Catechetics Online

THIRD EDITION
Copyright - 28 Oct., 1908.

VOL. I. FAITH: THE CREED

R. & T. WASHBOURNE, LTD.
PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.G.
AND AT MANCHESTER, BIRMINGHAM, AND GLASGOW

TO THE MOST HOLY AND IMMACULATE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD "OUR LADY OF GOOD SUCCESS" THE EVER-LOVING MOTHER OF HER DIVINE SON LITTLE CHILDREN ON EARTH -THE LAMBS OF THE FLOCK OF CHRIST" THIS LITTLE BOOK, WRITTEN FOR THEIR INSTRUCTION IS HUMBLY AND AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION

THE unprecedented success which attended the publication of the First Edition of " The Catechism in Examples," and the demand which is now being constantly made for the book, has induced the author to undertake the publication of an entirely new edition, in which, while adhering to the original plan, he has not only thoroughly revised, but also considerably developed, the contents of the work.

The book in its first form found its way literally into every part of the world, and demands for a re issue have recently reached the author from almost every country in the Continent of Europe, as well as from America, Australia, Africa, North and South ; Ireland especially has been most zealous in its propagation in the past, and in present demands for its reappearance.

His late Holiness, Leo XIII., not only gave the book his special approbation and blessing, when brought to his notice by two Archbishops, but asked the author to furnish a copy of it for the Papal Library (see Tablet, February 25, 1888, p. 300). Many members of the Hierarchy have also given it their approbation and commendation, and the teaching Orders of the Church, as well as the clergy in charge of schools, have distributed it in profusion among the prizes they gave to the children under their care ; and in many a Catholic home it is the favourite book for pious reading in the family.

The new edition consists of five volumes, corre sponding to the five parts of the Catechism ; each volume contains about 400 examples, interspersed with moral reflections, so that each part of the Catechism is gradually set before the mind of the child in such a way as to captivate his attention in a practical and pleasing manner, and enable him to understand more easily and more clearly the ex planations given him by his pastor and parents.

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION

ST. GREGORY THE GREAT tells us that more men are drawn towards Heaven by the force of example than by the effects of argument. If this be true in refer ence to mankind in general, it is especially so with regard to the child. The child is formed on ex ample. The truths of faith learned in the Catechism are for the most part unintelligible to him. He requires to have them sketched out as in a picture before he can take in their meaning. Children de light in stories, and they are not slow to catch the moral these are intended to convey. If these stories are lifelike, and within reach of their own practice, they try to imitate what is told in them. Long experience and the example of great and holy men, who have in this, as in other things, followed the example of Our Blessed Lord Himself, have con vinced the author of this book of the necessity of bringing out in bold relief, by means of examples, the truths contained in the Catechism.

It was this that induced him to undertake this work. Each example has been carefully chosen to bring home to the mind of the child some one of the great truths of our holy Faith, and to fix it there. Each line of his book has been penned with scrupu- lous care, and in the simplest language, that religion might be made attractive, and that the child might see that it was in its power to do much for God in a humble way. He is conscious of many defects in his unpretending work ; but he hopes that the result of his leisure moments, snatched from the continual turmoil of a laborious missionary life, may not be without its fruits. He had but one end in view the greater glory of God and the sanctification of souls. If the perusal of this little work will make even one child more holy, or love our dear Lord more fervently, he will consider that he has not laboured in vain.

ABERDEEN,

Easter Sunday, 1886.

WHY WE ARE MADE

I. GOD MADE YOU.

MY child, when you were very young you were sent to school that you might learn to read, to write, and to count ; there, also, you learned geography and many other useful things. And when you grow up, and are old enough to work, you will be sent to learn some trade or business, that you may earn your livelihood.

Now, all these things are very useful, and even necessary. But there is one thing more useful and more necessary still, and that is to know God. You must learn what God has done for you, and what He wants you to do for Him.

The Catechism begins by telling you that God made you. God, therefore, is your Father, and you are His child.

ST. DOMNINA AND HER FATHER IN HEAVEN.

This great Saint, even when she was quite a child, was often found weeping. People who did not know her, thought she must be very unhappy, because she wept so much. But these tears were not shed because she was sad ; it was the thought of how much her good Father in Heaven had done for her that made her weep.

" O my God, how good it was of Thee to think of me at all !" This is what she often said in her prayers. " Thou didst make me, not because Thou wert obliged to make me, but because Thou didst love me so much more than others ; and not only didst Thou make me, but Thou gavest me many blessings besides. O my God, how good Thou hast been to me !"

One day a priest came to her house. She was reading a pious book when he came in. As usual, the tears that flowed from her eyes had fallen upon the book, and the pages of the book were wet, especially at those places where the holy name of God was written.

The priest asked her why she wept so much when she read good books, and why the places in her book where the name of God was written were more wet than other places.

Domnina answered him : " Why can you ask me such a question, reverend Father ? Is there any thing in this world so beautiful, so sweet, so lovely as the name of my dear Father in Heaven ? I can never hear His name pronounced, or read it in a book, without feeling my whole heart filJed with love for Him. He made me, therefore I am His child, and I know He loves me, poor and little though I am, just because I am His child, and I try always to keep this in mind ; and I feel so happy when I think of this, that tears of joy flow from my eyes."

You also are God s child, for He made you. Like St. Donmina, you should try to keep this always before your mind, and thank Him for His goodness in making choice of you to be His own child.

Cat. de Perseverance.

II. GOD MADE You TO KNOW HIM.

THE LITTLE BOY IN THE SNOW.

In the kingdom of Poland the cold is sometimes very great in the winter-time, and when people go out of their houses they cover themselves with fur clothing to keep themselves warm.

One very cold Sunday, three children were going along the road towards the chapel. It was the hour for Catechism. They were trembling with cold, because, being very poor, they were not able to buy fur clothes ; moreover, their shoes were very bad and thin, and their feet were as cold as the frozen snow on which ithey were walking.

One of them, a little boy about seven years old, was weeping. His oldest sister, who was with him, knew that he wept because he was cold ; so she said kindly to him : " Go home, my darling, and mother will make you warm ; it is too cold to-day for you to come with us. God will not be angry with you for staying away from Sunday-school on such a cold day as this."

But the child said : " No, no ; let me go with you. My feet are very cold, it is true, but even if they were frozen I would still go to Sunday-school to learn something more about God and the way to Heaven." And so he went along with them.

THE LITTLE BOY AT THE EXHIBITION.

During the great Exhibition in London, a gentle man went to visit it ; his little boy Alfred was with him.

The child was astonished at the multitude of the things he saw, and was very anxious to know for what purpose they were made ; so he kept continually asking his father to tell him. His father answered him as far as he could, and described to him the use of the various things as they passed along ; and the boy saw that everything there had its own special use, and was made for some special purpose.

You see, my dear boy," said the father to him, " that everything here has been made for a certain end. You also were made by God for a certain purpose to know, love, and serve Him."

Yes, father ; these are the words of the Cate chism : God made me to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him in the next/

" My dear Alfred/ replied the father, " keep these words always in your mind, and try every day to learn something about your Father in Heaven."

THE TWO LITTLE BOYS IN AMERICA.

Father Gaume wrote a letter from the wilds of America, to which he had been sent to preach the Gospel. In it he says : " There are two little native boys in my mission who have given me great con solation. The hut where they dwell with their parents is seven miles distant from our chapel, yet every day for six months these two boys came to hear me explain the Catechism. I have sometimes seen them at the door of the chapel early in the morning, waiting till I came to open it.

" One very cold and wet morning I went out as usual to the chapel. The boys were already there, and were trembling with cold. I said to them : My dear children, you might have remained at home to-day, since it is so cold. But they answered that they would suffer even more cold rather than be absent from one instruction that they might learn more about God."

And you, my child, are perhaps within a short distance of the church, and so often neglect to go to hear the Word of God, or are inattentive to the instructions that are given you. This example, then, should inspire you with the resolution never to miss a sermon or an instruction, and to listen with great attention to the words you hear.

III. GOD MADE You TO LOVE HIM.

My child, God made you to love Him. You must begin to love God as soon as you know Him, and must continue to do so all your life time ; for if you do not love Him in this world you will never see Him nor be able to love Him in Heaven.

HOW MUCH A LITTLE CHILD LOVED GOD.

One Christinas Eve, a long time ago, a little maiden was kneeling in the chapel, and praying very earnestly to Him Who once came into the world, and was born in a stable at Bethlehem. She thought of the sufferings the Divine Child Jesus endured for love of her on that cold Christmas night, and her heart was all on fire with love of Him.

And as she prayed, a bright light filled the chapel, and Mary, Our Lady, appeared before her with the Divine Child in her arms. Our Lord said to her " My child, how much do you love Me ?"

She answered in the words of St. Peter : " O Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee."

" But how much ?" asked the Infant Saviour.

" More than myself," murmured the maiden.

" And do you really love Me ?" said the gentle voice again.

" Yes, yes, Lord," cried His little spouse ; " I love Thee, and Thou knowest it, more than my heart and my life."

" How much more than your heart and your life ?" inquired Jesus.

Then the maiden drooped her head. " I know not how to answer Thee, my dearest Lord," she said, and she could say no more. Her little heart was so full of love that it could contain itself no longer, and it broke. She lay on the floor of the chapel a few moments conscious, so long as to tell those who came to help her what had happened ; then she went to join the angels in loving Him in Heaven, Whom she had loved so much on earth.

MARINA DE ESCOBAR.

A pious man named James de Escobar, who was by profession a lawyer, had a little daughter called Mary. This child was, from her infancy, so gentle and so meek that everyone spoke of her as a little saint. |She had an aunt who stayed with her, for whom she had a special affection. The aunt, too, loved the child greatly, and spent the most of her time in teaching her little niece all about God and His holy law.

One day, when the child was only three years old, her aunt was telling her that God commands us to love Him " with our whole heart, and above all things." " My dear aunt," she said, " what does that mean ? What is it to love God above all things ?"

" To love God above all things is to love Him more than your father and your mother and me, and every other thing."

The child repeated these words to herself over and over again, till she knew them by heart ; and very often people would hear her, when she thought no one was listening, saying, " O my God, I love Thee more than my father, and my mother, and my aunt, and every other thing. Yes, yes ; I love nothing but Thee, O my God, and I wish to search for Thee till I find Thee."

Perfect. Chrtt

" O JESUS, MY LOVE I"

St. Ignatius, the martyr, gave his life to show God how much he loved Him. " O Jesus, my Love !" were the words that were always upon his lips. It was by saying them so often that he got the strength and the consolation he needed in his many labours for God.

One clay he was taken by the pagans before the judge because he was a Christian, and the judge told him if he wanted to save his life he must renounce Jesus Christ altogether.

But the only answer St. Ignatius made was his usual prayer : " O Jesus, my Love !"

The judge said : " Unless you cease to say these words, I shall order you to be put to the most awful tortures."

But the Saint, raising his hands to Heaven, answered : " Never will my lips cease to utter these words."

Then the pagans who were standing near him said to him in a tone of mockery : " When your head is cut off, your lips will not be a.ble to speak these vords, or any other words, and then you will be obliged to be silent."

You have the power to do to me what you threaten ; but when you have forced my lips to be silent, and when my tongue can no longer utter the tiame of my Jesus, my heart will say it as long as it beats,"

When they led him to the place of death, the last words he was ever heard to say in this world were : " O Jesus, my Love !"

Rep. du Catechjste.

"OH ! HOW UNGRATEFUL !"

When the natives of Japan were told for the first time of the greatness and power and perfection of God, a feeling of awe came over them ; and this was increased when they heard that this great God was always near them, and even in their very souls.

When the missionaries told them of the fall of our first parents, and of the infinite goodness of God in sending His own Divine Son to redeem them, their astonishment knew no bounds.

And when at length they began to tell them how that Jesus was born in a stable, and that He suffered and died on the cross for us, they all cried out : " Oh, how loving ! oh, how good must the God of the Christians be !"

" More than that, my brethren/ continued the Fathers, " God gives us a commandment that we must love Him with our whole hearts, and threatens us with terrible punishments if we refuse."

" Oh, surely that was not necessary," cried out one of the people " surely, since He was so good to them, they could not but love Him, and think it the greatest honour to be allowed to clo so. Surely the Christians must always be at the foot of the altar of their God, all penetrated with thanksgiving, all inflamed with love !"

" Ah, would to God that this were true !" said the missionary ; " but it is far from being the case. There are Christians who not only will not love God, but who even spend their lives in offending Him."

Then these poor savages were filled with an indignation which they could not control. " Oh, who ever heard of such ingratitude ! Oh, hard hearted barbarians !" they exclaimed. " In what part of the world do these wretched men live, for they ought to be all destroyed from the face of the earth, and not allowed to live !"

Catfchisme Pratique.

My child, you perhaps were at one time amongst the number of those who deserved these reproaches. Be very careful never to deserve them again, lest at the last day these poor people rise up in judg ment against you and condemn you, because you did not love your God and Saviour Who has loved vou so much.

WHY A LITTLE GIRL LOVED HER MOTHER.

A little girl was one day playing with some toys in the room where her mother was sewing. All at once the child ran over to the place where her mothei sat, and, climbing on her knee, threw her arms round her neck and kissed her. Then, laying her little head lovingly on her mother s shoulder, she whis pered into her ear these words : " My own dear, sweet mother, I love you."

Her mother stopped her work, and, looking on her little one, smiled sweetly, and said : " Well, darling, why do you love me ?"

" Oh, mother, can you not guess ?" And her bright blue eyes were filled with tears as she con tinued : "It is because you loved me when I was too little to love you back that s why I love you so much."

But God loved you, my child, as He Himself says, " with an everlasting love," and loves you more than any mother can love her child. Would it not, then, be most ungrateful on your part if you did not love Him in return ?

If you saw God as the angels and the Saints see Him in Heaven, it would be impossible lor you not

to love Him, because He is so good and beautiful. But as long as you are in this world, you cannot see Him. That is to be your reward hereafter for loving Him here on earth.

But you can easily know that God must be very good and beautiful, since there are so many good and beautiful things in this world ; and if your heart is filled with delight when you behold them, how much greater will be the joy and happiness you will feel in Heaven when you see, face to face, the great God Who made all these things.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN AND THE FLOWERS.

Every time St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi saw a flower, or any other beautiful thing that God made, she would feel her soul all on fire with love of God. " O my God," she would say, " it was for love of me that Thou didst make that little flower, just to give me pleasure. Oh, how loving must Thou be, my dear Heavenly Father !"

A HOLY MAN ASHAMED OF HIS LITTLE LOVE FOR GOD.

There was a certain holy man who was so ashamed of his little love for God, that whenever he saw the beauty of the things God had made, he used to say : " Be silent, ye flowers and beautiful works of God. Whenever I look on you, you always seem to say to me : What an ungrateful wretch you are ! God made us for love of you, and yet you will not love Him. Yes, I hear you, and I know you say the truth ; but oh, be silent, and do not always reproach me!"

My child, you must also love God because He made you. If He had not made you, you would never have been in this world at all. Yet He was not obliged to make you. He could have made others instead of you. But He made you because He had for you a special affection. Surely, then, you will not refuse to love Him.

THE LITTLE BOY AND THE RICH LADY.

A little boy was once sitting at the doorstep of a splendid mansion in one of our great cities ; he was cold and hungry, and his clothes were only rags. He was an orphan, for both his parents were dead, and he was wandering over the country without friends to love him or a home to shelter him. He was glad when anyone offered him a crust of bread, or allowed him to sleep under the shelter of a stable or on a little straw.

As he was sitting there tired and weary, and tears running down his cheeks, the door opened and the lady of the house appeared. At first she was on the point of saying angry words to him, and of telling him to go away ; but when she saw his sad face, and heard his sorrowful tale, she had com passion on him, took him into her house, and gave him some food.

While she stood watching him, a thought sud denly came into her mind. " Would } ou like to stay with me ?" she said. " I think you would be happier here than wandering about without a home."

The little boy looked up to the face of the good lady ; he could not imagine that he had heard rightly what she had said. So, when she asked him a second time, he threw himself on the ground at her feet, and for some moments could not speak, so great was his joy.

The lady was pleased with the boy, and in a short time adopted him as her child, and made him the heir of her great wealth ; and the boy, in gratitude to his benefactress, loved her with the tender est affection as long as she lived.

But God has done more for you than that. He created you and made you His child in this world, and has made you also the heir of eternal treasures in Heaven. Is He, then, not worthy of all your love ?

JESUS ASKS US TO LOVE HIM.

One day, when the blessed Jane Mary Bonofni was preparing for Holy Communion, our Lord Him self appeared to her in all His glory, and, kneeling down beside her, showed her marks of great tender ness and affection.

Then He said to her : " My own beloved child, I ask you to love Me."

How great must have been the joy of that holy child when she heard these words from the lips of Jesus Himself. Yet, my child, He is always saying the same words to you in your heart : " My own beloved child, I ask you to love Me."

IV. GOD MADE You TO SERVE HIM.

My child, when we love God as we ought, it will be very easy to serve Him. When one person loves another, how careful he is never to displease such a one, and how anxious he is to do all that he knows will give him pleasure. It is in this way we must love God. We must keep away from everything which will displease Him ; observe His command ments faithfully, and offer up to Him all our thoughts, words, and actions, and thus consecrate our entire being to His service.

There is a little prayer which you were taught to say every morning : " My dear Jesus, may I -do all for the love of Thee this day." By that prayer, my child, you offer up to God all the thoughts, words, and actions of the day. If you do this fervently every day of your life, you will serve God well.

ST. GERTRUDE S RECOMPENSE.

In the convent where St. Gertrude lived there were many pious young ladies who were always busy at work, and did much more than St. Gertrude, who was not strong in body. But the Saint gained more merit before God for the little she did than all the others, although they did so much.

The reason of this was because she did everything for the love of God, and they did many of their actions from some other motive. So they lost their reward for them ; for God does not give any recom pense for anything that is not done for Him. So, my child, be sure to do everything for the love of God.

If you desire to serve God and save your soul, you will have your cross to carry in this land of exile. But be not frightened, for Jesus has promised to help you when that time comes.

" O MY GOD, THOU HAST DECEIVED ME !"

A long time ago, there lived a great servant of God who was very anxious to lead a life of great perfection that he might gain Heaven.

As he was thinking one day how he could do this, he chanced to read that part of the Holy Scriptures where our Lord says : " He that will come after Me must deny himself, and take up his cross."

Now, these words made the humble man afraid. " How can I have the courage to suffer all my life time the afflictions Jesus Christ says all His disciples must suffer, and to take up the cross they must all carry ? But I will try. I must gain Heaven, cost what it may ; and I will now most willingly embrace a life of sufferings here that I may be with God in Heaven hereafter."

So he began to practise those virtues which make people Saints. He renounced his own will, he read pious books, and often meditated on heavenly things. He also went frequently to Holy Communion, and bore with great patience the afflictions he met with in the course of his life.

But instead of feeling this kind of life wearisome and hard to bear, his whole soul was filled with the greatest happiness and consolation.

One day he felt so happy that he cried out to God : " O my God, Thou hast deceived me ! Thou didst say that those who want to be Thy disciples, and to get to Heaven, must bear their cross and suffer many things. I thought I would have many trials ana afflictions, and much sorrow. But ever since I oegan to serve Thee I have always felt the greatest joy, happiness, and consolation, and I have found none of that bitterness Thou saidst I was to find in Thy service. O my God, Thou hast indeed deceived me !".

Catechisme Pratique.

All the Saints tell us the same thing, my child, and if you try to be like them you also will be full of joy and happiness ; you also will mid consolation in bearing your cross, for the cross is heavy only to those who are afraid of it.

ST. ANTONY S GREAT BOOK.

In the deserts of the East there lived in the fourth century a holy hermit called Antony. He had passed the greater part of his life in solitude, and knew but little of worldly learning, but he knew what was of infinitely more importance how to serve and love God.

The fame of his sanctity, w r hich had spread far and wide, reached the ears of some philosophers, who imagined that they knew all things, but they did not understand how a person could live so long in Hie desert all alone.

Eager to witness the kind of life he led, and to converse with one whom everyone admired and spoke of, they went td his cell in the wilderness. The gentle and noble appearance of St. Antony filled them with a reverential awe ; but when they began to converse with him they saw that all their boasted wisdom fell to the ground before his simple and ad mirable doctrine. They had come thinking to find a poor ignorant man, and they found one whose knowledge was greater than their own.

" Tell us, holy Father," they said to him, " in what book did you learn those sublime truths ?"

The Saint raised up his hand towards Heaven. " That is my book," he said ; " I have no other. Every person ought to study it, for it is full of marks of the wisdom and the power and the goodness of God.

By contemplating it you will soon be compelled to raise your thoughts to your Creator, and to burst forth in hymns of praise, of gratitude, and of love."

In Vit. Patrum.

GOD SAYS I MUSTN'T."

One evening a mother sat at the fireside reading a story to her children. The story was about a little boy who was guilty of stealing.

When she had finished the story, she said to her children : " Why ought you never to steal as that boy did?"

William, the oldest child, immediately answered : " We ought not to steal because we ought never to do to another what we would not wish another to do to us."

" And what do you say, Robert ?"

" I say I would not steal because, if I were caught, I know that you would punish me for it."

" And now, Mary, it is your turn to give a reason. Say, dear, why we ought not to steal."

" Because," said little Mary, looking meekly up into her mother s face " because God says I mustn't."

" Right, my darling," said her mother, " that is the true reason, and the best reason that can be given. What God commands us to do, we must do ; and what He forbids, we must be sure not to do. That is the real way to serve God." Then she said to the others : " If ever you are asked by anyone why you should not do what is wrong, let your answer be the one Mary has given, Because God says we mustn't.

Cath. American.

We often read and hear about the Saints, and we think that we cannot be saints. This is quite a mis take. If you serve God faithfully you will be a saint here on earth, and you will most certainly one day be a saint in Heaven.

THE MOTHER AND HER FOUR CHILDREN.

There was a mother who had four little children. She taught them in their very infancy to love God with their whole hearts, and to hate sin.

Every day she used to take them to her side, and teach them the truths which God has revealed to us, and make them say their prayers.

One evening, when she had finished this pious work, she looked upon them with eyes full of motherly tenderness, and as she looked she said to them : " Oh, my own dear children, what a happy mother I would be if I could only hope that one of you might be numbered amongst God s holy Saints."

Peter, the youngest of them all, climbed on his mother s knee, and, putting his little arms round her neck, said to her : " Mammy, I will be the saint." And he kept his promise. He never forgot the look his good mother gave him when he said these words, and in after-years he became the great St. Peter Celestine.

Let each one of us also say to our good Father in Heaven : " I will be a saint." All that is needed to become a saint is to love and serve God.

" AUVERGNE, AUVERGNE, THE FOE !"

Many years ago, two armies were at war with each other in France. They had not yet met in battle, but lay encamped not very far apart, although a thick wood prevented them from seeing each other.

Night came on, and the French army planted their guards all round the camp, and kindled their fires to prevent their being taken by surprise.

A young soldier of the army, with four or five more, was posted a good way from the camp, not far from the edge of the wood.

They loaded their muskets, and commenced their slow, watchful march backwards and forwards under the glimmering light of the moon. The regiment to which these soldiers belonged was called the " Regi ment of Auvergne."

All was still for some hours, and they heard nothing but the beetle humming by, or a wolf howling through the wood.

Once our young soldier heard a rustling among the trees. He stopped and listened. It ceased ; he could hear nothing, so he moved on his beat again. Not long afterwards he heard it once more. He told his companions to be on the watch, and with his gun ready to fire, entered the wood.

It was now very dark the moon was hidden behind the clouds so he went along very cautiously. When he had gone forward about a bow-shot he came to an opening in the wood. Suddenly four soldiers sprang on him, drove his gun out of his hand by a sudden stroke, and pointed their bayonets at his breast, while one of them whispered fiercely in the darkness : " If you give any alarm you are a dead man."

The brave soldier had fallen into the hands of the enemy.

For a moment he stood still. What was he to do ? His comrades were asleep in the camp, trust ing to him to give the alarm if the enemy came near. He thought now that if he did not give the alarm the enemy would fall upon them and put them to death, and he saw that if he did give the alarm they would immediately kill him.

The hesitation was only for a moment. Remem bering his duty to his King and to his country, he drew himself up, took a long breath, and shouted with all his might : " Auvergne, Auvergne, the foe !"

In an instant the bayonets were buried in his breast, and he fell to the ground in the agonies of death.

But his cry was heard. His dying ear caught the sharp crack of his companions muskets as they fired the alarm, and soon the tramp of horses told him that he had not died in vain. Right nobly had he served his King.

My children, you have a King to serve a heavenly one. Your foes are Satan and sin ; these you must fight against. Like this brave soldier, you must be willing to die rather than fail in your duty to God ; you must be faithful to Him even unto death.

Gr anvil le Fourth Reader , p. 10.

V. GOD MADE You TO BE HAPPY IN HEAVEN.

My child, this world is not your home ; you were made for Heaven ; you were made to be happy for ever with God in His eternal kingdom. Oh ! how good God has been to you !

Now, since you were not made for this world, but for Heaven, you ought often to think of your future home, where you will dwell with your Heavenly Father, and of the joys He has prepared for you there if you serve Him faithfully here on earth.

" I WAS BORN FOR GREATER THINGS."

St. Stanislaus Kostka was born of a noble family, and was brought up amidst the splendours and luxuries of his princely position.

But even in his infancy he despised all these things, and when he grew up he took the resolution of renouncing them all to embrace the holy poverty of a religious life.

When his friends were informed of his design they tried to draw him from it. They often spoke to him of the happiness he would one day enjoy in the pos session of great wealth. They pointed out to him the beauties of the vast domains of his ancestors, and the magnificence of the princely palace which would one day be his home. In a word, they placed before the eyes of his body as well as of his mind everything they thought would fascinate them.

Stanislaus did indeed look at them, but he also looked higher still. " My friends," he one day said to them, " these things are very beautiful, but I was born for greater things. God, my Father in Heaven, made me to possess the eternal riches of Heaven, and to see Himself for ever there in His kingdom ; therefore, I keep my eyes fixed on Heaven that I may not allow them to be captivated by earthly things, which are so vile and worthless, when com pared with those of Paradise."

ST. TERESA SIGHS FQR HEAVEN.

For the space of forty years St. Teresa was never free from sufferings. She had a painful malady which gave her no repose. Yet in the midst of her pains she was always calm and happy.

One of the sisters said to her once, when she was suffering more pain than usual : " Dear mother, you are suffering much to-day, yet you seem more joyful and more happy than usual."

Yes, dear sister, the more I suffer now the happier I am, because I know that the more I suffer in this world the greater will be my reward in Heaven. Each moment of pain suffered with resignation to God s holy will is of immense value because of the happiness it will procure for me in Heaven."

So St. Teresa s thoughts were always in Heaven. One day one of the sisters asked her why she always smiled when she heard the clock strike.

She answered : " When I hear the clock striking it puts me in mind that I am a whole hour nearer to the end of my life, when I shall see my dear Heavenly Father, and be taken into my happy home in Heaven."

What a consoling thought it is for us in our life here to think that in Heaven our happiness will be for ever and ever !

God made us to be happy with Him for ever in Heaven.

THE MONK AND THE BIRD.

There was once a good religious who thought he should find time long in Paradise. The good God showed him plainly that he was mistaken.

One day in the summer-time, when the sun was shining brightly, he was walking under the shade of the trees which grew in the garden of the monastery. His thoughts were, as usual, far away, in Heaven, and he began again to wonder what the Saints would do there during the endless ages of eternity.

As these thoughts were passing through his mind, he suddenly heard the most delicious music in the trees above his head. Looking up, he saw a snow- white bird that sang among the branches, and seemed to grow more and more beautiful the longer he looked at it.

He listened to it with a look of rapture upon his face, and followed the little bird as it flew from tree to tree. . He wanted to catch it, but it escaped him, and flew far, far away, over hill and dale ; and as its notes died away in the distance, he heard the monas- tery bell ringing the noonday Angelus. " It is time for me to return to the monastery/ he said to him self ; " I did not think it was so near this hour of day."

When he returned he was very much surprised to find at the gate a brother whom he had never seen before, and the brother did not know him either. This surprise was still greater when he saw nothing in the house but strange faces and new people ; and yet it was the same old monastery, the same cloister, and the same quiet chapel.

" Where are our fathers ?" he asked. " And our brothers, where are they ?"

The others looked at him with astonishment. The Prior came to see him. " Who art thou ?" he said. " Thou dost indeed wear the habit of our Order, but during the forty years I have been Prior here I have never seen thy face."

" My reverend Father," replied the monk, " it was but this morning that, with permission, I left my cell to walk in the quiet of the wood. While I was there, thinking of God and of Heaven, I heard the most beautiful music that it is possible to imagine, and I saw hopping from tree to tree a little bird oh, such a beautiful -one ! I listened to it in rap ture until the monastery bell rang out the midday Angelus. I was surprised that it had come so soon, for it seemed to me that, instead of for many hours, I had heard these thrilling notes only for a few brief moments."

" Hours !" exclaimed a very old and venerable monk who sat upon an oaken seat against the wall, and was looking fixedly into the face of him who had thus spoken, and who thought he recognized him ; " it is years since thou didst leave the monas tery. Is thy name Felix ?"

" Yes, my Father, that is my name."

Then they searched in an old brown book, wherein were written down the names of all who had ever been in that holy house, and in it was recorded that, upon a certain day nearly a hundred years before, a monk called Felix had gone forth from the monastery at the hour of prime, and had never returned, and that he had been registered among the dead.

Then they all began to understand how that, in listening to that celestial song, the years had ap peared to him like moments ; and Felix, falling down upon his knees, bent his head humbly- before God and murmured : " Ah, my God, now I understand that in the beauty of Thy heavenly city, and in the joy of Thy holy presence, a thousand years are as but a moment." Saying this, the monk bowed his face to the Dearth and died.

Oh, how glorious must be the beauty of Heaven, where God shows Himself in all His majesty to the Saints ! And it is for that Heaven you were made, my child. Love and serve God now, that when you die it may be given to you.

VI. GOD HAS GIVEN YOU A SOUL AND A BODY.

God has given you a soul and a body. The soul is much more precious than the body, because God made it to His own image and likeness. How careful you should be never to destroy God s holy likeness by committing sin. SCIPIO S MEDAL.

Long ago, there used to be a curious custom among certain people ; it was this : The children of all noble families had to wear on their breasts above their clothes a large medal, formed like a heart. On this rnedal were stamped the portraits of their fathers and mothers.

The reason why they wore this medal was, that they might have continually before their eyes the remembrance of their parents, and that the sight of it might keep them from doing anything that would bring dishonour to their parents name.

A certain nobleman had a son named Scipio. This son wore round his neck a medal according to the custom. But he did not imitate the virtues of his parents, and by his bad conduct was bringing dishonour upon them. So the magistrates of the city commanded the medal to be taken from him, and ordered him to be punished.

When you were made, God, your Heavenly Father, put on your soul His image. You must, therefore, be very careful never to do anything unworthy of Him, otherwise He will no longer call you His child, and will punish you for ever in hell- fire.

VII. YOU MUST TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY.

You must also honour the body which God has given you, for it is His Holy Temple, and made to be happy along with the soul in heaven for all eternity.

ST. LEONID AS AND HIS SON.

St. Leonidas, the martyr, had a son whose name was Origen. He loved him dearly because he was his youngest child. He watched over him with the greatest care that no evil might befall him, and he taught him to love God from his very infancy.

Origen grew up a pious child. He had a great horror of sin, no matter how small, and he seemed to have one only desire that of pleasing God.

Leonidas had a feeling of reverence for his little boy. Often at night, when the child was sleeping in his little bed, he would go quietly up to him and uncover his breast and kiss it.

Once someone happened to surprise him in this act of piety, and asked him why he did so.

" Do you not know," he said, "that this chitd is the Living Temple of the Holy Ghost ? In him He resides, for he is His chosen dwelling-place, and I love to honour the place where God reposes/

You, too, are God s Temple, my child. How carefully you ought to shun every evil, that you may keep pure and holy that temple which God has chosen for Himself, and which He created to be eternally happy in Heaven.

THE OLD MAN AND THE YOUNG SOLITARY.

There was once a young Solitary, whose one thought was the salvation of his soul.

Having often heard of the necessity of keeping the body in subjection, he used to entertain a great hatred for it, and treat it in a most cruel manner. Sometimes, even, for weeks he would not eat nor drink, and in a very short time he was reduced to a skeleton.

On one occasion an old man, who also had spent his life in the desert, meeting him, and seeing him reduced to this sad condition, asked him the cause of it.

" Of what use is this miserable body ?" he answered, in reply ; " it is of no value ; it came from the dust of the earth, and must soon return to dust again."

" No, my- friend," replied the old man, " you are very wrong ; your body is indeed of great value. It is the dwelling-place of your soul, and through love for your soul, you ought also to love your body in a reasonable manner, and to preserve its existence as long as the will of God permits you. Let me lay before you a comparison : the eagle takes the greatest care of the egg in her nest, and woe betide the one who would dare to touch it. She does not do this for the sake of the egg, but for the preserva tion of the young eagle which it contains. But when the time of hatching has come, and the young bird comes forth from the shell to gaze upwards upon the sun, then the eagle cares nothing for the shell, but casts it away. So also should you take care of your body as long as the soul dwells with it, but when it goes forth to gaze upon the Sun of Justice, you need no longer care for the mortal covering which had enveloped it."

Thus spoke the wise old man. The young Solitary took his lesson to heart, and from that time forward treated his body in a more reasonable and Christian manner.

Hauteneve^ vin. 94.

VIII. YOU MUST TAKE MOST CARE OF YOUR SOUL.

Since your soul is so much more precious than your body, you must take most care of it. Jesus Christ says to us, " What will a man give in ex change for his soul ?" and again, " What will it avail a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

SAVE YOUR SOUL.

Otto the Great, Emperor of Germany, had gone to Rome to visit the tombs of the holy Apostles there. On his way home, he passed through the land of Albania. The people who were along with him told him that there lived at a little distance a hermit, whose name was Nile, who was renowned throughout the whole country for his holy life. Otto thought that he would like to see him, so he left the highway and went to the place where the hermit dwelt.

When he had spoken to him for some time, the Emperor rose up to go away ; but before leaving he said to him, " My Father, ask of me whatever you like, just as if you were my own son, and I will give it to you with the greatest joy."

St. Nile put his hand on the Emperor s breast, and said, in a solemn voice, " I ask of you, O Emperor, only one thing, and that is, that you will take care of your soul. Oh yes, I ask you, in the Name of God, to take care of your soul ; for, although you are an Emperor, you must one day die like other men, and will have to give an account to God of everything you have done ; and what will it avail you then if you have lost your soul ?"

When the Emperor heard these words he began to weep, arid, kneeling down at the Saint s feet, he took the royal crown off his head and answered, " O Holy Father, I will do what you ask me ; but pray you to God for me, and give me now your blessing."

When he received the blessing of the Saint he rose up, and, still weeping and sobbing, went away along with those who had accompanied him.

Otto was then only about twenty years old. He had come to that time of life which is full of the greatest dangers. But he always kept in mind the solemn words of the Saint, and as soon as any temptation came to trouble him, he remembered his promise, that he would all his lifetime take most care of his soul.

So he led a life of great piety. His prayers were long and fervent, and he gave great alms to the poor. People used to say he was more like an angel in Heaven than a man upon earth. Thus he passed his life, and when the end came he died the death of the Saints, and he is now in Heaven, happy with God, because he followed the advice of St. Nile, and took most care of his soul. ufe of SL ^

ST. MACEDONIUS AND THE HUNTER.

A very holy man, whose name was Macedonius, one day heard a sermon upon those words of Our Blessed Lord, " What will it avail a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" They made so great an impression on his mind that he resolved to leave his home, and go into a great forest far away to live all alone, where no one would ever see him, and that there he would prepare for eternity. So he secretly went away. For some time people did not know what had become of him, and very soon he was forgotten as if he had been dead.

Many years afterwards it happened that a King came to hunt in the forest where Macedonius had gone to live. He had along with him many of his courtiers and others, who had gone to enjoy the chase. Suddenly he came to the place where the hermit dwelt. When he saw him. he was full of wonder, and asked him what he was doing there. Macedonius, turning towards the King, asked him the same question, " What has brought you here ?"

" I am corne," answered the King, " to hunt in this forest."

" It was that same reason that brought me here," said Macedonius ; " but I came, not to hunt the poor animals that wander about here, but to hunt for those eternal goods of Heaven which are so much more precious. I am here to try and gain Heaven."

The King went away, but he often thought on these words of the holy hermit.

Now, you are in this world as in a great forest, and you are here to hunt. Most men occupy them selves in hunting after riches, honour, and fame, which are of no use to them. But the Saints, who had the thought of eternity always before them, hunted for those things which they are now enjoying in the kingdom of Heaven. My child, imitate their example.

Schmidt. Rep. du Catechiste, i. 373

A GREAT MISTAKE.

A priest once seeing the great care a man was paying to his horse, thus spoke to him :

" My friend, how much time does it take you every day to keep your horse in such fine condi tion ?"

" About two hours/ he replied.

" Now tell me as candidly, how much time do you give every day to the care of your soul ?"

" Well, to tell the truth, not much. Every morn ing I bless myself, and I say an Our Father, some times I add a Hail Mary,* and I never miss Mass on Sundays."

The priest said, " Since this is the case, if I belonged to you, I would rather be your horse than your soul."

ST. AGNES.

St. Agnes was born about the year 292. Her parents were very rich, but they were also good and fervent Christians, and brought up their only child in the fear of God.

When she was about twelve years old, a pagan met her coming home from school, and asked her to do what was very wrong, promising her, if she consented, to give her a great many valuable jewels. But Agnes at once rejected the temptation, and told him to begone, for she would never consent to offend her God for anything that the world could give her.

The young man was very angry when he heard this, and, soon afterwards discovering that Agnes was a Christian, he determined to make her yield to his wishes, or to accuse her to the pagan judge as belonging to that faith, and so she would be put to death.

When he told her what he intended to do, Agnes boldly answered, " Never will I consent to offend my God by sin, and joyfully will I suffer the loss of all things rather than lose my soul."

The young man accused her to the judge, and very soon Agnes was summoned before him. He tried first by kind words, and then by threats, to make her yield to him and renounce her faith, but to no effect. The firmness of the child filled him not only with wonder, but also with great wrath, and he handed her over to Aspasius, one of his under lings, that he might put her to death.

Aspasius commanded a great fire to be kindled, to consume her alive. But Our Lord was pleased to work a wonder in favour of His little girl, for when she was thrown into the fire, the flames divided in the middle, spreading themselves all around her without touching her, and spending their fury upon the idolaters who were standing by.

Then Agnes prayed to God, that now since she had confessed His holy Name, and had kept her soul undenled in the midst of evil, and since He had shown forth His great power in her, He would be pleased to take her to Himself in Heaven.

When she had finished her prayer the fire sud denly went out of itself. Then Aspasius, fearing that she might escape, gave orders that the execu tioner should at once pierce her neck with a sword.

The man was so overcome with emotion at the sight of one so beautiful and so young, that at first he could not do this ; but receiving a stern com mand from the prefect, he gave her the fatal blow, and her happy soul went at once to her God in Heaven, whom she had so tenderly loved.

Our soul is that pearl which is beyond all price. Like Agnes we should be willing to suffer all rather than stain it by sin, and the only thought of our lives should be to preserve undefiled that priceless treasure. It is sin alone that can kill the soul.

From her Life.

ST. BERNARD S LITTLE BROTHER NIVARD.

St. Bernard, when quite young, saw how difficult it would be for him to save his soul in the midst of the temptations of the world, so he took the resolution to leave his father s house, and to go to some place where no one could ever find him.

His parents, and especially his mother, who loved him with great affection, tried by every means in their power to keep him at home, but their words had no effect on him. He spoke to them so eloquently of the happiness of living for God alone, and the necessity of making the salvation of our souls our chief work in life, that they finally gave their consent. Four of his brothers also resolved to follow his example.

During the six months that followed they dwelt together in a solitary place, making the final pre paration for their departure ; and at the end of that time they left the home of their childhood to serve God for ever afterwards in solitude and prayer.

As they^ were leaving the courts of their father s house, they saw their little brother Nivard playing with some companions of his own age. He was their youngest brother, and as yet was only a child.

" Good-bye, dear little Nivard," said Guy, the eldest brother, to him ; " we are going away to leave you, and we have made you sole heir of all that belongs to us, and of all that we may inherit when pur parents die."

" No, no," cried out the child, " that must not be ; that is not a fair division. You are all taking Heaven for your portion, and leaving me this miserable world for mine. No, I must go along with you."

For some years Nivard was obliged to remain at home ; but when he grew up, and when he was no longer required to assist his aged parents, he followed his brothers into the monastery, and there laboured to secure for himself the treasures of .Heaven which can never be taken from him.

Life of St. Bernard.

IX. WHAT WE MUST DO TO SAVE OUR SOULS.

To save your soul, my child, you must worship God by faith, hope, and charity. You must believe all that God tells you, you must have confidence in Him that He will keep the promises He has made, and you must love Him with your whole heart.

THE SAINT WHO WAS AFRAID TO DIE.

In the lives of the Fathers of the desert, we read of a very holy anchorite who, during his whole lifetime, had the good habit of offering up every one of his actions to God in faith, hope, arid charity. He never went anywhere, and never did anything, without saying to God that his greatest joy was to believe in Him and to hope in Him, and that he loved Him above all things.

This holy practice merited a special reward.

When the hour of his death drew near, this holy man lay on the ground of his cell, awaiting the summons from this life into eternity. He was full of fear at the terrible judgments of God, as sometimes the Saints are, who have a right notion of what sin is, so different from what we think about it.

But in the midst of his distress, when the thought of his sins was nearly driving him into despair, his angel guardian appeared to him.

" My child," said the angel, " do not be afraid. I am come to tell you that you are now going to see that God in whom you have so firmly believed ; that you are to possess God in whom you placed all your hopes ; and that you are now going to be united to God for ever, whom you loved during life above all things."

The anchorite, consoled by this heavenly vision, passed out of this weary world into the bright light of eternity.

Cateck. de Perseverance.

THE THREE GREAT WORDS.

In the lives of the religious belonging to the Order of St. Dominic, we read of one who was famous for his eloquence, and for the zeal with which he preached the holy Word of God.

," God made me to serve Him," he used to say. " I am in this world, O my God, to serve Thee. Show me then, dearest Lord, how I am to do so most perfectly, for this is the greatest, the only desire of my heart."

God was pleased with the fervour of this holy man, and answered his prayer.

As he was one day before the altar, pouring out his whole soul in the presence of God, and saying with more than usual fervour this little prayer, " O my God, what must I do to save my soul ?" he heard a voice near him which answered him in these words : " Believe, Accomplish, Employ."

For a few minutes he repeated them to himself, trying to find out what they meant. But the more he thought over them the more difficult they seemed to be.

" O my God, make known to me the meaning of these words, for how can I understand them unless Thou dost explain them to me ?"

This time, also, God was pleased to answer him. He heard the same voice again ; it said : " My son, Believe all that God has revealed to you, Accom plish all that He has appointed to be done, by keep ing His holy commandments, Employ the means He has given you to enable you to become holy and to reach Heaven."

The pious religious now clearly saw what God required of him to do, that he might serve Him in the most perfect manner. From that day till the hour of his happy death, he kept these words always before his mind ; his whole life was thus spent in serving God most perfectly, and after death he was numbered amongst the Saints of God in Heaven.

It is in the same school that you, my child, will learn how to serve God as you ought. Do as this holy man did, and God will bestow on you the same reward.

Perfect. Chret.

II GOD'S GREAT GIFT OF FAITH

I. FAITH A SUPERNATURAL GIFT OF GOD TO Us.

FAITH is a supernatural gift of God, which enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed.

My child, if you had not received this gift from God, you could never know Him in this world, nor see Him hereafter in Heaven.

THE CHILDREN-SLAVES OF ALGERIA.

In the province of Algeria there was a slave- market. In it, men and women, and even children, were bought and sold, just as you see cattle bought and sold in our markets at home. When any one of them was bought, he was driven home to his master s house, where he had to work all his lifetime, and got no wages, but often blows and ill-treatment, if he did not do the work which was given him to do.

One day there were a great man} 7 children standing in the market-place for sale- It was a sad sight. They had been stolen from their happy homes far away by pirates, and brought to this place to be sold. Merchants were going about buying them to make them slaves.

Amongst these merchants there was one who appeared to be different from all the others. He Went about among the children, chose out a few of them, and when he had paid the price that was asked, he took them along with him to the house where he lived, and spoke to them in these words :

" My children, you belong to me now. I paid a great price for you. If I had not bought you, some of those other cruel masters might have pur chased you, and would perhaps have ill-treated you. But now you shall have nothing to fear from me. I have chosen you, and for what purpose ? To be my slaves ? No ; I am to be a father to you, and you are to be my children, and I am going to give you everything you can desire, to make you happy, for I love you, my children.

" You will have to remain here in this place for a little time, then I will come again, and take you all home with me to my own country, where I have large estates, and there you will be perfectly happy. When you grow up, I will give to each one of you a house and lands and wealth, which you will enjoy as long as you live/

When he had finished speaking the fortunate children burst into tears of joy, and falling down on their knees before their generous benefactor, tried to thank him, but they could not find words. They wondered why he had chosen them lor this great happiness, instead of so many others who were left to their sad fate.

" My children," he said, " you have done nothing to merit this : it was entirely out of my own good ness that I made choice of you. I am sure, then, you will be grateful, and never do anything to displease me, since I have been so kind to you."

They all promised to love and serve him all their lifetime, and never to forget the great favour he had bestowed on them.

My child, God has done something like this to you. You were a slave, and Satan was the cruel pirate who stole you, and thousands of others along with you, from the home of your Father in Heaven. But our dear Jesus came down amongst these slaves. He looked about and He chose you out of the multi tude of your fellow-slaves, and brought you into His own house that is, His Church and said to you : " I have chosen you just out of My own kind ness to you, and now you are to be My child, and I am to be your Father ; and in My Church you will get every good thing you need ; and in a short time, I will come and take you to Heaven, My country, and you shall be happy there for ever/

Oh, what a treasure God has bestowed on you, in giving you the one true Faith !

II. BY FAITH WE BELIEVE WHAT GOD HAS REVEALED.

By this gift of Faith you are able, my child, to believe all that God has revealed to us.- You must believe all that God has revealed, not because you can see or understand it, but because God has said it, and with the same certainty as if you really understood it all.

THE DREAM OF THE PRINCESS.

There was once a Princess who had been taught in her childhood the truths of faith in her Catechism. But when she grew up she began to go with com panions who lived only for this world, and forgot God. Like them, she also neglected her duties, and gradually lost her faith ; and like other un believers, she used to say she would not believe anything she did not see or understand.

One night she had a dream. Everything in life, even dreams, may, in the order of God s providence, be the means of inspiring us with good thoughts. She dreamed that she was walking through a great forest. She was alone. In the forest she saw a cottage, and at the door of the cottage there was a blind man sitting.

She drew near to him and said, " My good man, I see you are blind ; tell me, were you always blind, or is your blindness the result of an accident ?"

" My lady," he replied, " I was born blind."

" Oh, how sad must be your lot !" replied the Princess. " You have never seen the beautiful sun, and you do not know what light is."

" No," he answered, " I have never seen the sun, and I have not the slightest idea what it is like, but I firmly believe that it must be something very beautiful."

The blind man then changing the tone of his voice, and assuming a serious look, continued, " You say you will not believe things which you do not see, or do not understand. Learn, then, from my example that many things are beautiful and beyond comprehension which you cannot understand, but which are really true, as true as the Things which you can understand and see."

rhe lYmcess awoke, but the- remembrance ot the dream did not go .iw.iy. It gave her a profitable lesson, and will give you our also, to Ivlieyc t n mix- all the truths that uod has veyealed. whether yon can understand t . em 01 not.

III. HOW GOD BESTOWS ON US THE GIFT OF FAITH.

In the Sacrament of Baptism God infuses the gift of faith into our souls. But He also in many wa\s .gs to the knowledge Of Hi- Pivme Faith and to the Sacrament of Bapt. .. . .\ ot His children xx-ho haye grown up in ignorance of the truths He has revealed. Happy are those who give eai to the voice of His Holy Spirit speaking in their hearts !

THE BATTLE OF TOLBIAC.

About the middle of the fifth century there lived in France a great and powerful King whose name was Clovis. He was not a Christian, but he was married to a noble Princess, who was not only a good Christian, but a great Saint. Her name was Clotilda.

Now, Clotilda loved her husband with the most tender affection, and the only thing that made her unhappy was that he was a pagan, and did not know about the true God. But she knew that God hears the prayers of those who pray to Him with confi dence. So every day of her life she prayed to Him to bring her husband to the knowledge of the one true Faith.

God heard her prayer, and in His own good time granted it in a way which showed that nothing is impossible or difficult to Him.

Clovis loved his wife as much as she loved him, and often when they were alone she would speak to him of the greatness and the power of the God whom she adored. Clovis listened to her with the greatest attention ; but when she asked him to leave the worship of idols, and serve the only true God, he always answered her, " No, I cannot do that just now, because if I did so, the people would all rise up against me, and perhaps take my kingdom from me, or put me to death ; but I will become a Christian afterwards."

So the good Queen could only weep in silence when she saw him delay so long ; and she continued to pray still more earnestly for his conversion.

In happened in the year 496 that a war broke out between the Franks, of whom Clovis was the King, and the Germans, who came with a great army into France to take part of it by force, and add it to their own kingdom. Clovis went out at the head of a powerful army to meet them, and a great battle was fought on the plains of Tolbiac.

Before he left home to go to battle, he went to say good-bye to his beloved Clotilda. Tears were in his manly eyes as he looked upon his dear wife, and thought that perhaps he might never see her again.

Clotilda also wept, and her heart was full of grief, for she knew the danger he was so soon to be in, and she knew also that if he died on the field of battle, he would never see God in Heaven, because he was still a pagan.

" My own dear husband," said the pious Queen, " you are going to fight a great battle : if you want to gain the victory, call upon the God of the Christians ; He alone is Master of the whole world, and is called the God of armies. If you call upon Him with confidence, no power on earth will over come you ; you will certainly triumph over your enemies, even if their numbers were far greater than yours."

The King promised to remember these parting words, and mounting on his war-horse, set out for the battle-field. Clotilda shut herself up in her oratory, and prayed without ceasing to God for him.

In the meantime the two armies met, and the conflict was terrible. For a long time it was doubt ful which would gain the victory, for both armies fought with the greatest bravery. At length the Franks began to give way ; the commander of the in fantry was wounded, and the soldiers turned and fled.

When the King saw this, he rode at the head of his cavalry to meet the victorious enemy, and soon drove them back. For some time the victory seemed to be on his side, but in the end he had the grief to see his brave horsemen also flying before the Germans. He called upon them to turn back ; he promised them great rewards if they drove back the enemy ; he threatened them with death if they refused ; but to no purpose they seemed not to hear him, and fled away in terror.

At this moment Aurelian, a Christian General in his army, rode up to him, and said : " O my King, call upon the God of Clotilda, and you will yet gain the victory."

Then the King, remembering the words of the Queen, remained for a moment in deep thought. After this he raised his hands and eyes to Heaven, and cried out : " O Jesus Christ, Whom Clotilda calls the Son of the Living God, Who comest to the help of those who call upon Thee, and givest the victory to those who hope in Thee, I ask Thee to help me, for now I believe in Thee. If Thou wilt grant me the victory to-day over my enemies, and if I obtain from Thee this proof of Thy power, I will at once become a Christian. I have called upon my gods, and they have not heard me ; so I know they have no power to help me, because they will not come to the assistance of those that call upon them. Thee, O God of Clotilda, do I now call upon ; in Thee I now believe ; grant, then, that I may overcome my enemies."

No sooner had he said these words than the Germans began to retreat. Their General was slain, and there was no one to command them. For a long time did the victorious Franks pursue them, and great was the slaughter. At length a herald ran to the King, saying : ^ O King, cease to slay our people, and we will all submit to you." The King gave orders for an end to be put to the carnage, and then returned home with his victorious army.

Clovis, mindful of his vow, embraced the Christian Faith, and was baptized by St. Remigius with great pomp, along with an immense multitude of his subjects.

IV. VALUE OF THE GIFT OF FAITH : HOW WE SHOULD ESTEEM IT.

My child, since your faith is your most precious treasure, your esteem for it should be greater than for anything else ; and your desire to increase it in your soul should make you consider as nothing the difficulties you must meet with in preserving it.

The following example will show you how the great gift of faith was esteemed by the poor savages of Canada, and will be a lesson for you, who are so much more favoured than they.

OSKILOE, THE SAVAGE PRINCE.

When holy Mass was done," writes one of the missionaries in his letter, " Oskiloe, one of the chiefs, followed by a great many people belonging to his tribe, came to us, and asked to speak to us. Then, addressing himself to Father Marault, he said : O my Father, you have come to us at last ! how glad we are to see you ! and for such a long time have we been waiting for you ! It is now five Sundays since we came here expecting to find you. Our provisions are nearly all done, and we cannot catch any fish because the rivers are in flood. What will become of us, Father? Nevertheless, we would rather die than go home without going to our confession this year. This, then, is what we have made up our minds to do. If the fishing still continues bad, we will fast for ten days, that we may remain with you and hear God s holy Word. No doubt this will cause us to suffer much ; but that does not matter ; we will suffer it all with joy, that we may attend to our souls salvation. And if at the end of ten days the Great Spirit does not send us any fish, necessity will force us to go home ; but it will cause us the greatest sorrow to go away.

What fervour ! and yet, my child, you possess the same faith as they did.

Hautrieve, v. 50.

V. THE GIFT OF FAITH MUST NEVER BE REFUSED

The man who has not the happiness of possessing the true religion must do what lies in his power to come to the knowledge of it, and as soon as he has dis- covered it, he must at all hazards embrace it, for it is that precious pearl of which there is mention in the Gospel, to obtain which, everything he possesses on earth must be sacrificed. Yet how many, my child, are found who place no value on it

SS. BARLAAM AND JOSAPHAT.

St. Josaphat, whom the Church honours on November 27, was the son of Abenner, King of the Indies. This pagan King, fearing that his son might become a Christian (for he had been warned by a certain astrologer that this would happen), took the most severe measures to keep him from the know ledge of the Christian religion. He shut him up, even in his earliest childhood, in a large castle with no one but his tutor to live with him, who was instructed to bring him up a pagan, like his father, and never, under .pain of death, to speak to him of the Christian faith, and to see that nothing would be put in his way that would ever make him hear about it or inquire into it.

The tutor obeyed his orders to the letter, and foi many years the young Prince never saw but the castle in which he dwelt, and the fields which surrounded it.

One day, however, when he had already reached the age of manhood, his father at length yielded to his oft-repeated request that he might be allowed to go forth into the great world to visit it. He had not gone far, when he met a poor man bent nearly to the ground through old age. Josaphat was astonished at this sight so new to him, and he asked his tutor what had brought the man to that sad condition. The tutor answered that it was the effect of old age.

" And shall we also, when we are old like this man. have the same infirmities ?" said the Prince.

Yes, all men must follow in the same path which leads to old age, then to death."

" And shall I also have to die one day ?" asked Josaphat. "And if so, what will become of me after my death ? What will happen to my soul ?"

" Ah ! as to that," replied the tutor, " it is a prob lem which it is impossible for anyone to understand, and which we must not try to solve ; it is a mystery which God Himself has covered with a veil."

This answer did not at all satisfy the young Prince, and only made him the more desirous of discovering that which his tutor wanted to conceal from him. All his thoughts from that moment were fixed on death, and the state after death. He felt that God, Who had created him, could not leave him without letting him know what was to happen to him after this life was over. " It cannot be possible," he thought, " that God could refuse to enlighten me upon that important subject if I humbly ask Him in prayer."

So he besought God in fervent prayer to make him know the truth. God heard his prayer, and, in a wonderful way answered it by sending to him a humble anchorite named Barlaam. . ,-*

That holy man came to him under the disguise of a pearl merchant, who, presenting himself at the castle, was admitted, that the Prince, who was exceedingly fond of such things, might admire them and perhaps purchase some of them.

As the Prince was admiring the lustre of some of the pearls, Barlaam took the opportunity of a moment in which he was alone with him to tell him of another pearl which was more beautiful and precious than any of those he had just seen. Josaphat wanted to see it at once.

" It is a pearl that cannot be seen with the eyes," said the old man. The pearl of which I speak is caUed Truth/

" Truth," exclaimed the young Prince, " that is just what I am looking for, and what I wish to possess at all price. I beseech you, O stranger, to tell me what is Truth."

Then Barlaam spoke to him of Jesus Christ, and of the eternal happiness which He purchased for us by His death. This was for the young man the light for which he had been seeking. He opened his eyes to it at once, and soon afterwards, having, by the grace of God, found means of secretly escaping the vigilance of his guard, he fled from the castle, left the kingdom of his father, and at length found the place in the desert where Barlaam dwelt. There, for getting the crown of the earthly kingdom which was his inheritance, and all the worldly things that were to be his, he thought only of practising the holy religion of Jesus Christ, and thus became a Saint. He is now reigning with Jesus Christ in Heaven, and the Church on earth venerates him as one of her powerful intercessors before the throne of God.

Lives of the Saints, Nov. 27.

When a person throws away this great gift of God, or does not accept it when God offers it to him, he may never get it again, and so will lose his soul.

RADBOD, KING OF FRIESLAND.

Radbod was King of Friesland. During his reign a holy Bishop went into that country to preach the true Faith. The name of the Bishop was Vulfran. When the King heard the truths of our holy Religion explained to him, he expressed his great desire to be admitted into the Church by baptism.

When the preparations were being made for his reception into the Church, a strange thought came into his mind. He began to wonder what had become of the souls of all his relations and his prede cessors in the kingdom, since he was told that to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven it was necessary to be members of the Christian religion, so he asked the Bishop to come and speak to him.

" O holy Bishop," he said, " tell me what has become of the Kings who have ruled over this mighty nation before me, and all those nobles whose fame is so great, and who are now dead. Are they in that beautiful Heaven which you have told us is to be given to those who are good, or are they all lost in hell, where you tell me the wicked are sent to when they die ?"

But the Bishop answered : " O Prince, do not think of these things, but leave them in the hands of God, and from the thought of how unfortunate they were in dying without the knowledge of the one true Faith, you will give God eternal thanks that you have been so favoured as you are, and strive with your whole heart to profit by such a great grace."

But the King answered : " Then I will not become a Christian ; I choose to go where my predecessors

have gone, rather than to be along with the small number of the poor in Heaven ; I cannot make up my mind to believe in these new doctrines. I prefer to follow the religion and the customs which my nation has followed till now."

The Bishop tried to show him how wrong it would be not to follow the light which God gave him, but all he could say to him was of no avail ; the King remained obstinate. But many of the people accepted God s grace, and became fervent Christians.

Still, the King did not feel quite, at ease in his mind at what he had done, so in a short time he sent a message to another Bishop called St. Willibrord, who lived at some distance, to tell him that he wanted to speak to him.

St. Willibrord, who knew what the King had said to the other Bishop, made answer to the messengers : " Since the King, your master, has despised the words of the holy Bishop Vulfran, do you think he will listen to mine ? Besides, it is now too late, for this very night I have seen him in a vision bound in chains, as if he were already dead and lost eternally. Nevertheless, I will go with you."

On the way to the place where Radbod dwelt, they met some people who told them that the King was dead. He died without baptism by his own fault.

Eccles. History, A.D. 719.

VI. WE MUST NEVER BE ASHAMED OF OUR FAITH, MUCH LESS DENY IT.

You must never be ashamed of your Faith, my child, much less deny it, for Jesus Christ has said : " He that shall be ashamed of Me, and of My words, of him the Son of man shall be ashamed, when He shall come in His Majesty " (Luke ix. 26).

THE COLONEL DISGRACED.

There was once a young Colonel in the army who owed his promotion to the goodwill of his Sovereign.

A short time before he had been raised to that rank, there had been a war between his country and one of the other kingdoms of Europe ; but it was now at an end, and there was peace between them.

During this time of peace, the Colonel asked from the King leave of absence, as he had a great desire to travel, and visit the great cities of Europe and othei places of which he had often read. This permission was easily obtained, and he set out on his journey.

Now, it happened that while passing through the kingdom which had lately been at war with his own, he was invited to join a company of the chief officers and to dine with them.

During the course of the repast the conversation turned upon the late war. Some of the company spoke very freely, not only against the country to which the young Colonel belonged, but even against the King himself. They said many bitter things about the way he governed his people, as well as about his private character, and they laughed and found amusement at his expense.

These words hurt the Colonel very much. He loved his King, not only because he owed his present position to him, but because he knew hini to be upright and good. But now he was at a loss how to act. He said to himself : "If I stand up here in defence of my King and country, or if I show how angry I feel, they will only laugh the more, and I will not be able to do any good, because I am only one, and there are so many against me. I will pretend, therefore, not to heed what they say, for their words cannot do my Sovereign any harm."

So he made no reply to all their severe remarks, and pretended not to be hurt by what they were saying. He sometimes smiled, when he saw the others laughing, and even added a little word by way of joke, that he might not seem to be offended at them.

When the visit was over, he returned to his lodgings, well pleased with the manner in which he had conducted himself during the day. " After all/ he said to himself, " in the circumstances in which I was placed it was best to act as I did."

But the news of what had occurred reached the ears of the King at home. His indignation was very great, especially when he thought of how kind he had been to the young officer. So as soon as the latter came home, he sent for him.

" What is this I have heard about you ?" said the King in an angry tone.

The Colonel hung down his head, and began to make excuses by explaining the difficult position in which he found himself, and said that he did what he thought was the best to be done.

But the King answered : " You did very wrong It was your duty to have upheld your King and your country even at the risk of your life. Your cowardly conduct has made you unworthy to wear the uniform of a soldier any longer, so begone for ever from my presence, degraded and disgraced."

My child, you are a soldier of Jesus Christ, and you must not be ashamed of Him or of your holy Faith. Whenever you hear anyone speak against it, be sure to defend it, not only by your words, but also by your whole conduct.

FREDERICK OF PRUSSIA AND GENERAL ZEITHEN.

When the Seven Years War was ended, the great General Zeithen became one of Frederick of Prussia s greatest favourites. He was often invited to dine at the royal table, and always occupied the place of honour at the King s right hand, unless there hap pened to be some Prince of the royal blood present.

Now this General was a devout Catholic, and faithful in the practice of his religious duties.

One day the King sent him an invitation to dine with him, as he had invited a number of guests that day. But Zeithen sent an answer, asking the King to have the goodness to excuse him from attending on that occasion, as it was one of the days on which he had the custom of going to Holy Communion, and he wished to keep himself in a state of recollection and devotion all that day.

Not very long afterwards, when he went to the Court, the King began to taunt him. " Well, General," he said, " how did you get on the other day at that Communion of yours ?"

At these words the King laughed, in which he was joined by all the courtiers around him, who thought it was an excellent joke.

But Zeithen raised his head with great dignity, and walked over to the place where the King was standing. Having bowed to him, he said in a voice firm and solemn : " Your Majesty knows well that I am a brave soldier, that I have fought courageously for you and for my country ; and you know, too, that I am ready to do more still yea, to die if needs be in defence of our rights and liberties. But there is over us a Being more powerful than you or I, or all men together our God and Saviour, Who, to redeem the world, shed the last drop of His Blood. Now, I will not stand here and permit Him to be offended by words of irony and disrespect, even by you, O King, for in Him is centred my faith, my hope, all my consolation. Had it not been for the pro tection He granted to our arms, we never could have gained the victories we did gain, and if you do not honour Him, then you need not expect to see your country prosper. This, then, is what I have to say to you ; I hope your Majesty will excuse me."

The King, instead of being angry at his boldness, was greatly moved, and could not refrain from shedding a tear. He laid his hand upon the General s shoulder, and said to him : " Happy Zeithen, I respect your religion and its practices. Follow them faithfully as you are doing now, and I promise you, you will never again hear from my lips words like what you heard to-day."

Hist, of Prussia,

A GIRL WHO LOST HER FAITH.

A young girl called Agnes left her father s house a short time after she had made her first Communion to live with a relative who was not a Catholic.

Agnes had been well instructed in the truths of our holy Faith, and on the day of her first Communion there was not one of all the children who knelt at the altar who gave so much edification as she did. Before she left home her parents made her promise never to neglect her religious duties, and she promised faithfully that she would sooner die rather than offend God. " Oh, how could I ever grieve Jesus by committing sin," she said, " since He has been so good to me, and has loved me so much ?"

But in a short time a great change came over the child. She at first kept her resolution, and went regularly to the holy Sacraments ; but one day some one spoke to her in a tone of ridicule of her piety, and even called her a hypocrite. This was her first temptation, and she neglected to ask God for His grace. She from that moment became ashamed of her faith, and very soon entirely neglected her duties. At length, in about three years, she lost her faith altogether.

Some years afterwards she died suddenly ; she died without having time to repent, and so went to receive from the just Judge the terrible sentence she had merited.

VII. THE MARTYRS DIE RATHER THAN RENOUNCE THEIR FAITH.

The holy martyrs considered it the greatest glory to die in defence of their religion, and even many children willingly laid down their lives rather than throw away God s holy gift of faith.

ST. VITUS DIES FOR JESUS CHRIST.

There lived in the early days of the Church a little boy whose name was Vitus. He loved God from the first moment that he was capable of doing so, and many times a day did his infant lips tell Him that he loved Him with his whole heart.

When the Emperor heard about him and of his great fervour, he was angry ; but he thought he would easily make him renounce his faith, because he was so young, so one day he sent for him.

" My dear child," he said to him in his gentlest voice, " I am going to give you gold, and jewels, and splendid clothes, and everything else you would like to ask for, if only you will change your religion, renounce your faith, and blaspheme Jesus Christ."

But the foolish Emperor did not know that God had promised to speak by the mouths of His servants when called upon to give testimony for Him.

Vitus answered : " Jesus Christ is my Master and my Saviour ; He died for me upon the cross. I will never say one word that may offend Him, and with my whole heart I will always love Him 1 ."

" Very well, then," said the Emperor", suddenly changing the tone of his voice ; " if you will not obey my orders, I will cast you into a cauldron of boiling oil. Make your choice, then, at once, between the pleasures I offer you, and the torments I threaten."

But the child was not dismayed. With a courage which came from Heaven, he calmly answered : " I will cheerfully suffer not only that torment, but I am willing to die the most cruel death rather than deny the Faith of Jesus Christ."

The Emperor was filled with rage at the answer of the child, and gave orders that the cauldron should be immediately prepared.

When the oil began to boil, he said to the executioners : " Take off his clothes now and throw him in."

They did as they were told, and the holy martyr suffered this awful torture without a murmur. As he stood in the cauldron, he raised his hands and eyes to Heaven, and said : " Lord Jesus, receive my soul."

When he had said these words, angels were seen coming down from Heaven, and they placed a beautiful crown upon his head, and into his hands they put a green palm-branch the sign of victory and carried his soul to the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ.

The great Judge looked lovingly upon the boy, and with a sweet smile on His lips, thus spoke to him : " My own beloved child, you have suffered a most cruel death for the love of Me ; come now, and I will give you eternal joy in Heaven."

You, my child, may not have to suffer death for your holy Faith as St. Vitus had, but you may have to suffer much persecution because you are a Catholic. Be faithful, then, and when God s time comes, angels will carry your soul also to God s judgment-seat, where you will be received by your Divine Master in the same loving manner as St. Vitus was, and obtain the same re ware"

VIII. FAITH NOT SUFFICIENT WITHOUT GOOD WORKS.

It is not enough for us, in order to reach Heaven, to believe all the truths that God has revealed to us. To reach Heaven it is necessary for us also to show forth our faith by our good workV

SERMON OF ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE.

" My brethren, what shall it profit if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works ? Shall faith be able to save him ?

" And if a brother or sister be naked and want daily food, and one of you say to them, Go in peace ; be you warmed and filled, yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit ? So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

" But some man will say : Thou hast faith, and I have works ; show me thy faith without works, and I will show thee, by works, my faith. Thou belie vest that there is one God. Thou dost well : the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead ? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar ? Seest thou that faith did co-operate with his works, and by works faith was made perfect. And the Scripture was fulfilled, saying : Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God. Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only ?

" And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers, and sending them cut another way ? For even as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

St. James ii. 14 et seq.

THE ARAB AND THE CATHOLIC.

It is said that an Arab one day asked a Catholic whom he met, and whose conduct was far from corresponding with the Faith he professed, if he believed in God. The Catholic was indignant at being asked such a question, and answered in a tone which showed how displeased he was : " Of course I believe that there is a God ; did you ever hear of a Catholic who cUd not believe in God ?"

The Arab answered : " You may, indeed, say with your lips that you believe in God, but certainly your actions tell me that you do not."

Could this, also not be said by many of those around us who have not the true Faith : " Do you Catholics believe that there is a God ? Certainly your actions go far to prove that you do not. And might God not address to many amongst us that bitter reproach which He addressed of old to the people of the Jews by the mouth of His prophet : I have created My children, and I have nourished them, and I have brought them up, and they have despised me. An animal without reason knows the house of its master, but man does not know Me. "

IX. THE GREAT SIN OF UNBELIEF.

Those who refuse to believe what Jesus Christ teaches us in His holy Church are guilty of a great sin, and God will punish them for it.

ST. JANE FRANCES AND THE HERETIC.

A gentleman, who followed the heresy of Calvin, came to pay a visit to the parents of St. Jane Frances de Chant al. She was then only five years old.

One day, while she was playing in the room where the gentleman was conversing with another person, she heard him say that he did not believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

The child looked up from her playthings, and, going over to him, said : " So you don t believe that Jesus Christ is present in the Blessed Sacrament ?"

" No, child," he said, " I do not."

" Yet Jesus Christ has positively declared that He is," replied the child. "So by saying these words . you mean to say that Jesus Christ is a liar ! Well, if you had said as much about the King of this country in my father s presence, he would send you away from his house, and perhaps kill you ! And do you think the great God will not punish you some day, because you have dared to call His dear Son a liar, by saying that you do not believe what He tells you ?"

The gentleman was so confounded by these words of the little girl that he did not know what to say. He thought he would appease her by giving her some little presents, so he gave her some very beautiful ones.

But she was very angry at this, and when he put them into her hands she at once threw them into the fire, and said to him while they were burning : " Look, that is the way in which God will punish in the next world all those who refuse to believe the words of His Divine Son Jesus Christ."

From her Life.

X. HERESY

Heresy is an obstinate refusal to believe what God has revealed. The name of heretic is the most dis graceful name that can be given to anyone ; and of all sins, this is the one that gave the Saints the greatest horror.

THE HERMIT ACCUSED OF HERESY.

Amongst the holy men who dwelt in the deserts of Egypt there was one named Agatho, who was remarkable above all the rest for his great humility and patience.

Some of the brethren wanted to put his humility to a trial. So one day they went to his cell, and said to him : " Brother Agatho, we have come to speak to you of your great pride and self-conceit. Why do you despise us, whom you think to be less pious than yourself ? No doubt it is because, being very wicked yourself, you think you can disguise it by trying to make us appear worse than you are."

The holy man heard all they said without showing the least sign of displeasure. " My brethren, * he said, " I am indeed a most grievous sinner." Then, casting himself at their feet, he continued : " Oh, pray for me to God, that He may take away my sins ; your prayers alone will find mercy for me from my offended Judge."

" But," said the others, " we must tell you also that some people say you are a heretic."

The Saint at once lifted up his hand, and said : " Oh no, that is quite false ! However wretched I am in other respects, or however guilty I may be of other sins, I am not so great a wretch as to forfeit my share in Jesus Christ by heresy : far be this from me !"

The brethren at these words, casting themselves at his feet, said to him : " Brother, tell us why you, who suffered so many other false accusations without saying the smallest word in your own defence, at once showed so great a horror when you were accused of heresy ?"

The man of God answered : " When you accused me of pride and self-conceit, I knew it was quite true, and therefore it was only right to bear patiently what I really deserved. Did not Jesus Christ, our Master and Model, although He was Innocence itself, keep silent when accused of sin ? and ought not I to do so since I am really guilty ? But as to heresy it is quite different . To be guilty of that crime is openly to deny what God has said, Heresy destroys faith, without which no one can see God, and it gives the soul over to Satan. Therefore, as no one should wish to be an enemy of God, or be separated from Him in eternity, so no one ought to consent to be called a heretic."

Lives of Fathers of the Desert.

XI. APOSTASY.

When one who has received the gift of faith, and by his sinful life or neglect, has ceased to believe and profess the truths revealed by God, he is guilty of the crime of apostasy, which is one of the greatest sins that can be committed.

TRIED, AND FOUND FAITHFUL.

Anyone who neglects his duty to God for the sake of the world, or for the fear of losing the esteem of men, is not worthy to be called a child of God, and sometimes those who do this meet their punishment even in this world.

At the beginning of the fourth century the Roman Empire in Gaul was governed by an. Emperor named Constantius Chloris. He was a pagan, but he did not persecute the Christians, as many of the other Roman governors did ; he even gave to many of them high positions in his province, because he knew that if they were faithful to their God they would be faithful also to their temporal Prince.

One day, to the astonishment of all the people, he published a solemn edict, in which he decreed that every Christian who held any office in his household should, on a certain appointed day, go to the temple of Jupiter, one of the heathen gods, and offer sacri fice, and that if anyone refused to do this, he was immediately to be deprived of the office he held, and be banished from the country for ever.

This decree was the cause of great consternation and alarm among the Christians. They had till then enjoyed peace ; their religion was even respected by the pagans ; and now, on a sudden, without any warning, an edict was issued against them.

The governor eagerly awaited the appointed day to see how the Christians would act.

When the day came, a great crowd of people were seen approaching the palace gates. They were a band of Christians, who came to resign the offices they held.

We have come, O Prince," they said, " to give back into your hands the favours you granted to us. Willingly would we still continue to serve you, as we have always done, but we have a Master in Heaven Who is above all, and whose law must be obeyed before the orders of temporal Princes. And since His law forbids us to worship any other god but Himself, we cannot obey your decrees. Yea, we are willing to die rather than be wanting in our fidelity to Him."

Constantius said nothing, but let them depart. Then, going up to the temple of Jupiter, he saw there some other Christians offering sacrifice according to the command that had been given. They were ready to deny their God rather than lose ,their temporal position.

But they were soon punished for their apostasy. For the Emperor, assembling together his army and the rest of the people, publicly, before them all, reinstated those Christians who had been faithful to God, in all their former dignity, and restored to them all the honours they had resigned rather than offend God.

Then, turning to those miserable ones who had offered sacrifice, he said : " O impious wretches, you do not deserve to be called men you, who denied your God and your religion for a little worldly honour and ease ; listen to what I have to say to you : you can never more share my confidence ; I take away from you all the offices you have enjoyed till now, and I give them to those faithful men who were willing to die rather than offend God, and I order you to depart from my household, that my eyes may never again behold you."

Thus were rewarded, even in this world, those who had proved themselves faithful, and thus also were punished those who denied their faith.

One of the courtiers asked the Emperor why he had done this.

Constantius answered : " I desired to know whom I could trust. Men who sacrifice their religion to their interests are likely to fail in their other duties. I could not expect that those who were not faithful to God would be faithful to me."

Not only did the Emperor thus publicly praise and reward those faithful men, but he chose them as his special counsellors, and committed to their care his person and his whole household.

When we are tempted for some temporal con sideration to be unfaithful to God, we should remem ber that on the day of our baptism we promised solemnly to serve Him to the end of our lives, and that if we do not keep our promise, we shall most certainly be punished, if not in this life, at least in the next.

The History of the Church,

XII. THE APOSTLES CREED

My child, the Catechism tells us that the Creed is the sum of our belief made by the twelve Apostles ; that is to say, that it contains the chief things God "has revealed, and which we have to believe. There fore, when you say the Creed in your prayers, how fervently you should say it ! for it is a solemn declara tion to God that you believe all the things He has revealed.

THE APOSTLES COMPOSE THE CREED.

Before the Apostles went forth to preach the Gospel throughout the world, they assembled to gether for the last time, and drew up that short formula of belief which, even at the present day, is known as the Apostles Creed.

It is composed of twelve parts, or articles, and there is a tradition, which the great historian Baronius has recorded in his " Annals," that each of the Apostles made one of the articles it contains, inspired by the Holy Ghost.

St. Peter began in these words : " I believe in God the Father Almighty/

To which St. John added : Creator of Heaven and earth."

St. James said : " And in Jesus Christ His only Son Our Lord."

Then St. Andrew said : " Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary."

Then St. Philip said : " Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and, buried

St. Thomas then said : " He descended into hell ; the third day He rose again from the dead."

St. Bartholomew next said : " He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."

Then St. Matthew spoke, saying : " From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."

Next St. James, the son of Alpheus, said : "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church."

St. Simon Zelotes then added : " The Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins."

St. Jude came next ; he said : " The resurrection of the body."

Finally, St. Matthias said : " And life everlasting.

It is the great St. Augustine himself who has told us in his writings that the above was the manner in which the Creed was composed. (Sermo. n$,deTemp.).

BARONIUS : Anno 44.

ST. PETER OF VERONA.

In the year 1205 a little boy was born at Verona. His parents gave him the name of Peter. They both belonged to a sect of heretics who taught that God did not make the world, but that it was made by a wicked spirit. So the child was in the greatest danger of being brought up in this false doctrine ; but God preserved him from it.

Peter was sent to a Catholic school when he was old enough to go thither. His parents were obliged to send him there, because there was no school in Verona belonging to their sect, and they did not want him to be brought up without education.

They thought that there would be no danger of so young a child learning much about the Catholic doctrine, and they persuaded themselves that if he did learn something about it, it would be an easy matter to take it out of his mind when he grew up. But in this they were mistaken.

The first thing that Peter learned at the Catholic school, after his prayers, was the Apostles Creed. God inspired his young heart with a great desire to understand all the truths that it contained. So after learning with great diligence the words of the Creed, he tried to learn also the meaning of each of the twelve articles it contained. If he met with anything he could not understand, he went to his master, and asked him to explain it to him. Thus in a short time, young as he was, Peter understood all the Christian Doctrine as contained in the Creed.

One day when he came home from school he met his uncle, who had come to pay a visit to his parents. He was also a heretic.

He took the boy on his knee, and said to him : "Tell me, Peter, what did you learn at school to day ?"

The child answered with the utmost simplicity : " I learned the Apostles Creed. Would you like to hear me say it ? I can say it from beginning to end."

Peter then began in a solemn voice to say the Creed, and when he had finished, he looked up into his uncle s face, as if to say: " Don t I know it well ?"

His uncle, with an angry lo