high priest joining the hands ofMaiy and Joseph, whilst
Joseph places the ring on Mary's finger.
The Gospel words are few but precise. Mary is called "a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David."
Joseph is a "just man," Mary's "husband," and Mary is his "esiwused
•wife." Of the ceremonies of Jewish espousals and marriage at the
THE MARRIAGE OF JOSEP" AND MARY
time of our Lord, it would be easy to write a chapter, for many details
are known of the customs of that day. But these are not to our pur-
pose now. We want rather to look at St. Joseph "in the day of his
espousals, in the day of the joy of his heart" (Can. of Can. 3, xi.).
Let us think of St. Joseph then. He would have in his heart the
bounding joy of a lover beloved Maiy, the Virgin of the Temple, had
placed her hand in his. He was to wait but a few months to take her to
a home of his own making, endow her with his fortune, nourish her
with his earnings, protect her with his life. Though he knew the high
aspirations of Mary's heart on the happy day of his espousals, he was
far from understanding the wonderful destiny of his spouse. Little
by little he learnt how sublime was his office, how exalted his charge.
Like all great saints, he had toi pass through a time of supreme agony,
but the full light of Heaven changed a death-like fear into ecstatic won-
der and admiration. He learnt from angelic lii^s that she whom he
worshipped was the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, the Mother of the Son
of God, of the Messiah of prophecy. And he was to stand aside like an
angel guardian and become a virgin protector to a virgin mother, a
foster-father to a heaven-born Babe. No' wonder we never hear St.
Joseph speak, no wonder writers and painters have depicted him as
old. He was grave, but his gravity was of thought, not of age; his
silence was the fruit of meditation, not of senses dulled by years.
Think of the steps of St. Joseph's greatness. He began by the pure
love of a spotless virgin. Gradually, as the mystery unfolded itself,
the earthly love turned to enraptured veneration, and Mary became to
bim a trust from the God of his fathers, a divine treasure to be guarded
from every shadow of ill. In the little cottage of Nazareth he was
overflowingly happy. The months rolled on, and Cyrinus, govenior of
Judea, ordered the enrollment to carry out the decree of Ccesar Augus-
tus. Then Joseph journeyed with Mary to Bethlehem, and there in the
stable atmidnight received from her arms the Christ of God. Thus,
from being Mary's s^wuse and protector, he became the foster-father
of the Son of God. Through his love for Maiy and his faithful sei-\dce
to her, he was found worthy to take that higher mission of Guardian
of Jesus, Tliis is why on to-day's feast St. Joseph is particularly com-
memorated. For him it was the beginning of his happiness, the first
step to his unrivalled dignity.
The Feast of the Purification

February 2.
This feast bas many names. It is called tbe Purification because
Our Lady, somewhat more than a month after the birth of our Blessed
Lord, came to the Temple to make the poor woman's offering a pair —
of turtle doves or two young pigeons— to satisfy a law by which she was
not bound. It is called also the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord
in the temple, be;cause our Savior was offered to God by Mary His
Mother and redeemed with the five shekels of sacred silver commanded
by Moses. It is also called Candlemas Day because of Simeon's word,
"a light to the revelation of the Gentiles." To make his beautiful
thought come home to us by means of the senses, the Church puts into
O'uxhands a, burning candle. We see its flame, feel its warmth, and
are gladdened by its brilliancy. This light is the symbol of the lit-
tle Child-Savior; He is brightness, comfort, enlightenment. We are
to carry Him, as we carry the candle, to our homes and keep Him
with us to illuminate our darkness, cheer us in coldness, safeguard us
in fear. The shadow of Lent is already upon us ; very few days more
are given to the childhood of our Lord. We shall soon have tO' turn
to the "Man of Sorrows." But whilst He is still with us in Baby-
beauty, let us take Him to our hearts, try to grow in His love, sO' that
when sorrow creeps into His soul and overwhelms it we may be there
to share it and to comfort Him.
There is another source of comfort in this beautiful Gospel-story.
We see Simeon and Anna in extreme old age delighting in God, and
God delighting in them. Simeon, "just and devout," has been kept
waiting all his years for "the consolation of Israel." Day by day
the promise to see the "salvation of God," the "light of the Gen-
tiles," the "joy of Israel," has brought him to the house of God.
xVnd day by day the promise was deferred. Youth jâssed, early man-
hood, ripe maturity, old age. Then led once again by the Spirit into
the Temple, his eyes saw tlie "salvation prepared for all peoples,"
he held in his arms and pressed to his breast the Child Jesus, and in
the joy of his heart he sang a canticle that has become the song of joy
of departing day and of departing life a song to be sung when hopes
:
are fulfilled, trust made good, promises kept: a song of overflowing

thankfulness. Simeon was old and had waited years confiding in God,
trusting in His Word. And that Lord, though He kept him waiting,
rewarded him even here below with rapturous joy.
Anna, a prophetess far advanced in years, dedicates her widow-
hood tO' God, departs not from the Temple night nor day, "by fast-
ings and prayers serving the Lord." And the day of her reward
came as it came to Simeon. Her proi^hetic eyes, like his, are glad-
dened by the sight of the Little One of Israel her soul per- ;
ceives the majesty of the Jewish Babe, and she confesses to the Lord
'
'
and speaks of Him tO' all who look for the redemption of Israel."
And what lesson are we to learn? This: Simeon and Anna, in
extreme old age, are delighting in God ; there is no sense of emptiness
in their hearts as in the hearts of worldlings; they have not grown
disgusted with the Temple and the God of theTemple there is no ciy;
of despair in their simple hearts such as there was in that of the

world's wise men.
We can learn still more, and with greater comfort still. God is
delighting in them.See what kind His servants are— "a doting old
man and woman," man would say. "Oh, get them put
the business
aside," he would add; "we cannot do with such in the service; we
want muscular hands, quick brains, the strength of youth, the alert-
ness of manhood. These are too feeble; they must make way; they
have had their day." And the old man quits his desk and the old
woman drojis her needle; they are dismissed, and must manage as
best they can.
Not so with our God. We see the withered hands of fourscore and
four years still raised in the Temple; -ê hear her works of "fastings
and prayers" called in Holy Scrii^ûre "serving." She is sent as a
messenger "to all that look for the redemption of Israel"— a messen-
ger at eighty-four!
In Simeon's shaking arms is laid the Creator of the world; his
trembling lips are charged tO' break to Maiy the news of her coming
sorrow; his feeble voice must sing the model thanksgiving song of
all time. And he on the brink of the grave!
Do not we who serve God serve a good Master? Need we fear
that in our old age, in the days of our weakness, we shall be cast out.
put aside? Do we not see that witli Him old age is acceptable, that
His sanctuaiy, His service, His rewards are open to the old as to the
yonng, to the weak as to the strong! Oh! we need be very happy in
our service, very full of praise and rejoicing: "Glorify the Lord
as much as ever you can, for He will yet far exceed and His magnifi-
;
cence is wonderful."
"We shall say much and yet shall want words, but the sum of our
words is, He is all" (Ecclus. xliii.).
St. Valentine
February 14.
Of St. Valentine few particulars are known. He was a holy priest

of Kome, put to death about the year 270. One of the great Roman
gates was built in his honor and called after him. It is now known
as "del Popolo."
But the name of St. Valentine has come down to us associated
with the remnant of a pagan custom, that of choosing for a year some
person to whom honor should be paid. The casting of lots was held
on the 15th of February, and with it began the Roman festival of
Lupercalia, in honor of the god Pan and the goddess Jimo. To put
down so dangerous a feast-making, the Church, according to Alban
Butler, instituted the custom of drawing saints to be venerated for a
year on the feast of St. Valentine, the day preceding that of the pa-
gan lot-drawing, thus substituting heavenly for earthly love.
This old, old custom of choosing some one to love, to be looked up
to, sets one thinking. So widespread a custom, lasting, too, for so
long a time through the pagan . "^ through tlie Middle Ages, even to
our own day, seems to point to some natural cause. And it does.
We are social beings in the natural and supernatural order, conscious
of weakness and insufficiency when standing alone. In the garden of
Paradise the foundation of society was laid when Adam said, "a man
shall leave fatherand mother and cleave to his wife," showing that
need he stand alone. The supernatural order
at no period of his life
is based upon the two great laws, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
'
'
with thy whole heart, and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
And such a stretching out of hands towards our fellow-crea-

there is
tures, such an expansion of heart at the sight of suffering or sor-

row or need, that we have to be on our guard, lest it work in us mere-
ly from a natural goodness without the sacred stamp of grace.
Tliis custom then of drawing saints to be our patrons for the year
is a happy thought, bearing upon the inward yearning towards oth-
ers; it is an expression of the loneliness of the human heart, its want

of sympathy it is also the bond between Heaven and earth. We are
;
not made like the beastswith our eyes level with the ground, tending
downwards. "We have a right to invade the unseen world, to choose
heli:>ers there, to count upon assistance and comfort and cheering,
where there so much consolation, help, and joy.
is
A number of patrons were chosen for us by our parents

certain
without our having a say in the matter. Otliers we ourselves chose
at coniinnation, but Avithout any very distinct idea of what we were
doing, perhaps. But our patron on Valentine's day can be one of ma-
ture deliberation, based upon a natural attraction and admiration, one
whose example in the battle-field of life will be a help to us in our hour
of trial. The more communion we can have with Heaven the better for
us. The more our interests lie above, the less will the chains of earth
rivet us to things below. And the chains of earth do bind. They bind
in childhood and in youth; in middle manhood and old age. So the
spirit that soars upward is the brave spirit, the safest, the happiest,
and the strongest. There have been those who, in extreme old age,
could show a long of patrons whom they had honored for a year
list
each with particular devotion, and when the allotted time was over
added them to the long list of their i^redecessors, and invoked them
still with the new Valentine of the New Year. What an array there
would be of choice spirits to meet such as these when they came to their
Heavenly reward.
To some of us who do not love multiplicity our own namesake
—
may be our i>erpetual Valentine the patron given to us at our bap-
tism, or chosen at our confirmation, or at any other solemn occasion.
Let these then become realities to us, living friends and helpers, sub-
Btantial guardians. The Heavenly patron will never be wanting to
Lis earthy client— of that we may be sure. Let us not be wanting to
faim. St. Valentine, pray for us!
168 LIGET FROM THE ALTAR,
Ash Wednesday
Of all the stories of the Old Testament, that of Jonas and the con-
version of Niuive is the most wonderful. The great, prosperous
heathen city of Assyria stood out amongst the cities of the earth as
one whose wickedness came up hefore God. was at
Its destruction
hand; yet one more wai'ning was to be given to it. Jonas was to
preach a divine threat in its thoroughfares. "Yet forty days and
Ninive shall be destroyed." And for three days the prophet pro-
claimed the terrible truth. "And the men of Ninive believed in God;
and they ordered a and put on sackcloth from the greatest to
fast,
the least. And the word came tO' the king of Ninive and he rose up ;
out of his throne, and cast away his robe from him, and was clothed
in sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and
published in Ihe city from the mouth of the king and the princes, say-
ing: 'Let neither mnn nor beast, oxen nor sheep, taste anything; let
them not feed, nor taste water. And let men and beasts be covered
with sackcloth, nnd cry to the Lord with all their strength and let ;
them turn from their evil ways, and from the iniquity that is on their
hands. Who can tell whether God will turn away from His fierce an-
ger, and we shall not perish?'
"
This was no exterior conversation, no outward semblance of pen-
ance and humiliation. not mocked." He sees the heart.
"God is
And the heart of the Ninivitesmust have been truly contrite, truly
humbled. For "God saw their works, that they were turned from
their evil ways and God had mercy regarding the evil which He had
;
said He would do to them, and He did it not."

Such was the effect of a call to ijenance upon a pagan, sensual peo-
ple; such was its power with God that it stayed His avenging hand.
The three Sundays— Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima —
bring us by easy steps within sight of Lent, the Church's time for pen-
.ance, fasting, fend specaal prayer. "Yet foi-ty days," is the cry.
How are we going to listen to the warning voice?
"But we are not pagans," we may say; "our wickedness does not
go up before the Lord like that of the Assyrians. WTiat was good
for the wicked is not approved good for us." The answer is, penance
isgood for the holy as well as for the sinful. It preserves as well as
atones. Saints have felt the need of it in all ages and at all times,
at the beginning of their conversion and at the end of their lives. In
whichever category, therefore, we may think well to place ourselves
—saint or sinner— penance is necessary for us. And we know it well.
We are not true to our best nature when we deny the need of morti-
fication. For we feel the straggle within us, the conflict between the
good and the bad. We know the good should conquer, and that it
cannot conquer without pain, and that this pain is mortification in
one form or another.
Wliy do we dread penance? Because
it opposes our lower nature;
in simple terms, because Nature shrinks from what hurts.

it hurts.
Yet it is astonishing how soon i3enance becomes easy when it is under-
taken with courage. Courage counts as two-thirds of the necessary
outfit for any undertaking, natural or supernatural. What we have
then, is to brace ourselves up to look forward bravely, and suffer mag-
nanimously all the mortifications proposed by the Church as to
little
fasting, abstinence, and prayer. They are few enough as it is. Far
be it from us to wish them fewer or less binding.
Above all, let us remember that whatever exemptions we may just-
ly ask, we cannot justly exempt ourselves from the spirit of penance
during Lent. Wê must feel its pressure, come under its discipline.
The very weakness or labor that keeps us from fasting may itself be
dur iênance, if suffered in tlie right spirit.
Now, determination to spend the forty days of Lent in the
is this
spirit of the Church going to make us sad or long-faced? God for-

bid! We might as well be Pharisees at once. If mortification does
not bring with it cheerfulness and holy joy, there is something wrong
with it, and we had better find out what it is as soon as possible. No.
The most mortified are the most cheerful. Those shiver most who
bathe at the edge of the sea and get wet by driblets. Tliose who
plunge in deep are in a glow before they feel the shock. Those who
do penance grudgingly do not taste its joy.
Dare I be amongst the cheerful givers, the generous sufferers ? Yes,
because "the love of Jesus urgeth me."
St Patrick,
March 17.
Surely there was never a saint more loved and honored than he,
nor one more identified with his adopted race. His name is given to
many a son of Erin, and to daughters not a few. The shamrock, sym-
bol of his preaching, is worn by the little and the great. The soldier
wears it in his cap the civilian
; on his breast. Songs and hymns are
sung in the Saint's honor wherever the English tongue is spoken.
And this is a Saint who lived more than one thousand, four hundred
years ago in a little island in the extreme west of Europe. Who was
St. Patrick, to draw so enduring a love to himself? "The best argu-
ment for love is love," the sages say. "I loved them with a mother's
love," he tells us. And charity, which is holy love, is the everlasting
bond of eternal souls. We
have no space to tell of St. Patrick's labors
in Ireland, of his preaching cind miracles, his sweetness and humility.
Besides, you know it all. Let us but learn this one gi-eat lesson— to
love each other as St. Pairick loved; then we shall win souls as that
great Apostle won them in his green isle so long ago.
St GabrkL
March 18.
From the gentle St. Patrick we come to the great Archangel Ga-
briel. Dare we ask him to bo our companion? Oh, yes. God's chil-
dren may They have seen God the Son made man,
be very daring.
passing about among he sons of men. They may confidently dwell
with the angels. Besides, this dear angel was often sent by God with
messages to men. True, they were great and holy men but if we are ;
humble God is wonderfully long-suffering and patient with our in-

firmities. Gabriel's first message to earth, as far as we know, was to
Daniel, that "man of desires," the prophet of olden time, to instruct
him in .iiany things. At first Daniel was so awe-stricken at the an-
gel's apparition, though he was in the figure of a man, that he fell flat
to the ground. But the angel "touched him and set him uprigl»t."
and opened his understanding and taught him. Another day, when
Daniel"was praying and confessing his sins, Gabriel, flying swiftly,
touched him at the time of the evening sacrifice," and again instructed
him. Many hundreds of years later, Gabriel came to Zaehaiy, the
Jewish priest, in the Temple. This visit was also at the hour of even-
ing when the holy old man was at prayer. We know the
sacrifice,
beautiful story —
how Zachary and Elizabeth were promised a little
son who was to be the Lord's precursor, how he doubted the angel's
word, and how a dumbness came upon him and he was not able to
sjêak for nine montjis. Once again, and only a little later as the
earth's time goes, again Gabriel was sent on a message, and then he
brought the greatest news that ever was told. His message was to
the Virgin of Nazareth, espoused to a man called Joseph. And before
he left the little home the greatest mystery of time and eternity was
wrought— "the Word was made Flesh." A great deal to think of here,
is tliere not? Much food for meditation. But we must pass on. We
have not far to go. Indeed, we need not leave the angel 's company, for
he has been with Mary, who was espoused to Joseph, and we can go
together to the holy Patriarch.
St. Joseph
March 19.
We are told so little of him, and yet we seem to know so much. We

are told nothing of his birth, nothing of his death, and nothing, excejit
by But then we know his office, and
inference, of his life at Nazareth.
we know that God endows a man according to his rank, and that as St.
Joseph was chosen Guardian Spouse of Mary Immaculate, foster-father
to Jesus the Son of God, he must be privileged above all other mortals.
A lily of purity was St. Joseph because he had to guard the Virgin
Mother and the Spotless One; the most prudent of councillors, for
he had the secrets of the Most High in his keeping the most tender of
;
fathers, for he had to foster the Babe of Bethlehem, feed Him, and
guard Him and hide Him; the most Godlike of workmen, for he had
to teach the Divine Boy. All this was St. Joseph, Carpenter of Naz-
areth. Must we not look to him ia our striving after holy purity, to
him when oppressed with care, toi Mm when the trials of life weigh us
down, to him— Father— when our hearts are sore? Will not the remem-
brance of the little arms once twined round his neck, the little hands
held in his with loving confidence, rouse us to confidence and love!
If there were only space, how we could linger with these holy three,
how we would learn from them, be rested by them, and enjoy their
company. They would never be tiresome nor tedious, nor selfish. Why
do we not oftener turn our eyes upward and pick out one or other
heavenly companion and live with them not in imagination, but in very
truth? It only wants an effort let us try to make the effort.
;
Lady-Day.
(The Feast of the Annunciation.)
March 25.
Good pictures are a great help to devotion. They tell a story at

a glance, yet seem to leave the telling to the onlooker. They supply
ideas to the unlearned and recall the wandering thoughts of preoccupied
minds. Of all the Gospel stories none has been oftener painted than
the Annunciation. It is one evidently dear to the artist mind. Yet
why! There is no scope for elaborate grouping; only two figures are
—
needed— an angel and a Virgin None for elaborate scenery— only a
little room at Nazareth. It must be the occasion then. Yes. The angel is
a messenger, and his message changes a Virgin Child into the Immacu-
late Mother of God, changes the face of the earth: "Thou shalt renew
the face of the earth." No wonder artists, with their keen appreciation
of things, have chosen out this bit of Gosjêl story. Let us think of it
for a little time together. For on the 25th of March, we keep the
Feast of the Annunciation, and it is well to be with the Church in our
thoughts.
We will try to reconstruct the scene. St. Ignatius, when he medi-
tated, divided his subject into places, persons, and words. This division
isgood for serious study of any kind. AVe will therefore order our
thoughts in some such wise. The scene is a little room in the village of
Nazareth. The village is situated on the slope of a hill, on a range due
west of the Sea of Galilee. The Nazarenes had a bad reputation, they
CaUiolic An Studio. ChicaKC III.
LADY DAY
were ignorant: poor, and vicious. "Can anything good oome from
Nazareth?" the cautious Nathaniel asked. "Come and see," Phillip
answered. And we will come too.
The persons are St. Gabriel and the Virgin esix)used to a man called
Joseph. The Archangel described himself to Zachaiy as "one of the
seven who stand before the throne." There is deep significance in
these words. "One of the seven"- —împersonal, but distinguished
seven only. "Who stand"— ready to do the will of Gfod; "before the
Tlirone"— denoting the majesty of the service.
Then we listen to the words of the salutation '
Hail, full of grace
: '
! '
Gabriel had just come from the presence of God, yet he was struck with
the beauty of Mary's soul. And he tells her so. All great minds praise
easily; it is the little of soul that grudge praise. "The Lord is with
thee." This is a scriptural phrase used on sublime occasions— to Moses
before starting on his perilous journey to Pharaoh's court; tO' Jeremias
when "his soul was an adamant"; to the Apostles by Our Lord Himself,
when about to leave them alone upon earth by the Church in her solemn
;
rites. But of all the sublime occasions this was the most sublime.
"Tlie Lord is with thee, thou blessed among women."
And now we must look at her, this Blessed among women, the Lily
of Israel. How beautiful painters have made her in their pictures.
Tlieir thoughts about her must have been beautiful. Her purity, her
spotlessness of soul, her modesty of exterior, her deep humility seem
(o have taken hold of their imagination and have wrought themselves
out upon their canvas. She had found grace with God, the angel told
'
'
'
'
her, and she had found favor with men. There never was a queen so
reverenced, never a mother so loved, never a virgin so imitated. She
has the faithful of the world at her feet. And greater still, she has the
fallen, the crushed, the outcast. "Nature's solitaiy boast," the sinless
one, seems to hold out hope to those who have forfeited seemingly every
claim to hope.
Mary's soul was full of grace, the angel said. Not that it had at-
tained the measure of its sanctity, but that she was perfect as a child
could be. As Mother of God she would rise immeasurably higher.
AVhen Gabriel gave his message of praise Mary was startled and
wondered what kind of salutation this might be. But the angel com-
forted her: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast foimd grace with God. Be-
hold tliou shalt conceive in tby womb, and thou shalt bring forth a son
and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be gi-eat and shall be
called the son of theMost High and the Lord shall give unto him tlie
;
throne of his father David; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob
for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. Mary pondered
'
'
Jesus, Savior; David's son; King of the house of David, reigning for
ever. Then she was to be the Mother of the Messiah, the Mother of
God. But she is a virgin. How can this be? she asks. The angel
explains the mysteiy. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore the
Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The
'
'
Holy Ghost, the Son of God, all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity
working in Mary's soul. She answered: "Behold the handmaid of
the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word." A moment at
midnight, a maiden's consent, and the work of redemption began—
"And the Word was made Flesh."
The Church appoints many weeks of joy at Christmas in honor of
Our Savior's birth; many weeks of sorrow Lent in honor of His
in
sacred Passion; many weeks of gladness at Easter in honor of His
glorious Resurrection. But running through all this joy and sorrow
and gladness is homage paid to the Incarnation. When
the daily triple
the sun rises, when when it is on tlie meridian, the bell rings out
it sets,
the "Angelus," and at the sacred words "the Word was made Flesh"
every Catholic within hearing renders homage to God and the Son made
Man for men. Eternity is Great truths do not hai>
the ever-present.
pen there and become forgotten. So the eternal Church of God keeps
for ever before her children this most wonderful of mysteries, and there
rises up from earth Heaven an everlasting praise in honor of the
to
Son of God. We Shall we be dumb when the bell
are Catholics.
praises God? Shall we let the convent children and the peasantry of
Catholic countries have all the praise to themselves? Or shall we in
our own country be to ourselves reminders, and in default of a
bell sing in our hearts the Angelus' triple praise?
The "Angelus" well said three times a day would go far to the making
of saints.
Golden Thoughts on the Principal Feasts
of Mother Church— Continued.
CHAPTER X
Eastertide.
Before the sun of Good Friday should set, there was much to be
done on the mount of Calvary. The three bodies could not remain
there to shock the gaze of devout worshippers at the solemn festival.
They must be taken down and buried. Leave was obtained from Pilate
and soldiers were sent to see that life was extinct. The legs of the
thieves were broken, the side of the middle Figure was pierced. Now
any one might possess themselves of the bodies. A request to Pilate
as a matter of form was all that was necessary.
Eager hearts were waiting longing eyes were gazing on the middle
Figure. Mary was seated on the little knoll beneath the Cross. Joseph
of Arimathea, Nicodemus and John were loosening the nails in hands
and feet. At last the Body was lowered and laid in the arms of the
Mother. With Magdalen 's help she disentangled the crown and smooth-
ed back the hair from the white forehead. The face had regained all
its beauty; it was pale but not livid; the swellings had died down;
the thorn marks formed a sort of crown around the brow. There was
still that wonderful look of love in the half-closed eyes. We kneel to
adore, for that lifeless Body is divine, being hypostatically united to the
Person of God the Son.
Jesus was embalmed and the rich Joseph— once a timid follower
confesses himself a disciple and lays our Lord in his own new sepul-
chre in the garden near at hand. The stone is rolled to the door and
the little company goes back to Jeiiisalem, making for a second time
that day Way of the Cross.
the
Holy Saturday dawns, the Sabbath day of solemn awe
rest. A
seems toi be everywhere. Yesterday's earthquake and darkness have
sobered the people and there is a hush in the streets of the city. The
chief priests, the Scribes and Ancients are enjoying the fleeting security
175
of the wicked. Tlie Apostles, afraid of the Jews are with Mary and
the holy women comforted by Maiy's calm. And Jesus our Savior,
where is He? "His Soul went down into that part of Hell called
Limbo," and there He is working still, still devising joy and happi-
ness for mankind. What a meeting must that have been! Tbink of
the expectation of thousands of souls think of its realization! There
were our Lord's own forefatJiers— Abrabam, Isaac, Jacob and David, —
the man after God's own heart; all tbe prophets of tbe Old Law, and
the new-comers in Limbo, Zachary and Elizabeth, John tbe Baptist and
Joseph, the foster-father. Tbe mysteries of the past were made clear
to them in that happy hour— the weary waiting the dread pvmisbments,
tbe words of prophecy, tbe unlooked-for redemption— all was clear by
the verj^ presence of our Lord in their midst.
At dawn of Easter Sunday, tbe first day of a new week, there was a
great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and
rolled back the stone from, the door of the sepulchre. "And his face
was as lightning and bis raiment as snow, and for fear of him tbe
guards became as dead men." But tbe tomb was empty even at that
early bour. Jesus bad arisen, glorious and beautiful, and there were
none to witness Plis rising but the angels and the "captive train led
captive." Tben was there joy upon earth and fear was driven away.
For our Lord visited His own, and brought comfort to their stricken
hearts.
St. Mark tells Mary Magdalen, tbe sinner, was the first to
us that
be visited. Before tbe Blessed Mother I we ask. No, surely not. If we
go by the Gospel narrative only we sbould infer that our Lord did not
api>ear to His Mother at all. So we must suppose witb St. Ignatius that
the Evangelists give us credit for common sense to know that first be-
fore all "the Child was with Mary, His Mother."
Jesus, risen and glorious, came with His hands full of gifts peace —
and joy and gladness: Peace.— "Peace be witb you, it is I, fear not."
—
Joy. Tbe boly women were filled "witb great joy"; tbe disciples in
the upper room "wondered for joy"; they went back to Jerusalem
"with great joy." Gladness.— '''Y\\e disciples therefore were glad
when tbey saw the Lord." In our Lord's company after His resun-ec-
tion all was brightness. Suffering was over, fear was banished, peace
bad come, and tbe past was forgiven and forgotten.
Forty days our Lord spends upon earth to ])reacb the new Gospel
and to convince men that God is to be sei-ved with happiness and love.
Oh, draw near to this dear risen Lord. Draw near, you who have
heai'ts weighed down with care. Look up into the glorious risen face
of Him we love so much. Look at the hands with the wounds shining
bright; kiss the sacred feet adorned with the red marks of triumph.
Open out your heart and let yom- Lord fill it with peace and gladness.
AVe have such need of brightness here below. The toiling for a living.
the subduing of passions, the bearing of trials would sap all our natural
and supernatural life if we had not our risen Lord to whom to go for
light and refreshment. But we have Him! "This is the day the Lord
has made; let us be glad and rejoice therein." See what the Lord
does. He makes a day and it is one of joy and gladness. And a day
of joy and gladness to us. He has arisen, but "He is still with us" to
share all that is His. Oh, how glad should we have been had we been
in our Lord's place to rest, to have done with all baseness and in-
gratitude. But the first words of the Easter Sunday Mass proclaim
quite other things. "I arose and am still with thee, Alleluia." With
me and with you! Let us be with Him in peace and joy and gladness.
"Which of us has not at some time or other felt a painful wonder
about the next life? As children when we lost some one we dearly
loved, was not the change we thought would come over him the saddest
part of our loss? He would be father with his tender love, his play-
fulness, with the little human ways we knew and \ .-lerctood so well,
no longer. And the great pain of an irretrievable loss came upon us.
The stories of the Resurrection bring wonderful comfort to hearts
aching with such like thoughts. Our dead have gone from us, but they
may still be all we loved. For we know One risen from the dead, and
only One. He returned to His dear ones, and He was not changed in
heart, and mind, and ways. His own knew Him just by His manner,
by the sound of His voice, by the toudi of His hand Then, if the One
risen from the dead, upon whose Resurrection our own is modelled,
was so like Himself, will not our dear ones keep their own personal
charm?
But this is only a child's comfort. The gi'eat, overpowering joy in
the Resurrection is that our Lord in eternity is the same dear Lord
the Evangelists paint Him on earth. All the gloiy of Heaven, the
splendor of His endowments, could not alter the loving
eternal
humility of Jesus, who came to be all to all men.
To prove this let us recall one of the beautiful Resurrection stories
"Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
And He showed Himself after this manner," says St. John. Eight
of tlie disciples were together in Galilee. Night was drawing on, and
Peter said: "I go a fishing." "We also come with thee," say the
other seven. So Thomas and Nathaniel and James and John the Be^
loved and two others gird themselves, gather up their fishing tackle
and step out into the dark night. Peter, energetic and active, strides
on in front, talking to St. John, his friend. They loosen the boat, wait
for their companions, and then push off. But they catch nothing.
This is serious, because their own living and that of their families
depend upon their fortune at sea. They stay out all night trying first
the one side of the ship, then the other, but to no pur^wse. Day is
dawning, and they give up the attemi>t and steer for land. "Children,
have you any meat?" says a voice from out of the darkness. The
somid was startling in the still morning air. "No," they answer.
"Cast the net on the right side of the ship and you will find." Tliey
east, therefore, and now they are not able to draw it for the multitude
of tlie fishes.
John was standing erect in the boat, looking over the water at the
landsman on the shore. His hand was on the net but his mind was
intent on the stranger. "It is the Lord," he said to St. Peter. Peter
dropped the net, wrapped his cloak around him, and leaped into the
sea, his gi-eat heart bounding with love and eagerness. Slowly the
heavily-laden ship came to land and the fishermen, wet and weary,
clustered around their Lord. Oh, that Lord knew His children They !
were full of love of Him, but they were only human; they must be
warmed and fed and made comfortable. See! hot coals are piled up
on the shore and a miraculous fish is broiling upon them, and there is
bread in plenty. "Bring hither ofl the fishes which you have now
caught," Jesus says. And Peter, willing to do double duty now, sets
off and lands the one hundred and fifty great fishes the Master has pro-
vided.
Our Lord is Host and gives the invitation to come to table. "Come
and dine," He says. Not "Go and dine," but come, for He is going
to be of the party, as One that serveth. '

' And Jesus cometh and taketh
bread and giveth them; and fish in like manner." "Would they not
know Him by this, the waiting at table, the breaking of the bread, the
blessing of the food I Has He altered at all from the Jesus of Xazareth
they knew so well ?
When they had dined, Jesus called Peter apart. "Simon, son of
John, lovest thou Me more than these?" Poor Peter! Nathaniel, the
man without guile, James, of austere life, John, the beloved disciple,
were there. "Yea Lord Thou knowest that I love Thee," he answers.
The comparison with others he prudently drops. "Feed My lambs,"
was our Lord's prayer. A second time and then a third he was asked,
and the third time Peter is grieved. A triple confession reminds him
of a triple denial. Still he dares to answer: "Lord, Thou knowest
all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee." Jesus said to him: "Feed
My sheep." Jesus is the Shepherd and He is going to leave His sheep

and lambs, but He will not leave them without a protector. The young
and the tender and the more mature must both be cared for alike.
People and pastors must have a guardian, and He chooses Peter, im-
petuous, daring, but loving St. Peter —Peter for whom He prayed that
his faith might not fail. And it did not fail, it only flickered a brief
space, to burn more brightly and steadily for ever after.
Does not this scene on the seashore show us Jesus as He always
was? And do not the Apostles seem as at home with Him as during
His mortal life, and as happy and trustful ? In the tabernacle we have
the risen Lord— He who kindled the fire on the sands, who broiled the
fish and distributed the bread to the famished Apostles. "WTio would
be afraid of One so homely. One so kind? Oh, let us trust Him and
love Him and come to Him with such a lively faith as Peter had when
he knelt at his Master's side and worshipped Him in the early morn-
ing on Galilee's shore.
St. Michael, Archangel.

May 8.
What a difference there is between light and its definition: light

as explained to a sightless child and the light bursting in upon the
wide-open eyes of one seeing! Some such difference is there between
the angels and our ideas of them. With the dear saints we have kin-
ship. True, they are conquerors, and we too often conquered still, we ;
can clasp their hands and feel that they are flesh and blood, and hiunan
nature generally. But with the angels the ease is different. They
are on a plane far above us. much our language that is
It is not so
at fault as that our perception We
have not the intellect to
is.
grasp natures other than our own, especially those above us. And
how far the angels are above us by nature who shall say!
The angels know no wavering of temptation, no quivering of sensu-
ality, no mediation of the senses. With them there is no balancing in
reasoning, no hesitation in acting. But we men are for ever fighting,
or worse, succumbing; for ever weighing reasons and mistaking con-
clusions. Only to think of the gTeat brains of the earth puzzling over
the question of education, groping and querying, acting and withdraw-
ing, blundering and amending; light coming slowly from different
luminaries, and, because it is partial, apparently contradicting! It is
all very praiseworthy, but very dull. AAHiat a difference to the angelic
intellect, which sees as a whole, grasps as a whole, assents as to a
whole
And these great intelligences are at our disposal: "Are they not
all ministering siîrits sent to minister for them who are heirs of sal-
vation!" (Heb. i. 14). Ministering spirits! No king upon earth has,
by reason of his kingship, such servants. And yet the poorest amongst
us has at his command the heavenly host. We hear of people rejoicing
over their great retinues, coimting over their servants, nmnbering their
dependents. The most powerful monarch 's army
Let them, and laugh.
cannot come near our Master's train. "Is there any numbering of
His soldiers!" (Job xxv.). And His soldiers are ours. For did He
not say: "I have called you friends"! Friends share each other's
privileges, joys, company. As the angel's ministei*ed to our Lord so
they minister to His friends. Is it not our fault, then, if we stumble
in temptation or fail in trial
Only three of the blessed angels are named in Scripture; and first
of these is Michael, the Prince of the Church of God. Michael inter-
preted means "^\Tao is like to God," because when Lucifer the
bright one fell Michael stood firm by the standard of his King. He is
spoken of as a warrior spirit: "There was a great battle in Heaven,

Michael and angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and
liis
his angels fought and they prevailed not." They were thrust down
by the great standard-bearer to the bottomless pit.
And such a one is our champion, "the great Priace who standeth
for the children of thy people," Daniel calls him. And Zacharias saw
the archangel praying for his people: "0 Lord of hosts, how long
wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem? I am zealous for Sion with a
great zeal." "If we only had workers," we sometimes sigh. Well,
here is a worker with thousands at his command, one who has meas-
ured himself with the powers of darkness and has prevailed. Our
enemy is, like his, a spiritual one— let us, then, make common cause
with him.
"But we do pray to St. Michael," we say. Ah, yes— that is, we
mention him in our prayers. But how much intention do we put into
the words, and how much stronger do we feel for such feeble asking?
We say our prayers often as we swallow capsules : the quicker the bet-
ter. This is a sorry habit. The beauty of the words escapes us their ;
bulk only impresses us. Far wiser to say a few prayers slowly, intently,
than many quickly and unthinkingly. "Blessed St. Michael, defend
us in the day of battle"— day of temptation, of daily need, of weary
doubt— "that we may not be lost," the only awful word existing, the
only event no man's courage can support; "in the day of judgment,"
God's own day of vindication, when each will receive liis just award.
Blessed St. Michael, defend us now and be with us now that we may
be safe on that tremendous day.
The Ascension.
One noon summer, nearly two thousand years ago, a group
in early
of men knelt in rapture upon the summit of a mountain. Their dress
was that of poor Jewish fishermen, their hands were homy and stained
with sun and exposure. But the look on their faces was heavenly, the
pose of their bodies ecstatic.In their uplifted eyes, feasting on a dis-
tant vision, shone a light not of the earth. Higher, still higher the
vision rose, drawing still upwards the thrilled gaze of the men. As
they knelt transfixed, a cloud softly floating by threw a shadow on the
upturned faces. The vision was gone. Yet the men knelt on without
movement. At last a voice broke the stillness, and two men in white
gamients stood by them and said: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand
you looking up to Heaven? This Jesus Who is taken up from you into
Heaven shall so come as you have seen Him going into Heaven." They
then understood the word that Jesus had said that morning to them.
" It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father has
put in His O'wn power," was made clear to their minds. AVhat did it
matter when ! He would come again in might and power as surely as
He had ascended. Oh, they could wait now, could live and believe and
work in that hope. "And adoring they went back into Jerusalem with
great joy." AU selfishness, incredulity, and hardness of heart seems
to have left them at that moment. Though they were alone in the
struggle they were not saddened nor discouraged. Their gi-eat joy
was rooted in Heaven nothing henceforth would rob them of it.
;
Tills was the first Ascension Day. Six weeks had passed since our
Lord rose from the dead and came back to His own. He had been with
them at intervals reassuring them, comforting and instructing them,
and showing them that all was forgiven and that a great future was be-
fore them. It had been a dear, familiar time, so joined on to their for-
mer life that they had fallen into their old ways with our Lord and He
with them. The sorrows of the Passion and the joys of the Eesurrec-
tion had changed them veiy little. Only that verj^ morning Jesus had
eaten with them and had upbraided them for their incredulity and
hardness) of heart. For they had doubted the word of those who had
seen Him and who had been His messengers to tliem. As He led them
as far as Bethania, to the Moimt of Olives, they had asked Him that
unthinking question about the coming of the Kingdom, and He had re-
buked them in His own decided way. But in the same sentence He
pours consolation into their hearts by telling them they shall be filled
with the Holy Ghost, that they shall be His witnesses throughout all
Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttemiost bounds of the earth; that
the power of working miracles wiU not only remain with them, but shall
be given to all who believe in His name. How they must have recalled
these promises of the Master as they returned the same way He had
led them in the morning, as they crossed the brook Kedron, climbed the
steep defile, threaded the narrow streets back into the Upper Room.
Once there they scarcely left it at all, so intent were they to fulfill liter-
ally our Lord's injunction —to stay in Jenisalem until tliey had been
imbued with jxtwer from on high. So "with Mary the Mother of Je-
sus" the eleven Apostles prepared for their mission: "to go into the
whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature."
"With Mary the Mother of Jesus!" See how early in Church his-
tory Mary is a centre figure! The Apostles have an important work
to do— one, we might imagine, unsuited for the interference of women
one tliat required quiet, strength, guidance, comfort. Unspiritual
though the Apostles were at this time, yet they were keen enough to
know that what they had lost in Jesus they would find in Mary. So
John took them to his own, and they dwelt with him and Mary, perse-
vering in prayer for the nine happy days of the first novena.
Have we anything to put in order before Pentecost, before the
coming of the Holy Ghost? If so, let us take it to Mary, and, like the
Apostles, ask her help and guidance and comfort. Let us be found
during this latest novena "with Marj^ the Motlier of Jesus."
Pentecost.
The spirit of the Gospels is large-hearted giving. It could not be

otherwise, for their theme is our Lord, and He lived but to give. Let
us in this most wonderful week of Pentecost think over his gifts and
the manner of His giving, and see how His spirit spread throughout
the world.
"Gold and have none," one of His disciples said. And we
silver I
never hear of our Lord possessing money. The didrachma that He paid
for Peter and Himself came as a miracle from the fish's mouth. So
money He could not give. But all He had was at the service of any one.
—
All His divine word spoke to rich and poor, worthy and unworthy;
His healing power reached to every kind of sufferer: the leper, the
possessed, the halt, and the blind. The power of working miracles, used
first by Himself alone, was soon bestowed on the chosen Twelve and
then u}X)n the Seventy-two-, that the number benefited might be multi-
plied. His time was so occupied that He had none for Himself— "not
so muchas to eat bread." He never put off inoi>ix)rtune visitors, and
He reproved the disciples because they would send away the little ones
and their importunate mothers. He was weary once and sat at the well
leaving His Apostles to visit tlie Samaritan town and obtain food. Bat
it was not the rest nor tlie cool sliade of the palms that lured Him. He
knew of one coming who needed a and through whom He
word alone,
could send loving messages to a benighted iêople. If our Lord had cov-
eted any time it would have been the hours of the night, but they were
reserved for the timid and cowardly who dared not approach Him by
day. These got no reprimand for their selfish caution. Jesus lit the
lamp and waited until the darkness made it safe for the disciple toi ap-
proach. When Josus was not wanted "He passed the whole night in
prayer." Then even sudden danger or urgent necessity often broke
in upon His quiet. Once after a weary day the Apostles embarked and
Jesus went alone on a mountain to pray. But a storm arose and the
Apostles were in sore need. Jesus wall<;ed upon the waters to suceor
them. What a welcome sight to the tired, drenched, frightened men
that bright appearance must have been. But His night's repose was
lost, and the hot, weary day began again for Him.
In detail, too, how lavish was our Lord in giving. He had five thou-
sand guests, counting the hungry men alone; multiply the number by
itself at least if you would find the women, and by that again if you
would know the children— and he fed tliem with a generous hand:
bread and fish there was in plenty, in superabundance, for were not
twelve full baskets over! And at the draught of fishes was there need
—
of one hundred and fifty big fishes of such a quantity that the nets
broke and the haul was landed with great diiBculty?
See, too, how large-hearted was our Lord's way of doing good. Why
need He touch the loathsome leper, why take the cold, clammy hand of
the dead, why anoint the sightless eyes of the blind! Why linger about
the sick, asking them questions, drawing them near to Him! Why not
heal at a distance or by deputy, or by mere command! Ah, why!—
because this is our Lord's way, to give without counting the cost, to be
unselfish in bestowingwhat ever it is— time, strength, divine powers.
Jesus is God and He saw into the future. His death was at hand,
and separation from all He loved. But His love could know no separa-
tion. He must invent a gift that would be a mystical but true living
with men. So he took bread and blessed and broke it, and gave Him-
self whole and entire to the human race for ever. What a gift ! What
8 giving
Eedemption is giving a price for another, and the redemption our

Lord wrought was copious, the Scriptures say. He shed His Blood
until there was but a mixed stream to flow. He allowed it to be pressed
out of Him by the agony of His soul, to be tortured from Him drop by
drop by the malice of His enemies. And when His very life failed Him
—
He had still some one to give a Mother to care for His oi^jhan cMl-
dren, and a mother for those children to love, so that by this exchange
of love we might be children of Mary and brethren of His. Our Lord
died, but His death brought resurrection, and His ascension was, as it
were, a mission Homeward in quest of another gift. "If I go not the
Paraclete will not come to you, but if I go I will send Him to you."
And he rejoices at the thought of this Comforter, and sjêats of Him
over and over again as though He would console not only the hearts of
the Apostles at the coming separation, but also His own. "You shall
lament and weep you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall
;
be turned to joy." And the joy would be the descent of the Holy Ghost.
This Divine Spirit was our Lord's last great gift to His Apostles, and
through them to the Church— the Spirit of Truth who was to teach
them all things to the end of time.
And once again we look at the manner of this coming, and we find
it is a divine disiênsing. Gifts so rich are to be had for the desiring
that men have become as angels —wise in deliberation, keen in grasping
truth, full of knowledge, prudent in counsel, strong in suffering, given
to prayer, and restrained by a holy fear of God. And from these gifts
come tliose wonderful finiits, the very sound of which sets our hearts
aglow, for they form the end of every man's stidving: charity, joy,
peace, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith— and the three
last gifts, special adornments of our bodies as temples of the Holy
Ghost, His by right of our anointing with the chrism that consecrates,
and takes possession.
The spirit of the Gospel was large-hearted giving, and as the Gos-
23el spread, men's hearts were opened and their bands dispensed charity,
"We see the first Christians dividing their all amongst their poor breth-
ren; we see the sick and wretched cared for wherever Christ's name is
sounded; we see splendid buildings rise out of the pence of the poor,
slaves are liberated or treated as brethren; a new art has spnmg up
with Christianity, one learned from the Founder: the art of giving,
large-hearted, generous, not counting the cost. And the giving was
not money only nor principally, but love and service, the fruit of the
brain, of the heart, of the arm it came soothing, and strengthening, and
;
raising.
Such were the first Christians ! Shall we be degenerate ohildi'en
of the saints ?
Corpus Christi Day.

This a day of flowers and incense and lights and singing; a day
is
of i^raise, of love and reparation a day like a birthday put apart for
;
showing the affection we always feel. But, unlike a birthday, it is a

day of faith. Here we have no dear face tO' gaze ujion, no dear hands
into which to lay our presents, no lips from' which to hear words of
praise and thanks. But what then? We have faith that raises us above
the senses, and we need no sight, no touch, no hearing to know; our
Guest is with us, receiving our homage, rejoicing in our praise, return-
ing our love. And who is our Guest to-day ? 'Îio but our own Master,
our patient Friend, the Guest of the whole year round, Jesus Christ in
the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. And it is He whom we try to
honor on Coii>us Christi. How shall we do it? When Aman was
asked by King Assuerus what should be done to him whom the king
desired to honor, he answered: that a crown be placed upon his head,
a royal robe around him, and that the greatest man in the kingdom lead
his horse through the streets and declare his worth. When the Romans
of old had done great deeds in battle they asked for a triumi^hal pro-
cession through the streets of Eome with the captives, the trophies, and
the spoils they had taken. Throughout history, ancient and modem,
processions always formed special means of showing honor and glad-
ness and just appreciation. Perhai)s it is the enthusiastic cheering,
the undivided attention of the panting crowds, the gay decorations in
unwonted places, and the stately movement, the solemn music, the
heart-to-heart beating of thousands that make a procession such a popu-
lar award of merit. Be that as it may, popular, long-lived, and univer-
sal it certainly is.
And so the Church sanctifies this procession of honor and oifers

CORPUS CHRISTI DAY
it to our Lord to-day. Tliroughout Catholic lands, and in our little

measure in Protestant lands too, bishops and priests and children, re-
ligious men and women, schoolboys and seminarists, and a mixed crowd
of poor and rich and old and young accompany their Lord and King
through the flower-strewn roads and decorated But no soimd
streets.
is heard the whole length of the way. Only the chant of the "Pange
Lingua" and the "Lauda Sion" breaks the stillness. The hushed
silence and awe proclaim better than ringing voices that "a greater
than Solomon is here." The canopy passes, one by one the long file
lining the streets drop upon their knees and remain kneeling with
bowed, uncovered heads till the sound of the bell ceases. This is our
hour of faith. Spontaneously the "Credo" goes up from our hearts,
and with it Thomas' ciy, "My Lord and my God!" More blessed than
Thomas, we believe and do not see. There is no external sign of our
King's approval. "We shall see no smile, hear no word, receive no ex-
ternal acknowledgment. "We are asked to live by faith, to act from
faith. And so we do, tiying our best to combat the senses, to see
beyond our sight, to hear things other than by our ears. And so we
bend our knee and bow our head as the Sacred Host passes us, and we
si>eak in our hearts to Him it veils, as truly and to Him as audibly as
the shouting multitude to the popular hero.
"What conqueror or hero or king has ever had homage tol be com-
pared to tliis? Hidden under sacramental veils, without voice or attrac-
tion, helpless in thehands of men, Jesus captivates the hearts of mil-
lions in every part of theworld He commands reverence from an un-
:
revering age, love from a self-seeking generation, homage from an un-

yielding people. Jesus, Thou art known and loved Men may talk !
and write and scoff, but Thou art known and loved above thousands;
Thou art served, even in these lulvewarm days, as never man was. Be
glad, then, dear Master, and pardon the defects of our
rejoice with us ;
childlike homage; gather up the loving words that are sung and the
humble prayers of the dumb lips unheard but by Thee. Look down and
bless with Thy dear hands Thy loving subjects. We can wait for Thy
smile, for Thy rewarding word, but we cannot wait for Thy blessing.
Give it to-day, dear Master, as Thou passest on Thy way. Give it to
the little ones, to their mothers, to thy priests and prelates, to the lonely
and the sad. The eyes of all are upon Tliee, for to whom could they
turn if Thou didst forsake them? Wlien Thou wast in the way Thou
didst go about doing good ; Tliou art in the way now, Jesus. Stretch
forth Thy hand and do us good.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

June 20.
''What is that, mother?" a little boy asked, asi lie looked upon the
sea for the first time.
"The sea, my boy."
"And who stirred it up?"
"God."
The great waves broke upon the beach and tossed their snow-white
foam over the child's feet, and drew
then, as if taking a long breath,
themselves back over the beach with a roaring sound. The wide, wide
expanse, the never-ending motion awed the child. He watched the
rhythmical coming and going, and stretched out his hands and felt the
spray on his palms. So wide, so deep, so restless, who could compass
it, who could control itl God, only God.
The sea an allegory of the human heart, with its depths and its
is
strength, its restlessnessand its impetuosit}^, its passion, its calm. It

is an abyss and our hearts are abysses, and they call for another to
satisfy them. "Abyss calleth upon abyss." And where are they to find
one that will answer to theirs, fill them, control them, tame and subject
them? There is only one greater, one wider, one stronger than their
—
own, one with a more ardent, steadier love the Heart of the Man-God,
the Heart of Jesus Christ.
Who speak of the Heart of Jesus'? We are surprised at the
shall
depth of men's hearts. A
sorrow, a sudden call reveals a passionate
love, a grand self-devotion never dreamed of by their dearest friends.
The heroic deeds of past and present days show what is in man. What,
then, must there be in Jesus, the God-man! "No man hath seen God
at any time; but the only-begotten Son 'Who is in the bosom of the
Father hath declared Him." "In Jesus dwelt all the fulness of the
Godhead corporally" (Col. ii. 9). Is there not food for meditation
here? Man is a mystery in himself, but when the human is hypostatic-

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
ally united to the divine wko can fathom it! We should be startled
away, and should stand off didwe not know that the heart is the symbol
of love and that love makes all things equal, interi^rets all mysteries.
A wonderful thing every way is love even debased it is strong when
;
;
pure it is almighty, infinite in its power. See it working among chil-

dren, amongst the poor, amongst the hardened. It tames, overcomes,
attracts, sweetens, attaches, distils the good, puts the bad to shame. It
trebles the power of work and sharpens the faculties. A gi'eat good
every way is love. If human love works so, what will the divine? And
our Lord's love is not only human, but also' divine, infinite therefore.
It is the abyss we are longing for, for which our hearts were made.
On earth only the Saints who seek our Lord's Heart know what
rest and true happiness mean. All our hearts seek and find, and lose
in the finding. But the Saints seek and find and rejoice. Their love
brings no loss to them in this world or the next. The Heart of Jesus
is their pledge for earthly and Heavenly happiness. When sickening
fear and doubt come over the soul as to our future in the next life, we
look to the Heart of Jesus, He will not cast aside the contrite and the
humble. When that strange dread, that everlasting joy will pall, we
look to the Heart of Jesus, and smile to think we could distrust Its
depths. "I know Him whom I have trusted, and I am certain that He
is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day"
(2 Tim. i. 12). "That which I have committed" is my soul, my alh
How is it, then, that so few have found out the treasure of our
Lord's love? It is there for all; why have so few availed themselves
of it? The Heart of Jesus has Its secrets: It only attracts certain
people —the humble, the childlike, the contrite, the loving. These soon
become initiated in the ways of the Sacred Heart. For Its ways are
difficult only to the proud, the worldly, the hard. Little children are
often good learners ; the poor, the very best of scholars. At this science
they shame the clever, the geniuses of the world. They learn without
words, without explanation, by intuition as it were.
Are we going to learn the secrets of the Sacred Heart, or are we
going to join the clever* of this world, and use our brains on matter
and leave the spirit for God's dull ones? Or shall we make ourselves
children, poor in spirit, and humbly ask to be taught our Lord's secrets?
We will come as little ones to Him and ask Him to teach us the way to
His Heart. Once there, all things will go well. It is so easy to learn
from those we love— we grow like them by the mere living and loving.
Let us this month get close to this burning Heart, and we shall grow
in the humility He loves so much, and in the charity that will make
us all things to all men.
St. John The Baptist.

June 24.
"In the word of the

fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius CSesar, the
Lord ciime to John the son of Zacharj' The name
in tlie wilderness."
of Zacharj^ takes us back a long way— thirty years— to the time when
Augustus Caesar was reigning and there was peace upon earth. The
scene in the Temple rises to our mind— the hour of incense, the old
priest, dumb but rejoicing, coming out from the Holy Place and silently
passing by the expecting people. He was to have a son who was to be
a joy and a gladness to his jjarents, whose birth would make many
rejoice, who would be filled with the Holy Ghost. Then we remember
the gathering at the country house at Ain-Karim, the name ofl John
given to the new-bom child, and the burst of praise from Zachary's
loosened tongue. Then there comes the smnming up of John's child-
hood: "And the child grew and was strengthened in spirit, and was
in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel." These
words bring us again to the reign of Tiberius and the desert place.
We see John's gaunt figure clothed in a rough camel's hair bound in
with a leathern girdle ; his stem, austere face tells of spare diet, one
"who did not eat bread nor drink wine, but locusts and wild honey."
He is spirit rather than flesh, a voice rather than a man.
But he attracts men sanctity always does sooner or later. He did
;
not seek them in the by-ways or alleys as our Blessed Lord did, but
drew tliem away from hmnan from business into solitude, and there
ties,
spoke to their hearts. From the great cities went out all classes of
men, the common folk, soldiers, publicans, levites, priests. And they
listened to his preaching, caught his spirit of generosity, and hmnbling
themselves at the sight of his humility, confessed their sins. "At
Ennon, near Salim, there was much water, and St. John baptized all'
'
who asked for baptism. But all did not ask for it. "The Pharisees
and lawyers despised the counsel of God" and were not baptized by
him. Oil no. How could men wearing broadened fringes— symbols of
extraordinaiy purity —stand as sinners amongst sinnere! Some of
them came out of curiosity to note the proceedings; others in quest
of some device by which the Kingdom of Heaven could be gained and
the world not lost. But St. John had only words of righteous indigna-
tion for such as these. "Ye brood of vipers, who hath shown you to
flee from the wrath to come?" The anger of the meek is terrible, and
John's indig-nation made even these bold h^'jDOcrit.es turn away ashamed,
so that when again they wanted to persecute the Saint they did not
come themselves, but sent messengers.. "Art thou he who is to come,
or look we for another?" "I am not the Christ," he answered; "there
shall come a mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, the
latchet of whose sandal I am not worthy to loosen." This same Mighty
One came one day and stood amongst sinners- Then was St. John's
humility put to the test. "I ought to be baptized by Thee, and comest
Thou to me?" and he stayed Him. One gentle word from Jesus pre-
vailed, and John with trembling hand poured the water over the bowed
head of the Savior of mankind.
Fortj' days later Jesus came from the desert to the banks of the
Jordan. He had fasted, He had been tempted, had been consoled by
an angel. And the traces of suffering were imprinted on His face.
"Behold the Lamb of God," saidJohn as He approached, "behold Him
AYho taketh away the sins of the world." The Pi-ecursor stood amongst
a group of disciples, men with hearts prepared, with eyes ready to
behold the Christ. And now they were to be handed over to Him.
John's mission changed from this hour. His one thought was to jmss
on those dearly beloved children to the meek Lamb of God. One day
news was brought to John that "all men came to Jesus." Then the
joy of his heart burst forth: "The friend of the bridegroom rejoiceth
with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy is therefore
fulfilled. He must must decrease." John was sur-
increase but I
rounded by hundreds of devoted followers, who hung upon his word,
imitated his austerities, practised his virtues. They loved him with a
pure, unselfish love, and revered him with filial homage. Such love and
homage have been a pitfall to many a grand soul, a temptation to most,
for ambition or the love of dominion is the snare of great minds. Only
the very great escape imharmed. And such was John the Baptist.
"He must increase, I must decrease." Dear, loyal Saint! Was there
ever so generous a heart, so lowly a spirit?
We may say that he had to deal with our Lord and that it is easy
to be generous with Him. Oh, is it I Why, then, are there so few saints ?
For sanctity only means generosity towards God. No, the truth is
generosity is John was generous we are

not easy, and never was. St. ;
not. Let us look at him well and see the beauty of his character, and
learn from him some of his hardy virtues mortification of body and
:
soul, prudence in counsel, charity to all men, strength of soul to de-

nounce the wrong, and love to pardon it.
Death soon came to John the Baptist. His work was done. He had
trained his disciples well, and they were ripe for a greater Master; it
was expedient for them that he should go. What death but martyrdom
would suit a life like his? "When omr Lord was recording the rewards
He would give to those who left all for His sake, He added to the hun-
dredfold in this life "and persecutions." And tliese were John's por-
tion. He was hunted down by a profligate woman, imprisoned and put
to death. "It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife," he
said to tlie licentious Herod, and "I will that thou give me the head of
John the Baptist in a dish" was the answer of Herodias' daughter.
Herod obeyed her and John was beheaded.
God's ways are strange. Some twenty years of preparation John
had made, and only a few months of labor were asked of him. He
was endowed with the best gifts of the Holy Ghost and he fell in the
prime of life, at the word of a dancing girl. Yet God's Prophet had
fulfilled his mission. "It was consummated," as his Master's would
bq in a few more months. John went before Him in death as he had
gone before Him in life— His precureor in life and death.
"Wlaat went you out in the desert to see?" our Lord asked. "A
prophet? Yea, I say, more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is
written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who sliall prepare
thy way before thee. For I say to you that amongst those that are born
of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist." Our
Lord loves praising. He praised Nathaniel's guilelessness, the cen-
turion's faith, the confidence of the Syro-Phenician woman, the gen-
erosity of the widow ; and He praised St. John, His prophet and pre-
cursor —"more than prophet, more than angel."
To be praised by our Blessed Lord Who would not work for such
!
an object? What else is there to work for? His praise cannot be bard
to win we do readily what we like doing, and our Lord likes praising.
;
We will ask St. John, the hmnble and loving saint, to teach us how to
work for and how to win our Lord's praise. We will ask Him to teach
us how to imitate, even if it is afar off, some of those virtues that made
him the "gladness of his parents, the joy of his disciples, the angel of
the Lord."
The Apostles, SS. Peter and Paul.

ST. PETER.
June 29.
Simon, sumamed Peter by our Lord, was a poor fisherman of Beth-

saida,owning a boat on the Sea of Galilee and depending for his living
upon bis nets and bis skill in throwing them. His brother Andrew
lived with him at Betlisaida, a small fishing village, which our Lord
had denounced for its hardness of heart and unbelief. Theirs was a
rough life, with many dangers, little rest, and no comforts.
AVhen John the Baptist drew men to him on the Jordan ford, Simon
and Andrew came south to hear him and to be baptized- And it was
well they did, for there they met Jesus, and there they were called to
be His disciples. Andrew met Him first and brought Simon to Him.
Picture tlie two men to yourselves— middle-sized, weather-beaten,
uncoutli of speech and gesture, yet of gentle nature, energetic, steady
of purpose, loyal and time. And beside them see our Lord, emaciated
from His late fast, with the sad, sweet look that told of love and suffer-
ing, with the bands that showed Him also to be a Man of toil. His
gannents, like those of His companions, were of the laborers' color
and quality. But there was about Him a majesty and serenity which
distinguished His from mere human manhood. He was one to draw
all hearts, and Simon and Andrew followed Him spellbound.
No need have we to go through Peter's life for the next three years,
we know it so well. They were years of wonderful peace and liappiness,
of childlike trustfulness, of learning and feeling the things of God. We
hear in memory Simon's impetuous outbursts, we bear the cbiding be
receives from bis Master, but we bear also tbe wonderful call Tbou '
: '
art Peter, and upon tbis rock I will build My Cburck, and tbe gates
of bell sball not i^revail against it.
'
' We bear our Lord pray for bim
specially, tbat being once converted he may coufinn bis brethren. We
see Peter shrink from suffering, fly from danger, deny his Master, in
abject terror. We see bim at our Lord's feet, wiping away tbe three-
fold denial by a threefold act of love: "Lord, Thou knowest all things,
Tliou loiowest that I love Thee."
Then tbe Master is called away, and tbe novena-days pass and the
Holy Ghost comes down upon Peter and spiritualises all bis good, and
ennobles all bis purely natural. Henceforth we see him another be-
ing —strong in temptation, joyful in suffering, courageous in danger.
We see him stand before tbe Sanhedrim with the dignity of an am-
bassador and speak with bold firmness before the awe-inspiring coun-
cil, and we see bim leave tbe hall a scourged man, rejoicing with great
joy. This is tbe Head of our Church, Christ's first Vicar upon earth
-
—a man with a man's failings, a saint with a jurisdiction beyond all
others upon tlie earth, the custodian of tbat most priceless of all treas-
ures, religious truth ; a man with an inheritance and with heirs prom-
ised to the end of time.
ST. PAUL.
whose former name was Saul, was called "the Apostle
St. Paulj
of the Gentiles," "one bom out of due time," as he says of himself—
tbat is, an apostle-elect, without tbe privilege of personally
knowing our Lord. He was bom at Tarsus, "no mean city";
be enjoyed tbe rights of a Roman citizen, was brought up at the
feet of the great Gamaliel, in Jerusalem, tbe city of Jewish thought
and culture he was highly refined, gifted witli eloquence and with win-
;
nixig ways a man learned in the law, a Pharisee. A very different figure
;
is this from Peter, the rude fisbennan. The call of the two Apostles
was different too. Saul was stnick to the groimd when in the midst
of a sinful course, and was changed from a persecutor to the propagator
of the Christian religion. He received his teaching mainly from divine
inspiration be was endowed with all the gifts of tbe Holy Ghost, and
;
received the command to preach tbe Gospel to all nations.

St. Peter and St. Paul —how different they are! Ajid yet they
are blessed with the same high c-alling, chosen to the same end, the
spread of the Gospel, the witnessing to our Lord before king and gov-
ernors. And the one we should hardly have thought a worthy repre-
sentative of the growing Church is chosen its Head, its Foundation-
stone. We, in our wisdom, would have looked to the fitness of things,
and have chosen for so exalted an office ai refined, cultured, eloquent
man, a man of some standing, like St. Paul, not a rude fisheiman, a
man with a dialect, a Galilean. Well, we learn many things from the
Gospel, and this is not the least: to distnist our own judgment. The
fishemian was chosen and has been honored for nearly two thousand
years as God's own Vicar ui>on earth, Eome's first Pontiff.
But if we look nearer into the hearts of the two Apostles we see
there is as much resemblance as there is contrast. There is the same
large heart overfowing with love for mankind, the same naturally im-
pulsive disposition; there is the same energy and self-forgetfulness,
the same burning zeal for the good of all men, the same joy in suffer-
ing for Christ. It was fitting they should die together and be hon-
ored together. In the i>ersecution of Nero— June 29, tradition says
— St. Peter was crucified with his head downwards; on the same day
St. Paul, protected still by his Roman
was beheaded outside
privilege,
the walls of Rome. Together in martyrdom, together they share the
splendid tombs within and witJiout the Eternal City, and throughout
Christendom the honor of the universal Church— Paul as the AjX)stle
of the Grentiles, Peter as Supreme Pontiff, first Bishop of Rome.
This is a rough sketch, but materials for study are within reach of
all. To know St. Peter well we should read the Gospels carefully, note
the passages in which his name occurs, and ponder them; then read
the first part of the Acts and
him a glowing Apostle, with miracu-
see
lous gifts, and the unction of the Holy Ghost. And then turn to his
epistles— they complete the picture and show his heart. The same little
—
book the Xew Testament— will tell us all there is to be known about
St. Paul. Begin with the second part of the Acts and make your notes.
—
Then but the task is a long one— take his epistles and study the saint
in them. Tliey will repay you as no light reading ever did. You will
find matter there for imagination, heart and head.
Mother Church (Continued)
CHAPTER XI
The Visitation
July 2.
The Angel Gabriel had just left our Lady in the little cottage at
—
Nazareth. Her beautiful face was lit up with joy the joy of Divine
motherhood. It was the hour of the first Communion ever celebrated
on earth, and Mary was making her thanksgiving. But as the sun rose
over the Sea of Galilee, and a few of its bright rays shone through the
window upon the tiled floor, Mary left her prayer and began her prep-
aration for a jouraey. The angel's last words to her were as a com-
mand. They told her that her cousin, St. Elizabeth, had been blessed
by God and was to have a son in her old age. Elizabeth lived far off,
down among the hills of Judea, at least four days' travel from Naza-
reth. But distance was nothing to Mary when there was question of a
kindness. So "in haste" she left her home and set forth upon her way.
It was the Spring of the year, the lovliest time in Galilee. Flowers
of the brightest hues grew around in thousands there were gaudy tu-
;
lips, blood-red anemones everywhere, lilies and poppies in the meadows,
in the hedges, in the corn-fields, by the roadside. The sun shone brightly
on the restless Jordan water; a slight breeze stirred the olives and
palms and fig-trees. Mary saw it all and whispered love-songs to her
God. On the road she met men and women going to keep the Pasch at
Jerusalem and she joined their company. She made all welcome— the
poor, the sinful, the sorrowful, the outcast she shunned none, she kept
;
aloof from none. She was toO' near God Himself to be exclusive.
There have been saints whom God has drawn into solitude and
whose virtues hav& grown and brought forth fruit far away from men.
But Mary was not of these. We find her all through her life answer-
ing the call of charity, no matter from whence it came nor whither it
196
THE SACRED HEART OF MARY
led. To-day it leads her to the wealthy house of the priest Zachary;
soon it will bid her welcome the rough shepherds from the mountain
side, then the high-bred strangers from the East. We shall find her in
the crowded company returning from Jerusalem "amongst her kins-
folk and acquaintances"; later again in the throng with the brethren,
seeking Jesus ; we mourner at the
see her a wedding-guest at Cana, a
foot of the Cross with reviling crowds around. Mary's life like our
Lord's was spent with the people, consoling, rejoicing, and heljoing.
So tins isi why we see her now, upon the highroad, beaming with holy
joy, pure as the lily flower; so full of gi-ace that she seems to impart
it to others as by radiation.
As the days passed the travellers drew near to Jerusalem, and the
way grew more rugged; the road crossed hills and descended again
through rocky ravines ; the flowers grew more scarce and but
; foa- some
red anemones ceased altogether as Jerusalem rose to the view. At the
western gate Mary parted with most of her company and went south-
ward into the hill country. At last Ain Karim, "the city of Juda,"
was reached, and Mary stood on the threshold of her cousin's house.
Oh, then there was joy! Elizabeth came out of her retirement witli
wondering surprise and great humility. "Blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this that
the mother of my Lord should come to me 1 '
Then Mary's lips were unsealed for tlie first time. Elizal>eth Imew
her secret and called her blessed, and Mary revealed to her the inner-
most feelings of her soul. She is blessed, and so shall she be called by
all generations, she says but it is the blessedness of a lowly one made
;
great by the Most High of a humble one exalted by the might of God 's
;
arm. Nor is tliis greatness hers alone. Israel, the chosen people, has
now obtained its desire of a thousand years. God has shown mercy to
Abraham's children, the Word is made flesh. So Mary "magnifies the
Lord and rejoices in God her Saviour."
Mary and Elizabeth See them standing together on the threshold.
!
See the exultation in the dear faces. Until Elizabeth's greeting, Mary
had been silent in her joy; but Elizabeth's praise called forth into
si>eechMary'? overflowing gratitude and humility and wondering
acknowledgment of God 's great gifts. And so we got the Magnificat. '
' '
-
Three months Mary passed in Zachary 's house. The old man was
deaf and dumb cut off from friends and kindred and servants, but Mary
;
was there to do bim loving service, to gladden bis eyes witb ber beam-
ing beauty, toi soothe his heart with ber kind attentions and by her
sanctity help bim to a holy resignation. She was there to assist Eliza-
beth and do her such services as a child would do for its mother.
And these little things were the purjjort of Mary's visit; in one
word kindness, not charity merely, but lo^'ing-kindness which has to do
with manner rather than with the act itself. And oh! what a differ-
ence manner makes! Let any one in a family, father, mother, child,
or servânt, alter his way of doing (if need be) let him adojat a cheer-
;
ful, joyous manner, bestow smiles instead of frowns, freely praise,

give alms with a kind word, listen with true interest, congratulate with
unfeigned joy, compassionate with a feeling heart, and he will change
any household in less than a month. True joyous kindness, St. Philip
Neri's special gift, is wonder-worker compared to which other miracu-
lous powers are insignificant.
Tiy it, you gentle souls, who pine to convert your neighbor, to
sanctify your own souls, to do good to all men. Be charitable kindly,
cheerfully, and you will bring our Lord near to many a heart which
otherwise would never know him. Let Mary, the Mother-Maid, in ber
sweet Visiting, teach us how to love each other in God our Savior.
St. Vincent of Paul.

July 19.
Is there any saint more popular than St. Vincent of Paul! By

popular I mean loved by the people. His name stands for Christian
kindness, for active charity. You see the picture of a benevolent old
priest with a baby waif in his arms and you say at once: "Ah, St.
Vincent of Paul." Of course, every one knows him, and if they did
not they would at least be acquainted with his spiritual daughters, a
Congregation which has spread all over the world, Sisters with large
flapping bonnets, looking like white birds of i>assage. They are found
in the battlefield, in the hospitals, in the hovels, in the poor schools, in
the workroom, in the reformatory, and they have made the name of
their Founder a word of exchange for charity.

ST. VINCENT OF PAULA
Vincent of Paul was a i>easant of Gascony; his father cultivated a

little farm, and Vincent and his brothers tended the sheep and drove
the plO'Ugli. But showed unmistakable signs of a vocation

as the boy
to the priesthood, he was sent to school, from thence to the University,
and then was ordained priest in 1600.
From this point Vincent's life reads like a romance, and brings
forcibly to our minds the perilous times in which he lived. Travelling
from Marseilles to Narbonne, he was seized by Mahometan pirates,
carried a captive to Barbaiy, and exposed for sale in the slave market
at Tunis. There this priest of God was examined, overhauled, handled
like an animal, and sold for the worth of his muscles. A fisher-
man bought him, but sold him again, as the Gascon peasant could not
bear the sea. His next master was a doctor who had spent fifty years
in search of the philosopher's stone. He was a kind man, and soon
learned to love his gentle slave. He gave him lectures in alchemy,
made him tempting offers of riches, friendship, and domestic happiness
if he would renounce Christ and swear to the Koran. At the end of a
year the old doctor died, and Vincent was again in the market. This
time he was bought by a renegade Christian, who sent him to labor
in the fields. With the spade in his hand and the hot African sun
overhead Vincent sang Gascon canticles and the Salve Eegina. His
audience were the dumb beasts, the birds of the air— and none other.
The renegade's wife used to come to listen to his singing, and in her
talks with the saint was fascinated with his doctrine. She upbraided
her husband for his infidelity to his God, and so wrought upon the poor
sinner, that, with Vincent's help, she persuaded him to fly from tempta-
tion, leave Africa, and begin a new life. In Vincent's company he em-
barked in a frail vessel and landed safely at Aigues-Mortes. Thence,

the penitent went to Rome, and lived and died a fervent Brother of St.
John of God.
Vincent journeyed alone to Paris, and lived as chaplain with a gen-
tleman. But his trials were not yet ended. A theft was committed in
the house and Vincent was accused. For six years he bore the slander
with sweet patience. Then the thief confessed and Vincent was ac-
quitted. From that time forth the saint's wonderful virtue seems to
have been recognized by those amongst whom he lived. He entered
the household of the Count de Joigny, and left it only to devote him-
self more exclusively
to the poor, wliom he passionately loved. He
founded a Congregation of secular priests, who take simple vows and
dedicate themselves and all their powers to their own sanctification and
that of their neighhors. They give themselves up to the training of
priests in seminaries, to the giving of missions, and to parish work of
all kinds. During the Founder's life twenty-five Houses of the Congi-e-
gation were founded. Besides tliis great work,Vincent set on foot in-
numerable charities of the most extensive kind; fomidling hospitals
were built, the sick and the fallen were hel^Ded with untiring charity,
funds for the terrible war waging in the south were collected. Thou-
sands and thousands of poimds passed through Vincent's hands. He,
the poor farmer's son, dispensed princely sums to needy soldiers, or-
phaned children, and widowed mothers. We, who need money so
much for our good works, what can we make of this prodigy ? We sigh
as we look at our empty hands, and say: "If only we had money!"
Ah! I think if we have the right heart, the prayerful mind, the trust
in God, and a good cause, our Lord will not hold us back for a paltiy
sum. What is gold to Him? He will give it if we will prove ouselves
worthy stewards. No; it is not money we want so much as the burn-
ing zeal for souls, the mortification of self, the heart united to God,
Dear great-hearted saint! teach us thy secrets— the confidence that asks
aright, the patience that waits, tlie courage that dares.
At eighty years of age, when his back was bent and his pace was
slow and his eye dim, Vincent rose at four every morning and si>ent
the first three hours of the morning in prayer. Is not this a] voucher
for his early years and his later prime? We do not acquire such
habits in old age ; they are got in the vigor of youth. Vincent knew
the necessity of prayer, and could find no time in the day, so he stole
the hours of the night and drew strength as well as refreshment from
Our Lord Himself.
One day when the saint was eighty-five he was found dead in his
chair— gone home noiselessly, sweetly; home, to be met by thousands
whom he had helped and comforted in this life ; to be met by Him Who
said: ""Wbat you do for the least of these. My brethren, you do unto
Me." St. Vincent of Paul, pray for us!
ST. MARY MAGDALEN
Mary Magdalen.
July 22.
It was from which sightseers

a spacious room, open to the street
passed in and out. A great man was "at meat," aud his friends were
about him, and his servants waited upon him. Simon was his name.
He was a Pharisee, a strict observer of the details of the law, and a
transgressor of the main points. Somewhere at the lower end of the
triple table reclined the Projahet of Nazareth, Jesus, the carpenter's
son. A few rustics suiTounded Him, uncouth men, but devoted dis-
ciples who had eyes and ears for none but their Master.
Presently there was a stir at the door, some half-loud exclamations
were uttered by those nearest, and a well-bred gesture of horror was
made by the great man as there stepped lightly past him the tall, lithe
figure of a woman. Her hair hung loose about her, precious orna-
ments still decked her beauty, but her eyes were downcast, her face
was pale, and the hands that held an alabaster box trembled. "Where
was she going, this sinner? What was she doing in the house of a
Pharisee? With <iuick steps she passed the best seats at the table
and their haughty occupants, and, as if by instinct found the coucli
where Jesus lay. His face was sad. His head slightly bent, His un-
sandalled feet were blistered and dust-laden. The woman knelt on
ilhe ground besidi* Him aud washed His feet with her burning tears
and wiped them with her hair, and kissed them with penitent love.
Simon the Pharisee looked on. Here was a revelation! Jesus was
styled a prophet, yet this woman wasi a notorious sinner and He al-
lowed her to touch Him, weep over Him, anoint Him. At any rate
He was found out now. Simon's judgment was known as soon as
passed. His heart and that of the siimer lay open before the despised
Prophet of Nazareth.
"Simon, I have something to say to thee."
"Master, say it," was the condescending answer.
"A certain creditor had two debtors; the one owed five hundred
I>ence, the other fifty. And whereas they had not wherewith to pay,
he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most?"
"I suppose that he to whom he forgave most," was Simon's answer.
202 ZIGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
"Tliou liast judged rightly," our Lord replied. "Dost thou see
this woman? I entered into thy house; thou gavest Me no water for
My feet; but she with tears hath washed My and with her hairs
feet,
has wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss, but she, since she came in,
hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not
anoint, but she with ointment hath anointed My feet. Whereof I say
to thee, many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But
towhom lessi is forgiven, he loveth less. Thy sins are forgiven thee,"
He said to the Magdalen, "go in peace."
Magdalen rose and went in }>eace.
July 22nd is the Feast of Mary ^fagdalen, the saint that was once
a sinner, the woman who turaed from the love of the world to the love
of our Lord who braved the sneers of the self-righteous, and wore her
;
contrition in public as she had worn her sihame. Hers was the first
confession full in form, full in effect. On her knees at the lowly couch
she acknowledged her sins to her Savior, with tears of humblest sor-
row she bewailed them, by her altered manner disowned them, and by
the voice of God Himself was absolved. Thy si as are forgiven thee,
'
'
go in peace. Need
'
any' one despair with such an example before him I
Think of the i>ersons in this story. Mary, the notorious sinner, crushed
with the weight of her sins. The Pharisee, personification of pride
and self-complacency, passing rash judgment; Jesus, the omniscient,
full of tender pity and comi>assion, saying "Thv sins are forgiven
thee." No pardon from man, a full remission from God. And God.
not man, is our judge.
The words of Jesus were creative; as He sj^wke, Mar\''s soul be-
came white as driven snow; her sins were remembered no longer, her
soul was filled with peace.
There is a greater comfort than this still. Not only does the poor
sinner obtain pardon, but the veiy weight of her transgressions is the
cause of a great love. "He loveth much to whom much is forgiven."
Think what love means— nearness, devotion, sei'\'iec. Could Jesus, the
all-pure, accept devotion, service, love and a public sinner? Jesus did.
Magdalen sat at His feet at Bethany, ministered to His wants on His
journeys, stood with His Immaculate Mother on Calvary. Who can lose
heart when he sees the sinner converted, pardoned, cherished, praised
even, by the same Lord he himself serves'? Oh! it is love we lack the —
THE TRUE CATHOLIC. 2{)'S
love of our Lord. Let us ask for it, seek for it, knock for it, be impor-
tunate until we get it. Love makes the bitter backward step from sin
to grace so easy. Confession becomes easy, satisfaction easy, for the
thoughts of and one's shame die before the strong love of our Lord.
self
Let us ask the Magdalen to show us how to break away from the
ties that bind us to unholy things, how to kneel, at onr Lord's feet, and
open out to Him, how to wipe away the post by true sorrow, and atone
for it by true love.
St Ignatius Loyola,
July 31.
Amongst Pampeluna about the year 1522 was a man

the besieged at
of noble birth. He was not in command, so he could only influence
his faint-hearted comrades by his own heroic examjjle and burning
woi'ds. In him all hopes were concentrated, upon him all eyes were
turned, and he led the forlorn little party into the thick of the fight,
fearing no danger, heeding no pain. But suddenly a shot from the
enemy's cannon struck a parapet and dislodged a stone, which, in its
rebound, broke the young warrior's leg. He fell. The garrison sur-
rendered, and the French flag floated over the battlements. A few
weeks after this scene a letter was carried out of the citadel's gates, and
an escort party made its way to the castle of Loyola, Ignatius, the
youngest son of that noble house, was returning home covered with hon-
ors won in the field, but a cripple! The leg was found to be badly set
and was rebroken and set again. Fever followed, and Ignatius was
brought to death's door. He received the last Sacraments and was
given over, but St. Peter, his own special patron, appeared to him and
cured him of his sickness. Ignatius' sufferings, however, were not at
an end. To the horror of the vain young Spaniard it was foimd that a
bone protruded below the knee. Such a disfigurement could not pos-
sibly be borne. So the doctors were told to saw and cut as might be
needful, but to do away with the blemish at all costs. The agony was
suffered without flinching. "When this wound had healed, one leg was
contracted. Ignatius would limp for the rest of his life, the doctors
said. WHth an indomitable will and pride Ignatius had his limb
stretched for hours daily on a species of iron rack. But to no pur-
pose; he was lame from that time forward.
Months had been passed upon a sick-bed. When he was convales-
cent, Ignatius, unable to walk or ride, called for some light literature
to while away the time. There were no romances in his father's cas-
tle, but his attendants brought him what there was— the Life of our
Lord, and the: Lives of the Saints. He read them for the sake of dis-
traction, but the works took a stronger hold upon him than he was
aware. A struggle began in that grand soul, the winning of which in-
fluenced for good the whole world.
Ignatius was physically and morally brave, as we have seen ; he was
generous, warm-hearted, but passionate, vain, fond of pleasure, ambi-
tious. He wrenched his thoughts away from the splendid example of
the saints and turned them back upon the world, his soldier's career
so splendidly begun, upon high commands, the love of the fair. But
as soon as he took u|> the books again he became wholly absorbed in
them, and moved to admiration. Moreover he noticed that i>eace came
with holy thoughts, unrest and discontent with the worldly ones. This
time of deliberation was a critical one to Ignatius, but with Our Lady's
help he conquered. She appeared to him in a beautiful vision, and
from that time he never looked back. He put his foot on the ladder of
self-renunciation and ascended it till it brought him to the gate of
Heaven. We loiow the rest of his career —how in pilgrim's guise
he visited Montserrat, hung up his sword before Our Lady's picture,
and took a vow of chastity. How at Manresa he mortified his body
and endured the assaults of the evil one; how, flooded with heavenly
light, he wrote his Spiritual Exercises; how he journeyed to Jerusalem;
studied grammar with little boys at Barcelona, philosophy and divinity
at Paris how he spent a year in preparation foi- his first Mass. Final-
;
ly, how he founded the Society of Jesus. His is a long life and a veiy
full one. It requires study and time to follow. One thing only may
be insisted on here. sometimes spoken of as stern
This great Saint is
and hard. To himself he was, but to none other. Only read over the
list of his good works in Rome, and see if these could have sprung from
anything but tender, delicate, overflowing charity. He founded a house

for poor Jews one for penitent women one for young, innocent girls
; ;
out of work, and one for orphan children. The sick of the Society, suf-
ferers everjTvhere were the dearest objects of his care. Nothing was
itoo good for them; others might be stinted, but those in pain, never.
No, Ignatius was not hard, else he could not have loved our Lord so
well.
Of his great Society suffice it to say that in the Saint's lifetime its
missionary priests were found all over the world, in Morocco, in the
Congo, in Abyssinia, in South ^Vmerica, in India. Its theologians had
seats in the Council of Trent, colleges and universities sjorang up in
Coimbra, Goa, and Candia. Some of tlie greatest men of the times
called themselvs Ignatius' disciples —Fi'ancis Xavier, Peter Faber, Sal-
meron, Lewis da Ponte, Alvarez— to mention but a few.
And this man, who seemed to have moved all Europe, was the hum-
blest, simplest of men. As General of the Society, he might have been
seen sweeping, making beds, tending the sick. Only he was contempti-
ble, he used His bui'ning love of God shone in his countenance.
to say.
St. Philip Neri, who visited him, spoke of the rays of light that lit up
his face. "O God, my Lord, oh, that everj- one knew Thee!" he would
repeat with tears of devotion streaming down his thin cheeks. "To
the greater glory of God '
' was word of command for
his battle-cry, his
a step higher. He died in 1556, in his sixty-fifth year. With the Holy
Name on his lips and his eyes and hands raised to Heaven, he gave up
his soul to his Maker.
Let us learn from Ignatius' blessed lips that prayer that thousands
have said after Lim: "Eeceive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my
understanding, and my whole will. You have given me all that I pos-
sess, and I sun-ender all to Your Divine will. Give me only Your love
and Your grace. With this I am rich enough."
The Transfiguration.
August 6.
It may be hoped that in the busiest life there comes a time when
"Stop work" is called. For holidays are good for soul and body. They
are changes of position, as it make change of thought
were, which
easier. We get so engi-ossed by we lose the relative
close attention that
proportion of things. Then a break comes and we leave off our teach-
ing, selling, typing or organizing, and immediately the
our buying and
view changes. We
have time to see others, their work, and their inter-
ests, and some of the selfishness comes out of us.
In the days of long ago, when our Lord was upon earth, there were
holidays too. He gave them to His disciples. They led busy, active
lives, and they had not time "so much as to^ eat bread" they tell us.
When sent on a mission, they preached and healed and cast out devils;
when they were with our Lord they received the multitudes, looked
after the sick, introduced strangers, i>acified the impatient, and en-
couraged the timid. But there were days when our Lord said : Come
'
'
apart and rest awhile;" and these were red-letter days. Sometimes
all of the Apostles were included in the invitation. Sometimes it was
only given to the chosen three. This was the case at the Transfigura-
tion. Peter and James and John were the privileged ones, but we may
join their company without intruding.

Jesus leads the way up into a high mountain. He is going to pray,
and the Apostles are going to rest themselves in sleep. An evening will
come when the word will be "Watch one hour." To-night they are to
sleep in His blessed company. Tradition says that Jesus used to cover
up the tired men with their outer cloaks, and then withdraw a few paces
to pray by Himself. It is not hard to believe such traditions they ac-
;
cord so well with what we Imow of His Sacred Heart.

Night draws on the three Apostles sleep heavily, St. Luke tells us.
;
But it was not merely for natural refreshment that our Lord had
brought tliem "apart by themselves"; they were to see and hear things
that it was not given to all men to see and hear. "And awaking, they
saw His glory." Darlmess enveloped the mountain, but before them
stood their Master suiTOunded with a brilliant light. He was transfig-
ured. His face did shine as the sun and His garments became shining
'
'
and exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller upon earth can make white.
And behold two men were talking with Him. And they were Moses and
Elias, appearing with majesty, and they spoke of His decease that He
should accomplish in Jerusalem." Mark ix. 3.
They spoke of His decease, yet none of His Apostles understood

'
'
'
'
the word. It was as if our Lord were offering to His beloved three a
twofold gi-ace, and that they were ready to receive but one, and that the
lesser. Here were heavenly delight and refreshment— the sight of their
Master in His glory. And there was the prophecy of His coming pas-
sion and death. Did He want them to participate in His pain? It
seemd like it. But they did not resix)nd to His longing; the joy was
enough for them. With such brilliant beauty before their eyes, how
could they think of ignominy and shame 1 "Far be it from Thee" was
still the attitude of their minds. "Master, it is good for us to be here,
and let us make three tabernacles, one for Thee, one for Moses, and one
for Elias," Peter cried out. "As he was yet speaking, behold a bright
cloud overshadowed them ; and lo ! a voice out of the cloud, saying. This
is My beloved Son, in "Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." The
three fell prostrate upon their faces and were very much afraid. How
long they remained in awful meditation we do not know but
it was the ;
hand of their Master that brought them back to earth. He came and
touched them and said, "Arise, and fear not!" And they, lifting up
their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus.
And as they came down from tlie mountain. He charged them not to
tell any man what they had seen till the Son of Man should be risen from
the dead. AVheu He should be risen from the dead

'
' What did that ! '
'
mean? they questioned together. "Had He not looked as if He could

never die, as if He were already glorified? Then what did death
mean?" There were many things those dear Aix)stles had to learn.
Jesus would wait and keep in His own heart the fearful secret of His
suifering. It sufficed for the present that they should be comforted by
la glorious sight. In the day of their trial they would remember the
glistening robe, the transfigured face, and if the remembrance could not
save them from doubt and flight and denial, it would at least help them
back to belief and love.
It is well for us also to look at the shining face of our dear Master,
to see His glistening white robes, and rejoice in His divine Majesty,
His by right, even though veiled upon earth. It is well, too, to think that
for us also there is laid by a glistening robe, white as no fuller uiwn
earth can make white, if only we will strive to win it. TVliat a joy it will
be to that Master to invest us with glory, to transfignre us in Heaven,
as for our comfort and joy He showed Himself transfigured ujDon earth
The Assumption.
August 15.
"Lift up your hearts," the celebrant says in the Mass. ""We have
them with our Lord," is the answer. Those words are spoken of our
hearts and are said in our name. It behooves us, therefore, to have
them above and to keep them there. It ought not to be a difficult thing
for us to raise up our hearts, for we picture all that is great and noble
as being up there above us. "What is the beauty of the earth compared
to heaven?" St. Ignatius used to exclaim —the mere natural heaven,
with its sublime secrets. What a fascination there is in the stars for
great and small alike ! It is the mystery of the heavens that fascinates
children, thei unravelling of it that attracts the scientist.
If ever our hearts ought to be above, it should be on the Feast of
our Lady's Assumption, when our Queen is taken up for her coronation.
We may fancy to ourselves all that is lovely in this world, recall all the
barbaric splendor of early times, or the magnificent pageant of mod-
ern days, and think of these rejoicings as something like our Mother's
homeward going. But we feel in our hearts that it was not so, that our
ideas and therefore our language fail altogether when we think and
si>eak of Heavenly things. AVhat we men do upon earth to honor each
other is child's play compared to the honor awaiting us above.
The fact of Mary's Assmnption is known by tradition only— tradi-
tion and common sense. We have the beautiful story of the eleven
Apostles at the death-bed of the Immaculate Mother, of her burial at
their hands, of the late arrival of St. Thomas, of the re-opened tomb,
of the lilies springing from its emptiness to show where the spotless one
had lain. No trace of Mary's remains has ever been found. No relics
have ever enriched her loving children. And this because her Divine
Son did not allow Ilis Mother to see corruption. There was not within
her the element of decay, for she had never been defiled by sin. Surely
there is no miracle here the miracle would have been had she followed
;
nature's laws and seen corruption.

"Our nature's solitary boast" Wordsworth, the Protestant poet,
calls Mary. And we look up to her and see her in her glory, triumphant
over death and all things evil. We see her there body and soul, and
hope rises in One day we too shall see eternal glory, we
our hearts.
poor frail creatures with war in our members and failure in our mem-
ories. 'Wq have but to fight to tha last. Though we fail a hundred
times a day we shall win in the end. There is no improvided death for
!those wliio fight; it is only for those who give ui> the warfare. So we
look up into our Mother's face and praise her and congratulate her and
rejoice with her, as one whO' has achieved grandly what we are striving
after humbly. And we gain strength by the sight.
As the Church year passes we Lord come down from

waitch our
Heaven, live as a little Child playing by His Mother's side; we see Him
grow mature and preach to all men in the cornfields and in the streets
of the towns; we see Him die a criminal's death. Then we adore Him
at His Kesurrection, at His glorious Ascension, and kneel with the Apos-
tles and the Blessed Mother for that wonderful blessing that sends us
home rejoicing. He died, but He left as a pledge of His love His own
Mother to be our comfort and support. But her days of bliss came too.
Like her Son, she passed through the portals of deatli; like Him, she
went up body and soul into Heaven— He by His own miraculous power,
she assumed by His.
This is why we have our hearts above our human hearts. God is —
our only end, and Jesus our Way to the end. Mary by His side shows
us our human nature in its perfection and lures us homeward, upward.
And so iôets have looked upon her and written of her beauty painters ;
have imaged her forth, and saints have meditated uiôn her in wonder-
ing delight. It is good for us, too, to see one of our race in finished
glory, in happiness complete, and to* rejoice with her in her bliss.
St. Augustine.
August 28.
"Too late have I known Thee, too late have I loved Thee,
beauty
so ancient and so new Too
have I loved thee!"
! late
Such was Augustine's cry when, far away from the busy town, the
flattery of disciples, and the temptations of the Court, he grieved in
secret over his past life. He was thirty-two, and had spent his life in
sin. In childhood he had been proud and overbearing, wilfid and pleas-
ure-loving; he had lied, cheated, and stolen. As he grew older the
companions, the indulgence of a i>agan father, his own
flattery of his
amazing progress in study, and the wicked example of his schoolfellows
helped him on the downward road. "It is only shameful not to be
shameless," he said of the inhabitants of Tegaste, the town of his birth.
And he had been shameless for nigh on thirty years. But his mother's
prayers and tears wrung, as it were, his conversion from Almighty God.
"Go your way; God bless you; it cannot be that the child of those tears
should perish, '
' said a saintly Bishop to whom Monica, had gone in the
210 LIUHT tiCUM THE ALTAti.
angnisli of her heart. But Augustine's struggle was severe and pro-
longed. He had so given way to all his evil passions that when at last
he turned upon them as master, he found out how rebellious they were.
—
Gluttony, intemperance, profanity, sloth, luxury he had succumbed to
al these and worse. For years he had lived an avowed Manichean, pro-
fessing a heresy so disgraceful that only an intellect blinded by sin
could fall a victim to it. But such an intellect was Augustine's. His
depravity paved the way for this most gi'ievous fall. By nature he was
keen-witted, talented to an extraordinaiy degree, and singularly well
—
instructed. Yet he fell as fall the blind headlong. He taught heresy,
defended it, and lived up to its code of ethics. But the day of grace
came.
Once he heard the voice of a child say to him: "Tolle, lege! tolle,
lege!" He took up the book before him and read it. It was an epistle
of St. Paul to the Romans. One sentence was enough. He closed the
book and told his young friend, Alipius, that his resolution was taken.
He would give up sin and turn to God. Together they went to St. Moni-
ca and told her of their resolution. They would ser\ê God henceforth
as faithfuly as before they had sei-ved their passions.
Then came that fearful fight. As a mature man, Augustine had to
rise up and win a victory against terrible odds. But he did win it; one
by one he crushed the evils within him, and never rested till his soul
was as pure as a newly-baptized child's, and as strong as a saint's.
By prayer and fasting and almsdeeds and austerities he drove out the
demon, and continued for forty-four years in the practice of heroic
virtue. His friend and counselor, St. Ambrose, baptized him at Milan.
After his mother's death he returned to Africa, was ordained priest,
and subsequently consecrated Bishop of Hippo.
Augustine's life after his conversion was the exact opposite of what
it had hitherto been. His earliest works were penned in refutation of
the Manichean heresy. He preached with burning charity, often twice,
always once, a day, and sought to save the souls of his flock with the
zeal of an apostle. As before he loved api^lause, so now he sought for
humiliations, and laid bare his heart with all its past sinfulness in a book
called his "Confessions." This remains to us as a monument to his
humility, the virtue most dear to the joenitent saint. "When asked for
a sure road to wisdom, hei answered, "Humility— this is in the first,
the second, and the third place; and tliis would I answer as often as
you ask me. He loved poverty, too, as a monk of the strictest order
'
'
might. His clothes were decent, but barely so; no silver, si>oons ex-
cepted, was ever used in his household earthenware or wood was good
;
enough for him. His food consisted of herbs and pulse, though meat was
served to his guests. So much did he love charity that he was known
to rise from table and retire if the reputation of an absent person was
assailed, and he had a sentence written on the walls of his refectory

warning all to be guarded in their speech. In his last illness, as in the
first days of his conversion, he said the Psalms of David unceasingly,
and had them written on tablets and hung uj) before him. During the
last ten days of his life he seiârated himself from his dearest friends,
and was occupied solely with God.
Aug-ustine died in 430, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. Painters
represent him with a burning heart as a symbol, because the strong love
of his hmnan heart was changed by grace and his own co-operation into
a heart on fire with the love of God. '
' To whom much is forgiven, he
loveth much."
Our Lady's Birthday.

September 8.
We remember the story in Genesis of Noah and the dove, how

all
when was let out into open space after the deluge swept over the vast
it
earth, and finding no spot for its dainty feet returned to the Ark and
its keeper; how it was again set free and returned once more, this time
with an olive branch in its beak and how again sent out it returned no
;
more. We may tui-n this story into an allegoiy and see in the vast void
of the waters, the mass of floating corruption, the misty heaviness of
the atmosphere, the state of our race before the coming of our Savior.
One look back at heathendom, cultured in Eome and Greece, uncultured
in Gaul and Britain and the far north, unknown in the distant east,
shows us vice, ignorance, helplessness. God brooded over the face of
the earth. His divine look did not rest upon the luxurious Romans or
warlike barbarians or the mystical dwellers of the East. It dwelt upon
His chosen people in the little landi of Palestine. And there was no
creature pure enough for His purposes. Even amongst the himdreds of
holy Jews there was none with a spotless purity. Nor could there be,
for siniessness was a lost mheritance, amd could only come from xieaven
again. And it did come from Heaven as a new gift, a new grace, a chain
of many more, each more glorious than the last. This new gift was
Mary. Like a tender branch of olive her birth gave promise of a rest-
ing-place for the divine Dove and as the weeks of time flew past and
;
Mary grew in beauty and grace, this Dove hovered over her and foimd
a resting-place in her breast.
Of Church there are only
the tliousands of feasts that are kept in the
three birthdays, and these are kept because of their siniessness. The
birthday of St. John the Baptist, June 24th, is a feast day with an octave
because he was freed from original sin by ovu' Lady's visit to his mother.
The birthday of our Lady, the 8th of Septemlêr, is a day of devotion
because she was immaculate even in her Conception. Our Lord's birth-
day, Christmas Day, is a day of obligation because we have no higher
way of showing honor to Him, the Eternal Son of God, made man.
And these three births, differing in degi-ee more widely than the twink-
ling star, the moon, and the glorious sun as seen from the earth, point
out by their celebration the love there is in Heaven and in the Church
for sinless purity. The grace, then, we must ask to-day is that peerless
virtue. "We must ask it of the little One who came like an olive branch,
a token that at last there was to be a fitting resting-place for the Son
of God.
The keeping of birthdays is a very good cudtom, but the feast of the
patron saint is the day for celebration and receives all the honors. At
least we can turn the day into a most blessedly spiritual feast, a day of
thanksgiving for all the blessings of life. For what is a birthday but a
day commemorating our entrance into this life? Is this life of ours
not a talent bestowed upon us by God, so that He may add many yet
more precious 1 Is it not a bit of eternity marked off for probation and
merits, differing from it only as the sowing time differs from the har-
vesting? So it ought to be a day of hearty thanksgiving, of resolution
and contrition.
Now, if we thank God for our own birthdays, how much more ought
we to tliank Him for Mary's? Let us think over our Lady's life— not
here, there is not space— but some time during the day. Tnink over
her early years in the holy temple at Jerasalem, her thirty years' lo^'ing
service upon our Lord upon earth, when she shared His labor. His joys,
Catholic All S'.udio, Chicaj;o, IlL
ST. ALOYSIUS OF GONZAGA
His suffering; call to mind her three hours' agonizing stand at tlie foot
of the Cross her life of sacrifice for the early Christians her beautiful
; ;
death her blessed Assumption. Tliink of her graces and her corre-
;
spondence with them her privileges and her use of them her jDOwers
; ;
and her disjjensation of them. All this we have to be thanliful for. And
to thank for the blessings given to others is a most profitable exercise.
It raises our mind to appreciate fully, to admire generously, to rejoice
unselfishly. It makes us richer too, because in a sense we possess those
things which we mentally enjoy. And to share our Lady's blessings
will make us rich indeed.
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

September 14.
When Heraclius was Emperor of the East, in the beginning of the

seventh century, Chosroes II. of Persia, a cruel, perfidious King, plun-
dered Mesopotamia and part of Syria. Meeting with no opposition, he
advanced as far as Antioch, took Cesarea and Damascus, and then
marched due south to Jerusalem. In the Holy City he and his dissolute
army behaved with shameless barbarity, massacred monks, priests, and
nuns by tlie hundred, and sold 90,000 Christians into slavery. The
churches were plundered, the shrines burnt, and all that was precious
in gold and and distributed as spoil. Tlie victorious
silver carried off
army marched next Egypt and took Alexandria and Carthage, and
into
then possessed themselves of the seaboard of Africa. Heraclius, moved
by these ravages, sued again and again for iêace, but the mocking
answer always came No peace could be made with men who adored
:
'
'
a crucified God
! '
Fired with a holy zeal, Heraclius detennined to cany
'
war into the enemy's country, to invade Persia, to spoil the spoiler. His
only hope was in the God of armies, his troops and treasui'e compared
with the enemy's were really nothing. Coming before his soldiers with
a picture of our Lord in his hand, the Emi>eror stirred up his men to
undertake the war in the spirit of a crasade, to exterminate one who was
an enemy to God, religion and mankind alike.
God prospered his arms; victory after victory was gained, and at
last, on the 12th December 627, near Ninive, the Persians were totally
routed, Chosroes was slain by his own rebellious son, and peace was
concluded.
Heraclius, in his triumphal march home, brought with him to Con-
stantinople the greatest treasure the East possessed, the relic of the
true Cross. This had been seized, with other relics, when Chosroes
plundered Jerusalem, but had been preserved with unbroken seal in its
original silver case. The Emperor took the holy relic himself to Jeru-
salem and carried it, barefoot, without royal robe or diadem, into the
Holy City. There he delivered it over to tlie patriarch, Zacharj^ who
had been exiled with the relics, and reinstated with them in his See.
This is what is meant by the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Feast
kept on the 14th September.
Tlie Exaltation of the Cross The very name seems to contain a
!
summary wrought in the world by the coming of our

of the change
Lord. Cicero, the polished writer and orator who lived some fifty years
before Christ, said the word cross should never pass the lips of a free-
man. It could not be mentioned in decent society, because it stood as
the symbol of a degradation only fit for a condemned slave. Time went
on, and a Eoman Emperor arose who won his victories under the
standard of the Cross, who forbade its use as a punishment, who hon-
ored it as the symbol of his faith. Constantine exalted the Côss in the
eyes of the world, but its veneration had begun three centuries earlier.
The first Christians, as they spread throughout the world, took with
them wherever they went the sign of their redemption. They used it
in spiritual and temporal concerns alike, in conferring Baptism and
Confirmation, in beginning and ending a meal, in going in and out of
doors. It had become a part of their everyday life Tertullian tells us,
and they did nothing without its consecration.
And why? A heathen of the day would have explained that one time
a remarkable Jew had been condemned by His enemies, and
to death
had died upon the Cross. Is this an adequate answer? No. That
crucified Jew was God, and, as His symbol, His Cross has become hope,
safety, comfort, and glory to all who believe in Him. Iconoclasts of
East and West may pull down the cnicifix and trample it under foot,
but they cannot stay the hands of thousands of little cliildren from sign-
ing their foreheads with the sacred sign, they cannot root it out of the
hearts of the faithful. Look up at the finest buildings of the world and
you will see the Cross on their loftiest pinnacles ; look at the low resting-
places of kings and beggars and you will see the cross, like uninterrupt-
TKE TRUE CATHOLIC. 215
ed prayer, marking the spot where they lie in hoiê of resurrection. This
veneration, universal, deep-rooted, persistent, this is the trae Exaltation
of the Cross, compared to which that of Heraclius was but the flicker of
light.
THE CROSS OUR BADGE.

We Catholics have a great share in this Exaltation of the Cross. It
is our special trust, our badge, our glory.
Like the first Christians, it is
ours to honor, to use, to be Those who have fallen from
known by.
the true faith have laid it aside as childish and not fit for the
mature. But the Gospel was preached to tJie childlike, and the King-
dom of Heaven resented for them. So we will keep our childlike ways,
and loyally use the sacred sign. We will make it with reverence, with
confidence, with joy. And come when we who are signed
the day will
with the Sign of the Cross upon our foreheads will go forth to meet our
Redeemer, and He will acknowledge us to be His own. Like Constantine,
by that sign we shall conquer.
Mother Church—Continued
CHAPTER XII
St, Raphael
October 24.
Any
one with time to spare would do well to read carefully in the Old
Testament the Book of Tobias, or should his leisure not suffice for that,
let him read from the fifth to the twelfth chapter. They tell of the
Archangel and the young Tobias. There no story or legend or idyl to
is
compare with this book of the Old Testament. It is human yet divine,
natural yet permeated with the suijernatural ! It is the story of a per-
and only son of fond, doting parents who, nevertheless, love
fect child ;
God more than their boy, and bring him up almost austerely to serve
and adore the divine majesty. It contains the exquisite figure of
Eaphael in the guise of "Azarias son of Ananias," the traveling angel
who is charged to guard Tobias' boy in the dangerous journey to Media.
The story shortly told is as follows : Tobias, a holy Jew, an exile in
Ninive, has sunk into the most abject poverty. To recover a sum of
money lent to a kinsman living in Media, he resolves to send his young
son thither. But mindful of the dangers of the road, he bids the youth
seek a companion in the market-place. Young Tobias returns with a
stranger of pleasing aspect, who, giving proofs of being of good family,
is hired to guide Tobias to Rages, a city of Media. The journey accom-
plished, he brings the son back to his old parents with the sum required,
a virtuous wife, and a miraculous medicine for the cure of the blind
216
father's eyes. And there is joy in that little family surimssing any-
thing mere earthly prosperity can bring.
But Azarias must be paid his wages, and father and son debate about
the price. Their hearts are overflowing with gratitude for the service
he has rendered them. Nothing they can offer can be too great. At
length, half of all their new possessions— Sara's dower and the regained
sum, are offered to the guide, but he answers: "It is good to hide the
secret of the king, but honorable to reveal and confess the works of Grod.
Iam the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord. '
When they understood the angel's words, "Tobias and his son, lying
prostrate for three hours upon their face, blessed God, and rising up
they told all His wonderful works."
Such is the story of Tobias, shorn of all its beauty in the quick
telling. But we can go back a little and think it over in the space re-
maining.
One thing we note especially. when he stood re-
Tlie angel-visitor,
vealed, shot such a thrill of bliss through these holy men that for three
hours they lay motionless upon the eartli, and then rose up blessing and
l^raising God. That one of the seven who stand before the Lord should
deign to wait upon the children of men, do an errand at their bidding,
be as a servant in the way— this was beyond tlieir dreams and wildest
expectation Yet they had an angel 's word for the truth. Raj^hael had
!
been their willing guide and guardian.

Three hours' ecstasy and a whole lifetime of thanksgiving because
they had been served by an angel!
These holy patriarchs rouse up in my heart a feeling of wonder at
ray own dull self! Am I not waited upon by an angel? Is not my best
friend an angel guardian? More, a thousand times more. Did not One
come in the flesh to minister to me uix)n earth, to show me the way to
Heaven, to help me to find riches and lay up treasure where neither
moth nor rust can spoil? And was that One an angel, cherub, or
seraph! He, the Lord before whom the seven stand, became my Broth-
er, my King, my Savior. And has this thought given me a three
hours' rapture? Has it colored my life with praise and blessing and
thanksgiving? In deepest humility I bow my head at the bright Ra-
phael's feet and beg him by his blessed.' office, by his burning lo\-e, by
his zeal for the souls of men, to pray for me that I may know Him who
"took flesh and amongst us," and praise Him all the days of my
d"êlt
life, as Tobias praised Him, but, as is seeming, with infinitely higher
and loftier praise.
All Saints' Day.

November 1.
A was once heard to say: "I love the Litany of the Saints;
child
but I wish it was longer. There are such a lot missed out, and they
might feel it." Now, as the child was not at all noted for her piety,
and as the Litany of the Saints may be fairly considered long, this senti-
ment excited a considerable amount of suriJiise. But she was in
earnest. She felt gratified in invoking one saint after another and
giving him particular honor. And she felt grieved at the number
left out in the cold. To obviate as much as possible this "missing out,"
the Church has instituted the Feast of All Saints and made it a day of
honor and all-embracing praise.
So let us turn to the duty of the day— honoring the Saints. They
possess the very qualities we admire in our heroes— courage, endur-
ance, generosity! There are no saints in Heaven, except the babies,
who have not won their crown by one or all of these virtues. Moral
courage is grander than i^hysical, and who can withstand the powers of
darkness without magnificent strength of mind? The Saints spent
their lives, or a part of them, in the narrow path where we
know the thorns grow. They trod it day by day with the set
face and determined will of a soldier, a soldier of Christ.
Tlieirs was an endurance, not of a forced march, but of a life-
time. And their generosity! We can spend money; some of us can
spend time, too. But none of us come near the saints in the renunciation
of all into the hands of God. They were lavish, prodigal, wasteful,
some would say, of their goods, their health, their good name. They
did not reckon— how could they, when God was their banker? They left
the balance to Him, and He has not failed them. Does not the sight of
Catholic Art Studio. Chicago, 111.
ST. THERESA
esucli Virtue rouse our hearts to enthusiasm, and bring a song of praise to
our lips for those brave, strong, generous souls who have won laurels
and heavenly distinction! Of course it does. AVe are not so dull as not
to know sterling greatness when we see it; nor so poor-spirited as to
withhold praise when it is due. We will honor the Saints to-day with
our admiration, and flatter them with the sincerity of our imitation.
That word brings us to the second object of the Feast.
Imitatioin!
We are invited to raise our eyes from earth and to look through the
heavenly gates and see our brethren in the eternal Home. This is a
sight to do us good, to rest us and encourage us. It is well to count our
flock and bewail the loss of souls such a retrospect is necessary and use-
;
ful. But we must not forget the bright side of the picture, the myriads
of white, glistening, blessed souls ujDon the shores of eternity, the mag-
nificent array of God's redeemed —the patriarchs of old, hoary pilgrims
of hundreds of years, the prophets, men with inspired sight, who looked
into the unborn future, the Apostles, who with their golden tongues
spread salvation over the face of the earth; the serried ranks of the
red-robed martyrs, the brave confessors, the lily-white virgins, the peni-
tents, doubly blessed because once they mourned. We see them all with
their waving palms and their shining crowns. But is it with you as it
is with mel I cannot see their faces, tlie light in their eyes, the ex-
pression of their lips. And this I put down to our being on a different
level. They are our kinsfolk, flesh of our flesh, blood of our race, but
they have tasted joys we know nothing about. They have tasted infinite
love and it has passed into their eyes, and their faces are transfigured
and are so upturned we cannot see or imagine their beauty. Love is
the secret of Heaven. Oh when there comes upon you the dull, aching
!
fear of eternity, even blissful eternity, remember tliis— we do not know

what infinite love is. Human love we have felt we have seen its power, ;
its strength, its endurance— a living, lasting, time-sufficing element. But
Divine love, infinite by nature, infinite in its depth and height and
breadth— this is the bliss-maldng element of eternity. And only eternity
will suffice to fathom it.Let us trust to our Blessed Lord, to our Crea-
tor and Lord. By making known to us the secret of Divine love He will
satisfy tliat craving of our heart which we ourselves cannot understand,
much less satisfy. But He "VMio made it will be able to fill it, and fill it
with love, full measure, overflowing.
The Commemoration of the Dead.

November 2.
"Is life Sometimes this is asked in idle jest, some-

worth living!"
times in bitter earnest. But no Catholic can put the question in serious
doubt. He knows full well life is worth living, for life is his allotted
portion in the purchase of a happy eternity. The subject is far too wide
to be treated in a little article. We will only point out one single truth
which alone can make life worth all the pain and sorrow of earth. This
truth is the doctrine of Purgatory. The Church teaches, first, that there
is a Purgatory, a place where souls suffer after death for a time on ac-
count of their forgiven, not wholly expiated sins, or for their unfor-
given venial sins. "Nothing defiled can enter heaven;" and secondly,
that the soul can be helloed by us upon earth. "It is a holy and whole-
some thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their
sins."
IIow many must there be falling eveiy day into that place of expia-
tion! Through the grace of God thousands and thousands leave this
world repentant, that is with the will turned in love towards God. But
what a loaid of unexpiated sin they bear with them If the just man !
falls seven times a day, how must it be with the tepid, the careless, the
indifferent! Millions are there suffering and helpless. And they are
there for unmeasured time we can form no idea of the proportion of
;
suffering due to sin by the justice of God. Human justice differs ac-
cording to the class, age, and circumstances of its object, and approaches
divine justice more or less nearly. But divine justice is absolute truth,
and will render to eveiy man according to his works. The prisoners
there can only expiate they cannot merit. To us upon earth is given
;
the power to help and save them. Power is a possession we have cov-
eted at every successive stage of our lives. In babyhood we crowed one
over the other; in the schoolroom we fought for the first seat and its
honors in society, iêrhaps, we claimed rights and asserted ourselves.
;
But these were petty triumphs, indications only of a better passion

within. Just think of it! A whole realm in our power, thousands of
souls with their eyes turned upon us, holy, helpless, uncomplaining
souls. Their voices are hushed, we cannot heai- their ciy; our eyes are
held, we cannot see their pain.
But we believe Then think again of the means at our dis-
and know.
posal ! Tlie whole treasury of the Precious Blood, an infinite redemp-
tion, and all ours to use, to spend, to distribute. How we love plenty,
suijerabundance ; to feel there is no stint, no need to save. But tohow
few is such an experience given ! As a rule our hearts are eaten away
with a longing for means to help our poor and needy, and so little comes
we grow gray with anxious waiting and hope deferred. But for this
givmg only our good will is needed, our perseverance, our faith. "We
can vlip our hands into the infinite depths and revel in the thought that
as long as time endures, as long as Purgatory lasts, there will be riches
sufficient to reach the neediest soul there. Sliall I only be wanting?
AVill the petty interests of life keep me from succoring those I love, those
I revere and pity? Can I, who am not cruel, be guilty of such hard-
heartedness?
The business part of work
child can master it. To
tlie is easy, any
hear Mass, to say indulgenced prayers, to make the Stations, to make
the heroic act— we can do all these things. There are degrees, of course,
in the doing, and consequent degrees in the help administered. It is for
us to gather from the Holy Sacrifice all possible pardon, to plead the
cause of our clients with the Victim offered, to make the Stations with
adding to each the tender aspiration: "Eternal rest
fer^-ent devotion,
give to them, Lord, and
let per^êtual light shine uix)n them," an as-
piration come down to us from the earliest ages of the Church. All
these practices require perseverance, fidelity, faith; but these virtues
are within the compass of each one of us.
Would not life be worth living had we such high aims did we feel
;
our jTower and use it to its fullest extent? Would we not lose that fret-
ful, listless, quei-ulous spirit that comes over us sometimes and spoils
our work? Let us try,and ask our good Angel to note the change.
But not only is devotion to the Holy Souls a work of heroic charity
to others : it is a wonderful help to our own santification. We raise up
for ourselves chamiîons who will befriend us in our time of need and
repay us as only heavenly gratitude can repay. It makes us wise and
prudent, circumspect and watchful we see what sin brings with it, what
;
it leaves behind, and we become wary, looking tO' our feet. Best of all,
this devotion brings us nearer to our divine Lord ; we are His stewards,
His helpers ; He must give us His confidence, His love, and this is worth
all that earth can offer.
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
November 21
Picture a little maiden robed in white and crowned with roses, her
hands joined and her face uplifted, ascending a broad flight of stairs.
The steps are strewn with blossoms as for a great festival. In the porch
above, a venerable Jewish priest sits, and, with wide open arms, wel-
comes the child. On either side of his chair are other little ones beck-
oning lovingly to the new arrival, whilst a very young baby, standing on
its mother's outspread cloak, lifts its tiny hands in prayer. In the fore-
ground kneel Joachim and Anna offering up to God their most precious
treasure.
Tradition says that our Lady at the age of tliree was jjresented by
her parents to God in the Temple, to be brought up within its walls and
dedicated to its service. If the tradition had. not arisen from fact, it
might well have come from the fitness of things. Since Jewish children
were sometimes brought up in the temple, who so likely as Anna's sin-
less child? Since some little ones chose God's house for their home,
who so likely as the "Spiritual Vessel?" Since some dedicated them-
selves body and soul from their earliest years, how much more the fu-
ture mother of God? And so painters fromi early times have loved to
—
depict this scene Mary's presentation in the temple.
The Feast is kept on the '21st of November, and a beautiful feast it is,
full of meaning, exhortation, and upward beckonings. Mary with full
knowledge and free will leaves her home and parents, her little com-
panions, her home joys, and begins a twelve-years' i^reparation for a
life of joy and sorrow and glorj" such as no other human being will ever
again go through. And we look back at those twelve years and think
of their seclusion. A great French writer admired most good deeds
done in absolute secrecy. Ever so little publicity spoiled them in his

eyes,no matter how good they were in themselves. Of our Lord's thirty
years upon earth no whisjêr has come down of our Lady 's twelve not ;
a rumor.
The life in the temple is, however, easy to imagine. There were
humble duties to be done —cleansing the vessels, trimming the lamps,
setting out the utensils for the sacrifices was needlework, mend-
; there
ing, embroidering the elaborate vestments used by the j^riests in their
different religious functions. There was the duty of siêcial instruction
and prayer. The rich treasury of the Old Testament full of deeis mean-
ing to us, far more to Mary, the AVoman foretold, was explained, and
large portions committed to memoiy. Think of Mary with the sacred
scroll in her little hands think of her eager face listening
; to instruction ;
think of her with needle in her fingei's working for a i^riesthood fast
passing away ; think of her handling with reverence vessels still sacred,
but so soon to lose their character.
And then think of ourselves. Meditation should always end in resolu-
tion. I look at my manual work and at my prayer, and I place it next
to Mary's. Will it bear comparison? Is there anything wanting? What?
Earnestness perhaps, spiritual vigor, purity of intention. Or that in-
gredient of the saints— secrecy, hiddenness. We live far too much in
the world, in the sight of men, for their applause. We take their stan-
dard, and are satisfied if we come up to it. We use worldly weights
and measures, and are proud to find that the balance is on our side.
And yet we have ringing in our ears the words of our Lord: "Be ye
perfect, as your Heavenly Father is jêrfect." Oh, for a little quiet
and silence to think out the great problem of life! When shall we be-
gin our i^reparation for the higher life? The present only is ours. The
future may be was the present only is. We must begin today
; the past ;
then if we would be sure of beginning at all. And there could be no

better day for a start. We like company for an enterprise; here we
have the company of our Virgin Mother. Good example helps us Mary ;
is doing much the same work as falls to our lot. Ours is humble, per-
hajDS; so was hers. Ours is done in seclusion, so much the better; so
was hers. It will be easier to keep in the aroma of our good deeds. Let
us then go hand in hand with Maiy, and do our business and take our
pleasure with her, asking her to be our companion and guide.
St Francis Xavier
December 3.
Think you see a torcli burning. The bright, eager flame lights and
wanns a great circle around it. The blaze struggles heavenward, the
burning spreads downwards steadily, quickly consuming the dark pine
and turning its every fibre into glowing fire. Such a torch might stand
for a symbol of St. Francis Xavier. His was a short career compa' '^
to that of some of the workers in our Lord's vineyard. At twenty-one
he was an ambitious youth seeking a career of fame; at thirty-five he
sailed for the Indies at forty-six he died. But work is not counted by
;
years. We know his story well : how

he met the grave-faced,
at Paris
elderly Ignatius, with his earnest soul and burning zeal how he heard ;
from those saintly lips Christ's words re-echoed: "What doth it profit
a man he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?"
if
bow, long unheeded, they at last sank into the young man's thoughts
and made him reflect seriously. Then we remember that wonderful re-
tieat out of which Francis came a changed man, with God's most pre-
cious gift, the gift of wisdom. Later we see him at Venice kissing the
wounds of the sick, letting his lips to their ulcerous sores, watching
by
t' eir bedsides at night, waiting upon them all day. Then comes that
call to India— a mere chance, men would say, but in reality a reward of
daily fidelity. From the moment Francis set sail for the far East to the
lasthour of his life, he lived in the practice of heroic sanctity. Tliink of
III on board a ship where the accommodation was scanty, the food
A life
bad, the drink poisonous. There were a thousand on board, a "wicked

('uipany of mixed races, mostly fiery children of the South. All these
I'rancis took to his heart, instructed, sei-ved, and amused, adapting his
i>ianner to the humor of each, winning all hearts and driving from them
o\ il desires and sin.
After thirteen months of the open sea, Francis landed at Goa, his
i'lv'-t goal. This town was then peopled by heathens and bad Christians,
u d these he completely converted. With bell in hand he paced the
t-lrcets, calling the children, the curious, the pious to his catechism
lessons. Parents followed the little ones, and were won from their evil
ways. None could resist the zeal of the saint. But not by word of
mouth alone did he convert the sinner. He lived on rice and water,
slept three hours, and prayed the rest of the dark night. The whole
day long he worked for souls, seeking them out, visiting them in the
prisons and hosjDitals, hearing confessions, and preaching in the open
streets. In a short time the wicked city would hardly have been recog-
nized. But, like our Lord himself, one city could not suffice his zeal;
to other cities was he called. Well may we look with astonishment at
the coiintries traversed by St. Francis Xavier. Down the coast to the
pearl fisheries to convert the Paravas' jxior neglected fishermen; into
Travancore, where he baptized ten thousand with his own hand, and
where he was called, with touching simplicity, "The Great Father"—
great because he had the gifts of tongues, and Father because of his
paternal love for his children. From Travancore he sailed to Malacca,
touched on the isles of Bonda, visited Ceylon and Japan, returning
frequently to Goa, to revisit his new converts on the way, and
strengthen them in the faith. Still his big heart was not satisfied.
Merchants had penetrated into China for the sake of barter; none had
gone for the sake of Christ. Francis Xavier set out, notwithstanding
tlie admonitions of friends and the scorn of enemies. But God was
pleased with His servant's good will and called him Home before he
could fulfil his purpose. Upon the Island of Sancion, on the way to
China, in a fisherman's hut with a young boy for nurse, Francis Xavier
yielded up his soul to God.
No room here to speak of the wonderful miracles of the Saint— the
dead raised to life, the lepers cured, the gift of tongues; nor of the
marvellous incorruption of his holy remains. Only time to look into
the eager, loving heart. Was St. Francis well treated by the Master
he served so nobly, to whom without reserve he devoted his days and
nights, his soul and body and mind? Eead his life and letters and see;
listen to the facts related there. Xa\der's Master overwhelmed him
with divine favors. "Enough, enough!" he was heard to exclaim as
his heart dilated and his weak human nature could scarcely bear the
heavenly delights. In the midst of an awful storm at sea, when every
man on board trembled with fear, Francis felt the elation of one rapt
out of himself. By his simple prayer, "Great God, Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost have mercy on us," the ship's crew aud cargo were saved.
Not by sleep was Francis' body refreshed, but by prayer, rest with
our Lord Himself. No human being unaided could have lived through
such labors, hardships, mortifications; nor did St. Francis. It was
Christ living in him that made all things possible. And this intimacy
with our Lord had place hefe on earth, in the midst of imiumerable
distractions, voyages, crowds, toil. Here, when weighed down by his
body, he was, yet so free in spirit: what will it be now in: eternity,
when he sees his Lord face to face ? The Saints serve a good Master
St. Francis Xavier, glorious Apostle and Lover of Christ, pray
for us!
Our Lady's Immaculate Conception

December 8.
How mighty are God's works! The word went forth that the
human race should be redeemed by the Son of God made man. He was
to come unto His own, and His own were to be made ready for His com-
ing. And great was the preparation: the whole world was in ijeace;
the whole Roman world was enrolled, Mary was conceived Immaculate.
And this last was the greatest wonder of all.
Adam's sin betrayed as it were the whole human race to Satan. It
handed over to him the vast dominion of this world. Every child of
Adam came under Satan's ban. So much his was everj soul, that to
belong again to God it had to be repurchased at an infinite price. Eveiy
child but one —
Mary, daughter of Joachim and Anna Maiy who was
:
to be Mother of God. She was, through the merits of her Son, without
stain from the first moment of her existence. God by a meek maid
conquered the rebellious spirit who thought to be as the Most High,
and crushed with Maiy's heel the serpent's head. She was the sole
triumph of the four thousand years before her birth and of the two
thousand years that followed. Never again shall we see an Immaculate
One upon the earth.
If we could only understand what sin is, how we should rejoice in
our Lady's Immaculate Conception. Immaculate, without stain, or
spot, or blemisli. We are so dull and have grown so callous to sin and
its liorrors that we almost take it as a matter of course. But indeed siu
is not a matter of course, even for the weakest of us. It is one of the
devil 's lies to make men believe that sinning is necessary, imavoidable,
a part of the present system. Sin is terrible, horrible ; disfiguring the
soul in tliis world and torturing it in the next. It is the whole evil of
the world, the source of all suffering and misery. And it can be re-
sisted, As a powerful engine makes its way over a
can be overcome.
rough sea and against a strong wind, so can our will, fortified with
grace, overcome the world, the devil, and the flesh. That there are
shipwrecks, partial or total, and millions of them, does not take away
the possibility of a safe transit.
But why talk of sin today, of all days in the year, when we are cele-
brating Mary's spotlessness? Let us rather turn our weary eyes away
from that evil to which we are akin and lift them up to rest on Maiy.
And it is a rest. If there were a spot on earth
where we could truly
say,"Here no sorrow can come!" how would peojole flock to that spot.
But there is no such place. Still there is Mary Hers is a soul where !
perfect peace and holy joy dwell undisturbed. She was foreshadowed
in the Old Testament under the most beautiful types: the dove that
could find no s^wt clean enough for a resting-place; the many-colored
rainbow, reaching from heaven to earth and ratifjîng God's promise
to man the fiery- bush, burning but unconsumed the majestic cloud of
; ;
flame that led the Israelites into the Promised Land; Aaron's rod with
its pure white blossom; the Ark of the Covenant, God's home on earth;
Gideon's fleece, exempt from the common lot; "the garden enclosed"
of the Canticle —these and many more were faint symbols of Mary's
soul. And this beautiful one, God's Mother, is my Mother too, given
tome to be my own. What shall I do to please her? How shall I make
much of her! The sight of her radiant beauty turns my thoughts to
my own soul, and a sense of shame comes over me. I see there blem-
ishes, imperfections, evil tendencies. them to my Well! let me take
Mother and say with the hmnble saints: "Behold the fruits of my
garden." And Mary will look down with love, and with the tender
hand of a Mother will help me to uproot the evil, overcome the bad,
and strengthen the good. But perhaps her awful purity keeps me
back; I shudder to present before her sinless eyes the sight of my
wounded soul. That must not be. Purity never makes the heart hard:
the most innocent are the most compassionate. She has never repulsed
a sinner because of his frailty.
"Coming to Mary" perhaps means turning the

soimds vague. It
eyes of one's soul towards Marj', the Mother of God, and saying to her
in the depth of one's heart some vocal prayer, or, better still, some
half-uttered, half-thought-out petition. It means babbling out to the
vision in one's mind one's troubles, one's cares, one's sins, and asking
with a firm, strong faith for relief and help. We shall see no beautiful
iface, no doubt, hear no sweet voice, nor feel a healing touch. But we
shall rise from our prayer purified, strengthened, and consoled.
Christmas Day,
December 25.
Let us come away from the city and the world: let us forget it for
awliile, and go back in memoiy a thousand years and more, back to
Palestine, to little Bethlehem, the town of prophecy. We want to spend
Christmas in a holy manner, we want to find our happiness in higher
.things than wealth can buy. So we shut our eyes to the shops, to the
theatres, to the family gatherings even, and open them in Juda's prince-
ly town.
It is midnight and there is a hush, and a holy calm. On the hill-
tops watchful shepherds lie in solemn silence guarding their sheep;

in the crowded city the tired people sleep at last. We pass through the
deserted streets, pass the inn that could find no shelter for the Virgin
Mother; go through the eastern gate and look out for the shepherds'
cave. There is vigil there. Joseph and Mary were at prayer when, tJie
Word made Flesh, dwelt amongst us.
Heaven in earth Do you not understand 1 Now at last the yearn-
!
ing of the Creator is beingsatisfied. He longed to lift men to Himself,
to lift earth to Heaven. And men would not be lifted up. Rather they
sank lower and lower. But the infinite love did not tire, nor grow cold.
It watched and waited, and, at last, stooiêd down and touched the earth
with Heaven; God became man, became a little Child. Justice and
mercy kissed and the result was peace to men; blessed, eternal peace
between Heaven and earth. Now men would be lifted up, now they
would join their hands and, raising their eyes to Heaven, say: "Our
Father, who art in Heaven." "No man hath seen the Father but the
son," and He, the little new-bom Child, was to explain Him to men.
He was to explain Him by the winning ways of His Babyhood, by the
graces of His Boyhood, by the breaking heart of His Manhood. He
was to captivate human souls. With His human love He was to win
them, and, holding them fast, show them that loving Him they were
loving God. So Christmas Day became the earthly birthday of divine
love.
What then does this Birth mean, this opening flower of infinite,
eternal love! To us men it means a copious redemption, an heirloom

of graces ; the beginning of unending companionship, a divine brother-
hood, a pledge of eternal life. To' Mary it meant great joy, sorrow un-
surpassed; to St. Joseph a mystic fatherhood, the highest trast upon
earth. To Jesus, the Great Little One, itandmeant ovei-flowing love,
—
what love always brings sorrow, suffering, sacrifice.
Let us come near to this dear little One. Let us kiss His tender
hands and feet before they are wrapped in the swaddling bands. Let
us try to meet the look of love in His eyes with an answering look
of love. He holds nothing back from us, He is all ours. Are we pre-
pared to be as sweeping in our sacrifices? Today on His birthday we
can surely refuse Him nothing. If the silent li2>s ask, can we refuse?
If the Baby heart is set upon something that we can give, shall it not
have it? He comes in so winning a form, fearing no repulse. Is our
heart proof against such confidence?
The midnight hours iâss ; the light of early day creeps into the dark
cave; streaks of sun-rays find their way upon the dark wall and gild
Mary's hair as she stoops over the little stone manger. Presently a
tramping of feet is heard without, then there comes a sudden stop, then
a low wliisijering, and then the sim's gleams cease for an instant and
dark figures penetrate the cave. They are the shepherds from the
neighboring hills and they come, angel-bidden, to see "the word that
was to come to pass, that the Lord had shown them." With wonder-
ing awe they draw near to Mary's side, and kneeling by her, adore their
Savior, Christ the Lord.
What a beautiful sight the angels saw that Christmas morning J
All that was upon earth was there. The little King holding his
fairest
court, with the Queen-Mother by His side; Joseph, foster father and
guardian, silent in his adoration; the courtiers, simple, humble souls so
ready to obey when the message came from above. In the woirld 's eyes
these were common people of the peasant class surrounding an ill-
built manger where a new-born Baby lay, nursed by a yoimg Mother.
But we will not think of the world today. We will keep our minds
fixed on themystery wrought.
As theday advances other simple souls come flocking in from the
mountains and hamlets— the shepherds' wives and children mostly, and
herdsmen from other parts. They toO' in silent rapture adore tlie new-
born King. Meanwhile the story of the wonderful night is told again
and again, and the good folk listen and wonder **at those things that
are told them by the shepherds. But Mary keeps all these wo^rds, iwn-
dering them in her heart." She welcomes sweetly every new comer,
and presents the divine Child to each. But her thoughts are upon
mysteries unknown to any but herself and the tiny Babe upon her lap.
Evening comes and the shepherds take their leave. They kiss the
Infant hands and bid farewell to Mary and Joseph. Then standing on
the threshold of the cave with the cool air fanning their foreheads they
cast back one last look u^jon the Infant face that has made such a
change in their lives and return to their mountain-side, "glorifying
and praising God for all the things they have heard and seen, as it
was told unto them."

Did you ever think what glorious men those shepherds were? They
were chosen out of the million by the God who cannot err, to come
and adore. They must have had siêcial qualities to endear them so to
their Creator. We see them on the hill-side faithfully watching; we
see them surrounded by "the brightness of God." We see the angel
give them his message and invite them to the King's first court upon
earth. We hear the rapt songs of the angel choirs singing "Glory to
God in the heavens, and on earth peace to men of good will." We see
them deliberate amongst themselves, saying, "Let us go over to Bethle-
hem, ^nd let us see this word that is to come to pass which the Lord
has shown us." Then we see them set off uith haste and come into the
Divine presence. Not a minute's doubt as to the angel's word darkens
their minds not an earthly consideration keeps them back— they leave
;
the sheep they have tenderly watched all night to take care of them-
selves ; they have a higher call and God is first in their hearts. And so
good a use do they make of their visit to the manger that they leave the
heavenly Presence in ecstatic joy, glorifying and praising God. Who
would not envy them their sheepskins and their iwverty! "They un-
derstood the word the Lord had shown them! Theirs was that spirit-
ual insight given to a privileged few of God's holy ones which is worth
more than all the world can give. Let us ask them to pray for us that
one day such a gift may be ours, too.
Now what is the practical outcome of all this I We cannot stay with
Jesus and Mary and Joseph in the manger, or with our Blessed Lord in
the Sacrament of His love. We hear our three Masses, receive Holy
Communion, linger at the crib making our thanksgiving there. But we
must return to our own world as the shepherds did. And how are we
to return? Praising and glorifying God as they did, singing Gloria in
excelsis as did the angels. This is our lesson today; to have joy in our
—
minds, praise on our lips, love in our hearts love for all mankind and
especially those nearest to us. Charity begins at home, we hear people
say. But very often the proverb is reversed. Many feel acutely for
neighbors or strangers,who are callous to their own relations. This is
mistaken charity. These things you ought to have done and not left
those undone, our Lord said. Those nearest to us often try us, fret us,
worry us. And if we are patient we think we are heroic. One step
further would make us so and cost but little more. It takes more out
of us to be merely patient than to be tenderly loving. For love soothes
us and our neighbor, and overcomes friction. Let us throw our hearts
open wide to all as our Lord did.
A wide love must be a pure love, for it must be unselfish. With
such a love we should take our neighbors' faults for gi-anted, look for
ingratitude, take selfishness as a. matter of course. Then we should
not be charitable on business principles, expecting our money's worth
with the interest. We should give and not count the cost, look for no
return here below, but leave the revenuei part of it to our Lord.
So we turn homeward with the intention of spreading joy every-
where, smoothing away difficulties, being sunbeams in the house, or the
shop, or school, wherever our lot is. And doing it all fo^r the love of
the Babe— Jesus, who has won our hearts this day and for ever.
232 LIGHT FROM THE JLTAR.
Christmas Week
Around the crib stand martyr saints, fittest ofl courtiers tO' be near
the Babe who came as a lamb to be slain.
THE APOSTLE ST. THOMAS.

December 21.
Before His coming we have, on the twenty-fii'st, the Apostle St.

Thomas, the true-hearted, faithful friend, whose noble words, "Let us
go and die with Him," were treasured up by the Master and rewarded
with the martyr's crown.
ST. STEPHEN.
December 26.
On the twenty-sixth of December we have St. Stephen, who in early
manhood was felled to the ground by his own brethren.
ST. JOHN.
December 27.
On the twenty-seventh, St. John, him whom Jesus loved, who re-
ceived the martyr's palm whilst yet alive and bore it to the grave. His
heart went through the agonies of death when he stood at the foot of
the cross and saw his Lord and Master die in ignominy and i)ain.
But who are these with smiling baby faces? Martyrs they must be,
else they could not bear a palm. Yes, martyrs, wrung from their
mother's anns by a cowardly tyrant, child-victims giving their lives
for another Child, whO' was to be saved for the gibbet of the cross.
ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY.

December 29.
On we have the confessor and martyr, St. Thomas

the twenty-ninth
who meekly bowed his head to i-eceive his deathblow,
of Canterbury,
and commended his soul to the Motlier of God who had been his child-
hood's lady-love.
Thomas Didymus, St. Stephen's, deacon, St. John, apostle, the
St.
Holy Innocents, and Si Thomas of Canterbury— these are the saints
whose feasts are kept in Christmas week, martyrs all as the Church
counts martyrdom, martyrs in heart like St. Jolm, in deed like the
Innocents, in deed and in heart like St. Thomas. "What would the
Church teach us by this choice for her Christmas calendar? Surely
she must draw another lesson from the crib than the world draws. It
lulls us with music, entertains us with drama and song, flatters our taste
and sight and touch. In a word, it ministers to the senses. But the
Church draws us aside and points to a cold stable, straw for bedding,
and midnight darkness; shows us a young deacon on his knees stoned
to death as a blasphemer; one standing in agony at the foot of the
cross; innocent babes murdered before their mothers' eyes; an arch-
bishop struck down in liis cathedral the sword everywhere, bloodshed,
;
death, agony. This is true, but does she show us nothing more? Turn
again to the first martyr and see how he met death. "Looking up stead-
fastly to heaven he saw the glory of God. And he said, 'Behold I see
the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of
God.' " And as the stones fell thick about him he raised his shining
face to heaven and cried, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit; Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge." Was it hard to die so? We give opiates to
our dear ones to dull pain. Would not the sight of the "heavens
opened" and "the Son of man" annul it better far? Turn to John the
Beloved. His eyes beheld the agony of the Son of God; his heart was
wrung with grief; but were not his ears gladdened with that loving
word of the departing Savior— "Son, behold thy Mother." Would
not such a charge reanimate even a broken heart? And the little ones,
the Innocents, children of the royal race, look at the picture the Church
draws of them in her Office of the day. She likens them to budding
roses and shows them to us playing with their palms and crowns.
"They died for the Lord," she says, and so she honors them with the
honors of martyrdom. Would not such an end as this compensate the
mothers for the short loss and the Babes for their early death?
Oh, let the world smile and allure. Let it sing sweet songs to the
senses. We know where to look for real comfort, real happiness. We
will share the suffering of the shivering Babe here in this world. We
will follow Him bearing our cross, and we will look to Him for our
reward. One day we too shall see "the heavens opened" and its light
will gladden our hearts. One day we shall wear our crown in the court
of Heaven and rejoice with the "Lamb that was slain."
The Principal Feasts and Fasts Explained
CHAPTER XIII
Sunday was dedicated by more particular serv-

the apostles to the
ice and honor of Almighty God, and transferred from Saturday, the
Jewish Sabbath, which they then abolished, to the day following, in
memory that Christ our Lord rose from the dead, and sent down the
Holy Ghost on that day; whence it is called the Lord's Day; and Sun-
day, from the heathens dedicating it to the sun.
1 Jan.— The Circumcision of our Lord, is called New Year's Day,
because the Komans began their year on it.
6 Jan. The Epiphany of our Lord is a feast solemnized in memory
and honor of Christ's manifestation to the Gentiles by an extraordi-
nar}^ star.
12 Jan. —St. Bennet, surnamed Bishop.
23 Jan.— The Conversion of St. Paul, is a feast instituted by the
church, to perpetuate the memory of that miraculous event.
2 Feb.— The Purification of the B. V. Mary, or Candlemas Day, is a
feast in commemoration and honor, both of the presentation of our
blessed Lord and the purification of our Lady in the temple of Jeru-
salem, the fortieth day after her happy delivery.
Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays, are days
set apart by the Church for the devotion of Lent.
Shrovetide signifies the time of confession.
Ash Wednesday is a day of public penance and humiliation in the
Church, so called from the ceremony of blessing ashes, wherewith the
priest signs the people with a cross, saying: Remember, man, thou art
but dust, and into dust thou shall return.— Gen. III. 9.
Lent, in Latin is Quadragesima because it is a feast of forty
called
days (except Sundays, which are only days of privilege,) instituted

in commemoration of Christ's fasting forty days in the desert.
Passion Sunday is so called from the passion of Christ then draw-
ing nigh.
Palm Sunday, so called from the palm branches being strewed
234
under our Lord's feet by the Hebrew children, crying, Hosanna to the
Son —
of David. Matt. xxi.
Maimday Thursday, in memory of our Lord's last supper, when he
instituted the blessed sacrament of his preciousbody and blood.
Good Friday is the anniversaiy of that most sacred and memora-
ble day, on which the great work of our redemption was consummated.
On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Holy week, the offices called
Tenchrae were formerly mournfully sung in lamentation of our Lord's
passion. But because these offices are now anticipated on the evenings
of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, they have obtained the name of
Tenebrae Days, from that tenehrae or darkness which overspread the
face of the earth at the time of His passion.
The four Ember Weeks, in Latin,Quatuor Tempora, are times of
public prayer, fasting, and procession; they are the Wednesdays, Fri-
days, and Saturdays next after the first Saturday of Lent, after Whit-
Sunday, after the 14th of September and after the 13th of December.
The Weaks or Country feasts, are usually observed on the Sunday
next after the festival of the saint to whom the parish church is dedi-
cated.
24 Feb.— St. Matthias, chosen by the College of Apostles, to supply
the place of Judas.
12 March.— St. Gregory, sumamed the Great.
17 March.— St. Patrick, bishop and confessor, ordained by Pope
Celestin, in the year 431, and sent to preach the Gospel to the Irish,
whose nation be converted and became its Apostle. He died, full of
sanctity and miracles, at the venerable age of 122, in the year 491.
19 March.— St. Joseph, the reputed father of our blessed Savior^
and spouse of our blessed Lady who died in Judea, about the 12th year
of Jesus Christ.
21 March.— St. Benedict the Great, abbot, and patriarch of monks.
25 March.— Annunciation of our Lady, a feast in memory of the
angel Gabriel's most happy embassy, when by her consent, and the
operation of the Holy Ghost, the Son of God became incarnated in her
sacred womb.
Easter Day, a great festival in honor and memory of our Savior's
resurrection.
Low Sunday, the Octave of Easter Day, is so called from the
catecliumen 's white garments, emblems of innocence and joy, which
they put on at their baptism, and solemnly put off this day.
Ascension Day, a feast solemnized in memory of Christ's glorious
ascension into heaven on the fortieth day after his resurrection.
23 April.— St. George, a martyr of Cappadocia, about the year 300.
25 April.— St. Mark, Evangelist, the disciple and interpreter of St.
Peter, wrote his Gospel at the request of the Christians at Rome. On
this day the long Litanies are said or sung, and abstinence from flesh
is observed, to obtain the blessings of God on the fruits of the earth.
I Mai/.—SS. Philip and James, ajxistles. After the first had con-
verted almost all Scythia to the faith of Christ, he was fastened to a
cross, and stoned to death.
3 May.— Finding of the Holy Cross, otherwise called Holy-rood
Day, a feast in memory of the miraculous discovery of the holy cross.
Rogation week, the next but one before AVhit-Sunday, is so called
from rogo, to ask or jjray because on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednes-
;
day, the Litanies are sung.

Whit-Sunday or Pentecost, a solemn feast in memory and honor
of the descent of the Holy Ghost.
Trinity Sunday, the Octave of "WHiit-Sunday, is dedicated to the
honor of the blessed Trinity, to signify that the works of our redemi>
tion and sanctification were comi^leted.
Corpus Christi, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, is a feast in-
stituted by the church, in honor of the blessed sacrament.
6 May.— St. John at the Latin Gate; a solemnity instituted by the
church, to commemorate St. John the Evangelist's being brought pris-
oner from Ephesus to Rome, by the command of Domitian, and there,
by sentence of the senate, cast into a vessel of boiling oil.
26 May.— St. Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury.
27 May.— St. Bede, commonly called Venerable, for having illus-
trated the Church of God by his learning and piety. His feast is kept
with a double ofiSce on the 29th of October.
II June.— St. Barnabas, born at Cyprus, and ordained apostle of
the Gentiles by St. Paul.
22 June.— St. Alhan, martyr in the time of Diocletian.
24 June.— The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, our Lord's pre-
cursor, the son of Zachary and Elizabeth.
29 June. —88. Peter and Paul are joined in one solemnity, because
thev were the principal co>-operators under Clii'ist in the conversion of
the world.
2 July.— The Visitation of our Blessed Lady, a feast instituted to
commemorate the visit she paid her cousin, St. Elizabeth, immediately
after she had received the angel's message of the incarnation of the
Sou of God. This feast was instituted by Pope Urban VI. in the year
1385.
7 July.— Translation of St. Thomas of Canterbury, a feast ordained
by a provincial constitution in the time of Simon Islip, archbishop of
Canterbury.
25 July.— St. James, called the Great, brother to St. John the Evan-
gelist, was beheaded about the feast of Easter at Jerusalem by Herod
Agrippa, in the year 42.
26 Jxdy.—St. Ann, Mother of the blessed Virgin Mary.
29 July.— St. Joseph of Arimathea, a noble senator who buried
Christ.
6 Aiigust.-Our Lord's Transfiguration, when He appeared in glory
on mount Thabor, between Moses and Elias, in presence of his three
apostles, Peter, James, and John.— Matt, xviii.
10 August.— St. Laurence, deacon to Pope Xystus 11., was broiled
on a gridiron for the faith of Christ, in the year 253.
15 August.— Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 36.
24 August.— St. Bartholomeiv, Apostle.
28 August.— St. Helen.
29 August.— The beheading of St. John the Baptist by Herod.
8 Sept.— The Feast of her Nativity, of whom the author of all life
and salvation was bom to the world.
14 Sept.— The Exaltation of the Holy Cross: when Heracletus the
Emiêror, having overcome Cosros, King of Persia, brought it back in
triumph to Jei*usalem, in the year 628.
—
22 Sept. St. Mattheiv, Apostle and Evangelist, after preaching
the Gospel in Ethiopia, was slain at the altar, as he celebrated the
divine mysteries, in the year 44.
29 Sept.— Michaelmas, a festival instituted in honor of St. Michael,
the Archangel, and of the nine orders of the holy angels.
2 Oct.— St. Placid, disciple of St. Benedict and his brothers Euty-
238 TjIGET from THE ALTAR.
chius and Victorin, and their virgin sister Flavia; also Donatus and
Firmatus, deacons. Fanstus, and thirty others, all monks and mar-
tyrs, at Messina, in Sicily, who were murdered for the faith of
Christ by Manaehus, the pirate, in the year 341.
18 Oct.— St. Luke, Evangelist, who, filled with the Holy Ghost,
after he had endured many aSlictions for the name of Clirist, died in
BithjTiia, in the year 74.
28 Oct.— St. Simeon, the Canaanite, and St. Jude otherwise called
Thaddeus. The first preached the Gosi>el in Egypt, the latter in
Mesopotamia.
1 Nov.— All Saints, a solemnity in memorj' of all the saints, since
the whole year is too short to afford a separate feast for each.
2 Nov.— All day appointed by the Church for the living
Souls, a
to offer up their prayers and suffrages for the repose of the souls of
the faithful departed.
21 Nov.— The Presentation of our Blessed Lady in the temple of
Jerusalem, at three years of age.
30 Nov.— St. Andreiv, Apostle, after having preached the Gospel in
Thrace and Scythia, being apprehended by Egeus, the i)roconsul, he
was first imprisoned then most cruelly beaten and lastly fastened
; ;
to a cross, whereon he lived two days preaching to the people.

The four Sundays in Advent, preceding Christmas, were instituted
by the Church with particular offices, commemorative of the benefits
of our Savior's coming to redeem the world.
8 Dec. —
The immaculate conception of the glorious B. V. Mary,
Mother of God.
21 Dec— St.
Thomas, Apostle, who preached the Gospel to the
Parthians, Medes, Persians, and Hyrcanians.
—
25 Dec. Christ's Nativity, a solemn festival, celebrated annually
by the Catholic Clmrch, from the time of the apostles, in commemora-
tion of our Savior's birth at Bethlehem.
26 Dec— St. Stephen, the first Martyr, after Christ's ascension,
in the year 34.
27 Dec— St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, after writing his Gos-
pel in his banishment, and receiving bis revelations, lived to the time
of Trajan the Emperor.
28 Dec— Holy Innocents, a feast in commemoration of the infants

barbarously slaughtered by Herod.
29 Dec— St. Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Below is given a table of Movable Feasts for a period of eighteen

years, from 1906 to 1924:
Table of Movable Feasts and Fasts.

Year
of
Feasts of the Principal Saints of the Church

THE ROMAN CALENDAR FOR EVERY DAY IN THE
YEAR, UNIVERSAL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
JANUARY
1 CIBCUMCISION OF OUR LORD. 18 St. Peter's chair at Rome.
2 St. Macarius, Hermit. 19 St. Canute, Martyr.
3 St. Genevieve, Virgin. 20 St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, Martyrs.
4 St. Titus, disciple of St. Paul. 21 St. Agnes, Virgin, Martyr.
5 St. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr. 22 St. Vincent and St. Anastasius, Mar-
6 EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD. tyrs.
7 St. Lucian, Martyr. 23 Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
8 St. Severinus, Abbott. 24 St. Timothy, Bishop, Martyr.
9 St. Julian and companions. Martyrs. 25 Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle.
10 St. Nicanor. 26 St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr.
11 St.Hyginus, Pope and Martyr. 27 St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doc-
12 St.Arcadius, Martyr. tor.
13 Octave of Epiphany. 28 St. Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor.
14 St. Hilary. 29 St. Francis of Sales, Bishop of Geneva.
15 St. Paul, the first Hermit. 30 St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr.
16 St. Marcellus, Pope and Martyr. 31 St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor.
17 St. Anthony.
FEBRUARY
1 St. Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr. 15 St. Faustin and St. Jovita, Martyrs.
2 Purification of the Blessed Virgin. 16 B. John de Britto, S. J. Martyr.
3 St. Blase, Bishop and MartjT. 17 St. Flavian, Abp. of Constantinople.
4 St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop, Confessor. 18 St. Simeon, Bishop, Martyr.
5 St. Agatha, Virgin, Martyr. 19 St. Conrad, O. S. F. Confessor.
6 St. Dorothv, Virgin, Martyr. 20 St. Tyrannis, bp., and companions.
7 St. Romuaid. 21 St. Severian, Bishop, Martyr.
8 St. John of Matha, Confessor. 22 St. Peter's chair at Antioch.
9 St. Apollonia, Virgin, Martyr. 23 St. Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor.
10 St. Scholastica, Virgin. 24 St. Mathias, Apostle.
11 St. Saturninus, Martyr. 25 St. Sebastian, O. S. F., Mexico.
12 St. Benedict of Anian, Abbot. 26 St. Alexander, Bishop, Confessor.
13 St. Catharine of Ricci, Virgin. 27 St. Leander, Bishop, Confessor.
14 St. Valentine, Bishop and Martyr. 28 St. Eomanus, Abbot.
1
THE ROMAN CALENDAR— Continued

APRIL
1 St. Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble, Con. 16 St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Confessor.
2 St. Francis of Paula, Confessor. 17 St. Anieetus, Pope, Martyr.
3 St. Benedict a Sancto Philadelpho. 18 B. Mary of the Incarnation, Virgin.
4 St. Isidore, Bishop, Confessor and Doc- 19 St. Leo IX., Pope and Confessor.
tor. 20 St. Agnes of Monte Pulciano.
5 St. Vincent Ferrer, O. S. D. Confessor. 21 St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury.
6 St. Sixtus, Pope, Martyr. 22 SS. Soter and Cains, Popes and Martyrs.
7 St. Aphraates, Hermit, Confessor. 23 St. George, Martyr.
8 B. Albert, founder of Carmelites. 24 St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr.
9 St. Mary of Egj-pt, Penitent. 25 St. Mark, Evangelist.
10 St. Macarius, Bishop of Alexandria. 26 SS. Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes.
11 St. Leo the Great, Pope, Confessor. 27 St. Turribius, Bishop of Lima, Con.
12 St. Julian, Pope and Confessor. 28 St. Paul of the Cross.
13 St. Hermegild, Martyr. 29 St. Peter, O. S. D., Martyr.
14 SS. Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus. 30 St, Catharine of Sienna, Virgin.
15 St. Peter Gonzales, Confessor.
MAY
1 St. Philip and St. James, Apostles. 17 St. Paschal Baylon, 0. S. F. Confessor.
2 St. Athanasius, Bishop, Confessor. 18 St. Venantius, Martyr.
3 Finding of the Holy Cross. 19 St. Peter Celestine, Pope, Confessor.
4 St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine. 20 St. Bernardine of Sienna, O. S. F.
5 St. Pius v.. Pope, Confessor. 21 St. Felix of Cantalice, Confessor.
6 St. John before the Latin Gate. 22 St. John Nepomucen, Martyr.
7 St. Stanislaus, Bishop, Martyr. 23B. Andrew Bobola, S. J. Martyr.
8 Apparition of St. Michael, the Arch- 24Blessed Virgin Help of Christians.
angel. 25 St. Gregory VII., Pope, Confessor.
9 St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop, Con. 26 St. Philip Neri, founder of the Orator-
10 St. Antoninus, Bishop, Confessor. ians.
11 St. Francis of Hieronymo, S. J. Con. 27 St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Virgin.
12 St. Nereus, and his companions, Mar- 28 St. Germain, Bishop, Confessor.
tyrs. 29 St. Maximin, Bishop, Confessor.
13 St. Peter Kegalati, Confessor. 30 St. Felix, Pope and Martyr.
14 St. Boniface, Martyr. 31 St. Angela Merici, foundress of Ursu-
15 St. Isidore, Patron of Rural labor. lines.
16 St. TJbald, Bishop, Confessor.
JUNE
1
JULY
1 Octave of St. John the Baptist. 17 St. Alexius, Confessor.
2 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. IS St. Camillus of Lellis, Confessor.
3 St. Hyacinth, Martyr. 19 St. Vincent of Paul.
4 St. Udaire, Bishop. 20 St. Jerome Emilian, Bishop, Confessor.
5 St. Cyril, Martyr. 21 St. Praxedes, Virgin.
G Octave of St. Peter and St. Paul. 22 St. Mary Magdalen, Penitent.
7 St. Willibald, Bishop, Confessor. 23 St. Apollinaris, Bishop, Martyr.
8 St. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal. 24 St. Christina, Virgin Martyr.
9 The Martyrs at Gorcuni, Holland. 25 St. James the Greater, Apostle.
10 Seven Holy Brothers, Martyrs. 26 St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Vir-
11 St. Pius, Pope, Martyr. gin.
12 St. John Gualbert, Abbot, Confessor. 27 St. Pantaleon, Martyr.
13 St. Anacletus, Pope, Martyr. 28 St. Nazarius and companions. Martyrs.
14 St. Bonaventure, O. S. F., Bishop. 29 St. Martha, Virgin.
15 St. Henry, Emperor, Confessor. 30 SS. Abdon and St. Sennen, Martyrs.
16 Feast of the Blessed Virgin of Mt. 31 St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits.
Carmel.
AUGUST
1 St. Peter in Chains. IG Hyacinth, Confessor.
St.
2 St. Alphonsus Mary Liguori, Confessor. 17 Octave of St. Lawrence.
3 Finding of the body of St. Stephen. IS St. Agapitus, Martyr.
4 St. Dominie, Confessor. 19 St. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, Con.
5 Dedication of Our Lady of Snows. 20 St. Bernard, Abbot, Doctor.
6 Transfiguration of our Lord. 21 St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow.
7 St. Cajetan, Confessor. 22 Octave of the Assumption.
8 St. Cyriacus and companions. Martyrs. 23 St. Philip Beniti, Confessor.
9 Vigil of St. Lawrence. 24 St. Bartholomew, Apostle.
10 St. Lawrence, Martyr. 25 St. Louis, King of France, Confessor.
11 SS. Tiburtius and Susanna. Martyrs. 26 St. Zephyrinus, Pope, Martyr.
12 St. Clare, Virgin. 27 St. Joseph Calasanetius, Confessor.
13 St. Hippolytus and companions, Mar- 28 St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor.
tyrs. 29 Beheading of St. John the Baptist.
14 St. Eusebius, Confessor. 30 St. Rose of Lima, Virgin.
15 ASSUMPTION OF THE B. VIRGIN 31 St. Raymond Nonnatus, Confessor.
MARY.
SEPTEMBER
1 St. Giles, Abbot. 16 SS. Cornelius and Cyprian, Martyrs.
2 St. Stephen, King, Confessor. 17 Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis.
3 St. Simeon, Confessor. 18 St. Joseph of Cupertino, Confessor.
4 St. Rosalie, Virgin. 19 St. Januarius and companions, Martyrs.
5 St. Lawrence Justinian, Bishop, Con. 20 St. Eustace and companions, Martyrs.
6 St. Pambo, Abbot, Confessor. 21 St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist.
7 St. Regina, Virgin, Martyr. 22 St. Thomas of Villanova, Confessor.
8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. 23 St. Linus, Pope, Martyr.
9 St. Gorgonius, Martyr. 24 Feast of our Lady de Mercede.
10 St. Nicholas of Tolentino, O. S. A., Cod. 25 B. Peter Claver, Apostle of Carthagena.
11 SS. Protus and Hyacinth, Martyrs. 26 St. Eusebius, Pope Confessor.
12 St. Guy, Confessor. 27 SS. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs.
13 St. Amatus, Bishop, Confessor. 28 St. Wenoeslaus, Martyr.
14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 29 Dedication St. Michael, Archangel.
15 St. Nicomedes, Martyr. 30 St. Jerome, Priest, Confessor, Doctor.

OCTOBER
1 St. Remigius, Bishop and Confessor. 16 St. Gall, Abbot, Confessor.
2 Holy Angel Guardians. 17 St. Hedwige, Widow.
3 St. Maximian, Bishop, Martyr. IS St. Luke, Evangelist and Martyr.
4 St. Iâncis of Assisi, founder Friars 19 St. Peter of Alcantara, Confessor.
Minor. 20 St. John Cantius, Priest, Confessor.
5 St. Placidius and companions, Martyrs. 21 St. Hilarion, Abbot, Confessor.
6 St. Bruno, Con., founder of Carthusians. 22 St. Severus, Bishop.
7 St. Mark, Pope, Confessor. 23 St. John Capistran, Confessor.
8 St. Bridget, Queen of Sweden, Widow. 24 St. Raphael, Archangel.
9 St. Dennis, Bishop of Paris and Con. 25 SS. Chrysanthua and Daria, Martyrs.
10 St. Francis Borgia, S. J. Confessor. 26 St. Evaristus, Pope, Martyr.
11 St. Tarachus and companions, Martyrs. 27 Vigil of SS. Simon and Jude.
12 St. Wilfrid, Bishop, Confessor. 28 SS. Simon and Jude, Apostles.
13 St. Edward the Confessor. 29 St. Narcissus, Bishop.
14 St. Callistus, Pope, Martyr. 30 B. Alphonsus Rodriguez, S. J.
15 St. Teresa, Virgin, 31 Vigil of All Saints.
NOVEMBER
1 FEAST OF ALL
SAINTS. 17 St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, Confessor.
2 Commemoration of the dead. 18 Ded. of the Bascilica of SS. Peter and
3 St. Malachy, Bishop of Armagh, Con- PauL
fessor. 19 St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Widow.
4 St. Charles Borromeo, Confessor. 20 St. Felix of Valois, Confessor.
5 St. Zachary. 21 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
6 St. Leonard, Hermit. Mary.
7 St. Willibrord, Bishop, Confessor. 22 St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr.
8 Four Crowned Martyrs. 23 St. Clement, Pope, Martyr.
9 Ded. Saviour's Church, Lateran.
St. 24 St. John of the Cross, Confessor.
10 St. Andrew
Avellino, Confessor. 25 St. Catharine, Virgin, Martyr.
11 St. Martin, Bishop of Tours, Confessor. 26 St. Peter of Alexandria, Bishop.
12 St. Martin, Pope, Martyr. 27 St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio, Con.
13 St. Diego, Confessor. 28 St. James de Marehia, Confessor.
14 St. Stanislaus, S. J. Confessor. 29 St. Saturuinus, Martyr.
15 St. Gertrude, Virgin, Abbess. 30 St. Andrew, Apostle.
16 St. Edinond, Bishop and Confessor.
DECEMBER
1 St. Eloy, Bishop, Confessor. 16 St. Alice, Empress.
2 St. Bibiana, Virgin, Martyr. 17 St. Olympia, Widow.
3 St. Francis Xavier S. J., Confessor. 18 Expectation of our Lady.
4 St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Con. 19 St. Nemesion and companions. Martyrs.
5 St. Sabas, Abbot, Confessor. 20 Vigil of St. Thomas.
6 St. Nicholas, Bishop, Confessor. 21 St. Thomas, Apostle.
7 St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Con. 22 SS. C'jrril and Methodius, Confessors.
8 IMM. CONCEPTION OF THE B. V. 23 St. Servulus, Confessor.
MARY. 24 Vigil.
9 St. Leocadia, Virgin, Martyr. 25 CHRISTMAS—Nativity of our Lord.
10 St. Melehiades, Pope, Martyr. 26 St. Stephen, Proto-Martyr.
11 St. Damasus, Pope, Confessor. 27 St. John the Evangelist.
12 Our Lady of Guadaloupe. 28 Holy Innocents.
13 St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr. 29 St. Thomas a Becket, Martyr.
14 St. Nicasius and companions, Martyrs. 30 St. Sabinus, Bishop, Martyr.
15 St. Valerian, Bishop, Confessor. 31 St. Sylvester, Pope, Confessor.
The True Happiness of Heaven
CHAPTER XIV
THE SOULS OF THE JUST TO LIVE WITH CHRIST
Q. How is it known that the souls of the Just are immediately ad-
mitted to the possession of God in heaven, when they depart out of
this life?
A. First, From the following clear testimonies of holy scrii^ture:
"We know," says house of his dwelling
St. Paul, "that, if our earthly
be dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens ; for in this also we groan, desiring to be clothed
over with our dwelling which is from heaven," 2 Cor. v. 1. After, he
adds, "therefore, having always confidence, knowing, that, while we
are in the body,we are absent from the Lord. But we are confident, I
say, and have a good will to be absent rather from the body, and to be
present with the Lord," verse 8; which demonstrates that the beati-
tude of the saints is not deferred till the resurrection; but that, in the
mean time, and whilst they "absent from the body," their blessed
are,
souls are "present with the Lord." In his epistle to the Philippians,
he says, "To me to live is Christ; and to die is gain; and, if to live in
the flesh, this is to me the fruit of labor, and what I shall choose I
know not. But I am straightened between two, having a desire to be
dissolved and be with Christ, a thing by far the better; but to abide
still in the flesh is needful for you." Philip, i. 21. St. John actually
saw great multitudes of saints and martyrs in heaven, adoring Christ,
and saying, "Thou art worthy, Lord, to take the book, and to open
the seals thereof; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and
nation, and hast made us to our God a kingdom, and priests," Rev. v.
9; and of the holy virgins he also saw great numbers, "who follow the
Lamb wherever he goes, and have his name, and the name of his Father,
written on their foreheads;" and "these," he says, "were purchased
244
ft J»^ ^ .«K
.,*, it;':.
V%..:g#
4^
A GIFT FROM HEAVEN

from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb," Rev. xiv. 4.
Second, From the constant belief and tradition of the church of
Christ.
Third, From this reason, founded on what Christ himself declared
that God is certainly much more inclined and desirous to do good to
his creatures, than to afihct them. To do good to his creatures is his
and principle desire; to afflict them
first is a, force upo'n his goodness,
which their sins demand from his justice. Now Christ assures us, that,
when the wicked die, their souls are immediately condemned to hell,
as we see in the rich man in the gospeh If, therefore, the justice of
God alone, immediately inflicts punishment upon sinners at their death,
much more will his goodness and justice combined together, immed-
iately reward his holy saints, when they leave this world, by admitting
their souls into eternal happiness.
LIKE THE ANGELS OF GOD IN HEAVEN.
Q. What description does the scripture give us of the exaltation

and dignity of the saints in heaven?
A. That "they stand before the throne, and in the sight of the
Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands," Rev. vii. 9;
that, "they shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father," Matth.
xiii. 43; that they "are like the angels of God in heaven," Matth. xxii.
30 that they are so highly exalted as to become even like God himself
;
for "we know," says the beloved disciple, "that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like to him, because we shall see him as he is," I John iii.
2; that the blessed company of the inhabitants of heaven is composed
of an immense multitude of cherubim and seraphim, and holy angels,
allon fire with divine love; thus, "thousands of thousands minister to
him, and ten hundred times a hundred thousand stand before him,"
Dan. vii. 10; of an inconceivable number of holy martyrs, who having
"come out of great tribulation, have washed their robes, and made
them white Lamb, and serve him day and night in
in the blood of the
his temple," Rev. vii. 14; ofnumbers without numbers of other blessed
souls, the patriarchs and prophets, the apostles of the Lamb, and his
holy confessors, who, having overcome, are clothed in white, and walk
'
'
with him, because they are worthy," Rev. iii. 4; of the chaste spouses
of Jesus Christ, "who have not defiled their souls, but are virgins; in
whose mouth there was found no lie, but are without spot before the
throne of God, Rev. xiv and, above all the blessed Virgin Mother of
'
' ;
God, the Queen of saints and angels, "clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars," Rev.
sii. 1 the symbol of her supereminent dignity above all the rest. Such
;
is the splendor, magnificence, and beauty of these heavenly inhabitants

they are advanced to the highest dignity that can be conceived, even
all
to a fellowship with the living God, and a partnership with Jesus

Christ in his throne; for, "to him that shall overcome," he says, "I will
give to sit with me in my throne," Rev. iii. 21.
The Saints and Angels in Heaven

OUR COMMUNION WITH THE BLESSED.
Q. What is meant by our communion with the blessed in heaven?
A. The communion of the saints, which we profess in the creed to
believe as a truth revealed by God, is not confined to the commun-
ion of prayers, and other good works, which the faithful upon earth,
have with one another; but also, and in a particular manner, it in-
cludes the communion which we have with our deceased brethren, who
are departed out of this life in the faith and love of Jesus, whether
they be as yet detained in purgatorj^ or are gone to enjoy God in his
kingdom. The word communion signifies a mutual communication of
good things, and the communion of the saints signifies a mutual com-
munication of such good things as relate to our salvation. The saints
in heaven are already perfectly happy, and secure of their own salva-
tion, and the only good they can receive from us is the pleasure of see-
ing us praise and glorify God on their account, and of our putting it in
their power to contribute towards our salvation. Our communion with
them then consists, in our praising God for their happiness, paying
them that honor and veneration which is due to their great dignity, as
the friends and favorites of God, and, begging a share in their holy
prayers and it consists, on their
; side, in their offering up our prayers
to God, and praying for us.
THE QUEEN OF ANGELS
The Veneration of the Saints

HONOR DUE THE SAINTS AND ANGELS.
Q. What is meant by the honor and veneration due to the saints?
A. The words, honor, veneration, icorship, adoration, and the like,
all agree in this, that they suppose some dignity, excellency, or merit,
in the person to whom
they are given ; they also suppose that we have
an inward esteem, regard and respect for the person, on account of the
excellencies we Wlien therefore we know that a person
perceive in him.
possesses any dignity, excelleucyj^ or merit, and, on that account have
real esteem and regard for him in our heart, and when we testify this
internal respect and esteem by such outward signs, whether in words
or actions, as are expressive of that inward disposition of our heart
towards him; this is what is meant by honor, veneration, worship, and
adoration, in the general meaning of these words, in which they all
agree. There is, however, a difference among them in some particu-
lars; for to honor one, signifies, properly, to testify, by outward signs,
the merits or excellency of the person whether he be our superior or
inferior; thus a king honors a subject when he gives him any marks of
his royal favor. The other words, besides testifying our respect for
the excellencies of the person, imply at the same time, an acknowledg-
ment of our own inferiority to him, at least with regard to those quali-
fications for which we honor him. Veneration is properly the res^êet
we have for another, on account of some virtuous or religious excellency
we perceive in; adoration most commonly signifies the resjject we pay
to God himself, or the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Worship is used promiscuously to signify both the honor we pay to
God, and to holy persons, and also the resi>eet we pay to civil magis-
trates. As, therefore, we have seen, that the saints and angels of God
are adorned with many great excellencies, and are honored by God
himself with the most exalted dignity, far superior to any thing in this
world, for which they justly desemê the highest esteem and regard;
the honor and veneration which is due to them from us, by our words
and actions, that esteem and regard we have for them, as they so justly
deserve.
Q. 14. But is it not idolatiy to worship saints and angels, as tliey
are mere creatures?
A. "Was it "to worship the king?" I
idolatry, in David's nobles,
Chron. xxix. 28; Abraham, and Lot, and Josue, to worship the
or, in
angels! or, in Abdias to worship Elias the prophet! or in the sons of

the prophets to worship Eliseus ! Or is it idolatry to acknowledge the
dignity and excellencies of those above us, and to pay them that out-
ward respect and veneration to which they are justly entitled on that
account! To accuse of idolatiy the respect and veneration which the
Church of Christ pays to the saints and angels of God, can only arise
from ignorance, or malice and misrepresentation. The respect and
veneration due to the saints and angels, far from being an injury to
God, is an honor done to him because it is only for his sake it is given
;
them, as a just tribute to the graces with which he has adorned them,
and a fulfilling of the intentions of God himself, when he said, "\^^loso-
ever shall glorify me, him will I glorify, 1 Kings ii. 30 and of our
'
' ;
Savior who declares, "If any man minister to me, him will my Father
honor," John xii. 26.
The
Invocation of the Saints
INTERCESSION TOR OUR SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL
WELFARE.
Q. What is meant by the invocation of saints and angels
A. It is to ask them to present our prayers to the throne of grace,
and join their more powerful prayers for us, to obtain what is for our
spiritualand temporal welfare.
Q. the saints and angels interest themselves in the happiness
Do
of men, and pray to God for them
A. They do; and this is clearly declared in scripture,
First, That is a natural consequence of their ardent love to God,
and of their fervent charity. St. Paul assures us, that charity or the
love of God, and of our neighbor for God's sake never fails; faith and
hope, and other such virtues, are swallowed up by the enjojauent of
God in heaven, but this holy love is then only brought to its highest
IDerfection the blessed inhabitants of heaven, seeing the Divine Being
:
in all the effulgence of his infinite beauty, are inflamed to the highest
degree, with love for him, and the most ardent desires that he should be
ST. RITA OF CASSIA
loved and served by all his creatures; and at the same time, sensible
of the infinite happiness they enjoy in him, they are also inflamed by
the most ardent zeal for the salvation of souls, and the most fervent
desires, that all their brethren upon earth should come to enjoy the
same happiness. Xow, what are all these desires for the gloiy of God
and the salvation of souls, but so many fervent prayers in the sight of
God for our salvation? This, then, is their continual employment, to
praise and adore God for all his glories, and for their own bliss, and
to pour forth to him their most earnest prayers, that all their brethren
upon earth may be brought to the same happiness. In fact.
Second,We have seen above, that this is one principal part of
their employment in heaven, offering up the prayers of the saints upon
earth, as a most agreeable sacrifice of incense in the sight of God.
Third, The prophet Zaeharias relates a fen-ent prayer that an
angel made for the people of God, and for the city of Jemsalem, and
tliat his prayer was graciously heard by God; "And the angel of the
Lord answered and said, Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have
mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Juda, with which thou hast
been angry! this is now the seventieth year. And the Lord answered
the angel that spoke in me, good words, comfortable words," Zach.
i. 12.
Fourth, In the celebrated dream which Judas Macchabeus had first,

—
"Onias who had been high priest holding up his hands, prayed for all
the people of the Jews. After this there api>eared also another man,
admirable for age and glory, and environed with great beauty and
majesty. Then Onias answering, said, This is a lover of his brethren
and the people of Israel, this is he that prayeth much for the peoijle,
and for all the holy city, Jeremias the prophet of God," 2 Macch. xv.
12. Now, Onias and Jeremias had l>een dead long before, and as this
happened some hundred years before Christ, it manifestly shows that
the iDeojDle of God, even in the old law, firmly believed that the de-
parted saints of God were solicitous for their brethren upon earth, and
prayed for them.
Fifth, If the rich glutton, though in hell fire, was solicitous for his
brethren, and prayed that they might not come to that place of tor-
ment; how much more must the saints and angels in heaven do the
same?
Our Guardian Angels

ANGELS APPOINTED BY GOD TO WATCH OVER TJS.
Q. What does the Christian religion teach us concerning our angel

guardians?
A. That particular angels are commanded and appointed by God
to watch over us, and i^rotect us, and bestow many good benefits upon
us, is thus declared in scripture, "Are they not all ministeringi spirits,
sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salva-
tion?" Heb. i. 14. To minister, is to serve, to guard, to help us.

Again, "he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all
thy ways," Ps. xc. 11. Hence our Savior says, "Take heed that ye
despise not one of these little ones ; for I say to you, that their angels
in heaven always see the face of my Father who
heaven," Mattli. is in
xviii. 10. And when St. Peter was delivered out of prison, and came
and knocked at the door where the rest were gathered together, they,
hearing his voice, could not believe it was himself, and said, "It is his
angel," Acts, xii. 15.
Q. What are the services which we receive from our angel guar-
dians?
A. Many and most important: First, they direct us to what is good,
by their holy inspirations, and correct us when we do ill,and preserve
us from many spiritual dangers. Thus God says to his people, "Be-
hold, I will send my angel who

go before thee,
shall and keep thee in
thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared.
Second, They assist us in our temporal affairs. Thus, when Agar
was from her mistress's house, with her son, "she de-
at last banished
parted, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee. And when the
water in the bottle was spent, she cast the boy under one of the trees
that were there, and went her way— for she said, I will not see the boy
die, and sitting over against him, she lifted up her voice and wept."
In this distress the angel of God appeared to her, and comforted her,
and showed her a well of water to relieve her, Gen. xxi. 14. When the
prophet Elias was in the wilderness, and in utter want of all things,
his angel brought him two different times a cake of bread, and a vessel
of water to support him, 3 Kings xix.
Third, Tliey deliver us from dangers and temporal evils; and this
THK HULV GUAKUIAN AiNGEL
is one of the principal ends for 'n'liieli Almighty God commits us to

their care; for, "he hath given his angels charge over thee, to keep
thee in all thy ways; in their hands thej^ shall bear thee up, lest thou
dash thy foot against a stone," Ps. xc. 11; and "the angel of the Lord
shallencamp round about them that fear him, and shall deliver them,"
Ps. xxxiii. 8. The famous history] of Eliseus, when the city he was in
was besieged by the army of the Syrians, is well known ; for, when his
servant expressed his great fear on that account, the prophet said,
"Fear more with us than with them." And Eliseus
not, for there ai'e
prayed, and said, "Lord open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord
opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and behold the mountain
was full of chariots, and horsemen of fire, round about Eliseus," 4
Kings vi. 16. The history of Tobias is full of the sendees done to that
good man by the holy angel KajDhael and, when St. Peter was thrown
;
into prison, and was to be put to death next day, the angel of the Lord
delivered him out of prison in a most wonderful manner, Acts xii. as ;
was also done to the other apostles; for, when they were "put in the
common prison, an angel of the Lord, by night, opening the doors of
the prison, and leading them out, said Go, and, standing, speak in the
temple to the jêople, all the words of this life," Acts v. 19.
Fourth, They pray for us, and present our prayers to God.
Fifth, Lastly, they take care of our souls at our death, assisting us
at that tremendous moment, and when the soul departs from the body
conduct it to her rest. Thus, our Savior assures us, that, when Laz-
arus "died he was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom," Luke,
xvi. 22.
The Mother of God

HONOR AND VENERATION DUE THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
Q. "What is the honor and veneration which is due to the Blessed
Virgin?
A. Wehave seen above, that the honor and veneration given to
the saints in heaven, is due to them on account of their great dignity,
their connection with Jesus Christ, and the high ijrivileges and excel-
lencies which they enjoy. Hence it follows, that the more sublime the
dignity of any saint is, the nearer they are united with Jesus Christ,
and the higher and more exalted privileges they enjoy, the greater
honor and veneration is due to them. Now, as the Blessed Virgin
Mary is super-eminently above all the other saints, and even above
the highest angels themselves, in all these respects, it follows as a
necessary consequence, that the honor and veneration due to her is
supereminently greater than that which we owe to all the other saints
and angels.
Q. What are the high privileges which the Blessed Virgin enjoys,
so far more excellent than all the other heavenly inhabitants?
A. They are chiefly these following:
First, That suhlime and inconceivable dignity of being the mother
of God; a dignity so high and grand, that it elevates her at once far
above all other creatures, above every thing whatsoever that
is less than God. It is true, she is still a pure creature, and of course,
infinitely below God, between whom and eveiy possible creature, there
must always be an infinite distance; but, with regard to all other
creatures, there is as great a distance between tha Blessed Virgin and
the most sublime saraphim, as there is between the dignity of the
mother of God and his servants. St. Elizabeth was amazed at the
sight of this sublime dignity of the Blessed Virgin; for, when "she
—
heard the salutation of Mary she was filled with the Holy Ghost, and
she cried out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; and whence is this to
me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me," Luke i. 41. By
particular inspiration of the Holy Ghost she pronounced Mary the
most blessed of women, and was confounded and amazed that so great
a personage, as the mother of God should come to visit her.
Second, The intimate relation she has icith Jesus Christ, by the
sacred quality of being liis mother. He, indeed, out of his super-
abundant goodness, is pleased to consider his faithful servants as his
brethren, and to treat them as such, but they are his brethren, at most,
only by adoption; but the Blessed Virgin Mary
mother by
is his
nature, not by adoption, but by the nearest ties of flesh and blood he ;
is flesh of her flesh, and bone of her bonej his sacred body was formed
of her flesh, and fed and nourished by her blood so that her relation
;
with him is that of a mother with the son of her womb, than which
nothing can possibly be nearer between twO' persons. How justly then,
is she entitled to the highest veneration!
TJnrd, The superiority and authority whicli he was pleased to give
her over himself, in consequence of her being his mother. An amaz-
ing thing it is, noi doubt, to see the Creator of heaven and earth de-
pending upon his own creature, the Sovereign Lord of all subject to a
woman; he who i>rovides for all creatures standing in need of being
tended, supported and nourished, by one of them; and yet this is the
very case. When God the Son first appeared among men, he was
pleased depend upon his Virgin Mother for all the innumerable
tO'
helps that an infant stands in need of at that tender age to be tended

;
and supported by her and nourished with the milk of her breast, and
as he grew up, all we know about him, during his private life, till the
thirtieth year of his age, is, that "he went down to Nazareth, and was
subject to her," Luke ii. 51. AAHiat an amazing idea does this give us
of the honor and dignity of this ever Blessed Virgin? If it be thought
so great an honor, among men, to be a nurse and guardian of a King's
son, what must it be tO' be the mother, the nurse, and the guardian of
the King of kings?
Fourth, The immaculate imrity of this ever Blessed Virgin is a
privilege of immense value, bestowed only on Mary: "Behold they
that serve him are not steadfast, and in his angels he found wicked-
ness," Job iv. 18; but in Mary he found none. She, ever steadfast in
his holy service, she was by the special disposition of Divine Provi-
dence, from the very first instant of her conception, evermore pre-
served in innocence, and perfectly unsullied by the smallest stain of
sin. She never ceased to be the undefiled temple of God, the chaste
and immaculate sfwuse of the Holy Ghost, and, of consequence, the
sacred object of his complacency and love. In her he never found the
smallest opposition to his will, but a continual correspondence and
improvement of every grace he bestowed upon her. Hence his infi-
nite goodness, whose delight is to communicate, with the utmost pro»-
fusion, his holy grace to those in whom he finds no obstacle, was con-
tinually increasing his sanctifying grace in her soul.
Fifth, The angel Gabriel,when he appeared to her, declared her
to be "full of grace, and that the Lord himself was with her," and
that on this account, she was, in a particular manner,
'
blessed among
'
women," Luke i. 28. What a high idea does all this give us of the
immense dignity to -which she is now raised in heaven, ahove all the
other saints, corresponding to her immaculate purity, and the innumer-
ahle graces, with which her blessed soul was adorned during her moral
state
Sixth, On all these accounts, she herself, by inspiration of the Holy
Ghost, prophesied the great honor and veneration that should be paid
her in the Church of God end of the world, when she said,
till the '
' My
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Savior, because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid ; for,
behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed; for he
that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is his name,"
Luke i. 46.
Q. T\liat is the true devotion we ought to pay to the Blessed Vir-

gin?
A. The true devotion which we owe to the Blessed Virgin consists
in:
First, in endeavoring to save our souls
by imitating her example in
those sacred virtues for which she was most remarkable; particularly
in the practice of her profound humility, her great purity, her ad-
mirable patience and meekness, her ardent love for Jesus Christ, her
perfect confonnity to the will of God in all her afflictions, and her
tender love and compassion for others.
Second, In often meditating upon her great virtues, and the sublime
reward she has received for them in heaven, encouraging ourselves, by
that consideration, to go on with courage and perseverance in following
her sacred example, with a finn hope in the mercy of God, that, through
the merits of her blessed Son, we shall one day come to enjoy her
blessed company in heaven.
Third, In often thanking and praising God for all the glorious priv-
ileges and graces bestowed i;pon her, and for the great glory she now
enjoys in heaven:
Fourth, In frequently begging the assistance of her prayers for
grace to enable us to imitate her example, with a finn confidence that
Almighty God, through the merits of her Son, "will accept her face"
for us, as he accepted the face of Job for his three friends, and through
her intercession, grant us those graces which he may justly refuse to
our unworthiness.
Holy Images
HONOR AND VENERATION NOT DUE TO MATERIAL IMAGES
BUT TO WHAT THEY REPRESENT.
Q. What is meant by holy images?
A. Holy images represent Jesus Christ and his saints, or
historical facts of the sacred scripture, representing, in a striking
manner, to the eyes, what -we read of being done or suffered by our
Savior and his holy sem-ants, and they are called holy from the rela-
tion they bear to the holy persons or things which they rejiresent.
Q. As the conmiand of God "thou shalt not make to thyself

says,
a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,
or on the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters
under the earth; thou shalt not adore them nor serve them; I am the
Lord thy God, mighty and jealous," Exod. xx. 4. Does not this abso-
lutely forbid the making or using of holy pictures or images?
A. By no means:
First, If these words were intended to prohibit the making of
images of any kind, as they include every thing without exception,
"thou shalt not make to thyself the likeness of any thing, in heaven
or earth, or under the earth," it would be unlawful to make any picture
at all because all are included, whether holy or profane
; so that it ;
would be a sin to make the picture of a friend, or to jjaint a horse or a

house, or any creature whatsoever, which no sensible man ever
imagined to be the meaning of that command; consequently it does
not prohibit the making of images in general.
Second, Xeither does it absolutely prohibit the making of holy
images, for a very jialpable reason: because God himself absolutely
commanded holy images to be made; for he said to Moses, "Thou
shalt also make two cherubims of beaten gold on the two sides of the
oracle ; let one cherub be on the one
and the other on the other let
side, :
them cover both sides of the propitiatory (or mercy seat) spreading
their wings and covering the oracle," Exod. xxv. 18, "and looking the
one towards the other," Exod. xxxvii. 9. And when Solomon built the
temple, "he graved cherubims on the walls," 2 Chron. iii. 3. AMiere
also are described at large the magnificent manner in wliieh he "made
in the house of the Holy of image work, and over-
Holies, cherubims of
laid them with gold," verse 10, "and they stood upright on their feet,
and their faces were turned toward the house without," verse 13. All
these things (said he) came to me written by the hand of tlie Lord,"
the Lord said to Moses, make a brazen ser-
'
1 Chron. xxviii. 19. Also, '
lênt, and set it up for a sign whosoever being struck shall look on it,
;
shall live," Num. xxi. 8. This was a holy image, representing Christ
upon the cross, as he himself assures us, John iii. 1-i. Now, as this
shows to a demonstration, that the words of the command do not for-
bid the making of holy images, otherwise God would never have com-
manded them, on so many occasions, to be made.
Third, Neither does the command forbid to honor holy images, and
to use them for religious purposes; for God not only commanded the
images of the two cherubims to be placed upon the mercy seat, and
upon the ark of the covenant, which was doing them a great honor,
but he also said to Moses, thence will I give orders, and will sjêak to
'
'
thee of the propitiatory, and from the midst of the two cherubims,"
Esod. XXV. 22.
Q. What does the Church teach concerning the honor and venera-
tion due the holy images?
A. With regard to holy images, the Church, in; the general Council
of Trent, teaches, "The images of Christ, and of his Virgin Mother,
and of other saints, are to be had and retained, especially in churches,
and a due honor and veneration is to be shown them: not that any
divinity or virtue is believed to be in them, for which they are
to be honored, or that any prayer is to be made to them, or that any
confidence is to be placed in them, as was formerly done by the heath-
ens, who placed their hopes in idols: but because the honor which is
given them, is referred to the originals which they represent; so that
by the images which we kiss, and before which we uncover our heads,
or kneel, we adore Christ, and venerate his saints, whose likeness they
represent," Sess. xxv.
Catholic Art Studio. Chicago, Hi.
ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA
Choice Selections from the Writings and
Sayings of Our Patron Saints
CHAPTER XV
THE TEACHINGS OF THE SAINTS
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ac-
cording to His great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, by
the I'esurrection of Jesus Christ fi'om the dead, unto an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that cannot fade, reservêd in heaven
for you. 1 St. Peter i. 3, 4.
When the goodness and kindness of God our Savior apiêared; not
by the works of justice which we have done, but according to His
mercy He saved us. Titiis iii. 4.
CHARITY OF GOD TOWARDS JÎANKIND.

By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us, because God
hath sent His only begotten Son into the world that we may live by Him.
In this is charity ; not as though we had loved God, but because He
hath first loved us, and sent His Son to be a i^roijitiation for our sins.
If God hath so loved us ; we also ought to love one another.
1 St. John iv. 9, 10, 11.
Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not per-

versely: is not puffed up;
Is not ambitions, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger,
thinketh no evil.
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth:
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things.
Charity never falleth away : whether prophecies shall be made void,
or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.
1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
257
258 UGHT FROM THE ALTAR.
THE VTRTUE OF FAITH.

Faith Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Rom. X. 17.
. Without Faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. xi. G.
HOPE.
The God of hoiê fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
you may abound in hojê and in the power of the Holy Ghost.
Hope confoundeth not. Rom. xv. 13 j v. 5.
ON THE HOLY MASS.

God, though omnipotent, cannot give anything greater; though full
of wisdom. He could think of nothing more valuable; though most
rich, He has no greater treasure to bestow upon us than what He has
given us in the Sacrifice of the Mass. St. Augustine.
ON THE HOLY COMMUNION.

One most admirable effects of Holy Communion is to pre-
of the
serve souls from falling, and to help those who fall from weakness to
rise again therefore it is much more profitable frequently to approach
;
this Divine Sacrament with love, respect, and confidence, than to keep
back frdm an excess of fear and cowardice. St. Ignatius.
ON PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION.

Wlien we ai>proacli the altar we must, with God's help, prepare
ourselves with all our power, and search into eveiy comer of our souls,
lest any sin be hidden therein. For, if Christ sees us clothed with the
light of charity, He will give us of His Flesh and Blood, not to our
condemnation, but to salvation. St. Augustine.
BLESSING THROUGH THE HANDS OF MARY.

May our Lady deign to intercede for us sinners with her Divine
Son and Lord, and to obtain from Him a blessing on our pains and
trials. St. Ignatius Loyola.
ON MENTAL PRAYER.
A want of due attention to mental prayer is the reason why some
have so little fervor in the service of God, and give so great sco-pe to
their passions. St. Aloysius Gonzaga.
ON PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMIVIUNION.

Ifyou expected a visit from a great personage, to whom certain ob-
jects in your house should be offensive, would you not remove them
before his arrival ? When, then, you wish to receive Jesus Christ, you
should remove from your breast all earthlj^ affections which you know
to be disi^leasing to Him. He who wishes to communicate often must
empty his heart of the things of earth. ,S'^. Augustine.
THE SUBLIME SANCTITY OF B. V. MARY.

The Son of God never made Himself a more worthy dwelling than
Mary, who was never possessed by the enemy, or desj)oiled of her or-
naments. St. Austin.
ZEAL.
Behold now I commend myself to my most faithful God, whose mis-
sion I perform, notwithstanding my unworthiness but because He
;
does not accept persons, and has chosen me for this office, to be one of
the least of His ministers, what shall I render to Him for all the things
that He hath rendered to me ? But what shall I say or promise to my
Lord"? For I see nothing unless He gives Himself to me; but He
searches the heart and reins, because I ardently desire and am ready
that He should give me His cup, as He has pennitted others
to drink
to do who have loved Hkn. Wherefore, may my Lord never pennit
me to lose His people whom He has gained in the ends of the earth.
St. Patrick's Confession.
ST. BRIGID'S AD\HCE TO HER RELIGIOUS.

We are eight virgins, and eight virtues (eight beatitudes) are
offered to us as a means of sanctification. It is true that whoever prac-
tices one virtue perfectly must possess every other; le'^ us each choose
a virtue now for special devotion.
St. Brigid, Patroness of the Irish.
IÔVING DESIRES FOR HEAVEN.

As for me, my son, nothing in this life delights me. I know not
what more I can still do, or why I am left here, as I have no further
hope from this world. There was one thing which made me desirous
of living here on earth a little longer, which was, th'at I might see you
a Christian Catholic before I died. My God has abundantly granted
my request in letting me see you even despise earthly happiness and
become His servant. What am I doing here? St. Monica.
FAITH.
Your faith is confirmed, not only in the hearts, but before the eyes
of men. Heaven bears witness to it, and the earth likewise, the angels
in glory, and the fiends in hell. St. Augustine.
PURGATOEY.
The souls in Purgatory having their wills perfectly confonned to
the will of God, and hence iârtaking of His goodness, remain satisfied
with their condition, which is one of entire freedom from the guilt
of sin. St. Catherine of Genoa.
DEVOTION TO THE SACEED HEART.

Let us go to the great refuge of His (Christ's) charity, which we
shall find in the wound of His side, where He will unveil to us the
secret of His heart, showing us that the sufferings of His Passion,
having a limit, were insufficient to manifest His infinite love as He
desired to manifest it, and to give us all that He desired to give.
St. Catherine of Sienna.
PRAYER.
Prayer is the key of heaven; prayer ascends and mercy descends;
high as are the heavens and low as is the earth, God hears the voice
of men. St. Austin.
CONFIDENCE.
When Confidence fails, prayer loses its value. St. Austin.
HOPE.
Hope! sweet Sister of Faith, it is thou that with the key of the
Precious Blood dost open the portals of Thou guardest
life eternal.
the city of the soul against the enemy of confusion. Thou dost not
slacken thy steps when the demon would seek to trouble the soul with
the thought of her sins, and so to cast her into despair, but generously
pressing on in the path of virtue, and putting in the balance the price
of the Precious Blood, thou placest the crown of virtue on the brow
of perseverance. St. Catherine of Sienna.
CONFIDENCE IN GOD.
He who falls into a fault, however light it may be, ought to rise im-
mediately, have recourse to God, beg pardon of Him, and ask grace
never to commit it again. St. Aloysius.
CONFIDENCE IN GOD.
Place your hope and firm trust in God, He will surely help you in
every Be instant in praying to Him, in humbling your-
difficulty.
selves before His Almightiness for most assuredly since He hath

;
trusted this undertaking to you, so will He give you strength to carry

it out, provided only that you fail Him not. Do your duty therefore,
go about your active functions, be full of trust, of courage, of high
hope send uj) your heart-cry to God in your need, and doubt not but
;
you will see Him do great things for you, while you aim at doing all
things for the praise and gloiy of His infinite Majesty.
St. Angela Merici.
HOPE.
Injustice would be done the infinite mercy of God, tmless we be-
lieved firmly that God would never fail to reward abundantly those
who sei-ve Him faithfully by the exact observance of His holy law.
St. Francis Xavier.
FORTITUDE.
Fortitude renders us generous and constant in the service of God;
enables us to be as joyful under labors, tribulations, and sickness, as in
prosperity and health, and to thank God equally in both states.
St. John of God.
KINDNESS.
Whenever you see a weak soul, timid and disposed to lose hope and
heart, comfort her, give her courage, open up to her the bright ^^sion
of God's mercy, and enable her shrinking heart to ojDen itself wide to
the sweet influence of consolation. St. Angela Merici.
ALMSGIVING.
God has no need of your money, but the poor have you give it to ;
the poor, and God receives it. 5^^. Austin.

2b2 LTGET FROM THE ALTAR.
UNION AND CHARITY.

Let the bond of charity so draw you to each other, that you may
prize and esteem each other, and support each other in Christ Jesus.
If you are earnest in your endeavor to be thus united, doubt not but
our Lord God shall be in the midst of you. St. Angela Merici.
KINDNESS.
We should be cordial and affable to the poor and to those of humble
condition. We should not treat them imperiously; pride is revolting
to them. When we are affable towards them they become more docile,
and derive more advantage from the advice they receive.

St. Vincent de Paul.
CONSTANCY.
Be constant, and you shall see the help of God over you: and now
we are praying for you, that you j'ield not to sorrow, but that your
virtue may appear more bright in tribulation.
St. Joseph Calasanciius.
ON GOOD WILL.
And you cannot do all you wish, be glad to do whai you can,
so, if
since it is not your fault that all the progress which you might desire
has not been made. St. Francis Xavier.
COUETESY.
You will effect more by loving words and a courteous manner, than
by bitterness or sharp reprehension, which should never be used but
in extreme necessity. St. Angela Merici.
MEEKNESS.
Meekness and forbearance towards our neighbor are a source of
peace and a bond of perfection by which hearts are united.
TklEECY AND COMPASSION.

Compassion for the poor had always been the characteristic virtue
of St. Peter Nolasco. Whenever he saw any poor Christian slaves, he
would say: "Behold eternal treasures which never fail."
PUEITY OF INTENTION.
To do good actions is not enough, we must do them well in imita-
tion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is written, "He hath done
all things well." Especially, we must endeavor to do all in the spirit
of Christ, with the i>erfection, in the circumstances, and for the ends
for which His actions were performed. Otherwise, our good actions
will draw upon us chastisement rather than reward.
PEACE.
Peace is the serenity of the soul, the tranquillity of the mind, the
simplicity of the heart, the bond of love, and the union of charity.
St. Austin.
CONSTANCY.
The soul that is sustained by holy thoughts becomes impenetrable,
invincible, and immutable; the spirit that is fortified by a lively faith
in eternal truths, remains tirm and unshaken by all the terrors with
which it is menaced by the world and the devil. St. Austin.
FAITH.
The light of faith makes us discover in the poor the true likeness of
the Son of God, who was not content with being 2:)oor, but who also
wished to be called the Master, Doctor, and the Father of the poor.
SELF-RENUNCIATION.
It is a greater satisfaction to leave dignities, titles, riches, and hon-
ors, for God's sake than to acquire them. St. Aloysius.
LOVE AND RESPECT FOR THE POOR.

God loves the poor, and consequently He loves those who have an
affection for the poor; for when we love anyone very much, we also
love his friends and servants. St. Vincent de Paul.
CHARITY.
By charity alone are the children of God distinguished from the
children of men. St. Austin.
264 LWaT FROM THE ALTAR.
RELIANCE ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE.

Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and
the future to His Providence,
ADVANTAGES OF POVERTY,
We are happy when the Lord places us in a condition to honor His
\ overty by ours ; we are then under the hapjDy necessity of depending
in all things on Divine Providence. We
have a thousand opportunities
of relying on His bounty, of sjTnpathizing with the miseries of the
I>oor, and of practicing many acts of patience. St. Augustine.
THE GREAT VALUE ATTACHED TO PATIENT SUFI'ERING,

There is nothing that consoles me
much, and gives me so much
so
comfort, as afflictions and crosses, and it seems to me that if I had not
this support from time to time, I should live the most wretched life
in the world and if God should give me my choice, whethier to go now
;
into Paradise, or to remain a little longer to suffer, I should choose the

latter rather than the former, for I know how much glory is increased
by sufferings. 'St. Catherine of Sienna.
PRUDENT CARE FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.

And you take infinitely less care of those edifices
in general, see that
which are raised with stone and mortar, than of the spiritual temjjles
of God; these temples are your brethren and the pupils entrusted to
your faithful care, whom you should feed, watch over, and especially
urge on to advance in virtue; this is the sovereign duty committed to
your zeal. St. Francis Xavier.
PATIENCE IN SUFFERINGS.
tlf God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great de-
signs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And
if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you
much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle
the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for
his own great sacrifice of boundless charity. St. Ignatius Loyola.
TOTAL DEPENDENCE ON GOD.

I am no longer my own
whether I live or whether I die, I Ix^long
;
to my Savior, I have nothing of my own. God is my all, and my whole

being is His. St. Catherine of Genoa.
OBEDIENCE.
Obedience open for us with perfect security the gate of heaven,
will
closed for us of old by contempt of God's command, and still closed to
those who are guilty of the same crime. St. Vincent de Paul.
OBEDIENCE.
Whoso under obedience must allow himself to be ruled by
liveth
Divine Providence, through his Superior, just as though he were a
dead body. St. Ignatius.
ADVANTAGES OF RELIGIOUS OBEDIENCE.

Those who live under obedience have necessarily gi-eater aids fol
advancement in virtue, both because God, who is the Author of virtue
hears their prayers, and because, as a wise man has said: "Every-
thing that a man cuts off from his own will he adds to virtue."
St. Ignatius.
HOLY FEAR.
By life, a good conscience is secured, that by a good con-
a good
science no punishment may be dreaded. He that would not be made
afraid, let him learn to fear. He that would be secure for ever, let
him now learn to be troubled. Fear lessens the nearer we draw to the
countiy wliither we are bound. A^Tien the traveller is far ofif he fears
the most, but it home draws near, and he has none when
lessens as his
he has once arrived. Thus fear leadeth unto charity, and perfect char-
ity casteth out fear. St. Augustine.
CARE OF THE SICK.

Vincent de Paul was most attentive in providing relief and
St.
comfort for the sick, often going himself to inquire into their condi-
tion and their needs; he advised the infirmarians to take all possible
care of them, and the Suiêriors of houses to spare no fatigue or ex-
pense in providing for them. He tried to soothe their sufferings by
special marks of love and attention, and offered his prayers to God
on their behalf.
RELIGIOUS OBEDIENCE.
A Superior be obeyed, not by reason of his prudence, his kind-
is to
ness, or any other good qualities which God may have bestowed on
him, but solely because he is God's representative, and acts by the au-
thority of Him who has said: "He that heareth you heareth Me, he
that despiseth you despiseth Me." St. Ignatius Loyola.
GENEROSITY IN THE SERVICE OF GOD.

Let us love God with purity and innocence. A heart which serves
Him for a reward is not pure. What then? shall we have no reward
for ser\TJig Him I We shall indeed, but it will be that very God whom
we are serving. He will be our reward, "because we shall see Him as
He is." Consider what this will be. A\Tiat does Our Lord Jesus
Christ say to those who love Him 1 "He who loves Me keeps My com-
mandments; and My Father loves him who loves Me, and I will love
him." St. Augustine.
ON THE MEANS TO ACQUIRE TRUE KNOWLEDGE.

The way to gain perfect knowledge, and to taste the Eternal Truth
is this, that thou never dej>art from the knowledge of thyself, but
abide in the valley of humility, where thou shalt know God within thee,
and shalt draw from that knowledge what is needful for thee.
St. CatJierine of Sienna.
UNION AND CHARITY.

Mutual love and union of wills are an infallible sign that the road
we follow is the good road, that which leads to God.
St. Angela Merici.
IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL EXERCISES.

Amongst ordinary occupations we should have our spiritual ex-
ercises most at heart, taking care to do them well, in preference to
other things, where obedience does not enjoin the contraiy, because
spiritual things appertain to God directly, and most eflScaciously con-
duce to perfection; if we neglect those, we draw upon ourselves that

malediction threatened by the Holy Ghost to those who do the work of
rjod negligently. St. Vincent de Paul.
PEAYER.
What can be more excellent than prayer? What is there more
profitable in this life, and more sweet to the mindf And what in our
holy religion more sublime? St. Augustine.
DILIGENCE IN PRAYER.
The perfection of the Gospel is acquired only by diligence in prayer
oO that to be a perfect Christian it is necessary to be a man of prayer.
St. Aloysius.
HUMILITY.
Humility is groundwork of eveiy virtue, wherefore in the soul
the
in which humility is not there can be no other virtue, imless indeed in
appearance. St. Augustine.
SELF-ABNEGATION.
To practice self-abnegation is a greater thing than to raise the
dead. St. Ignatius.
ZEAL.
If by a whole life of toil and self-devotion we had hindered a single
sin, the time and the trouble would not be lost
HUMILITY.
Humility is the virtue of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
PERSEVERANCE IN GOOD WORKS.

Beware of growing wearyin your work, however ungrateful it may
be,and do not let any kind of disgust weaken you, so as to relax your
keen and unconquerable perseverance in the good which you have be-
gun. St. Francis Xavier.
HASTEN SLOWLY.
Generally speaking, the works of God are accomplished by degrees,
they have their beginning and progress. We should not therefore, at-
tempt do eveiytbing at once, nor give up anything as lost, because it
to
requires some pains to succeed in it. We should proceed step by step
and address frequent prayers to God. St. Vincent de Paul.
THE EEWAEDS OF HEAVEN.

A precious crown is reserved in heaven for those who put into their
actions all the diligence of which they are capable, for it is not enough
to do good, we must do it well. St. Ignatius.
SALVATION IS FEOM THE CEOSS.

All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with Him to the
Cross. ... A Christian during the whole course of his life should,
like Jesus, be on the Cross. It would be an act of rashness to descend
therefrom, since Jesus Christ did not descend, even when the Jews
offered to believe in Him. The time for driving out the nails of this
Cross was only after death ; there is then no time to extract the nails
whilst we live; we must wait until our sacrifice is consummated. . . .
So strong sometimes are the storms of life that strength of arm is of

no avail, and there is no other means to save us from shipwreck than
trusting in the Cross of Jesus Christ by which we are consecrated.
St. Augustine.
SOULS DETACHED FEOM EAETH.

God takes sjiecial care to detach those whom He loves with sjDccial
predilection from the passing pleasures of tliis world, by sending them
desires after heavenly bliss, and by the sorrows and bitterness of the
present life. St. Ignatius Loyola.
SOEEOW FOE THE, DEAD.

Kind hearts, then, may be allowed to sorrow in moderation over
their dear departed ones, and to shed peaceful tears by reason of their
mortal condition. The peace that comes by faith should soon dry them
up, for by this the faithful believe that when they die they leave us for
a short time, and pass to better things. Let them take consolation even
from the sympathy of others, as exhibited either at funerals or by
mourners, lest the complaint of those who say, "I waited for one who
would sorrow with me, and there was no one, and for consolers, and I
found none," should be true. St. Augustine.
As you belong to Christ, belong ye to Eome. St. Patrick.

DIFFERENCE BETA\ÊN CHRISTIAN PE/UDENCE AND

WORLDLY PRUDENCE.
Christian prudence consists in judging, speaking, and acting in
the way that the Eternal AVisdom, clothed in our flesh, judged, spoke,
and acted, and in guiding ourselves in all cases according to the max-
ims of faith, never according to the fallacious sentiments of the world,
or the weak light of our own intellect.
Human prudence, which is and

also called the pinadence of the flesh
of the world, is aim than what is temjwral,
that which has no other
thinks only of arriving at its end, and makes use of such methods and
sentiments alone as are human. St. Vincent de Paul.
THE OFFICE OF DISCRETION.

Discretion is necessary in the spiritual life ; its ofBce is to moderate
the exercises of virtue, so as to make us walk between two extremes.
St. Ignatius.
THE FUTURE REWARDS.

If we could see the reward that is given in the other world to our
good actions, we should employ our understanding, memoiy, and will
in nothing else than doing good, without heeding any fatigue or labor.
St. Catherine of Genoa.
TRUE KNOWLEDGE.
Happy is he who knows God, His greatness and His goodness, al-
though he be ignorant of all besides, for he who knows God cannot help
loving Him; now he who loves Him is wiser than all the learned of
the earth who have not this love. St. Augustine.
LOVE IS PROVED BY SUFFERING.

He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him, if he has not
an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.
^St. Aloysius.
SELF-WILL, THE DESTROYER OF INTERIOR PEACE.

Affliction and pain depend on how we take them, and man is only
afflicted through having what he is unwilling to have, or through not
having what he desires to have. Take his self-will away, and his spirit
becomes tranquil and enjoys peace. St. Catherine of Siemia.
KINDNESS AND AFFECTION FOR THE P(X>B.

Love the poor tenderly, regarding them as your masters, and your-
selves as their servants. St. John of God.
ON JOYFUL SUFFEEING FOR CHRIST'S SAiKE.

My we resemble the Apostles in one point, that we suffer
children,
reproach for the name of Jesus. Let us also endeavor to imitate them
in the point immediately preceding this:— The Apostles went forth re-
joicing. St. Joseph Calasanctius.
BLESSINGS HIDDEN IN INFIRMITIES.

If we did but know the precious treasure that is hidden in infirm-
ities, we should receive them with the same joy with which we receive
the greatest benefits, and we should supiwrt them without lamentas-
tions and without ever giving any signs of being troubled.
CARE OF THE SICK.

St. Camillus considered himself the servant of the sick, and wished
the poor peoi>le to believe that he was entirely at their service.
"Dear brother," he said to a sick man who had grown impatient
and dissatisfied, I beseech you for the love of Jesus Christ not to weep
'
'
and lament any more I am here ready to serve you, and to do whaj>
;
ever you order me, and be assured that I will not leave you till I see
you perfectly satisfied."
ST. MONICAS PETITION FOR PRAYERS.

Lay this body anywhere : let it not be a care to you ; this only I ask
of you, that you would remember me at the Lord's altar wherever you
may be. St. Monica.
CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WILL.

When we ask of God in good faith for the necessities of this life,
He is as merciful when He does not hear as when He does hear us, for
the physician knows better what is good for the sick man than the sick
man himself. St. Augustine.
TRUST IN THE LOVING PEOVIDENCE OF GOD.

God is more desirous of our best welfare than we are our-
certainly
selves, and He knows the ways and means of promoting it better than
we, for they are in His hands as Euler of the universe; wherefore in
all the accidents which befall us most certainly that haj^pens which is
best. St. Augustine.
ON THE MEANS OF SECURING SUCCESS IN

UNDERTAKINGS.
Before determining on an undertaking we must abandon ourselves
to God, as if success were to come from Him alone; but in the choice
of means, and by constant efforts, we must work as if all success de-
pended on our own efforts. St. Ignatius.
PRESENCE OF GOD.
He who does not keep himself united to God by the exercise of His
holy presence, cannot succeed in what he undertakes for His glory.
RECOLLECTION OF SPIRIT.
Disengage thyself from earthly care, and give thyself fior a time
to think of God, and to repose a little in Him, and having closed the
door of thy senses say with the affections of thy soul Lord, I am in
:
quest of Thy lovely countenance, teach Thy jjoor sei'vant how to find it.
St. Augustine.
SOLID VIRTUE.
Let us apply our mind to the attainment of solid and perfect vir-
tues, and learn to esteem these far more than human knowledge or
any qualifications or gifts of nature, for those are interior endowments,
and alone can impart worth to external gifts or acquirements.
St. Ignatius.
CHARITY.
For such is the eternal law of the Creator, that all those who labor
unitedly for His honor shall prosper in everything, that their efforts
shall be crowned with success, inasmuch as they Imve with them God
and all His creation. St. Angela Merici.
THE PKAISE OF GOD.

Would you know tlaie way to praise God always? Perform well what
you do, and you will praise Him constantly. St. Augustine.
EVILS OF WORLDLINESS.
The world more dangerous when it flatters us than when it ill-
is
treats us. We should be more careful of trusting it, when it invites us

to love it, than when it admonishes us, and compels us to despise it.
They who follow the maxims of the world experience nothing but
misery, and the flattering expectation of happiness is delusive and
vain.
Would you wish not to be an enemy of God? Do not be a friend
of the world. St. Augustine.
INGRATITUDE.
Among all evils and sins, ingratitude, I siêak under correction,
is one of the things most worthy to be held in abomination in the sight
of our Creator and Savior, and of creatures callable of His Divine
and eternal gloiy. St. Ignatius.
FAITH.
There are no greater riches, no greater treasures, no greater hon-
ors, no greater substance of this world than is the Catholic Faith,
that saves men that are sinners, enlightens the blind, heals the sick,
justifies the faithful, repairs the penitent, increases the justice of the
just, crowns the martyrs. St. Augustine.
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
Pay the greatest attention everywhere to the instruction of the
children in the day schools in the Christian doctrine, and take constant
care to make the masters who are set over them do their duty with the
greatest faithfulness. St. Francis Xavier.
EVILS OF IDLENESS.
Idleness begets a life of discontentedness, it develops self-love,
which is the cause of all our miseries, and renders us imworthy to
receive the favors of Divine love. St. Ignatius of Loyola.
DEPENDENCE ON GOD AND DISTEUST OF SELF.

I do, therefore, j^ray and beseech you to cast away all confidence
in your own powers, in human wisdom and reputation, and keep all
your hoi>es and thoughts continually fixed on God alone. If you do
this, then I shall consider that you are sufficiently armed and prepared
against all the troubles which may beset you eitber in the mind or in
the body. For God lifts up and strengthens the humble, those espec-
ially who in the practice of even humble and abject offices keep their
eyes as on a mirror, on their own weakness, and conquer themselves
nobly LQ such practices. These are the jêrsons who in the greatest
labors and sufferings will show virtue and constancy.
St. Francis Xavier.
I affectionately entreat of you to pray assiduously for tbe conver-
sion of sinners, for whom I ask of you wrestlings and tearful prayers,
that I may satisfy my longing to show them grace and mercy.
Revelation to St. Catherine of Sienna.
THOUGHT OF THE JUDGMENT.

It is to be feared that the angels, who are at present our guardians,
will become our accusers at the day of judgment. St. Aloysius.
SUFFERINGS ENDURED IN PURGATORY.

The hindrance that the soul meets with in its desire of seeing God
and being united to Him, causes it to feel an intolerable pain ; and the
pain, together with the hindrance, oibstructs those properties which it
has by nature, and which by grace are revealed to it; and not being
able to retain them, although capable of them, the soul remains in suf-
fering gi-eat in proportion to its aîpreciation of God. This apprecia-
tion of God grows with its knowledge, and its knowledge is greater
the more it is free from sin and the delay becomes more and more ter-
;
rible, because the soul, wholly immersed in God, knows Him without
terror, there being nothing in the way to prevent such a knowledge.

DILIGENCE.
you sometimes find yourself so distracted by a number of duties
If
that you cannot manage them all, do as much as you can and be con-
tent with that, and even give thanks to GcmJ for the particular bless-
ing that He has led you to work in a i^lace where there are so many-
sacred duties to be performed that you cannot be idle, however much
you might wish it, for this is in truth one of the greatest blessings that
God bestows. Imagine yourself in Purgatory making satisfaction for
your sins you will think yourself very happily dealt with in that God
;
gives you the troubles of this life, instead of the torments of the fire*
of Purgatory. St. Francis Xavier.
IMPORTANCE OF THE RELIGIOUS TRAINING OF YOUTH.

If a single child profits by my instructions, my trouble and my time
will seem to me well spent. St. Ignatius Loyola.
HOPE OF FUTURE REWARD ENCOURAGES US TO LABOR

PERSEVERINGLY.
If a man could see what reward he will have in the world above
for well-doing, he would never employ his memory, understanding,
or will in anything but in good works, without regarding at all what
labors or trials he might experience in them.
IMPATIENCE.
Impatience is the habitual outcome of infidelity to what God ordains
for us. We
can see this in others, and can be disedified at it. Such
persons can be quite content that Superiors should direct tilings in
their own way as a rule, but they are pained and troubled if their own
private ways are contradicted. St. Catherine of Sienna.
THE SPIEIT OF THE WORLD OPPOSED TO THE SPIRIT OF

CHRIST.
Two loves have made two different cities: self-love hath made a
terrestial city, which rises in contempt of God; and Divine love hath
made a celestial one, which rises in contempt of self; the former
glories in itself, the latter in God. St. Augustine.
HOLY FEAR.
The fear of God is a sign of predestination. St. Augustine.
ON PUEGATOEY.
No tongue can express, no mind can understand, liow dreadful is
Purgatory. . . . And be assured that the souls have to pay what they
owe even to the last farthing. This is God's decree to satisfy the de-
mands of justice. St. Catherine of Genoa.
AFFABILITY.
We ought to behave sweetly towards all, with such a demeanor

as is wont to spring from a tender heart filled with Christian charity,
that is, with affable love and humility; these virtues serve admirably
to gain the hearts of men, and to encourage them to embrace even what
is most repugnant to nature. St, Vincent de Paul.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.
St.Angela Merici had a special zeal for the work of Christian edu-
cation. She says: "Let the Sisters be prompt and obedient to the
voice of their Superiors, and so demean themselves in their special
good works, and particularly in teaching, that their pupils shall learn
from them virtuous habits as well as the knowledge of their religion."
From the Rule of St. Angela.
FRIENDSHIP.
Such is the power of true and genuine friendship, that absent

friends are present to each other, and enjoy one another's presence
and conversation in heart. St. Francis Xavier.
TRUTH.
Truth always shines with the brightness which belongs to it, while
falsehood is wrapped in darkness; to dispel this darkness it is enough
to put falsehood in the presence of truth. St. Ignatius.
AFFABILITY.
Affability induces us to bear with each other, and to listen with
patience to what others may say, and whilst charity unites us like
members of the same body, affability perfects this Divine union.
EVILS OF VAIN-GLOEY.
In the performance of good works, seek not the esteem of men, but
seek only to please God. The eyes of men are like so many thieves
who wish to rob you of the treasure of your merit. St. Aloysius.
FIDELITY IN LITTLE THINGS.

He who does not excel in little things, will never do so in great.
St. Francis Xavier.
MEANS OF ACQUIRING PERFECTION.

Think well, speak well, do well: these three things through the
mercy of God will make a man go to Heaven.
St. Camillus of Lellis.
VAIN-GLORY.
wish that others should speak
Self-conceit, the desire of notice, the
of us, praise ourmanagement, and say that we are successful and work
wonders— all this is an evil which makes us forget God, which poisons
our holiest actions, and is most pernicious in hindering spiritual
progress. I cannot understand how anyone who believes and holds
it to be a matter of faith that "he who exalteth hiiiLself shall be hum-
bled" can jDossibly speak to pass off for a holy jDerson, for wise,
watchful, and able. St. Vincent de Paul.
EVILS OF INCONSTANCY.
If a shrub is continually transplanted from place to place by a
gardener, it will soon lose its natural vigor and wither; so, in like
manner, our inconstancy leads to tepidity, weariness, relaxation of
mind, and, by degrees, to the abandonment of all our exercises of piety.
St. Joseph Calasanctius.
PUEITY OF INTENTION.
God bestows more consideration on the purity of intention with
which our actions are performed, than on the actions thmeslves.
HEAVEN.
And this will be the life of the saints, the occupation of those who
are at peace; we shall give praise for all eternity. Not for one day
only will our praise last ; but as that day will not be a temporal day,
so our praise will not have the end of a temporal day and we shall
praise for ever and ever. Listen to the voice of Scripture sjjeaking to
God according to this our desire: "Blessed are they who dwell in Thy
house, they shall praise Thee for ever and ever." Turning to God,
let us pray to Him His people who are with us in the
ourselves and all
courts of His house. May He vouchsafe to keep and protect them,

through Jesus Christ His Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with
Him for ever and ever. Amen. St. Augustine.
OKDER AND REGULAEITY.

There is a rule and order which is necessary in this life, a regularity
which leads us to God, if we keep it faithfully. If we fail in this, we
swerve from the path which conducts us to His heavenly kingdom; for
all is beautiful where there is order, and the Apostle says: "All
order is from God." St. Augustine.
The Religious and Moral Training of Children
or Christian Education in the
Catholic Home
CHAPTER XVI
ADVICE TO PARENTS
The direct purpose of the Fourth Coiimaandmeut is to lay down the

duties of clijldren to their jârents. But indirectly and implicitly we
must understand from it that parents have duties to their children.
These duties are divided into two classes. The first class has to do
with' the bodily and civil education of the child, to fit it for its jôsi-
tion in the present life; the second class has to do with the moral and
religious education of the child, to fit it for its position in the life to
come.
THE DUTY OF PARENTS.

The duty of providing for off-spring imtil they are able to provide
for themselves is dictated by nature itself, and even the brutes fulfil
it. Yet there are in the world fathers so unnatural that they think only
of themselves; they deny themselves nothing; they satisfy all their
desires and they leave their children hungiy and half-naked. Un-
;
doubtedly there are fathers in nearly every community who spend in

folly the money that should be used to buy what is necessary for their
children. It may be only a quarter or a half-dollar sjjent now and
again; but these little sums quickly run up to many dollars, perhaps
a hundred dollars in the course of the year, and all this time their chil-
dren are staying away from school, from catechism, and from Mass on
Sunday, because they have not clothes or shoes which that money
would provide for them.
Catholic Art Studio, Chicago, III.
THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

How often a head of a family will say that he does his best but
he cannot keep his children properly clothed. Before he was married,
however, he was wasting the money which he should have been sav-
ing up with a view to getting married. He is reajjing now the folly
of his youth. Still worse is the case of those parents who through
idleness and lazy habits, have become unable to provide for the wants
of their families.
The duty of providing for the children imposes on the parents; the
obligation of presei-ving them as far as they are able from all that can
injure their bodily health.
THE CARE OF CHILDREN.

Many children grow up weak and sickly because their parents
have not taken proper care of them, have not given them proiDer food,
or perhaps even have ill-used them. But while taking proper care of
their bodily health, they should not go to the other extreme and be
over-anxious and over-careful about them. For in this way they are
likely to make them grow up soft, delicate, unable to endure any hard-
ships, unable or unwilling to work. All children should be brought up
to habits of industry; they should be taught from early years that they
must not be idle; that idlers are no use to themselves nor to any one
else. Even if parents are rich, they should still bring their children
up to some employment.
EARLY EDUCATION AND HABITS OF INDUSTRY.

Going to school should be the chief employment of children up to
the age of fourteen or fifteen. But during the hours which remain
after school they should be taught to make themselves useful. It is
a great shame to see women who are splendid house-keepers, with
daughters who know nothing at all about house-keeping.
These women know how to do things so well tEemselves, and are
so anxious to have them done well, that they cannot bear to have their
daughters making experiments, which in the beginning of course,
means a good many mistakes and a good many failures.
Again there are foolish mothers who will wear their fingers to the
bone that their daughters may have soft white hands.
MISTAKES OF MOTHERS.
Mothers are committiug a very great mistake, and worse than a

mistake, when they do not teach their daughters all that they know
themselves about house-keeiîng. A girl that is a perfect mistress of
plain cooking and plain sewing is far better equipped to be mistress of
her own house than if she could play two or three instruments and sing
in two or three languages.
But first of all, in the natural order, parents should teach their
boys and girls habits of cleanliness, order, neatness and carefulness.
This means that parents should be cleanly, orderly, neat and careful
themselves, and that they should bid their children to follow their ex-
ample.
PROVIDE FOR YOUR CHILDREN.
It is your duty to provide for

your children; and you cannot pro-
vide for them as you should, unless you keep your affairs in order and
practice economy in your expenditure.
Those parents, then, are guilty, who, through their wasteful and
improvident habits, do not keep their expenses in proper proportion
to their earnings, so as to be able to lay somethingby for a rainy day.
Those parents are guilty who neglect their work and thereby make
their families suffer. But much more guilty are those who spend what
they earn in foolish or in sinful amusement, and, instead of support-
ing their families burden them with debt.
This means, of course, that parents must lead a life of sacrifice for
the sake of their children, and must deny themselves a great many
things which it would be lawful for them to have if they were unmar-
ried. But when they were getting married, they knew the obligations
which they were assuming they took the burden willingly ujwn them
;
and now they should cheerfully bear it.

All this has reference merely to the bodily education of your chil-
dren, the education which will fit them for the position they are to fill
in this life.
CHOOSING A VOCATION IN LIFE.
The choice of a state of life, however, must be made by themselves.

You may advise them; and it is their duty to listen to your advice
with all respect. But you have no authority to tell them, for instance,
that they must get married, or remain single that they must or must
;
not enter the priesthood or the convent. If you tell them this, they
are not bound to obey you.
When they enter into a certain state of life, it is they, not you, who
will have to bear the burdens of that state; therefore, it is they, not
you, who must choose the state whose burdens they have to bear.
You have no right to command in this matter. But you have a
right to direct and guide your children in the choice of a state of life,
and you should do so. If you watch them closely, you will know their
abilities sooner than they will themselves; you will even know their
likes and dislikes before they have realized them themselves. You
may be able to suspect what are the designs of God in regard to them
and then it will be your duty to do all in your power to help them real-
ize these designs.
As soon as they express any inclination for a certain state of life,
you should examine this inclination for them, and tiy to find out their
reasons for wishing to enter that state, showing them the obligations,
the consequences, the dangers of the course they wish to take. If you
know that the choice is a bad one in itself, or that your children are
not fit for the position they are inclined to choose, it is your duty
to do all in your power tO' persuade them not to make this choice.
You cannot command your duty to advise;
in this matter, but it is
and if through want of your advice and direction your children make a
had choice, God will not hold you guiltless.
THE SPIRITUAL WELFARE OF CHILDREN.

There are comparatively few parents who do not pay attention to
the bodily welfare of their children but there is a vast number who
;
pay little or no attention to their spiritual welfare.

Yet this is the all-important thing. So long as God leaves your
children with you, they are only a deposit in trust; He commits them
for a while to your care, so that as you were the instrumeuts in His
hand of bringing them into this world, so you may also be the instru-
ments of bringing them tO' eternal happiness.
Our Lord Sacrament of Matrimony "to enable the
instituted the
husband and wife to live happily together and to bring up their chil-
dren in the fear and love of God." The Lord made Christian mar-
riage indissoluble, that the parents always living together might con-
stantly work together in the Christian education of their children.
If your children do not succeed in this world ; if they are not dis-
tinguished by talent, by riches, by dignity; this makes no difference,
provided that in the end they save their souls. And the salvation of
their souls dependsa very great extent on the Christian education
to
which you give them. In order to give them this education, you must
instruct them, natch over them, correct them, give them good example.
EARLY RELIGIOUS TRAINING.

This instruction is given by teaching them the principles of Chris-
tianity and training them to habits of piety. In the first place you
must teach them the Lord's Pl'ayer, the HaU Mary, the Apostles'
Creed, the Ten Commandments, explaining these in a manner whicli
suits their age. To make them learn these by heart without giving
them any explanation, is like giving hard bread to a child that has not
yet cut its teeth. According as their minds develop, you must explain
to them, as best you can, the fundamental truths of religion.
Let them know that God created them to know Him, love Him, and
serve Him; that they are to remain here only for a time; that there
is another life, a happy one or an unhappy one, which is to last forever.
Tell them about the soul that is in them; that, though they can-
not see it, it is far more precious than the body which they can see.
Tell them about the state that soul was in when they were bom;
how they were delivered from that state through the merits of Jesus
Christ, who came down from heaven, was born in a stable and died on
a cross to save sinners; how these merits have been applied to their
souls in baptism what promises were made in their name at that time,
;
and how they must keep those promises.

Tell them that they must pray to God every day, since it is from
God that all good things come; that they should ask Him for what
they need, and thank Him for everything He gives them.
"And have we got to teach our children all that?" some parents
will say. Yes, you have. "Can't we leave it to the catechism teachers
and the priest?" No, you cannot; and it is a great mistake for you to
think you can.
YOUR DUTY AS PARENTS.

The duty falls on you in the first place ;
you may get the priest or
the catechism teachers to helj) you; but you must not throw the work
entirely on their shoulders. No one else can do the work as well as
you can, because no one else has somuch authority over your childi'en
many chances to teach them. The little lessons that
no one else has so
you can givethem now and then, even while you are doing your house-
work, are worth more to them than long instructions given them by
others.
laNORANCE OF PARENTS A POOR EXCUSE.

ii^
'Well," a good many "I would be quite willing
parents will say,
to instruct my children, if I were able. But I never was very well in-
structed myself; I don't know enough to instruct them." That is not
a good excuse.
Suppose a ship goes ashore and becomes a total wreck, with the
loss of the crew, and the captain explains it to the owners by saying,
"I don't understand navigation." Do you think they would take that
for an excuse? Would they not say to him: "You don't imderstand
navigation, and yet you took charge of a ship! "Why then you have
committed a crime you are a robber and a murderer
! '
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS PARENTS.

you got married, Christian parents, you freely and deliber-
AVlien
ately took upon yourselves all the responsibilities of married life. One
of these was tlie Christian education of such children as God might
give you. If you, knowing you were not able to instruct children, took
on yourselves the responsibilities of parents, you committed a grievous
sin, a sin which may cause the loss of your children's souls, and which
will certainly cause the loss of your own soul, unless you begin at this
very hour to repair the mischief as far as may be in your power.
If you are ignorant of the fundamental truths of the Christian re-
ligion, that would be a you even if you never had children but
sin for ;
if your ignorance prevents you from instructing your children, it is
a double sin, because it is your bounden duty to instruct them. If you

have not the necessary knowledge, you must try to acquire it, and in
the meantime provide good books and take care to send your children
to the catechism class for, if you cannot instruct them yourselves, you
;
must get some one else to do it. It is because this instruction is so

often neglected, that so many children turn out badly.
To teach the principles of religion to your children is not enough,
however. It is your duty to train them to habits of piety; it is your
duty to mould their characters.
THE CHARACTER OF A CHILD IS LIKE WAX.

The character of a little child is like a piece of soft wax which may
be moulded into any shape but you must begin toi mould it in time.
;
Even babes notice things long before they can speak then let them ;
notice the reverent way in which you speak of God our Father in
heaven, and of Jesus Christ our Savior. Let them notice the tenns of
praise in which you speak of anything that is right and good, and the
signs of abhorrence which you show for everything that is wrong and
wicked.
Point upwards to heaven, and them that there is where good
tell
people go to be happy downwards

forever; point and tell them of the
dreadful fire in which the wicked will bum forever. Show them the
crucifix and a picture of the Blessed Virgin, and let tliem kiss them
with reverence. Fold their hands in prayer; teach them to make the
sign of the cross do all this even before they are able to walk and
; ;
when they do begin to speak, let the names of Jesus and Mary be the
first you teach them, and let the first coherent words they utter be a
prayer.
When your children get a little older, you are to explain things
more them that God made the world and all that
fully to them, telling
is in and how we are hound to serve Him. Especially, you should
it,
imprcbS upon them that God is everywhere; that He sees everything

we do and hears everything we say that we cannot hide anything from
;
Him. There is nothing better calculated to kee^j them from sin.

Try to stir up in their hearts a personal love for our Lord; teach
them to look to the Blessed Virgin as their mother in heaven; teach
them to have proper respect for sacred places and things. Try to in-
spire them with a great hatred of sin, especially of the sins most com-
mon to children, lying, stubborness, bad temper, gTeediness, laziness.
TELL THEM A TRUE STORY.

This does not mean that you ai-e to be continually preaching to
them ; far from it. A word now and again, a hit of advice ; even when
they ask you to tell them a story, you can turn this to profit, and take
occasion to them a true story, the story of Jesus and His love, the
tell
story of His blessed mother and stories of the saints, and thus little
by little you will sow the good seed in their hearts.
Of course you must see to it, that, as soon as they are able, they
say their prayers morning and evening. When children come to the
age of seven or eight without knowing even the Lord's Prayer, or the
Hail Mary, the parents of those children are certainly gniilty of mor-
tal sin.
The first lessons in the catechism should be given by yourselves;

and even when they are attending the catechism classes, you should
examine them; then you should instruct them for confession, and
afterwards bring them to confession. At the same time you must take
care not to overburden them with religious practices be satisfied with;
a little, hut see that they do that little well. A few prayers well said
lare better than many i^rayers badly said.
AS THE TWIG IS BENT THE TREE WILL GROW.

But you cannot teach your children the principles of re-
just as
ligion if you do not know them yourselves, so you cannot train them
to habits of piety if you are not pious yourselves. It is all important,
therefore, that you should lead truly Christian lives, not only for your
own souls' sake, but for the sake of the souls of your children.
"As the twig is bent the tree will grow," is an old i^roverb. The
same idea is expressed in the words of the Holy Scripture : "A young
man according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart
from it."
be said that children who have been well brought up never
It cannot
go wrong; but this can be said, that in the great majority of cases such
cliildreu come out right in the end. They may have wandered from
their father's house, but they know that house well, they love it still
and they know the road by which they can return to it.
in their hearts,
Then when misfortune or disgrace, or sickness comes upon them, they
say with the Prodigal of the Gospel: "I will arise and go to my
Father." So we never despair of a sinner who has received a sound
Christian education.
IGNORANCE HAND IN HAND WITH BAD HABITS.

But if ignorance goes hand in hand with bad habits and vices, ig-
norance of the fundamental principles of religion, ignorance of the
most important duties of a Christian, it may well be said that there
is no remedy for the evil. It is a hopeless case and for this the yav-
;
ents are chiefly responsible, and will be held resiwnsible at the Day of
Judgment.
After having done your duty to your children in the matter of in-
struction, you must not forget that they are children of Adam, that
they have been conceived in sin, and that, although this sin has been
washed away in baptism, its consequences remain, and one of those
consequences is an inclination to evil. It is your duty to counteract
this inclination to evil as far as may be in your power, by watching
over your children and correcting them.
You must watch over your children to keej) them from learning to
do wrong; you must correct them to make them stop doing wrong.
But an ounce of pre\'ention is worth a pound of cure, watchfulness is
much better than correction. Yet of all the duties of parents, watch-
ing over their children is the one which is most neglected.
"1 always thought my children were so good," we hear many a
poor father or mother say, '

' and I never knew the difference till it was
too late. If I had known it sooner, I would have remedied the evil."
No, they did not know it, that is very true. But why did they not
know it? Should they not have known it? What pains did they take
to get information on the subject?
Truly, it is a strange thing, says St. Jerome, addressing himself to

parents, that you are the last to know of the bad conduct of your chil-
dren. Everyone else knows; the whole neighborhood is talking of it;
and you do not even suspect that anything is wrong. This could not
happen if you were even the least bit watchful. It could only happen
when you shut your eyes and ears.
It is your duty to be watchful, and if you neglect this duty you are
guilty of grievous sin.
STUDY THEIR CHARACTERS AND INCLINATIONS,
You must study the characters and inclinations of your children

you must keep them out of danger; you must keep an eye on their
conduct. You must notice the first signs of any evil passion and
check it at once. Even a very young child will show whether he is in-
clined to be bad-tempered, spiteful, proud, obstinate, vain. These are
the genus of diseases of the soul if they are allowed to develop, they
;
will kill the soul; but they can easily be destroyed while yet in the
germ, and it is the duty of jiarents to destroy them.
Watch your children, then, in order to break down their self-will,

and make them from the beginning thoroughly obedient. It is a great
mistake to pass over everything with little ones, under the jiretext that
they do not understand what they are doing or saying.
It is a great mistake to let these little ones have their own way, in
order to keep them in good humor. They should be made to under-
stand that they will never get anything by crying for Once they it.
see that they can get what they want in this way, they will have it,
and then instead of obeying you they will make you obey them. If
you allow them to have their own way for a time,— until they get more
—
sense, as you say, you need not be surprised to find their self-will
grown so strong that you are not able to break it.
WATCH OVER YOUR CHILDREN.
Watcli them, then, from the start, in order to develop their good
and to check their bad inclinations.
Watch them, keep them out of danger. It
in the second place, to
is quite possible that danger may come to their souls through your
own imprudence. You must be very careful that you do not scandal-
ize your children yourselves, also that they do not scandalize one an-
other.
Again, you must be very careful not to allow any one to have charge
of them who is not of a thoroughly good character. If children leam
bad language and bad conduct from sei-vants, the parents are very
often to blame, for you should not employ such servants around your
children.
TEACH THEM TO AVOID BAD COMPANY.
You should try to know who are your children's companions, and
what kind they are, positively forbidding them to keep bad company.
Encourage your children to talk freely to you about their studies
and amusements, asking them questions, and you will leam a great deal
that will be useful to you. They will reveal unconsciously what you
want to Imow, and then you can give them advice. If they are going
to school, try to make the acquaintance of their teacher, and inquire
how the children Miave, what faults the teacher has noticed in them,
and so on. The teacher has sometimes better opportunities of observ-
ing them than the parents have.
Keep an eye on your children's conduct at all times, as far as pos-
sible. Let them never be far away from you if you can. help it, and
make it your business always to know where they are. Insist that they
shall come straight home after school, and then, if they want to go
anywhere, let them ask permission.
PARENTS SHOULD ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THEIR CHILDREN

ARE.
you have a horse or a cow, you always know pretty well where
If
they are to be found. Can you say the same of your children? Even
at night, when they should all be in the house, many of you do not
know where they are. They are running the road somewhere and
learning no good, you may depend on that.
This is criminal carelessness on the part of the jDarents who per-
mit it. The youngsters should never be allowed out after dark, and
even with the grown-ui3 ones you should insist that they be in at an
early hour. There must be no going to bed and leaving the doors open
for them to come in.
Howany father or mother can go to sleep with an easy conscience,
while their boys and girls are out, and they don't know where they
are, is something hard to understand. You should never allow your
girls to go out at night, without a proper escort, and this applies to
going to church as well as to going anywhere else. If your girls are
going out to service, you should be very particular as to what kind of
families they go with.
You should see that they do not neglect their religious duties, and
if you find that any attempt is being made to draw them away from
their faith, you should put a stop to it immediately. You should never
allow them to read a book until you have examined it and satisfied
yourself that it is harmless.
you cannot read, you should get some one else to make this ex-
If
amination for you. And when you are examining a book, try to put
yourselves in your children's place. There may be nothing in the book
which would do you any harm, and yet it would be dangerous for your
children to read it. Some unwise parents think that their children are
all right when they have a book in their hands. "My boys never go
out at night; they spend all their tune reading." "Reading what?"
This duty of watchfulness is very difficult and very painful, but
nothing will excuse you from it, and you have the grace of the Sacra-
ment of Matrimony given you for the special purpose of helping you to
perform your duties as parents, — a grace which may be renewed as
often as you receive worthily the Sacrament of Penance.
PARENTS SHOULD WORK TOGETHER.
Father and mother must work together in the education of the chil-
dren; the husband who throws all the responsibility on his wife is
doing very wrong. Whether instructing them, or watching over them,
you must share the labor between you. You should not take it for
granted that your children are bad, but neither should you take it for
granted that they only want wings to make them angels.
The best natural dispositions may be completely destroyed by a bad
education, and the worst natural dispositions may be thoroughly cor-
rected by a good education begun in time. AVatch your children, then.
Christian fathers and mothers, for it is your duty.
And remember, that the best watchers are those who can watch
without seeming to watch. It is a tiresome task, and it will be a severe
strain upon your energies; but it is also a grand and noble task, and
great will be your reward if you perfonn it well.
BE REASONABLE, BUT NEVER ALLOW DISOBEDIENCE.
Never allow them to disobey you, not even in the smallest matter.
Be prudent and reasonable in giving your commands, but once they
are given, insist that they shall be obeyed. If the command is about a
you need not have given it; but since you have given
trifling matter,
it, you must make your children obey it. And if they get the habit of
obeying you in small things, they are not likely to disobey you in more
imix)rtant things.
AVliat a pitiful state of affairs when we see parents begging their
children to do something, or perhaps even offering them a reward if
they will do it ! If you do this, you are encouraging disobedience, put-
ting a iiremimn on it, in fact, since you let your children see that by
disobeying you they will gain something.
PARENTS MUST NOT BE INCONSISTENT.
You must make a distinction between one fault and anotlier, be-
tween the faults wbieli arise merely from levity and those which come
from malice. The more grievous the fault, the more severe should be
the correction.
And yet there are many parents who will get into a furious rage
with their children on account of an accident, a pane of glass broken,
for instance, or a jacket torn. And perhaps these same parents will
pass over lieing, disobedience, cursing, or immodest language in their
children with the mildest kind of a reproof, or it may be without any
reproof at all.
Now, the children know very well, in spite of all your scolding, that
a broken pane of glass or a torn jacket are not veiy important matters.
And surely they must think that, in your estimation at least, lieing,
disobedience, cursing and immodest language are less important still.
But the which will do for a docile child will not
slight correction
be enough for a headstrong one. Some children are easily led to do
right; others must be driven. You must study the characters and dis-
positions of your children, in order to know how you should deal with
them.
The faults committed by parents in regard to the duty of correction
may be set down under three heads: excessive mildness; excessive
severity; a combination of the two. .
Excessive mildness and indulgence is the fault of those who are so

passionately fond of their children that they cannot bear to cause them
the least pain or sorrow.They are so afraid of causing them this sor-
row by correcting their faults, that they overlook their faults, they
leave them unpunished, or perhaps they even go so far as to laugh at
their faults.
How often we hear a child give a saucy answer to his father or
mother, and tlie father or mother laugh at it as ifit were a good joke.
If the boy is headstrong and disobedient, if he is quarrelsome with his
yoimg companions, and impudent to older people, his parents pass

over all this perhaps they are even proud of it, for it shows that the
;
lad has a high spirit. Yes, he has the kind of high spirit which makes
a splendid street rowdy, the kind of bigli spirit which may cause him
to end his days in the penitentiaiy or on the scaffold, and which is
pretty sure to lose him his soul.

Murder is becoming more and more common. Not one in a hundred
murders is committed in cold blood. Ninety-nine out of a hundred are
due to bad temper; bad temper which the murderer's parents would
not check when he was a child, because it was only high spirit. How
many a good man has been driven to drink by the tongue of a scolding
wife. And she first learned to use her tongue in this fashion when she
was a young girl. Her father and mother never taught her to control
her temper; no, they were proud of her high spirit. What foolish jxir-
ents ! And do you think your children will love you better because you
treat them in this criminally indulgent fashion?
Instead of showing your love for your children by not correcting
them, you are proving yourselves their deadliest enemies. You are
ruining them for this life, and for the next, and you are preparing end-
lessmisery for yourselves.

Be mild and just with your children, but be also finn and energetic
enough to make yourselves respected. Your children will not love you
any the less for it, and they will esteem you a great deal more.
But while avoiding one excess, you must take care not to fall into
another which is even more grievous and deplorable, that is the ex-
cess of severity.
ILL TREATMENT OF CHILDREN.

There are parents so bad tempered that they will tolerate nothing.
They cannot say a single word of kindness;
they are always scolding
or threatening, and their hands are ever ready to strike. There are
brutal parents, who, even when they punish with good reason, punish
far too severely.
Such harshness as this is altogether unnatural. God has implanted
in all creatures a love and tenderness towards their young; and He
expects his rational creatures not to root out this affection from their
hearts, but to give it a proi3er direction.
To act in direct opposition to this is to act against nature itself, and
must have very serious consequences. It greatly diminishes that a^-
TEi: TRUE CATHOLIC. 293
fection and regard which children have by nature implanted in them

towards their jiarents; for however strong this may be, if they meet
with nothing from their parents but harshness and brutality, this will
necessarily cool their love towards them. It has the worst effects
upon the children themselves it Breaks their spirit, discourages them
;
from all good, renders all advice useless to them, and makes them leave
their parents at the first opportunity, and expose themselves in the
cruel world to misery and perdition.
SHOW LOVE AND TENDERNESS TOWARD YOUR CHILDREN.

To prevent this, the parents should always show a love and tender-
ness for their children, never get in a passion with them, but teach
them the necessary obedience with all mildness as well as with all firm-
ness, and convince them that correction is given them only for their
real good.
The Word makes great difference between necessaiy dis-
of Grod
cipline and harshness: "Father, provoke not your children to indigna-
tion, lest they be discouraged," says St. Paul.
And again, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, but bring
them ujo in the discipline and correction of the Lord." Your correc-
tion ought to be the correction of the Lord, that is to say, it should be
animated and directed by a real desire for your children's salvation.
It should not be the correction of the devil, inspired by brutal passion
which seeks only to ill-treat those who have given offence.
If, when you are con-ecting your children, you really have nothing
else in view except their good, you will easily keep within proi>er
bounds, and go no further than is necessary. And, if circumstances
require that the punishment should be rigorous, you will let them see
that though you are displeased with them, you love them still.
In this way your children will receive correction with advantao-e
since on the one hand they know perfectly well that they have done
wrong, and on the other they will be persuaded that if you chastise
them, it is with regret and only for their good.
But in order that your children may be persuaded that the sev-
erity which you show them at times comes from your love for them,
you must treat them properly in eveiy other respect.
ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO DO RIGHT.

You must show you are pleased with thein when they are
that
obedient and respectful to you; you must animate and encourage them
when they are doing right; you must give them little rewards now
and then for their good conduct.
Above all, you must not leave them in want of what is really neces-
sary for them. If you never display your authority except in scold-
ing, threatening and beating them; if you pay no attention to them
except when they displease you; if you keep them down like slaves;
if you leave them without clothes to wear, while you are wasting your
earnings or are too lazy to work; if you neglect your children in this
way, you will not win their affection, and without their affection, your
correction will do them no good, but make them grow worse through
stubborness and contempt. You can do anything with your children if
they really love you.
WIN THE LOVE OF YOUR CHILDREN.
If you want win the love of your children, show them that you
to
really love them, not by tolerating what shouldn't be tolerated, but
by the thousand little acts of kindness which good parents find it so
easy to perform.
Excessive mildness one fault; excessive severity another; and,
is
strange to say, we often find the two in the same person. There are
parents who, in dealing with their children, follow no other rule than
the good or bad hiunor they happen to be in. One day they will turn
the house upside down for nothing at all ; another day they will laugh
at thingswhich they ought to punish severely.
Sometimes they will pass in the same hour from caresses to blows
and from blows to caresses. This is folly, and worse than folly. What
authority can you acquire over your children if you act in this
way?
The manner of rearing children is not a thing to be decided by the
humor you happen to be in. It must be regular and systematic.
WIN THE RESPECT OF YOUR CHILDREN.

You must have control over yourselves ;
you must keep your minds
well-balanced, if you want to win the respect of your children. We
see some parents who can never manage their children either by threats
or by tenderness while others have only to give a sign, a word, a look,
;
and they are obeyed.

The reason of this difference is that the latter class of parents are
always even-tempered, never punishing to-day what they laughed at
yesterday they are always gentle, yet always firm they do not com-
; ;
mand their children by fits and starts they govern them in a steady,
;
regular fashion. The former class of parents have not learned how
to govern themselves; how then can they expect to govern their
children?
CORRECTION IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF

EDUCATION.
To fulfil this duty i>roperly you need a gTeat deal of discretion and
a great deal of prudence; prudence to distinguish one case from an-
other prudence to choose the most favorable time and circumstances
;
prudence to keep within certain limits so as not to make your children

;
despise you for your indulgence or hate you for your severity.
It is not enough thiat parents should be good and pious, unless they
are prudent as well. There are many good and pious persons who have
not a grain of prudence and therefore there are many good and pious
;
parents who do not know the first thing about bringing up children.
Tlie world is surprised to see the children of such good parents turn
out so badly; yet there is nothing surprising] about it, for goodness
will not bring up children properly unless there is prudence with it.
On the other hand, we see parents who are not particularly pious suc-
ceed very well in bringing up their children ; and the reason is be-
cause they have good judgment and a great deal of j^rudence.

"But how are we to get this prudence, if we do not possess it natur-
ally?" you will ask. In the you should always act with a
first place,
pure intention, for the glory of God and the good of your children's
souls; you should never act hastily, but only after reflection; you
should take the advice of others, and not be too much attached to your
own opinion.
But above all, you should pray earnestly and fervently to the
Father of light, that He would give you the light of His Holy Spirit,
that He would give you the wisdom you need. Pray with confidence,
and be sure that God who has called you to the task of bringing up
children will not refuse the grace which you need for the jDerfonnance
of that task.
NEVER CHASTISE A CHILD WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY.

Some parents say they cannot bear to lay a hand on their children
unless they lash themselves into a rage. This is precisely the time
when you should not punishment of whipping at all, for you are
inflict
likely to do it too severely, and your children will think you are merely
working off your bad temjêr at their expense. But depriving the child
of some pleasure you intended to give it, the sending of an unruly boy
supperless to bed, can be carried out without any feeling of anger.
DO NOT SHOW PARTIALITY.

Another mistake made through want of prudence is the showing
of partiality toward some children. Children differ from one another
in character and disposition as they do in looks and it is quite natural
;
that you should like some of your children better than others because
of their more agreeable qualities.
This feeling of jireferenee is not a sin of itself; nevertheless, you
must keep it down and not allow it to have any influence with you in
your outward government of your children for it would be a sin of

;
injustice, and a great sin, to sJiow more favor to one than to another
simply because one has greater natural gifts than another. Partiality
is bad on every side,— bad for those to whom you show favor, because
on the one hand you make them disliked by those who are less favored;
and on the other hand they spoil them, they become selfish and stub-
born, they disobey you readily because they know your foolish fondness
will overlook anything they may do. In the end it is more than likely
that they will repay you for this foolish fondness by treating you with
neglect or even with harshness.
Again, the partiality which you show to some of your children is
very bad for the others; for, when they find themselves neglected and
despised, their natural love for you will liegin to grow cool when they
;
are corrected by you even with good reason, they will put it all down
toyour dislike for them and they will have feelings of jealousy, envy,
;
even hatred for those of their brothers and sisters whom you like best.
And so your partiality is laying the foundation for discord and dis-
union which never will have an end.
But, you will ask, is it not right to show special favor to those who
deserve it! Yes, but only to those who really deserve it. You may
show special favor to good children, for then the others will see that
they have only to be good to be treated with equal favor; but you
should never show any sjjecial favor to a child on account of their clev-
erness or good looks, because then the others will see themselves shut
out from your favor without any fault of their own, and they will have
bitter feelings towards the favored onesand towards their parents.
Even when the preference is a just one, you must be careful not to
show it in too noticeable a manner. Herein also, if prudence is not
used, the consequences may be serious.
FATHER AND MOTHER SHOULD AGREE IN HARMONY.
If the father thinks the mother isand easy with the chil-
too soft
dren; if the mother thinl^s the father is too hard and severe; if you
disagree between yourselves as to what ought to be done, and above
all, if you are so imprudent as to disagree before your children,— what
is the result? The result is that you are despised by your children,
and that correction is made impossible, since the children have reason
to believe that one of you will protect them when the other wishes to
punish them.
It is therefore of the very greatest importance that both parents
should be perfectly agreed in the education of their children. Or if
you sometimes disagree, discuss the matter in private until you have
come to an agreement.
PARENTS SHOULD SET A GOOD EXAMPLE.

It is very seldom, of course, that we find parents so wicked as to
ieaeli evil to their children directly. In general, no doubt, you are
eloquent in praise of virtue and religion, and desirous of iiersuading
your children that you are really attached to these things. This is all
very good. But what will the children think, if they see your actions
give the lie to your words? Which are they more likely to follow,
your teaching or your examisle? Do you not know that example is
much more powerful than precept 1 And if this be true of all examj^le,
how much more is it true of the example given by parents, whom the
children see so constantly, whom they look up to, whom they consider
the best models in the world for them to follow in their conduct. Your
lives are constantly before your children's eyes.
YOUR CONDUCT IS THEIR GUIDE.
They feel iêrfectly justified in doing what they see you do.
Since your example has so great an influence upon the conduct of
your children, you should understand the importance and the necessity
of having that influence a good one. Never an improjDer word or
gesture should escape you before them ;
your life should Ije a mirror
of virtue and of good Christfan conduct. Then your instruction and
your correction will have some etfect, being supported by your ex-
ample.
But how can you instruct or correct when your conduct contradicts
your words? You may tell your children: "Don't do as I do, but do
as I say;" but if you tell them this, you are simjaly wasting your
breath. It is no use for you to tell your children that they must not
neglect their prayers, if they see you get up and begin your work in
the morning without bending a knee to God. No use for you to tell
them to go to Mass on Sundays, if they see you staying at home with-
out any good reason. No use for you to send them to Confession, if
you never or very seldom go yourselves. No use for you to tell them
to be truthful, if they hear you telling lies. No use for you to tell them
to be honest, if they hear you boasting of how you have cheated your
neighbor. No use for you tothem they must love their neighbor,
tell
if they see you quarrelling or hear you talking spitefully or slander-
ously about people you don't like. Xo use for you to tell them not to
curse, nor to use improper language, if they hear you cursing whenevci
anything annoys you, if they hear you using impure language yoiu-
selves or laughing at others who use it.
Sad to say, this is the way many parents bring up their children,
giving them veiy good instructions and very bad example.
These are extreme cases, of course, but there are many others
wherein parents are guilty of grievous sin in giving bad example to
their children. It is a matter for long and careful examination of con-
science on the part of every father and mother. Mild and gentle as
cur Savior usually was when dealing with sinners, the words He used
about scandal-givers, and especially about those who give scandal to
little children, should make us tremble:
"WHOSOEVER SHALL SCANDALIZE ONE OF THESE LITTLE

ONES THAT BELIEVE IN ME, IT WERE BETTER FOR HIM
IF A MILLSTONE WERE HANGED ABOUT HIS NECK AND
HE WERE CAST INTO THE SEA."—Math, xviii, 6.
And if this be true of any scandal-giver, with how much greater

force does it apply to fathers and mothers whom God has made the
natural guardians and protectors of these little ones. He placed them
under your care, that you might teach them to know and ser\'e Him
here on earth, in order that they might be happy with Him forever in
heaven.
LITTLE BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
A grown-up son or daughter ought to be of great assistance to their

father and mother in looking after little brothers and sisters, and at the
same time they will be laying up for themselves a fund of experience
on which to draw later on when God calls them to be heads of families.
Young men and women should try to take an interest in children,
to understand them and sympathize with them. After the grace of
300 LIGHT FRUM THE ALTAR.
God, nothing is a more powerful factor for good in the rearing of chil-
dren than to have an intelligent interest in them and sjTnpathy with
them. And without this the grace of God is powerless, for God wishes
His grace to do work through human instruments.
its
Every young man and woman should tiy to fit tliemselves for the
work of education, the work which includes instruction, watchfulness,
correction and good example,
MODELS FOR ALL PARENTS.
As to you on whom the duty has fallen of performing this work,

you must labor to perform it as though everything depended on your-
selves alone, and at the same time, you must pray as though nothing
at all depended on you. Ask God to show you what you ought to do,
and then to give you the grace to do it. Ask Him to prepare your chil-
dren 's hearts, that they may be ready to receive the good seed you are
going to plant therein. Employ the intercession of the Blessed Virgin
and St. Joseph, those models for all parents; employ the intercession
of the guardian angels and the patron saints of your children.
Having done having worked and having prayed, your mind
all this,
may be at ease; having done your best, both by your own efforts and
by prayer, you need not worry as to whether the result shall be a suc-
cess or failure. God does not require that you shall succeed; He
simply requires that you shall do your duty. And if you have done
your duty, whether you succeed or fail, your reward will be the same.
THE HONOR DUE TO PARENTS.
One of the most precious gifts which parents can bestow upon their
children is amount of reverence now in
a sense of reverence. If the
the world were reduced, the amount of sin, suffering, misery, and
death, would at once visibly increase. Life and happiness are closely
connected with reverence for holy persons and holy things. The foun-
dation of this virtue is laid when children can learn to honor their
parents. How unfortunate are the children whose parents have little
in them that is worthy of reverence! And even when the parents are
THE HOLY FAMILY
good, or at least try to be good, they may fail to lay the foundation of
reverence in their children. When children are allowed to do as they
please, orwhen they obey only by coaxing and coddling, they may
grow up so full of selfishness that there is no room for a sense of rev-
erence in them.
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
The Fourth Commandment does not merely say to children: Obey

your iârents. Obedience is necessary, but not enough. The Com-
mandment says: Honor thy father and thy mother. To honor is to
fear and love and respect as well as to obey. It is the child's first
exercise in the virtue of reverence. It is a preparation for a life of
reverential fear of God. He tells us in Holy Scripture that the prac-
tice of the honor due to parents is a condition of long and happy life
in this world. He does not say that eveiyone who fulfils this condi-
tion will have a long life, because there are other necessaiy conditions
but He does imply that the child who has no reverence for parents is
on the road to misery and untimely death.
TEACH YOUR CHILD TO BE REVERENT.
And the beginning of it in the child is the practice of the honor

due to its parents. The parents who do not insist in receiving the
honor due them are guilty of a very great injustice to their children.
The children who do not learn to revere their parents will scarcely
learn to revere God, and are thus unprotected and exposed to the wick-
edness of the world. And when trouble of mind and weakness of body
follow, as they so often do, that is a natural working out of sin against
this law: "Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with
thee, and that thou mayest be long-lived upon the earth. But the pri- '
'
mitive reverence of the child for its parents needs to be engrafted on to

reverence for God at a tender age; else it will not grow. Hence the
great usefulness of family prayer, and the need of conducting it with

reverence. If the prayer is said in a hurried way, as if in haste to get
to the end of it, it will have a bad effect on the future lives of the chil-
dren. Parents should speak of holy persons and holy things in a rev-
erent way.
A reverent use of such words as holy and blessed has a good effect.
A mother who says: "Children, it is time for the Holy Eosary,"
teaches reverence by using that word holy. And the father who speaks
of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, teaches reverence.
THE FAMILY IS GOD'S SCHOOL FOR TEACHING.
Much more, if the child revere not the father on earth, how can he
revere the Father in Heaven? And in family worship the two kinds
of reverence unite and mutually strengthen each other. It is an act
of filial reverence to he at home
hour of family prayer, and an
at the
act of reverence for God, to be attentive during the prayer. The union
of the two is the seed of a strong and beautiful Christian character.
What we should care to form and preserve in ourselves is the
Catholic character, a character as distinct as it is beautiful, and which
is entirely built upon the foundation of the Catholic faith.
"HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER."

The Duties of Children to their Parents
First, To love them with filial piety, or a true, sincere, and inward
affection ; to wish them well to pray for them and to help them in their
; ;
temporal needs.
Second, To pay them honor and resiêct in thought, word, and deed.
Third, To obey them in all that is not sin.
WHEN CHILDREN INCUR THE DISPLEASURE OF GOD.
show their parents no signs of love, treat them harshly, or

If they
scowl upon them
Much more if they hate them, curse them ("He that curseth his
father or mother, dying, let him die," Lev. xx. 9) if they wish them ;
dead, or wish any evil to befaJl them;

If tbey provoke tbem to anger, or cause them trouble, pain, or au-

noyauce mucb more
; if they make their parents sin
If they do not assist them in poverty or affliction; and especially
if they do not procure for them, in case of need, the means of receiving
the last Sacrament;
If they strike their parents— a crime which God ordered to be pun-
ished with death (Exod. xxi. 15).
If they threaten them, treat them with contempt, or expose their
sins or failings without grave and serious reason;
If, through pride, they despise their parents as poor and imedu-
cated, or refuse to recognize them, or publicly ridicule them

If, before they are men or women, and as long as they are
under their parents' authority, they refuse to obey them, either in mat-
ters of morals, or of religion, or of household arrangements; for in-
stance,—
If they go into company, or seek amusement, to which their parents
object; or if, against their parents' will, they endanger their morals
or their good name, by company-keeping, especially late at night, or
at any unreasonable times or places;
If, against their parents' command, they neglect Mass, the Sacra-
ments, or other religious duties

If at school, or during hours of study, they waste their time, and
so put their parents or others to useless expense
If by disobedience to their parents' commands, they in any way
endanger the good order or the peace of their families
And, generally, if they engage to be married without their parents'
knowledge and consent.
With respect to sins of disobedience, however, tliree things must
be observed
First, That parents must not be obeyed if they conmiand anything
sinful
Second, That they need not be obeyed if they command any-
thing grossly unreasonable, as, for instance, if they command a
child to marry where there is no affection, or not to marry where there
is no reasonable ground of objection; and
Third, That in order to make disobedience a grave sin, there must

be an unmistakable command, and not merely persuasion or desire, on
the part of the parent.
Lessons on Infancy and Youth

ftUOTATIONS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE
"And they brought to Him young children, that He might touch
them: And the disciples rebuked them that brought them. —Mark, 10:13.
"Whom when Jesus saw. He was much displeased, and saith to
them: Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not; for of such is the kingdom of God."— St. Mark, 10:14.
"Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of
God as a little child, shall not enter into it."— St. Luke, 18:17.
"And embracing them and laying His hands upon them, He blessed
them. "-St. Mark, 10:16.
From my infancy mercy grew up with me. — Job 31 18. :
Out of the mouths of infants and of sucklings, thou hast perfected

praise.— Ps. 8: 3.
I am poor and in labors from my youth: and being exalted have

been humbled and troubled.— Ps. 87: 16.
Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven.— Matt. 18 3. :
Whosoever shall humble himself as a little child, he is the greater

in the kingdom of heaven.— Matt. 18 4. :
After they had performed all things according to the law of the
Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. And the Child
grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom and the grace of God was in
Him.-Luke 2 39, 40. :
As new-born babes desire the rational milk without guile, that

thereby you may grow unto salvation,— I Peter 2 2. :
QUOTATIONS FROM THE HOLY FATHERS

Since Jesus was subject to His parents. He no doubt showed His
perfect obedience by sharing their labors with them.— St. Basil.
Being subject to His parent, unrepiniug and obedient He endured
corporal toil.— St. Basil.
Modesty, though it is desirable in all persons, at all times and in all
places, is especially becoming in youthful souls.— St. Ambrose.
Catholic An Studio, Chicago, III.
GUARDIAN ANGEL AT THE MANGER

One Hundred and Fifty Important Facts in
Catholic Church History Explained
CHAPTER XVII
THE OLD DISPENSATION

Four Empires or monarchies, i. e., pow- its desires (materialism). Some recog-
erful states, preceded the Roman Empire, nized a blind necessity, to which even
Assj-ria, with its capital, Nineveh, wielded the gods were subject, as the highest
imperial power from about 625 to 1300 power (fatalism). The insufficiency and
B. C. In 625 Assyria was overthrown and absurdity of all these human inventions
Babylon became the seat of Empire, 538- landed many in universal doubt (sceptic-
625. Its greatest ruler was Nabuchodo- ism).
nosor. His grandson, Baltassar, lost
CHARACTER OF PAGANISM.
Babylon taken by Cyrus, founder of the
Persian Empire, which in turn was con- These false doctrines led to an ever
quered by Alexander the Great, in 331 B. increasing corruption and immorality
C. The new Macedonian Empire fell which manifested itself in idolatry, su-
asunder with the death of Alexander, its perstition and human sacrifices. It was
many chiefly through the intercourse of pagan
founder, and out of its ruins arose
smaller states and kingdoms which in the nations with the Hebrew people, that
coiu'se of time fell under Rome, which truths of the primitive revelations which
from a city-state became complete con- had been lost were revived among them.
queror of the civilized world. This pe- THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.
riod coincided with the coming of Christ.
Of all the ancient nations, the Israel-
RELIGION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD. ites, "the chosen people," were alone in
All these monarchies were pagan mon- possession of the true religion, a direct,
archies. Paganism is the turning away divine revelation. In Abraham, God gave
of fallen man from the one true God and them their ancestor, and the promise that
his law. The "gentiles," heathens, pa- the Redeemer would issue from his fam-
gans, began to worship many gods (poly- ilv. Through Moses He freed them from
theism). Others paid religious venera- the bondage of Egj-pt, and gave them the
tion to demons or subordinate spirits, to Decalogue, judicial and ceremonial laws
ancestors, kings, living or dead (apotheo- and a high priest. According to their na-
sis) or to personified virtues and vices, tional or Mosaic law, God Himself was
even the most shameful. Still others who the immediate ruler of Israel (Theoc-
had a philosophical turn of mind, put racy).
the visible universe in the place of God Under the Judges they conquered Ca-
(pantheism), or dreamt of two hostile di- naan, the Promised Land, and formed for
vinities, the good and e\'il (dualism). four hundred fifty years a theocratic re-
Others deified mere matter, the flesh and public, with the Tabernacle and the Ark
305
of the Covenant as their national center. among the heathen nations.
Placed by
The introduction of the kingdom followed Providence on the highway of nations
in 1099 B. C. (Saul, David and Solomon), where the commercial roads and caravans
the building of Solomon's temple, and of Europe, Asia and Africa intersected
after Solomon's death, the separation of each other, they came in contact with all
the one into the two hostile kingdoms of the ancient monarchies. Thus it hap-
Judea and Israel, 975 B. C. pened, that when the time of Christ's
Rapid as was the decay of the chosen coming approached, many pagans em-
people, God did not abandon them. He braced the worship of God, rejected their
sent them prophets to preserve uncor- heathen practices and adopted the moral
rupted amid error and sin, the doctrine precepts and even the ceremonies of the
of the one true God, to keep alive the Mosaic law.

faith in the promised Redeemer and to On the other hand, this intermingling
announce the time of His coming. All of the Jews with other nations reacted
the sacrifices, ceremonies and institutions on themselves. Sects like those of the
of the chosen people were types of the Phaiisees and Saducees, political parties,
expected Savior. The dignities of the favoring the adoption of Greek manners
three representatives of God, the High and learning (Hellenism), dangerous
Priest, the Prophet and the King, were schools of philosophy arose among them.
to be united in the Redeemer of the Their worship of God became merely
world. external and tinctured with intense
fanaticism, national pride and hatred of
THE MISSION OF THE HEBREWS. the Gentiles. The gi'eat majority ex-
Of utmost importance was the provi- pected in the coming Messiah, not a Re-
dential mission of the Hebrews to revive deemer who would deliver them from
the worship of the true God (Monothe- error and sin, but a conqueror who would
ism) and the knowledge of His moral law free them from the Roman yoke.
THE NEW DISPENSATION

THE COMING OF CHRIST
—
Preparation The ancient world had to liad, nevertheless, spread ideas among the
pass through all the various stages of educated classes which facilitated a tran-
external progress and internal degener- sition to the Christian revelation.
acy in order to learn by sad experience The perfect development and universal
the insufficiency of its natural resources use of the two languages of the civilized
and the need of a divine Redeemer. world, Latin and Greek, afforded an effi-
The was widely spread among

belief cient means for the propagation, explana-
the Gentiles that a deliverer was to come tion and defense of Christ's teaching. At
the political condition of the world, the the time of the Savior's coming universal
influence of the Roman Empire itself pre- peace reigned in the world.
pared the way for the speedy propagation
of the Kingdom of Christ. The best pa-
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
gan philosophers, as Socrates, Plato, Jesus Christ, the God man, was born
Aristotle and others, though without au- at Bethleliem, of the Virgin Mai-y, dur-
thority and the intention of teaching the ing the reign of Augustus. Through His
common people and reforming the world, mother He belonged to the family of
David, to the tribe of Juda, to the na- and announced as the "Lamb of God who
tionality of the Hebrews. Owing to the taketh away the sins of the world."
time and place of His birth, He was a After a forty days' fast in the desert,
subject of the Roman Empire which offi- Jesus entered upon His public life^the
cially testified to His human nature at life of a teacher, benefactor and worker
His birth by the census rolls (to which of miracles, —and the foundation of His
Tertulian, born IGO A. D., refers as ex- Church. At the age of thirty-three He
isting in his time) at His death by the
; instituted Holy Eucharist, was be-
the
inscription: "Jesus Nazarenus," afiixed trayed by Judas, condemned to death by
to the cross by the order of the Roman the Jews, and crucified under the author-
Governor Pontius Pilate. The shepherds ity of Pontius Pilate. Thus the Jews
of Bethlehem and the Magi from the and Gentiles again co-operated in carry-
East doing homage to the new-born Sav- ing out the divine decrees. During the
ior, represented the two great divisions forty days between His resurrection and
of mankind, the Jews and the Gentiles. ascension. He completed the work of the
Pursued by Herod as a possible rival organization of His Church.
of his dynasty, Jesus spent a portion of On the fortieth day after His resur-
His boyhood in Egypt, and after His re- rection, in the presence of many wit-
turn led a life of humble and laborious nesses He ascended into Heaven, taking
retirement at Nazareth up to His thir- with him the human body which he had
tieth year. assumed for the redemption of mankind.
But before returning to the bosom of
CHRIST'S PUBLIC LIFE.
His Eternal Father He laid deep the foun-
In the fifteenth year of the reign of dation of His future Church, by bestow-
the Emperor Tiberius, John the Baptist, ing upon the Apostles the full power of
the forerunner of the Redeemer, began the Priesthood, by sending them even as
to preach and baptize on the banks of the the Father sent Him to all nations of: the
Jordan. When Jesus was about thirty earth, and by establishing St. Peter the
years of age, He was baptized by John, visible and abiding Head of the Church.
PERIODS OF CHURCH HISTORY

1. From the Descent of the Holy Ghost 3. From Reformation to the Present-
to the Triumph of Christianity. Day. A. D. 1517-1906.
A. D. 33-312.
Foundation of Church. Rise of Protestantism.
Extension of Church. Council of Trent.
Council of Jerusalem. Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day.
Persecutions. Jansenism.
2. From the Triumph of Christianity to Secret Societies.
The Reformation. A. D. 312-1517. French Revolution.
Heresies. Pius VII. and Napoleon.
General Councils. Revolution in Italy.
Inquisition. The Oxford Movement.
Temporal Power of the Popes, Loss of the Temporal Power.
Schism of the East. The A'âtican Council.
Pontificate of Gregory VII. Leo XIII.

Pontificate of
Schism of the West. Reign of Pius X.
IMPORTANT FACTS IN CHURCH HISTORY EXPLAINED

No. 1. No. 5.
Question: What is the Church? Question: What did the Apostles do

Answer: The Church is the congrega- after the Ascension?
tion of the faithful, who, being baptized, Answer: They returned to Jerusalem,
profess the same faith, partake of the and in prayer and seclusion awaited the
same Sacraments and are governed by coming of the Holy Ghost. The treason
their lawful Bishops under one visible and death of Judas had left their number
ineomjilete. Peter, therefore, exercising
head, the Pope.
his supreme jurisdicton, advised the
No. 2.
Apostles to select from among the Dis-
Question: How did Christ prepare for
ciples some one to fill the vacancy. Two
the establishment of His Church?
names were proposed, Matthias and Bar-
Answer: He chose twelve Apostles to
nabas: lots were east and the choice fell
whom He gave power to preach and to
upon Matthias. Ten days after the As-
teach, to baptize, to offer sacrifice, to
cension, the Holy Ghost descended upon
forgive sins and to administer the other the Apostles in the form of tongues of
Sacraments. To said: "All
them he fire.
power is given to Me
heaven and on in No. 6.
earth as the Father hath sent me, I also

;
Question: What Jewish Feast was
send you. Going, therefore, teach ye all this?
nations; baptizing them in the name of Answer: The Feast of Pentecost, an-
the Father, and of the Son, and of the niversary of the promulgation of the law
Holy Ghost." on Mount Sinai.
(St. Matt, xxviii.) No. 7.
No. 3.
Question: Give the scriptural account
of the descent of the Holy Ghost.
Question: Name the twelve Apostles.
Answer: "And when the days of Pen-
Answer: Simon, afterwards Peter,
tecost were accomplished they were al-
and Andrew, his brother; James (the
together in one place, and suddenly there
Elder) and Johnj his brother, sons of
came a sound from heaven, as of a
Zebedee; Philip and Bartholomew;
mighty wind coming, and it filled the
Thomas and Matthew; James (the Less)
whole house where they were sitting, and
Simon Zelotes, Jude the brother of James,
there appeared to them parted tongues
and Matthias.
as it were, of fire, and it sat upon every
No. 4. one of them, and they were all filled with
Question: In what words did Christ the Holy Ghost and they began to speak
give the primacy to St. Peter? in divers tongues according as the Holy
Answer :
'
' Thou are Peter and upon Ghost gave them to speak."
this rock I will build My Church. I will (Acts, n, 1-4.)
give to thee the keys of the kingdom of No. 8.
heaven. have prayed for thee, Peter,

I Question: What did the Apostles then
that thy faith fail not, and thou being do?
once converted, confirm thy brethren. Answer: Jerusalem was filled with
Feed My lambs ; feed My sheep. ' Hebrews from all parts of the earth who
had come to celebrate the Feast. A vast No. 13.

multitude assembled round the Apostles Question: Who was the most remark-
and were astonished at hearing them- able of his persecutors?
selves addressed in their own tongue. Answer: A young man named Saul,
Peter was the first to announce the glad afterwards known as St. Paul.
tidings of the Gospel. Of those who
heard, three thousand were converted and No. 14.
thus was the Church founded. Question: Give a brief account of the
conversion of St. Paul.
No. 9. Answer: After the death of St.
Question: How did the first Christians Stei^hen, having obtained letters from the
live? high priest, Paul set out for Damascus,
Answer: All the multitude of those breathing hatred and persecution against
who believed had but one heart and one the followers of Christ. On the road a
soul. They had all things in common flash of lightsuddenly struck him blind
there were no poor Those
among them. and threw him from his horse to the
who had possessions sold them and laid ground; at the same time he heard a
the price at the feet of the Apostles. voice saying: "Saul, Saul, why perse-
No. 10. cutest thou Me? I am Jesus whom thou
Question: What is related of Ananias jiersecutest." And he, astonished, said:
and Saphira. "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
Answer: Ananias and Saphira sold And the Lord said to him: "Arise, go
their possessions but brought only a part into the city and there it shall be told
of the amount to the Apostles. When thee what thou must do." Thereupon he
Ananias falsely asserted that it was all, was led to Ananias, by whom his sight
he was immediately struck dead. Saphira was restored, and a few days after his
then coming in, but not knowing what baptism, he began to preach boldly the
had occurred, also testified falsely and Doctrine of Christ. He preached in
was punished in the same manner. Arabia and Greece and is known as the
Great Apostle of the Gentiles. He suf-
No. 11.
fered martyrdom in Rome in 69.
Question: How were the Apostles
treated? No. 15.
Answer: The chief priests seeing the Question: Before dispersing, what did
effects of the preaching of the Apostles, the Apostles do?
hated them as they had hated their Mas- Answer: They composed the Apostles
ter before them. Sts. Peter and John Creed which contains twelve articles. It
were brought before the Sanhedrin and is in this Creed we find the first mention
were commanded to preach no more, but of the name of the Church founded by
command they replied, "We must
to this Christ, the Holy Catholic Church.
obey God rather than man." Persecu-
No. 16.
tion, instead of intimidating them, only
increased their zeal and courage.
Question: Where did St. Peter go?
Answer: He went first to Antioeh (A.
No. 12. D. 38-44), then to Alexandria, thence to
Question: Who was the first martyr? Rome where he permanently established
Answer: St. Stephen, one of the seven his See, as Supreme and Visible Head of
Deacons who was stoned to death. the Church.
No. 17. No. 20.
Question; When was the first Council Question: By whom is the Divine Doc-
held? trine kept pure and incorrupt?
Answer: In Jerusalem, A. D. 51. In Answer: By the infallible teaching
this Council the Gentile converts were body of the Church.
declared exempt from the ceremonies of
No. 21.
the Mosaic Law. After there had been
much disputing, St. Peter, who presided, Question: Who
compose the infallible
teaching body of the Church?
pronounced the decision in the name of
the Church "and all the multitude held
Answer: The Pope and the Bishops
united with him.
their peace."
No. 18. No. 22.
Question: Was the Grospel preached to Question: Who assures us that the
the nations before the death of the Apos- Church cannot err?
tles? Answer: Christ Himself, His three- in
Answer: Yes; St. Thomas carried it fold promise. with
First, that He will be
to India, St. John to Asia Minor, St. her even to the consummations of the
Bartholomew to Greater Armenia, St. world. Second, that the spirit of the
Matthew to Persia, St. Simon to Meso- Truth will abide with her forever. Third,
potamia, St. Jude to Arabia, St. Matthias that the gates of hell will not prevail
to Ethiopia, St. Philip to Asia, St. James against her.
the less to the Jews, St. James the elder No. 23.
to Spain.
Question: How is the Bible Divided?
No. 19.
Answer: Into the books of the Old
Question: Was the Bible the sole Rule
and New Testament.
of Faith for the first Christians?
Answer: No; for at least the first No. 24.
century the Bible was not complete, and Question: Name the books of the Old
the faithful received the rule of faith by Testament.
tradition; hence, St. Paul writing to the Answer: Twenty-one Historical Books,
Thessalonians, says: "Therefore, breth- seventeen Prophetical Books and seven
ren, stand fast and hold the traditions Moral Books.
which you have learned whether by word The Historical Books are The Penta- :
or by our Epistle. (Thess. 2, 14) Sts. teuch, or five Books of Moses (Genesis,
Peter and Paul never saw the whole of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deute-
the New Testament. Moreover, some of ronomy) the Book of Josua; the Book
;
the Epistles written by the Apostles are of Judges the Book of Ruth the four
; ;
lost. The Bible can not be received as Books of Kings; the two Books of Par-
the sole rule of Faith, for it does not alipomenon; two Books of Esdras; the
contain the entire revelation of God. It Book of Tobias; the Book of Judith; the
nowhere tellshow many Divine Books
us Book of Esther and the two Books of the
there are, and which they are; if we did Macabees.
not know this from Tradition we should The Prophetical Books are: Isaias;
not even have a Bible. The Apostles, Jeremias, Barucb ; Ezechiel ; Daniel
through whom the revelations of Christ Osee; Joel; Amos; Abdias; Jonas;
came to us, were commissioned to teach, Michaes; Nahum; Habacuc; Sophonius;
not to write. Aggeus; Zacharius and Malachias.
The Moral Books are: The Book of might seem to have been an evangelist
Job; the Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes rather than a prophet.
the Canticle of Canticles; the Book of No. 30.
Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus. Question: Who made the first trans-
lation of the Bible?
No. 25. Answer:The first translation was the
Question: Name the Books of the New Itala. Jerome in 420 translated the
St.
Testament. Bible into Latin, giving us what is known
Answer: as the Vulgate. It is used by the Church

The four Gospels of Sts.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the Acts in her Liturgy.
of the Apostles by St. Luke; fourteen
NOTE— The greater part of the Old
Epistles of St. Paul, one of St. James,

Testament was written in Hebrew. With
the exception of St. Matthew's Gospel,
one of St. Jude, two of St. Peter, three
written in Hebrew, the whole of the New
of St. John, and the Apocalypse.
Testament was written in Greek.
The Greek translation of the Old Tes-
No. 26.
tament, made at Alexandria in Egypt,
Question : How did St. Paul write so about 250 years before Christ, is called
many Epistles? the Septuagint. It is this translation
Answer: He was imprisoned for two that was used by the writers of the New
years and during that time he addressed Testament, who quote from it 300 times
letters to the churches he had estab- and only fifty times from the Hebrew.
lished. Evidently, Christ and the Apostles, from
whom the early Christians received their
No. 27.
whole religion, regarded the Septuagint
Question: Name the four great
as the standard version, and the Canon
Prophets.
of the Septuagint is the Catholic list or
Answer: Isaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel and Canon. The Protestant Canon is that
Daniel. of the Jewish Svnogogue, hence it re-
No. 28. jects books of Judith, Tobias, Ec-
the
clesiasticus, Wisdom, Baruch, and the
Question: Why are they called
two Books of Machabees. Of Protestant
"Great"?
Answer: They are so-called on ac-
translations into English, King James'
Bible first published in 1611, is generally
count of their extensive writings.
preferred.
The only version which the Church has
No. 29. formally approved, is the Latin Vulgate,
Question: Who is called in Ecclesias- which the Council of Trent declares, "is
ticus the "Great Prophet"? to be considered as the authentic Bible
Answer: Isaias; from the greatness for official uses of teaching. All trans-
'
'
of his prophetic spirit, by which he had lations into Modern languages must con-
told so long before, and in so clear a form to the text of the Vulgate. The
manner, the coming of Christ, the mys- English version in ordinary use among
teries of our redemption, the calling of Catholics is known as the Reims-Douay
the Gentiles and the glorious establish- edition. It was
published partly at
first
ment and perpetual flourishing of the Reims in 1582, and partly at Douay in
Church of Christ; insomuch that he. 1609.
No. 31. No. 35.
Question: Who was
the author of the Question: Give a brief account of the
first general persecution of the Chris- fourth persecution.
tians? Answer: The fourth persecution took
Answer: Nero, during this persecution place under Marcus Auirelius; it was
Saints Peter and Paul suffered martyr- remarkable for the cruelties practiced
dom on the same day, June 29, A. D. 69. and the number of martyrs, chief among
St. Peter was crucified with his head whom were Germanicus; St. Polycarp,
downward ; St. Paul was beheaded. Bishop of Smyrna; St. Felicitas and her
seven sons.
No. 32. No. 36.
Question: Give an account of the Question: Give an account of the

downfall of Jerusalem. Thundering Legion.
Answer: At Easter, (A. D. 70), Titus, Answer: While engaged in a war with
son of Emperor Vespasian, began prepa- the Germans, the Roman army experi-
rations for a vigorous siege. At the enced a miraculous deliverance through

same time, Jews from all parts of the the prayers of a Christian Legion. No
world were assembled to celebrate the sooner did they fall on their knees to
pasch. Their presence but added fury pray than there fell a copious rain,
to the factions and revolt of the Jews. which, while it refreshed them, drove
Famine and pestilence increased their furiously against their enemies, and from
sufferings. But the city was taken; the this circumstance the Christian soldiers
Temple was destroyed, and then was ful- who saved the Roman army by their
filled prophecy of our Lord, "Thy

the prayers were known as the Thundering
enemies shall come upon thee, and they Legion.
shall east a trench about thee, and beat No. 37.

thee flat to the ground and thy children Question: Who were the authors of
who are in theo, and they shall not leave the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth
in thee a sione upon a stone." persecutions?
Answer: The author of the fifth was
No. 33. Septimus Severus; the chief martyrs
What of the second per- were Saints Perpetua and Felicitas. The
Question:
sixth was during the reign of Maximin.
secution?
Answer: Domitian was the author of The principal martyr was St. Catherine
this persecution. It was during this one
of Alexandria. The seventh took place
John was miraculously pre- under Decius. The author of the eighth
that St.
from death, when cast into a was Valerian. The most distinguished
served
Martyrs of this persecution were Pope
caldron of boiling oil.
St. Stephen and his successors, St. Sixtus,
St. Lawrence and St. Cyprian. The
No. 34.
ninth persecution was during the reign
Question: Name the most noted mar-
of Aurelian.
tyrs of the third persecution.
Answer: martyrs of
The principal No. 38.
the third persecution under Trajan were Question: Give an account of the tenth
St. Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, and St. persecution.
Ignatius of Antioeh. Answer: For thirty years the Church
enjoyed tranquillity, but it was again fought at the Milvian Bridge, over the
doomed to sanguinary persecution dur- Tiber, near Rome. Maxentius was
ing the reign of Dioclesian. Many suf- drowned in the river. Raphael commem-
fered for the faith. In Gaul the whole orated the battle by a celebrated mural
Theban Legion was put to death. St. painting in the Vatican.
Sebastian and St. Agnes were also mar-
tyred. No. 42.
No. 39. Question: What proof did Constan-

tine give of his love for Christianity?
Question: Who were the Christiaji
Answer: He built many Christian
Apologists?
churches and showed greatest veneration
Answer: While the Roman Emperors
for sacred places. His mother, St. Hel-
fire and
strove to destroy Christianity by
ena, discovered the true cross and built
sword, literature was also directed
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Je-
against it. The assaults aroused the
rusalem.
Christian Doctors and Apologists who
refuted pagan philosophers and left to No. 43.
posterity mass of valuable writings.

a Question: How was the peace of the
St. Justin, martyr, wrote two Apologies Church disturbed?
in the firet century. The great Apolo- Answer: By the disorderly conduct
gists of the Eastern Church were St. of her own children. Avius, a priest of
Clement and Oriyen. St. Cyprian and Alexandria, openly denied the divinity
Tertullian were the most illustrious of of Christ. The Council of Nice was con-
the Western. vened in 325, and condemned the doctrine
of Arius. Pope Sylvester was repre-
No. 40.
sented by three legates. The Nicene
Question: What were the ends which —
Creed was published this is the one said
the Apologists sought to attain? at Mass, —in it occur the words, "con-
Answer: First, A refutation of false substantial with the Father"; in it also
charges; Second, An appeal against the were first stated the four marks of the
injustice of pagan treatment; Third, A true Church — One, Holy, Catholic, and
demonstration of the false nature and Apostolic. At this Council the uniform
pernicious influence of paganism; Fourth, celebration of Easter was and it
fixed
A vindication of Christian practices and also affirmed the primacy of the Bishop
of truth. of Rome.
No. 41. No. 44.
Question: Who was the first Christian Question: Who was the last pagan
Emperor? Emperor?
Answer: Constantine, who in a war Answer: Julian the Apostate, 363.
with Maxentius was converted through Shortly after his accession, he openly
extraordinary means. While marching professed idolatry, and in many ways
he beheld a luminous cross in the heavens manifested his opposition to Christian-
and around it these words: "In this ity. In order to prophecy
falsify the
sign thou shalt conquer." A severe of our Lord regarding the Temple of
struggle ensued, Constantine was victo- Jerusalem, he ordered it to be rebuilt;
rious, and soon after openly embraced but each time God frustrated his designs
Christianity. The decisive battle was in a miraculous manner, fulfilling the
prophecy of Christ through the Jews, ets. This heresy was condemned by the
who did not leave a stone upon a stone Council of Ephesus 431. The words,
of the old foundation, for when they at- "Holy Mary, Mother of God, etc.," were
tempted to rebuild a fire burst forth and added to the Hail Mary. St. Cyril of
drove them away. After a reign of Alexandria as representative of Pope Ce-

twenty months, Julian fell in a battle lestine presided.
against the Persians. His last words
No. 48.
were: "Thou hast conquered, Galilean."
Question: During this epoch of strug-
gle with false principles, how did God
No. 45.
console the Church?
Question: What was the Macedonian Answer: By giving her many saints,
heresy? pontiffs, doctors, and writers,
orators
Answer: The heresy of Macedonius who, under the name of "Fathers of the
denied the divine procession of the Holy Church," have left a rich treasury of
Ghost. The Council of Constantinople, merit and writings. Such men were Ter-
(381) condemned this, declarine the Holy tullian, Origen, Leo the Great, Lactan-
Ghost to be "The Lord and Giver of tius, Gregory of Nyssa, the two Cyrils
life, who with the Father and the Son of Jei'usalem and Alexandria, Peter Chry-
is equally adored and gloi-ified." sologus, Eusebius and the "Great Doc-
tor of the Church."
No. 46.
No. 49.
Question: Give an account of the
Question: Name the Great Doctors of
Pelagian heresy.
the Western Church.
Answer: Pelagius, the founder of this
Answer: St. Augustine, 430; St. Je-
sect,denied the existence of original sin,
rome, 420; St. Ambrose, 397; St. Greg-
the existence of grace as an efficacious
ory the Great, 604.
means of spiritual life and salvation
through the merits of Christ.St. Au- No. 50.
gustine refuted and
these Popeerrors, Question: Of the Eastern?
Innocent solemnly condemned them in Answer: St. Athauasius, 373; St. Ba-
the Council of Carthage, 418. Shortlv sil, 379; St. Gregory Xazianzen (the
afterwards, the Semi-Pelagians who de- Theologian), 390, and St. John Chryso-
nied the first movements of grace neces- stum, 407.
sary to any act meriting supernatural re- No. 51.
ward, partly revived them, but they too Question: By what other means did
were condemned. God assist His Church?
Answer: By Monasticism. Monastic
No. 47. life was founded in the East by St. An-
Question: What was the Nestorian thony in the third century; in the West
heresy? by St. Benedict, in the fifth century.
Answer: This heresy, preached in His principal Monastery was at Mt. Ca-
Constantinople bv Nestorius, denied the sino in Naples. St. Gregory the Great,
Incarnation and said the Blessed Virgin himself a Benedictine, added the pur-
should not be called the Mother of God suit of learning to the aims of the or-
because she was the Mother only of the der. This order has given twenty-eight
man, in whom God dwelt, as in the Proph- Pones to the Church.
No. 52. sand of his subjects were baptized on

Question : Give an account of the con- Christmas day.
version of Ireland.
Answer The year 432 beheld the ar-
:
No. 56.
rival ou the coast of Ireland of the man Question: Who was the Apostle of
destined by Divine Providence to con- the English?
vert the whole Island. This man was Answer: St. Augustine, who was sent
St. Patrick, who was sent hy Pope Celes- to them in 596 by Pope St. Gregory the
tine to spread the faith in that countiy. Great. By the end of the seventh cen-
The work of this apostle is without pa- tury the Anglo-Saxon Church was thor-
rallel in histoiy. After a missionary life oughly organized with a primate Arch-
of thirty-three years, he left the entire bishop at Canterbui-j-.
island converted, the Church organized,
and the people trained in the practice of
No. 57.
Christian virtues.
Question Who was the Apostle of
No. 53. Germany.
Question: Wlo was St. Leo the Answer: St. Boniface, who in the
Great? eighth centurj- converted the Germans
Answer: He was Pope durin<? the time to the true faith.
the Huns invaded Italy, under their king,

Attila, "The Scourge of God." This No. 58.
holy Pope, clothed in the insignia of his Question: Give an account of the rise
high office, met the fierce Attila, who im- ofMohammedanism.
mediately withdrew from Italy never to Answer: AVhile the Church labored
return. Three years later (455), Gen- to organize and convert the people of
seric, at the head of the Vandals, en- Europe, Mohammedanism, the most ter-
camped before the gates of Rome. St. rible enemy of Christianity, appeared.
Leo again went forth, and though the Mohammed, its author, was born at
Arian king promised to spare the city Mecca, Arabia, in 570. At the age of
from fire and sword, yet he entered and forty he announced himself the Prophet
took Eome, carrying 60,000 captives to of the Most High God; at first he made
Africa. few proselytes and many enemies, but
No. 54. later he captured Mecca and imposed his
Question: What Council did St. Leo religion on the greater part of the Ara-
convene? bians. This religion is an incongruous
Answer: The Council of Chalcedon, mixture of Jewish and Christian doc-
451 this council condemned
; the Eu- trines. Teaching both error and truth,
tychian heresy which taught that there inspired its believers with the greatest
is only oue nature in Christ. fanaticism, which blended admirably
with the ardent nature of the Arabs.
No. 55. In less than one hundred years after the
Question: When did France receive Hegira (622), Mohammedanism had
the faith? made rapid strides toward the conquest
Answer: In 496, when Clovis through of the world, and it continued for some
the prayers of his Queen, Clotilde, em- time the most threatening enemy of
braced Christianity. He and three thou- Christendom.
No. 59. took forcible possession of Rome, and
Question: Give a brief account of the placed on the pontifical throne men fa-
Monothelite heresy. vorable to their personal interests and
Answer: This heresy was nothing ambitions; hence, the Church was plunged
more than a modified form of Eutychian- into an abyss of miseries.
ism and destroyed the Dogma of Re- NOTE—From the time of Peter down
demption. It taught that there is but to Pius X there have been 258 Pontiffs.
one will in Christ and not two, a divine This number comprises sixty saints,
and human will, acting in perfect har- mostly martyrs, and a multitude of great
moav. It was condemned at the Third men, who, like Pius IX and Leo XIII,
Council of Constantinople, A. D. 6S0. were eminent alike for virtue and wis-
dom. There have been, however, excep-
No. 60.
tions, such as Stephen VI and .lohn XII
Question: What was the Iconoclast
in the tenth century, Benedict IX in the
heresy?
eleventh, and Alexander VI in the fif-
Answer: The Iconoclasts, or breakers
teenth.
of holy images, rejected the use of holy
No. 63.
images and pictures, and the practice of
paying them due respect. This heresy Question: What remedied these evils?
was condemned at the Council of Nice, Answer: With the advent in Italy of
787.
Otho the Great, a new era began for the
No. 61. Papacy. Partially free to elect her own
Question: When did the Temporal supreme pontiffs, the Church placed in
the Chair of Peter pious and able popes.
Power of the popes begin?
Answer: It began through the help- With the disenthrallment of the Papacy
popes to resist the in-
began an epoch of reformation. The
lessness of the
cursions of the barbarians. In 751,
Church used all her efforts against Feu-
Pepin the Short, King of France, con-
dalism, endeavoring to establish obedi-
ferred upon Pope Stephen the territoi-y

ence to lawful authorities, and by the
obtained from the Lombards who had in-
"Truce of God" tried to interrupt the
perpetual strife.
vaded Italy. When Charlemagne occu-
pied the throne of France the Lombards No. 64.
broke the treaty they had made; he Question: Did the faith remain in-
marched against them, defeated them, tact?
and confirmed the grant made by Pepin. Answer: Yes; in the midst of all the
The Temporal Power of the Popes con- evils, the Papacy preserved its doctrine
tinued until 1870, when United Italy, by untainted, its faith unaltered, immacu-
the grossest injustice, deprived them of late. Christ, who instituted the Papacy
this power. and confirmed its faith, did not promise
that the successors of St. Peter should
No. 62.
all be Saints.
Question: What of the Papacy in the
tenth century? No. 65.
Answer: The Papacy, the only power Question: What was the "Truce of
which the barbarous invaders of the God?"
fourth and
fifth centuries were forced Answer: It was a law by which all
to was trampled under foot in
respect, men were required, under pain of excom-
the ninth and tenth, by the princes who munication, to abstain from acts of vio-
lence and armed expeditions from gifted intellectually and physically, was
Wednesday evening: until the following not imbued with deep or sincere re-
Monday morning. was introduced into
It ligious sentiments.In his eyes the im-
France, Germany, England and Italy. mense revenues derived from lay inves-
titures justified the perpetuation of the
No. 66.
demoralizing usages of a barbarous age.
Question: In what other way did the He, therefore, sold Bishoprics and Ab-
Church show her power? bevs to corrupt and ignorant men. Greg-
Answer: In the reformation of ec- ory appealed to Henry to discontinue
clesiastical abuses which were very this practice and to labor with him for
prevalent. This she obtained by means the reformation of abuses. Henry prom-
of synods and councils and by enacting ised much, but did nothing.
reformatory statutes.
No. 67.
No. 70.
Question: Who were the most eminent
reformers?
Question: What measures did Greg-
ory then adopt?
Answer: Among the most eminent of
those who labored reform abuses may
to
Answer: He promulgated a law on in-
vestitures, and Henry, having refused to
be mentioned Pope St. Leo IX, who re-
accept it, was excommunicated. Henry,
fused no labor and shrank from no dan-
after falsely accusing Gregory of crime,
ger; the Cardinal, St. Peter Damien; and
deposed him. When Gregory was noti-
the greatest churchman of all history,
fied of the outrageous matter, he re-
Hildebrand, who aftei-wards ascended
leased all Christians from fidelity to the
the pontifical throne under the name of
Emperor, who, finding himself aband-
Gregory VII.
oned by all, submitted. At the Castle
No. 68. of Canossa he threw himself at the feet
Question: What was the cause of of Gregory and was absolved after per-
trouble between Henry IV of Germany forming a public penance of three days.
and Gregory VII?
Answer: The simoniaeal investitures
which were undoubtedly, the primary No. 71.
source of all the evils that afflicted the Question: Did this put an «nd to the
Church during that period. Gregory VII troubles regarding investitures?
detei-mined to use his utmost endeavors Answer: No; soon after his absolu-
to suppress the abuses which had crept tion, Henry violated all his promises. A
in among the clergy; in order to do this, civil war followed between Henry and
he was obliged to use the most severe his opponents and in the following year
measures; his course made him hated in Gregory died. The struggle for Ecclesi-
his own time, calumniated ever since, astical liberty was continued by his suc-
but, at the same time, it proves him one cessors. It was finally settled by the
of the greatest men of all history. concordat at Worms, when Henry V,
son and successor of Henry IV, con-
No. 69. sented to grant full liberty of Episcopal
Question: Give a brief account of electionsand to renounce investitures.
this contest with Henry. The Pope, Calixtus H, made several con-
Answer: Henry IV, though highly cessions also.
No. 72. Philip Benizi, St. Bonaventure, St. Fran-
Question: Who attacked the Church cis Assisi, St. Dominic, St. Anthony of
in England? Padua, St. Simon Stock, St. William,
at the Council of St. Louis, St. Clare, St. Gertrude, St.
Answer: Henry II
Clarendon promul,£:ated Articles destined Julian and St. Margaret of Cortona.
to destroy the Church's liberty. The

No. 76.
Bishops were required to perform mili-
ecclesiastics were sub- Question: What of Monasticism dur-
tary services;
ing this time?
jected to civil tribunals, appeals to the
Answer: Monasticism, which had all
Pope were forbidden, and to the kins
but perished during the tenth century,
was gîven undue authority in episcopal
was revived, and rendered valuable ser-
elections and in Church revenues.
vices to religion. God has given to His
No. 73. Church all spiritual power save that of
What resulted from this? making a willing sinner an unwilling
Question:
who was saint.
Answer: Thomas a Becket,
coerced into signing these articles, ap- No. 77.
pealed Alexander III, who released
to Question: Who founded the Mendi-
him from his promise to observe them. cant Orders?
After his return to England, the Arch- Answer: St. Francis of Assisi was
bishop excommunicated several Bishops the founder of the firet of these Orders.
who had aided Henry in his attacks on Poverty the most complete was observed,
the liberty of the Church. for charity was its sole support.
No. 74. No. 78.
Question: How did Henry regard this Question: What other great Founder
lived at this time?
act of Thomas?
Primate's Answer: St. Dominic, who founded
Answer: Enraged at the
the Order of FViars Preachers, which
conduct, he uttered a rash oath which
indicated a wish to get rid of a trouble-
was also a mendicant Order. St. Fran-
cis, conjointly with St. Clare, established
some Four knights immediately
priest.
hastened to and murdered
Canterbury the poor Clares for women, and St. Dom-
inic founded the Order of Dominican
the holy Archbishop, December 29, 1170.
Nuns.
Henry soon repented of his rashness,
No. 79.
made public penance for it, and solemnly
repealed the Constitution of Clarendon. Question: When and by whom was
the Greek Schism commenced?
No. 75. Answer:In the ninth century by
Question: Name some of the Saints Photius, who though not a priest, took
who flourished during this period of con- unjust possession of the See of Constan-
flict. tinople, in place of Ignatius, who was
Answer: Gregory VII, St. Ber-
St. exiled by the Emperor. attempted He
nard, St. Norbert, St. Lawrence O 'Toole, to obtain confirmation of his usurpation
St. Felix, St. John Hatha, St. Isidore, from Nicholas I, but failing in this, he
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Hilde- threw off all restraint and openly de-
gard, St. Thomas of Aquin, St. Peter clared that Constantinople had spiritual
Nolasco, St. Thomas of Canterbury, St. power equal to that of Rome.
No. 80. virtually head of the Church, and

the
Question: What Council was then the Bishops and Patriarchs are forced
held? to confess that he is the supreme and
Answer: A Council at Constantinople final arbiter in every important dispute.
in which the Greek Bishops condemned
No. 86.
Photius and proclaimed the supremacy
Question: Who formed the United
of Rome.
No. 81.
Greek Church?
Answer: The United Greek Church
Question: Did this end the schism?
Answer: No; Photius, who, through includes the Christians who follow the
general discipline of the Greek Church
a political revolution had been banished,
was soon after recalled and on the death and also its liturgy, yet are united to the
of St. Ignatius was again placed in the
Church of Rome, admitting double pro-
cession of the Holy Spirit and the su-
patriarchal chair; he was again ban-
ished and died in exile; but the seed he
premacy of the Pope; accepting all the
doctrinal decisions of the Councils sub-
had sown' did not perish with him.
sequent to the Greek Schism. Their
No. 82. usage as regards celibacy is the same as
Question: Who consummated the the Greeks, with the consent of the
schism? Roman Pontiffs; viz. Priests marry,
Answer:Michael Cerularius, in 1054, Bishops do not, as they are chosen from
when the Bishops of Asia joined it and monastic clergy. Communion is under two
broke entirely from the supremacy of forms.
Rome. No. 87.
No. 83. Question: Give an account of the
Question; Are the Greeks merely Russian Church.
schismatics ? Answer: Since the time of Peter the
Answer: They soon added heresy to Great, Russian Church is governed
the
their schism, teaching that the Holy by the Holy Synod appointed by the
Ghost proceeds from the Father alone, Czai'. This Synod consists of five mem-
instead of from the Father and the Son, bers, ordinarily. Archbishops or Bishops;
as taught by the Catholic Church from but they may admit monks;
priests or
the beginning. the members are crown
named by the
No. 84. and hold office but for one year; two of-
Question: How is the Greek Church ficials of the crown assist at all its de-
divided? liberations. Synods elect bishops, but

Answer: First, into the Church with- the crown confirms and grants investi-
in the Ottoman Empire; Second, the ture. The Greek church denies purgator-
United Greek Church Third, the Rus-
; ial fire, but admits an intermediate state
sian Greek Church. of purgation. It has a true priesthood,
valid Sacraments, but not jurisdiction,
No. 85.
which renders Penance invalid.
Question: To whom is the Church
within the Ottoman Empire subject? No. 88
Answer : To the Patriarch of Con- Question: What was the heresy of
stantinople, who is also the chief of the Berengarius?
other three patriarchates, Alexandria, Answer: This heresy taught that the
;Autioch and Jerusalem. The Sultan is Body and Blood of Christ are not eon-
320 LIGHT FROM THE 'ALTAR.
tained in the Holy Eucharist in reality, No. 93.
but only figuratively. It was unani- Question; Mention some of their ben-
mously condemned A. D. 1078, and did eficial results.
not reappear until it was revived by the Answer: They preserved Europe from
Protestants. the invasion of the infidels, who other-
wise would have taken Constantinople
No. 89.
and overrun all the West; they partially
Question: What were the Crusades? suspended those internal wars and dis-
Answer: The Crusades were holy wars sensions which were sapping the strength
undertaken by the Christians of Europe of Christian nations; they were instru-
for the purpose of freeing the Holy mental in liberating the serfs and in lay-
Land from the tyranny of the Turks. ing the foundation of civil liberty; they
The participants wore on their right extended commerce, developed industry
shoulder a red cross, hence the name and added much to the world's historical
Crusade. and scientific knowledge. Had they been
as ably conducted as they were wisely
No. 90.
planned, they would have been the most
Question: When was the first Crusade
beneficial movement of all history.
undertaken?
Answer: In 1095, under the leader- No. 94.
ship of Godfrey of Bouillon. After un- Question: To what Military Order
dergoing incredible and sur-
hardships did the Crusades give rise?
mounting the greatest difficulties which Answer: To the Knights of St. John
had been placed in their way by hostile and Knights Templars. A remnant of
princes, the Crusaders at length laid the former still exists at Malta, but the
siege to Jerusalem, which was taken at latter were suppressed.
the end of five weeks, 1099. Godfrey
No. 95.
was proclaimed King by his army, but
he refused the insignia of royalty and
Question: By what were
the Twelfth
and Thirteenth Centuries distinguished?
took the title of "Protector of the Holy
Answer: By unbounded intellectual
Sepulchre."
activity; there we find the Church with
No. 91. the Popes using every means to promote
Question: How many Crusades were learning among the people. To meet the
there? general demand Universities were estab-
Answer: There were eight; the last lished in which were taught all the
took place in 1270; it was led by St. branches of learning. They were first
Louis, king of France. under the direction of Bishops, but later
were placed under immediate jurisdiction
No. 92. of the Popes.
Question: Were the Crusades com- No. 96.
pletely unsuccessful? Question: Name some of the Univer-
Answer: The Crusaders failed to ac- sities.
complish their primary object, which was Answer: Those of Paris and Rheims
the delivery of the Holy Land. Not- in France; of Salerno and Bologna in
withstanding this, they were of the great- Italy; of Oxford and Cambridge in Eng-
est benefit to the Church and to civiliza- land; of Salamanca in Spain; and of
tion. Lisbon in Portugal.
No. 97. by Philip the Fair, who used it effec-

Question: Were these Universities tively in his warfare against the Knights
patronized? Templars. In Spain, previous to the
Answer: The number of students is reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the In-
almost incredible. During fifty years quisition had almost ceased to exist.
Oxford could count thirty thousand stu-
dents within its walls. No. 101.
Question: Was the Spanish Inquisi-
No. 98. tion the same as the Ecclesiastical?
Question: Name some of the great Answer: No; the Inquisition estab-
Masters. lished in Spain was purely a state trib-
Answer: St. Anselm, Peter Lombard, unal, all the members being nominated by
Abelard, John of Salsbury, Alexander the sovereign. In the hands of the
of Hales, Albertus Magnus, St. Thomas kings of Spain it became an instrument,
of Aquin, St. Bonaventure, Roger Bacon employed for the triumph of the Chris-
and Duns Seotus. tian Faith; and at the same time, for
No. 99. the Spanish Nation over the conspira-
Question: When did the Albigensian cies of the Jews and Moors. It is true
that abuses crept in, but this is no rea-
heresy arise?
Answer: son for criminating the Church. The
Towards the close of the
thirteenth century the Albigensians, in
jurisdiction of the Holy Oflace was lim-
the southwest of France, threatened alike
ited to the declaration
of the guilt or
innocence of the accused; the penalties
to destroy religious and social order.
were according to the Criminal Code of
Pope Innocent III appointed special le-
gates who were to co-operate with the
tlie Country.
civil and local ecclesiastical authorities

No. 102.
in restoring order. In the civil-religious Question:
Is it true that Galileo was
war which followed, horrible excesses persecuted and imprisoned by the Inqui-
and cruelties were committed by both sition?
parties; these are explained, without be- Answer: It is alleged that Galileo was
ing justified, by the anarchy and bitter- persecuted for having taught that the
ness of the struggle. The Catholic party earth moves around the sun, and this
triumphed, but for the ultimate success is brought forth as a proof of the
in extirpating the heresy the Church re- Church's ignorance, intolerance and fal-
lied upon the efforts of such Apostolic libility, and of her opposition to the
men as St. Dominic and his disciples. progress of science. Facts have been
here misrepresented. It is true that by
No. 100. order of Pope Paul V, Galileo's doctrines
Question: Give a brief account of the were examined in Rome in 1610, and
Inc[uisition. were condemned, first by censure of the
Answer: The Inquisition established Holy Office and then by a decree of the
about this time gradually spread through- Congregation of the Index. Having
out all Europe. In Ensrland and Ger- promised in Rome that he would no
many it remained an Episcopal tribunal, longer defend or teach his opinions, Gali-
but in the other countries it was grad- leo returned peacefully to Florence. In
ually lost to the Episcopacy. In France 1632 he again published his theory, draw-
it was transformed into a state tribunal ing upon himself a fresh condemnation
322 LIGHT FBOM THE ALTAR.
of the Holy Office with the penalty of im- Church two Soveriegn Pontiffs, Urban
prisonment. This penalty was afterwards VI on one side and Clement VII on the
commuted to that of seclusion in the other with their respective successors.
gardens of Trinita-del Monte. Here At the beginning of the fourteenth cen-
Galileo was at liberty to receive visits, tury Pope Clement V transferred the
and he received permission to return to Pontifical from Rome to Avignon.
See
his country house, where he died. It may Soon, two parties were formed, one ad-
be stated that the horrors of chains, dun- vocating the Pope's return to Rome, the
geons and tortures which he had to un- other, his establishment in France; this
dergo at the hands of the Inquisition gave rise to the election of Clement VII,
are but fables and calumny. five months after that of Urban VI,
which was declared to have been null.
No. 103.
There were, then, two Popes; both of
Question: But are not the decisions
whom having been elected by the same
arrived at in Rome in 1616 and 1636 seri-
cardinals, might seem legitimate; hence
ous objections against the doctrinal in-
there arose a schism among the Chris-
fallibility of the Church?
tian nations. But, as much as it is to
Answer: We
admit that the principle
be deplored, this schism did not affect)
of these decisions is erroneous since the
the faith. The division touched the
astronomical system condemned by them
rights of the different Popes, but not the
is now considered to be proved: but as
primacy of St. Peter, or the unity of the
regards the question of infallibility it is
Apostolic See. All believed in one Vis-
quite irrelevant; for the infallibility in
ible Head of the Church, but, under ex-
doctrine supposes a definition of an Ecu-
isting circumstances, they did not know
menical Council, or of the Pope speak-
which was the true Pope. The schism
ing Ex Cathedra, and, in the case of
was productive of much scandal and
Galileo, such a definition never took
many abuses, and the occupants of the
pflace. And the protective Providence
Papal Throne were blameworthy for
of God over His Church is manifested
their reluctance to sacrifice their own
in the fact, that, at a time when the ma-
ambition and the interest of their fol-
jority of theologians firmly believed the
lowers for the good of the Church. But
doctrine of Copernicus to be contrary to
God did not abandon His Church in this
the Scriptures, the Church never sol-
extremity of peril; and the peace and
emnly refuted it.
order of Christendom were restored by
No. 104. the universal recognition of Martin V,
Question: an account of the
Give who assumed the chair of St. Peter in 1417.
Schism of the West.
Answer: In the fourteenth and fif- No. 105.
teenth centuries, the period during which Question: What was the condition of
the Schism of the West lasted, the Europe at the beginning of the Sixteenth
Church presented a spectacle of scanda- century?
lous division; the schism
hard was a Answer: In the beginning of the six-
trial, wherein the bark of Peter had teenth century, many causes combined to
more than ever to rely on the Divine render possible a successful religious
protection to avoid shipwreck. Histoi-y struggle; these were found alike in the
tells us that during a space of more than political, intellectual, and religious
forty years after 1378, there were in the world. Political hatred ran high, and
political interests absorbed all others; teries. This, in the minds of the un-
the tendencies of the age and the inter- thinking, justified the bitter opposition
ests of the Monarchy were opposed to to the Church. Most of the abuses came
ecclesiastical authority. from political complications, but there
certainly was much that called for the
utmost efforts of those in authority to
No. 106.
oppose. The Popes, however, were seri-
Question: What were the intellectual
ously crippled, and in many eases were
tendencies?
obliged to tolerate what they could not
Answer: The fall of Constantinople
reform. This condition of affairs pre-
had driven many Greeks to leave the
pared the way for another Arius, who
East and seek refuge at the courts of
came in the person of Martin Luther, an
Europe, especially in Italy. They brought
Augustinian.
with them their classic tastes and there
then arose a great and widespread ad- No. 108.
miration of polite literature and of the Question: What
incident served as an
artistic perfection of antiquity, in which opportunity for Luther's revolt?
ecclesiastics too greatly shared. The Answer: Leo X
promulgated a plenary
work of the Greek authors became pop- indulgence, alms attached to the
the
ular and these are largely responsible gaining of which were to aid in complet-
for the neglect of religion and the pre- ing the Basilica of St. Peter's at Rome.
dominance of a most worldly spirit of The Dominican, Tetzel, was appointed to
intellectual pride. Two great systems of preach the indulgence in Germany. This
philosophy were face to face, contending preference for a Dominican greatly in-
for mastery in men's minds. The one, censed Luther, as ithad been customary
represented by Aristotle serious —
and for the Augustinians to preach these in-
—
systematic appealed to reason; the dulgences.
other, by Plato —
brilliant and vague
No. 109.
appealed more powerfully to the imagina-
Question: What
did Luther do?
tion. These discussions invaded the do-
Answer: Tetzel did not avoid the
main of Christian dogma; and while some
abuses, which too often were in the form
labored to reconcile the philosophy of
of dispensing and preaching indulgences.
these two with the Church's teachings,
He was sharply but ineffectually rebuked
others became atheists, theists, free-
for his indiscretion; then Luther as-
thinkers and pantheists.
sumed this as a pretext for his revolt;
but he quickly proceeded from his attack
No. 107. on the abuses to one on indulgences
Question: What of the Church at themselves. He likewise attacked the
this time? doctrine of the Church concerning origi-
Answer: Unfortunately, abuses had nal sin, justification and the sacraments.
crept in, during the course of ages, and By a Papal bull, his impious opinions
during the between political
struggle were condemned, and this led him to as-
rulers and the Church (resistance to sail the supremacy of the See of Rome.
which may be said always to find sup- He rapidly fell from one error into an-
port in the civil powers), these abuses other; he wrote against the doctrines of
still existed in the Roman court, in the Purgatory, free-will and the merit of
Episcopacy, the Clergy and the monas- good works.
No. 110. part of mankind for eternal damnation,
Question: To what did Lutheranism not on account of their crimes, but be-
lead? cause such was His pleasure.
Answer: It lead to the most disas-
trous consequences, as its first principle No. 113.
did away with the Church; the second Question: Did Protestantism make
destroyed the moral code. Luther de- any progress in France?
clared that there is no need of a special Answer: Yes; from Geneva, the
body of men set apart to dispense the teachings of Calvin spread into France
mysteries of God; that everj' Christian and there found many adherents, espe-
may assume the functions of the priest- cially in the parts which had been the
hood. He taught also justification bv fields of the Albigensian heresy. In

faith alone, that good works are useless. France they were known as the Hugue-
To suit his error he introduced into the nots. During the reign of Charles IX
Bible the word "alone" and when called and the regency of Catherine de Medici
on to give his reason for such a change, they caused great disorder in the realm.
he replied in the words of the Roman They held a synod in Paris, (1559) when
poet Juvenal, "Hoc volo, sic jubeo, sit they adopted a profession of faith and
pro ratione voluntas."
—"I will it, I or- decreed death against all heretics. They
der it, my will is the reason thereof." labored to undermine all authority, con-
His doctrine of private interpretation spired against the King and the royal
and his principles of spiritual independ- family and entered into alliances with
ence responded to the independence of the Protestants of Germany, and with
the sixteenth century; hence, kis words England, France's bitterest foe.
exercised great influence, and the so-
No. 114.
called Reformation rapidly spread
Question: How did the Catholics act
through Germany and as far North as
under this?
Prussia.
Answer: The Catholics of France did
No. 111.
not submit to this treatment, but repaid
Question: What was the Confession
cruelty with cruelty. In the civil war
of Augsburg?
which devastated the country, the cru-
Answer: In 1530 the Lutheran direc-
elties and excesses of the Huguenots
tors published their Confession of faith,
were frequently equaled by those of
written by Melancthon. It is known as
Catholics, and the massacres were gen-
the Confession of Augsburg. It is at
eral on both sides.
this time that they were first called Prot-
estants. No. 115.
No. 112. Question: What
of the massacre of
Question: Who was Calvin? St. Bartholomew's day?
Answer: Calvin, who is regarded as Answer: By this name is signified
the second leader of the Protestants, was the massacre of the Huguenots which
the founder of the sect which bears his took place in France, August 24, 1573.
name, and which spread, first in Switzer- Religion has been held responsible for
land. His doctrines are substantially the this Massacre, but it is now an indis-
same as those of Luther. He taught that putable fact that it was a stroke of state
free-willhad been entirely destroyed by policy, by which Catherine de Medici,
sin; that God had created the greater an ambitious and unscrupulous woman,
hoped to annihilate the Calvinists of the case, but Henry would brook no de-
whom De Coligny was the soul and chief. lay and married Anne. He appointed
Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury, who
No. 116. at once declared Henry's marriage with
Question: Did not Gregory XUI or-
Catherine invalid.
der a public thanksgiving when he heard
of the event? No. 120.
Answer: He did; but history proves Question: When
Clement heard of this
that Gregory was deceived, and that his what did he do?
action was prompted by the desire to re- Answer: He reversed the decision of
turn solemn thanks to God for the es- the Archbishop, which so incensed the
cape, as he thought, of Charles IX and King that he immediately proclaimed
the royal family from a foul conspiracy, that the Pope had no longer any juris-
and not approve of an unjustifiable
to diction in England.
massacre. When he became acquainted
with the real nature of the case, he No. 121.
loudly condemned the barbarous action Question: Who was then at the head
in which neither he nor the clergy had of the English Church?
any part. Answer: The King assumed headship
No. 117. and exacted from all, under penalty of
Question: How long did the struggle treason, an oath recognizing his supre-
in France continue? macy. Many of those in positions of

Answer: For seventy-two years. Car- Church and State took the oath and be-
dinal Richelieu put an end to it by cap- came Schismatics at the will of the King.
turing Rochelle, the last stronghold of Henry used the most rigorous means to
the Huguenots. In 1685 Louis XIV re- enforce supremacy, and in conse-
his
voked the edict of Nantes, and soon after quence. Cardinal Fisher, Sir Thomas
adopted despotic measures to force the More, and many other prominent men
Huguenots into the Church, but in con- were put to death. Shortly after his
sequence of these rigours some 65,000 rupture with Rome, Henry proceeded to
voluntarily exiled themselves from suppress Monasticism, which he did so
France. effectually that religious houses were
No. 118. swept from the face of England.
Question: Who introduced Protestant-
ism into Scotland? No. 122.
Answer: John Knox, who dui'ing a Question: When
was the English
three years' residence in Geneva imbibed Church established by law?
the principles and spirit of Galvanism. Answer: About the year 1547, when
the people were forced to receive the
No. 119. Book of Common Prayer, or English Ser-
Question: What lead to Protestantism vice Book, which had been compiled by
in England? Cranmer.
Answer: Henry VIII applied to the No. 123.
Pope for a divorce from Catherine in or- Question: Did Mary Tudor succeed in
der that he might espouse Anne Bolyn. reestablishing Catholicity?
The reason he alleged for the divorce was Answer: Mary wished Eng-
to restore
that his marriage was invalid. The Pope Union with
land to the Catholic Church.
appointed two Cardinals to examine into Rome was voted by both Houses and th«
work of Henry was legally set asida. Church. When Henry VIII wished to
Cardinal Pole, who was sent to England extend to Ireland his despotic system, he
as Papal Legate, urged Mary to use pa- encountered a determined resistance.
cific measures to restore the faith, but

During the time of Edward VI, Somer-
true to the principles of the Tudor in- set tried to introduce the liturgy of the
stincts of cruelty, and advised by a Church of England, but failed. Eliza-
Council of unprincipled men, she pro- beth attempted the perversion of the
ceeded to persecute heretics and put Irishby means of a plan which brands
them to death. During her reign of five her as the most execrable tyrant that
years about three hundred were executed. ever desecrateda throne in Christian
In comparison with the two preceding lands. Wholesale confiscation took
reigns and that which followed, Mary's, place; all the terrors of famine stared
however, does not deserve the distinc- them in the face; penal laws were en-
tion of "Bloody." forced; Catholics were deprived of all
rights; still they remained faithful and
No. 124. gave to the Church many glorious mar-
Question: Tell of the Church during tyrs.
Elizabeth's reign? No. 126.

Answer As soon as she ascended the
:
Question: What efforts did the Church

throne, Elizabeth openly avowed Protest-
make to reclaim her wayward children?
antism; all the Bishops who refused to
Answer: She instituted missions on
take the oath supremacy were de-
of
the grandest scale, and sent her Apostles
posed and a new Episcopacy was cre-
to the farthest parts of the earth. The
ated. The Anglican profession was re-
Jesuits, the Providential Order of this
vised and amended; Penal Laws were
epoch, stood in the front rank of these.
enacted and enforced, which, for despot-
ism, cruelty, and disregard of justice, are
No. 127.
without a parallel.
Question: By whom was this Order
No. 125. founded?
Answer: By St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Question: What of Ireland during
in 1540. As Protestantism aimed at the
this time of apostasy?
destruction of the Papacy, the Jesuits
Answer: While Germany, shaken by
bound themselves by vow to the Holy See.
the powerful voice of Luther, was break-
In a short time they succeeded in reani-
ing away from the Church of Rome;
mating the faith among people and
while Geneva, under the merciless gov-
clergy.
ernment of Calvin, was becoming the
center of Protestantism; while the na- No. 128.
tions of the North were accepting the Question: What other religious Orders
new Gospel; while France, tainted by labored during this period?
heresy, was preparing for civil wars; Answer: The Capuchins, who accom-
while Scotland gladly enlisted in the plished great good by their austere and
cause of revolt; while England was re- humble founded by St.
life; the Oblates,
ceiving, with ser\'ile docility, the doc- Charles Borromeo; the Oratorians,
trines of a State Church, Ireland was founded by St. Philip Neri; and the
girding herself for a long and glorious Priests of the Mission, or Lazarists,
struggle for God_ countrv and Holy founded by St. Vincent de Paul.
No. 129. Theresa, Jane Frances and Magdalen de

Question: Name some other religions Pazzi.
Orders established during this epoch. No. 133.
Answer: The Visitation, by St. Fran- Question: Who was St. Francis
cis de Sales and St. Frances de Chantal; Xavier?
the Ursulines, by St. Angela; the Daugh- Answer: St. Francis Xavier, one of
ters of Charity, Vincent de Paul;
by St. the companions of St. Ignatius, was one
and the Carmelites, reformed by St. The- of the greatest llissionaries of the
resa. Church. His zeal in India and Japan
No. 130. brought within the Church nearly one
Question: Did the Church form a million souls.
Council to oppose the heretical teachings No. 134.
of Luther? Question: What resulted from the la-
Answer: Yes, in 1544, Paul III op- bors of St. Francis in Japan?
ened the General Council of Trent. This Answer: The good seed sown by St.
Council drew up a list of the inspired Francis in Japan and cultivated by the
books of the Bible and defined the laborers he left after him, brought forth
Church's rule of Faith. It proclaimed such abundant fruit that by the year
the dogma of the Church regarding origi- 1582 were found two hundred thousand
nal sin, justification, the seven Sacra- Catholics. As elsewhere, however, the
ments, Purgatoiy, and the veneration of Missionaries met with strong opposition.
the Saints, images and relics, also of in- Persecution broke out and continued with
dulgences. It gave disciplinary enact- slight interruptions until the last vest-
ments, and, before separating, the Fa- age of Christianity was destroyed in the
thers of the Council drew up the Cate- Empire. In a period of seventy years
chism of the Council of Trent which was nearly two million Christians received
given to the world during the Pontificate the Crown of Martyrdom. In dying, St.
of Pius V. Francis bequeathed to his Order his own
No. 131. ardent desire to enter and Christianize
Question: In what countries was China. The Jesuits, notwithstanding the
Catholicity triumphant? many obstacles that arose, succeeded at
Answer: On all sides the Church was length in entering the Empire. But their
victorious, and triumphed in all South- Missions, though wonderful in their im-
ern Europe; and wherever Protestantism mediate success, were nearly all de-
still existed on the Continent, it was sur- stroyed in the seventeenth century. How-
rounded by Catholic countries which suc- ever, God consoled His Church by send-
cessfully opposed its further extension. ing her vast multitudes of souls in the
New World. During the sixteenth and
No. 132. seventeenth centuries her devoted Mis-
Question: What Saints flourished sionaries established the faith in all
during this period? South and Central portions of North

Answer: Some of the most eminent America.
were Pope St. Pius V, Sts. Charles Bor- No. 135.
romeo, Francis de Sales, Ignatius of Loy- Question: Name some of the most
ola, Vincent de Paul, Philip Neri, Fran- noted Missionaries of America.
cis Xavier, Aloysius, Francis Borgia, Answer: St. Louis Bertrand, Blessed
Stanislaus, John of the Cro»«, Camillus, Peter Claver, St. Francis Solano, Bre-
beuf, Lallemant, Jogues and numberless regarding the Church of France, but the
other members of the great Religious Or- Pope refused to make the slightest con-
ders, Jesuits, Franciscans, Augustinians, cessions in matters of faith and morals.
etc. The Vatican was invaded, the Pope taken

No. 136. prisoner and carried to Valence in France
Question: To what may the social and where he died in 1799. The enemies of
political Revolution of the eighteenth the Church boasted that they had buried
century be ascribed? the last Pope, but in a few months the
Answer: The political and social Rev- Chair of St. Peter was occupied by the
olution Europe which culminated in
in illustrious Pius VII.
the French Revolution was the last de-

No. 139.
duction from the principles of the Refor-
mation. The denial of the Divine author- Question: Give a brief account of the
ity of the Church naturally led to the trouble between Pius VII and Napoleon.
denial of all human authority in the Answer: The year ISOl witnessed the
opening of the churches and the restora-
State. In France the spirit of rebellion
tion of Catholic worship in France.
against the Church had been nurtured by
the Huguenots, and after their defeat,
Knowing full well the impossibility of
re-establishing civil order without reli-
by the Jansenists.
gion. Napoleon opened negotiations with
No. 137. the Holy See, and the agreement se-
Question: Wto were the Jansenists? cured only by extensive concessions on
Answer: They were followers of Jan- the part of the Pope was embodied in
senius, a French Bishop of the seven- the famous Concordat. In 1804 Pius VII
teenth century. Under a hypocritical crowned Napoleon Emperor of France.

show of piety, they taught the most He consented to this in the sole hope of
gloomy and despairing heresies. They promoting the interests of religion, but
maintained absolute predestination, that he was disappointed. Napoleon forged
Christ died only for a few, that crime new fetters for the church might over- —
cannot be avoided, in fine, that man is came right. In 1S08 Napoleon desired
the mere sport of the anger of God. Pius VII to join in the Continental Sys-
tem, to give his sanction to the spoliation
No. 138. of Naples, to the divorce laws of the
Question: What was the condition of Code Napoleon, and to other measures
the Church during the French Revolu- which the Common Father of Christian-
tion? ity could not approve. On receiving his
Answer: The hatred and animosity of authoritative and decisive refusal. Napo-
the Revolutionists cannot be imagined. leon ordered the French troops to occupy
Hundreds of French clergy were cruelly Rome. Napoleon issued a decree which
massacred while thousands found safety transfoiined the Papal States into French
only in flight. Christianity was abol- Departments, and the Pope signed a Bull
ished and the worship of Reason proof excommunication against Napoleon
claimed. In 1795 the Directory came and his agents. Pius VII was banished
into power, and at once manifested the from Rome. In 1812 he was conveyed to
strongest opposition to the Papacy, de- Fontainebleau but energetically con-
manding the revocation of the dogmat- demned the aggressions of Napoleon. Be-
ical and canonical decrees of Pius VI fore long, the ruling of a Higher Power
decidedthe contest. Wliile Napoleon leaders and their "Tracts for the Times"
was on his way to his first exile Pius soon attracted the attention of the whole
VII made his triumphal return to Kome. country. The Traetarians drew their in-
spiration from the works of the Ancient
No. 140. Fathers; this naturally led them to Rome.
Question: What characterizes the his- Pusey and his adherents however depre-
tory of the Church during the Nineteenth cated any union with the Catholic
century? Church, but Newman made a complete
Answer: The nineteenth century seems submission to Rome in 1845. His ex-
and is
to be an epitome of all past ages, ample was followed by a large number
peculiar in the wide and erratic range of distinguished persons, among them
of its tendencies. But deprived of tem- may be mentioned, Ward, Faber, Oakley,
poral supremacy, of diplomatic influence Manning, etc. Within a few years the
and of material wealth, the Church is number of converts swelled to many
again what she was during the decline of thousands ; several hundred of these had
the Roman Empire, the one and the great been Anglican Ministers. But the chief
moral power in the world. result of the Oxford Movement was to
dispel much of the deep-seated preju-
dices that had existed, not only in Eng-
No. 141.
land but throughout the English-
also
Question: Name the Popes of the
speaking world. In 1850 Pius IX re-
Nineteenth century.
established the Catholic hierarchy which
Answer: Pius VII, Leo XII, Pius
had been suppressed for three hundred
VIII, Gregory XVI, Pius IX, Leo XIII.
years, and Cardinal Wiseman was cre-
Pius VII spent the last years of his reign
ated Cardinal Archbishop of Westmins-
in trying to remedy the evOs resulting
ter.
from the French Revolution. Leo XII
continued the work of his predecessor,
No. 143.
reorganized the Church of South Amer-
ica and restored many of the Eastern
Question: What events signalized the
Churches to the unity of the faith. Pius

Pontificate of Pius IX?
VIII did much for the persecuted Arme- Answer: The long reign of Pius IX
nian Catholics and established for them was full of trials, victories and consola-
the Archepiscopal See in Constantinople. tions. In 1848 he was compelled bj- the
Gregory XVI ascended the Pontifical Revolutionists to flee from Rome, but
Throne immediately after the revolution two years later he was able to return, and
of 1S30. His administration was charac- for several years the Church enjoyed
terized by firmness, fortitude and pru- comparative peace. In 1870 the Papal
dence. States were wrested from the Sovereign
Pontiff. Rome was made the Capital of
No. 142. United Italy, and since then the Pope
Question: What was the celebrated has virtually been a captive of the Italian
Oxford Movement? government. However, Pius IX wit-
Answer: The Oxford or Tractarian nessed the revival of Catholicity through-
Movement began in 1833, when a nimiber out Europe; he restored hierarchies, re-
of Oxford professors endeavored to start established the Latin Patriarchate of
a reform in the established Church. Pu- Jerusalem, condemned dangerous and
sey and Newman were the acknowledged pernicious errors, and canonized many
saints. The three greatest acts of this No. 145.
Pontificate are the definition of the dos;- Question: By what particular means
ma of the Immaculate Conception (De- did the Holy Father do this?
cember 8, 1854); the Syllabus of 1864, Answer: by his famous En-
Chiefly
a collection of propositions -which con- cyclicals, most important of which
the
demned the errors of the age; and the are the following: The Condition of the
Vatican Council (December 8, 1869-July Working Classes; The Evils affecting
1870). This was the first General Coun- Modern Society, their Causes and Reme-
cil since that of Trent in 1545. In the dies; The Christian Constitution of
fourth public session, July 18, 1870, the States; The Chief Duties of Christians
dogma of Papal Infallibility was de- as Citizens; Human Liberty; Christian
fined, thus reasserting in the most sol- Marriage; Concerning Modern Errors;
emn way the principle of Authority in Socialism, Communism
and Nihilism;
the Church. Pius IX died in 1878 and Anglican Orders; The Reunion of Chris-
was immediately succeeded by Leo XIII. tendom; Devotion of the Holy Rosary;
Devotion to the Holy Ghost; Christian
Philosophy, etc., etc. In a word it may
No. 144.
be said that Leo XIII, as far as in him
Question: What of the Pontificate of lay, prepared the Church to meet the
Leo XIII? most subtle and dangerous foes of these
Answer: Leo XIII is universally ad- modem days, foes which tend to make
mitted to have been one of the greatest the perverted mind and wDl revolt
Pontiffs that ever sat in the Chair of St. against the true Church and the un-
Peter, and it is to be doubted if there changeable doctrines of the Catholic Re-
ever was a time when the Papacy was ligion.
more powerful or exerted a greater in- In February, 1903, Leo completed the
fluence. Shorn of all its temporal do- years of Peter. This was the occasion
main, it is still recognized as the grand- of a universal Jubilee. In July of the
est and most influential power on earth, same year, Leo was called to his reward
and recent years have afforded instances and was succeeded by Cardinal Sarto,
of the readiness of secular nower to avail Patriarch of Venice, under the title,
themselves of its potency. Bismarck, Pius X.
who in 1871 inaugurated a persecution No. 146.
called the "Kulturkampf " or "Conflict
Question: When was Pius X. elected?
of Culture," in 1878 began negotiations
Answer: On Tuesday morning, August
with Leo XIII whose prudence and jus-
4, 1903, a messagewas sent from the con-
tice gradually led to amicable relations
clave assembled at Rome,
of Cardinals
between Germany and the Vatican. Leo
saying that a sueeessor to the late Leo
XIII instructed the world at large con-
XIII. had been elected. Cardinal Joseph
cerning the sacred fundamental laws of
religious, civil and domestic society and Sarto, Patriarch of Venice, was the hon-
raised his voice against the enemies of ored one. It was soon announced that the
social order. With a fearlessness and new Pontiff had chosen the title of Pius
wisdom that come from God alone, he X. A great cry of joy and relief burst
not only pointed out the e%ils of the day, forth from every heart throughout Christ-
but also the means by which these evils endom.
can be remedied. The Cardinals met in conclave on Fri-
day, July 31, nine days after the death of At the close of this hymn of praise Pius
Leo. XIII. They remained in session four X. rose, and in a voice at first tremulous
days and balloted seven times. but gradually becoming full and firm, ad-
When the final count showed that the ministered the Papal blessing to all of the
necessaiy two-thirds of the total number members of the Sacred College.
of votes east had been obtained, Cardinal Cardinal Maechi, secretary of apostolic
Sarto was asked: "Do you accept the briefs, at noon announced to the crowd
election?" He gave a reply in the affirm- assembled before St. Peter's that Cardinal
ative. When asked what name he chose Sarto, Patriarch of Venice, had been
he replied: "Pius." elected Pope, and that he had taken the
All the throne canopies were then low- name Pius X.
ered, with the exception of that of the At 12:10 o'clock Pope Pius X. appeared
successful candidate. inside the balcony of
the basilica and
Then Prince Chigi, the master of tho amid the acclamations
blessed the people,
conclave, drew up the official act of the of the enormous crowd assembled.
election and acceptance of the newly
elected Pope, who retired into a small No. 147.
room near the altar, where he vested in Question: Give a brief sketch of the
the white robes of his office. life of Pope Pius X.
The new Pope was attired all in white Answer: Joseph Sarto was born in
with the exception of red shoes, which Riese, a village situated a few miles from
was quite regular, but he did not stop to Treviso, the Diocesan See. As Carpineto,
remove the red Cardinal's stockings for before the election of Joachim Pecci to
the white Papal ones. The secretary of the Pontificate, was unknown to th«
the conclave, Mgr. Meriy del Yal, kneel- world, so also is this little village of Riese.
ing, offered him the Papal white cap, It lies sequestered in the middle of a
amidst breathless silence. He did not fol- gi'eat fertile plain through which the
low the precedent created by Pope Leo, river Sile flows into the Adriatic Sea. The
who declined to give his red cap to the river has long been navigable and fur-
master of ceremonies as a sign that he nished means of communication with the
would soon be created a Cardinal, but outer world. Pliny speaks of Treviso as
with a slight smile Pius X. took the white the city of towers, and mentions among
cap, placed it calmly on his own head and the villages that of Riese. Calogera pub-
dropped the red one lightly on the head of lished in the last century a dissertation on
Mgr. Merry del Val, amidst a murmur of the ancient inscriptions found in Treviso,
approval. This was taken as a certain with observations on inscriptions discov-
indication that the happy recipient was ered in 1730 in the village of Riese. The
soon to be raised to the Cardinalate. inhabitants in and around Riese are given
As the new from be-
Pontiff stepped to agi-icultural pursuits and the manufac-
hind the altar, he seemed to be the em- turing of silk. This latter is the principal
bodiment of his holy office. His face was industry.
pale and clearly softened by emotion. He It is told, among the inhabitants, to
paused a moment, as he came before the this day, that when Posdocim, a disciple
expectant Cardinals, then seated himself of St. Peter, visited Treviso, he preached
on the throne, to receive the "first obedi- the gospel to the inhabitants around that
ence." Then the Te Deum was intoned. city, hence his memory is held in great
benediction by all the people. History the Church, saying: "Hold him very dear,
records that when Attila destroyed the Perosi, as in the future he will be able to
city of Treviso, he laid waste the sur- do much for you —we firmly believe he
rounding villages, among which was Riese. will be our successor."
Pius X. was born on the 2nd day of In the Vatican, when the talk centered
June, 1835. His family were among the upon the successor of Leo, Cardinal Sarto
most respected in Riese. The early days was mentioned, but in his quiet way he
of the present Pontiff were spent in care- treated the matter very indifferently. In
ful training. When ready to enter the fact he declared when leaving Venice that
—
career he had chosen the priesthood he — he had purchased a return ticket.
was sent to the Salesian Institute in the
No. 148.
vicinity of Padua. Here he was an earnest
pupil, retiring in his attitude, but winning Question: What was the first public
honors for his studiousness and achieve- act of Pope Pius X. after his accession to
ments. the Chair of Peter?
It was this trait which brought out the Answer: He addressed his first Ency-
remark of one of the Cardinals who clical to the Church Universal. Among
watched his career, "Sarto has never been other things, he declared that in filling
young." the duties of his exalted office, he would be

He
became, after finishing his theologi- nothing but the Minister of God, that the
cal course and being admitted to holy or- safety of society depends upon the Church
ders, a parish priest His oarish lay in and that all must nave recourse to
prayer.
the poorer district of Pombolo in the out-
skirts of Venice, and his work, apart from No. 149.
the study which won for him his later Question: Explain Pope Pius X. fam-
successes, lay entirely in the ministration ous Instruction on Sacred Music.
to the wants of his humble parishouers. Answer: Pope Piux X., from his ex-
He lived a life of austerity always, but perience as a Churchman, had found that
his kindness to the poor and suffering the ecclesiastical music in the Church had
gave him among them the title of beloved deteriorated and it was not used universal-
pastor. ly in the Church ceremonials. He issued

From parish priest he was made Bishop a letter the Motu proprio November 22nd,
of Mantua and from Bishop he rose to the 1903, which was
have a binding force
to
Cardinalate, the title being conferred up- throughout the Church and in it he de-
on him with that of Patriarch of Venice clared that the pure Gregorian Chant
by the Consistory of June 12, 1S93. should be used universally and absolute-
In ecclesiastical circles he gained a ly and no other. "We will," says the
great reputation as a preacher, convincing Holy Father, "with the fulness of our
and swaying rather by absolute strength Apostolic authority that the force of law
of temperament than by any oratorical be given to said Motu proprio and we do
powers. by our present handwriting impose its
He is known as an author and a patron scrupulous observance upon all." His
of the arts. It was this latter character- Excellency, Monsignore Falconio, the
istic that led indirectly to Pope Leo XIII. Apostolic Delegate to the United States
declaring to Perosi, the composer, that it says: "The instruction of our Holy
was to Sarto he committed the affairs of Father, Pius X., is clear and evident. It
is directed to the whole Catholic world. No if the pastors will only manifest sufficient
nation was exempted; and it has a juri- zeal and themselves to work with
set
dicialand authoritative binding character earnestness and perseverance for this

everjTvhere upon all Catholics. "Un- much-needed reform."
fortunately the edict of our Sovereign
Pontiff has been received by many in this No. 150.
country with misgivings as to the prob- Question: What decree did Pius X.
ability of putting it into practice. I issue in the early part of 1906?
trust that this timidity will be overcome Answer: The decree on all the faithful
by the help and encouragement given by approaching daily Communion was issued
the happy results already in those the 14th of February, 1906. It urged sim-
churches where the Reverend Pastors, in ply that the legislation of the CouncU of
obedience to the Pope's orders, have cour- Trent on this subject be carried out
ageously undertaken the desired refonn. more effectually than has hitherto been
What has already been accomplished since done. According to this legislation the
the publication of the Motu proprio, in faithful are to receive daily Communion,
some of our American cathedrals and not merely spiritually but actually, when-
churches, can be accomplished in others, ever they assist at daily Mass.
The Catholic Home Dictionary and
Cyclopedia
CHAPTER XVIII
A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF DOCTRINE, DISCIPLINE, RITES, CERE-

MONIES, COUNCILS, AND RELIGIOUS ORDERS.
gers, which have touched the Blessed
Sacrament and may have some particle
ABBOT. The "father" or superior of of it adhering to them, over the chalice,
a commuuity of meu living under vows while the server pours wine and wa-
p.nd according to a particular rule. The ter upon them. He then drinks the
transference of the idea of fatherhood to ablution and dries bis lips and the chal-
the relation between the head of a con- ice with the mundatory. This ceremony
gregation or a religious community and witnesses to the reverence with which the
his subjects is so natural that already in Church regards the Body and Blood of
the apostolic times we find St. Paul re- Christ, and to her anxiety that none of
minding the Corinthians that they had not that heavenly food should be lost.
many fathers in Christ ("for in Christ ABSOLUTION. Classical authors use
Jesus I have begotten you," &c.), not-
the Latin word absolutio (literally, un-
withstanding the apparent prohibition in
binding or unloosing) to signify acquittal
the gospel of St. Matthew. But it was from a criminal charge, and ecclesiastical
customary to call bishops by the Greek
writers have adopted the term, employing
word for father; hence the corresponding it to denote a setting free from crime or
designation for the head of a community penalty. But, as crime and its penalties
of monks was taken, to avoid confusion, are regarded even by the Church from very
from the Chaldaic form (abba, abbas) of different points of view, "absolution" in
the word which means "father" in the its ecclesiastical use bears several senses,
Semitic languages. which it is important to distinguish from
ABJURATION OF HERESY. This is
each other.
required as a preliminary to baptism, I. Absolution from Sin is a remission
before the convert makes the confession of sin which the priest, by authority re-
of faith. ceived from Christ, makes in the Sacra-
ABLUTION. A name given, in the ment of Penance. It is not a mere an-
rubrics of the Mass, to the water and nouncement of the gospel, or a bare dec-
wine with which the priest who cele- laration that God willpardon the sins of
brates Mass washes thumbs and index
his those who repent, but as the Council of
finger after communion. When he has Trent defines (sess. xiv. can. 9), it is a
consumed the Precious Blood, the priest judicial act by which a priest as judge
purifies the chalice; he then, saying in a passes sentence on the penitent.
low voice a short prayer prescribed by the With regard to absolution thus under-
Church, holds his thumbs and index fin- stood, it is to be observed
335
First, that it can be given by none but man Ritual prescribes the form "I ab-
priests, since to them alone has Christ solve thee from thy sins, in the name of
committed the necessary power; and, the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Secondly, that since absolution is a ju- Holy Ghost."
dicial sentence, the priest must have II. Absolution from censures is widely
authority or jurisdiction over the person different from absolution from sins, be-
absolved. The need of jurisdiction, in cause whereas the latter gives grace, re-
order that the absolution may be valid, is moves guilt, and reconciles the sinner with
an article of faith defined in the council God, the former merely removes penalties
of Trent (sess. xiv. cap. 7), and it fol- imposed by the Church, and reconciles the
lows from the very nature of absolution offender with her.
as defined above, since the reason of m. Absolution for the dead (pro de-
things requires that a judge should not functis). A short fonn, imploring eternal
pass sentence except on one who is rest and so indirectly remission of the
placed under him, as the subject of his penalties of sin, said after a funeral Mass
This jurisdiction may be or- over the body of the dead person, before
court.
dinary — i. e., it may flow from the office it is
rV.
removed from the church.
Absolutions in the Breviary. Cer-
which the confessor holds; or dele-
gated — i. e., it may be given to the tain short praj'ers said before the lessons
in matins and before the chapter at the
confessor by one who has ordinary juris-
on others, end of prime. Some of these prayers ex-
diction with power to confer it
press or imply petition for forgiveness of
as his delegates. Thus a bishop has or-
sin, and this circumstance probably ex-
dinary jurisdiction over seculars, or re-
plains the origin of the name Absolution
ligious who are not exempt, in his diocese,
which has been given to such prayers or
and within its limits he can delegate ju-
or regular. blessings.
risdiction to priests secular
Again, the prelates of religious orders ABSTINENCE, in its restricted and
the authority of the bishop, special sense, denotes the depriving our-
exempt from
have jurisdiction, more or less ample, selves of certain kinds of food and drink
within their own order, and they can ab-
in a rational way and for the good of the
solve, or delegate power to absolve, the

soul. On a fasting daj', the Church re-
quires us to limit the quantity, as well as
members of the order who are subject to
ordinarily speak- the kind, of our food; on an abstinence-
them; nor is it possible,
ing, for the bishop, or a priest who has diy, the limit imposed affects only the
his powers from the bishop only, to ab- nature of the food we take.
solve such religious. Moreover, a bishop ACOLYTE, from "to follow"; and
or a prelate of a religious order, in con- here, to follow as a server or miuistrant ; a
ferring power to absolve his subjects, name given to the highest of the four
may reserve the of certain
absolution minor orders. It is the duty of the acolyte
sins to himself. The Cliurch, however, sup- to supply wine and water and to carry the
plies all priests with power to absolve per- lights at the Mass; and the bishop or-
sons in danger of death, at least if they dains him for these functions by putting
cannot obtain a priest with the usual the cruets and a candle into his hand,
"faculties" or powers to absolve. accompanj-ing the action with words indi-
Thirdly, absolution must be given in cating the nature of the office conferred.
•words which express the efficacy of ab- ACTS OF THE MARTYRS. "Acta"
solution, viz., forgiveness of sin. The Ro- is technically used in Latin (1) for the
oroceedings in a court of justice, and (2) fasting, works of penance, meditation,

for the official record of such proceedings, and prayer, in order to prepare themselves
including the preliminaries of the trial, for celebrating worthily the coming (ad-
the actions and speeches of the contend- ventum) of the Son of God in the flesh,
ing parties, the sentence of the judge; to promote His spiritual advent within
which last, when it had been committed tlieir own souls, and to school themselves
to the Acta, was isroclaimed aloud by the to look forward with hope and joy to His
public crier. "Acta martyrum," then, in second advent, when He shall come again
its strict and original sense, meant the to judge mankind.
official and registered account of a mar- AFFINITY, in the proper sense of the
tyr's trial and sentence. The early Chris- word, is the connection which arises from
tians were anxious to preserve these ac- cohabitation between each one of the two
curate narratives of the witness which parties cohabiting, and the blood-relations
their brethren made to the truth of the of the other. It is regarded as an impedi-
Christian religion. ment to marriage in the Jewish, Roman,
ADMINISTRATOR. When a bishop is and canon law of the Church.
lawfully absent from his diocese for a AGAPE. A name given in Jude 12 to
prolonged period, the Pope sometimes the brotherly feasts of the early Chris-
grants him an "apostolic administrator" tians, which are described at length in 1
to take charge of the see. So, too, when Cor. xi.
a prince was appointed to a bishopric be- AGE, CANONICAL. The Church, like
fore he was capable of governing it. the State, fixes certain ages at which her
The name is commonly applied to a subjects become capable of incurring spe-
priest in charge of a parish, but who is cial obligations, enjoying special privi-
not himself the rector of the parish. leges, of entering on special states of life,
Thus, a bishop's parish is under the care or of holding office and dignity. The fol-
of an administrator. lowing is a summary of the principal de-
ADOPTION. The Roman law held that terminations regarding age, so far as they
by adoption a civil or legal kindred was affect (1) the ordinary life of a Christian,
established between the parties, which in (2) the ecclesiastical and religious state.
many respects had the same effects as It must be observed that the canonical
natural kindred. To this as a general age is reckoned from the day of birth, not
principle the canon law adhered. But from that of bajitism.
since, in proportion to the degree in which I. With regard to ordinary Christians.
the adoptive was assimilated to the real The age of reason is generally supposed to
relationship, impediments to marriage begin about the seventh year, though of
were multiijlied, it became necessary in course it may come earlier in some cases,
the interest of Christian society to restrict later in others. At that time a child be-
the effects of adoption within reasonable comes capable of mortal sin, and so of re-
limits. ceiving the sacraments of penance and ex-
ADVENT, SEASON OF. The period, treme unction, which are the remedies for
of between three and four weeks from post-baptismal sin. The Holy Eucharist
Advent Sunday (which is always the Sun- and Confirmation, according to the disci-
dav nearest to the feast of St. Andrew) pline of the Church, are usually given,
to Christmas eve, is named by the Church some time after the use of reason has
the season of Advent. During it she de- been attained, when the child has re-
sires that ier children should practise ceived some instruction in Christian doc-
trine, and is able to understand the na- AGNUS DEI. A prayer in the Mass,
ture of these sacraments. Further, at which occurs shortly before the commun-
seven years of age, a child becomes sub- ion
— "Lamb of God, who takest away the
ject to the law of the Church (e. g. with sins of the world, have mercy on us.
regard to abstinence, Sunday Mass, &c.), Lamb of God, who takest away the sins
and can contract an engagement of mar- of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of
riage. God, &c., give us peace."

The age of puberty begins in the case ALB. A vestment of white linen,
of males at fourteen, in that of females reaching from head to foot and with
Marriages contracted by per- sleeves, which the priest puts on before
at twelve.
sons under these ages is null and void. saying Mass, with the prayer —"Make me
Till theage of puberty is reached, no one white, Lord, and cleanse me," &c. It
can be required to take an oath. , sprang under-garment the

from the
At twenty-one, the obligation of fast- tunic of the Romans and Greeks, which
ing begins; it ceases, according to the was usually white, although alba does not
common opinion, at sixty. occur as a technical term for the white
2. With regard to religious and eccle- tunic till nearly the end of the third cen-
siastics. —
At seven, a person may be ton- tury.
sured. No special age is named in the ALLELUIA. From two Hebrew words
canon law for the reception of minor united by a hj'phen, meaning "praise
orders. A subdeacon must have completed Jah," or "praise the Lord." It occurs
his twenty-first, a deacon his twenty-sec- frequently in the last fifty psalms, but
ond, a priest his twenty-fourth, and a nowhere else in the Old Testament, ex-
bishop his thirtieth year. A cannot cleric cept Tobias, c. 13.
hold a simple benefice before entering on ALL SAINTS. As early as the fourth
his fourteenth year; an ecclesiastical centurj', theGreeks kept on the first Sun-
dignity —
e. g. a canonry in a cathedral day after Pentecost the feast of all mar-
—
church till he has completed his twenty- tyrs and saints, and we still possess a ser-
second year; a benefice with cure of souls mon of St. Chrysostom delivered on that
attached to it, before he has begun his day.
twenty-fifth year; a diocese, till he has About 731 Gregory III. consecrated a
completed his thirtieth year. chapel in St. Peter's Church in honor of
A religious cannot make his profession all from which time All Saints'
the saints,
till he is at least sixteen years old, and Day has been kept in Rome, as now, on the
has passed a year in the noviciate. He first of November. From about the mid-
must be thirty years of age before he can dle of the ninth century, the feast came
hold a prelacy which involves quasi- into general observance throughout the
episcopal jurisdiction. must be overA girl Church. It ranks as a double of the fii-st
twelve years of age before she assumes class with an octave.
the religious habit. A woman under forty ALL SOULS' DAY. A solemn com-
cannot be chosen religious superior of a memoration and prayer for, all the
of,
convent, unless it is impossible to find in souls in which the Church

Purgatory,
the order a religious of the age required, makes on the second of November.
and otherwise In this ease, a
suitable. ALMS, originally a work of mercy,
may be chosen
religious thirty years old spiritual or temporal, and then used to de-
with the consent of the bishop or other note material gifts bestowed on the poor.
superior. ALMONER. An ecclesiastic at the
court of a king, or prince, or in a noble "truly," "certainly." It is preserved in

mansion, having the charge of the distri- its original form by the New Testament
bution of alms. writers, and by the Church in her Liturgy.

ALTAH. The Hebrew word which is According to Benedict XIV., it indicates
usually translated "altar," means a assent to a truth, or it is the expression
place of sacrifice." of a desire, and equivalent to "so be it."
The name occurs in early Christian AMICE. Called also "humeral." A
writers. "There is one flesh," says St. piece of fine linen, oblong in shape, which
Ignatius, the disciple of St. John, "one the priest who is to say Mass rests for a
flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one moment on his head and then spreads on
chalice union with His blood, one
for his shoulders, reciting the prayer —"Place
altar, as one bishop." So Tertullian de- on my head, Lord, the helmet of salva-
scribes Christians as standing at the "al- tion," &c.
tar of God"; and the same word "altar" ANATHEMA. Anything devoted or
is used in the Apostolic Constitutions and given over to anathema sit
evil, so that '
'
'
in the ancient liturgies. means, "let him be accursed." St. Paul at

ALTAK^BREADS are round particles the end of 1 Corinthians pronounces this
made of fine wheaten flour, specially pre- anathema on all who do not love our
pared for consecration Mass.
in the blessed Savior.The Church has used the
ALTAR-CARDS. As mentioned under phrase "anathema sit" from the earliest
Altar, the rubric requires that an altar- times with reference to those whom she
card be placed in the centre under the excludes from her commimion either be-
crucifix; custom has introduced two oth- cause of moral offences or because they
ers, one on each side, the object of all persist in heresy. Thus one of the ear-
three being to aid the priest's memory, liest councils —that of Elvira, held in 306
should it fail at any time during the cele- — decrees its fifty-second canon that
in
bration of Mass, though he is expected to those whoplaced libellous writings in the
have the prayers committed to memory. church should be anathematised; and the
The centre card contains the "Gloria in First General Council anathematised those
exeelsis, " the "Credo," the Offertory who held Arian heresy.
the General
' '
prayers, the ' Qui pridie, ' or beginning of councils then have usually given
since
the Canon, theform of consecration, the solemnity to their decrees on articles of
prayer Communion, and the
before faith by appending an Anathema.
"Placeat," or last prayer. That at the Neither St. Paul nor the Church of God
Epistle side contains the prayer said while ever wished a soul to be damned. In pro-
putting the water into the chalice, and nouncing anathema against wilful heret-
the "Lavabo, " said at the washing of ics, the Church does but declare that they
the fingers. That at the Gospel side con- are excluded from her communion, and
tains the prologue of St. John's Gospel that they must, if they continue obstinate,
(i. 1-14). perish eternally.
ALTAR-CLOTHS. The rubrics of the ANGEL. The word means messenger,
Missal require three white cloths to be and is applied in a wide sense to priests,
placed on the altar, or two cloths of prophets, or to the Messias as sent by
which one is doubled. They must be God. Specially, however, it is used as
blessed by the bishop, or by a priest with the name of spiritual beings, created by
special faculties. God, but superior in nature to man.
AMEN, A Hebrew word signifying ANGELS, FEAST OF. Since the fifth
century churches were dedicated to the fact that God the Son was to be born
holy angels. There was a famous appari- of Mary —but at the very moment in
tion of St. Michael on Mount Garganus, which the fact was announced it actually
an event which Baronius places in the took place; so that, in commemorating tha
year 493; and this apparition gave occa- "Annunciation," we really commemorate
sion to the feast of St. Michael which the Incarnation of God the "Word.
the Church keeps on September 29, and ANTEPENDIUM. " P a 11 i u m, " or
which is mentioned in the martyrologies frontal, varying in color according to the
of SS. Jerome, Bede, and others, as the season, and is to be placed on the altar.
Dedication of St. Michael. ANTIPHON. The word signifies "al-

ternate utterance." St. Ignatius, one of
ANGELICALS. An order of nuns, fol-
the Apostolic Fathers, is believed to have
lowing the rule of St. Augustine, founded
first instituted the method of alternate
by Luigia di Torelli, Countess of Gua-
chanting bj' two choirs, at Antioch.
stalla, about 1530. She had been married
twice, but being left a second time a
APOCRYPHA. The early Fathers
used apocrypha to denote the forged books
widow when only twenty-five years of
by heretics, borrowing, perhaps, the
age, she resolved to devote the rest of
name from the heretics themselves, who
her life and her large fortune to the ser-
vaunted the " apocrj^phal " or "hidden"
vice of God.
She founded her convent at Milan.
first
wisdom of these writings. Later e. g. —
in the "Prologus galeatus" of Jerome-=
Her religious took the name of Angeli-
apocryphal is used in a milder sense to
cals in order to remind themselves when-
mark simply that a book is not in the
ever they uttered it of the purity of the
recognized canon of Scripture; and Pope
angels. Every member adopts the name
Gelasius, in a decree of 494, uses the
of "Angelica," prefijting it to that of a
— term apocryphal in a very wide manner
patron saint and her family name e. g.
of heretical forgeries; of books like the
"Angelica Maria Anna di Gonzaga."
"Shepherd of Hermas," revered by the
Their constitutions were drawn up by
ancients, but not a part of Scripture;
St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of
works by early Christian writers (Arno-
Milan.
bius, Cassian, &c.) who had erred on
ANGELUS. By this name is denoted some points of doctrine.
the practice of honoring God at morning, The name is now usually reserved by
noon, and evening, by saying three Hail Catholics for books, laying claim to an
Mai-y's, after reciting each of the an- origin which might entitle them to a
gels' salutations, to express the Chris-
place in the canon, or which have been
tian's rejoicing trust in the mystery of supposed to be Scripture, but which have
the Incarnation. been finally rejected by the Church. In
ANNIVERSAKY. An "anniversary" the Old Testament the most important
is delined as "that which is done for a apocryphal books are —3 and 4 Esdras,
deceased person on the expiration of a both of which are cited by early writers
j'ear from the day of death," and is espe- as Scripture, the latter being also used
cially understood of the celebration of in the Missal and Breviary; 3 and 4 Ma-
Mass for the benefit of the soul. chabees; the prayer of Manasses, which
ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED is found in Greek MSS. of the Old Tes-
VIRGIN. The word signifies "declara- tament, and is often printed, in a Latin
tion," or "announcement" — i. e., of the version, in the appendix to the Vulgate;
the book of Enoch (Jude 14), which cial popularity in the Church, and -exer-
Tertullian regarded as authentic (it only cised amarked influence on Catholic
exists at present in an Ethiopic version); literature. A number of apocryphal Gos-
a 151st Psalm attributed to David, -which pels treat of the infancy and youth of
is found in Greek MSS., and in the our Lord, and of the history of his
Syriae, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions of blessed Mother and foster-father. Among
the Psalms ; eighteen psalms attributed these the "Proteyangelium of James"
to Solomon, written originally, accord- holds the first place. It describes the
ing to some scholars, in Hebrew, accord- early history of Mary, our Lord's birth
ing to others, in Greek. at Bethlehem, and the history of the wise
There is a great mass of New Testa- men from the East. This gospel was
ment apocryphal literature. Some books, much used by the Greek Fathers; por-
such as the "Epistle of Barnabas," the tions of it were read publicly in the East-
two "Epistles of Clement," the "Shep- ern Church, and it was translated into
herd of Hennas," may in a certain Arabic and Coptic. It was prohibited for
sense be called apocryphal, because, a time among the Latins, but even in the
though not really belonging to Scripture, West it was much used during the middle
they were quoted as such by ancient ages. Other Gospels, such as the Arabic
writers, or were inserted in MSS. of the "Gospel of the Infant Savior," contain
New Testament. Some other books men- legendary miracles of our Lord's infancy.
—
tioned by Eusebius viz. the "Acts of We have a second class of apocrj'phal
Paul," the "Apocalypse of Peter," the Gospels which treat of the Passion and
"Teachings of the Apostles" seem to Resurrection of Christ. Of this class is
have belonged to this better class of apoc- the "Gospel of Nicodemus." It is prob-
ryphal literature. Besides these, Eusebius ably of very late origin, but itwas a
mentions apociyphal books in circulation favorite book in the middle ages. The
among heretics — viz. the "Gospels" of Greek text still exists, but it was also
Peter, Thomas, Matthias; the "Acts" of circulated, before the invention of print-
Andrew, John, and the rest of the Apos- ing, in Latin, Anglo-Saxon, German, and
tles. Fragments remain of the ancient French. Closely connected with this Gos-
Gospels "according to the Hebrews"; pel are a number of documents which
"of the Nazarenes," "according to the have sprung from very ancient but spuri-
Egyptians," of the preaching and Apoc- ous "Acts of Pilate." These ancient
alypse of Peter, &c., which have been re- Acts which were known to Justin and
peatedly edited. Tertullian, have perished, but they called
A great number of later forgeries have forth several imitations which still sur-
been edited bv Fabricius, by Thilo, "Co- vive. The one which is best known is a
dex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti," 1831, letter of Lentulus to the Roman senate
of which work only the first volume, con- describing the personal appearance of our
taining the apocryphal Gospels, appeared; Lord. It is a forgery of the middle ages.
and by Tischendorf ("Evangelia Apoc- Fui-ther, apociyphal literature is rich
rvnha," 1876, second edition enlarged; in "Acts of the Aoostles," and here, as
"Acta Apostolorum Apoci-ypha," 1851; in the apocryphal Gospels, we find early
"Apocrjiihal Apocalypses," 1866). This but spurious Acts, revised and enlarged,
is not the place to attempt an enumera- and so originating fresh forgeries. Thus
tion of these apocryphal books, but we the "Acts of Paul and Thecla," in their
may mention some which enjoyed a spe- existing form, are the recension of a very
early work — forged as early at least as sarily give a priest power
hear confes- to
Tertiillian's time. The fullest of all sions in his he pro-
diocese, because
these "Acts" is the "Historia Certami- nounces him fit to do so, though in fact
nis Apostoloi-um. " It can scarcely be a bishop always or almost always gives
older than the ninth century, but it is of a secular priest jurisdiction at the time
considerable value, because the author he approves him. This approbation by
has made diligent use of earlier Acts, the bishop, or one who has quasi-episco-
some of which have perished. pal jurisdiction, needed for the valid-
is
Of apocryphal Epistles we have, among ity of absolution given by a secular priest,

others, a letter of St. Paul to the Laodi- unless the said priest has a parochial ben-
ceans (only existing in Latin), which, efice. The bishop who approves must be
though rejected by Jerome, was accepted the bishop of the place in which the con-
as canonical by many great Latin theolo- fession is heard and this approbation
gians of a later day, won a place in many may be limited as to time, place, and cir-
copies of the Latin Bible, and for more cumstances.
than nine centuries "hovered about the Regulars, in order to confess members
doors of the sacred canon." We may of their own order, require the approval
also mention a letter of St. Paul to the of their superiors; to confess seculars,
Corinthians, and another of the Corinthi- that of the bishop of the diocese.
ans to St. Paul (both only in Armenian) ARCHBISHOP. The teims "arch-
letters supposed to have passed between bishop" and "metropolitan" have the
St. Paul and Seneca (known to Jerome same meaning, except that the latter im-
and Augustine); spurious letters of the plies the existence of suffragans, whereas
Blessed Virgin, to St. Ignatius, to the in- there may be archbishops without suf-
habitants of Messina, &c. &c. fragans.
APOSTASY. An apostate from the ASCENSION, FEAST OF. Commem-
faith is one who wholly abandons the oration of the Ascension of Christ in
faith of Christ, and joins himself to some Heaven.
other law, such as Judaism, Islam, Paga- ASCETICAL THEOLOGY. A name
nism, or any form of false belief. given to the science which treats of vir-
APOSTLE. Signifies one who is sent. tue and perfection and the means by
The name is given in the New Testa- which they are to be attained. Mystical
ment first of all to the twelve whom our theology deals with extraordinary states
Lord chose. "The names of the twelve of prayer and union with God.
apostles," St. Matthew says, "are these: ASH WEDNESDAY. The first day,
the first, Simon," &c. But it is by no according to our present observance, of
means restricted to them Matthias and :
the forty days' fast of Lent.
Paul were of course Apostles, though not ASPERGES. A name given to the
of the twelve; so was Barnabas. sprinkling of the altar, clergy, and people
APOSTOLIC PATHERS. A name with holy water at the beginning of High
given to the Christian authors who wrote Mass by the celebrant. The name is
in the age succeeding that of the Apos- taken from the words, "Asperges me,"
tles. "Thou shalt wash me, Lord, with hj-s-
APPROBATION. The formal judg- sop, " &e., with which the priest begins
ment of a prelate, that a priest is fit to the ceremony. During the Easter season
hear confessions. It does not involve the antiphon "Vidi aquam" is substi-
jurisdiction — i. e. a bishop does not neces- tuted.

ASSUMPTION. After the death of AVE MARIA. A familiar prayer,

her divine Son the Blessed Virgin lived called also the Angelical Salutation, and
under the care of St. John. The common which is recited at certain times of day,
tradition of the Church represents her as especially morning, noon and sunset.
having died at Jerusalem. Her exemp-
tion from sin original and actual did not B
prevent her paying this common debt of
BALDACCHINO. A canopy, such as
humanity. The very fact that she had often suspended
is over the high-altar,
received a passible nature rendered her
usually hanging from the roof of the
liable to death.
eluireh, though sometimes, as at Rome, it
ATTRITIOK, as distinct from contri-
rests on four pillars.
tion, is an imperfect sorrow for sin. Con-
BAKNS. The proclamation of intended
trition is that sorrow for sin which has
marriage, in order that if anyone is aware
for its motive the love of God whom the
of an impediment, he may state it to the
sinner has offended. Attrition arises
ecclesiastical authorities, and so prevent
from a motive which is indeed supernat-
the celebration of the wedding.
ural—that is to say, apprehended by
faith — but which still falls short of con-
BAPTISM. A spiritual meaning was
given to baptism by St. John the Baptist,
trition. —
Such motives are the fear of
who baptised or immersed his disciples in
hell, the loss of heaven, the turpitude of
the Jordan, to signify the repentance and
sin. By this last, we understand the tur-
renewal by which the whole man was to
pitude of sin as revealed by faith. We
be cleansed and purified. The Talmud of
may also, for the sake of clearness, ex-
elude from our definition that kind of Babylon mentions a baptism of Jewish
sorrow which makes a man renounce sin proselytes, but it is impossible to say
because he is afraid of hell, while at the when this rite arose. In any ease, it is
same time he would be ready to offend certain that when our Lord made baptism
God if he could do so without incurring the rite of initiation into His Church, He
the penalty. employed a symbolism already familiar to
AUGUSTINIAN ORDER. The Order the Jews. But Christ exalted the act to a
originated in a union of several congre- dignity beyond the baptism of John,
gations in 12G5 by the direction of Pope changing the "baptism of penance" into
Alexander IV. the sacrament of regeneration.
These congregations had their origin BAPTISMAL NAME. name given A
from a Council held in Aix-La-Chapelle in baptism, to signify that the baptised
in 816. They adopted the rule of life person has become a new creature in
laid down by St. Augustine in a treatise Christ. The Ritual forbids heathenish
entitled "De Moribus Clerieorum" and names, and advises, though it does not
in conformity with his 109th letter, and enjoin, the taking of a saint's name.
the general spirit of his teaching. The BAPTISMAL WATER. Water blessed
rule applied to men as well as women in the font on Holy
Saturday and the
who had entered a religious career. Their vigil of Pentecost, which must be used at
houses became very numerous
soon least in solemn baptism. The priest signs
throughout Europe and the Augustinian the water with the cross, divides it with
Order has at present many flourishing his hand, pouring it towards the north,
communities in various parts of the south, east and west; breathes into it, and
world. places in it the paschal candle, after
which some of it is sprinkled ou the peo- Sacraments." In 1533 the foundation of
ple and some removed for private use. such a congregation, under a special rule
The priest then pours oil of catechumens approved by the Holy See, was sanc-
and chrism into the water. tioned by Clement VII. The members
BAPTISTERY. That part of the pronounced their vows before the Arch-
church in which solemn baptism is ad- bishop of Milan, and chose Zaccaiia for
ministered. It should be railed off, have their superior. The order soon spread
a gate fastened by a lock, and be intoFiance and Geimany. In 1579 their
adorned, if possible, with a picture of constitutions were examined by St.
Christ's baptism of St. John. It is con- Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan,
venient that it should contain a chest with protector of the congTegation, and being
two compartments, one for the holy oils, approved by him were finally confiiined.
the other for the salt and candle used in They called, and still call, their estab-
baptism. lishments colleges. They are governed
BAENABITES. The proper designa- by a General residing at Rome, elected
tion of the religious of this order is that for three years, and capable of re-election
of "Regular Clerks of the Congregation once. Besides the three usual vows they
of St. Paul"; they are popularly called take a fourth, never to seek any office
Barnabites on account of a church of St. or ecclesiastical dignity, and to accept
Barnabas at Milan which belonged to no post outside of their order without the
them in the sixteenth century. Their permission of the Pope. The habit is
principal founder was St. Antonio Maria merely the black soutane which was worn
Zaccaria (who died 1539) with him were ;
by secular priests in Lombardy at the
joined Bartolommeo Ferrari and Giacomo time of their foundation. Their princi-
Antonio Morigena. The frequent wars pal house is at Rome.
by which the north of Italy had been de- BASILIANS. This order takes its
vastated; the influx of Lutheran soldiers, name from the great St. Basil (died 379),
whose example tended to propagate a bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. On
spirit of contempt for the sacraments and his return to his own country after a
the clergy; and the frequency of pesti- long journey through Egypt, Palestine
lential disorders caused by the famine and Mesopotamia — made that he might
and misery of the population, had pro- collect the experience of monks and soli-
duced, about 1530, a state of things which taries living under many different rules
powerfully appealed to the charity and — Basil, still thirsting for the perfect life
pity of the true pastors of Jesus Christ. in which self should be subdued and
It occurred to Zaccaria that a better way union with Christ attained, withdrew into
of combating these evils could not be a desert region of Pontus, where his
found than by organizing a congregation mother Emelia and his sister Macrina
of secular clergy, not going out of the had already established monasteries, and
world but living in it and working for it, laid the foundation of the great order
and bound by a rule — that is, diligently which bears his name. To those who
attending to their own sanctification placed themselves under his direction he
while preaching reformation to others, gave two rules, the Great and the Little
"who should regenerate and revive the — the former containing fifty-five, the
love of the divine worship and a truly latter three hundred and thirteen articles.
Christian way of life by frequent preach- This twofold rule became so famous and
ing and the faithful administration of the popular in the East as to supplant all
others; and at this day it alone is rec- matins, and at the end of Mass instead
ognized and followed by the monks of of Ite, Missa est on days when the Gloria
the Greek Church. In southern Italy in excelsis is not said.
there were many Basilian convents, in BENEDICTINES. The founder of
existence before the time of St. Benedict, monks in the West, St. Benedict, having
who regarded both and its author
the rule first established his order at Subiaco in
with great and appears to
veneration, the vicinity of Rome removed it to Monte
have had it before him when framing his Cassino in 529. The rule which he com-
own rule. The habit of the Basilians is piled for his monks was regarded as re-
scarcely to be distinguished from that of plete with wisdom, and dictated by a
the Benedictines. marvelous insight into human nature,
BASILICA. This name began to be neither prescribing to all an asceticism
applied to Christian churches about the only possible to a few, nor erring on the
beginning of the fourth century. The side of laxity. It regulated with great
earlier expressions were "house of pray- minuteness the mode of celebrating the
er," "oratory," and "Lord's house," divine office at the canonical hours; and
besides the term "ecclesia," or a fine eschewing all idleness, ordered that the
stately building. monks, when not employed in the divine
BEATIFIC VISION. The sight of God praises, or in taking necessary food and
face to face, which constitutes the essen- rest, should engage themselves in useful
tial bliss of angels and men. works, either manual labor, or study, or
BEATITUDE, or bliss, is defined by copying books, or teaching. Every mon-
St. Thomas as that perfect good which astery was to have a librai-y, and every
completely appeases and satisfies the ap- monk was to possess a pen and tablets.
petite. God alone can constitute man's The clothing, of which the prevailing
perfect bliss, for man's will seeks the colorwas black, was to vary in material
fulness of all good, and this cannot be and warmth at the discretion of the ab-
found except in God. Had man been bots, according to the exigencies of dif-
left without grace, then he would have ferent climates and circumstances. A
found his natural beatitude in knowing singular clause in the rule, and one which
God most perfectly as the author of na- was fruitful in results, was that which
ture, and in adhering to Him by natural ordered that persons whatever, wdth-
all
love, sweetly and constantly. He would out distinction of age, rank, or calling,
have attained this happiness, after pass- should be admissible to the order of St.
ing successfully through his probation in Benedict. If parents offered a son to the
this mortal life. As it is, man has been service of God in a monastery, even if
raised to a supernatural state, and his he were but a boy of five years old, the
bliss consists in God, seen face to face monks were to receive and take full
in the heavenly country. charge of him. Thus Beda was taken
BEATITUDES, THE EIGHT.
The when only seven years old, and Orderic,
blessings pronouncedby our Lord at the the historian of Normandy, was commit-
beginning of the Sermon on the Mount ted by his father in his tenth year. Out
(Matt. V. 3-10). In the so-called Sermon of this practice of offering j'oung boys
on the Plain (Luke vi. 17-22). to the monasteries a great system of
BENEDICAMUS DOMINO, i. e., "Let monastic schools very soon arose.
us bless the Lord," a form used in the St. Maur, a disciple of St. Benedict,
breviary at the end of each hour except founded the first Benedictine monastery
ill France, during his master's lifetime, at jecting corners rising from its crown,
Glanfeiiil, near Angers. The order was in- There usually a tassel in the middle
is
troduced into Spain about 633. The mon- where the corners meet. It is worn by
astery on Monte Cassino was destroyed by a priest as he approaches the altar to say
the Lombards towards the end of the Mass, and by ecclesiastics in general.
sixth century, and the monks sought ref- BIBLE. A
letter or paper. A name
uge at Rome, where Pope Gregory gave given to the sacred books of the Jews
them St. Andrew's Church. The Benedic- and the Christians. In itself "Bible"
tine abbot of St. Andrew's was the person might mean a book of whatever kind,
chosen by the Pope to head the mission just as its synonym "Scriptures" means
which he sent to the Court of Etlielbert, originally writings of any sort. Gradu-
and he will be remembered through all ally the Jews who spoke Greek employed
time as St. Augustin, the Apostle of Eng- the word "Bible" as a convenient name
land. Benedictine monks from England for their sacred books.
—St. Willibrord (699) and St. Boniface The Church holds that the sacred
(750) —introduced Christianity in the Scripture is the written word of God.
Low Countries and the Rhineland. It is The Council of Trent, "following the ex-
said that a calculation having been made ample of the orthodox Fathers, receives
in the first half of the fourteenth century, with piety and reverence all the books of
it was found that up to that time twenty- the Old and New Testament, since one
four Popes, two hundred cardinals, seven God is the author of each." These words
thousand archbishops, fifteen thousand of the council, which are an almost ver-
bishops, and a still greater number of bal repetition of many early definitions,
saints, had been given to the Church by separate the Bible utterly from all other
the Benedictine Order. books. Of no human composition, how-
In 1618 the Benedictine House of St. ever excellent, can it be said that God is
Maur by its and his-
colossal patristic its author. And the divine origin of
torical labors, by such men as
directed Scripture implies its perfect truth. We
Mabillon, Martene, Ruinart, Rivet, and know for certain, St. Irensus argues,
D'Aehfery, rendered incalculable services that the Scriptures are perfect, since they
to the learned world. Two such works are spoken by the Word of God and by
as the "France Littferaire" and the the Spirit. Some few Catholic theologi-
"Recueil dea Historiens," if they had ans have, indeed, maintained that the
accomplished nothing else, would entitle Scriptures may err in small matters
the congregation to the gratitude of all of historical detail which in no way
men of letters. At the present time the affect faith or morals. Nor in doing
Benedictine Order is following up its old so do they contradict any express defini-
civilizing and colonizing energv in behalf tion of Pope or council, though such
of humanity. an opinion has never obtained any cur-
BENEFICE. An ecclesiastical benefice rency in the Church. But of course the
is a perpetual right, established by the modern theories which reduce the his-
Church in favor of an ecclesiastical per- torical accounts of the Bible to mere
son, of receiving the profits of Church myths, or again which, while they allow
property, on account of the discharge, by that the Scripture contains the word of
such person, of a spiritual ofiSce. God, deny that it is the written word of
BERRETTA- A square cap with three God, are in sharp and obvious contradic-
or sometimes four prominences or pro- tion to the decrees of the Churci
The Church affirms that all Scripture sum of Christian truth. In 1898 Pope
is the word of God, but at the same time Leo Xni. granted indulgences to those
it maintains that there is an unwritten who devoutly read the Scriptures.
word of God over and above Scripture. BISHOP. A bishop a person who is is
Just as Catholics are bound to defend consecrated and given a spiritual jurisdic-
the authority of the Bible against tion, and generally the government of a
those who have come to treat it as Diocese.
an ordinary book, so they are compelled BISHOP AUXILIARY. When a bishop
to reject exaggeration, on the other is unable, for various reasons, to perform
side, according to which the word of God all the functions required by his office,
is contained in Scripture and in Scrip- it is usual to assign to him a titular bishop
ture alone. The word of God (so the to assist him. This auxiliary bishop, as
Council of Trent teaches) is contained such, has no jurisdiction; he only per-
both in the Bible and in Apostolical tra- foi-ms those things which belong to the
dition, and it is the duty of a Christian episcopal office and order. He may, how-
to receive the one and the other with ever, be nominated by the bishop as vicar
equal veneration and respect. The whole general; in which ease he has the right tc
history and the whole structure of the exercise jurisdiction.
New Testament witness to the truth and
BISHOP IN PARTIBUS INFIDE-
reasonableness of the Catholic view. If
LIUM. A bishop consecrated to a see
our Lord had meant His Church to be
which formerly existed, but which has
guided by a book and by a book alone.
been, chiefly through the devastations of
He would have taken care that Chris-
the followers of Mahomet, lost to Chris-
tians should be at once provided with
tendom. Such a bishop may also be de-
sacred books. As a matter of fact He scribed as a "Titular" bishop.
did nothing of the kind. He refers those
who were embrace His doctrine not to
to
BISHOP, SUFFRAGAN. This name is
given to a bishop in an ecclesiastical prov-
a book, but to the living voice of His
ince, relatively to the metropolitan in
Apostles and of His Church. "He who
heareth you," He said to the Apostles,
whose province he Also to a titular
is.
"heareth me." For twenty years after bishop or bishop in partibus who is exer-
cising the pontifical functions and ordi-
our Lord's Ascension, not a single book
nations for the ordinary bishop whom he
of the New Testament was written, and
all that time no Christian could appeal,
has been in^-ited to assist.
as many do now, to the Bible and the BLESSING-, in its most general sense,
Bible only, for the simple reason that the a form of praj-er begging the favor of
New Testament did not exist, and the God for the persons blessed. God is the
faithful were evidently called upon to source of all His blessing, but certain per-
believe many truths for which no strict sons have special authority to bless in His
and cogent proofs could be brought from name, so that this blessing is more than a
the pages of the Jewish Scriptures. Fur- mere prayer; it actually conveys God's
ther, when the writings of the New Tes- blessing to those who are fit to receive it.
tament were issued, they appeared one Thus in the old law God said of the sons
by one, in order to meet special exigen- of Aaron, '
' They shall invoke my name on
cies, nor is the least hint given that the the children of Israel, and I will bless
Apostles or their disciples provided that them;" and Christ said to his disciples,
their writings should contain the whole "Into whatsoever house you enter, first
say: Peace be to this house: and, if the CANON or THE MASS. That part
son of peace be there, your peace shall of the Mass which begins after the "Sanc-
rest upon him." Accordingly, the Church tus" with the prayer "Te igitur," and
provides for the solemn blessing of her ends, according to some, just before the
children by the hands of her ministers. "Pater noster," according to others, with
BREVXAHY. A Book containing an the consumption of the Sacred Species.
abridgement of psalms, antiphons, re- The name Canon is given to this part of
sponses, metrical hymns, selected parts of the Mass because it contains the fixed rule
Holy Scripture, extracts from the works according to which the Sacrifice of the
of the Fathers and from the lives of the New Testament is to be offered.
Saints. CANONIZATION. To pay honor to
BEIEF. A papal Brief is a letter is- the dead whom the general voice of the
sued by the Sovereign Pontiff at Rome, Church declares to have lived saintly lives.
written on parchment in modern

tine CANTATE SUNDAY. A name given to
characters, subscribed by the Pope's Sec- the fourth Sunday after Easter, from the
retai^y of Briefs, and sealed with the introit of the Mass, which begins with the
Pope's signet-ring, the seal of the Fish- words "Sing to the Lord a new song."
erman. CAPUCHINS. A reform of the Fran-
BULL. A Papal Bull is so named from ciscan order instituted by Matteo di Bassi
the bulla (or round leaden seal, having

of Urbino, who, being an Observantine
Franciscan at Monte Falco, and having
on one side a representation of SS. Peter
convinced himself that the capuche or
and Paul, and on the other the name of
cowl worn by St. Francis was different in
the reigning Pope), which is attached to
shape from that worn by the friars of
the document (by a silken cord, if it be
his own time, adopted a long pointed
a "Bull of Grace," and by one of hemp
cowl, according to what he conceived to
if a "Bull of Justice") and gives au-
be the original form. In 1526 he ob-
thenticity to it.
tained the consent of Pope Clement VII.
BURSE. A square ease into which the
to the wearing of this habit by himself
priest puts the corporal which is to be
and his companions, with the further
used in Mass.
permission to live the life of hermits,
and preach the gospel in every country,
on condition that once in each year they
should present themselves at the general
CALENDAR, ECCLESIASTICAL. An chapter, wherever it might be held, of the
arrangement, founded on the Julian-Gre- Observantine friars. Matteo began here-
gorian determinations of the civil year, upon to preach publicly in the Marchie of
marking the days set apart for particular Ancona; but the provincial of the Observ-
religious celebration. antines, hearing of it, treated him as an
CANON LAW. From the earliest times apostate friar and threw him into prison.
the determinations of the Church received He was released through the interference
the name of Canons —that is, rules direc- of the Duchess of Camerino, the Pope's
tory in matters of faith and conduct. niece; and he, with two zealous followers,
Canon Law is the assemblage of rules or Louis and Raphael of Fossombrone, took
laws relating to faith, morals, and dis- refuge for a time with the Camaldulese
cipline, prescribed or propounded to Chris- in their convent at Massaccio. They were
tians by ecclesiastical authority. also kindly treated by the Conventual
branch of their order, and a bull was ing. This belief in the possible succes-
finally obtained from the Pope in 1528, sion of a long line of saintly anchorites
authorizing the union which Matteo and was gradually merged in thefixed persua-
his companions had entered into with the sion that
very order of Onr Lady
the
Conventuals, sanctioning' for them the of Mount Carmel, such as it was in the
hermit life, and allowing them to wear thirteenth and following centuries, had
beards and to use the long-pointed ca- existed there in unbroken continuity,
puche from which they have derived their keeping the three vows, and with heredi-
name. After this the order grew with tary succession, from the time of Elias.
great rapidity, and it has produced down The rule given to the order by the
to the present time numbers of men emi- patriarch Albert was in sixteen articles.
nent for every Christian virtue, great It forbade the possession of property;
preachers, and accomplished scholars. ordered that each hermit should live in a
CARMELITES, ORDER OF. In the cell by himself; interdicted meat alto-
middle of the twelfth century a crusader gether; recommended manual labor and
named Berthold vowed at the commence- silence; and imposed a strict fast from
ment of a battle that if by the mercy of the Exaltation of the Cross (Sept. 14)
God his side was victorious, he would em- to Easter, Sundays being excepted.
brace the religious life. The victory was The progress of the Mohammedan
won, and Berthold became a monk in power in Palestine, after the illusory
Calabria. Soon after he left Italy, and treaty entered into by the Emperor Fred-
repairing to Mount Carmel (1156) that — eric II. in 1229 with the Sultan Kameel,
mountain, so conspicuous and so beauti- made it more and more difficult for Chris-
ful, which juts out into the sea to the tians to live there in peace; and under
south of Acre —
took up his abode there. their fifth general, Alan of Brittany, they
Evei-yone knows the connection of Carmel abandoned Carmel and established them-
with some of the leading incidents of the selves in Cyprus (1238) and other places.
prophet's life (3 Kings xviii; 4 Kings After passing into Europe they found it
iv). A cavern near the summit was then necessary to live in common, and no
shown as the habitation of Elias, and the longer as hermits. This, with other miti-
ruins of a spacious monastery, the history gations of the primitive rule,
was sanc-
of which unknown, covered the ground.
is tioned by Innocent IV., who confirmed
Berthold found hermits living on the them in 1247 under the title of Friars
mountain when he arrived there, attracted of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Their
by the peculiar sanctity which the resi- habit was originally striped, but ulti-
dence of the great prophet had conferred mately the dress by which they are so
on the spot; these appear to have joined well known, the brown habit with white
him, and to have accepted along with him cloak and scapular, was adopted. Many
and his immediate followers the rule distinguished men and eminent ecclesias-
which was framed for them in 1209 by tics have worn their habit.
Albert, patriarch of Jerusalem. These The glories of the order are due to the
hermits may have had a long line of pre- heroic virtue of a woman, St. Teresa.
decessors, nor is there any historical or Carmelite nuns had first been instituted
moral impossibility in the assumption by John Soreth, general of the order in
that holy men had lived on the mountain the fifteenth century. St. Teresa lived
without interruption days of
since the for many years in the convent of Avila,
Elias, although positive evidence is want- which was under the mitigated observ-
ance. Amidst gi-eat obstacles, she car- Church from Septuagesima onwards as-
ried out her object of introducing a resumes the garb of penance, and prepares
form among the nuns by returning to the her children, by the saddened tone of her
ancient rigor of the rule. She thus be- office, for the Lenten season. But the pleas-
came the founder of the Discalced Car- ures of the Carnival easily degenerate into
melite nuns. Nor did her zeal stop here, riot, and the Church therefore specially
but extended a refonnation of
itself to encourages pious exercises at this time.
the friars, in which also, aided by the In 1556 the Jesuits at Macerati intro-
counsel of St. Peter of Alcantara, and duced the custom of exposing the Blessed
the labors and suiferings of St. John of Sacrament during the Carnival. This
the Cross, who joined the new order, she devotion spread through the Church, and
was completely successful. At the time Clement XIII., in 1765, granted a ple-
of her death, in 1582, she had assisted nary indulgence on certain conditions to
in the foundation of seventeen reformed those who take part in it.
convents for women and fifteen for men. CARTHUSIANS, ORDER OF. The
The Discalced Carmelites, whose insti- founder of this order was St. Bruno, in
tute rapidly spread to all the Catholic the eleventh century. Bruno was a na-
countries of Europe, and to the Spanish tive of Cologne, and gave proof of more
colonies, is at present continuing the than common and mor-
piety, recollection,
great work of St. Teresa. Several other tification even from his tender years.
reforms have been introduced since that When he was gi-own up, he was at first
of St. Teresa in various countries, which entered among the clergy of St. Cuni-
we have not space here to noticf At bert's at Cologne, whence he passed to
present Cai-melite monasteries exis\ In Rheims, a city then celebrated for its
France, though they were swept away at diocesan school. Bruno made here great
the first revolution, they had been re- progress in learning, and was appointed
introduced, andtill lately possessed some "scholasticus"; many of the leading men
sixty houses. But the iniquitous decree of the age were his pupils. Leaving
of March 29, 1880, issued by the Repub- Rheims, uncertain in what way God
lican Government of France, has resulted willed him to carry out his clearlj'-seen
in the violent seizure of all the houses of vocation, he repaired to St. Robert of
men, and in turning the friars adrift. In Molesme, the founder of the Cistercian
Spain, we believe, they are at present order, bj' whom he was referred to St.
numerous. Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble. With six com-
CARNIVAL (from caro, vale, the panions, Bruno presented himself to the
time when we are about to say farewell bishop, and opened to him their desire to
to flesh-meat; or ubi caro valet — in allu- found an institute in which the glory of
sion to the indulgence of the flesh in the God and the good of man should be
days which precede the fast), the three sought on a foundation of rigorous aus-
days before Lent, though the name some- terity and self-discipline. The good
times includes the whole period between bishop was overjoyed at seeing them; in
Februai-y 3, the fast of St. Blasius, and their request he saw the beginning of
Ash-W«dnesday. The Carnival in Catho- the fulfillment of a wonderful dream
lic countries, and in Rome itself, is a which he had had the night before. Soon
special season for feasting, dancing, mas- afterwards he led them to the desert of
querading and mirth of all sorts. In it- the Chartreuse, an unland valley in the
self this custom is innocent, although the Alps to the north of Grenoble, more than
4,000 feet above the sea, and only to be annual visit to

it. Since the Council of
reached by traveling a gloomy and diffi- Trent has been customary to pay it
it
cult ravine. High crags surround the val- at the annual Synod if one is held or by
ley on all sides; the soil is poor, the cold annual remittance.
—
extreme snow lies there most of the CELEBRANT. The priest who actually
j-ear —
and the air is charged with fog. offers Mass, as distinct from others who
Bruno accepted this site with joy, and he assist him in doing so.
and his companions immediately built an CENSURE may be defined as a spirit-
oratoiy there, and small separate cells,
ual imposed for the correction
penaltj',
in imitation of the ancient Lauras of and amendment of offenders, by which a
Palestine. This was in 1086, and the baptised person, who has committed a
origin of the Carthusian order, which crime and is contumacious, is deprived by
takes its name from Chartreuse, is dated ecclesiastical authority of the use of cer-
from this foundation. The name of
tain spiritual advantages.
Chartreuse was given to each of their
CHALICE. The cup used in Mass, for
monasteries; this was corrupted in Eng-
the wine which is to be consecrated.
land into Charterhouse.
St. Bruno, when he had been only two
CHALICE-VEIL. The veil with which
the chalice is covered.
or three years at the Chartreuse, was
summoned to Rome by an imperative CHANCEL. The part of a church be-
mandate from Urban II., for the approval tween the altar and the nave, so named
of his order. from the rails which separated it from
In the Grande Chartreuse was
1905 the nave.
seized by the French Government and CHAPLAIN. The priest appointed to
the monks were expelled. the charge of a chapel.
CASSOCK. A close-fitting garment CHARACTER. Spiritual mark indel-
reaching to the heels, which is the dis- ibly impressed on the soul,by the sacra-
tinctive dress of clerics. The cassock of ment of baptism, confirmation, and holy
a secular priest is black; that of bishops order.
and other prelates, pui-ple; that of cardi- CHASUBLE. The chief garment of a
nals, red ; that of the Pope, white. priest celebrating Mass. It is worn out-
CATAFALQUE. Anything used as a side the other vestments.
bier placed during Masses of the dead, CHRISM. Olive oil mixed with balm,
when the corpse itself is not there, in the blessed by the bishop and used by the
centre of the church, suiTOunded with Church in confirmation as well as in bap-
burning lights and covered with black tism, ordination, consecration of altar-
cloth.. stones, chalices, churches, and in the
CATECHISM. A summary of Chris- blessing of baptismal water.
tian doctrine, usually in theform of ques- CHRIST, "Anointed." Jesus Clirist,
tion and answer, for the instruction of according to the Catechism familiar to
the Christian people. English Catholics, is "God the Son made
CATHEDRAL. The cathedral church man for us." He has therefore two na-
in every diocese is that church in which tures: that of God, and that of man. As
the bishop has his chair or See. God, according to the Nicene Creed, He
CATHEDRATICXJM. A visitation fee was bom of his Father, before all
due from every parish church in a dio- worlds: He is God from God — i. e. He,
cese to the bishop on the occasion of his being true and perfect God, proceeds
from God the Father, who is also true to extirpate it. It has moreover spread
—
and perfect God He is light from light; to many countries beyond the limits of
begotten, not made, as creatures. He ex- France, and has been imitated by other
ists from all eternity. He is almighty, teaching associations.
omniscient, incapable of error or of sin. It should be mentioned that a Bull of
At the moment of his Incarnation, He approbation in favor of the Christian
further became true man, without, how- Brothers was granted by Benedict XIII.
ever, in any way ceasing to be God. in 1725, elevating them into a religious
CHRISTIANS. A name first given at congregation.
Antioch to the followers of Christ about In 1699, St. J. B. de la Salle estab-
the year 43, as from Acts. xi. 26.
we learn lished Sunday Schools, one at St. Sulpice,
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS. The proper which was to be open from noon to three
title is "Brothers of the Christian o'clock, and give secular instruction.
Schools." This institution was founded Similar schools, open on festivals, were
by the Abbe Jean Baptiste de la Salle, established by St. Charles Borromeo at
who, after being beatified on Feb. 19, Milan, about 1580.
1888, was canonized on May 24, 1900, by CHURCH BOOKS OF REGISTERS.
Leo XIII. The rule of St. J. B. de la The registers of baptisms, confirmations,
Salle required that the Brothers who marriages and deaths.

bound themselves by vow to devote their CHURCHING OF WOMEN AFTER
lives to teaching in the schools,and wore CHILDBIRTH. A blessing which the
the religious habit, should be and remain priest gives to women after childbirth ac-
laymen, equally with the professors and cording to a form prescribed in the Ro-
assistant teachers who were employed man Ritual. He sprinkles the woman,
under them. And this has continued to who kneels at the door of the church
be the practice of the congregation ever holding a lighted candle, with holy wa-
since. For the training of the Brothers ter, and having recited the 23rd Psalm,
the founder instituted a noviciate; for he puts the end of his stole into her
that of the professors, &e., a normal hand, and leads her into the church, say-
school. Founded at Rheims in 1685, this ing, "Come into the temple of God.
appears to have been the first training Adore the Son of the Blessed Virgin
school for primary teachers in Europe. Mary, who has given thee fruitfulness in
It was, and still is, a part of the rule, childbearing." The woman then ad-
that the Brothers should work in pairs. vances to the altar and kneels before it,
They take the three religious vows, after while the priest, having said a prayer of
having attained to at least twenty-three thanksgivine, blesses her, and again
years. Their habit gives them an ecclesi- sprinkles her with holy water in the form
astical appearance; it consists of a long of a cross. The rubric in the Ritual re-
black cassock, with a cloak over it fast- serves this rite for women who have
ened by iron clasps and a falling collar. borne children in wedlock. WOMEN
The founder lived to see the fruit of ARE UNDER NO STRICT OBLIGA-
his labors in the establishment of his TION OF PRESENTING THEM-
schools in many of the principal towns of SELVES TO BE CHURCHED,
France. He died in 1719, leaving his THOUGH IT IS THE "PIOUS AND
congregation so firmly planted that all LAUDABLE CUSTOM," as the Ritual
the convulsions by which French society says, that they ought to do so. Properly
has since been torn have not been able speaking, the churching of women is not
counted among strictly parochial rights; holy," while "most illustrious" and
still it ought to be performed by the par- "illustrious" are names of honor given
ish priest, as appears from a decision of respectively to lesser basilicas and collegi-
the S. Congregation of Rites, December Holy See.
ate churches, bj' favor of the
10, 1703. The place on which a church is to be
CHURCH OF CHRIST: CATHOLIC built is to be designated by the bishop,
CHURCH. The Roman Catechism, in ex- as is expressly ordered both by the Pon-
pounding the ninth article of the Creed, tifical and canon law.
urges priests to explain the nature and Churches may, in one sense, be said to
authority of the Catholic Church to their be as old as Christianity itself, for places
flocks with special frequency and earnest- of Christian meeting are frequently men-
ness, because of the supreme importance tioned in the New Testament — e. g., in 1
which belongs to this point of Christian Cor. xi. 22, xiv. 34. At first no doubt
doctrine. All heresy involves a rejection private houses were used for this pur-
of the Church's authority; and, on the pose, and thus St. Paul, Coloss. iv. 15,
other hand, it is impossible to accept the writes, "Salute the brethren who are at
true doctrine concerning the Church, and Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the Church
at the same time to be a heretic. Hence, that is in his house." The same expres-
in all ages, and against all forms of er- sion is used of Prisca and Aquila, both
ror, the Fathers and Doctors of the Cath- at Rome, in Rom. xvi. 5; and at Ephesus,
olic Church have appealed to her teaching 1 Cor. xvi. 19; and also of Philemon,
as the infallible rule of faith. If such either at Colossse or Laodicea (Philemon,
an appeal was nec>.ssary at every time, 2). This state of things continued after
there is a more than ordinary need at the the Apostolic age, though it is impossible
present day for insisting upon this arti- to determine exactly when the gatherings
cle of the Creed, "I believe in the holy in the houses of private Christians gave
Catholic Church." way to assemblies held in buildings erect-
CHURCH: PLACE OF CHRISTIAN ed for the purpose.
ASSEMBLY. A church is a building in- As soon as this last persecution was
tended for the general use of the faithful, over, and the peace of the Church se-
and is for this reason distinct from a chap- cured by Constantine, Christians began
el, which is intended for the convenience to erect churches on a magnificent scale,
of some family, college, &c., or for an and thus seized the first opportunity of
oratoiy, which is essentially domestic or manifesting that outward respect to God
private. and His house which is characteristic of
The principal churches in Rome are Catholics.
called basilicas,and these again are sub- CIBORIUM. The ciborium is the name
divided into greater and patriarchal, and commonly given to the pyx in which the
into minor basilicas. The chief church of Blessed Sacrament is kept.
a diocese is called a cathedral, and a CISTERCIANS. Of the ancient and il-
cathedral may be patriarchal, primatial, lustrious order of Citeaux, the most flour-
metropolitan, according to the dignity of ishing and prolific of all the offshoots
the prelate who holds it. An abbatial from the great Benedictine trunk, there
church is the seat of an abbot; if served are now but scant}' traces remaining.
by a chapter, a church is called collegiate. St. Robert, the founder, the son of a
The title parish-church explains itself. gentleman of Champagne, devoted him-
The greater basilicas are called "most self atan early age with all his heart to
the service of God. He took the Bene- COAT, THE HOLY. This celebrated
dictine and studied carefidly the
habit, relic is in the treasury of the cathedral of
rule of the great founder, from many Treves, and a very ancient tradition as-
things in which he found that the ma- serts it to be identical with the seamless
jority of the French monks deviated con- coat which our Saviour wore at the time
siderably. of his Passion.
Ill several monasteries over whieh he COLLECT. The prayer said in the
presided St. Robert and the monks could Mass after the Gloria and before the
not on account of the strict ob-
agree, Epistle.
servance of the rule which he desired to COMMANDMENTS OF THE
introduce. In 1075 he founded a mon- CHURCH. Parents, and other persons
astery, consisting of a group of cells, in invested with lawful authority, have
the forest of Molesme, near Chatillon. power to make rules for those nlaced
Here he and others lived many years; but under them, so that things lawful in
his thoughts still ran ou the necessity of themselves become unlawful by their
closer conformity the rule, and as
to prohibition. The Scripture teaches plainly
most of his followers saw things differ- that the Church has this power. We are
ently, he at last quitted Molesme, and, to hear the Church (Matt, xviii. 17). The
followed by twenty adherents, formed a Holy Ghost has placed bishops to "rule
new monastery in a desert then covered the Church" (Acts xx. 28). St. Paul
with forest and thickets, at a place called commanded Christians to keep the "pre-
Cistercium (Citeaux), five leagues from cepts of the Apostles and the ancients"
Dijon. This was in 1098, which is re- (Acts XV. 41).
garded as the date of the foundation of COMMEMORATIONS OF FEASTS,
the order. In Ireland there are two Cis- ETC. The Church celebrates many feasts,
tercian abbeys, both of recent foundation, some movable, some fixed, it may often
and both are in a highly flourishing con- happen that two of them fall on the same
dition — that of Mount Melleray, in the day; or again the Church may institute
Co. Waterford, and that at Roscrea. the feast of a saint, just canonised, on a
CLERICAL STATE. The clerical state day already occupied by the feast of an-
the rank or condition of those who are other saint.
is
separated from the mass of the faithful,

The common commemorations consist of
attached in a special manner to the di- antiphons, versicles and prayers relating
vine service and made capable of admin- to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, St.
istering the Sacraments of the Church. Peter and St. Paul, the Patron or title of
the church etc.
CLOISTER. An enclosed space, usu-
COMMENDATION OF THE SOUL.
ally square, surrounded by covered pas-
A form of prayer for the dying contained
sages, which have continuous walls on
in the Roman Ritual. The practice of
the outer side, and rows of pillars on the
bringing the priest to the bed of dying
inner side facing the square, in connection
persons is coeval with the Church itself,
with monastic, cathedral, or collegiate
and Amalarius tells us that several of
buildings.
the ancient Antiphonaries contained pray-
COADJUTOR. One who helps a pre- ers for the dying. Parts at least of the
late, or a priest holding a benefice, in dis- present form are very ancient. The words
charging the duties of his bishopric or "Subvenite," &c., "Come to his help, all
benefice. ye saints of God; meet him, all ye angels
of God,"&c., occur in the Antiphouary of been duly invited to attend, an examina-

St. Gregory the Great; the beautiful ad- tion should be held by any three selected
dress, "Go forth, Christian soul," &c., by the bishop from the board above men-
is found in a letter of St. Peter Damian, tioned. A list of those found qualified
written to a friend of his who was near having then been made by the examiners,
death. it was competent for the person or per-
COMMISSARY. An ecclesiastic who, sons to whom the patronage appertained

by delegation from the bishop, exercises to select from among these the candidate
a portion of the episcopal jurisdiction in of their choice, and present him to the
a particular part of the diocese, espe- bishop for institution.
ciallywith reference to licences, institu- CONFESSIONAL. The place set apart
tions and the examination of witnesses. in the church where the priest hears con-
COMMUNION. That the body, soul fessions.
and divinity of Christ are given in the CONFESSION, SACRAMENTAL.
Communion, and that Christ is received This consists in accusing ourselves of our
whole and entire under either kind i. e., — sins to a priest who has received authority
under the form of bread alone, or wine to give absolution. It is the pious custom
—
alone is an article of the Catholic faith. of the faithful to accuse themselves of all
COMMUNION OF SAINTS is men- sins committed after baptism, mortal or
tioned in the ninth article of the Apos- venial, so far as they can remember them,
tles' Creed, where it is added, according and the priest, if duly commissioned, has
to the Roman Catechism, as an explana- power to absolve from all. But there is
tion of the foregoing words, "I believe an absolute obligation imposed, not only
in the holy Catholic Church." The com- by the law of the Church, but also by
munion of saints consists in the union divine institution, upon all Christians, to
which binds together the members of the confess all mortal sins committed after
Church on earth, and connects the Church baptism, so far as the penitent is able
on earth, with the Church suffering in to recall them by diligent examination of
Purgatory and triumphant in hea"en. his conscience.
CONCLAVE. A room that can be It also must include the different
closed with a key. The term is applied kinds of mortal sin committed and the
both to the place where the Cardinals as- number of sins under each class, so far
semble for the election of a new Pope, as it can be ascertained. One mortal sin
and to the assembly itself. wilfully concealed vitiates the whole con-
CONCORDAT. A treaty between the fession. If, however, mortal sins are
Holy See and a secular State touching the omitted unintentionally and without fault,
conservation and promotion of the inter- they are forgiven when absolution is pro-
ests of religion in that State. nounced; only, if they occur to the peni-
CONCURSUS. An examination into tent's recollection afterwards, he must
the qualifications of candidates for ec- mention them in his next confession.
clesiastical benefices with cure of souls. Further, various causes may excuse from
The Council of Trent ordered that a this completeness of enumeration. Thus
board of six examiners should be ap- in shipwreck, before a battle, when the
pointed every year in the diocesan synod; penitent is unable to speak, or can only
and that when any parish became vacant, say very little from physical weakness, a
within ten days, or such period as the very general confession of sin may bfi
bishop might appoint, candidates having enough for absolution; but the confession
must be completed afterwards, if the op- faith. by the bishop, whc
It is conferred
portunity ofEers itself. lays his hands on the recipients,making

It must be voeal, thoush for a grave the sign of the cross with chrisms on
reason the penitent may make it by pre- their foreheads, while he pronounces the
senting a written paper, or by signs. words "I sign thee with the sign of the
It must be accompanied by supernatural cross and confirm thee with the chrism of
sorrow and firm purpose of amendment. salvation, in the Name of the Father, and
It should also be humble and sincere; of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Be-
as short as is consistent with integrity, sides conferring a special grace to pro-
in language which is plain and direct, but fess the faith, it also sets a seal or char-
at the same time pure and modest. acter on the soul, so that this sacrament
The foi-m of confession is as follows. cannot be reiterated without sacrilege.
The penitent, kneeling at the confessor's CONFITEOR. A foi-m of prayer ("I
feet, says, "Pray, Father, bless me, for confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary
I have sinned." The priest gives the ever Virgin," &c.) used in the sacrament
blessing prescribed in the Roman Ritual, of penance and on many other occasions,
"The Lord be in thy heart and on thy particularly by the priest at the begin-
lips, that thou mayest truly and humbly ning of Mass before he ascends the steps
confess thy sins, in the Name of the of the altar.
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy CONFRATERNITY. An association,
Ghost." The penitent then recites the generally of men or women, having some
first part of the Conflteor, enumerates the work of devotion, charity, or instruction
sins of which he has been guilty since for its object, undei'taken for the glory of
his last confession, and then adds, "For God.
these and all my other sins which I can- CONGREGATIONS, RELIGIOUS. A
not now remember I am heartily sorry; I congregation is a community or order
purpose amendment for the future, and bound together by a common rule, either
most humbly ask pardon of God and pen- without vows (as the Oratorians, the Ob-
ance and absolution of you, my spiritual
lates of St. Charles, i&c), or without sol-
Father." emn vows (as the Passionists, the Redemp-
CONFESSOR. A name used from the torists, &c.).
earliest times for persons who confessed CONSCIENCE. St. Thomas of Aquinas
the Christian faith in times of persecu- and other theologians define conscience as
tion, thus exposing themselves to danger "the judgment or dictate of the practical
and suffering, but who did not undergo intellect, which [arguing] from the gen-
martyrdom, eral principles [of morals] pronounces
CONFESSOR (in Sacrament of Pen- that something in particular here and now
ance). The priest who hears confessions. is to he avoided, inasmuch as it is evil,
He must have received faculties from or to be done, inasmuch as good." it is
the ordinary of the diocese. By the pres- CONSECRATION. The form of words
ent law penitents may choose any ap- by which the bread and wine in the Mass
proved priest for their confessor. are chanced into Christ's body and blood.
CONFIRMATION. A sacrament of CONSECRATION OF ALTARS. Altars
the new law by which grace is conferred and altar-stones are consecrated by the
on baptised persons which strengthens bishop with ceremonies prescribed in the
them for the profession of the Christian Pontifical. The most essential part of
the rite consists in the anointing with and meditation, rather than to active
chrism, to indicate the richness of grace, works of charity. No doubt such a life, in
and the placing of relies in the sepulchre order to be real, implies a vocation of no
or repository made in the altar-stone ordinary kind.
which is afterwards sealed up. The con- CONTRITION, in its widest sense, is
secration endures till the altar-stone is defined by the Council of Trent as "grief
broken or the seal of relics broken. of mind and detestation of sin committed,
CONSECRATION OF CHALICE AND with a purpose of sinning no more."
PATEN is made by the bishop with CONVENT. The hermitages of the first
chrism, the prayers to be used being given ages gradually gave place to the coenobite
in the Pontifical. mode of life in houses called convents;
CONSISTORY. In the Church the term only in the orders of Chartreuse and Cam-
used with reference to the Papal consis- aldoli has the solitary life been partially
tory, the ecclesiastical senate in which the retained to this day.
Pope, presiding over the whole body of COPE (cappa pluviale). A wide vest-
Cardinals, deliberates upon grave eccles- ment, of silk, &c., reaching nearly to the
iastical affairs, and communicates to his feet, open in front and fastened by a
venerable brethren, and through them to clasp, and with a cape at the back. It
Christendom, the solicitudes and inten- is used by the celebrant in processions,
tions of the vicar of Christ as to the benedictions, &c., but never in the cele-
condition of some Christian nation, or bration of Mass, for the Church reserves
the definition of some Catholic doctrine. the chasuble for the priest actually en-
CONSUBSTANTIAL. The word used gaged and thus care-
in offering sacrifice,
by the Fathers of Nicsea, to establish the fully distinguishes between Mass and all
true Godhead of the Son, inserted by other functions.
them in their Creed, and ever since the CORPORAL. The linen cloth on which
watchword of those who have true faith the body of Christ is consecrated. It
in the divinity of Christ. A man may be is used to cover the whole surface of the
said to be of one substance with another altar, as may be gathered from an Ordo
because he has the same specific nature; Romanus where the corporal is said to be
but the Son is consubstantial with the spread on the altar by two deacons. The
r.Tther in another sense, for his nature chalice also was covered by the corporal,
is numerically one with that of the Fa- a custom still maintained by the Carthu-
ther; else, there would be two Gods. sians. The corporal is and must be blessed
Hence, when we say that the Son is con- by the bishop or by a priest with special
substantial with the Father, we confess faculties. It represents the winding-sheet
His perfect equality and co-eternity with in which Christ's body was wrapped by
the first Person of the Trinity and at the Joseph of Arimathea.
same time exclude all imperfection from CORPUS CHRISTL The feast of the
His eternal feneration. A human son Blessed Sacrament on the Thursday fol-
receives an individual nature and is sepa- lowing the first Sunday after Pentecost
rate from his father; but God the Son is throughout the Church.
ever in the Father and the Father in Him. COUNCIL. An assembly of the rulers
CONTEMPLATION. A word used to of the Church legally convoked, for the
describe the life of those (religious and discussion and decision of eeclesiastioaj
others) who devote themselves to prayer affairs.
CREDENCE. A table on which the struct the faithful upon the detestable
cruets with wine and water, the veil for abuse of burning the bodies of the dead,
the subdeaeon, the burse, and the chalice, and might do all in their power to keep
are placed, and from which they are the flock entrusted to their charge from
taken when required for use. such a practice."
CREED. A summary of the chief We have given this decree in full, so
articles of faith. that the exact position of the Church's
CREMATION. On May 19, 188G, the teaching cremation may be
concerning
following was issued at Rome:
decree clearly seen. There is nothing intrinsio-
"Several bishops and prudent members ally wrong in burning the bodies of the
of Christ's flock, knowing that certain dead. The practice might become neces-
men possessed doubtful faith, or belong- sary at times of excessive mortality or of
ing to the Masonic sect, strongly contend danger to the living, e. g., after a battle or
at the present day for the pi-actice of the during a plague. But in ordinary times
Pagan custom of cremation, founding spe- cremation disturbs the pious sentiments
cial societies to spread this custom, fear of the faithful; it is not in keeping with
lest minds of the faithful may be
the the beautiful ritesof Christian burial;
worked upon by these wiles and sophistries and it has been introduced by enemies of
so as to lose by degrees esteem and rev- the Church for the purpose of shutting
erence towards the constant Christian her out from one of her most touching
usage of burying the bodies of the faith- functions.
ful — a usage
hallowed by the solemn rites CROSIER or PASTORAL STAFF. The
of the Church. In order, therefore, that staffgiven to the bishop at his consecra-
some fixed rule may be laid down for the tion as a symbol of the authority with
them from the insidi-
faithful, to preserve which he rules his flock.
ous doctrines amove mentioned, the Su- CRUCIFIX. The cross was used in
preme Congregation of the Holy Roman Christian worship from the earliest times;
and Universal Inquisition is asked: the crucifix, or representation of Christ
"1. Is it lawful to become a member crucified, was probably introduced much
of those societies whose object is to later.
spread the practice of cremation? CULT. Veneration or worship. Theo-
"2. Is it lawful to leave orders for the logians distinguish three kinds of Cult.
burning of one's own body or that of Latria or supreme worship is due to God
another? alone, and cannot be transferred to any
"Their Eminences the Cardinals Gen- creature without the horrible sin of idola-
eral Inquisitors, after grave
and mature try. Dulia is that secondary veneration
consideration, answered which Catholics give to saints and angels
"To the first question, No; and if it is as the servants and special friends of God.
a question of societies connected with the Lastly, hyperdulia, which is only a sub-
Masonic sect, the penalties pronounced division of dulia, is that higher venera-
against this sect would be incurred. To tion which we give to the Blessed Virgin
the second. No. as the most
exalted of mere creatures,
"When these decisions were referred though of course infinitely inferior to God
to our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII., His and incomparably inferior to Christ in
Holiness approved and confirmed them, His human nature.
and directed them to be communicated to CURATE. One entrusted with the care
the bishops, in order that they might in- of souls.
Moreover, although Christ's death was

intended to destroy the works of the devil,
and has in fact done so to a great extent,
DALMATIC. A vestment open on each still Satan has a terrible power over the
side, withwide sleeves, and marked with world and its votaries, so much so that he
two stripes. It is worn by deacons at is and even the "god" of
called the ruler
High Mass as well as at processions and thisworld (John xii. 31, 2 Cor. iv. 4);
benedictions, and by bishops, under the and hence St. Paul (1 Cor. v. 5) regards
chasuble, when they celebrate Mass pon- exclusion from the Church as tantamount
tiflcally. to a deliverance of the excommunicated
DEACON. The word means "minister" person into the power of Satan. At last
or servant. this power will be destroyed. Satan and
DEDICATION OF CHURCHES. These his angels will be cast into the lake of
words mean, properly speaking, the act by fire and brimstone, where their torments
which a church is solemnly set apart for will be everlasting.
the worship of God; and afterwards this DIOCESE. The name by which the
event is commemorated by THE FEAST tract of country with its population fall-
OF THE DEDICATION. ing under the pastorate of a bishop is now
DESECRATION OF CHURCHES, universally designated.
ALTARS, CHALICES, ETC. By conse- DISCIPLINE. Discipline in its eccle-
cration churches and altars are solemnly siastical sense the laws w^hich
signifies
set apart to God's service; by desecration bind the subjects of the Church in their
they lose this sacred character, become conduct, as distinct from dogmas or arti-
unfit for the sacred uses which they were cles of faith, which affect their belief.
meant to serve, and need to be consecrated DISPENSATION. The relaxation of a
anew. law in a jiartieular case.
DEVIL AND EVIL SPIRITS. Their DIVORCE, in its widest sense, sig-
personal existence is clearly taught both nifies a separation made between man
in the Old Testament and in the New. and wife on sufficient grounds and by
Satan slandered Job to God, incited David lawful authority. It may dissolve the
to number the people, and opposed Josue marriage bond altogether, so that the
the high priest. man or woman is free to contract a fresh
We gain fuller information from the marriage; or it may simply relieve one
New Testament. There we are told that of the parties from the obligation of living
the devil is a spirit (Ephes. ii. 2) that ; with the other. No human power can
he is a prince with evil angels subject to dissolve the bond of marriage when rati-
him (Matt. xii. 24-26, xxv. 41) that the ; fied and consummated between baptized
demons were not originally evil, but fell persons. But
through sin (2 Pet. ii. 4, Jude 6) and ; (1) The man-iage bond may be dis-
it is at least a plausible inference from solved, even between baptized persons,
St. Paul's words, 1 Tim. iii. 6, "not a by Papal authority, if the marriage has
neophyte, lest, being puffed up with pride, not been consummated.
he fall into the judgment of the devil," (2) It may be dissolved in similar cir-
that Satan fell by pride. All spiritual cumstances by the solemn religious pro-
evil and error (2 Cor. xi. 14, 15), all fession of either party.
-which hinders the Gospel (1 Tbess. ii. 18, (3) If two unbaptized persons have
Apoc. ii. 10), is traced ultimately to him. contracted marriage, this marriage, even
if consummated may be dissolved, sup- celebrated order, St. Dominic, was born
posing one of the parties embraces the in 1170, at Calaruega, a small town in
Christian religion and the other refuses to the diocese of Osma, in Old Castile. He
live peaceably and without insult to the was educated at the university of Palen-
Christian religion in the married state. cia, which aftenvards was removed to
In all other cases the marriage bond Salamanca. After leaving the univer-
is indissoluble, and, besides this, married sity he preached with great power in many
persons bound to live together, as
are places. The Bishop of Osma at this time,
man and They may, however, sep-
wife. whose name was Diego, was a prelate of
arate by mutual consent, and, again if great earnestness and piety; the laxity
one party exposes the other to grave and tepidity which prevailed among a por-
danger of body or soul, or commits tion of the Spanish clergy were a serious
adultery, the innocent partner may ob- grief to him, and he pondered how he
tain a judicial separation, or even refuse might introduce the tj-pe and eeiin of a
to cohabit without waiting for the sen- better state of things. He wished to in-
tence of the judge, provided always that troduce a regular and quasi-conventual
the offense is clearly proved. among
life the canons of his cathedral,
DOGMATIC THEOLOGY is the science and the young Dominie appeared a fit in-
of Christian dogma. strument for his purpose. Appointed a
DOGMA, in its theological sense, is a canon, and strenuously aiding in the in-
truth contained in the Word of God, writ- troduction in the chapter of the rule of
ten or unwritten — i. e. in Scripture or St. Austin, Dominic more than answered
tradition — and proposed
by the Church every expectation that had been formed
for the belief of the faithful. Thus dog- of him, and obtained the entire confidence
ma is a revealed truth, since Scripture is and affection of the bishop. The southern
inspired by the Holy Ghost, while tradi- provinces of France were then teeming
tion signifies the truths which the Apos- with the heresies of the numerous sects
tles received from Christ and the Holy which pass under the general name of
Spirit, and handed down to the Church. Albigenses, and the peril seemed imminent
DOLORS OF THE BLESSED VIR- that large numbers of persons would be-
GIN. John mentions that the Blessed
St. fore long, if no restraining influence np-
Virgin, with other holy women and with peared, throw off the bonds of religion,
St. John, stood at the foot of the cross social order, and morality.
when the other Apostles had fled. At In 1215 Dominie had gathered round
that time the prophecy of Simeon, "a him sixteen men, of w'hom eight were
sword will pierce thine own soul," was Frenchmen, six Spaniards, one an English-
most perfectly fulfilled; and very natural- —
man, and one a Portuguese all prepared
ly the soiTows of Mary have been a sub- to embrace any way of life that he might
ject of contemplation to the Faithful. prescribe to them. Pope Innocent III.,
DOMINE, NON SUM DIGNUS. Lord, '
' upon the understanding that the founde"
I am not worthy that Thou shouldst en- should choose for the new institute some
ter under my roof, but only speak with a rule already sanctioned by the Church,
word, and my soul will be healed." and that the statutes of the order should
Words used by the priest before com- be submitted for his approval, consented
municating, and again before giving to the desire of Dominic and his com-
communion to the people. panions. Dominic selected the rule of St.
DOMINICANS. The founder of this Austin for the use of bis order; many of
the statutes were adapted from those of its institution. St. Ambrose says, "We
Premontre. adore in the mysteries the flesh of Christ,
Wheu everything had been settled, and which the Apostles adored." "No one
the first monastery was beinsr built at eats that flesh," says St. Augustine,
Toulouse, Dominic went to Rome to obtain "without first adoring it." But the out-
the final confirmation of the Holy See.
ward signs by which the Church has ex-
Arriving in the autumn of 1216, he found pressed this adoration have not always
Honorius III. occupying the Papal chair,
been the same.
and obtained from him in the following
In the Greek liturgies the elevation of
December a bull fully legalizing and con- the Host takes place shortly before
firming his institute, under the title of
the communion. Ancient authors tell us
the "Preaching Brothers." He made how at the elevation the curtains which
his solemn profession before Honorius, as
concealed the sanctuary during the rest
the first member of the order, and then
of the canon were drawn aside and the
returned to Toulouse.
sacred mysteries presented by the priest
Into the intellectual movement of the
for the adoration of the faithful. For-
age, of which the foundation of many
merly in the Latin Mass the Blessed
universities, and the rapid development
Sacrament was elevated only at the
of others were the chief outward signs,
words "omnis honor et gloria" just be-
the Dominicans eagerly gave themselves.
fore the "Pater Noster. " This is now
Albertus Magnus, entering the order in
usually known as "the little elevation."
the time of the second general, Jordanus
The elevation of host and chalice imme-
Saxo, lectured in the university of Paris
on the philosophy of Aristotle. His fame diately after consecration was introduced
in detestation of the denial of transub-
was eclipsed by that of the still larger
stantiation.
and stronger mind of him who was his
ardent disciple, and also a Dominican, St.
EMBER DAYS. The Wednesday, Fi-i-
day, and Saturday which follow Decem-

Thomas of Aquinas. The "Summa The-
ber 13, the First Sunday in Lent, Pente-
ologiae," has been commended to the re-
cost, and September 14 (Exaltation of
spect of all Christians, and the careful
the Cross), are days of fasting, and are
study of the clergy, by the late Pope Leo
Xni. The system of St. Thomas was so called in English Ember Days.
vast as to afford scope for the labor of ENCYCLICAL. An encyclical is a
many commentators, and a school hence letter addressedby the Pope to all the
arose, consisting chiefly of Dominicans, bishops in communion with him, in which
named Thomists. he condemns prevalent errors, or informs
DOMINUS VOBISCUM ("The Lord them of impediments which persecution,
be with you") is, with the "Pax vo- or perverse legislation or administration,
bis" the common salutation in the Mass opposes in pai'ticular countries to the ful-
and office.
filment by the Church of her divine mis-
sion, or explains the line of conduct which
Christians ought to take in reference to
urgent practical questions, such as educa-
EASTER, FEAST OF. The feast of tion, or the relations between Church and
our Lord's resurrection. State, or the liberty of the Apostolic See.
ELEVATION. The Church has adored EPIPHAiry. A feast kept on January
the Blessed Sacrament from the time of 6 to commemorate the manifestation of
362 LIGHT FROM TEE 'ALTAR.
Christ's glory — (1) when the Magi adored —
by a lawful minister viz. by Christ Him-
Him; His baptism, when the voice
(2) in self acting through lawful priests, who
from heaven proclaimed Him the Son of are His representatives. There is a mys-
God; (3) in the miracle of changing tical destruction of the victim, for Christ
water into wine, when Christ began His presents Himself on the altar "as in a
miracles. state of death, because He is deprived of
EPISTLE. A portion of Scripture those functions of natural life which He
read after the collects and before the exercised on earth, and because He is
Gospel in the Mass. there with the signs of death through the
ESPOUSAL. A deliberate promise to mystical separation between body and

marry made by each party, expressed blood" caused by the words of consecra-
by outward signs, each being capable of tion. There is the protestation of God's
entering upon such an engagement. supreme dominion, for the Mass is and
ESPOUSALS OF THE BLESSED can be offered to God alone. Moreover, it
VIRGIN. A feast kept on January 23. fulfils the form and ends of sacrifice.
An commemorating this event was

office Like the holocausts, it offers homage to
written by the famous Gerson. In the God; like the sin-offerings, it propitiates
sixteenth century Paul III. allowed the Him by the very fact that it is an obla-
friars and nuns of the Franciscan Order tion of Christ, the victim for our sins.
to recite an office of the Espousals. The Like the peace-offerings, it pleads for
office was simply that of the Blessed gi'aee, for we offer here the victim of our
Virgin's Nativity, except that a new Gos- peace. In this sacrifice of thanksgiving
pel was chosen and the word "nativitas" we offer God the most excellent gift He
was changed into "desponsatio." How- has bestowed on us —namely, the Son in
ever, a special office of the Espousals was whom he is well pleased. Then, the
written by the Dominican Peter Dore sacrifice of the altar is one with that of
and approved by the same Pope, Paul III. the cross. True, no blood is shed on the
An indult of Benedict XIII., in 1725, altar, nor does Christ die any more, so
permitted its use throughout the States that it is by the sacrifice of the cross, not
of the Church. of the Mass, that we were redeemed from
EUCHARIST. The Church regards the sin and its penalties. But on the cross
Eucharist as a sacrament and also as a and altar we have the same victim and
saerifiee. Considered as a sacrament, the the same priest, and therefore, in the
Eucharist is the true body and blood of words of the Council of Trent, the sacri-
Christ under the appearance of bread and fice of the Mass, though a commemora-
wine. tion, is "not a mere commemoration of
A sacrifice is the oblation of a sensible the saerifiee on the cross." It is truly

thing made to God through a lawful min- "propitiatory" and may be offered for
ister by a real change in the thing offered, the living and dead, for sins and penal-
to testify God's absolute authority over ties, for satisfaction and other needs,
us and our entire dependence on Him. spiritual and temporal. "Moved," says
The above is included in the sacrifice the same council, "by the oblation of this
of the Eucharist. There is the oblation of sacrifice, the Lord, gi-anting grace and the
—
a sensible thing viz. of the body and gift of repentance, forgives crime and
blood of Christ under the appearances of sins, even if they be great," and in an-
bread and wine. The oblation is made other place, that it is the most efficacious
means of helping the souls in Purgatory. drive out the devil from possessed per-
The Mass is offered for the salvation of sons.
the living and of the dead who still suffer EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED
in the state of purgation. It is necessary SACRAMENT. The Church has adored
that the priest should communicate in Christ in the Eucharist ever since that
every Mass which he celebrates, for con- great sacrament was instituted, but it is
sumption of the species forms an integral only in times comparatively modern that
part of the sacrifice, but it is not neces- the most Holy Sacrament has been pub-
saiTi' that anyone else should do so. licly exposed for the veneration of the
faithful.
EVANGELISTS. The authors of the
The procession of the Blessed Sacra-
four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and
ment on Corpus Christi was probably in-
John.
troduced some time after the institution
EXAMDfATION OF CONSCIENCE. of the feast, under Pope John XXII.,
It is necessary to ascertain the nature of who We cannot be sure
died in 1333.
the disease remedies can be ap-
before that even then the Blessed Sacrament
plied; and in the moral and spiritual life was exposed, for the earliest vessels in
persons have to search their conscience in which was carried seem to have hidden
it
order to ascertain their past and present it from view.
completely However,
sins, that they may confess them to God, Thiers found in a vellum Missal dated
repent, and be forgiven, and take precau- 1373 a miniature portrait of a bishop
tions against future falls. Spiritual carrying Host
the in procession, the
writers recommend that this examination monstrance in which it is borne having
should be made at least every evening, in sides partly of glass. We may thus rea-
order to ascertain and to repent of the sonably conclude that in the fourteenth
sins committed that day. Such examina- century the Host was exposed at least
tion is a matter of absolute necessity be- on Corpus Christi. In the sixteenth cen-
fore approaching the sacrament of pen- tury it became common to expose the
ance. The penitent must try, with such —
Host at other times on occasions, e. g.,
reasonable care as he would use in any —
of public distress and generally the
other matter of grave importance, to as- Blessed Sacrament was exposed for forty
certain at least all the mortal sins he has continuous hours. This devotion is still
committed since his last confession; familiar to Catholics throughout the world
otherwise he is incapable of absolution. as the usualform for the more solemn ex-
position of the Blessed Sacrament. The
EXCOMMUNICATION. An ecclesias-
Host after High Mass (the Mass of Ex-
tical censure by which a Christian is sep-
position) is placed on a throne above the
arated from the communion of the
altar in the monstrance. Persons are
Church.
appointed to relieve each other night and
EXEECISES, SPIRITUAL. A name day in watching and praying before it.
given by St. Ignatius of Loyola to a se- On the second day a Mass for peace ' is '
'
'
ries of meditations on the truths of re- sung, and on the third the Host is again
ligion, accompanied by examination of placed in the tabernacle after a High
conscience and considerations respecting Mass (that of Deposition).
present or future duty in the choice of a EXTREME UNCTION may be defined
new state of life. as a sacrament in which the sick in dan-
EXORCISM. The prayers used to ger of death are anointed by a priest for
the health of soul and body, the anoint- FEAR OF GOD. Servile fear is such
ing being accompanied by a set form of as a slave might have for his master, and
prayers. it looks to the punishments which God in-
flicts. Filial fear is the fear of the
child; it consists in dread of offending
FABRIC. A church — that is, a build- God who is worthy of all love, and of be-
ing separated from Plim by sin.
ing set apart for the public divine wor-
ship of the faithful and can only be erect-
FEASTS OF THE CHURCH. Days on
which the Church joyfully commemorates
ed with the approval of the bishop of the
particular mysteries of the Christian re-
diocese.
ligion or the glory of her saints.
FAITH. An act of divine faith is the
undoubtius' assent given to revealed truths, FERIA. A name given the ecclesiasti-
not because of the evidence which can be cal calendar to all days of the week ex-
cept Saturday and Sunday. The first Chris-
produced for them, but simply because
tians called Easter Monday, not the first
they are revealed by God. Thus the truths
which faith accepts are not evident in day after Easter Sunday, but the second
themselves, or if evident, as is the case feria or feast-day; and as every Sunday
with the truths of natural religion, are is a lesser Easter, the practice prevailed
not accepted with di\'ine faith, because so of calling each Monday "feria secunda,"
evident.
each Tuesday, "feria tertia," and so on.
Divine faith excludes all doubt. So FLECTAMUS GENUA ("Let us bend
much is implied in the very word, for our knees"). Words used by the deacon
nobody would say that we put faith in a before the collects in the olBce of Good
man's statement if we doubted its truth; Friday and in certain Masses. The sub-
and the faith required in the New Testa- deacon immediately afterwards says "Le-
ment is clearly incompatible with doubt. vate" ("rise," literally "raise them
"I know," St. Paul saj's, "in whom I up,") and the ministers at the altar do
have believed, and I am certain" (2 Tim- so, having knelt on one knee for a second.
othy i. 12). FORUM ECCLESIASTICUM. The tri-
FALDSTOOL. A seat which can easily bunals of the Church are of two kinds, in-
be moved, and which is used by bishops ternal and external. The internal forum
and other prelates in the sanctuary when is the tribunal established in the sacra-
they do not occupy the throne. ment of penance, where the coercive pow-
FAST. Theologians distinguish the er is the Holy Ghost acting on the con-
natural from the ecclesiastical fast. The science, the penitent is his own accuser,
fonner consists in total abstinence from and the confessor, guided by Moral The-
food and drink, and is required of those ology remits or retains sin, exacts satis-
who are about to communicate; the latter faction, and directs restitution, according
imposes limits both on the kind and quan- to the circumstances of each case.
tity of our food. Under the name of external forum is
FATHERS OF THE CHURCH denotes included every exercise of ecclesiastical
those writers whose orthodoxy was un- jurisdiction external to the tribunal of
impeachable, whose works are of signal penance. The judicial office in the exter-
excellence or value, and whose sanctity nal forum belongs to bishops in their re-
was eminent and recognized by the spective dioceses, metropolitans in the
Church. cases assigned to them by the canons, ind
supremely and universally to the Holy and the Cardinals, expounded in simple
See. but glowing language the plan and aims
TRANCISCANS. This order takes its of his institute. The Pope was much
name from its founder, St. Francis of moved, but some of the Cardinals thought
Assisi, who The saint had
died in 1226. that the poverty required surpassed the
entirely separated from the world in his strength of man. Francis betook himself
twenty-fifth year aiid embraced a life of to prayer, and at the next interview Inno-
strict poverty. He lived for several j'ears cent granted him a verbal approbation of
in a cottage near Assisi, in the practice his rule. The Pope declared that he had
of almost continual praj'er accompanied seen in a dream the Lateran basilica tot-
by severe bodily discipline. After several tering to its fall, but saved by a poor de-
disciples had joined him, the cottage at spised man, who set his back against the
Assisi was found too small to hold them. wall and propped it up."Truly," said
About this time the Benedictines of the he, "here is that man who, by his work
neighboring monasterj' of Soubazo gave and teaching will sustain the Church of
him a small plot of ground near Assisi Christ." The above particulars are taken
called Portiuncula, on which stood an from the Life of the saint by St. Boua-
abandoned church dedicated in honor venture. St. Francis drew up a code of
of Our Lady of the Angels. Francis rules which were solemnly ratified by
would not accept the land as an absolute Honorius III. in 1223.
f.'jft, but by the tenure of rendering yearly It is diflicult to realize in this twentieth
to the Benedictines a basket of little fish, century the extraordinary attraction
called lasche, caught in the stream that which the and
example preaching of
tlowed hard by. From this humble site, St. Francis exercised on his contempo-
which thus became the cradle of the raries. Long before the confirmation by
order, thousands of monasteries were to Honorius IH., the Friars Minor (such
be planted, missioners were to go forth was the name which the founder in his
to all parts of the world to preach, toil, humility chose for them) had made their
and in many cases suffer martyrdom for way into the principal countries of Eu-
the gospel of Jesus Christ, and a vast rope, preaching penance and founding
multitude of doctors and holy prelates convents.
were to issue, by whom the purity of the Francis said to his followers: "Let
faith should be sustained, and its princi- your behavior in the world be such that
ples applied. The Sovereign Pontiff at everyone who sees or hears vou may praise
that time was Innocent HI. At the first the Heavenly Father. Preach peace to
interview he rejected the saint's petition. all but have it in your hearts still more
;
Francis humbly withdrew; but the same than on your lips. Give no occasion of
night the Pope dreamt that he saw a palm anger or scandal to any, but by your
spring up from the ground between his gentleness lead all men to goodness, peace,
feet and gradually grow till it became a and union. We are called to heal the
great tree at the same time an impres-
; wounded, and recall the erring."
sion was borne in upon his mind that by So rapidly did the order increase that
this palm tree was designated the poor at the first general chapter, that called
petitioner whom he had repelled the day of Mats, held at the Portiuncula in 1219,
before. The Pope ordered that search upwards of five thousand friars were
should be made for him; Francis was present.
found, and, being brought before the Pope In 1830 the number of Franciscan
monasteries was estimated at fifteen hun- causes, such as inconvenience and loss, or
dred, containing ninety thousand friars. even bashfulness, may often excuse pri-
Helyot states that in his time that is, — vate persons from administering it.
in the beginning of the eighteenth cen- FREEDOM OF WILL, says St. Thomas,
tury, long after the destruction of the consists essentially in the power of choice.
houses of the order in England and other We are said to be endowed with free will
northern countries, where they were once because we are able to accept one object,
numerous — there were, of the first and rejecting another; which acceptance we
third orders, seven thousand convents, call "choice."
with 120,000 friars; and of the second FRIAR. The word is a corruption of
order above nine hundred convents, with the French frere, the distinguishing title
28,000 nuns. of the members of the mendicant orders.
The order of St. Francis has given five FRONTAL. An embroidered cloth
Popes, more than fifty cardinals, and an which often covers the front side of the
immense number of patriarchs and bishops altar. The color should vary with the
to the Church. The great statesman feast or season, and even now Gavanti
Cardinal Ximenes was a Franciscan. says it may be dispensed with if the altar
Among the schoolmen, St. Bonaventure is of costly material or fine workmanship.
the Seraphic Doctor; Duns Scotus the
Subtle Doctor; Alexander of Hales the
Irrefragable Doctor; and William of Ock-
ham, were members of this order. GALLICANISM. Is a tendency to en-
FRATERNAL CORRECTION. An ad- large the prerogatives of a national
monition which in certain circumstances church — in the particular case, of the
we are bound to give our neighbor in or- church of France — and to restrict propor-
der to withdraw him from sin. The duty tionately the authority of the Holy See.
of so admonishing is founded on the natu- GAUDETE SUNDAY. The third Sun-
ral law of love, which obliges us to help day of Advent, so called from the first
our neighbor in the necessities of bis word of the Introit, Gaudete, "rejoice."
soul, and also on the command of Christ GENERAL CONFESSION. A confes
(Matt, "If thy brother shall
xviii. 15), sion of sins committed by the penitent
offend thee, go and reprove him between since baptism, so far as they can be re-
thee and him alone." membered. Such a confession is of course
In order to be under such an obliga- necessiar;/ in the case of those who have
tion, we must be certain that the sin has made no previous confession, or whose
been committed; we must have reason to previous confessions have been invalid. A
think that it has not been repented of, person may reasonably desire to make
and some reasonable hope that the cor- such a confession in order to obtain direc-
rection will do good.We must also have tion when he proposes to enter on a new
grounds for supposing that no one else state of life; or, again, to acquire deeper
who is with ourselves to give

equally fit humility and a better knowledge of him-
these corrections is likely to do so. The self. Hence it is common to make a gen-
confession before communion,
admonition must of course be given with eral first
great prudence and charity. Bishops, ordination, or religious profession.
parish-priests, parents and superiors are

GENUFLECTION (the bending of the
bound than others to the knee) is a natural sign of adoration or

more strictly
making corrections. Many reverence. It is frequently used in tha
duty of
Ritual of tbe Cburcli. Thus the faithful It subjects evei-ything to the ca-
genuflect in passing' before the tabernacle price of an individual, and makes any
where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved fixed i-ule of faith impossible. It
the priest repeatedly genuflects at Mass abandons the faith which the Church pro-
in adoration of the Blessed Eucharist, at claims, and cavils at the simplicity of the
the mention of the Incarnation in the holy teachings. It destroys the efficacy
Creed. Genuflection is also made as a sign of baptism — that is, it sets at naught
of profound respect before a bishop on faith, the gift conferred in that sacra-
certain occasions. A double genuflection ment. The Gnostic professes to impart a
— i. e. one on both knees — is made on en- knowledge "greater and deeper" than the
tering or leaving a church where the ordinary doctrine of Christians, a knowl-
Blessed Sacrament is exposed. edge which forgets the limits of reason
GHOST. In the Old Testament there and scorns to believe what it can not un-
are many allusions to necromancers, who derstand. This knowledge, to those who
professed to summon up the spirits of the were capable of it, is the means of re-
dead; and possibly in 1 Kings xxviii. 7 demption; indeed, in most of the Gnostic
we have the account of a real apparition. systems it is tbe one and sufficient pass-
Many apparitions of saints after death port to jserfect bliss. It is, however, im-
are recorded in the history of tbe Church. portant to observe that Gnosticism is not
The theological principles on tbe mat- a philosophy. True, it is as unfettered
ter are stated by St. Thomas. According and unstable as any i^hilosophy can be,
to the natural course of things, no soul and it addresses itself to the same kind
can leave heaven or hell, even for a time, of questions. But it keeps the semblance
or quit purgatory till its purification is of Christianity, for in nearly all the Gnos-
completed. But God may permit departed tic systems Christ occujiies a central
souls to appear on earth for many wise
place, and, as a^ rule. Gnosticism answers
reasons, that is, that the saints may help
the speculative questions which it raises,
men; that the sight of lost souls may not in the abstract language of metaphys-
Karn them; that the spirits in purgatory ics, but by the invention of an elaborate
may obtain prayers. St. Thomas even mythology. "Without its Christian ele-
thinks that God has communicated to tbe
ments, it could not have entered into such
saints a permanent power of appearing on
close conflict with Church without
the ;
earth when they please.

its mythological it would have
garb,
GIRDLE. A cord with which the priest
missed the popularity which made it and
or other cleric binds his alb. It is the
makes it still dangerous.
symbol of continence and self-restraint,
It was in the East that Gnosticism be-
as is said by Innocent III., and implied in
gan, and in its rudimentary form it ap-
the prayer which the priest about to cele-
pears very early in the history of the
brate Mass is directed to use while be
Church.
ties the girdle round his waist. GOD. In the Apostles and in the Ni-
GLOVES. A bishop's gloves are blessed cene Creed we begin by professing our
and put on his bands at his consecration belief in one God, creator of heaven and
by tbe consecrator. earth, and tbe Fourth Lateran Council ex-
GNOSTICISM. It is a false knowl- plains more fully what we know by rea-
edge which throws off the trammels son and revelation of His nature and at-
of faith and ecclesiastical authority. tributes. The Vatican Council, although
to a great extent it merely reiterates the of Grace. —All that we receive from God
Lateran definition, adds at least two im- —our existence, our natural powers, the
portant truths concerning God's relation —
good things of this life are God's free
to us and ours to Him. For, after stating gift and may therefore be rightly called
that there is one true and living God, graces or favors received from Him. Man
creator and Lord of heaven and earth, al- has been created that he may see God face
mighty, eternal, immense, incomprehensi- to face in His glory, and God, who calls
ble, infinite in intellect and will and in him to eternal life, also furnishes the
every perfection ; concerning whom, seeing means by which it may be secured. The
that He is one, singular, altogether sim- theologians of the Church distinguish
ple and unchangeable spiritual substance, grace from nature. Grace in its strict
we must assert that He is in reality and sense may be defined as a supernatural

essence distinct from the world, most gift freely bestowed by God on rational
blessed in Himself and from Himself, and creatures in order that they may attain
infinitely exaltedabove all that is or can eternal life. It is called a supernatural
be thought of besides Himself, the council gift in order to distinguish it from gifts
adds that God "by His most free coun- which come to us in the natural order.
sel," constrained by no necessity of any All grace since the Fall has been given
kind, created the world, and then, in the to man on account of Christ's merits.
next chapter, that we can, by the natural Grace is divided into external and in-
light of reason, and from the considera- ternal grace. The former term includes
tion of created things, attain a "sure" such external gifts as the preaching of the
knowledge of God, who is the beginning Gospel, the examples of Christ and the
and end of all. Saints, occasions of good actions, the re-
GOLDEN ROSE. An ornament blessed moval of exterior temptations in a word, —

every year on Laetare Sunday all the effects of supernatural providence
by the Pope
(fourth Sunday in Lent), and sent occa- by which the cause of our salvation is pro-
to Catholic sovereigns, to moted. Internal grace directly affects

sionally
and sanctuaries, to distin- the understanding and the will, either
churches
and Catholic cities. inhering in the soul as a permanent qual-
guished persons to
was a single flower of ity, or merely moving and aiding the soul
Originally, it
red; afterwards at the time to acts of supernatural virtue.

wrought gold, colored
the golden petals were decked with ru- GRACE AT MEALS. "Whether you
bies and other gems; finally, the form eat or drink," says St. Paul (1 Cor. x.
adopted was that of a thorny branch, 31), "or whatsoever else you do, do all to
with several flowers and leaves, and one the glory of God." St. Basil says, "Let
principal flower at the top, all of pure prayers be said before taking food, in
gold. meet acknowledgment of the gifts of God,

both of those which He is now giving, and
GOSPEL (LITURGICAL USE OF).
of reading the gospels in of those which He has put in store for
The practice
Mass mentioned in all the liturgies. the future. Let prayers be said after
the is
and food, containing a return of thanks for

The Gospel w-as read after the Epistle
the in order that the the things given, and request for those
before ofifertory,
catechumens might listen to the words of promised."

Christ and hear them explained. GRADUAL. An antiphon sung after
GRACE. Definition and Divisions the Epistle, and so called either because
it used to be suns: on the altar steps, or she bids us have recourse to His Sacred
because it was sung while the deacon as- Heart, mindful of the love wherewith He
cended the steps of the ambo to sing the loved us "even to the end."
Gospel. It is also called " respousory, The special and formal devotion to the
because it answers to the Epistle, or be- Heart of Jesus owes its origin to the
cause sung antiphonally. Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque, who
GREEK [SCHISMATIC] CHURCH. lived in the latter part of the seventeenth
Under this title are included all those century.
Christians who, being separated from the HEART or MARY IMMACULATE.
communion of the Pope, acknowledge the The principles on which the devotion rests
primacy of the Patriarch of Constanti- are the same as those which are the foun-
nople. At one time, as everybody knows, dation of the Catholic devotion to the
the Greek Churches were in full commun- Sacred Heart. Just as Catholics worship
ion with the Holy See. the Sacred Heart because it is united to
GUARDIAN. A person responsible in the Person of the Word, so they venerate
the eye of the law for the proper bringing the heart of Mary because united to the
up of children whose father is dead or in- person of the Blessed Virgin. In each
capable. Under the ancient discipline, a case the physical heart is taken as a natu-
cleric could not act as guardian, lest he ral symbol of charity and of the inner
should be too much entangled in worldly life, though of course the charity and vir-
business. tues of Mary are infinitely inferior to
those of her Divine Son.
HEAVEN. It is the place where God
H manifests His glory to the blessed, and
clearly shows Himself to them. This
HEART OF JESUS (SACRED appears from the fact that Christ has
HEART). The faithful worship with su- ascended to heaven in that body which
preme adoration the physical Heart of He took from Mary, and that the body
Christ, considered "not as mere flesh, but of Mary herself is, according to the belief
as united to the Divinity." They adore of the Church, already reunited to her
it as "the Heart of the Person of the soul, so that she is, body and soul, with
Word to which it is inseparably united." her Divine Son. Since then, the sacred
This truth is as old as the belief in the humanity is not omnipresent, heaven is a
hypostatic union, and it was solemnly de- definite which Christ and the
place in
fined in 431 at the Council of Ephesus. Blessed Virgin exist, and in which the
All the members of Christ united to the angels and blessed souls are gathered
rest of His sacred humanity and to the together. After the general resurrection
Eternal Word are the object of divine heaven will also be the home in which
worship. If it be asked further why the the bodies of the just will live for ever.
heart is selected as the object of special HELL may be defined as the place and
adoration, the answer is, that the real .^tate which the devils and sucli hu-
in
and physical heart is a natural symbol man beings as die in enmity with God suf-
of Christ's exceeding charity, and of His fer eternal torment.
interior life. Just as the Church in the HERESY. The word is used to denote
middle ages turned with singular devo- a philosophical sect or party, or the be-
tion to the Five Wounds as the symbol of lief of those who of their own will choose
Christ's Passion, so in these later days false doctrine, either instituting sects
themselves or receiving the false doctrine pilgrims and travellers at least since the
of sects already founded. third century.
HIERARCHY. The word first occurs HOLY WATER. Washing with water
in the work uf a Greek writer of the fifth is a natural symbol of spiritual f)urifica-
century who referred to it as "adminis- tion."I will pour out upon you," says
tration of sacred things." A hierarchy God by the prophet Ezechiel, x.xxvi. 25,
now signifies a body of otBcials disposed "clean water, and you shall be clean."
organically in ranks and orders, each sub- Holy water is placed at the door of the
ordinate to the one above it. However, church in order that the faithful may
when the hierarchy is generally spoken of, sprinkle themselves with it as they enter,
what is meant is the organization of accompanying the outward rite with in-
ranks and orders in the Catholic Church. ternal acts of sorrow and love.
HOLY FAMILY. Our Lord, His

HOLY WEEK. The week in which the
Church commemorates Christ's death and
Mother, and His foster-father, St. Jo-
burial, and which is spoken of by ancient
seph, together formed one family which
writers as the Great, the Holy Week, the
should be the model and veneration of all
Christian households.
Week of the Holy Passion. The custom
of keeping Holy Week dated from Apos-
HOLY GHOST, CONQREGATION OF
tolic times. In the East, Holy Week was
THE, AND OF THE L H. OF MARY.
distinguished from the rest of Lent by
This congregation, as its name might sug-
the extreme strictness of the fast.
gest, arose out of the fusion into one, in
1S48, of two pre-existing institutes —the HOMILY is used by ecclesiastical writ-
ers to signify a familiar discourse on
Congregation of the Holy Ghost, and the
Holy Scripture.
Missioners of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. The rule of the Congregation of
HOPE. One of the theological virtues.
the Holy Gbost, which had been approved

It may be defined as a supernatural gift
of God whereby we trust that God will
by the Sovereign Pontiff, was to be re-
tained, and the constitutions of the mis-
give us eternal life and all the means
sionaries were for the most part incor-
necessary thereto if we do our part.
porated in it.
HOST. The form and material of altar
The society is governed by a superior- bread. Christ, the victim of expiation for
general elected for life. Its missions are our sins, is called the Host. Sacred Hosts
directed by bishops or vicars-apostolic are reserved in the tabernacle for the
chosen from its own body. All the mem- sick.
—
bers fathers and brothers consecrate — HUMERAL VEIL. An oblong scarf of
themselves to God by the three simple the same material as the vestments, worn
vows of religion, at first temporary, after- by the subdeacon at High Mass, when he
wards perpetual and they bind them-
;
holds the paten, between the Offertory
selves to the congregation by their act and Pater Noster; by the priest when he
of profession, which contains an engage- raises the monstrance to give benediction
ment of perseverance. with the Blessed Sacrament; and by
HOLY PLACES. The spots rendered priests and deacons when they remove the
sacred to Christians by the birth, death, Blessed Sacrament from one place to an-
resurrection, and ascension of our Sav- other, or carry it in pi-ocession. It is worn
ior, as well as by events in the life of round the shoulders, and the paten, pyx,
the Blessed Virgin, have been visited by or monstrance is wrapped in it.
HYMN. In the wider and ancient sense, to the objects which they represent, so
including Psalms and Canticles, meant that through the images which we kiss,
originally a song of praise in honor of and before which we uncover our heads
gods or heroes, and it had a religious and kneel, we adore Christ and venerate
character. the saints, whose likenesses they are."
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF
I THE BLESSED VIRGIN. The Mean-
ICONOCLASTS ("Breakers of im- ing of the doctrine. —Benedict XIV. ("De
ages"). A name given to the powerful Fest. " clxxxvii. seq.), quoting Frassen a
party which set itself against the reli- Scotist theologian, distinguishes between
gious use of images, and disturbed the active and passive conception. The former
peace of the Church during the eighth consists in the act of the parents which
and the former half of the ninth century. causes the body of the child to be formeil
IGNORANCE. St. Thomas distin- and organized, and so prepared for the
guishes ignorance from mere nescience. reception of the rational soul which is in-
The latter he explains to mean the simple fused by God. The latter takes place at
absence of knowledge; the former implies the moment when the rational soul is ac-
absence of knowledge in one who is capa- tually infused into the body by God. It
ble of accjuiriug it. He proceeds to show is the passive, not the active, conception
that ignorance may easily involve sin, which Catholics have in view when they
since a person is bound to use all reason- sjjeak of the Immaculate Conception. For
able means in order that he may have there was nothing miraculous in Mary's
the knowledge necessary for the per- generation. She was begotten like other
formance of his duties. Thus all men are children. The body, while still inanimate,
bound to learn, so far as they can, the could not be sanctified or preserved from
general principles of religion and morals; original sin, for it is the soul, not the
and a man sins grievously who remains body, which is capable of receiving either
from his own negligence in the belief that the gifts of grace or the stain of sin.
a false religion is true, or that an unlaw- Moreover, from the fact that Mary
ful course of action which he is pursuing sprang in the common way from Adam
is really lawful. our first father, it follows that she was
IMAGES. The Council of Trent states the daughter of a fallen race and incurred
that in images there is no divinity or the "debt" or liability to contract origi-
"virtue, on account of which they are to nal sin. Adam was the representative of
be worshipped. '
the human race he was put on his trial,
:
The true use of images, now the danger and when he fell all his descendants fell
of idolatry has passed awaj- from Chris- with him, and must, unless some special
tian nations^ admits of historical repre- mercy of God intertsoses, receive souls
sentations in art. Images, according to destitute of that grace in which Adam
the Tridentine definition, are to be retain- himself was created. In Mary's case,
ed and honored, but abuses by the ig- however, God's mercy did interpose. For
norant are to be removed. The object of the sake of Him who was to be born.
images is to set Christ, His Blessed IMMACULATE CONCEPTION,
Mother, the saints and angels before our DOGMA OF. It was defined and promul-
eyes, while the council adds that "the gated by Pius. IX., as a dogma of the
honor which is given to them is referred Church on Dec. 8, 1854.
IMMUNITY. Ecclesiastical immunity and confirmation) it has received a sacra-
is defined to be the right by which mental efficacy.
churches and other sacred places, as well INCARNATION. Is the Catholic doc-
as ecclesiastical persons and their prop- trine which gives expression to the truth
erty, are free and discharged from secu- that the Word took perfect human na-
lar functions and burdens, and from acts ture; that He had a human intelligence
repugnant to the sanctity and reverence as well as a body and soul. Fathers of the
which are due to them. Church most commonly called the Incar-
nation the "economy," meaning that
IMPEDIMENT OF MARRIAGE. The
Christ took flesh in order to provide for
contract of marriage between certain per-
our salvation.
sons and in certain eases is null and void
INCENSE. The mystical significations
by the law of God, natural and revealed.
of incense are obvious. It symbolizes the
The Church maintains that she may
zeal with
which the faithful should be con-
institute impediments which nullify the
sumed; the odor of Christian virtue; the
contract of marriage. The principle
ascent of prayer to God (Ps. cxl. 2; Apoc.
on which this tenet rests is a very
viii. 3, 4). It is used before the introit,
simple one. Marriage between baptized
at the gospel, offertory and elevation in
persons, according to the Catholic doo-
High Mass; at the Magnificat in vespers;
trine, is a sacrament, and therefore
at funerals, &c.
this contract falls under ecclesiastical au-
thority. may pronounce
Just as the State
INDULGENCE. An indulgence in
the theological sense of the word is de-
certain moral contracts which are law-
fined as a remission of the punishment
ful in themselves null and void, for
which is still due to sin after sacramental
example, it may for the general good
absolution, this remission being valid in
nullify certain engagements made by min-
the court of conscience and before God,
ors, so the Church may interfere as to the
and being made by an application of the
validity of the marriage contract. The
treasure of the Church on the part of a
State, on the contrary, has no power to
lawful superior.
nullify the sacrament of marriage, be-
cause it does not fall under civil juris- INDULT (something granted by favor).
diction. But where the formalities of A license or permission granted by the
maiTiage affect the public order, and the Pope, whether to a society or to an indi-
welfare of the married parties is con- vidual, authorizing something to be done
cerned, the State may interpose. which the common law of the Church does
Impediments are of two kinds. They not sanction. A familiar instance is that
may render marriage merely unlawful, in of the Lenten indults, by which the Pope
which ease they are called "impedient"; authorizes the bishops, according to the
or they may nullify it, in which ease they circumstances of different countries, to
are known as "diriment." dispense more or less with the rigor of
the canons as to the quadragesimal fast.
IMPOSITION OF HANDS in the old INFIDEL. One who is not among the
dispensation (Gen. xlviii. 14, Deut. xxxiv. faithful of Christ. Popularly, the term
9) symbolized the conveyance of grace is applied to all who reject Christianity
and power. The rite has been retained as a divine revelation. In order to reject
under the new law, and in two instances it, they must have heard of it; those,
(the imposition of hands in ordination therefore, who have never heard of
Christianity are not called infidels, but establishment in the possession of an ec-
heathens. Heretics should not be called clesiastical dignity or benefice.
infidels, for they do accept the religion of Installation, in the case of a bishop, is
Christ as divinely revealed, however er- called enthronization; it is the solemn en-
roneous or fantastic their notions as to try into possession of his cathedraland
the nature of the revelation may be. episcopal on the part of the
residence
INNOCENTS, HOLY FEAST OF. newly consecrated bishop, who wears all
From the earliest times the Church has his pontifical insignia on the occasion.
regarded the children whom Herod slew When the bishop is consecrated in his
in his desire to make sure of killing own church, the enthronization becomes
Christ, as Martyrs. identified with the consecration; but
In the middle ages it was usual for when the latter rite has been performed
children keep a time of festivity in
to in another diocese, then, "according to
honor of the Holy Innocents, which lasted the ancient tradition, the bishop, dressed
from St. Stephen's Day to the Octave of in the garb of a pilgrim, with his crozier
the Epiphanj'. The feast of children is in his hand, and the pastoral hat on his
observed in Catholic countries as "Chil- head, is received on arriving at the boun-
dren 's Day. '
dary of his diocese by the chapter and
INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE. The clergy of the cathedral city and district;
word "inspiration," like many other the- by them he is escorted to some neighbor-
ological terms, comes to us from the Latin ing church, where, after a short prayer,
version of the Bible. Thus St. Paul's be is presented with the episcopal orna-
words, 2 Tim. iii. 16, "Every Scripture ments and insignia, and then conducted
breathed by God," is rendered "omnis in solemn procession to the sound of bells
Scriptura divinitus inspirata," and again into his cathedral, where he is welcomed
when St. Peter speaks of the prophets with the anthem Ecce Saeerdos Magnus
as "moved by the Holy Ghost," and the Te Deum, while he takes his seat
the Latin has "spiritu sancto inspirati." on his throne, from the raised dais of
Just as God is said in Genesis ii. 7, Wis- which he imparts to the assembled throng
dom XV. 11, to have breathed man's soul his episcopal benediction. After this he
into his body; just as in Job sxxii. 8, the is escorted to his palace, the cross being
"inspiration of the Almighty" is said borne before him."
to "give understanding," so the sacred INTERDICT. It is an ecclesiastical
writers are described as inspired because censure, by which persons are debarred
God breathed into them or, to drop the from the use of certain sacraments, from
metaphor, suggested the thoughts which all the divine ofiices, and from Christian
they wrote down. Inspiration, therefore, burial.
may be defined as a supernatural impulse Interdicts are divided into local, per-
by which God directed the authors of the sonal, and mixed. In the first kind a
canonical books to write down certain place is interdicted, so that no divine of-
matter predetermined by Him. Inspira- fice may be celebrated or heard in it,
tion was bestowed upon the writers for either by the inhabitants or by strangers.
the edification of others, and like all By the second kind persons are inter-
graces it is especiall5' attributed to God dieted, so as to be debarred from using
the Holy Ghost. the sacraments or exercising the func-
INSTALLATION. The actual visible tions prohibited in whatever place they
may be. By the mixed kiud both place While a student in the University
and persons are directly interdicted that of Paris made
he the acquaint-
is a city and its inhabitants. Again, each ance of a number of remarkable men,
of the first two kinds may be either gen- chiefly Spaniards, with whom being made
eral or particular. A particular local in- one in heart and spirit, he understood that
terdict strikes a single locality that is a it was now possible to carry out the pi'o-
church ; a general one comprehends many ject which he had long cherished. He con-
localities, being pronounced against a ducted them first through the "Spiritual
nation, a state, or a city. A particular Exercises," which he had composed at

personal interdict strikes a single person; Manresa. On Assump-
the feast of the
a general one of the same class is ex- tion, in 1534, in the church of Montmartre
tended to a number of persons that is to at Paris, Ignatius and his companions,

all the people in a state, or all the mem- Francis Xavier, James Laynez, Alphonsus
bers of a university. Salmeron, Nicholas Bobadilla — Spaniards
INVITATOEIUM. (Invitatory Psalm.) Simon Rodriguez, a Portuguese and Peter ;
The invitatory psalm, or the Ps. 94, Fabor, a Savoyard, after they had all re-
"Come let us rejoice before the Lord," ceived communion from Father Peter
is said at the beginning of Matins on all Faber, who was then the only priest
days except the Epiphany and the last among them, pronounced the vow which
three days of Holy "Week. The invita- constituted the order. It was, to renounce
torium has an antiphon, the whole of the world, to go to preach the gospel in
which is repeated six times, and the half Palestine, or, if they could not go thither
three times, in the recitation of the within a year after they had finished their
psalm. studies, to offer themselves to the Holy
IRREGULARITY is defined as a "can- Father to be employed in the service of
onical impediment, which prevents a per- God in what manner he should judge
son from entering the ranks of the clergy, best.
from rising to a higher order, or from ex- Preaching, spiritual exercises, works of
ercising the order which he has received.
'
charity, teaching the catechism, and hear-
ing confessions, were to be their employ-
ments.
JESUITS. St. Ignatius Loyola, bom in The Society was confirmed by Pope
1491, of a noble family in Biscay, and Paul III. in a bull dated Sept. 27, 1540,
trained to the military profession, re- and at the election of a general, Ignatius
ceived a severewound in the leg while was unanimously nominated and elected.
defending Pampeluna against the French A complete abandonment to the will of
in 1521. When
he had sufficiently recov- the Superior was to be the great feature
ered, he broke with his former life, era- of the order. The "Company of Jesus"
braced poverty and retirement. The has prospered since its foundation. It
thought came frequently to his mind of consists of six grades; novices, scholastics,
founding an order, which should sup- temporal coadjutors, spiritual coadjutors,
port, by example, preaching, and edu- the professed of three vows and the pro-
cation, the cause of the Gospel and fessed of four vows. The members are
Catholic truth, and carry the light of distributed into novitiates, colleges, pro-
Christ to the heathen. But to carry out fessed houses and missions.
all this, he must become a priest. The head of the society, known as the
general, is elected for life. The society to Christmas, and is extended in the fol-
is divided in provinces, the superior of lowing year to the rest of the Church.
each province is the provincial. The mot- An extraordinary jubilee is granted at
to A. M. D. G., are the initial letters of any time, either whole Church or
to the
the latin words Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. to particular countries or cities,and not
Many saints of the church, confessors and necessarily, or even usually, for a whole
martyrs, were members of the society of year. If the jubilee, whether ordinary
Jesus. The number of members of this or extraordinary, be granted to the faith-
groat order is rated at 12,000. ful generally, the conditions for gaining
JESUS. The name means not, as is it usually are to fast for three days
often said, "Savior" or "God the Sav- viz. on a Wednesday, Friday, and Satur-
ior," but "the Lord [that is Jehova] is day; to visit certain churches, and pray
help or salvation." according to the intention of the Pope,
JOSEPH, ST., was the true husband to give alms, to confess and communicate.
of Mary, and as such her head. St. Jo- JUDGMENT, GENERAL. Christ will
seph occupies a place of his own in the judge all men and angels together at the
devotion of modern Catholics such as is last day as taught with such clearness and
given to no other saint. The devotion to iteration in the New Testament and in
St. Joseph is a striking instance of Cath- all the Creeds. General judgment is in-
olic usage, modern in itself and yet based tended to manifest before all intelligent
on most ancient and Scriptural principles. creatures the justice of God, to exhibit
In consequence of his authority and his Christ in his majesty before their eyes,
provident care, he is honored with the to glorify the just, and to put the wicked
title of the "Father" of (Luke Christ to open shame.
ii. 48), although of course Christ had no JUDGMENT, PARTICULAR, hap-
man for His father in the proper sense of pens when the soul departs this life and
the word. To have been chosen by God goes before the judgment-seat of God,
Himself as the husband of the Virgin where a most just inquiry is made into
Mother and the foster-father of our Lord all that he has ever done, said, or thought.
— these
•
surely are solid grounds for a This is called judgment.
singular devotion to St. Joseph. JURISDICTION IN THE CHURCH.
JUBILEE. The year of jubilee was an Jurisdiction is the power of those who
institution of the Levitical Law. have public authority over others for
The Church of Christ has adopted the their rule and government.
tei-m "jubilee" from the Jewish Church, JUSTICE, implies a certain rectitude
and proclaims from time to time a "year of order, even in the interior disposition
—
of remission" from the penal conse- of a man, inasmuch, namely, as the high-
quences of sin: she offers to her children, est part of man is subjected to God and
if they repent and make their peace with the inferior powers of the soul are sub-
God and perform certain pious works, jected to that which is supreme, viz. to
a plenary indulgence, and during this reason.
year she empowers even ordinary con- JUSTIFICATION. It begins with the
fessors to absolve from many reserved grace of God which touches a sinner's
cases and censures, from vows, &c., &c. heart and calls him to repentance. This
An ordinary jubilee occurs at Rome every grace cannot be merited; it proceeds
twenty-fifth year, lasts from Christmas solely from the love and mercy of God.
It is, however, in man's power to reject
or to receive the inspiration from above;
it is in his power to turn to God and to
virtue or to persevere in sin. !&.nd gi-ace
LABARUM. The banner of the cross,
does not constrain but assists the free-
used by Constantine in his campaigns.
will of the creature. So assisted, the sin-
LADY-DAY. The feast of the Annun-
ner is disposed or prepared and adapted
ciation, March 25th.
for justification; he believes in the reve-
LAETARE SUNDAY. The fourth
lation and promises of God, especially in
Sunday in Lent, so called from the first
the truth "that a sinner is justified by
word in the autiphon of the introit, "Re-
God's grace, through the redemption
joice, Jerusalem, and gather together,
which is in Christ Jesus"; he fears the
all ye who love her," &c. This day is
justice, hopes in the mercy, of God, trusts
also known as Mid-Lent or Refreshment
that God will him for
be merciful to
Sunday. On that one Sunday in Lent the
Christ's sake, begins "to love God as the
altar is decked with flowers, the organ is
fountain of all justice, hates and detests
played, and at the principal Mass rose-
his sins." "This disposition or prepara-
colored vestments are worn instead of
tion is followed by justification itself,
violet ones.
which justification consists, not in the
LAMPS have been from very early
mere remission of sins, but in the sanc-
times used in Christian andchurches,
tification and renewal of the inner man
have had a sacred character attributed
by the voluntary reception of [God's]
to them. Thus the fourth Apostolic
gi-ace and gifts, whence a man becomes
Canon forbids anything to be offered at
just instead of unjust, a friend instead
the altar except "oil for the lamp, and
of a foe, and so an heir according to hope
incense at the time of the holy oblation."
of eternal life." . . . "By the merit of
the most holy Passion through the Holy
LANGUAGE OF THE CHURCH. This
title is used for want of a better to de-
Spirit the charity of God is shed abroad
note the Church's practice of celebrating
in the hearts of those who are justified."
Mass, administering the sacraments, and
generally of performing her more solemn
services in dead languages. For the
K Church cannot be said to use, or even to
prefer, any one language. She requires
KISS. Kiss of Peace. —Among Jews some of her clergy to use Greek, Syriac,
(Gen. xxsiii. 4, 2 Kings si v. 33, Job xxxi. Coptic, Armenian, Slavonic, in Mass, just
27) and heathen the kiss was used much as strictly as she requires others to em-
more frequently than among ourselves as ploy Latin.
a mere sign of good will and charity. LAST THINGS. The four last things
The kiss of peace was given at Mass are gencraly said to be Death, Judgment,
from the earliest times. To kiss the altar Heaven, Hell. These are not all, but the
is a mark of reverence to the place on most important, things which happen to
which the Blessed Eucharist is offered. men as they leave and after they leave
The priest does so repeatedly in the Mass. this world.
So the celebrant at Mass signifies his LATERAN CHURCH AND COUN-
love for the teaching of Christ by kissing CILS. The family of the Plautii La-
the Gospel. terani had a magnificent house on the
—
Coelian hill. This house, or a house on the training of the Clergy. St. Vincent,
the same site, was known as the Lateran aided by several priests had for who
palace. Close to it is the Church of "the many years been associated with him in
Savior," known as the Basilica Constan- preaching in the country districts and
—
tiniana, and also because the Emperor looking after the poor, the orphans and
Constantine built a Baptistery there, and waifs abandoned by their parents or
Baptisteries are associated with St. Jolm guardians, was invited in 1632 by the
Baptist — as the Church of St. John I,a- Archbishop of Paris to take up his abode
teran. It is the chief or Cathedral in the College of St. Lazare. At present
Church of Rome, and there the "Sta- the congregation has missions in nearly
tions" are held on many solemn days. In every land.
this church, besides an important council LEAGUE OF THE CROSS. The Cath-
in 649 against the Monothelites, five gcQ- olic Total Abstinence League of the Cross
eral councils have been held. was founded in 1873, for the purpose of
LATRIA, in itself simply means "? r- uniting Catholics warfare
in a holy
vice," whether rendered to God or mi i; against intemperance, and
thereby of
but the usage of the Church has made it raising the religious, social, and domestic
a technical term for that supreme wor- state of our Catholic people. "Total ab-
ship which can lawfully be offered to God stinence from intoxicating drinks is for
alone. all persons the surest safeguard, and for
LAVABO. The first word of verso 6 vast numbers the only safeguard, from
of Ps. XXV., which the priest recites while intemperance. Those, therefore, who ab-
the pour water on his hands
acolytes stain from intoxicating drinks for the
shortly before the Canon of the Mass. sake of Christian prudence towards them-
The rite indicates the perfect purity of selves, or of Christian charity towards
heart with which the priest should cele- )thers, by so doing please Almighty
brate those holy mysteries. God." The fundamental rules of the
LAY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. League are :
Persons who take the habit and vows 1. The pledge is of total abstinence,
of religion, but are employed mostly in and is taken without limit as to time.
manual labor, and are exempt therefore 2. Only Catholics can become members
from the duties of choir, when they ex- of the League.

ist, or from the studies, &c., incumbent 3. All members, after they have joined
on the other members of religious orders, the League, must live as good, practical
where there is no choir. Catholics.
LAYMAN. One of the people as dis- 4. No one who is not a practical Catho-
tinguished from the Clergy. lic can, as long as he fails to practice his
LAZARISTS. This is the popular religion, hold any office in the League.
name for "Congregation of the
the The form of the pledge is: "I prom-
Priests of the Mission," founded by St. ise to you, Rev. Father, and to the League
Vincent of Paul in 1624, and established of the Holy Cross, by the help of God's
a few years later in the College of St. grace, to abstain from all intoxicating
Lazare at Paris. drinks." To this is usually added: "And
The congregation was confirmed by I also promise to be faithful in the prac-
a bull of Pope Urban VIII. in 1632 and tices of my holy religion." The pledge
its object was the sanctification of its is not an oath or a vow, and is not of it-
members, the work of the missions and self binding under sin. But it would be
—

a sin for those to break the pledge who earliest Greek collection of the same
know that they would thereby expose kind.
themselves to the danger of intemperance. LENT. A fast of forty days preceding
Many indulgences have been granted to Easter, kept, after the example of Moses,
meinbers bv the Holy See. Elias, and, above all, of Christ Himself,
LECTOR. A cleric, in minor ordei-s. in order to prepare the faithful for the
LEGATE. Among the Romans legati Easter feast, and also of course on ac-
were either ambassadors, or officers of count of the general advantages to be de-
high rank appointed with the sanction of rived from a long period of penance.
the senate to assist a dictator, consul, IiIBERA ME. A responsory sung by
or proconsul in the performance of his the choir after the Mass of the dead and
duties, military or civil. In modern ac- before the absolution of the corpse.
ceptation the term is confined to ecclesi- LIMBO. The Latin word Limbo was
astics representing the Holy See and used in the middle ages for that place
armed with its authority. Legates are of in which the just who died before Christ
three kinds —legates a latei-e, emissaries were detained till our Lord's resurrec-
or nuncios (legati missi, nuntii, internun- tion from the dead.
tii), and legates by virtue of their office LITANIES. A form of united prayer
(legati nati). The dignitv of a legate a by alternate sentences, in which the cler-
latere and has long been, confined to
is, gy lead and the people respond : usually
cardinals, though in former times it was of a penitential character. A litany may
not so: e. g. Pandulf, the legate sent by thus be distinguished from other modern
Innocent III. to receive the submission devotions, such as that of the Stations, in
of King John, was only a sub-deacon. which, with much that is alternate, there
Legates a latere are either ordinary or is also much that There are four
is not.
extraordinary: the first govern provinces forms of litany recognized by the Church
belonging to the Ecclesiastical State as suitable for use in public worship; viz.,
such as were (before 1860) the Romagna the Litany of the Saints, that of the
and the Marchie of Ancona in the Pope 's — Blessed Virgin (usually called the Litany
name; the second class are deputed to of Loreto), that of the Most Holy Name
visit foreign Courts on extraordinary oc- of Jesus, and that of the Sacred Heart.
casions, such as a negotiation for a peace, LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED
or arrangements for a general council, VIRGIN. It consists of psalms, lessons,
&c. Legati missi correspond to the am- and hymns in honor of the Blessed Vir-
bassadors and ministers maintained by gin, arranged in seven hours like the
secular States at foreign capitals. For- Breviary office, but much shorter. It is
merly they were called apocrisiarii : now, not influenced by the course of the Church
nuncios or internuncios — the latter being year, except that the Alleluia is omitted
of inferior rank. Legati nati are, or in Lent, and that a change is made in
were, archbishops to whose sees by an the office from Advent to the Purifica-
ancient Papal concession the legatine au- tion.
thority was permanently attached. LITURGY. The word means a public
LEGEND, THE GOLDEN. By this service. In the fourth century the use of
name is known the earliest collection the word liturgy for priestly ministra-
made in the West of the Lives of Saints, tions was fully recognized and ceremo-
as the work of Metaphrastes was the nies were adopted and approved. From
that date down at least to the sixtli cen- MARIST FATHERS. This religious
tury it was used for any solemn service order was founded early in the present
(that is evening prayer, baptism, &c.), century by the Very Reverend Father
but especially for the Eueharistic ser- Colin, who was born on August 7, 1790,
vice. in the diocese of Lyons.
LORETO the famous Santa Casa, or
is From the beginning the Society of
Holy which tradition asserts to
Ilouye, Mary devoted itself to the foreign mis-
be the very same building in which the sions.
Blessed Virgin Mary dwelt at Nazareth, MARRIAGE. Marriage is a natural
where she heard the message of the arch- contract between man and woman, which
angel, and where the Holy Family resided Christ has raised to the dignity of a sac-
during the childhood and hidden life of rament.
our Lord. MARTYR. A witness for Christ. In
LOW SUNDAY. The first Sunday aft- early times this title was given generally
er Easter. to those who were distinguished witnesses
The name Low Sunday emphasizes the for Christ, then to those who suffered for
contrast between the great Easter solem- Him; lastly, after the middle of the third
nity and the Sunday which ends the oc century, the title was restricted to those
tave. who actually died for Him.
LUNETTE. A circular crystal case, MARTYROLOGY. A list of martyrs
fitting into an aperture in the monstrance, and other saints, and the mysteries com-
in which the Blessed Sacrament is placed memorated on each day of the year, with
for exposition. Drief notices of the life and death of the
'ormer.
M MARY, the daughter or Joachim and
MADONNA ["My Lady"]. A name Anne, received the highest dignity possi-
given to representations of the Blessed ble to a mere creature. She was not mere-
Virgin in art, and occasionally used as an ly the passive instrument of the Incarna-
invocation in devotions to her. tion. By the free use of her own will she
MAJOR ORDERS. The superior ranks CO operated in our salvation, and was as-
of the sacred ministry — that is, priests, sociated with her divine She was
Son.
deacons, and subdeacons — are said to not indeed the mother of the Godhead,
have major orders. but she was the mother of God, for the
MANTELLETTA. A vestment made simple reason that Christ her Son was
of silk or woollen stuff, open but fastened God and man in one Person. True, her
in front, reaching almost to the knees, Son did not take his divine nature from
without sleeves but with openings for the her, any more than a son who is mere
arms and with a low collar around the man receives his soul from his mother.
neck. It is worn by cardinals, bishops, The soul is infused by God, but as body
abbots, and the prelates of the Roman and soul are united in one human person,
Court, as well as by others to whom the we reasonably speak of a woman as the
privilege is gi-anted by the Pope. It is mother of her son, not merely as the
used to cover the rochet, so that bishops mother of a human body. And granting
wear it only when they are out of their this, it is strange that sincere Christians
dioceses, the uncovered rochet being the should stumble on the language in which
sign of jurisdiction. the Church speaks of Mary. She is ex-
altecl above the angels, for surely God's AL WORKS OF. The Seven "Works of
mother is nearer to Him than the angels Corporal Mercy are, to feed the hungry,
who stand before the throne. From her give drink to the thirsty, clothe the
Christ took the blood He was to shed for naked, visit prisoners, visit the sick, har-
her and for us all. Moreover, whereas bor strangers, bury the dead (Matt. xxv.
the two great dignities of virginity and 35, 36; Tob. xii. 12); of Spiritual Mercy,
maternity are, according to God's ordi- to convert sinners, instruct the ignorant,
nary law, incompatible, in Mary's case counsel the doubtful, console the afflicted,
they were united. Joseph "took unto bear wrongs patiently, forgive injuries,
him his wife, and he knew her not untU pray for the living and the dead.
she brought forth her first-born son: and MERIT, in its theological sense, is a
he called his name Jesus" (Matt. i. 24, quality which belongs to the moral ac-
25). tions of freeand responsible agents and
MARY, FEASTS OF. At present, the makes these actions worthy of reward.
number of her principal feasts are Merit implies a real proportion between
twenty. the work done and the reward given.
MASS. From the word "Missa," and Thus, a man who labors well deserves,
comes from "mittere," "to send," and or merits, his wages. To put it in another
designates the sacrifice of the Altar. way, a man who merits can claim his re-
MEDIATOR. -Christ was the "onr ward as a matter of justice, but one who
mediator between God and man," and it has been promised a reward out of all
is plain that St. Paul vindicates this office proportion to the work done may appeal
as one proper to Christ alone, for the to the fidelity and kindness, but not,
passage runs: "There is one God, one strictly speaking, to the justice of the
mediator also between God and men, a donor. In order to merit, a man must be
man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself als" free, since he cannot claim reward for
a ransom for all," &e. a ser\-ice which he has no power to with-
MEDITATION AND MENTA'j hold,and which, therefore, is not his to
PRAYER. Meditation may be defined .>5 give; what he does must, obviously, be
the application of the three powers of good; it must be done in the service of
the soul to prayer — the memory propos- the person who is to confer the reward,
ing a religious or moral truth, the under- and the latter must have agreed to accept
standing considering this truth in its nt)- the work done and to reward it, since
plication to the individual who meditates, nobody is bound to pay for work, how-
while the will forms practical resolu- ever excellent, which he does not want.
tions and desires grace to keep them. It METROPOLITAN. The prelate of the
is distinguished from vocal prayer, be- most important city (metropolis) in the
cause in meditation no words are spoken province or country.
but all attention is given to the contem- MINOR ORDERS. The inferior ranks
plation of the truths under considera- of the sacred ministry —door-keepers, lec-
tion. St. Ignatius of Loyola was the tors, exorcists, and acolytes —are said to
first who reduced the rules of meditation be in minor orders.
to system, and contributed to the spread MIRACLES. The Latin word miracu-
of meditation at a regular hour and for lum means something wonderful —not
a fixed space of time. necessarily supernatural. In the theol-
MERCY, SPIRITUAL AND CORPOR- ogy of the Church the word miracle is
'
used commonly of events so wonderful agents and to make them serve us, un-
that they cannot be accounted for by less we could count on the effects known
natural causes. causes will produce. But God is neces-
Miracles are called "signs," "mar- sarily free; He is not subject to natural
vels," "prodigies," "wonders," and are laws, and He may, for wise reasons, make
a token of God's presence, and they con- created things the instruments of effects
firm the mission and the teaching of which are beyond their natural capacity.
those who deliver a message in God's A miracle is not an effect without a
name. They are often described as "pow- cause; on the contrary, it is a miracle
ers," inasmuch as thej' exhibit God's because produced by God, the First
powei-s. They are evidences that new Cause. It is not a capricious exercise of
powers have entered our world and are power. The same God who operates
working thus for the good of mankind. usually, and for wise ends, according to
Christ's miracles are often called his the laws which He has implanted in Na-
"works," as if the form of working to ture, may on occasion, and for ends
be looked for from Him in whom the equally wise, produce effects which tran-
"fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily." scend these laws.
They were the characteristic works of MISSAIi. The book which contains the
Him who came to free us from the bond- complete senice for Mass throughout the
age of Nature, to be our life, to over- j-ear.
come death, to lead us, first to a worthier MISSION. Mission is inseparably con-
and more unselfish and then to a
life, nected with jurisdiction, so that he who
better world in which sorrow and death is validly sent exercises a lawful juris-
shall be no more. They are the first- diction in the place to which, and over
fruits of his power; the pledges of that the persons to whom, he is sent; and, on
mighty working by which, one daj', He the other hand, any person exercising a
will subject all things to Himself and lawful jurisdiction must be held to have
make all things new. received a true mission. Mission precedes
From a different point of view, then, jurisdiction in the order of thought, but
the same event is a " prodigj', " a " sign,
'
is coincident with it in practice.
and a "power"; each word presenting it A priest having the care of souls within
under a distinct and instructive aspect. a certain district must be sent to that
We cannot pretend to consider here, district by the bishop, who has the gen-
in full, the objections made to the possi- eral charge of all the souls within his
bility of miracles, but can onlj- give in diocese; he cannot appoint himself to it.
brief the teaching of Catholic theolog- "How shall they preach unless they be
ians,and particularly of St. Thomas, on sent?" In a regular parish there may
the matter. The latter defines a miracle be more priests than one engaged in min-
as an effect which "is beyond the order isterial functions, but one alone has the
(or laws) of the whole of created na- responsibility, of the souls within it. He
ture." has ordinary, not delegated faculties;
The given makes it unrea-
definition other priests ministering within his par-
sonable deny the possibility of mir-
to ish have not ordinarj- faculties.
acles, unless we also deny the existence MISSIONS, POPULAE. To quicken
of God. Usually, He works according to faith and piety among Christians whom
natural laws, and this for our good, since their life in the world has made tepid
Tsre should be unable to control natural and careless, is for the pastors of the
solicitude founder of Monachism, although the
Church an object of no less
In sub- ctt'nobitic life, which has been a charac-
than to convert the heathen.
teristic of nearly all the monks of later
stance, mission-preaching has been em-
ployed in every age of the Church; it times, had not yet appeared. Of this,
was applied with extraordinary fruit by St. Pachomius is regarded as the origi-
nator, who, about A. D. 315, built monas-
St. Francis and St. Dominic; but its re-
duction to a system has been the work of teries in the Thebaid.
MONSTRANCE. From the Latin
comparatively recent times, and was com-
menced by St. Vincent of Paul, when monstrare, "to show;" the vessel in
which the Blessed Sacrament exposed
(1617) he preached his first mission to
is
the peasants of Folleville. The Jesuits, at Benediction or carried in procession. It
Redemptorists, Passionists, Paulists, Dom- has a large stem and base like a chalice,
inicans, Carmelites, Augustinians and and the upper portion in generally fash-
ioned to represent rays issuing from
applied themselves with the
other orders have
special earnestness to this branch of pas- host as a central sun.
toral work. MORAL THEOLOGY is the science of
MITRE. A
head-dress worn by bish- the laws which regulate duty. It is distin-
ops, abbots, and in certain cases by other guished from moral philosophy or ethics,
distinguished ecclesiastics. which is concerned with the principles of
MIXED MARRIAGES are marriages right and wrong, and with their applica-
between persons of different religions. A tion, so far only as they can be
discov-
marriage between a baptized and unbap- ered from the light of nature; whereas
tized person is null and void; one be- moral theology estimates the moral char-
tween a Catholic and a person of another acter of actions by their conformity, or
communion is valid, but, unless a dispen- want of conformity, not only to the nat-
sation has been obtained from the Pope ural standard of ethics, but also to
the
or his delegate, unlawful. Christian revelation and positive law of

MONK. In the middle of the third the Church. It is different from dogmatic
century the persecution of Decius caused theology, which investigates the truths
of
many fervent Christians to leave the revelation and positive law of the Church,
cities and flee into the deserts, there to and the conclusions which may be drawn
find that freedom in the divine service from them; moral theology, on the other
which human laws denied them. For a hand, looks primarily to duty and prac-
long time they lived apart, each in his tice, not to speculative truth; it considers
own cell, supporting themselves by daily faith as a moral obligation, and the truths
labor. The anchorites or hermits were of faith as principles of conduct.
those who specially desired solitude; of A
short vestment, quite
MOZZETTA.
these St. Paulwas the founder. St. An-
open in front, which can, however, be but-
thony, whose life embraces more than a
toned over the breast, covering the shoul-
hundred years (250-356), chose for a
ders, and with a little hood behind. It is
his later
time absolute solitude, but in
worn by the Pope, by cardinals, bishops,
years he allowed a number of disciples
living abbots, and others who do so by custom
to gather round him, who, though
or Papal privilege.
each apart, were eager to profit by the
MYSTICAL SENSE OF SCRIPTURE.
depth and wisdom of his advice, and
In the historical or literal sense words
ready to practice whatever rules he
signify things; but sometimes God or-
might impose. Thus St. Anthony was the
dained that the things signified by the known to have been her parents, and this
words should signify other things, and knowledge comes from the earliest author-
so we get the mystical or spiritual sense. ity, which is the "Protevangelium
St. Paul, for example, tells us in the Jacobi, " an apocryphal Gospel of early
Epistle to the Galatians that Ismael and date. It is recognized by St. John of
Isaac were types of Jewish bondage and Damascus and James, bishop of Edessa,
Christian The mystical sense is
libertj". while the "Liber Pontificalis," mentions
subdivided into the
allegorical, where in the life of Pope Leo III. that he had
the things of the old signify the mys- the history of St. Joachim and St. Anne
teries of the new law, the moral where painted in the Basilica of St. Paul. The
they signify moral precepts, the anago- feast of St. Anne on July which is
26,
gieal where they signify future glory. mentioned in the Roman and other Mar-
MYSTICAL THEOLOGY. One of the tyrologies. was sanctioned for the whole
subdivisions of theology classed under Church by Gregory XIII. in 15S4. Leo
the more general division of Moral The- XIII. raised both feasts (St. Joachim and
ology. It is sometimes identified with St. Anne) to be doubles of the second
Ascetical Theology, but it seems more class.
proper to confine its definition in such a NAVE. That portion of the church re-
way as to distinguish it precisely by its served for the laity.
specific name of "Mystical," from that
NECROLOGY. A book containing the
which is more properly called "Ascet-
names of the dead, especially of bishops
ical." According to this stricter defini-
who had built the church to which the
tion it is described as comprising two
necrology belonged, of benefactors,
—
parts viz. the doctrinal and the experi-
friends, &c., that they might be prayed
mental. The experimental is defined as
for.
"a pure knowledge of God which the NEOPHYTE. The term was applied in
soul ordinarily receives in a luminous
the primitive Church to converts newly
darkness or obscure light of sublime con-
baptized.
templation, together with an experimental
love so intimate that the soul, losing it-
NOVENA. A devotion covering a
period of nine days before the Feasts of
self altogether, is united to God and
our Lord, the B. V. M., and âtrou Saints.
transformed into Him." This is called
Theology because it contains acts proxi-
NOVICE. The name of "novice" is
mately referred to God as their object.

given to those persons, whether men or
Mystical because acquired by a secret ojj-

women, and whatever their age be, may
eration known onlj' to God and the re-
who have entered some religious house
cipient of His Divine favors; and experi- and desire to embrace its rule.
mental, because it is only by personal

NUN. A nun maid or widow who
is a
'pii'itual experience that such a knowl- has consecrated herself to God by the
edge of God can be gained. thi'ee vows of poverty, chastity, and

obedience, and bound herself to live in a
N ccinveiit under a certain rule.
NUNCIO. A permanent official repre

NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIR-
sentative at some foreign court. The
GIN. Nothing is known about the place,
diplomatic agents of the Pope are of three
date, or circumstances of the Blessed
classes: nuncios, inter-nuncios, and apos-
Virgin's birth. Joachim and Anne are
tolic delegates.
The oil of catechumens, used in bless-
ing fonts, in baptism, consecration of
churches, of altars whether fixed or port-
OATH. The calling on God to witness able, ordination of priests, blessing and
that the statement made is true or to coronation of kings and queens.
make the fulfillment of a promise bind Chrism, used in blessing the font, in
under a more solemn obligation. baptism and confirmation, consecration of
OBLATE, FATHERS. This is a con- a bishop, of paten and chalice, and in the
gregation of secular priests, who "offer" blessing of bells.
themselves to the bishop, to be employed Oil of the sick, used in Extreme Unc-
by him any part of the diocese he may
in tion and the blessing of bells.
choose, and upon any work which he may OLD CATHOLICS. A name assumed
commit to them. St. Charles Borromeo, by certain priests and lay-people in Ger-
archbishop of Milan, having found in his
many who protested against the Vatican
large diocese, parts of which were greatly
definition of Papal infallibility, and
neglected or totally abandoned, the need
formed themselves into a separate body.
of a band of zealous self-sacrificing la-
OPUS OPERATUM. A word used by
borers, who would be ready to go and
the early theologians and adopted by the
do at once whatever he commanded them
Council of Trent to express the nature of
to do, founded this congregation of "Ob-
the effects which the sacraments produce.
lates of the Blessed Virgin and St. Am-
brose" in 1578. He established them ORATE, FRATRES, &c. So the ad-
dress begins in which, after the Offertory
in the church and presbytery of the Holy
Sepulchre at Milan. Dividing the con- and Lavabo, the priest bids the people
gregation into six "assemblies," he di- pray that his sacrifice and theirs may be
rected that two of these should always acceptable to God.
remain in the community house in the ORATORY. In the earliest times
city,while the four others were at work Mass could only be said in private
in other parts of the diocese. houses, and after the erection of church-
OCTAVE. The Church celebrates cer- es was still often said in private dwell
it
tain feasts till the eighth or octave day. ings. The gi-owth of the parochial sys-
The number eight is supposed to repre- tem led to a distinction between parochial
sent perfection, for the seven days of the churches and oratories or chapels.
week are taken as figures of the ages of An oratory is nublic or private, accord-
the world, and the eighth of the eternal ing as it has or has not a door opening
rest which is to follow them. into a public thoroughfare. The older
OFFERTORY. An antiphon which canon law allowed Mass to be celebrated
used to he sung by the choir while the in either with the bishop's permission.
faithfulmade their offerings of bread and But the Council of Trent limited episcopal
wine for the Mass, and for the support powers in the matter, and the following
of the clergy. The Offertory is said im- is the present state of the law.
mediately after the Creed. A bishop may always permit Mass in
OILS, HOLY. There are three holy a public oratory, blessed and set apart
oils, consecrated by the bishops on Holy for divine service.
Thursday, and received from him by the In the oratories of religious, seminaries,
priests who have charge of parishes and hospitals, &c.
districts. In his own house.
In the house, wherever it may be, in sides." The ordinary performs all eccle-
which he resides at the time. siastical functions — teaching, administer-

In private oratories for just cause and ing the sacraments, governing the flock of
for a time. Christ—in his own right; priests perform
But a permanent privilege of celebrat- them by virtue of the delegated right
ing in a private oratory can be granted which they derive from their bishop.
by the Pope alone. ORDINATION. The chief rules of
ORATORY OF ST. PHILIP NERI. law concerning the collation of holy or-
Philip Neri, a native of Florence, was ders, in relation to Persons, Times, and
ordained priest in 1551. He obtained Places, form the subject of the present
(1558) from the administration of the article.
Church of St. Jerome leave to build over Persons. —Women are incapable of be-
one of the aisles of that church a chapel, ing validly ordained, inasmuch as both
to which he gave the modest name of an the healthy natural instincts of mankind
"oratory," whence arose the name of and positive Apostolic injunction (1 Cor.
the congregation. Known as the Oratory xiv. 34; 1 Tim. ii. 11) require that women
about this time many persons afterwards should be "silent in the churches."
eminent in the Church and the world When mention is made in the "Corpus
joined him, amongst whom were Cardinal Juris," of the ordination of deaconesses,
Baronius, the ecclesiastical historian. In this is to be understood not of ordina-
1564 he was requested to undertake the tion properly so called, but of a special
charge of the Church of St. John the benediction in virtue of which, in con-
Baptist, Rome. From this date the com- vents of women, those receiving it were
mencement of the congregation is reck- empowered to read homilies or gospels
oned. before the community.
The Oratory was introduced into Eng- To receive holy orders validly, it is
land in 18-17 by Dr. (afterwards Cardi- necessary to have been baptized and, at
nal) Newman, who, during his long so- least for adults, to be acting voluntarily.
journ in Rome following upon his con- To receive them licitly, it is necessary to
version,had studied closely the work of be in a state of grace, to have been con-
the holy founder and become deeply im- firmed, to take them in regular order, to
bued with the spirit of his institute. have attained the canonical age required,
ORDER, HOLY. Holy Order, accord- to be under no censure, to be sufficiently
ing to Catholic doctrine, is a sacrament educated, to be ordained either by one's
of the new law, by which spiritual power own bishop, or, if otherwise, with his li-
is given and grace conferred for the per- cense and after the production of his
formance of sacred duties. dimissorial letters, and, lastly, to have a
ORDINARY, THE. By this name, in legitimate and suflficient by which
title,
the language of the Church, is denoted the is understood, either a benefice,or a

diocesan bishop, "who, in union with the patrimony adequate to a man's support,
common Father of Christendom, in virtue or religious poverty —
that is the poverty
of the mission and the powers which he which religious men embrace by vow. All
holds from our Lord, as a lawful succes- orders in the regular course of things are
sor of the Apostles, is called of common confeiTed by bishops; but abbots also
right, jure ordinario, to accomplish the have the power of conferring minor or-
Divine work of the sanctiflcation of the ders on their own subjects.
faithful in the diocese over which he pre- Times. —The canonical age required for
the tonsure and the fJaree lowest grades OSTIARIUS, or Doorkeeper, holds the
of orders (ostiarius, Ir lor, and exorcist) lowest of the minor orders in the Church.
is seven years completed; for the acolyte- His office was more important in ancient
ship, twelve years completed. For the times. He had to prevent the heathen
subdiaconate, the canonical age is 22, for from entering and disturbing the service,
the diaconate 23, and for the priesthood to keep the laity separate from the clergj',
25; in these three cases it is the begin- men from women, and to see generally
ning not the completed year that is that decorum was maintained. He had
meant. For the episcopate the full age to guard the church and all that it con-
of 30 years is required. tained, to open the church and sacristy
The tonsure can be conferred on any at certain hours, to open the book for the
day, at any hour, and in any place. Minor preacher.

orders can be conferred at general ordi-
nations, and also on any Sunday or holi-
day, and not necessarily during Mass.
Sacred orders, according to the law, can
PALLA. A small cloth of linen used
to cover the chalice.
only be conferred on the Saturdays in
PALLIUM. A band of white wool
the four Lraber weeks, on the fifth Sat-
worn on the shoulders. It has two strings
urday in Lent, or on Holy Saturday, and
But the of the same material and four purple
always during Mass. since
crosses worked on it. It is worn by the
plenitude of the Papal authority can dis-
to be Pope and sent by him to patriarchs, pri-
pense with any positive law, it is
noted that orders are legally conferred mates and archbishops.

on the members of all those religious or- PALM SUNDAY. The Sunday before
ders which have received a special privi- Easter, on which the Church celebrates
Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
lege of such a tenor from the Holy See
at times other than those named by the PARADISE. An old Persian word
law. The episcopate is conferred on a adopted at an early date by the Hebrews.
Sunday, or on the festival of an Apostle, It only occurs three times in the Old
unless a Papal indult has authorized the Testament, and always means simply "a
choice of some other day. park." It is used for that particular
Two grades of sacred orders that is the garden or park in which Adam and Eve
diaconate and the subdiaconate cannot — were placed; and in the later Jewish
be conferred on the same day. theology for that part of Hades which
The Council of Trent enjoined (sess. was inhabited by the souls of the just,
XXV. 8, De. Ref.) that sacred orders and which we call "Limbo."
should be publicly conferred in the cathe- PARISH. A parish in the modern
dral or in one of the principal churches senseis "a defined district of territory,
of the diocese in the presence of the the boundaries of which are settled by
canons. Minor orders the bishop can the Pope or by the bishop of the diocese,
confer in his own palace. But notwith- having one fixed rector, with power to
standing the injunction of the council, rule and judge the people living within
custom has long sanctioned the collation it, and to administer to them the sacra-
of sacred orders by the bishop in his own ments."

house or chapel, if any reasonable cause PARISH PRIEST. A person law-
can be shown for the non-compliance with fully deputed and bound to minister in
the law. his own name the word of God and the
sacraments to certain members of a Preface for Festivals of the Apostles, is

diocese, who in their turn are to a cer- called "Pastor sternus," communicates
tain extent bound to receive them from the characteristics of a good shepherd of
him. Souls to all those who faithfully discharge
PASSIONIST FATHERS. Their full the oflSce of governing in his Church.

title is, " Congreg-ation of the Disealced This communication is pre-eminently
Clerks of the most holy Cross and Pas- made to the Roman Pontiff, who, in the
sion of our Lord Jesus Christ." Their collect "pro Papa" is described as "pas-
founder, St. Paul of the Cross, born near tor ecclesice"; it also appertains in lesser
Genoa on the habit of the

in 1694, put degrees to bishops and priests, upon each
order in 1720. In 1721, having com- one of whom it devolves to lead, feed, and
piled the constitutions which he wished gently rule, like a shepherd, the flock
his followers to observe, Paul went to committed to him.
Rome in order to obtain their sanction. PATEN. A
plate used from the earliest
Approval having been received Paul times to receive the Host consecrated at
established the first monasteiy of his Mass.
congregation Monte Argentaro, near
at PATER NOSTER. The prayer taught
Orbitello, in 1737. The rules of the so- by our Lord to His disciples.
ciety were confirmed by Benedict XIV. PATRIARCH. The dignity of Patri-
in 1746. In 1S67 Paul of the Cross was arch is the highest grade in the hierarchy
canonized by Pius IX. of jurisdiction. Immediately next to the
The life of a Passionist is very austere. rank of Patriarch may come that of
They fast three days in every week, be- "Primate"; metropolitans or archbish-
sides Advent and Lent they wear noth-;
ops follow; under each metropolitan are
ing on their feet but sandals; they rise
ranged his suffragan bishops.
at night to say Matins, and, indeed, re-
PATRON AND TITULAR OF
cite the office in choir at all the canoni-
CHURCH PLACE, &c. The title of a
cal hours. They divide their time be- church is the name it bears, that is of the
tween contemplation and action; being Trinity, St. Augustine, Mary. The St.
indefatigable in giving missions and re-
patron saint is that saint under whose
treats, especially to persons living in
special protection the Church has been
community. Besides the three usual
placed. Thus titular is a wider term, com-
vows, they make a fourth — that they will
prehending the persons of the Trinity,
do their utmost to keep alive in the
mysteries e. g. Coipus Christi, and saints.
hearts of the faithful the memoiy of our The patron of a church is generally a
Lord's passion. On the day of their pro- saint or an angel.
fession they make a vow of perseverance
PAULIST FATHERS. The Institute
in the congregation. Nevertheless, they
of the Missionary Priests of St. Paul the
only take simple vows.
Apostle was founded in New York by the
PASSION SUNDAY. The Sunday be- Rev. I. Heeker and several associates
T.
fore Palm Sunday. With Passion Sun- in the year 1858. Its members are en-
day the more solemn part of Lent begins; gaged in ordinary parochial work, in giv-
the images are veiled with violet at the ing missions, in the education of their
first vespers; the Judica psalm and the scholastics, and in literary labor.
Gloria Patri are omitted at the Introit. They devote their principal laboi-s to
PASTOR. Jesus Christ, who, in the the spread of the true, practical knowl-
edge of Catholic doctrines among the non- serve the holiness of the Church, but also
Catholic people of this country. Since to awaken wholesome fear and sorrow in
the inception of the order the Paiilists the heart of the offender while there is
have done splendid work in behalf of the yet time, "that his soul may be saved in
Church in making converts. the day of the Lord."
PAX VOBIS is by bishops after
said PENITENTIAL PSALMS, A name
the "Gloria in Escelsis." If the "Glo- given to seven psalms which express sor-
ria" be not said, then the bishop's salu- row for sin and desire of pardon. The
tation is the same as the priest's — viz.
psalms are 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142.
"Dominus vobiscum." The fact that PENTECOST. The day on which the
"Pax vobis" was our Lord's Easter Holy Ghost descended miraculously on
greeting to the Apostles made it unsuit- the Apostles. The ancient tradition that
able for penitential days. this Pentecost fell on a Sunday is con-
PECTORAL CROSS. A small cross of firmed by John xviii. 28, for if the Friday
precious metal worn on the breast by on which Christ died was the eve of the
bishops and abbots as a mark of their passover, i. e. Nisan 14, then the 16th,
oiTice. the first of the fifty days, and the fiftieth
PENANCE, SACRAMENT OF. Pen- day itself must both have been Sundays.
ance is a sacrament instituted by Christ PERJURY. A lie confirmed with an
in the form of judgment for the remission oath. To call God as a witness of what
of sin done after baptism, this remission is false implies either that He does not
being effected by the absolution of the know the truth or that He would testify
priest, joined to true supernatural sor- to what is false. It is therefore a griev-
row, true purpose of amendment, and sin- ous sin against the virtue of religion.
cere confession on the part of the sinner. PETER'S PENCE. An annual tax
PENITENTIAL DISCIPLINE. The paid to the Holy See.
right of punishing members for offences PILGRIM, PILGRIMAGE. The Church
against its laws, and depriving them alto- has approved the use of pilgrimage to
gether or for a time of its privileges, be- holy places as a very potent help aiad
longs to any well-constituted society. It incentive to a devott life. She also
was exercised by the Synagogue, Christ favors the practice, because she recog-
sanctioned the use of it in His Church, nizes undoubted fact that God has
the
and St. Paul enforced the penitential often granted, and still grants, interior
law of the Church against an offender. and exterior favors, graces, and miracles,
Of course, penitential discipline in the at particular places or shrines, to honor
Church, though analogous to the proce- certain mysteries, and saints.
dure of human societies, claims a higher The usual motives for a pilgrimage
origin and is of a much more serious na- were: the desire to realize the objects of
ture. The power of inflicting spiritual faith and quicken religious feeling in the
penalties has been put into the hands of soul, the fulfillment of a vow or to ab-
the Church by Christ Himself; it is ex- stain some special benefit.
ercised in His name; it may involve de- PLAIN CHANT. Known also aa
privation of the sacraments, which are Gregorian, or Roman, or Choral Chant,
the great appointed means of grace; and, is the distinctive song of the Church. It
on the other hand, it is the object of has been defined to be a grave, diatonic,
penitential discipline, not only to pre- unison melody, set to the rhythm of the
•words, without strictly measured time, PREFACE. A prelude or introduc-

and used bj- the Church in her sacred tion to the Canon of the Mass, consisting
functions. in an exhortation to thanksgiving made
PONTIFICAL. A book containing the by the celebrant, in the answers of the
rites performed by a bishop. minister or choir, and a prayer ending
POPE. By the title Pope is meant the with the Sanetus, in which God is
Bishop of Rome, who is, accordinc; to thanked for His benefits. The Greeks
Catholic doctrine, the successor of St. have only one Preface, which in the Clem-
Peter, and as such the vicar of Christ, entine liturgy is extremely long. The
the visible head of the Church, the doctor Galilean and Mozarabie rites, on the other
and teacher of all the faithful. hand, are rich in Prefaces, and so orig-
PORTIUNCULA. This is one of the inally was the Roman liturgy, which from
three churches, at or near Assisi, which the sixth till about the end of the
were rebuilt by St. Francis. This old eleventh century had a special Preface
church, just like the holy chapel at for nearly every feast. The number was
Loreto, is inclosed in the middle of a reduced in most churches of the Roman
spacious church, annexed to a large con- rite to eleven, the common one, found in
vent. nearly all the ancient Sacramentaries,
POSSESSION, DEMONIACAL. A and ten others. The Preface of the Na-
state in which an evil spirit, by God's tivity, the Epiphany, the Cross, Easter,
permission, inhabits the body of a ra- Ascension, Pentecost, the Trinity, the
tional being. Blessed Virgin, the Apostles, and the
POST-COMMUNION. A prayer or Common.
prayers, varjing with the day, said after PRELATE. A general name for an
the priest has, taken the ablutions. ecclesiastical dignitani-.
PRAYER. One of the acts of the vir- PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED

tue of religion. VIRGIN. The story of Mary's presen-
PRAYER, APOSTLESHIP An tation in the temple when three years
OF.
association founded
old and her sojourn there till her mar-
in 1S44 by the
riage first appears in Apoerj-phal Gos-
Jesuits at Vals, in the diocese of Puy.
The Popes have shown their approval of
pels — \-iz. the Protevangelium and that
of the Birth of Mary.
its spirit and work by many briefs and
privileges. PRIESTS, CHRISTIAN. The priest-

PREACHING. Christian preaching hood is the second in rank among the
began with our Lord Himself, who en- holy orders. It is the office of a priest,
trusted the continuation of the work to according to the Pontifical,"to offer,
His Apostles. bless, rule, preach, and baptise." First,
The Council of Trent teaches that he isempowered to offer that sacrifice of
preaching is the "principal office of bish- the Mass which is the centre of all the
ops,
'
and requires bishops, parish priests,
' Church 's worship, because in it Christ, the
and all who have the care of souls, to great high-priest, continually offers Him-
preach personally, or in case of lawful self in a bloodless manner, and applies
impediment by deputy, at least on Sun- that one sacrifice consummated for our re-
days and solemn feasts. demption on the cross. Next, the priest,
PREDELLA. The highest step of the standing between God and his fellowmen,
sanctuary, on which the altar stands. blesses the people in God's name. It is
his duty, if a flock is entrusted to liim, to pers, &e., or of their return after service
rule and to instruct it, and to administer to the sacristy.
Processions are also made
the sacraments of Baptism, Penance, Holy with or without the Blessed Sacrament,
Communion, and Extreme Unction, besides relics, statues of the Blessed Virgin or
solemnising Marriages, etc. the saints. On Candlemas, Palm Sunday,
PRIMATE. In early times bishops St. Mark's Day, three Rogation Days,
were called primates who held any com- Corpus Christi, and at funerals.
manding position in the Church. Thus the
PROCURATOR. The authorized agent
Roman Pontiff is called the primate of the
or representativeanother. Thus it
of
whole Church; and the Council of Chalce-
answers to a "proxy," when the question
don declared that the primacy, or first
is of a marriage which one of the par-
place before all was to be accorded to
ties contracts through a representative,
"the Archbishop of Old Rome."
and to a "sponsor," when the question
In modern times those bishops only are
is of a baptism where one or both of the
projaerly called primates to whose see the
god-parents are not able to be present.
dignity of vicar of the Holy See was for-
In either of the above senses, a procura-
merly annexed. Such sees are Armagh — tor contracts spiritual affinity not to him-
in Ireland, Aries and Lyons in France,
self, but to his principal.
Meutz in Germany, Toledo in Spain, Gran
in Hungary, Pisa and Salerno in Italy. PROFESSION, RELIGIOUS. A reli-
None of these retain any primatial juris- gious or regular profession is a promise
diction except Gran, the archbishop of freely made and lawfully accepted, where-
which has still the right of receiving ap- by a person of the full age required, after
peals from all the other archbishops in the completion of a year of probation,
Hungary. Changed circumstances espe- — binds him- (or her-) self to a particular
cially the great facility with which the religious institute approved by the Church.
most distant countries can now communi- The full age required is sixteen years,
cate with Rome — have made the jurisdic- reckoned from the day of birth. The year
tion of primates almost a thing of the of novitiate or probation must have been
past. continuous; so that if the novice had in-
PRIVATE REVELATION. The Chris- teiTupted it even for so short a time as
tian religion is described as a reve- two hours, e. g. by leaving the monastery
lation, on the ground that God through with the intention of entering some other
Christ has revealed truths to which the order, the year would have to be begun
unaided reason could not have attained, anew, from the date when he renewed his
or attained with the same certainty. This resolution of seeking admission to the or-
revelation was made to the whole world, der. Moreover, the j'ear of probation must
just as the Mosaic religion, also a reve be spent in the religious habit, and in a
lation, communicated God's will to a monastery or other house designed for the
sinele people. But after the full reve- pui-pose and approved by the Holy See.
lation made to the whole human race The matter of the promise is, the three
through Christ, the New Testament essential vows of religion, poverty, obedi-
speaks repeatedly of private revelations ence,and chastity, and any other vow or
made to individuals for a particular end. vows peculiar to the institute which the
PROCESSIONS. The solemn entrance candidate is entering.
of thf Clergy to the altar for Mass, Ves- The following is an outline of the man-
ner of profession of a nun, as prescribed wreath on her head. After several solemn
in the Roman Pontifical: benedictions the Mass continues. At the
''The Pontifical office is recited as far Offertoi-y the professed come up to lay
as the Gospel. The novices, habited as their offerings on the and at the
altar,
during their probationary year, each ac- Communion the bishop imparts to them the
companied by two veiled religious, are led sacred particles which he has consecrated
from the convent into the church, and go for them."
up two and two into the sanctuary; there PROPHECY. A prophecy is the cer-
they kneel; and the priest, officiating in tain prediction of future events which
the character of archpriest, requests of cannot be known by natural means.
the bishop, seated on his throne before PROPOSITIONS,' CONDEMNED. A
the altar, that they may be consecrated. proposition is "heretical" when it is di-
The bishop asks whether they are fit and rectly opposed to a truth revealed by God
worthy, and, being assured that they are, and proposed by the Church; "errone-
bids them come up. They obey, and range ous," when it is contradictory to a truth
themselves in a semicircle round the deduced from two premises, one an ar-
bishop, who, after a short exhortation, says ticle of faith, the other naturally certain;
to them in a loud voice, 'Are you willing "proximate to error," when opposed to
to persevere in the observance of holy a proposition deduced with great proba-
chastity?' Each of them declares her bility from principles of faith; "hseresim
willingness aloud, and after placing her sapiens," when it is capable of a good
joined hands between those of the bishop, sense, but seems in the circumstances to
pronounces her perpetual vows. They re- have an heretical meaning; "evil sound-
turn to their former place, and kneel ing" or "offensive to pious ears," when
down, with heads bowed to the ground; opposed to piety and the reverence due to
the bishop kneels in front of the altar, and divine things according to the common
the choir sings the Litanies. After the mode of speaking; "scandalous," when it
sentence, 'Ut omnibus fidelibus defunctis,' gives occasion to think or act amiss;
etc.,and the response, the bishop rises, "rash," when opposed to the common
and, with his mitre on, and the crosier in sense of the Church in matters of faith
his hand, solemnly blesses the newly-pro- and morals.
fessed, saying, 'Vouchsafe, Lord, to PROVINCE. The territory, comprising
blessand consecrate these Thy servants.' usually several dioceses, within which an
The response is made, 'We beseech Thee, archbishop or metropolitan exercises jur-
hear us.' isdiction.
"After the Litanies the professed rise, PROVINCIAL. The religious who, be-
'Yeni, Creator,' is sung, and they with- ing appointed either by the general of the
draw into a robing-room to change their order or by the chapter, has the general
dress. The bishop blesses the different superintendence of the affairs of the order
articles of their future costume, and fli-st within the limits of a certain province.
of all the habit, which they immediately PROVISION, CANONICAL. By this is
put on. They reappear, two and two, and meant the regular conferring of, and in-
again form a semicircle round the bishop, duction into, ecclesiastical functions. It
who, after the prayers, etc., set down in
the ritual, puts the veil on the head of
has three principal parts or stages desig- —
nation, collation or institution, and in-
each, the ring on her finger, and the bridal stallation.
PURGATORY. A place in which souls in procession to remind us how the holy
who depart this life in the grace of God old man Simeon met our Lord, took Him
suffer for a time because they still need in his arms, and declared Him the light
to be cleansed from venial, or have still of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel.
to pay the temporal punishment due to Next, in the collect, epistle, and the gospel
mortal sins, the guilt and the eternal pun- there are marked references to the fact
ishment of which have been remitted. that our Lord was at the same time pre-
Purgatory is not a place of probation, for sented in the temple before God and re-
the time of trial, the period during which deemed with five pieces of money.
the soul is free to choose eternal life or PYX. A vase in which the Blessed Sac-
eternal death, ends with the separation of rament is reserved.
soul and body.
PURIFICATION,
tion, is the
as distinct
pouring of wine into the chalice
from ablu-
Q
after the priest's communion, the wine QUARANTINE. A period of forty
being taken by the priest. days. Indulgences of seven years and
PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED seven quarantines are often granted for
VIRGIN. The Leviticallaw declared certain devotions.
women unclean for seven days after the QUATER TENSES. An old English
birth of a male child; it excluded them name for the Ember Days.
from the sanctuary for thirty-three days
more; on the fortieth they had to appear
in the temple and to offer a lamb one
year old for a holocaust and a young pig- RECEPTION OF CONVERTS INTO
eon or turtle-dove as a sin-offering. In THE CHURCH. We speak here only of
the case of the poor it was enough to converts who are supposed to have re-
offer two turtle-doves or young pigeons, ceived valid baptism.

one as a holocaust and the other as a A baptised person who has previously
sin-offering. The Blessed Virgin was not belonged to an heretical sect has incurred
bound by this law, since the child born of the censures of the Church, and cannot
her was conceived by the Holy Ghost. But therefore be restored to the sacraments or
her divine Son subjected Himself to the receive sacramental absolution till he has
burdens of the law that He
might set His been absolved from censures. It may be
seal to its divine origin, remove occasion that his error was no fault of his, and, if
of cavil, and leave us an example of hu- so, he was not a fonnal heretic. Still, he
mility; and similar motives induced the is treated as such in the external court of
Virgin herself to undergo the rite of puri- the Church, and the Pope reserves to him-
fication. It is this event which the Church self the power of removing the bar of
celebrates in the feast which bears that excommunication. In many countries,
name, and is kept for a reason virtually however, bishops receive power as dele-
given already on the fortieth day after gates of the Holy See in their extraordi-
Christmas, i. e. However, we
February 2. nary or quinquennial faculties to absolve
turn to the Mass for the day, we find no from the censure in question, and they
less prominence given to two other events communicate this power to all their priests
•which were simultaneous with the purifi- who have faculties for hearing confes-
cation. Candles are blessed and carried
TEE TRUE CATHOLIC.
RECLUSE. The life of a recluse is consultors. His residence is in Rome.
still more solitai-y and austere than that The superiors of the various provinces
of a hermit; it implies that the persons (Provincials) and of the houses (Rec-
practising it "live for ever shut up in tors), with their consultors, are appointed
their cells, never speaking toanyone but for a term of three years by the Rector
to the superior when he visits them, and Major.
to the brother who brings them necessar- REGINA C(ELI. An anthem in honor
ies. Their prayers and austerities are of the Blessed Virgin which begins with
doubled, and their fasts more severe and these words, and after each of whose four
more frequent." clauses the Alleluia is repeated; it is said
RECTOR. The ecclesiastic who has at the end of the olBces of the Breviary
charge of the government of a congrega- during the Easter season.
tion or a college is called the Rector. REGULARS. Pei-sons of either sex
REDEMPTION OF MANKIND observing a common rule of life, bound
THROUGH CHRIST. The idea connected by three vows of religion, and obeying,
with redemption is that of being broughi; with regard to dress, food, and the em-
out of a state of bondage or slavery and ployment of their time, the statutes of
restored to one's former estate. Christian the particular order or congregation to
usage applies the term to the acts by which they belong.
which Christ delivered mankind from the RELICS. The word includes the bodies
bondage of sin and the devil, and restored of departed saints, fragments of their
it to its original estate of friendship with bodies, articles or portions of articles
God. which they have used, such as clothes,
vestments, rosaries, and the like. The
REDEMPTORIST FATHERS. The
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Church also venerates relies of Christ and
was founded by St. Alphonsus Maria de His Blessed Mother. Such are the holy
nails, lance, spear, or fragments of the
Liguori in the year 1732.
On February 25, 1749, Pope Benedict True Cross, the girdle, veil, &c., of the
XIV. approved the rules and confirmed Blessed Virgin.
the new institute by a solemn approba- RELIGION. The word "religion" de-
tion, and Alphonsus called his con-
St. notes the virtue which deals with giving
gregation by the name of the Most Holy to God the honor which is His due.
Redeemer. The members of the Congre- RELIGIOUS ORDERS OF liTEN.

gation of the Most Holy Redeemer, be- The religious orders of men and women
sides the three simple but perpetual vows devote their lives to spreading the teach-
of poverty, chastity, and obedience, bind ings of Christ and the practice of the
themselves by a vow of perseverance untU Saints for human instruction. The re-
death in the Institute, which they con- ligious lifehas sanctified and embraced
firm in a promissory oath. They are the varied activities which have as their
bound by their vow of poverty to refuse purpose the dispelling of that ignorance
all benefices, ofiflees, or dignities outside which is an obstacle to salvation. Hence
their Congregation. has arisen the multitude of congregations
The Congregation is under the Govern- which adorn the Catholic Church of our
ment of a superior-general, called the day, as follows:
Rector Major, who is elected for life by a Alesian Brothers.
general chapter, and is assisted by six Augustinian Fathers (O.S.A.). Angus-
tinian Province of St. Thomas of Villa- sions (P.S.M.). Motherhouse: San Sil»
nova. vestro in Capite, Rome.
Augustinian Fathers of the Assump- Oblate Fathers of the Immaculate Con-
tion Motherhouse: Rome, Italy.
(A.A.). ception (O.M.I.). Motherhouse: Rome.
Basilian Fathers (C.S.B.). Congrega- Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate.
tion of St. Basil, Toronto, Ont. Motherhouse at Rome, Italy.
Benedictine Fathers (O.S.B.). Ameri- Oblate Fathers of St. Francis De Sales
can Cassinese Congregation. (O.S.F.S.).
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament Oblate Fathers of the Sacred Hearts
(S.S.S.). General Motherhouse: Rome, (O.S.H.). Motherhouse at Pontigny,
Italy. Yonne, France.
Capuchin Fathers (O.M.Cap.). Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes (C. N.
Carmelite Fathers (O.C.C). D. L.). Motherhouse at Oostacker, Bel-
Fathers of the Order of Charity (O.C). gium.
House at Galesburg, 111. Passionist Fathers (C.P.).
Brothers of Charity of St. Vincent De Paulist Fathers (C.S.P.).
Paul. General Motherhouse: Ghent, Bel- Fathers of the Precious Blood (C.PP.
gium. S.).
Missionaries of St. Charies. Mother- Order of Premonstratensians (O.

house : Piacenza, Italy. PRAEM.). Provincialhouse at De Pere,
Brothers of the Christian Schools. Wis.
Dominican Fathers (0. P.). Redemptorist Fathers (C.SS.R.).
Franciscan Fathers (O.F.M.). Fathers of the ResuiTeetion (C.R.).
Franciscan Fathers (O.M.C). Motherhouse : Rome, Italy.
Franciscan Brothers. The St. Francis' Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of
Monastei-y of the City of Brooklyn. Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual
The Poor Brothers of St. Francis Sera- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of
phicus. General Motherhouse at Bleyer- the Altar. (C.SS.CC). General Mother-
heide, Kerkrade, Prov. Limburg, Holland. house at Louvain, Belgium.
Congregation of the Holy Cross (C.S. Missionary Fathers of the Sacred Heart
C). General Motherhouse at Paris, (M.S.C.). Motherhouse in Rome, Italy.
France. Salesian Fathei-s. Motherhouse at Tu-
Fathers of the Holy Ghost (C.S.Sp.). rin, Italy.
General Motherhouse at Paris. Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Estab-

Brothers of the Holy Infancy. Catholic lished in Lyons, France.
Protectory, West Seneca, N. Y. Missionaiy Fathers of La Salette (M.
Jesuit Fathers (S.J.). S.). Provincial House, Hartford, Conn.
Marist Fathers (S.M.). Society of the Divine Saviour (S.D.S.).
Society of Mary of Paris. General Motherhouse at Rome, ItaW.
Motherhouse: Belgium. Servite Fathers (O.S.M.).
Little Brothers of Mary or Marist Cistercian Monks (O.C.R.). Mother-
Brothers. Motherhouse : St. Genis-Laval, house at Citeaux, par Nuits St. Georges
Rhone, France. Cote d'Or, France.
Fathers of Mercy. Motherhouse and Community of the Clerics of St. Via-
Novitiate: Ciply, Pres Mons, Belgium. teur. Provincial House, St. Viators Nor-
Fathers of the Pious Society of Mis- mal Institute, Chicago.
Vineentian Fathers (CM.). German- Sisters of Charity (Gray Nuns). Moth-

town, Philadelphia, Pa. erhouse at Montreal, P. Q.
Society of the Divine Word. Mother- Congregation of the Sisters of Charity
house, Steil, Holland. of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mother-
The Xaverian Brothers. Motherhouse house and Novitiate, Dubuque, Iowa.
at Bruges, Belgium. Sisters of Christian Charity. General
Brothers of the Christian Instruction. Motherhouse at Paderborn, Germany.
Founded in Britanny, France. Jlotherhouse for the U. S., Wilkesbarre,
Pa.
RELIGIOUS ORDERS OF WOMEN.
Sisters of Charity. Motherhouse at
Sisters of St. Agnes.Motherhouse and Nazareth, Ky.
Novitiate, Fond du Lac, Wis. Sistei-s of Charity of Our Lady, Mother
Sisters of St. Ann. Motherhouse at of Mercy. Motherhouse at Tilburg, Hol-
Lachine, P. Q., Canada. land.
Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. Sisters of Charity of Providence. Gen-
Motherhouse at Lakewood, Cleveland, eral Motherhouse at Montreal, P. Q.
Ohio.
Poor Clares. The fii-st Poor Clares came
Congregation of the Assumption (B.V. from Rome, Italy. Monastery in U. S.,
M.). Motherhouse at Nicolet, P. Q. Omaha, Nebr.
Little Sisters of theAssumption. Moth- Faithful Companions of Jesus. General
erhouse at Rue Violet, G'renelle, Paris, Motherhouse at Paris, France.
France.
Daughters of the Cross. Motherhouse
Sisters of St. Benedict. Eichstaedt,
at Lambezellec, France.
Bavaria, and St. Mary's, Elk Co., Pa.
Daughters of Jesus. Motherhouse at
Benedictine Sisters of Pei-petual Adora-
Kermaria, Brittany-France.
tion. Motherhouse and Novitiate at
Sisters of the Divine Compassion.
Clyde. Mo., and Maria Riekenbaeh, Switz-
Motherhouse at Good Counsel, White
erland.
Plains, N. T.
The White Benedictine Sisters of the
Sisters of St. Dominic. Motherhouse at
Congregation of Mount Olive. Mother-
St. Catherine's Convent, Springfield, Ky.
house at Jonesboro, Ark.
Dominican Sisters of the III. Order of
Sisters of Notre Dame de Bon Secours.
General Motherhouse at Troves, France.
St. Dominie. Motherhouse, New York
City.
Sisters of Bon Secours. General Moth-
Dominican Sisters of the Pei-petual
erhouse at Paris, France.
Convent at West Hoboken, N. J.
Rosai-j'.
Sisters of the Bl. Sacrament for In-
Dominican Sisters. Monastery, New-
dians and Colored People. Motherhouse
ark, N. J.
and Novitiate at Cornwells, Maud P. 0.,
Little Franciscan Sisters of Mary.
Pa.
Motherhouse at La Bale St. Paul, diocese
Discaleed Carmelites. Monastery at
of Chicoutimi, P. Q., Canada.
Baltimore, Md.
Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Sisters of the III. Order of St. Francis.
Paul. General Motherhouse at Paris, Motherhouse at Peoria, 111.

France. Sisters of St. Francis. Motherhouse at
Sisters of Charity. Motherhouse at Mt. Allegany, N. T.
St. Joseph, Hamilton Co., Ohio. Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immacu-
late. Motherhouse and Novitiate at Joliet, Sisters of St. Francis. Motherhouse at
111. Peoria, 111.
Sisters of the III. Order Regular of St. Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate
Francis. Motherhouse at Oldenburg, lud. Conception. Motherhouse at Little Falls,
Sisters of St. Francis. Motherhouse at Minn.
Buffalo, N. Y. Felieian Sisters, O.S.F. General Moth-
Sisters of St. Francis of the Sacred erhood at Cracow, Austria.
Heart. Motherhouse at Burlington, Iowa. Order of St. Fran-
Sisters of the Third
Sisters of the III. Order of St. Francis. cis. Motherhouse at Grimmenstein, Switz-
Motherhouse at Tiffin, Ohio. erland.
Franciscan Sisters. Mother-
General Sisters of St. Francis. Motherhouse at
house at Salzkotten, near Paderborn, Ger- St. Joseph's Hospital, Maryville, Mo.
many. Motherhouse for the U. S., St. Sisters of the III. Order of St. Francis
Louis, Mo. of the Congregation of Our Lady of
Sisters of the III. Order of St. Francis Lourdes. Motherhouse at Rochester,
of Assisi, M. Motherhouse and Novi-
C. Minn.
tiate, St. Francis P.O., Wis. Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the
Sisters of St. Francis. Motherhouse Good Shepherd of Angers. Motherhouse
and Novitiate at St. Francis Convent, at Angers, France.
Dubuque, la. Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of
School Sistei-s Mother-
of St. Francis. Refuge. (Called Good Shepherd.) First
house and Novitiate, Milwaukee, Wis. House at Caen, France. Introduced into
Franciscan Sisters (for Colored Mis- America at Buffalo, N. Y.
sions). Motherhouse at Mill Hill, London, Gray Nuns of the Cross. Motherhouse
N. W., England. at Ottawa, Ont.
Franciscan Sisters of the Perpetual Society of the Helpers of the Holy
Adoration. Motherhouse at La Crosse, Souls. Motherhouse at Paris, France.
Wis. Ladies of the Cenacle. Motherhouse,
Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. Europe. Convents at New York City.
Motherhouse and Novitiate at Alverno, Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus. Moth-
Wis. erhouse at Mayfield, England.
Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Sisters of the Holy Cniss. Mother-
Motherhouse at Joliet, 111. house at Notre Dame P. 0., Ind.
Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. Gen- Sisters of the Holy Cross and of the
eral Motherhouse at Muenster, West- Seven Dolors. Motherhouse at St. Lau-
phalia, Germany. rent, P. Q.
Poor Sisters of St. Francis of the Per- Sisters of the Holy Family. Convent at
petual Adoration. General Motherhouse San Francisco. Cal.
at Olpe, Arnsberg, Westphalia, Germany. Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy
Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. Family. (Colored Sisters.) Monastery
General Motherhouse at Aachen, Ger- and Novitiate at New Orleans, La.
many. Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Sisters of III. Order of St. Francis. Motherhouse at Rome, Italy.
Motherhouse at Bay Settlement, Wis. Daughters of the Holy Ghost. Mother-
Sisters of the III. Order of St. Francis. house at St. Brienc, Cotes du Nord, Bre-
Motherhouse, Chicago, lU. tagne, France.
Sisters of the Holy Ghost. Mothei-- Little Company of Mary. Motherhouse

house at Dubuquej Iowa. at Rome, Italy.
Sister-Servants of the Holy Ghost. Little Sisters of the Poor. Established
Convent at Shermerville, 111. at St. Servan, Brittany, France.
Sister-Servants of the Holy Heart of Sisters of Loretto, at the Foot of the
Mary. Motherhouse at Paris, France. Cross. Motherhouse and Novitiate at
Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary. Loretto, Nerinx P. 0. Ky.
Motherhouse near New Bedford, Villa Ladies of Loretto. General Motherhouse
Maria, Lawrence Co., Pa. at Munich, Bavaria.
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Order of Our Lady of Lourdes. Moth-
Mary. General Motherhouse at Montreal, erhouse at New Orleans, La.
P. Q. Sisters Marianites of Holy-Cross.
Sisters of Poor Handmaids of Jesus
Sisters of St. Mary. Provincialhouse
Christ. General Motherhouse at Dern- and Novitiate at Lockport, N. Y.
bach, Germany.
Sisters of St. Mary. Motherhouse at
Congregation of the Sisters-Servants of
St. Louis, Mo.
the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mother-
Sisters of Mercy. Founded at Dublin,
house at Monroe, Mich. Ireland. Established generally throughout
Sisters of the Holy and Immaculate the United States. First Motherhouse
Heart of Mary. Novititiate at Pico
and Novitiate at Pittsburg, Pa.
Heights, Los Angeles, Cal.
"The Institution of Mercy," New York
Sister-Servants of the Immaculate
City. Founded from the Motherhouse,
Heart of Mary. (Good Shepherd.) Gen-
Dublin, Ireland.
eral Motherhouse at Quebec.
Sisters of Misericorde. Motherhouse at
Sisters of the Incarnate Word and
Montreal, P. Q.
Blessed Sacrament. Founded at Lyons,
Institute of Mission Helpers. Mother-
France.
house at Baltimore, Md.
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate
School Sisters of Notre Dame. Gsneral
Word. Motherhouse at San Antonio, Tex.
Motherhouse at Munich, Bavaria.
Religious of Jesus-Mary. General
Motherhouse, Rome, Italj'. Dame (Namur). Gen-
Sisters of Notre
Sisters of St. Joseph (of Carondolet). eral Motherhouse at Namur, Belgium.

Founded in the city of Puy, France. Sisters of Notre Dame. General Moth-
Sisters of St. Joseph. Motherhouse at erhouse at Muelhausen, Germany.
Concordia, Kans. Sisters of the Congregation of Notre

Sisters of St. Joseph. Motherhouse, Dame. Motherhouse at Villa Maria, near
Novitiate and Scholasticate at La Grange, Montreal.
IlL Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Mother-
Sisters of St. Joseph. Motherhouse and house at Nottingham, England.
Novitiate at St. Augaistine, Fla. Sisters of the Most Precious Blood.
Sisters of St. Joseph. General Mother- Motherhouse at Maria Stein, Ohio.
house at Chambery, France. Sisters of St. Mary. Motherhouse at
Sisters of St. Joseph of Bourg, France. St.Mary's, Beaverton P. 0., Oregon.
Motherhouse at Bourg, France. Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood.
Polish Sisters of St. Joseph. Mother- Motherhouse at St. Hyacinth, P. Q.
house at Stevens Point, Wis. Sisters of the Presentation B.V.M.
rounded in Ireland. Motherbouse at Sau Tbe Baltimore Academy of the Visita-
Francisco, Cal. tion, Baltimore, Md.
Sisters of Providence. Motherbouse at Visitation Convent, Frederick City, Md.
St. Marys of tbe Woods, Vigo Co., Ind. Visitation Convent of Mt. de Chantal,
Oblate Sisters of Providence. Mother- Wheeling, W. Va.
bouse at St. Francis Convent, Baltimore, Visitation Convent, Washington, D. C.
Md. Mt. de Sales Academy of tbe Visita-
Sisters of Divine Providence. Mother- tion, Catonsville, Md.
bvjuse at San Antonio, Tex. Visitation Convent, Evanston, 111.
Sisters of Providence of Kentucky. Visitation Convent, Parkersburg, W.

(Legal title.) General Motherbouse at St. Va.
Jean-de-Bassel, Lorraine. Visitation Convent, MaysvUle, Ky.
Sisters of Divine Providence. Mother- Visitation Convent, Ricbmond, Va.
hood at Pittsburg, Pa. Visitation Convent, Villa Maria, Wytbe-
Sisters of the Perpetual Adoration of ville, Va.
tbe Blessed Sacrament. Motherbouse at Visitation Convent, Wilmington, Del.
New Orleans, La. Visitation Convent, Dubuque, Iowa.
Ladies of tbe Sacred Heart. General Visitation Convent, St. Paul, Minn.
Motherbouse at Paris, France. Visitation Convent, Cardome, George-
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart town, Ky.
of Jesus. General Motherbouse at Rome, Visitation Convent, Tacoma, Wash.
Italy. Visitation Convent, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Gen-
Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. RESERVATION OF THE HOLY
eralMotherbouse at Rome, Italy. EUCHARIST. In all ages, of course, the
Servants of Mary. Motherbouse at En- Blessed Sacrament has been reserved for
field, 111. the sick, and the first Christians, in the
Society of the Divine Savior. Mother- times of persecution, kept the Eucharist
house at Rome, Italy. at home and gave communion to them-
Ursuline Nuns. Founded by Nuns from selves.
France. Established generally throughout RESERVED CASES. Certain sins,
tbe United States. power to absolve from which is reserved
Visitation Nuns. Founded at Annecy by the superior to himself and not im-
(Savoy). parted to inferiors, who have ordinary or
delegated jurisdiction over other sins.
Indepeiident Convents. Papal cases are reserved to the Pope, epis-

copal cases to the bishop, the reserved
Visitation Convent, Riverdale-on-Hud- cases of regulars to the prelates of tbe
son. New York City. order.
Visitation, Academy and Novitiate, RESPONSE. Vei-ses said after the
Villa de Chantal, Rock Island, 111. Lessons, because part of it is said by one
Georgetown Visitation Convent, West reader or singer to whom the choir an-
Washington, D. C. swer with the rest of tbe responsory.
Visitation Convent, St. Louis, Mo. RESTITUTION. The principle "Do
St. de Chantal Academy of the Visita- wrong to no man" implies that if we
tion, St. Louis, Mo. have done another any injury we are
Visitation Convent, Mobile, Ala. bound to make good tbe loss. Thus, if we
have converted another's property to our the three days, rogatio being the Latin
own use, we must give it back to him; if equivalent for the Greek word litany.
we have destroyed anything that is his, Those who are bound to recite the breviary
even without benefiting by the action, we are also bound to say the litany privately,
must hand over him an equivalent at
to if not in procession. These litanies are
our own cost. We are also bound to in- called lesser, by comparison with the more
demnify him for any inconvenience that ancient and solemn chanting of the litany
he may have suffered by being deprived on St. Mark's Day.
of his property. Restitution applies, as ROSARY. A form of prayer in which
far as the case admits, to any injury to fifteen decades of Aves, each
decade being
another's life or limb, wife, goods, or good preceded by a Pater and followed by a
name, and is binding under pain of mortal Gloria, are recited on beads.
sin where the matter is serious. Absolu- RUBRICS. Directions for the order to
tion may be given before restitution is ac- be followed in Mass and other sacred rites.
tually made, provided that the penitent
has the intention of restoring as soon as
possible. If the intention is not carried
out, the penitent grievously sins. It should SABAOTH. This word, retained in
be noted that they who co-operate in caus- the Sanctus, is often confounded with
ing injury are bound to make restitution. Sabbath, but has an entirely different
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. being from host or victim.
significance,
The doctrine of a general resurrection of SACRAMENT ALS. The name "sacra-

the dead. mental" was given to rites which have
RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. The some outward resemblance to the sacra-
mystery of Christ's resurrection from the ments, but which are not of divine insti-
dead. This is the greatest of Christ's tution.
miracles and the strongest proof of His SACRIFICE. an act of ex-

Sacrifice is
Divinity. ternal worship in which is honored God

RITUAL. A book which contains the as the Principle and End of man and all
forms to be observed by priests in the things, by the oblation of a visible crea-

administration of the sacraments in ture, by submitting it to an appropriate
funeral services and burials and in most transformation by a duly qualified minis-
of the blessings which they can give by ter.
ordinary or delegated authority. SACRILEGE. The violation of a sacred

ROCHET. A vestment of linen, fitting object.
closely, with close sleeves reaching to the SAINTS, INTERCESSION AND IN-
hands, proper to bishops and abbots. The VOCATION OF. The Council of Trent
use of it is also granted to certain other teaches that "the saints reigning with
dignitaries. Christ offer their prayers for men
ROGATION DAYS. The Monday, to God; that it is good and useful
Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascen- to call upon them with supplication,
sion Day are observed by all Catholics of and, in order to obtain benefits from
the Latin rite as days of solemn supplica- God through Jesus Christ, who alone is
tion, and are called Rogation days because our Redeemer and have re-
Savior, to
the Litany of the Saints is chanted in the course to their prayers, help, and aid."
procession which takes place on each of The prayer which we may address to the
saints is of course wholly different from lutely secret the knowledge gained through
that which we offer to God or Christ. sacramental confession.
''We pray God," says the Roman SECRET. A prayer said by the cele-
Catechism, "Himself to give good -or brant in a low voice, which cannot be
free us from evil things; we ask heard except by himself, after the Offer-
the saints, because they enjoy God's tory and before the Preface.
favor, to undertake our patronage and SECULAR CLERGY. In proportion
obtainfrom God the things we need. as the monastic institutions grew and
Hence we employ two forms of prayer, spread, the contrast between the cloister
differing in the mode, for to God we say or the cell and life outside of these was
properly. Have mercy on us. Hear us; to more vividly realized, and when the pro-
the saints, Pray for us." Or, if we ask fession of Christianity had become gen-
the Blessed Virgin or the saints to have eral, the contrast was more marked be-
pity on us we only beseech them to think tween the secular and the monastic life.
of our misery, and to help us "by their To the clergy of all ranks and orders
favor with God and their intercession"; serving Christ in the world, not bound by
and "the greatest care must be taken by vows or by a rule of life, the term "sec-
allnot to attribute what belongs to God ular" is applied.
to any other." Two points, then, are in- SECULARISATION. The extinction
volved in the Catholic doctrine the in- — of the by which property, whether
title
tercession of the saints and the utility of or personal, is held by the Church,
real
invoking them. and the placing of that property at the
SALVE, REGINA. The antiphon said
disposal of the secular power. It is ob-
after Lauds and Compline from Trinity cannot
vious that such extinction of title
Sunday to Advent. justly take effect except with the con-
SANCTUARY. The part of the church sent of the Holy See, as representing
round the high altar reserved for clergy. the whole Church. Historically, such
SANCTUS, THE. The Sanctus forms consent has seldom been asked or ob-
the conclusion of the Preface in all the tained; the utmost concession to equity
litui'gies. that civil governments are accustomed to
SCAPULAR. A dress which covers make in such a case is to enter into a
the shoulders. But it is best known treaty with the Holy See for regulating
among Catholics as the name of two little the generally a most in-
compensation,
pieces of cloth worn out of devotion over adequate awarded to the clergy,
one,
the shoulders, under the ordinary garb, secular or regular, whose property has
and connected by strings. been secularized. This has been done in
SCHISM. A tear or rent (Matt. is. France, Austria, and Catholic countries
16; Mark ii. 21); a division of opinion generally. In England, Ireland, Sweden,
(John vii. 43; ix. 16; x. 19); party spirit Denmark, and Holland, no compensation
in the Christian Church (1 Cor. i. 10; xi. for the expropriation of Church property
18; xii. 25); and then, in Fathers and has ever been made.
theologians, a technical word to denote SEMINARY. A school or college for
formal separation from the unity of the the training of young persons destined for
Church. the priesthood.
SEAL OF CONFESSION. The obliga- SEQUENCE. A rhythm sometimes
tion of the confessor in keeping abso- sung between the Epistle and Gospel; also
—
called a "prose," because not in any reg- founded at Paris in 1634 by St. Vincent
ular metre. At first, the sequence was of Paul for the work of nursing the sick
merely a prolongation of the last note of in hospitals.The constitution of the so-
the Alleluia after the Epistle, till, to avoid ciety has never varied. The sisters take
the wearisome effect of such a prolonga- simple vows, which are yearly renewed;
tion, words, appropriate to the occasion, they add a fourth vow, by which they
were substituted. bind themselves to serve the sick. Pos-
SERAPHIC DOCTOR, THE. St. Bona- tulants are admitted to the habit at the
venture; he became Minister-General of end of six months; the period of proba-

the Franciscans in 1256. tion lasts for five years. The dress of
a Sister of Charity is too well known to
SERVITES. The order of the "Re-
need description.
ligious Servants of the Holy Virgin,"
5. Sisters of Charity of St. Paul.—
commonly called the Servites, was
This congregation was founded by M.
founded in 1233 by seven Florentine
merchants, whose names were Monaldi, Chauvet, a French cure, assisted by
Manetti, Mdlle. de Tylly, in 1704.
Amidei, Lantella, Ugueeioni,
Sostegni, and Falconieri.
6. Sisters of Charity. — This institute
was founded in 1815 by Marv Frances
SHROVETIDE. The three days follow-
Aikenhead, for the pui-pose of minister-
ing Quinquagesima Sunday —the time for
ing to the sick and poor in hospitals and
shrift or confession.
at their own homes. The sisters, though
SIMONY. Giving or receiving, or in- not in any way connected with the cele-
tending to give or to receive, anything brated foundation of St. Vincent of Paul,
temporal for anything spiritual. have "very nearly, if not exactly, the
SIN. Any thought, word, or deed same objects of Christian charity in
against the law of God. view." The congregation was approved
SISTERHOODS. The principal Sister- by the Holy See in 1834. The vows are
hoods are as follows: perpetual; the rule is that of the Society
1. Sisters of the Assumption. —Founded of Jesus so far as it is suitable for
by Monsignor Affre, archbishop of Paris, women; a probation of two years and a
in 1839, chiefly as an educational order. half is undergone before admission to
The habit is violet, with a cross on the the habit.
breast,and a white veil. 7. Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
2. Sisterhood of Bon Secours. — This This society, the chief object of which is
institute was founded by Mgr. de Quelen, the reformation ofwomen, was
fallen
archbishop of Paris in 1822, for the care founded by the Fere Eudes and Mar-
of the sick in their own homes, and also guerite I'Ami in 1646.
of orphans. It was formally approved 8. Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus.
by the Holy See in 1875. This is a recent institute, founded for

3. Sisters of St. Brigid, or of the Holy teaching both the rich and the poor.
—
Faith. Founded in 1857 to take charge 9. Sisters (Little) of the Poor.— This
of poor schools for girls and little boys. admirable institute was founded in 1840
4. Sisters of Charity. —Called also by the cure of St. Servan, M. le Pailleur,
"Gray Sisters," "Daughters of Char- aided by four women of humble birth,
ity," "Sisters of St. Vincent of Paul." whose names were Marie Augustine,
This congregation, after many and long- Marie Therese, Jeanne Jugon, and Fau-
continued tentative operations, was chon Aubert, for the support, relief, and
—
nursing of aged or infirm poor persons. 15. Sisters of the Faithful Virgin.—
The sisters maintain (their resources be- This order was founded mainly for the
ins' chiefly got by begging from door to care of orphans. The mother house is at
door) thousands of the aged poor in many La Delivrande in Normandy.
countries. SOCIETY OF THE FAITHFUL COM-
10. Sisters of Mercy. — This important PANIONS OF JESUS. This congrega-
and flourishing order was founded by tion,founded at Amiens by Madame de
Miss Catherine McAuley, for carrying on Bounault d'Houet in 1820, under the di-
all the works of mercy, both spiritual and rection of the Pere Varin, of the Com-
eoqaoral. The foundress took the title pany of Jesus, to labor for the sanetifiea-
of her order from that of St. Peter No- tion of souls and the female education.
laseo; its rule, with some slight modifi- SODALITY. A religious congregation
cations, from that of the Presentation or association consisting of lay persons,
Nuns. Except in the case of recent filia- male or female, or both male and female,
tions, convent is independent of
each meeting together at stated times, under
eveiy other, and is completely under the ecclesiastical direction, for the perform-
jurisdiction and control of the bishop of ance of pious exercises, and recommending
the diocese. Besides the three essential to each of its members conformity in life
vows the sisters take a fourth — to devote and conversation to a body of rules,
themselves for life to the sen-ice and in- framed in order to promote the honor of
struction of the poor, sick, and ignorant. God, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, the
11. Sisters (Poor) of Nazareth. —An spread of good works, and the spiritual
offshoot from the institute of the Little
advancement of those who faithfully ob-
Sisters of the Poor, which it resembles serve them.
in most respects. SOUL. The primary principle of life,
12. Sisters of Providence. —Founded and by living things all such as have the
some years before the French Revolution, capacity of motion from within.
chiefly in order to meet the difficulty of
SPONSORS. Persons who, according
obtaining sound education in country dis-
to the practice of the Church, assist at
tricts, by M. Moye, vicar of a parish near
the solemn administration of baptism, to
Metz.
make profession of Christian faith in the
13. Sisters (School) of Notre Dame.
name of the baptized.
An order which had for primary ob-
its
ject poor
the salvation of the souls of
STATIONS OF THE CROSS. A series
of pictures or statuary representing the
children. In 1809 the mother house and
different events in the Passion of Christ,
the administration of the order was estab-
lished at Namur, France. The rules and each Station corresponding to a particular
event. Usually, they are ranged round
constitutions received the formal anpro-
bation of the Holy See in 1844. the church, the first station being placed
14. Sisters of La Union des

Sainte on one side of the high altar, the last on
Sacres Cceurs. —Founded Douai by the
at the other. The Stations are among the
Abbe Debrabant. The rule and constitu- most popular of Catholic devotions, and
tions are chiefly taken from the rule pre- are to be found in every church. Some-
scribed by St. Francis of Sales to the times they are erected in the open air,
nuns of the Visitation. The object of especially on roads which lead to some
the instituteis the education of girls in church or shrine standing on a hill.
•very rank of society. STIGMATA. The word stigmata sig-
nifies "I bear the marks of Jesus in my among the laity to pay to a priest at the
body." Such marks were set on slaves time of his discharging any sacred func-
who had run away, on slaves consecrated tion for their benefit —
e. g. in marriages,
to the service of a heathen god, on cap- christenings, and funerals.

tives, and sometimes soldiers branded the SUICIDE. Those who voluntarily, and
name of their general on some part of while ill the full possession of their facul-
their body. ties put an end to themselves, are de-
In the year 1226 St. Francis of Assisi prived of ecclesiastical burial. But in
was on Mount Alvemus to keep his an- such eases the canon law inclines to a
nual fast of fortv days in honor of St. lenient judgment; and if a pereon be
Michael. One morning, says St. Buona- found, for instance, drowned or poisoned,
venture, about the 14th of September, the
and it be not proved that he had ex-
feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, pressed the deliberate intention of taking
Francis saw a seraph flying towards him. hisown life, the law prefers to presume
There was a figure of a man attached to some other cause of death, such as the
a cross between the wings. After the vi-
act of a malefactor, or accident, or tem-
sion disappeared, the hands and feet of porary aberration of mind.
the saint were found to be marked with
In many countries thecivil law now
nails, and there was a wound in his side.
requires that persons who have commit-
The wounds were seen by some of the ted suicide, even though the wilfulness
friars and by Alexander IV. during the
of the act and their sanity at the time
lifetime of the saint, and after his death
be shall be buried in the
established,
by fifty friars, St. Clare, and a multitude churchyards. In such a case the minis-
of seculars. St. Buouaveuture assures us
ters of the Church take no part in the
that he had the testimony of Alexander funeral obsequies.
IV. from the Pope's own lips. The Church
SULPICIAIfS. A society of priests
keeps a feast of the Stigmata of St.
who devote themselves to the care of
Francis, instituted by Benedict XII.
theological seminaries. They derive their
STOLE. A
narrow vestment made of
name from the seminary of S. Sulpice in
the same as the chasuble, and worn
stufi:
Paris, where they were established by
round the neck. The Pope always wears their founder, M. Olier, in 1642.
the stole. Bishops and priests wear it at
Mass —the priest crossed over his breast;
SUPREMACY. By this is meant the
doctrine that the chief authority has the
the bishop, who has already the pectoral
power to ordain and judge in the last re-
cross on his breast, pendant on each side.
sort without appeal in all causes and over
They wear it
also whenever they exercise
all persons, ecclesiastical as well as civil.
their orders by administering sacraments
or by blessing persons or things. In some SURPLICE. A garment of white linen
places it is, in others it is not, worn in worn over the cassock in choir and in the
preaching, and the custom of the place is administration of the sacraments. It is
to be followed. Deacons wear it at Mass, among the most familiar, and at the same
or at Benediction, &c., when they have to time is one of the most modem of Church
move the Blessed Sacrament, over the left vestments.
shoulder and joined on the right side. SUSPENSION. A prohibition by
STOLE-FEES. The fees, varying in which a cleric is forbidden to exercise
different countries, which it is customary his orders or his clerical office, or to ad-
minister and enjo.y the fruits of his bene- time, the Church holds that drunkenness
fice. is a mortal sin. Hence, all her children
SYLLABUS. The Syllabus was a di- are bound at least to be temperate.
gest or table of the errors condemned on TEMPORAL POWER. Temporal pow-
various occasions by Pius IX., drawn up er was formerly exercised by the Pope as
and circulated bv his orders. king of the states of the Church.
SYNODAL EXAMINERS. A commit- The Popes have not ceased to declare,
tee of learned ecclesiastics, appointed in that the preservation of their temporal
the synod, numbering not less
diocesan independence is necessary, as human af-
than and (as a rule) not more than
six,
fairs are constituted, to the free and full
twenty members, whose duty it is to as- exercise of their spiritual authority.
certain and test the qualifications of can- THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES. Faith,
didates for benefices or other Church
Hope, and Charity are called the theolog-
preferment. They hold office only from
ical virtues, because they relate immedi-
one diocesan synod to another. If the
ately to God. The moral or cardinal vir-
committee be reduced below six in the
tues are concerned with our duties, and
interval between two synods, the bishop
so relate to Him indirectly; but the the-
makes provisional appointments so as to
ological virtues have Him for their imme-
complete the prescribed number.
SYNODALS. A small payment in the
diate object —
God in whom we believe
it is
and hope and whom we love. These vir-

nature of a "cathedratieum," due from
tues are supernatural because they are
the incumbents of benefices to the bishop.
beyond the reach of man's natural power.s,
and because they enable him to attain a
supernatural end.
THURIBLES. A vessel as old as the
use of incense in the Church, in which the
TE DEUM. A hymn in the form of
incense is carried.
a psalm, recited at the end of Matins on
all feasts except Holy Innocents, and on
TIARA. A head-dress surrounded with
three crowns, which the Pope wears as a
all Sundaj's except during penitential sea-
symbol of sovereignty.
sons.
TEMPEKANCE is equivalent to re-
TITHES. Tithes are the tenth part of
commonly all fruits and profits justly acquired, owed

straint or moderation; but it is
used for moderation in certain strong ap-

to God in recognition of His supreme do-
minion over man, and to be paid to the
petites which are concerned with the
ministers of the Church.
preservation of the individual or of the
race, such as eating, drinking, and gen- TONSURE. The shaving of the crown
eration. Modesty, chastity, sobriety, and in a circle, which is a distinguishing mark
similar virtues come under the head of of clerics. Among some of the monastic
temperance. orders and friars the tonsure leaves only
Among us, the word temperance is still a circle of hair round the head; the ton-
further restricted to mean moderation in sure of secular clerks, on the other hand,
the use of intoxicants, and sometimes, is small.
but incorrectly, it is taken to mean total TRADITION. Properly the aet of
abstinence from these. The Catholic handing down. Christ left His Church
Church teaches that the use of wine is, with no written books, and with nothing
in itself, perfectly lawful. At the same but tradition to guide it. St. Paul insists
on the necessity of holding to the Chris- that when religious dissension and dis-
tian tradition. turbance broke out in the sixteenth cen-

TRANSEPT. In architecture the part turj", a general council should be confi-
of the church which forms the short arms dently looked to as the remedy. And yet,
of the cross on which the plan is laid. It as Pallavieini remarks, the remembrance
extends on the north and south side of that the Nicene Council did not put down
the area between the nave and the choir.

Arianism, nor that of Chalcedon Eutyehi-
anism, with other like instances, might
TRAPPISTS. A branch of the Cister- have served to moderate expectation and
cian order. The founder Armand Jean le check disappointment, if it should prove
Bouthillier de Ranee, born in 1626, was of
that the great CEcumenical Council of the
a noble family. He was ordained priest sixteenth century, though inferior in no
in 1651. In 1660 he resigned all
respect to any, even the very greatest of
his benefices except the abbacy of La its predecessors, nevertheless, far from
Trappe, and told the monks that they suppressing Protestantism, ushered in a
would thenceforth have to live by the long period of strife between Catholics
rule of what was called the "Strict Ob-
and the various heterodox bodies in every
servance" of the Cistercian order. La —
land a strife of which the end appears
Trappe was an ancient monastery lying to be still distant.
in the heart of La Perche, not far from
Seez, founded as a Cistercian house in
TRINITY, HOLY. The mystery of the
The Trinity consists in this, that God, being
1140 by Rotrou, count of Perche.
numerically and individually one, exists
final was the discipline of La
result
in three Persons, or, in other words, that
Trappe. They are not free to choose the
the Divine essence, which is one and the
kind of work which they like best. The
same in the strictest and most absolute
abbot himself works, and often takes up
sense, exists in three Persons, really dis-
the most abject sort of employment. Their
indoor emplojTnents, when the weather
tinct from each other, and yet each really
identical with the same Divine essence.
does not allow of outdoor labor, include
joinery, copying, binding, The Father is unbegotten, the Sou begot-
carpentry,
ten, the Holy Ghost proceeds from the
sweeping, and many other useful toils.
Probably the most tryin? part of all Father and Son. Each Person is really
distinct from the other, each is the true,
the discipline is the silence, no monk be-
eternal God, and yet there is only one
ing allowed to speak to his brother on any
occasion. The abbot and the guest-master
God. We can understand how three in-
dividual men are distinct from each other
are the only persons in the convent who
and yet possess humanity in common. The
are permitted to speak to strangers.
unity of the three Divine Persons is alto-
TRENT, COUNCIL OF. The general gether different. When we speak of
councils of the fifteenth centuiy succeed- them as one God, we mean not only that
ed on the whole in one of the principal ob- each is God, but that each is one and the
jects for which they were convened, that same God, and herein is the mystery, in-
of restoring or maintaining the unity of comprehensible to any created intelligence.
Christendom. At Constance the great
schism was closed; at Basle the difiiculty
TUNIC. A vestment proper to subdea-
cons, who are clothed in it by the bishop
with the Hussites was arranged; at Fer-
West were mo- at ordination, and like the dalmatic. Even
rara-Florenee East and
Hence it was natural, this distinction is not, so far as we know,
mentarily reunited.
406 JjIGEt from tee altar.
g«nerally observed. It is also worn by trade and the fruit which the money
bishops under the dalmatic when they yields. It was long, however, before opin-
pontifieate.
ion adapted itself to new circumstances.
TWELFTH DAY. Another name for
being the twelfth day
the Epiphany,
after Christmas.
it
V
TYPE. Types are persons, things, ac-
VATICAN COUNCIL. This council
tions,and events of the Old Testament
met on December 8, 1869, and is not yet
ordained by God to foreshadow the future.
concluded.
The existence of types is expressly set
VEIL. Three Eucharist veils were in
forth in both the Old and the New Testa-
use in the ancient Church, the paten veil
ment. The term "type," which originally
for covering the bread before consecra-
means model, form, or figure, is taken
tion, the chalice veil, and a very thin
from the New Testament. St. Paul says
transparent veil for covering both paten
that the first Adam was "a figure of Him
and chalice. The offertory veil was used,
that was to come," inasmuch as his car-
according to the various parts of the cere-
nal paternity is an image of the spiritual
monial of High Mass. It seems to be the
paternity of Christ.
same as the benediction veil with which
the subdeacon now covers the chalice at
u High Mass, and which is also used at
the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
URSULINES. This teaching order was The nuptial veil is worn by brides in
founded by St. Angela Merici, of Brescia, the marriage ceremony. St. Ambrose
in 1537. The objects of their institution speaks of a veil stretched over the heads
is to nurse the sick, teach young girls, and of the bride and bridegroom during the
sanctify their own lives. It was known celebration of marriage, with a mystical
as the Congregation of St. Ursula. A significance.
bull of Paul III. (15-14) confirmed the VESTMENTS. Long before the ecclesi-
title. astical vestments were distinguished by
USURY. Usury, in its wider signifi- their form from those in common use cer-
cation, all gain made by lending.
means tain garments were reserved for the offici-
This is a sense which usury often has in ating clergy, though they were identical
the classics, and so understood usury oc- in form with the ordinary garb.
curs whenever a man lends capital at in- VIATICUM. Holy Communion given
terest. Now, however, usury signifies un- to those in danger of death.
just gain on a loan, unjust because not VICAR-APOSTOLIC. By this is meant

justified by the loss, risk, &c., of the lend- either a bishop or archbishop, to whom
er or the advantage to the borrower, or the Roman Pontiff delegates a portion of
because the amount of gain is exorbitant. his jurisdiction or an ecclesiastic, not
;
became more and more evident that

It necessarily a bishop, who, acting under a
commerce could not exist without a rate Papal brief, or in virtue of instructions
of interest, and refiection showed many received from the Sacred Congregation of
just grounds on which a moderate rate Bishops and Regulars, is commissioned to
could be exacted. Such are the risk to exercise the episcopal jurisdiction (except
the lender, the loss to which he is put by in certain special cases) in a diocese where
the want of capital with which he mi^ht the ordinary, from whatever cause, is in
capacitated from its full and efScient dis- LOBXJM, That it was a duty inoumbent
charge. on a Catholic bishop to visit from time to
VICAErGENHRAL. Is an ecclesiastic time the tombs of the Apostles Peter and
appointed by the bishop of the diocese Paul at Rome, in order to honor the
to assist him in matters of administration. institution of Christ in the person of his
In matters of jurisdiction the vicar gen- vicar, to strengthen his own communion
eral is regarded as the ordinary, and his and that of his flock with the living center
tribunal is identical with that of the bish- of Christianity, and to report the state of
op, so that there isno appeal from the one his diocese to the Supreme Pastor and
to the other. But he is bound to keep care- Ruler, was a conviction which had been
fully within the limits of his commission; gi-owing in force for centuries, and had
thus he may not do any of those things found continuous practical expression in
which come under the definition of those innumerable visits of bishops to
"Pontificalia," and belong to the epis- Rome which the annals of the Church
copal order, such as making the holy record. Leo III. (Ep. i.) ordained that
oils, consecrating churches, altars, chal- bishops should visit the limina Apoeto-
ices, &e. Nor may he decide anything lorum, but without prescribing anything
without a special mandate, which it may as to the time. In the sixteenth century
be reasonably presumed the bishop could the practice assumed the form of a posi-
not have intended to entrust to him by tive law. Sixtus V. by the Confititution
his general commission. For instance, al- "Romanus Pontifex" (1685) ordained
though his commission warrants him to that the bishops of Italy, the islands in
do all formal acts required in the insti- the Adriatic, and the neighboring parts
tution of ecclesiastics to benefices, offices, of Greece, should be bound to visit tho
or dignities, it does not authorize him to limina Apostolorum once in three years;
confer any of these; to do so lawfuUy he the bishops of France, Spain, England,
must have a special mandate. He cannot Germany, and other countries within the
summon a synod, nor visit the diocese; North and Baltic Seas, as also of the
"and generally, in business of an arduous islands in the Mediterranean, once in four
and weighty nature, he cannot act without years; all other bishops in Europe and
consulting the bishop." The powers of those of Africa, once in five years; and
a vicar-general cease when his commission all Asiatic and American bishops, once in
is cancelled by the bishop; upon his resig- ten years. The visit was to be made either
nation; when, from whatever cause, the in person, or, if a legitimate hindranee
bishop's own jurisdiction in the diocese intervened, by a suitable proctor or rei>-
ceases. resentative.
VIGILS^ The watch kept on the night VISITATION, EPISCOPAL. To visit
before a feast. his diocese, and ascertain tiie state and
VINCENT OF PAUL, ST., SOCIETY progress of religion in every part of it, is
OF. This society, which exists for the of course one of the main portions of that
purpose of helping the poor, was founded duty which belongs to the bishop's office.
at Paris in 1833. The aim of such visitations is described
VXRTXJE. A good quality of the mind as comprehending the maintenance of
whereby a man lives rightly and which sound doctrine, the expulsion of heresy,
DO one uses wrongly, which God works in the reformation of morals, the right ar-
us without our aid. rangement of whatever relates both to
VISITATIO AD LIMINA APOSTO- persons and things ecclesiastical, and the
— '

encouragement of the faithful, by preach- to the religious state, or the perfect prac-
ing and other means, to lead religious tice of the evangelical counsels, comes to
and peaceful lives. souls with a certain pressing invitation,
VISITATION, ORDER OF THE. This with a strong desire of self-sacrifice
order was founded at Annecy in 1610 by and a clear perception of worldly vanity,
the holy widow Jane Frances, Mme. de with a certain attractiveness for intimacy
Chantal (who was canonized in 1767), with Christ and for the exaltation of His
under the direction of St. Francis de holy Name. But it is given differently to
Sales, then bishop of Geneva. It was differentpereons, and prepares them
designed by the bishop to be open to "powerfully" though "sweetly" for the
widows and ladies of weak health as well practice of solid virtue. "If thou wouldst
as to the young and robust; hence but be perfect," said our Lord, "go sell what
few corporal austerities were required by thou hast and give to the poor, . . .
the rule, and at first there was no enclo- and come, follow Me. '
sure, so that the religious could freely VOWS. A vow is a deliberate promise
visit the sick and needy in their own made to God in regard to something pos-
homes. On the other hand, the employ- sessing superior goodness.
ment of time and the regulation of the VULGATE. The name is now com-
thoughts were provided for in the rule monly given to the Latin version of the
with great minuteness. St. Francis did Bible, authorized by the Catholic Church.
not wish the religious to be exempt from In this vereion all the books found in the
the jurisdiction of the bishops, and there- Hebrew Bible were translated by Jerome
fore he would not consent to the appoint- from the Hebrew and Chaldee originals,
ment of a superior for the whole order. except the Psalter, which belongs to an
The rule of enclosure was adopted in Old Latin version revised by Jerome.
1618. Many houses of " Visitandines" Judith and Tobias were freely translated
so these nuns are called in France soon — by Jerome from the Chaldee (this Chaldee,
arose, and have ever been conspicuous however, being merely the version of
for the order, harmony, and piety which Hebrew originals now lost; see Neubauer,
reigned in them. Ven. Marie Marguerite "Book of Tobias," p. xvi.). In the rest
d'Alacoque, so well known in connection of the Old Testament books, and in the
with the devotion to the Sacred Heart, deuterocanonical portions of Esther and
belonged to this order. Daniel, we have the Old Latin translation
VISIT TO THE BLESSED SACRA- unaltered; the New Testament consists of
MENT. The daily visit to a church in the Old Latin test revised by Jerome from
order to engage in silent prayer before the Greek.
the Blessed Sacrament.
VOCATION. Vocation
that "disposition of Divine Providence"
is taken for w
whereby pereons are invited to serve God WASHING OF HANDS BEFORE
in —
some special state e. g. as ecclesiastics AND AFTER IMLASS. A rubric of the
or religious. The ecclesiastical vocation is Roman Missal directs the celebrating
manifested by the pious desires of the iniest to wash his hands in the sacristy be-
heart, by innocence of life, by the sincere fore he jiuts on his vestments.
love of Christ, by pure zeal for God's WHIT-SUNDAY. The common Eng-
glory and the salvation of souls. That lish name for Pentecost.
WITCHCRAFT is the art of doing beings can and do come under the influ-
things wonderful, and apparently super- ence of evil spirits, we should therefore
natural, without the intervention of God. admit the reality of any such leagues
Perhaps a more exact definition would be or compacts with the devil as the records
a power, real or supposed, of producing, of witchcraft assume.
in concert with an evil spirit, effects be-
yond the reach of natural means and op-
erations.
Those who deny the existence of evil XAVERIAN BROTHERS. This teach-
and maintain that all the cases of
spirits, ing institute was commenced at Bruges in
demoniacal possession mentioned in the 1839, and definitely established in 1846,
Bible and recorded elsewhere are merely by Theodore James Ryken, a native of El-
cases of disease, are of course still less shout, in the Catholic province of North
inclined to admit the reality of witch- Brabant, Holland. His object was to
craft. Imagination, morbid fancy, terror "found a congregation of men who would
of the unknown, private spite, knavery, sacrifice their lives to the Christian edu-
credulity, and hallucination, sufficiently cation of youth." The first professions
account, in their eyes, for all of which were those of himself and twelve young
witches have ever been accused, or have brothers, made on October 22, 1846. Ry-
accused themselves. The former opinion ken took the name of Brother Francis
— namely, that any commerce between hu- Xavier, after the Apostle of the Indies,
man beings and evil spirits is imaginary who was chosen patron of the congrega-
—
and impossible is repugnant to Scripture tion. Soon afterwards he opened St.
and the implicit teaching of the Church, Francis Xavier 's College at Bniges for
and cannot be held by Catholics. But it day scholars and boarders: this is said to
does not follow that because we believe have become "the most flourishing school
that obsession is a fact, and that human in the city."
EWER FOR BISHOP'S MASS. BISHOP'S FALDSTOOL.
MANIPLE.
STOLE. PREACHING STOLE.
PRIEST'S SICK CALL CASE. RABBI AND BIRETTA.
CHASUBLE.
r",i
BENEDICTION VEIL. ROMAN COLLAR

PYX BURSE.
DALMATIC.
COPE. MISSIONARY OUTFIT.
CLAPPER USED IN HOLY WEEK. OILSTOCK BURSa OILSTOCKS FOR THE SACRISTT,
MONSTRANCE OR OSTENSORIUM,
LCNA. CTBORIUM CO\'ER. ABLUTION CUP.

HOLY-WATER CONFESSIONAL. TRIANGLE WITH CANDLES
FONT. USED IN HOLY WEEK.
MISSAL STAND.
BAPTISMAL FONT. URN. KNEELING-STOOL AND PORTABLB

CONFESSIONAL.
BAPTISMAL CASE.
AVIBRY,RECEPTACLE FOR SACRISTY LAVATORY,

THE HOLY OILS.
CANOPY USED IN PROCESSIONS.
ISONS FOB ALTAR BREADS. CATAFALQUE USED AT REQUIEM HIGH MASS.

DECREE
ON
DAILY COMMUNION
Ratified and Confirmed
BY
HIS HOLINESS POPE PIUS X

December 20th, 1905
Decree
Of the Sacred Congregation of the Council
On receiving Daily the Most Holy

Eucharist
The Council of Trent, having in view the unspeakable treasures of
grace which are offered to the faithful who receive the Most Holy
Eucharist, makes the following declaration: "The holy Synod would
desire that at every Mass the faithful who are present should commu-
nicate not only spiritually, by way of internal affection, but sacramen-
tally, by the actual reception of the Eucharist" {Sess. 22, cap. 6).
Which words declare plainly enough the wish of the Church that all
Christians should be daily nourished by this heavenly banquet, and
should derive therefi-om abundant fruit for their sanctification.
And this wish of the Council is in entire agreement with that desire
wherewith Christ our Lord was inflamed when He instituted this divine
Sacrament. For He Himself more than once, and in no ambiguous
terms, pointed out the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His
blood, especially in these words: "This is the bread that cometh down
from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that
eateth this bread shall live for ever" (John vi. 59). Now, from this
comparison of the food of angels with bread and with the manna, it
was easily to be understood by His disciples that, as the body is daily
nourished with bread, and as the Hebrews were daily nourished with
manna in the desert, so the Christian soul might daily partake of this
heavenly bread and be refreshed thereby. Moreover, whereas, in the
Lord's Prayer, we are bidden to ask for "our daily bread," the holy
DECREE ON DAILY COMMUNION. 417
Fathers of the Church all but unanimously teach that by these words
must be understood, not so much that material bread which is the sup-
port of the body, as the Euchai-istic bread which ought to be our daily
food.
Moreover, the desire of Jesus Christ and of the Church that all the
faithful should daily approach the sacred banquet is directed chiefly
to this end, that the faithful, being united to God by means of the Sac-
rament, may thence derive strength to resist their sensual passions,
to cleanse themselves from the and to avoid those
stains of daily faults,
graver sins to which human frailty is liable; so that its primary purpose
is not that the honor and reverence due to our Lord may be safeguard-
ed, or that the Sacrament may serve as a reward of viiiue bestowed

on the recipients (S. Augustine, Serm. 57 in MattJi., de Orat. Dom. n.
7). Hence the holy Council of Trent calls the Eucharist "the antidote
whereby we are delivered from daily faults and preserved from deadly
sins" {Sess. 13, cap. 2).
This desire on the part of God was so well understood by the first
Christians, that they daily flocked to the holy table as to a source of life
and strength. They were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles,
*
'
and in the commmiication of the breaking of bread" {Acts ii. 42).

And that this practice was continued into later ages, not without great
fruit of holiness and perfection, the holy Fathers and ecclesiastical
writers bear witness.
But when in later times piety grew
and more especially under
cold,
the influence of the plague of Jansenism, disputes began to arise con-
cerning the dispositions with which it was proper to receive Communion
frequently or daily; and writers vied with one another in imposing more
and more stringent conditions as necessary to be fulfilled. The result
of such disputes was that very few were considered worthy to com-
municate daily, and to derive from this most healing Sacrament its
more abundant fruits; the rest being content to partake of it once a
year, or once a month, or at the utmost weekly. Nay, to such a pitch
was rigorism whole classes of persons were excluded from
carried, that
a frequent approach to the holy table; for instance, those who were en-
gaged in trade, or even those who were living in the state of matri-
mony.
Others, however, went to the opposite extreme. Under the persua
418 DECREE ON DAILY COMMUNION.
sion that daily Communion was a divine precept, and in order that no
day might pass without the reception of the Sacrament, besides other
practices contrary to the approved usage of the Churcli, they held that
the Holy Eucharist ought to be received and in fact administered it,
even on Good Friday.
Under these circumstances the Holy See did not fail in its duty of
vigilance. For by a decree of this Sacred Congregation, which begins
with the words Cum ad aures, issued on the 12th February, A. D. 1679,
with the approbation of Innocent XI., it condemned these errors, and ,
put a stop to such abuses; at the same time declaring that all the faith-
ful of whatsoever class, merchants or tradesmen or married persons
not excepted, might be admitted to frequent Communion, according to
the devotion of each one and the judgment of his confessor. And on the
7th December, 1690, by the decree of Pope Alexander VIII., Sanctissi-
mus Dominus, the proiDosition of Baius, postulating a iêrfectly pure
love of God, without any admixture on the part of
of defect, as requisite
those who wished to approach the holy table, was condemned.
Yet the poison of Jansenism, which, under the pretext of showing
due honor and reverence to the Holy Eucharist, had infected the minds
even of good men, did not entirely disappear. The controversy as to
the dispositions requisite for the lawful and laudable frequentation
of the Sacrament sui-vived the declarations of the Holy See; so much
so, indeed, that certain theologians of good repute judged that daily
Communion should be allowed to the faithful only in rare cases, and

under many conditions.
On the other hand there were not wanting men of learning and piety
who more readily granted iêrmission for this practice, so salutary and
so pleasing to God. In accordance with the teaching of the Fathers, they
maintained that there was no precept of the Church which prescribed
more perfect dispositions in the case of daily than of weekly or month-
ly Communion; while the good effects of daily Communion would, they
alleged, be far more abundant than those of Commimion received week-
ly or monthly.
In our own day the controversy has been carried on with increased
warmth, and not without bitterness, so that the minds of confessors
and the consciences of the faithful have been disturbed, to the no small
detriment of Christian piety and devotion. Accordingly, certain
^ DECREE ON DAILY COMMUNION. 419
tinguished men, themselves Pastors of souls, have urgently besought

His Holiness Pope Pius X. to deign to settle, by his supreme author-
ity, the question concerning the dispositions requisite for daily Com-
munion; so that this usage, sO' salutary and so pleasing to God, might
not only suffer no decrease among the faithful, but might rather be pro-
moted and everywhere propagated; a thing most desirable in these
days, when and the Catholic faitli are attacked on all sides,
religion
and the true love of God and genuine piety are so lacking in many
quartei-s. Atod His Holiness, being most earnestly desirous, out of his
abimdant solicitude and zeal, that the faithful should be invited to par-
take of the sacred banquet as often as possible, and even daily, and
should profit to the utmost by its fruits, committed the aforesaid ques-
tion to this Sacred Congregation, to be looked into and decided once for
all (definiendum).
Accordingly, the Sacred Congregation of the Council, in a plenary
session held on the 16th December, 1905, submitted the whole matter
to a veiy careful scrutiny; and, after sedulously examining the reasons
adduced on either side, determined and declared as follows:
FIRST
Frequent and daily Communion, as a thing most earnestly desired
by Christ our Lord and by the Catholic Church, should be open to all
the faithful, of whatever rank and condition of life; so that no one who
is in the state of grace, and who approaches the holy table with a right
and devout intention, can lawfully be hindered therefrom.
SECOND
A right intention consists in tliis: that hewho approaches the holy
table should do so, not out of routine, or vainglory, or human respect,
but for the purpose of pleasing God, of being more closely united with
Him by charity, and of seeking this divine remedy for his weaknesses
and defects.
THIRD
Although it ismost expedient that those who' communicate fre^
quently or daily should be free from venial sins, especially from such as
are fully deliberate, and from any affection thereto, nevertheless it is

420 DECREE ON DAILY COMMUNION.
sufficient that they be free from mortal sin, with the purpose of never
sinning in future; and, if they have this sincere purpose, it is impossi-
ble but that daily communicants should gradually emancipate them-
selves even from venial sins, and from all affection thereto.
FOURTH
But whereas the Sacraments of the New Law, though they take
effect ex opere operato nevertheless produce a greater effect in propor-
tion as the dispositions of the recipient are better; therefore, care is to
be taken that Holy Communion be preceded by serious preparation, and
followed by a suitable thanksgiving, according to each one's strength,
circmnstances, and duties.
FIFTH
That the practice of frequent and daily Communion may be carried
out with greater prudence and more abundant merit, the confessor's ad-
vice should be asked. Confessors, however, are to be careful not to dis-
suade any one (ne quemquam avertant) from frequent and daily Com-
munion, provided that he is in a state of grace, and approaches with a
right intention.
SIXTH
But since it is plain that, by the frequent or daily reception of the
Holy Eucharist, union with Christ is fostered, the spiritual life more
abundantly sustained, the soul more richly endowed with virtues, and
an even surer pledge of everlasting happiness bestowed on the recipi-
ent, therefore parish priests, confessors, and preachers —
in accordance
with the approved teaching of the Roman Catechism {Part, ii, cap. 4,
n. 60)— are frequently, and with great zeal, to exhort the faithful to
this devout and salutary practice.
SEVENTH
Frequent and daily communion is to be promoted especially in re-
ligious Orders and Congregations of all kinds; with regard to which,
however, the decree Quemadmodum, issued on the 17th December, 1890,
by the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, is to remain
in force. It is also to be promoted especially in ecclesiastical sem-
inaries, where students are preparing for the service of the altar; as also
DECREE ON DAILY COMMUNION. 421
in all Christian establishments, of whatever kind, for the training of

youth.
EIGHTH
In the case of religious institutes, whether of solemn or religious
vows, in whose rules, or constitutions, or calendai-s Communion is as-
signed to certain fixed days, such regulations are to be regarded as
directive and not preceptive. In such cases the appointed number of
Communions should be regai'ded a& a minimum, and not as setting a
limit to the devotion of the religious. Therefore, freedom of access to
the Eucharistic table, whether more frequently or daily, must always be
allowed them, according to the principles above laid down, in this de-
cree. And in order that all religious of both sexes may clearly under-
stand the provisions of this decree, the superior of each house is to see
that it is read in community, in the vernacular, every year within the
octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi.
NINTH
Finally, after the publication of this decree, all ecclesiastical writers
are to cease from contentious controversies concerning the dispositions
and daily Communion.
requisite for fre<:|uent
All this having been reported to His Holiness Pope Pius X. by
the undersigned Secretary of the Sacred Congi-egation in an audience
held on the 17th December, 1905, His Holiness ratified and confirmed the
present decree, and ordered it to be published, anything to the contrary
notwithstanding. He further ordered that it should be sent to all
local Ordinaries and Regiilar communicated by them to

Prelates, to be
their respective seminaiies, parishes, religious institutes, and priests;
and that in their reports concerning the state of their respective dio-
ceses or institutes, they should inform the Holy See concerning the ex-
ecution of the matters therein determined.
Given at Rome, the 20th day of December^

1905,
^ VINCENT, Cakd. Bishop of P'al,estkina, Peefect.
Cajetan De Lai, Seceetabt.
L. ^ S.
SYLLABUS OF POPE PIUS X
Modern Errors Condemned
The decree deals with so-called moderDism in matters of faith, and condemns decisively "modern errors,"
concerning the interpretation of the Uospels and modern criticism of the life, works, miracles and death
of Christ. Henceforth, the position of Catholic scholars is clear. The Church now, as always, encourages
sincere investigation and study of the sacred books. But, to the church alone belongs the right of
interpretintr the sense of the sacred Scriptures.
Decree of The Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition

July 3, 1907
(Authorized Translation)
With truly lamentable results our age, Wherefore after a most diligent inves-
intolerant of all check in its investiga- tigation, and after having taken the
tions of the ultimate causes of things, not opinions of the Reverend Consultors, the
infrequently follows what is new in such Most Eminent and Reverend Lords
a way as to reject the legacy, as it were, Cardinals, the General Inquisitors in the
of the human race and thus fall into the matters of faith and morals, decided that
most grievous errors. These errors will be the following propositions are to be con-
all the more pernicious when they af- demned and proscribed, as they are, by
fect sacred disciplines, the interpreta- this general Decrse, condemned and pro-
tions of the Sacred Scriptures, the prin- scribed:
cipal mysteries of the faith. It is to be
greatly deplored that among Catholics
also not a few writers are to be found
INTERPRETATION OF THE SACRED
who, crossing the boundaries fixed by
SCRIPTURES.
the Fathers and by the Church herself, 1. The ecclesiastical law, which pre-
seek out, on the plea of higher intelli- scribes that books regarding the Divine
gence and in the name of historical con- Scriptures are subject to previous cen-
siderations, that progress of dogmas sorship, does not extend to critical schol-
which is in reality the corruption of the ars or students of the scientific exegesis
same. of the Old and New Testament.
But lest errors of this kind, which are
2. The Church's interpretation of the
being daily spread among the faithful,
Sacred Books is not indeed to be con-
should strike root in their minds and
temned, but it is subject to the more ac-
corrupt the purity of the faith, it has
curate judgment and to the correction of
pleased His Holiness Pius X, by Divine
the exegetes.
Providence Pope, that the chief among
them should be noted and condemned 3. From the ecclesiastical judgments
through the oifice of this Holy Roman and judgments passed against free and
and Universal Inquisition. more scientific (cultiorem) exegesis
422
MODERN ERRORS CONDEMNED 423
may be gathered that the faith proposed 12. The exegete, if he wishes to ap-
by the Church contradicts history and ply himself usefully to biblical studies,
that the Catholic dogmas cannot really must first of all put aside all precon-
be reconciled with the true origins of ceived opinions concerning the supernat-
the Christian religion. ural origin of the Sacred Scripture, and
4. The Magisterium of the Church interpret it not otherwise than other

cannot, even through dogmatic definitions, merely human documents.
determine the genuine sense of the
Sacred Scriptures.
ERRORS CONCERNING THE FOUR
GOSPELS.
5. Since in the deposit of the faith
13. The Evangelists themselves and
only revealed truths are contained, under
the Christians of the second and third
no respect does it appertain to the
Church to pass judgment concerning the generation arranged (digesserunt) arti-
assertions of human sciences.

ficially the evangelical parables, and in
this way gave an explanation of the
6. In defining truths the Church learn-
scanty fruit of the preaching of Christ
ing (discens) and the Church teaching
among the Jews.
(docens) collaborate in such a way that
it only remains for the Church teaching 14. In a great many narrations the
to sanction the opinions of the Church Evangelists reported not so much things
learning. that are true as things which even
The Church, when it prescribes er-
7. though false they judged to be more
rors, cannot exact from the faithful any profitable for their readers.
internal assent by which the judgments 15. The Gospels until the time the
issued by it are embraced. canon was defined and constituted were
8. Those who treat as of no weight increased by additions and corrections;
the condemnations passed by the Sacred hence in them there remained of the doc-
Congregations of the Index or by the trine of Christ only a faint and uncertain
other Roman congregations are free from trace.
all blame. 16. The narrations of John are not

properly history, but the mystical con-
EXTENT OF INSPIRATION.
templation of the Gospel; the discourses
9. Those who believe that God is
contained in his Gospel are theological
really the author of the Sacred Scrip-
meditations, devoid of historical truth
tures display excessive simplicity or ig-
concerning the mystery of salvation.
norance.
The inspiration of the books of
10.
17. The Fourth Gospel exaggerated
miracles not only that the wonderful
the Old Testament consists in the fact
that the Israelite writers have handed
might stand out but also that they might
down religious doctrines under a pecu- become more suitable for signifying the
liar aspect, either little or not at all
work and the glory of the Word Incar-
nate.
known to the Gentiles.
11. Divine inspiration is not to be so 18. John claims for himself the qual-
extended to the whole Sacred Scriptures ity of a witness concerning Christ; but
that it renders its parts, all and single, in reality he is only a distinguished wit-
immune from all error. ness of the Christian life, or of the life
424 SYLLABUS OF POPE PIUS X
of Christ in the Church, at the close of 29. It is lawful to believe that the
the first century. Christ of history is far inferior to the
19. Heterodox exegetes have ex- Christ who is the object of faith.
pressed the true sense of the Scriptures
30. In all the evangelical texts the
more faithfully than Catholic exegetes.
name Son of God is equivalent only to
20. Revelation could be nothing but Messias, and does not at all signify that
the consciousness acquired by man of his Christ is the true and natural Son of God.
relation with God.
31.The doctrine concerning Christ
21. Revelation, constituting the ob-
taught by Paul, John, the Coun-
ject of the Catholic faith, was not com-
cils of Nicea, Ephesus and Chalcedon, is
pleted with the Apostles.
not that which Jesus taught, but that
22. The dogmas which the Church which the Christian conscience conceived
gives out as revealed are not truths which concerning Jesus.
have fallen down from Heaven, but are
32. It is not possible to reconcile the
an interpretation of religious facts, which
natural sense of the Gospel texts with
the human mind has acquired by labori-
the sense taught by our theologians con-
ous efforts.
cerning the conscience and the infallible
23. Opposition may and actually does
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
exist between the facts which are nar-
rated in Scripture and the dogmas of the 33. It is evident to everybody who
Church which on them; so that the
rest is not led by preconceived opinions that
critic may reject as false facts which the either Jesus professed an error concern-
Church holds as most certain. ing the immediate Messianic coming, or
that the greater part of His doctrine as
24. The exegete is not to be blamed
contained in the Gospels is destitute of
for constructing premises from which it
authenticity.
follows that the dogmas are historically
false or doubtful, provided he does not 34. The critic cannot ascribe to
directly deny the dogmas themselves. Christ a knowledge circumscribed by no
25. The assent of faith rests ultimately limits except on a hypothesis which can-
on a mass of probabilities. not be historically conceived, and which
is repugnant to the moral sense, viz., that
26. The dogmas of faith are to be
Christ as man had the knowledge of God
held only according to their practical
and yet was unwilling to communicate
sense, that is, as preceptive norms of
the knowledge of a great many things to
conduct, but not as norms of believing.
his disciples and to posterity.
27. The Divinity of Jesus Christ is not
proved from the Gospels; but is a dogma
35. Christ had not always the con-
sciousness of His Messianic dignity.
which the Christian conscience has derived
from the notion of the Messias. 36. The Resurrection of the Saviour
28. Jesus, while He was exercising is not properly a fact of the historical
His Ministry, did not speak with the ob- order, but a fact of merely supernatural
ject of teaching that He was the Mes- order demonstrated nor demon-
neither
sias, nor did His miracles tend to prove strable, which the Christian conscience
this. gradually derived from other facts.
MODERN EBEOES CONDEMNED 425
37. Faith in the resurrection of Christ 46. In the primitive Church the con-
was in the beginning not so much in the ception of the Christian sinner reconciled
fact itself of the Resurrection, as in the by the authority of the Church did not
immortal life of Christ with God. exist, but it was only very slowly that
the Church accustomed itself to this con-

38. The doctrine of the expiatory
ception. Nay, even after penance was
death of Christ is not Evangelical but
recognized as an institution of the
Pauline.
Church, it was not called a sacrament, for
39. The opinions concerning the or- it would be held as an ignominious sacra-
igin of the sacraments with which the ment.

Fathers of Trent were imbued and which 47. The words of the Lord: Receive
certainly influenced their dogmatic can-
ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall
ons are very diflferent from those which forgive they are forgiven them, and whose
now rightly obtain among historians who sins ye shall retain they are retained
examine into Christianity. (John XX. 22, 23) do not at all refer to
40. The sacraments had their origin the sacrament of penance, whatever the
in the fact that the Apostles and their Fathers of Trent may have pleased to
successors, swayed and moved by cir- say.
cumstances and events, interpreted some 48. James in his Epistle (w. 14 and
idea and intention of Christ. 15) did not intend to promulgate a Sac-
41. The sacraments are merely in- rament of Christ, but to commend a pious
tended to bring before the mind of man custom, and if in this custom he happens
the ever-beneficent presence of the Cre- to distinguish (cernit) a means of grace,

it is not in that rigorous manner in which
ator.
it was received by the theologians who
42. The Christian community imposed
laid down the notion and the number of
(induxit) the necessity of baptism, adopt-
the sacraments.
ing it as a necessary rite, and adding to
it the obligations of the Christian profes- 49. The Christian supper gradually
sion. assuming the nature of a liturgical ac-
tion, those who were wont to preside at
43. The practice of conferring bap-
the Supper acquired the sacerdotal char-
tism on infants was a disciplinary evo-
acter.
lution, which became one of the causes
50. The elders who filled the oflace of
why the sacrament was divided into two,
watching over the gatherings of the faith-
viz., baptism and penance.
ful, were instituted by the Apostles as
44. There is nothing to prove that the priests or bishops to provide for the nec-
rite of the sacrament of confirmation was essary ordering (ordination) of the in-
employed by the Apostles; but the formal creasing communities, not properly for
distinction of the two sacraments, bap- perpetuating the Apostolic mission and
tism and confirmation, does not belong to power.
the history of primitive Christianity.
51. It is not possible that matrimony
45. Not everything which Paul nar- could have become a sacrament of the
rates concerning the institution of the new Law until later in the Church; for
Eucharist (1 Cor. xi. 23-25) is to be in order thatmatrimony should be held
taken historically. as a sacrament it was necessary that a
426 SYLLABUS OF POPE PIUS X
full theological development (explicatio) 60. Christian doctrine in its origin was
of the doctrine of grace and the sacra- Judiac, but through successive evolutions
ments should first take place. became first Pauline, then Joannine, and
finally Hellenic and universal.
DIVINE CONSTITUTION OF THE 61. It may be said without parados
CHURCH DENIED. that there is no chapter of Scripture,
52. It was foreign to the mind of from the first of Genesis to the last of the
Christ to found a Church as a Society Apocalypse, which contains a doctrine
which was to last on the earth for a long absolutely identical with that which the
course of centuries; nay, in the mind of Church teaches on the same matter, and
Christ the Kingdom
Heaven together
of no chapter has the same
that, therefore,
with the end of the world was about to sense for the critic and for the theolo-
come immediately. gian.
53. The organic constitution of the 62. The chief articles of the Apostolic
Church is not immutable; but Christian Symbol had not for the Christians of the
society like human society is subject to first ages the same sense that they have
perpetual evolution. for the Christians of our time.
54. Dogmas, sacraments, hierarchy,

63. The Church shows itself unequal
both as regards the notion of them and to the task of efficaciously maintaining
evangelical ethics, because it obstinately
the reality, are but interpretations and
adheres to immutable doctrines which
evolutions of the Christian intelligence
which by external increments have in- cannot be reconciled with modern prog-
ress.
creased and perfected the little germ
latent in the Gospel. 64. The progress of science requires a
remodelling (ut reformentur) of the con-
55. Simon Peter never even suspected
ceptions of Christian doctrine concerning
that the primacy in the Church was
God, Creation, Revelation, the Person of
entrusted to him by Christ.
the Incarnate Word, Redemption.
56. The Roman Church became the 65. Modem Catholicism cannot be
head of all the Churches not thror':'.i the reconciled with true science unless it be
ordinance of Divine Providence but transformed into a non-dogmatic Chris-
through merely political conditions. tianity, that is into a broad and liberal
Protestantism.
57. The Church has shown herself to
be hostile to the progress of natural and And on the following Thursday, the
theological sciences. fourth day of the same month and year,
an accurate report of all this having been
58. Truth is not any more immutable
made Most Holy Lord Pope Pius
to our
than man himself, since it is evolved with
X., his Holiness approved and confirmed
him, in him and through him.
the decree of the Most Eminent Fathers,
59. Christ did not teach a determinate and ordered that the propositions above
body of doctrine applicable to aU times enumerated, all and several, be held by
and all men, but rather inaugurated a all as condemned and proscribed.
religious movement adapted or to be PETER PALOMBELLL

adapted for different times and places. Notary of the H. R. U. I.
w
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Catholic Art Studio, Chicago,

LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR

HOLY (T ATHOLIC C HURCH

THE BEAUTiFUL TEACHINGS or

LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR OB

REV. JAMES J. McGO VERN, D. D.

THE MOST REV. JAMES EDWARD QUIGLEY D. D

XTbe HDost IRevevenb

3^ames jgbwarb (S^uigle^, 5). 2),

Ubt8 volume is respectfully bebicateb.

James 3. nDc6overn, ID. 2).

THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR

LIGHT FROM THE ALTAR

THE TRUE CATHOLIC

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

EXPLANATION OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.

The Order and Ceremonies of the Mass

The Blessings of Candies, Ashes and Palms,

EXPLANATION OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES (Continued).

The Ceremonies on the Feast of the Purification 43

THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY WEEK.

THE CEREMONIES OF HOLY THURSDAY.

THE CEREMONIES OF GOOD FRIDAY.

The Ceremonies of Forty Hours* Devotion,

EXPLANATION OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES (Continued).

THE SACRAMENTALS EXPLAINED.

Acts of Adoration in the Home for Every Day

AN APPROVED METHOD OF VISITING THE BLESSED

A Home Study for Altar Boys

The Holy Rosary with Aids to Its Devout

A Simple Method of Confession

Holo to Assist the Sick and Dying

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE IN CARE OF THE SICK

Golden Thoughts on the Principal Feasts of the

HELPS ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE PRINCIPAL FEASTS

The New Year 157

Golden Thoughts — Continued

HELPS ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE PRINCIPAL FEASTS

Golden Thoughts — Continued

Golden Thoughts — Continued

St. Raphael 216

The Feasts and Fasts of the Church for Every

THE FEASTS AND FASTS EXPLAINED.

The True Happiness of Heaven

Choke Selections from the Writings and Sayings

THE TEACHINGS OF THE SAINTS.

Divine Providence and Salvation 264, 268, 271

Devotion to the Sacred Heart 260

The Sublime Sanctity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 259

Education and True Ivnowledge 266, 269, 272, 274, 275

The Virtue of Faith 258, 260, 263, 272

Meekness, Humility, Mercy and Compassion 262, 267

Fortitude and Perseverence 261, 267

Prudence, Reliance and Obedience 264, 265, 266, 269

Purity of Intention, Oi'der and Regularity 263, 277

Poverty, Suffering and Son-ow 264, 268, 270, 273