Catechetics Online

I. WHAT IS MEANT BY HOPE.

GOD has promised to give you, my child, the Kingdom of Heaven when you die, if you love and serve Him faithfully here on earth to the end of your life. He will keep His promise, because He is your Father, and because He is so good. This is why you say to Him in your prayers : " O my God, I hope in Thee."

ST. FRANCIS OF SALES WORDS OF CONSOLATION.

One day a pious woman went to St. Francis of Sales, and told him she had suffered so much that she was almost losing courage, and was very miserable.

" I was once rich," she said, " but I lost all I possessed. Moreover, I am suffering much from a severe illness, and I have no one to feel pity for me or to say a kind word to me."

The Saint answered : " Your condition, my child, is one not to be pitied, but rather to be envied.

You are, in this world, the spouse of Jesus Crucified, and you know that those who are honoured in this way on earth are chosen to be the eternal spouses of Jesus Glorified in Heaven.

You are at present wearing the livery of your Royal Master, the cross, and the nails, and the thorns, and sharing with Him the gall and the vinegar ; but have a little patience, and your Heavenly Father will exchange them, and give you

in their place the white robe of glory, and a crown of everlasting splendour."

" O my Father," she replied, " your words console me. When shall that, happy day come? When shall I hear His beloved voice calling me to enter His kingdom above ?"

The desire of Heaven, and the remembrance of the reward to be given us there, make the few short hours of pain in this world pass quickly.

Catich. Historique, i. 493.

HOME, SWEET HOME.

During an epidemic of scarlet fever in the city of Paris, a priest was summoned to attend a man who was dying in one of the poorest localities of the city.

When he went into the hovel, he saw the man lying on some straw in a corner of the room, covered with a few rags and in the greatest poverty. There was no furniture in the room, not even a chair nor a table ; everything had been sold at the beginning of his sickness to buy him some food. The only things the priest saw were a hatchet and two saws

hanging on the wall.

" My child," said the priest to him, " take courage now : God has sent you this sickness as a great favour, for He is going to take you soon out of this weary world, where you are suffering so much from poverty and sickness, and will take you to Him self in Heaven, where you shall have no more sorrow."

" Sorrow, Father ?" the dying man said, in a voice that could scarcely be heard ; "I have no sorrow ; I never had any. I have always lived in happiness and contentedness. I never knew what it was to hate anyone, nor to have envy ; I always slept at night a calm, undisturbed sleep, because I laboured hard all day. The tools you see there on the wall procured for me my daily bread, with which I was always perfectly contented ; and I never envied the dainties I have seen others enjoy. I have been a poor man all my lifetime, but till now I have always enjoyed good health. If I get better, although I think that I may not, I will just resume my labour as before, till GOD'S time comes, and I know that if I please Him now, He will take care of me during life hasn't He promised that, Father? And when the time comes for me to die, He will make me happy in Heaven. This has always been my hope."

" My child," said the priest, " you are indeed happy in having lived so much united to God. The happiness of Heaven will be a sufficient recompense for all you have done and suffered here below. Are you quite prepared to die, my child?"

" Yes, Father, I have been preparing since my childhood for the hour of my death ; and now that it is near I feel happy, because I am confident in the mercy of God, that I am going home to my Father in Heaven." He died in these holy dispositions.

ST. AUGUSTINE'S QUESTION.

St. Augustine, who often spoke to the faithful under his charge of the joys of Heaven, one day said to them : " My brethren, if God came down here amongst us, and told us that He would grant each of us a hundred years more to live, or even a thousand, and that during these years we should have whatever our hearts could desire, but on condition that we should never see Him, or be with Him in Heaven, would any of you accept that offer?"

But the whole multitude with one voice cried out :"Never ! May all earthly things perish ; we desire God alone and Heaven"

O my child, let that also be your answer when Satan asks you to offend God. Think of Heaven, and you shall be able to persevere, and this will be your consolation and will confirm you in hope.

ST. JANE CHANTAL AT DEATH.

When her end seemed to be near, St. Jane Chantal asked her confessor to read to her the prayers for the departing soul. " O my God," she said from time to time, " how beautiful are these prayers !"

Suddenly she exclaimed : " O my Father, how terrible are the judgments of God !"

He asked her if she were afraid of her own judgment, which was so near.

"No, my Father," she replied, " I do not fear to meet Him Whom I have loved all my lifetime ; but I assure you that I see now how terrible His judgments are, and how different from those of men.

Then her agony began. A crucifix was placed in one hand, and a lighted candle in the other. The Sisters were on their knees weeping and praying. Suddenly they heard her speak : " I must go now; Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."

Saying these words, she gently breathed her last, and went to meet her beloved Spouse in His heavenly kingdom.

II. THE GRACE OF GOD THE CHIEF OBJECT OF OUR HOPE.

You cannot do any good towards your salvation without the help of GOD'S grace. But with His grace you can do all things. He has promised to help you whenever you ask Him. This grace is the chief object of our hope.

"GIVE ME BACK MY SON"

In the city of Carthage there lived a young noble man named Fulgentius. His learning and his great abilities raised him to the highest honours in the State, and everyone, from the Emperor to the humblest citizen, loved and esteemed him.

One day he took up a pious book to read. It was a sermon of St. Augustine on the vanities of the world and the shortness of life. When he had finished reading it, he began to think on what he had read.

"I have reached the highest honours that the world can give me." This is what he said to himself. " Everyone praises me and honours me, and, after all, of what use is it to me ? I was not made for this. GOD'Sent me into this world to gain Heaven."

He at once took the resolution to throw at his feet all the honours and riches which he possessed, and go to some place where he would not be known, that he might, for the rest of his life, think only of "the one thing necessary.*

So one morning he quietly left his home, and went to the monastery of which the great Faustus was Superior.

"I have come," said Fulgentius, " to ask you to admit me into your monastery, for now I want to live only for the salvation of my soul and to obtain a happy eternity."

Faustus, who knew him, answered ; " Sir, the life we lead in this house is too severe for one who has been accustomed to the comforts of this world as you have been."

But Fulgentius was not to be repulsed ; he asked the Superior to give him a short trial.

" Go away," said Faustus, in a voice which appeared harsh and repulsive. " Go and learn first to live in the world a life detached from its pleasures. How could it be possible for one who has been brought up in the midst of luxuries, and all kinds of comforts, to be able, all at once, to submit to the poverty we practise, to the coarse dress we wear, and to our fastings and watchings?"

Fulgentius, modestly casting his eyes upon the ground, answered : " My Father, He Who put into my heart the desire of serving Him can easily give me the help I stand in need of to overcome my natural weakness."

Faustus was touched by this beautiful answer, and admitted him on trial.

When the mother of Fulgentius heard of what her son had done, she ran to the monastery. " Give me back my son!" she cried out in tears "Give me back my son !"

Faustus tried to calm her, but in vain. For three days did that sorrowful mother stand at the gate of the monastery, weeping and calling on her son to return to her.

Fulgentius heard her. During the years he had lived in the world he had never before been separated from her. He loved her with an intense affection, and had never been known to disobey her. But he had not counted upon this trial ; and as he heard the voice of her whom he so tenderly loved, and knew that her heart was bursting with grief, his own soul was plunged in the deepest sorrow.

Who can tell the conflict he had to sustain during these three days? Was ever a trial equal to his? But raising his eyes and hands to Heaven, he prayed for help. " O my God, help me to persevere."

God heard his prayer, and after the three days were ended a sweet peace filled his soul. His mother, seeing that her cries and prayers were unheeded, returned to her home, and Fulgentius remained faithful.

He afterwards became Bishop of Carthage, and was one of the greatest lights in the Church of God in the sixth century.

Grande Vies cUs Saints t jan. I.

III. THE PARDON OF OUR SINS ANOTHER OBJECT OF OUR HOPE.

God has promised to forgive us our sins if we be sorry for them. This, therefore, is another thing we "hope" for pardon for our past sins.

THE WIDOW'S CHILD.

Some years ago, there was a poor widow who had an only son. She loved this son dearly, and spared no pains to instill into his heart the principles of virtue.

But when he grew up he began to go with wicked companions, and soon became the scandal of the neighbourhood. He even sometimes struck his mother, and threatened to kill her.

This unhappy young man soon gave himself up to every crime, but the day of retribution came at last; he was arrested and cast into prison.

One day a stranger knocked at the prison door. The jailer came to see who it was, and learned to his surprise that it was the mother of this wicked young man.

"Ah!" said she, weeping, "I wish to see my son."

"What!" said the jailer in astonishment, "do you wish to see that wretch ? Have you forgotten all that he has done to you?"

"Ah! I know it well," replied the widow, ** but he is my son."

"Why!" cried the jailer, " he has robbed you of every penny you had."

"I know it," she replied ; " but he is still my son."

"But has he not struck you and abused you, and even threatened to kill you ?" said the jailer.

"That is quite true," was the answer ; " but I am still his mother, and he is my son."

"But," again cried the jailer, " he has not only abused you and robbed you, but he has even shame fully abandoned you ; such an unnatural son is not fit to live."

"Ah! but he is my child, and I am his mother."

And the poor widow sobbed and wept, till at last the jailer was touched, and permitted her to enter the prison ; and the fond mother threw her arms round the neck of that unnatural, ungrateful son, and pressed him again and again to her breaking heart.

MiiLLER : The Prodigal Son, p. 272.

God loves us poor sinners even more than a mother loves her child. With what confidence, then, ought you to hope for pardon when you are sorry for offending Him!

ST. BERNARD'S HOPE IN GOD.

The great St. Bernard was lying on his bed sick. It seemed that already the hand of death was upon him. Satan, who had often tried to make him yield to sin, but in vain, tried now to make him fall into despair.

"You have never done any good," he whispered in his heart, " and you have offended GOD'So much! How can you expect to obtain Heaven? Heaven is only for those who have served God faithfully, which you have not done."

St. Bernard knew that this was a temptation of the Evil One, and with his usual confidence in God he overcame it.

"I know,"he said, " that I am most unworthy of GOD'S grace, that I have sinned, and that I cannot of myself obtain the Kingdom of God. But Jesus Christ my Saviour, by the merits of His sufferings and death, has purchased it for me, and has made over to me the right of obtaining it. It is a pure gift of GOD'S liberality to me, and although I had no

right to it, I now have full confidence of possessing it, for I am GOD'S child, and Jesus died for me. So, begone, Satan!"

After this a holy calm filled his soul, and Satan Tempted him no more.

IV. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN THE FINAL OBJECT OF OUR HOPE.

Jesus Christ tells His disciples that they must take up their cross if they desire to follow Him. What is it that gives the Christian courage to do this ? It is the thought of the reward God has promised to give him in Heaven. It is this hope of Heaven, then, that gives you, my child, strength to bear your trials patiently.

"LOOK UP TO HEAVEN, MY CHILD."

Symphronian was the son of parents who were as illustrious for their piety as for their noble ancestry.

Under their care he passed his youth in the practice of virtue, and everyone who saw him felt in his presence a supernatural awe, as if he were an angel of God.

He lived in the days of persecution, when so many martyrs shed their blood in testimony of their Faith.

THE VIRTUE OF HOPE "

He was seized, brought before the tribunal of the Judge Heraclius, and commanded to adore the statues of the heathen gods. The judge as usual promised him great rewards and honours if he would obey, and threatened to put him to death, under the most awful torments, if he refused.

Symphronian answered that he was a Christian, and that the Christian'S hopes were not in this world, but in Heaven. " I do not fear your torments, neither do I esteem your honours. Our God has in Heaven greater and higher honours for those who are faithful to Him, as well as the most terrible punishments for those who disobey Him. Therefore, it is better for me to suffer now at your hands, and so come to my eternal King in Heaven, than to give my soul to Satan by obeying you."

The judge was surprised at these bold words of the young martyr, and again entreated him to obey him, promising at the same time to give him still greater honours.

"Do not imagine," said the holy martyr, " that any words of yours can force me to change my mind. The presents which you offer me are poison hid in honey, and your honours are as brittle as glass. Our riches are in Jesus Christ, and they shall endure for ever ; and the honours He confers on us are ever lasting. This is the Christian'S hope."

The judge, seeing that he was losing time, condemned him to be beheaded.

On his way to martyrdom he met his mother. She had heard of his being condemned to die, and she hastened to see him, and speak to him for the last time on earth.

As she saw the crowd coming along, and heard their shouts, and saw the axes that were so soon to immolate her beloved child, her motherly heart was pierced with grief.

But fearing lest the sight of her sorrow might influence him, she asked from GOD'Strength to bear the trial courageously. When the crowd drew near and her eyes met those of her son, she cried out "Symphronian, my child, my dearest boy look up to Heaven ! think of God Who reigns there. Courage, then ; do not be afraid to die, because your death will bring you to eternal life. The tyrant cannot take life from you ; he will only give you one infinitely more happy in exchange for the short and weary life of this world. The way is indeed narrow and difficult, but it is short"

These words of his mother, spoken so earnestly gave him new courage. He raised his eyes towards Heaven, to which she was pointing, and he seemed to see holy angels coming down to meet him with palms in their hands the sign of victory.

When they came to the place of execution, they bound the martyr to the stake, and with one stroke of the sword severed his head from his body. His holy soul at the same instant joined the company of the angels who were witnesses of his martyrdom and was led by them into the abode of everlasting joy.

Lives of the Saints August 22.

ST. LIDVINA'S CROWN.

St. Lidvina was born in Holland about the end of the fourteenth century. When she was a little girl she was very beautiful. But God, Who foresaw that her beauty might be dangerous to her, took it from her, by permitting an accident to happen to her.

One day, when she was fifteen years old, she was walking on the ice which covered a pond not far from her father'S house. Someone who was amusing himself by sliding, came against her with great force, and she fell heavily on the ice. When they took her home they discovered that some of her bones were broken, and that she had suffered other injuries.

Remedies were applied, but without effect ; from that day till the end of her life she was never able to stand upright, and could scarcely walk. The fresh colour left her cheeks, and she became pale and thin.

When people saw the sad state to which she was now reduced, they said it was a great misfortune; but her Father in Heaven, Who loved her dearly, knew that this was one of the richest graces He could have given His beloved child.

Lidvina loved God. She had loved Him when she was in health, and now, when He had sent her this terrible affliction, she loved Him even more. She could not have had the courage to have asked Him to send her these sufferings, but since He had done so, she said from the bottom of her heart : " O my God, Thy holy will be done."

It would take a long time to tell all the consolation God gave her because she was so humble and resigned. Whenever GOD'Sends us a cross, He sends us also the grace to carry it. So Lidvina was very happy under her heavy cross.

One day she was brought by her angel guardian in spirit into Paradise. God wanted to show her what He would one day give her there if she would suffer her trials on earth patiently to the end.

She saw the Saints there in all their glory, each one according to the good works he had done on earth, and she heard the ravishing music of their canticles.

Some of the holy martyrs who had suffered the most terrible torments for the love of GOD'Spoke to her, and pointed out to her the bright crown of glory God had given them as their reward.

"Let our example," they said, "encourage you to suffer as we did, and be faithful unto death as we were. You have to suffer much from the afflictions with which God has visited you, but courage! They will soon be at an end, and then the crown of glory will be given you. Look at us now, how happy we are! Where are now those sufferings we endured for

the love of Jesus Christ? They are all past: they lasted only a few moments, then were over, and what did God give us in return for them? Look and see; behold the perfect happiness we enjoy in the Kingdom of our God, which will never be taken from us."

When the Saint returned to herself, the thought of this beautiful vision filled her with greater courage; she even desired Our Lord to send her greater afflictions on earth, that her glory might be greater in Heaven.

From the time she had that vision, everything in this world had no pleasure for her. " O my dear Father," she used to pray, "When will You come and take me home to Heaven ?"

God was pleased to grant her another vision. She seemed to see one of the heavenly spirits at her side, with a beautiful crown of roses in his hand. But it did not seem quite finished : here and there there seemed to be a few roses wanting to make it complete.

The angel said to her : " This crown is for you, but I cannot give it to you till it is completed ; you have yet to suffer a few things for the love of God, and when you have accomplished this it will be ready, and I will come again and give it to you."

She then earnestly prayed to God not to delay long, but to send her at once the trials He had ordained for her to suffer, that she might the sooner obtain her crown.

God heard her prayer. For some little time she had to endure most acute pains, which were augmented by the cruel treatment of some of those who attended her ; but the thought that every moment was bringing her nearer to the glory she so much desired gave her courage.

At length the angel returned, according to his promise. In his hands he held the same crown, but this time it was finished. Not long after this she died, and her pure soul ascended at once to Heaven, where it was crowned with glory, in recompense for the trials and sufferings of this life borne so patiently for the love of God.

God is preparing a crown of glory for us also ; but we cannot get it till we have won it by fulfilling our duty to God during our short time of trial on earth.

Life of St. Lidmna^ April 16.

V. ON PRESUMPTION.

Since we cannot do any good of ourselves towards our salvation, we must be sure not to trust to our own strength in our temptations, because if we do so, we are certain to fail. Not to put our trust in God, but to rely on our own strength, is called "presumption." It is one of the greatest sins against hope.

QUINTUS DENIES HIS FAITH.

About the beginning of the second century there came to Smyrna from Phrygia a man called Quintus. At that time there was a persecution of the Christians at Smyrna, and many of them were put to death by horrible tortures, because they would not deny their holy Faith.

When Quintus saw this, he thought he would like to be a martyr also, and so get to Heaven. He went, therefore, boldly to the judge, and said to him : " I am a Christian ; put me to death."

The judge was astonished at his strange request, and thought he was a fool. " Let this foolish man," he said, " get what he wants. Take him, and throw him amongst the wild beasts, that they may devour him."

Quintus was very glad when he heard his sentence, and went joyfully along with the soldiers towards the place where the wild beasts were kept.

But the poor man forgot to ask God to help him. No doubt if he had done so, God would have given him the martyr's crown, but because he trusted to himself, he came to a miserable end. For when he drew near the place, and saw the beasts, with their mouths wide open ready to devour him, and heard them roar so terribly, he began to tremble, and said to those who were leading him : " Stop ! do not throw me in there!"

"We will throw you in at once," they said, "unless you promise to sacrifice to the gods."

"Then I promise, if you only take me back again and spare my life."

They took him back to the judge; and when the judge ordered him to offer incense to the gods, he did it.

So Quintus denied his Faith because of his presumption, by trusting to himself rather than to God.

Vies des Saints Pet. BolUmd, i. 618

PRINCE EUGENE AND THE AUSTRIAN GENERAL.

An Austrian General, who was as much renowned for his piety as for his bravery, had occasion one day to speak to a young nobleman called Eugene, who was living a gay, worldly life, neglecting prayer and the Sacraments, and yet was accustomed to say that he hoped to reach the Kingdom of Heaven when he died.

"My dear young Prince," he said to him with a fatherly tenderness, " you are trying to do what is altogether impossible. To think that you could reach Heaven without going to the Sacraments is a suggestion of the Evil One, that has already brought innumerable souls to ruin. To imagine that you could reach Heaven in this way is to believe that you could possess God in eternity without loving Him on earth. By refusing to do His holy will on earth, to pray to Him, to unite yourself to Him by receiving the holy Sacraments, and to love those things which He hates, is a certain sign of losing Him in eternity ; it is to be guilty of one of the greatest sins that you could commit that of presumption."

Eugene did not at first care for this rebuke, but as he reflected on it he saw that it was indeed the truth. He changed his life, became a fervent Christian, and, by his example, led many others to do the same.

If anything should convince you of the great evil of this sin, it is the following example, which is only one out of many thousands that could be brought before you :

DELAY OF CONFESSION.

There was a young man who at first was very pious, but as he grew up and mingled with the world, fell away from this piety, and even committed great sins. In the midst of his evil life, he was continually heard to say : " I would not for all the world die without the Sacraments. Oh, that would be a terrible misfortune! But I am young yet, and I cannot, at present, make up my mind to go to Confession. There is plenty of time ; God is good and merciful, and He will not permit me to die without being reconciled to Him."

But God is just as well as merciful. This young man became very ill. His mother, who had often spoken to him of making up his peace with God, now earnestly exhorted him to do so, as he was in very great danger of death.

He answered : "Yes, I must indeed change my life, but I will wait until I am well again."

"But you are in great danger of death," she said to him ; "you must at once make up your peace with God, because you may never get better."

At last he allowed her to send for the priest b ut it happened that he was absent at another sick-call when the messenger reached his house, so he had to wait till he returned. The priest then hastened to the house of the dying man. But it was too late ; he had fallen into his agony, and died in despair, without making his confession, with the

priest at his side.

Here is another terrible example of a great fall because of trusting in one'S own strength instead of the grace of God.

THE PRESUMPTUOUS MONK.

There was a monk who lived in the desert in the days of St. Pachomius, the Abbot. This monk had a great desire to go forth into the world and publicly declare his faith, that he might die a martyr.

But before doing this he went to the Saint, to ask his prayers and to obtain his blessing.

"Do not go," said the Saint, " but return to your cell in the desert, for to do what you propose would be to tempt God, and, instead of dying for your faith, you would only deny it."

But the monk did not listen to these words, and left him, being determined to have his own way.

The following day, as he was passing through a forest, he met a band of barbarians, who seized him and brought him before their chief. When they saw that he was a Christian, they raised their swords to kill him, saying : " Renounce your Faith, else you are a dead man."

At first the young man showed some courage, but when he saw the sword about to fall on him, he cried out : "Spare me ! I will renounce it." Then they allowed him to depart.

When he recovered from his fright and saw what he had done, he was filled with remorse and sorrow. He returned at once to the holy Abbot, and, with tears in his eyes, told him all.

"O my Father, what can I do now to repair the evil I have done ? Can God ever pardon me ?"

" Yes, my child," said the Abbot, in a kindly voice ; " take courage, and humbly ask Him to forgive you, and most certainly He will do it. But let this be a lesson to you, for all time to come, never to rush into danger, for that is to be guilty of the sin of presumption."

VI. ON DIFFIDENCE IN OURSELVES.

My child, to escape the danger of falling into presumption we must have a great diffidence in ourselves ; that means that of ourselves we cannot avoid evil or do good for Heaven without the help of God's grace.

PACCUS TEMPTED IN THE WILDERNESS.

Father Segneri relates that a young man named Paccus went into a wilderness to do penance for his sins.

After some years he was assaulted by great temptations. They were so great in the end that he thought it impossible to resist them any longer. And as he was often overcome by them, he began to despair of his salvation ; he even thought of taking away his life.

He said to himself one day in his despair : " If I must in the end go to hell, it is better for me to go there now than to live on thus in sin, and so only increase my torments."

Another day he took a poisonous viper into his hands, and tried in every way he could to make it bite him. But the reptile did not hurt him in the least.

" O my God !" he cried, " there are so many people who do not wish to die, yet die, and I who wish for death so much, cannot die."

At that moment he heard a voice saying to him : "O foolish man, do you suppose that you can over come temptations by your own strength ? Pray to God for help, and He will give you grace to overcome them ; but do not trust in your own strength."

These words gave him new courage. He began at once to pray most fervently, and soon lost all his fear He ever afterwards led a very edifying life.

MULLER.

Do not imagine that because you are so little and so weak, Jesus, Who is so great, will not come to help you. No ; He is your Father in Heaven, and you are His child, and He dearly loves you, so be not afraid.

" BECAUSE I AM SO WEAK."

We read of a pious woman who was so very poor that she used often to think how useless she was in the world, and used to wonder how the great God of Heaven could think of her, much less love her.

One day when these thoughts were in her mind, she heard near her a sweet voice which filled her heart with joy ; it was the voice of Jesus Himself. "My child," He said, " I chose you to serve Me just because you are so weak ; for knowing how worthless you are, you will take no glory to yourself, but will give it all to Me."

ST. MARGARET IN PRISON.

When St. Margaret, virgin and martyr, Was in prison, having already suffered many cruel tortures for the Faith, she fervently besought Our Lord that He would be pleased to give her the grace of persevering to the end. While she was thus praying, she was seized with a trembling from head to foot, for the Devil appeared to her under the form of a terrible dragon, which rushed towards her as if about to devour her.

But the Saint, who had from her childhood given herself to God, strong in her confidence that He would never forsake her, made upon herself the sign of the cross, and asked Him to help her.

At the same instant the Devil fled in dismay, and the prison was filled with a bright light, and there came a voice out of the brightness which said to her distinctly : " O Margaret, servant of God, be full of joy, since you have overcome your enemies. The tyrant is filled with confusion, and the Devil is vanquished. Do not lose confidence in what you have yet to endure for the love of God, for your torments will soon come to an end, and your everlasting glory will soon begin."

The Saint was consoled by these words, and thanked her Heavenly Master for His infinite goodness to her. The next day she was brought forth to martyrdom, and thus entered gloriously into Heaven.

VII. ON DESPAIR.

If it is a great sin to trust in ourselves and not in God, it is also a great sin to think that God will not show us mercy, even when we may have grievously sinned. This sin is the sin of despair, another of the sins against hope.

THE TERRIBLE VISION,

Venerable Bede tells us that in his time there was a man who had once been very pious, but who had gradually fallen into a careless worldly life, and ended by being the scandal of the town in which he lived.

After a time he became ill. People who went to visit him, and saw how dangerous his illness was, told him it was time to think of preparing himself for the great passage into eternity.

" Oh ! there will be plenty of time for that afterwards," he said. " I am too sick and weary at present to think of that. I will think about it when I get better."

But he did not get better ; every day he became worse.

One day he seemed to see something terrible, for, turning to those who were in the room, he cried out in a voice which froze the blood in their veins: "Alas ! I have deceived the world ! I have deceived myself ! I am lost for ever !"

But they said to him : " Do not say these words; God is all-merciful, and offers pardon even to the greatest sinner."

"Yes ; but it is too late for me. God put me into this world to serve Him, and I did not do it. I have not even one good work to offer Him. So I am lost! I am lost!"

"Oh! ask God for mercy," they cried. " Say, O Jesus, have mercy on me! "

"No! No! it is too late ! I have just seen Hell, and in it I saw Cain and Judas, and near them a place prepared for me. It is too late! I am lost!"

They tried again to speak words of comfort to him, and of GOD'S mercy, but all in vain ; the poor man died in despair, because he would not ask for mercy.

From VENERABLE BEDE

My child, this example will show you how terrible is the end of those who have offended God, and who will not return to Him by repentance.

THE TERRIBLE END OF JUDAS.

Judas was one of our Blessed Lord's twelve Apostles. For three years he had been constantly in the company of Jesus Christ, and had, during that time, received from Him many special marks of His favour and love.

But the Devil tempted Judas, and he yielded to the temptation, which in the end led him to betray his loving Master into the hands of His enemies for a few pieces of silver.

When he saw that Jesus was condemned to die he was filled with the deepest remorse, and, running back to the chief priests, threw down at their feet the money they had given him, saying : " I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."

At that moment the grace of God was speaking to his heart, and urging him to repent of his crime. If he had done so he would have been forgiven, and would now be a Saint in Heaven. But he resisted the grace of God, and allowed despair to enter into his heart. He saw the greatness of the crime he had committed, and the sight filled him with so much horror that, forgetting the infinite mercy of God, and, thinking only of the terrible sin he had committed, he fell into despair, and, going out, hanged himself.

SATAN AND THE PIOUS MONK.

The Devil appeared once to Faverius, a disciple of St. Bruno, and monk of singular goodness, who was lying dangerously ill. After terrifying him in other ways, he began to remind him of all the sins he had ever committed, saying : " You committed all these sins."

The servant of God replied that it was quite true, but that he had already confessed them and received absolution from them, and therefore had every reason to trust that God had pardoned him.

"Confessed your sins ! Confessed your sins !" replied the fiend. " You have not told all ; you have not made a proper confession ; you have not explained the circumstances of your sins ; your confessions were all bad ; they were all good for nothing; they will serve only to make your judgment heavier."

The holy monk, thus reminded of faults, shown to him by the fiend in that awful light, was greatly alarmed, and began to be filled with fear. He was so horror-stricken and full of dismay that he was on the point of falling headlong into the abyss of despair.

But the Blessed Virgin, ever the true Mother of mercy, who forsakes not such as are really devoted to her, appeared to him most opportunely at this terrible moment with the Divine Infant in her arms, and addressed him as follows:

"Faverius, my child, why art thou afraid ? Wherefore lose heart ? Hope and be of good cheer, thou hast all but reached the port of Heaven. All thy sins have been forgiven thee by my most dear Child. Of this I give thee my

assurance."

At these words the great anguish felt by the dying man at the thought of his sins gave place to a humble, confiding, peaceful sorrow, and shortly afterwards he breathed his last in great calm of soul.

Guide to Spiritual Life, p. 306.

VIII. ON CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

God knows what is best for you, my child, for He is your Father. In sorrow and in joy, in sickness and in health, leave yourself in His hands. It is this confidence that is most pleasing to Him, because it is a sign that you hope in Him and love Him.

RIPE FOR HEAVEN.

There was once a man whom God visited with many and great trials. Scarcely had one trial passed before another one came upon him. But he was a good Christian, and knew that these sufferings were the gifts his Heavenly Father sent him, that he might gain a bright crown of glory here after. He had a wife and one child, a bright and beautiful boy, and in his quiet home, in their company, he found some consolation when the burden was heaviest.

It happened that a war broke out in the country where he dwelt, and he was obliged to take up arms against the enemy.

When the war was over and he returned to his native place, he found his once happy home in ruins, and learned that his wife and child had been put to death by the enemy.

This was for him the severest of all the trials that he had yet suffered, and his usual confidence in GOD'Seemed for a moment to forsake him in his great grief.

" O my God !" he cried out, "why hast Thou taken away from me the only things I prized in this world, my wife and my child ? Why did the balls of the enemy spare me, when so many of my comrades were struck down by my side ? Oh ! why hast Thou preserved me from death to heap on me so great an affliction ?"

And in the midst of his grief he besought Our Lord to take him out of this world, that he might not have to suffer more.

God consoled him in his grief. He seemed in his sleep to see a most beautiful angel coming near him, having in his hand three grains of seed. These he sowed in a field. Two of them grew up, and produced flowers of a magnificence and beauty far exceeding what he had ever seen before. But the third grain of seed did not spring up at all. So he asked the angel : " Why is it that two of the seeds you sowed have produced such beautiful flowers, and the third one has not even sprung up ?"

The angel answered : " Because it is not yet ready. Have patience ; it will also appear."

Soon afterwards he saw it also coming forth from the ground, and the flowers it produced were still more beautiful.

When he awoke, he began to reflect on what he had seen. " O my God," he said, " it was wrong in me to murmur against Thy holy will as I have done. Pardon me, O my God ; Thou art indeed a Father full of wisdom. Thou hast taken to Thyself those whom I loved, because Thou sawest that they were already ripe for Heaven, and Thou hast left me still a little time on earth to purify me, and prepare me for a still greater degree of glory in Paradise."

From that moment he complained no more. Afflictions still continued to come upon him, but he bore them all with an invincible patience, and his constant prayer was those words of the Scripture : "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped ; let me never be confounded."

SCHMIDT, Rep. du Catech., iv. 286.

THE DYING FATHER.

Not long ago a poor man, the father of a large family, was struck down by a dangerous illness. He felt the hand of death upon him, yet he was calm and happy.

His children were standing near his bed weeping, and praying to God that their dear father might not be taken away from them.

" My children," he said, "it is the will of God that I should leave you. With my dying lips I ask you to love and serve Him till He comes to take you to Himself. I have lived a long time in this world, and I can tell you that that alone can make you happy."

These words, spoken at intervals and in a low voice, told the children plainly that the end was indeed near. This made them weep still more. But the good man seemed to smile rather than weep, and to be full of joy rather than of sorrow.

Margaret, his oldest daughter, observed this, and said to him : " Ah ! dearest father, how can you be so joyful while we are so sad ? You have lived a hard and laborious life, and had many sorrows and trials, and now, even when death is at hand, and you are enduring so much pain, you seem not to feel it."

" My dear child," he answered, " long, long ago, when I was a little boy, my mother used to tell me what I have often told you all those words of the Scripture :
Keep the Lord always before thine eyes, and fear His holy name.

These few words gave me courage in my trials, and were my defence in the moment of danger, and now they are my

greatest consolation. For they have led me to the gate of my heavenly home, and I die with the firm hope that they will lead me into the presence of Him Whom I have had always present in my heart. It is this that makes me so calm now and so resigned. And if you do as I have done, you also, at the hour of your death, shall be filled with the same blessed hope."

This was the only legacy this poor man had to leave to his little ones, but it was of more value than the richest gift that the world could bestow.

SCHMIDT, Rep. du Catich.) iv. 311.

My child, since God is your Father, and loves you so much, you should with the utmost confidence place yourself in His hands, and say to Him : "O my Father in Heaven, I am Thy child, do with me what Thou wilt."

IN THE ARMS OF JESUS.

In the year 1623, at the beginning of Lent, the Venerable Agnes of Jesus became very ill. She was at that time only twenty-one years old. The physicians who were called in did not seem to understand the nature of her malady, and gave her medicine which, instead of making her better, only made her suffer the more.

But Agnes never uttered one word of complaint; the only words she said were the following, which she repeated often every day :

"O my God, O my sweet and amiable Jesus, mayest Thou be blessed a thousand and a thousand times."

When Easter Sunday came, God was pleased to reward the patience with which she had suffered the heavy crosses He had been pleased to send her, by permitting her angel guardian to appear to her.

My child," said the angel, " are you happy in your sufferings ?"

"Yes," she answered, " because it is the holy will of Him Whom I love with all my heart."

" But was it not also your own desire to suffer? He has only done to you what you yourself asked Him to do?"

Agnes answered : " My heart and my will are entirely united to Him : let Him dispose of me according to His Divine will ; and if it should be His desire that I should suffer all my lifetime, and even to the Day of Judgment, I am ready to do so."

The angel answered : " Continue to love Jesus in this way, and be assured that He will never forsake you."

THE RESCUE OF THEODULUS.

Theodulus was the son of St. Nilus, and lived in the desert along with other holy solitaries. One day the Saracens fell upon them, and carried them away captive to be sold as slaves. Theodulus was taken to a town called Sabira, and exposed for sale in the market-place. He was surrounded by men with drawn swords, ready to kill him if he did not

fetch the price they wanted.

When he had been thus standing for some time, and no one seemed desirous of buying him, they were preparing to put him to death. When he saw his danger he cried out piteously to the people to save his life by buying him, promising them that he would all his lifetime be the devoted slave of the one who would do so.

It happened at that moment that the Bishop of the place was passing by, and hearing his heart rending cries, went and paid the money that was asked, and set him free. Theodulus threw himself at his feet, full of love and gratitude. From that moment he could not tear himself away from him, and never ceased to thank him for having saved his life.

Jesus has done more for you, my child ; He has saved you from Hell, and He has paid for you a very great price. This should, then, make you love Him, and fill you with a great confidence in Him.

THE WOMAN HEALED OF THE ISSUE OF BLOOD.

When Our Lord was on earth, He went about amongst the people " doing good, and curing those who were sick."

One day it happened, as He went along, that He was surrounded by the multitudes ; and there was among them a certain woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, who had bestowed all her substance on physicians, and could not be healed by any of them. She came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment, for she said within herself : "If I shall touch only His garment, I shall be healed." And immediately the issue of blood stopped.

And Jesus said : " Who is it that touched Me ?"

And all denying, Peter and they that were with him said : " Master, the multitudes throng and press Thee, and dost Thou say, Who touchedMe ?"

And Jesus said : " Somebody hath touched Me; for I know that virtue is gone out from Me."

And the woman, seeing that she was not hid, came trembling, and fell down before His feet, and declared before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was immediately healed.

But He said to her : " Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole ; go thy way in peace."

ST. FRANCIS OF SALES* CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

The great St. Francis of Sales tried to inspire those around him with that confidence in God that burned in his own breast.

One day a gentleman came to him in great distress. The thought of death, and of the judgments of God, had thrown him into the lowest depths of sadness and despondency, and he went to him for consolation.

" Alas ! my friend," replied the Saint, " there is no torment so great as this one ; I know it well, for I myself had to endure it for the space of six weeks, and I am well able from experience to speak on this matter. Let me tell you, then, that if anyone has the earnest desire to serve Our Lord, he should no ways be tormented by the thought of death and judgment ; or if we must need have some fear of them, let it be a fear mingled with confidence. God is Our Father, and His love for us is boundless ; and has He not told us that those who hope tc Him shall never be confounded ? So, my child, keep before your mind what St. Paul says of those who love God : " There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus."

ST. FRANCES DRIVES SATAN AWAY.

One day St. Frances of Rome was going to Holy Communion, when the Devil, envious of her happiness, said to her : " How can you, who are so full of venial sins, dare to receive the Immaculate Lamb of God ?"

She instantly perceived that the enemy intended to deprive her of this great blessing, and she drove him away by spitting in his face. After this the Blessed Virgin appeared to her, and said : " My child, you have done well ; your defects, instead of being an obstacle to your going to Communion, should, on the contrary, induce you to go more and

more frequently, since in Holy Communion you find the remedy for all your miseries."

Thus was the confidence of St. Frances rewarded.

ST. MARTIN OF NANTES.

When St. Martin of Nantes was on his deathbed, he was calm and happy. He had spent a long life in the service of God, and now, like St. Paul, he waited to hear, from the Just Judge, the happy sentence that would place him for ever in the enjoyment of his reward in Heaven.

Around his bed knelt the Fathers and Brothers of the monastery, weeping and praying.

While they were thus praying, there suddenly appeared in the room a troop of evil spirits, who came and surrounded the_ bed of the dying Saint. Those around him were seized with fear ; he alone remained calm and tranquil.

" What do you want here ?" he cried out to them. "Go away at once ; Jesus Christ has redeemed me, and I cannot be lost along with you, because I have always placed in Him all my confidence."

While he was saying these words, the evil spirits vanished, and he died in peace.

There is no more certain way of overcoming this temptation of despair at the hour of death than by being very devout to Our Blessed Lady during life, for those whom Our Lady loves and protects may confidently expect to be loved by her Divine Son.

ST. BERNARD'S ADMONITION.

" O you, whoever you may be, who are sailing on the tempestuous waters of this life's ocean, if you want to escape shipwreck, look up to the Star of the Sea ; call on Mary. When the storm of temptations rises round you, and you are on the point of being dashed against the rocks of distress, look at the Star; call on Mary. When you are tossed about by the waves of ambition or pride, call on Mary. If anger, or avarice, or impure temptations try to draw you away from God, look up at the Star ; call on Mary. If the greatness of the evil you have done troubles you, or if you are terrified at the thought of the judgment that is to come upon you, and if you are beginning to sink into the gulf of despair, think of Mary. In all dangers, in all difficulties, in all doubt, think of Mary, call on Mary."

IX. HOPE OUR CONSOLATION AT THE HOUR OF DEATH.

Hope, which has been our constant companion in life, and which has obtained for us so many graces from our Heavenly Father, will be our great consolation when the hour of our death comes, for has Our Divine Lord not solemnly promised that if we have served him during life He will after death grant us the eternal reward He has promised.

ST. PAUL'S WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT.

It was this thought that filled the soul of St. Paul with such confidence when his last hour had come. He said to his beloved Timothy : " The time of my dissolution is at hand. I have fought a good fight ; I have finished my course ; I have kept the Faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the Just Judge, will render to me in that day, and not only to me, but to them also who love His coming " (2 Tim. iv. 6 et seq.).

ST. PHILIP NERI'S WORDS TO JESUS.

St. Philip Neri was not only a good Christian, but a great Saint. Every day of his life he tried to please God ; and every day, too, by his good works, he was heaping up for himself great treasures for Heaven.

Yet there was one thought that was always upper most in his mind day and night. He thought that he might still be lost, because he might not persevere to the end. Every morning he used to say to Jesus : " O my Jesus, take care of me this day, and do not leave me to myself, for if Thou dost not watch over me, I may, like another Judas, betray Thee by falling into sin."

Again, he would frequently say : " O my Jesus, the wound in Thy Sacred Side was, indeed, very large, yet, if Thou leavest me to myself, I may make it still larger. If Thou dost not hold me up by Thy grace, I shall most certainly fall into sin."

St. Philip persevered unto the end, because he was always watching and praying ; so it is only by constant watching and prayer, my child, that you will overcome temptation and obtain the grace of final perseverance.

ST. ROSE OF LIMA'S FEARS.

One day St. Rose was full of sadness as she thought that she might not persevere to the end, and that one day she might be condemned to Hell for ever.

In her distress Jesus appeared to her, and said : "Rose, My daughter, what makes you so sad, and why do you allow these thoughts to trouble you? Do you not know that I will never condemn to Hell any but those who wish to be condemned ?" as if He had said : " If a person is condemned it is his own fault, for if he had only asked Me for perseverance he would have obtained it."

"GOD IS FAITHFUL."

When St. Jane de Chantal was troubled by thoughts of despair, she used to put them away at once. " God is faithful," she would say, " and He has promised to give me the grace of perseverance if I only ask Him. It is my daily prayer to Him : why, then, should I be afraid ?"

O my child, may God grant you the grace of perseverance, that, like His Saints who have persevered to the end, you may receive the crown of life.

XIV PRAYER

I. WHAT PRAYER Is.

Of all the duties we have to perform in this world towards God, there is none so important as that of prayer. It is, therefore, necessary for you, my child, to know how to pray well.

Prayer is the raising up of our minds and hearts to God.

ST. IGNATIUS AND THE CARRIER.

St. Ignatius and some of his companions being on a journey hired a poor man to carry their luggage, for they were travelling on foot. This man was very ignorant, and was, moreover, very impatient. He was also given to swearing and many other faults. The Fathers often spoke to him about this, and tried to correct him.

Whenever these holy men arrived at an inn, the first thing they did after hiring a room for themselves and their assistant was to kneel down at a little distance from each other, and spend a long time in prayer.

In the meantime the carrier generally slept upon a bench, or warmed himself by the fire.

But after some time the piety and reverence with which these men said their prayers made him think that they must indeed be very holy, and that it was because they were so holy that they were so cheerful in the midst of all their difficulties; so he made up his mind to pray also.

As soon as he saw them kneeling down, he went into a corner, and remained on his knees till they rose up. He had not done this often before a great change came over him. He soon gave up his old habits altogether, and became sober, patient, and obliging. The Fathers were glad to see this great change, and they knew that God had given him that grace because he had begun to say his prayers.

One day St. Ignatius asked him what prayers he said during the long time he spent on his knees.

The poor man answered : " I am very ignorant, and I do not know how to pray, but this is what say to God when I see you praying, Lord, I am a poor ignorant man, and I do not know how to serve Thee ; but these men who are praying so fervently must be great Saints. O my God, I have the desire to do for Thee all they are doing, and to say to Thee

all they are saying,"

St. Ignatius was much edified with this answer. He gave thanks to God for having given to the poor and the little ones of this world graces that the rich and the learned do not deserve to receive.

Heureuse Annte.

THE POOR MAN'S PRAYER.

In the village of Ars, not long ago, there lived a poor man who was very ignorant in the learning of the world, but was every day gaining great merit for Heaven by his simple faith.

Whenever that good man was going to his work or coming home from it, he was sure to be seen entering the church to adore his Divine Lord ever present in the holy tabernacle. He would leave his tools, his spade, hoe, and pickaxe at the door, and remain for hours together sitting or kneeling before the tabernacle.

The priest of the place, the Blessed Father J. M. Vianney, watched him with great delight. But what surprised him was, that although the man remained so long in the church, he never opened his lips, and kept his eyes fixed on the tabernacle all the time.

One day the priest said to him : " My good father, what do you say to Our Lord in those long visits you pay to Him every day ?"

The poor man answered : " I say nothing to Him ; I look at Him, and He looks at me."

Life of the Blessed Curt <?Ars.

You see, my child, prayer does not consist in say ing a great many words, but in having your mind fixed on God, and that is not very difficult for a child of God.

II. PRAYER is ALL-POWERFUL WITH GOD.

Prayer is all-powerful with God. Jesus Christ Himself continually asserted this truth during His life in this world. " Ask and you shall receive," He said. And this because we are the children of our Heavenly Father, who will always hear us, especially when we ask anything in the name of His beloved Son Jesus. The history of the Church and the lives

of GOD'S Saints in all ages have abundantly proved this.

LEGEND OF ST. SCHOLASTICA.

Scholastica was the sister of the Venerable Father Benedict, and had been consecrated to Almighty God from her very infancy. She was accustomed to visit her brother once a year. The man of God came down to meet her at a house belonging to the monastery, not far from the gate. The whole day was spent in singing the praises of God and in holy

conversation, and at nightfall they took their repast together. On one occasion whilst they were at table, and it grew late as they conferred with eachother on sacred subjects, the holy nun thus spoke to her brother : " I beseech thee stay with me tonight, and let us talk till morning on the joys of Heaven." He replied : " What is this thou sayest, sister ? On no account may I remain out of the monastery."

The evening was so fair that not a cloud could be seen in the sky. When, therefore, the holy nun heard her brother's refusal, she clasped her hands together, and, resting them on the table, she hid her face in them, and made a prayer to that God Who is all-powerful. As soon as she raised her head from the table, there broke forth so great a storm of

thunder and lightning and rain that neither St. Benedict, nor the brethren who were with him, could set foot outside the place where they were sitting.

The holy virgin had shed a flood of tears as she leaned her head upon the table, and the cloudless sky poured down the wished-for rain. The prayer was offered up, the rain fell in torrents ; there was no interval ; but so closely on each other were prayer and rain, that the storm came as soon as she raised her head. Then the man of God, seeing that it was impossible for him to reach his monastery amidst all this lightning, thunder, and rain, was sad, and said

complainingly : " God forgive thee, sister ! What hast thou done ?" But she replied : " I asked of thee a favour, and thou wouldst not hear me ; then I asked it of God, and He granted it to me. Go now, if thou canst, to the monastery, and leave me here."

But it was not in his power to stir from the place, so that he who would not stay willingly had to stay unwillingly, and spent the whole night delighting his sister with discourses upon the spiritual life.

In the morning the holy woman returned to her convent, and the man of God to his monastery. Three days afterwards he was in his cell, and, raising his eyes upwards, he saw the soul of his sister going up to Heaven in the form of a dove. Full of joy at her being thus glorified, he thanked God in hymns of praise and gratitude, and told the brethren of her death. He straightway bade them go and bring her body to the monastery, which, having been done, he buried it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. Thus it was that, as their souls had ever been one in God, their bodies were united in the same grave.

III. PRAYER, THE KEY OF HEAVEN.

My child, if you want to get into a house which is locked, you must, in the first place, procure the key, and when you have found the key, you go and open the door, and so enter into the house.

You desire to get into GOD'S beautiful house, which is Heaven. Now, prayer is the key of Heaven. If you pray as you ought, you shall most certainly reach that happy place ; if you do not pray, or pray carelessly, then you shall never enter Heaven. You see, therefore, how important it is to pray well.

THE TEMPEST CALMED.

It was a very stormy day ; the wind was blowing, and the waves rose high, like great mountains on the face of the ocean.

While this tempest was raging outside, St. Francis of Paula was calmly saying his prayers in his little room. Suddenly he was disturbed in the midst of his prayers by the noise of people running in a great hurry to the place where he was. When they came to the door, they knocked very loudly.

St. Francis opened the door, and saw before him a number of people full of terror. They had come from the neighbouring village, to tell him that there was a ship on the sea on the point of being lost, for the waves were tossing it about, and it seemed quite impossible for it to reach the harbour. They heard the people on the ship crying for help, and they could not help them, because they were too far away, and no boat could venture out on such a stormy sea.

" Come, holy Father," they all cried out together, "Come at once. The people of the village sent us to ask you to come and help us, and to pray to God to save the ship and the people who are in it."

St. Francis at once said : " I will go with you." And they all went back together.

When the people saw the Saint coming, they ran to meet him. They had often felt the power of his holy prayers in their troubles and dangers, and they were sure that if he asked God to help them now He would certainly do it. So they cried out to him as soon as they were near him : " Help us, Father, help us !" and they pointed with their hands to the place where the ship was tossed about on the raging sea.

St. Francis made a sign to them to be silent. Then he went on his knees, and for a few moments prayed in secret to God. When the people saw him on his knees, they also knelt down and began to pray.

When he had finished his prayer he stood up. All the people looked at him to see what he would do. He raised up his hands to Heaven, and made the sign of the cross over the sea, and pronounced with a loud voice the holy Name, "Jesus."

As soon as he had uttered that blessed Name there arose a great calm, just as when Our Lord Himself stood up in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, and said : "Peace, be still." The ship, which a moment before had been on the point of sinking, lay calmly on the smooth waters of the sea, and the people who had been in the greatest danger of death were in an instant freed from it, and the vessel in a short time entered safely into the harbour.

Those who were in the ship were filled with astonishment at the sudden change which had taken place. When they came into the port, and heard from the people that they had been saved from a watery grave by the prayers of St. Francis, they all ran towards him to thank him.

But the holy man of God, pointing with his finger to Heaven, said to them : " Do not thank me, but rather thank the great God above, Who, by the power of the holy Name of His Son Jesus, has saved you from death."

Then the people who had been in the ship, and all the inhabitants of the village, fell down on their knees and gave thanks to God.

Like this ship, we are on a stormy sea. The world is the sea, and the temptations we meet with are the great winds that raise the storm. Of ourselves, we can never overcome these temptations, no more than the people in the ship could save themselves from death.

But God has given us the means of overcoming them, for when they come to trouble us, and when we are in the danger of falling into sin, if we invoke with devotion the holy Name of Jesus these temptations will at once go away, and there will be a great calm in our souls ; then we will be able to reach the harbour in safety the harbour which is the King

dom of Heaven.

One of the greatest graces you should ask of God in prayer is that of perseverance. This is the " grace

of graces " ; this is the grace on which our salvation depends ; and God has given us one means of infallibly obtaining it, and that is by praying for it continually till our last breath. This may truly be called the " Key of Heaven."

A SAINTLY MAN IN DANGER.

St. Francis of Assisi was one day preaching in Bologna. Amongst those who were listening to him was a young student called Rizzeri. The words of the Saint made so great an impression on his heart that he at once resolved to renounce the world that he might save his soul.

He kept his resolution faithfully, and made so much progress in piety that St. Francis considered him one of the holiest men of his Order. He appointed him the head of one of his houses, and finally made him Provincial.

But Satan was filled with anger, and assailed him with great temptations. He, for a time, overcame them with great courage ; but so great did they become in the end that he was once on the point of yielding.

His historian tells us that in all likelihood he would not have persevered had not St. Francis come to his assistance, and by prayer obtained for him the grace of being faithful to the end.

IV. THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING.

The prayer of thanksgiving is the prayer by which we thank God for all that He has done for us. This is one of our first duties. To be ungrateful is accounted even in this world to be one of the worst of vices ; and if we consider it an act of justice for a person to be grateful to us for a little favour we may have done him, how much greater is our obligation to show our gratitude to God, from Whom we have received our very beings and so many other spiritual and temporal graces.

KING ALPHONSUS AND THE BEGGAR.

There was once in Arragon a very pious King called Alphonsus. This King saw that the most of the young Princes who dwelt in his Palace were very worldly, and seldom, if ever, thought of prayer or of thanking God for the benefits they were daily receiving from Him.

One day he thought he would give them a lesson. He prepared a great banquet, and invited them all to come to it. As soon as they were assembled, he gave a sign to begin the meal. Not one of them thought of making the sign of the cross, or of asking a blessing on their food before they began. In the midst of the enjoyment of the feast the door of the hall suddenly opened, and a beggar came in. He was covered with rags, and his whole appearance showed that he belonged to the lowest class of society.

Without saying one word, or even asking permission, he sat down amongst the nobles, not far from the King, and began to eat and drink as if he had as much right to be there as the others had.

All the young nobles were full of indignation at such conduct, and looked towards the King, wondering why he did not at once give orders that the intruder should be cast forth from the hall. But the King sat there in silence.

When the beggar had eaten and drunk as much as he could, he rose up, and without as much as looking at the King, or thanking him for the food he had received, turned towards the door and disappeared.

As soon as he had gone out, a murmur of disgust broke forth among the guests. " What impertinence !" they cried out ; "a miserable man like him to dare to come in here, and to eat and drink at the King's table, as if all belonged to him, and to go away without saying even one word of thanks!" And for some time they continued to speak in the same strain of what had just occurred.

At length the King rose up and said : " My friends, you are wondering among yourselves why I permitted that poor man to remain in the room, and you are indignant at his conduct. It was by my orders he came here. I wanted to give you a lesson. You speak of his impudence and his in gratitude and his rudeness. But you yourselves are as guilty as he, and even more so. Do you not daily receive from your Father in Heaven marks of His bounty and His love for you, and do you ever think ,- of giving Him thanks ? Let this be for you, then, a lesson. For the time to come, be grateful to Him, and never let a single day pass without thanking Him for the blessings He has bestowed upon you."

They bore the King's rebuke in silence, for they saw it was well deserved, and they profited by the lesson they received.

My child, perhaps you feel that you also have neglected to thank your Heavenly Father for the graces He has given you, but for the future you will be more careful. The more grateful your are, the more you will receive from Him.

THE ABBOT SABBAS AND THE CAMEL-DRIVERS.

There came one day to the monastery over which St. Sabbas ruled a number of camel-drivers who had lost their way in the desert. The abbot received them with his wonted kindness, and placed before them such food as his poverty could afford, consisting chiefly of herbs and roots which grew in his garden, at the same time expressing his regrets at

having nothing better to offer them.

The wanderers were very grateful to him for his kindness, saying that although the meal was simple, it was abundant, and very welcome to men who were suffering from the pangs of hunger ; and when they had refreshed themselves, and had the road pointed out to them, they resumed their journey.

On their return homewards they again passed near the monastery, and went to visit the abbot in his cell. As a thankoffering for the generosity he had shown them on their outward journey, they brought him a present of several cheeses and a large basket filled with dates.

The abbot after their departure summoned the religious to his cell, and having showed them the gifts the strangers had brought, and having praised their generosity, he said to them :

" Woe to us, my brethren ! These people, who are barbarians, and as yet only pagans, far from forgetting the little kindness which we showed them, have shown their gratitude to us by these rich and abundant presents. How ashamed we should be we who are the children of God, and who have received so many blessings, temporal and spiritual, from Him at our little gratitude towards Him, and who, instead of pouring forth our prayers of thanksgiving, so often offend Him by breaking His Commandments !"

The religious listened with attention to this lesson of their abbot, and while partaking of the presents they had received, they did not forget to thank God, Who by the hands of these men had sent them to them.

My child, we would be unworthy of the name of children of God if we did not thank Our Father in Heaven for the blessings He is daily showering down upon us. Blumen der Wuste.

V. WE SHOULD PRAY WITH RESIGNATION.

When you ask anything from God, my child, you should always leave it to Him to grant it or to refuse it as He sees fit. God knows better than we do what is good for us.

A MOTHER'S RASH PRAYER GRANTED.

There was once a mother who had an only child, a boy for whom she had the greatest affection. It happened that the child became very ill. At first the mother did not think there was any danger; indeed, she thought it was impossible that anything could happen to her darling boy.

Some of the neighbours told her that the child was certainly dying, and began to console her by saying that her little boy would soon be an angel of God in Heaven.

These words frightened the poor mother. She now for the first time saw what others had seen long before, that her child was really dying, and she became almost beside herself with grief.

When the priest of the town was informed of what was taking place, he went to speak some words of consolation to the afflicted mother.

Seeing that ail he could say to her had no effect, he knelt down by the bedside of the dying boy and began to pray. "O my God," he said, " spare the life of this child, for the sake of the mother, if it be Thy most holy will."

When the mother heard him say these words she became very angry. " Why did you say that ?" she said. " Do not say if it be His will, but tell Him that He must make my boy better. Tell Him that He must not let my boy die."

God was pleased to listen to the rash prayer of the mother, and the child, contrary to all expectation, became well again. God wished to give us from this example a lesson, that it is best to submit ourselves to His holy will when we ask Him for anything.

As he began to grow up, and to mix with other companions, he began also to learn evil. More over his mother, who was too fond of him, never corrected him, and while others saw the faults and sins he was daily committing, she never saw

any.

Time went on, and the boy became worse and worse. His mother was at length compelled to open her eyes, but it was too late. He commenced to abuse his mother, and for a long time she had to endure the most cruel treatment at his hands. he now saw how much better it would have been, both for him and for herself, had God taken him to Heaven in his baptismal innocence.

She tried over and over again to correct him, but it was now of no use. Instead of correcting himself, or even promising to do better, he sank deeper into crime, and at last the unfortunate mother had the grief to see him die a criminal on the scaffold, on account of a murder which he had committed.

RAINERI : Homilies.

THE BLIND MAN AT THE TOMB OF ST. THOMAS.

Long ago, when the light of the true Faith was shining brightly in our land, a poor blind man was seen making a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Thomas of Canterbury. He went there to ask through the prayers of the Saint the recovery of his sight. His prayer was granted, and he returned home cured.

When the first transports of joy were over, he remembered that in his prayer to the Saint he had omitted to add these words : " If it should be the will of God" or " if GOD'Should see that it would be useful for my salvation."

So he returned to the Saint's tomb, and said :" O great St. Thomas, I thank thee for the favour thou hast obtained for me from God. But if the use of my eyes should prove hurtful to me, or should endanger my eternal salvation, I humbly ask of thee to make me blind again."

At the same moment he once more lost the use of his eyes, and became blind as before. He spent the rest of his days in preparing for a happy death, and when that day came it found him ready.

SCHMIDT : Catic. Hist.> i. 491.

ST. FRANCIS BORGIA'S PRAYER OF SUBMISSION.

St. Francis Borgia, before he became a religious, had been married to a lady who was in everything the model of a religious wife and mother.

But the time came when God was about to call Francis to a higher perfection. His wife became very ill, and the most skillful physicians pronounced her malady to be incurable. Francis, seeing that there was no hope for her cure in earthly remedies, had recourse to Him Who holds in His hands the lives of all men. By fastings, prayers, and many

tears did he implore God to spare her to him, and to raise her up again from her bed of sickness.

One night, when he was praying with more than usual fervour, he heard a heavenly voice, which said : "Francis, I place in your hands the disposal of the life of your wife. If you ask Me to spare her to you I will do so, but if you desire Me to take her from you I will do this also."

These words filled the heart of the holy man with the greatest joy, and already tears of gratitude were filling his eyes. But the voice continued : " If you ask Me to make her well again, it will not be for her advantage nor for yours."

The Saint said : " O my God, who am I that I should ask Thee to do my will rather than that Thy will should be done ? Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this. Let Thy most holy will, not mine, be done. If it is Thy most holy will to take away my wife from me, let it be done ; and not only her, but myself also and my children."

This generous act of resignation was followed by the death of his wife. He wept for her, but his tears were not so much those of sorrow as of joy, to think that she whom he loved so tenderly was already with God Himself in Heaven, and that he would one day meet her there. Moreover, God, Who is never outdone in generosity, gave him such consolation in his bereavement that he felt even happier than before BOLLAND, xii. 249.

VI. WE SHOULD PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE.

My child, God is your Father and He loves you. Therefore, when you kneel to say your prayers to Him, you should do so with the confidence of a child who asks his father for something. It is the surest way of getting what you ask.

THE POOR WIDOW.

A poor widow one morning said to her little ones : "My children, I have nothing to give you today for your breakfast; there is no bread, nor flour, nor even an egg in the house. Go and ask God to come to your assistance, for He is rich and merciful, and has promised to help His children in their need."

One of the children, aged only six years, went out of the house, and seeing the door of a church open, entered and fell on his knees before the altar.

He looked around him to see if there was anyone near, but he saw no person ; the church seemed to be empty.

Thinking himeslf alone, he spoke out aloud : "O my good Father Who art in Heaven, we poor children have nothing to eat today. There are five of us, and our mother has no bread to give us, nor flour, nor even an egg. O my God, give us something to eat, that we and our dear mother may not die of hunger. Oh, help us, for Thou art rich and powerful, and,

besides, hast Thou not promised to do so?"

When he had said this prayer, he rose up, and, hungry though he was, went to school for his morning lessons. On his return home, he was surprised to see on the table a great loaf of bread, a dish full of flour, and a basket full of eggs.

" O mamma," he cried out with great joy, " God has heard my prayer ! Was it an angel who brought in all these nice things by the window ?"

" No," said the mother, " but God heard your prayer, and has answered it in His own way. When you were kneeling at the foot of the altar, and when you thought you were alone, there happened to be a pious lady near you whom you did not see. She heard your prayer, and it is she who brought us all these good things. She was the angel whom GOD'Sent to help us. Let us kneel down and thank Him for His goodness to us ; and during all your lifetime continue to ask Him for what you need, with the same confidence, and you will be sure to obtain it."

Catechisme de Perseverance, xii. 138.

THE ANGRY KING.

Louis XIV., King of France, had a special affection for one of his courtiers. Whatever this man asked was sure to be granted.

One day he went as usual to ask a favour from the King. But it happened that the King was angry at the time, and said to him in a passion : " You are always asking me for something. Are you ever going to stop ?"

At these words the man hung down his head, and went away disappointed.

Sometimes our request may be refused by people in this world, even by those who love us, but God will never be angry with us, nor refuse us when we pray to Him ; on the contrary, He is angry with us when we neglect to call upon Him in our needs.

During the terrible days which followed the change of religion in Scotland, the priests were either put to death for the Faith, or driven out of the country. Some few, indeed, remained at the risk of their lives, living secretly among the mountains, and going about from place to place in the night-time to minister to the wants of their flocks.

The faithful also, like their pastors, were either driven away to live as exiles in a foreign land, or dwelt in the fastnesses of their native mountains, where they were compelled to live, sometimes for many years without ever seeing a priest, or having it in their power to receive the Holy Sacraments. Yet their Faith burned brightly within them, and, above all, their confidence in the most holy Mother of God was unbounded ; and even at the present day people recount many wonderful things which she accomplished in favour of her Scottish children. Of these, the following is a beautiful example, which will also show how powerful in the eyes of God is prayer offered up with confidence and perseverance.

It happened that one of the Bishops who were sent to preside over the Church in Scotland in those terrible times was one day walking on foot among the mountains. It was in the winter-time. He wore the dress of the common people, because to appear in that of a Bishop would have exposed him to certain death. Night came on whilst he was in the middle of a barren part of the country, and he had lost his way in the snow-covered roads.

When he had wandered for a considerable time, not knowing where he was, nor where he could obtain shelter for the night, but committing himself to the protection of God, Whose minister he was, he thought he perceived at some distance a light shining. He directed his steps towards the place, and saw that it proceeded from a very poor cottage near the entrance to a wood. Going to the door, he asked the people who dwelt in it if they could give him shelter for the night, as he had lost his way in the darkness.

The good people at once told him to enter, and welcomed him with the greatest kindness, made him sit down by the fire to warm his cold and weary limbs, while they prepared some food to refresh him. They did not know who their guest was, nor did the Bishop know who the people were who had so kindly entertained him. He cast his eyes around the little room to see if by chance he might discover any sign by which he might learn to what religion they belonged ; but seeing no cross or pious picture on the walls, or any other thing of a religious nature, he came to the conclusion that they did not belong to the Faith.

After a short interval the simple meal was ready, and they invited the stranger to eat what they had placed before him. "It is true that we have only very simple food to give you, for we are very poor, and we are obliged to be content with the plainest fare

The Bishop said that they were quite mistaken in thus speaking of the food, which he found to be excellent, and, for a weary and hungry traveller as he was, to be delicious.

During the repast the conversation became less restrained, and each party was desirous to discover as much as possible about the other ; but as in those days it was dangerous to confide in strangers, neither the people of the cottage nor the Bishop revealed much of their history.

As the conversation proceeded, the Bishop observed that although they all endeavoured to be agreeable and attentive to him, there was a feeling of sadness and melancholy accompanying everything they said or did.

After a little time the Bishop ventured to observe : "My friends, you are indeed very kind to me, but you all appear to me to be very sad, as if some calamity had overtaken you."

" Alas ! sir, it is only too true," said the mother of the family ; " a deep sorrow does really oppress us. There, in that adjoining room, upon a poor bed of straw, lies my aged father at the very point of death. But what grieves us above all things else is that he persists in saying that he is not to die so soon, and obstinately refuses to listen to everything we can say to make him prepare himself to die."

" Would you permit me to see him ?" asked the Bishop, full of surprise and emotion.

" Most willingly," said the other, with that confidence which arises in the soul that is suffering affliction, and she at once led him into the room where the old man lay.

The Bishop saw that the words of the woman were only too true, and that the old man was really dying. He was astonished that he had been able to exist until that time, seeing the emaciated condition to which he was reduced.

But no sooner had the Bishop, after a few words of sympathy, said to him that the hand of death was indeed upon him, than the old man all at once seemed to regain strength, and answered in a strong, firm voice, to the utter astonishment of the Bishop : " No, sir, I am not yet going to die."

" But, my good friend," said the Bishop, " we must all die, and we may die at any moment ; but when people are old and infirm as you are, the hour of death cannot be far distant."

" I tell you, sir, again," said the dying man reverently, but with great energy, " I am not yet going to die ; that is quite impossible."

The holy Bishop, seeing the imminent danger of death in which he lay, spoke to him more and more urgently on not delaying his preparation for his passage into eternity for a moment longer. But he always received the same answer : "I am not yet going to die."

" Would you be pleased to tell me what reason you have for speaking in this manner, you who even now are in the agonies of death ?"

On hearing this question the old man fixed his dying eyes upon the Bishop, and seemed strangely moved. He said to him in a voice which could scarcely be heard : " Tell me, sir, perhaps you are a Catholic ?"

" Yes," answered the Bishop, " I am a Catholic."

" Ah, then, I will now tell you why I have said to you so often that I am not yet going to die."

With the utmost difficulty he raised himself in the bed to a sitting position, and seizing in his icy grasp the hand of the Bishop, spoke in a voice that showed the lively faith which burned in his soul : " I also am a Catholic. From the day of my first Communion until now I have never failed even for a single day to ask Our Blessed Lady for the grace of not dying without having a priest at my bedside to hear my confession, and give me the Last Sacraments, and do you think, sir, that my heavenly Mother will not hear me ? That is impossible, quite

impossible ! So I am not going to die till some priest comes to visit me."

" My child," said the Bishop with deep emotion, " Our Lady has, indeed, heard your prayer and granted it, for I am not only a priest, but your Bishop. The Blessed Virgin herself must have permitted me to go astray in these wild places that I might be led hither to prepare you to die a happy death."

Then the Bishop opened his cloak, and showed the old man the cross which he wore upon his breast.

At the sight of it the dying man raised up his eyes to Heaven, and exclaimed : " O my dearest Mother Mary, from my inmost heart I thank thee !"

Then, turning towards the Bishop, he said : " My lord, be pleased to hear my confession, for now I know that I am going to die."

The Bishop did as he requested, and gave him the Last Sacraments. A few minutes afterwards he placidly expired in the Bishop's arms. And who can for a moment doubt but that he is now in Heaven, praising her who during life had been his protectress and his joy in death.

My child, if you pray with the same confidence and perseverance as did that good old man, you also shall one day die happily as he did, and reign for all eternity in Heaven with Jesus and Mary, His most Holy Mother.

* Annee de Marie.

ST. ULRICH, BISHOP OF AUGSBOURG.

In the year 955 an immense army of the Huns marched into Germany, and penetrated even as far as the Black Forest, devastating the whole land with fire and sword, and spreading wild dismay in every place.

Nothing could escape the fury of these savage men, who, mounted as they were on fleet horses, seemed to fly over the plains, slaying the people or making them prisoners.

In course of time they reached the gates of Augsbourg, the see of the saintly Bishop Ulrich. The town, being but slenderly fortified, seemed to promise to fall an easy prey to the invaders, and the inhabitants fell into despair.

" Alas !" they cried out at the thought of the terrible destruction which seemed to be inevitable, "we are lost. A cruel death and the destruction of our city is the fate that awaits us."

But the Bishop did not allow himself to yield to the general despondency. He besought the people to take courage, and to put their confidence in God. He ordered public prayers to be offered up throughout the city to move God to have pity on them, and save them from the swords of the Huns.

The enemy, as was anticipated, attacked the city in overwhelming numbers, but the inhabitants, having regained courage from the Bishop'S words, flew to arms, and vigorously drove them back. St. Uhich, clad in his pontifical vestments, stood in the midst of them with his hands raised up to Heaven, and this gave them fresh courage to withstand the attack. Moreover, they had all, with the greatest fervour and devotion, received Holy Communion before going forth to the combat, and this inflamed them with the heroic resolution to save their city and their people, or die in their defence.

The Huns, who had hitherto found little opposition in their victorious career, did not expect to meet the resistance they now encountered. They were repulsed in the first attack, and had retired from the walls to prepare for another and more powerful onset. But just as they were about to renew the assault they perceived an immense and well-organized army, under the command of the Emperor Otho, hastening to attack them in their rear. Seeing themselves thus situated, they dared not begin the attack on the city, but concentrated their forces to meet the army of the enemy on the plains behind them.

But here their undisciplined hordes could not withstand the attack of the well-trained soldiers of the Emperor. On August 10, 955, a terrible and bloody battle was fought on the banks of the Lech, and Otto succeeded in gaining a glorious victory, completely destroying the forces of the enemy.

Thus, by the prayers of the holy Bishop Ulrich and of the devout people of Augsbourg, their city was saved from imminent destruction.

History of the Middle Ages.

VII. WE SHOULD PRAY ALWAYS.

Jesus Christ tells us to pray always. This is very easy, even for those who have to work all day long, as the following examples will show you :

ALWAYS PRAYING.

One day the holy Abbot Lucius was visited in his desert home by some monks, who had come from a great distance to see him.

After the first salutations were over, Lucius said to them : " My brethren, tell me with what kind of work do you occupy yourselves when you are at home?"

" We do not do any work at all," they replied ; " we pray without ceasing, according to the advice of the Apostle."

" And do you never eat ?" inquired the Abbot.

" Yes," they answered, " we take our meals every day."

" And who prays for you when you are eating ?"

They did not know what answer to give to this question.

Then the Abbot said to them : " My brethren, you must work as well as pray. I also try to pray always, but I work at the same time. Before I begin to work I ask the assistance of God, then I dip into the water the leaves with which I make my baskets, and while I am doing this I say to God this prayer : Have mercy on me, O my God, and according to Thy great mercy blot out my iniquities. Is not that a prayer ?"

They all answered that it was.

" Then," continued the Abbot, " when I have laboured in this way till evening, and have been praying all the time with my lips or in my heart, I sell the work which I have made, and with the money I receive for it I am able to support some poor people who come to me for an alms, and with the rest I provide for my own wants. Then those who have received a little in charity from me pray for me while I eat and sleep. This, then, is the way in which I fulfil that precept of praying always."

The strangers returned to their homes edified by the lesson they had that day received a lesson they also put in practice for the rest of their lives.

Catichisme de Perseverance* xii. 115.

You, also, my child, can pray always by doing all your work to please God, and by raising up your heart from time to time to Him in Heaven.

THE IGNORANT WOMAN'S PRAYER.

There was once a poor woman who could not read, but who was very good and pleasing to God. She lived in the attic of a house in a very small room, and was employed by a certain community of nuns to sweep the convent and the schools which were attached to it.

The whole day was spent in this kind of work ; but while she was working she used often to think of God, and say some short prayers to Him. She used also to think often in her mind how good God had been to her, and of the blessings He had given her during her whole lifetime, and thanked Him for them.

Whenever she saw the nuns going to the chapel to their prayers, she would say to herself : " What a happiness it must be for these Sisters to say such long and such beautiful prayers, and to think so much about God ! As for me, I cannot say long prayers, and I cannot always be thinking of God. I must be content with very short ones, because I cannot read as they can. But I go on sweeping and cleaning because it is GOD'S will."

This poor woman was very pleasing to God, and her short prayers were like darts of love, which reached up to God and drew Him down from Heaven to dwell in her soul.

Now, at the day of GOD'S judgment, we shall see that God was perhaps more pleased with her short prayers than even with the prayers of the holy Sisters which she called so beautiful.

It is not only in temptation that you must pray if you desire to persevere, but at other times, particularly in the morning and at night. It is this frequent prayer that keeps us, as it were, chained to Heaven, our true home.

MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER.

Gothold, one of the most learned men of his age, was most careful never to omit his morning and evening prayers, and to say them with great devotion.

" If you say your morning and evening prayers," he used to say, " you will be GOD'S true child, and a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ all the days of your life. The prayer in the morning will procure for you the graces needful to you during the course of the day, and the prayer at night those you need during the night ; so that these prayers, regularly said, become, as it were, a continual chain uniting you to God from the beginning of your life until the end of it."

This will be consoling for you, my child, if you always say your morning and evening prayers devoutly.

VIII. WE SHOULD PRAY WITH PERSEVERANCE.

You must not be disappointed if God does not at once give you what you ask, but continue to ask it till He grants it. This is called Perseverance in Prayer.

THE NEGRO BOY'S PRAYER.

There was once a young negro who had been stolen by some sailors from his father's home, and taken by them into a distant country far away from the land of his birth.

In the country to which he had been brought there were some Catholic missionaries who had gone to preach the Gospel to the poor savages who dwelt there. Among others who received the gift of the Faith was this little negro. At his baptism he received the name of Thomas.

One day, as one of the priests was passing near the house where the negro boy dwelt, he heard him saying the folio wing words : " O my dear Jesus, I thank Thee with my whole heart for having sent into my country a great ship, and in that great ship some wicked men, who stole me from my home, and brought me into this place, where I have been able to

know and love Thee. And now, dear Jesus, I have another great favour to ask of Thee. Oh, be pleased to send another great ship into my country, with more bad men in it, that they may bring my father and mother here, so that they may also learn to know and love Thee."

Some days after this the same priest saw the little negro standing on the shore, looking far away over the sea.

Thomas, my child, what are you looking at so earnestly ?" said the priest.

" I am looking to see if Jesus has heard my prayer," said the boy. " I asked Him to send my dear parents here that they may become Christians, and I want to see if the ship is coining."

For about two years did that little boy go down day after day to look for his parents, but they never came. Still he continued his prayer, for he knew that God had promised to hear the prayers of those who pray to Him with confidence and perseverance.

One day the priest saw the boy running towards him singing joyfully, and his face all radiant with smiles.

" Well, Thomas," said the priest to him, " what makes you so happy to-day ?"

O my dear Father, Jesus has heard my prayer at last ! My father and mother have come ; they are in the big ship that has just come to land. Oh, how kind it was of Jesus to hear my prayer arid send them to me !"

"HE ALWAYS SAID THE SAME WORDS."

There was in a certain town in Spain a little boy, who was the only son of a widow, and she was very poor. She had to send her boy to work very early in the morning, and so his education was neglected. But she taught him to love God, and to be good, and everybody loved him. He had a very bad memory, and no one could teach him his prayers even. If they succeeded in making him learn the Lord'S Prayer and Hail Mary, he would just as soon forget them again.

But there was one prayer he did learn, a very short prayer it was this : " O my God, I believe in Thee ; O my God, I hope in Thee ; O my God, I love Thee ; " and this prayer he was saying all day long. Every day when his work was done he would go into the church where he knew the good God dwelt, or to the poor little room where his mother stayed, and there in a quiet corner he would kneel down and remain on his knees for a long time.

People used to wonder what he did all the time, because they knew he could not learn even the " Our Father." Still, there he knelt, with his hands clasped together ; and when in the church, his eyes would be fixed on the tabernacle all the time.

One day the priest hid himself behind a pillar of the church near where the poor little boy used to kneel, to watch him to see if he said anything. The boy soon came in, and without looking about him, knelt down and joined his hands and fixed his eyes upon the altar.

The priest then heard him say for a whole hour and more the little prayer over and over again : " O my God, I believe in Thee ; O my God, I hope in Thee ; O my God, I love Thee."

He did not live long, but his death was the death of the Saints. His last words were : " O my God, I love Thee." He is now with God in Heaven, and will be for ever happy there.

IX. WE SHOULD PRAY WITH GREAT DEVOTION.

My child, when you say your prayers you must be careful to keep away all distractions ; if you are careless at your prayers, or say them with wilful distractions, God will be displeased with you.

WHY HE DID NOT GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN.

St. Severinus, Archbishop of Cologne, was so holy that God granted many miracles through his intercession.

One day, soon after his death, the Saint appeared in a vision to a priest. He seemed to be in great suffering, and marks of sadness were upon his face.

The priest said to him : " My Father, how is it that you are so sad and in a state of suffering ? You were so holy that I was sure you had entered the happiness of Heaven as soon as you had left this world."

" It is true," replied the Saint, " God in His infinite goodness has given me the great grace of dying well, and I am to reign with Him eternally in Heaven. But, alas !" he continued, " I am not there yet ; I am suffering in the purifying flames of purgatory."

The priest asked him what he had done to keep him, even for a time, out of Heaven.

" I am suffering these terrible torments," replied the Bishop, " because, when I was alive, I sometimes said my prayers hurriedly and with distractions. I was so much taken up with the duties the Emperor required of me that I would sometimes put off my prayers, or say them without devotion. It was my own fault, and God is now punishing me for it."

He asked the priest to intercede for him, and then suddenly disappeared, leaving him filled with a great fear of GOD'S judgments.

From ST. PETER DAMIAN.

ST. BERNARD'S VISION OF THE ANGELS.

While St. Bernard was in the church one night at matins, he had a vision, in which God made known to him the manner in which the religious were saying their prayers. He saw the angel guardians of the monks standing near them with pens in their hands. Some of these angels wrote in letters of gold, and others in letters of silver. Some were

writing with common ink, and others with water, while a few stood sorrowfully, and did not write anything at all in their books.

As the Saint was gazing in wonder at the vision, and pondering in his mind what it signified, an angel said to him : " The religious whose guardian angels are writing in letters of gold are those who say their prayers with great attention, and are full of Divine love. Those whose angels are writing in silver letters love God well, and pray with great attention, but are less fervent and less perfect than the others.

Those whose guardian angels are writing with ink have, indeed, a certain desire to please God, but there is not much fervour in their souls ; while those whose angels are writing with water are honouring God only with their lips ; their hearts are far from Him, and are full of distractions. Those beside whom the angels are standing with sad countenances, and are writing nothing in their books, have already lost the grace of God, and their prayers are

only a mockery of Him."

The holy man made known to them in the morning what he had seen. Those who were fervent were encouraged to persevere, and those who had become negligent were aroused to serve God more faithfully.

TWO MONKS AT PRAYER.

We read in the Life of St. Macarius that one day he saw in a vision two monks who were saying their prayers. They were both very fervent, and seemed to keep themselves always in the presence of God, not only when they were on their knees, but also when they were at their work.

The Saint saw coming from the lips of one of them, from time to time, as it were, flames of fire, which appeared to fly up towards Heaven ; while from the mouth of the other flames came forth as from a furnace, also reaching up to Heaven.

The Saint knew from this vision that both these monks loved God ; but he saw that the first one had many distractions, and that he was often thinking of other things, so that his prayer was not continual, whereas the other one, whose heart was entirely detached from the things of the world, was able to send up to God a constant fire of prayer.

Be very fervent, then, my child, when you say your prayers, because the more fervently you pray, the more abundant graces you will receive, and the easier will it be for you to obtain the gift of final perseverance.

HOW SATAN TEMPTS US AT OUR PRAYERS.

God was pleased once to show St. Macarius in a vision how Satan tempts us when we are saying our prayers.

In the middle of the night he heard someone knock at the door of his cell and say :" Rise, O Macarius, and let us go along with the brethren to midnight prayers."

But the Saint, by a revelation from Heaven, knew that it was Satan who had come again to trouble him ; so he answered : " O lying spirit, what have you to do in the assembly of the Saints ?"

" And do you not know," replied Satan, "that your solitaries never go to the church for prayer without me and my companions going along with them? Come and see for yourself what we do there."

St. Macarius prayed to God to enlighten him, that he might not be deceived by the enemy of souls; then, rising up, he went to the church, where the brethren were already assembled.

Now, it was the custom for the religious to sit while one who was appointed read the Psalms and the Sacred Scriptures. As soon as they were seated the holy Abbot saw an army of wicked spirits enter, and, running about with great swiftness, endeavour to distract the religious during their prayers. He saw some of them trying to close the eyes of a few of the brethren, so as to make them fall asleep; others appeared to stand before them as it were in

the act of building houses or of preparing for a journey, and in various other forms, as if to try to make them think on these things.

The Saint also saw how the religious acted under these temptations. Some of them drove the wicked spirits away as soon as they came near, so that they could not reach them. Others wilfully permitted the thoughts to remain in their minds, and so he beheld the devils trample on them as a sign that they had gained a victory over them.

On seeing these things, St. Macarius burst into tears, and cried out : " O my God, see how Satan lays snares for our ruin. Oh ! let him hear Thy powerful voice and feel the effects of Thy anger, since Thou seest how he tries to fill the hearts of Thy servants with these vain and worldly thoughts."

When the prayers were ended, and the solitaries were about to leave the church, he called them one by one to his side, and asked them if such and such thoughts had not come before their minds during the time of prayer. Each one was obliged to acknowledge that he had been tempted with the very thoughts the Abbot mentioned to him. Then he related to them his vision, and they saw more clearly than ever that there is no time Satan is so busy with his temptations as the time of prayer, and that those who keep their hearts united to God easily keep him back, and that he rejoices whenever he is able to fill our minds with worldly things, because he has gained a great victory over us.

XV: "OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN "

I. GOD IS OUR FATHER BECAUSE HE CREATED US.

GOD is our Father, my child, and we are His children, because He created us and made us what we are. His Kingdom in Heaven will be also our Kingdom, if we live in this world as His children ought to live in deed and in truth. This is what you should always keep in mind when you say the "Our Father."

THE SHEPHERD BOY OF THE MOUNTAINS.

A little boy was tending a flock of sheep on a lonely mountain. A priest who was travelling in the neighbourhood saw him, and, being struck with his devout and recollected appearance, turned aside to speak to

him.

"My child," he said, " I am sure you must feel very lonely all day here by yourself."

" Oh no, Father," said the boy, " I am not at all lonely ; I am always busy."

" And what is it you do which keeps you so busy ?" rejoined the priest.

" I will tell you, Father : I have a beautiful prayer that I say, and it keeps me occupied all the day."

" It must surely be a very long prayer, my child, since it takes you all day to say it."

" No, Father; on the contrary, it is very short, and yet I can never reach the end of it ; it is so beautiful,

so sweet, that it makes my heart full of joy."

" And what is that beautiful prayer which is so short and yet so long ?" asked the priest.

" It is the Our Father." said the child ; " but when I say the first words of it, Our Father Who art in Heaven, I come to a full stop, and can get no farther."

" Why not ?" asked the priest.

" Because I cannot help crying," replied the child, " when I think of these words. Is it possible, I say to myself, that I can call God my Father God Who is so great and so powerful, Who made the beautiful sky and the bright sun, and these lofty mountains, and all the universe ? And yet I know that it is quite true, and that He allows me, a poor shepherd-boy, to call Him by that sweet name of Father, while He on His part loves and cherishes me as if I were His only child. When I think of all this, I begin to weep, and cannot get on with my prayer."

Then, turning round and pointing with his finger over the valley, he continued : "Father, do you see there below, between those t