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Sunday Within the Octave -         Prophecy of Simeon Concerning Jesus and Mary

12/29/2018

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"THE holy old man Simeon, having blessed Jesus,  said to Mary: ''This Child is set for the fall . . . and the resurrection of many in Israel, and a sword of sorrow shall pierce thy heart." Simeon made these two prophecies, one concerning Jesus and the other concerning Mary. We should reflect on both, since they are calculated to suggest useful reflections.

First Point — The prophecy which relates to Jesus. When Simeon declared that Jesus should be the ruin of many, we must not understand that He shall be the author of their ruin, or that He shall lead men to it. This would be simply impious. The Sacred Scriptures, which this divine Child has inspired, are full of His love for all men, His desire to see them merit it, and to obtain their salvation. Simeon wishes to announce that Jesus shall become, not the cause, but the occasion of loss to very many. Jesus shall be what Isaias announced He should be, and what St. Paul declares He has been, viz., "The stone on which they shall fall, and on which many of the children of Israel shall be injured." You shall find those who shall accuse Him because of their fall on that stone, on which their feet have stumbled. Far from Jesus being the cause of our loss, the cause is traceable to ourselves, because we refuse to hear Him, or to obey Him, or to follow Him. It is in a very different sense that holy Simeon said to Mary that Jesus shall be the resurrection of many. In fact. He is not only the occasion of our salvation, as He is of our loss, but He is the true cause of it; He is the general cause of salvation for all men by the benefit of redemption; and He is the particular cause of salvation for the just, because it is He who, by His grace, has wrought their justification. By His passion and death He has opened for us the gates of heaven; He has shown us the way to heaven by His law; by His example He guides us there, and by His strength sustains us in the journey of life. Our salvation, therefore, comes from Him, while our loss comes from ourselves. If you have been stained by sin, you can blame only yourselves for your faults, while, if you have persevered in justice, you must be grateful to Him for your innocence. And thus, among the children of Israel, Jesus has been the resurrection of one part and the ruin of the other: some He has saved, but others are lost through their own fault. What He has been for the age in which He lived and for the nation which possessed Him, He has not ceased to be for all ages and for the whole human race. He has been the resurrection of those who hear His voice, who believe His word, who conform to His law, and who are attached to Him; but He is the ruin of those who disdain to hear Him who refuse to believe Him, who resist His instructions and who disobey His precepts. The manner in which this oracle of Simeon is ac- complished must suggest to us a very sorrowful reflection. When we consider the number of the Jews for whom Jesus was the ruin, and the number for whom He was the resurrection, what a vast dis- parity there exists! On the one hand we behold a handful of disciples, on the other a multitude of enemies. While almost all the citizens loudly demanded that He should be crucified, what a small number of faithful followers retired apart with Him, trembling for themselves and weeping for the Saviour ! The number was small that preserved for Him a personal attachment. Now what was true in His time has been always true; it is true today. The unfortunate disproportion among those for whom Jesus is the resurrection, and those for whom He is the ruin, has continued from generation to generation, even until now. This has been an object of profound sorrow for the pious souls who are members of Christ's Church, and woe to us if we are insensible to it! This culpable indifference should make us tremble, lest we should be numbered among those unfortunates who could make Jesus the cause of their salvation, but instead make Him the occasion of their reprobation.

Second Point. — Holy Simeon announced to Mary that a sword of sorrow should pierce her heart.   This prophecy of the holy old Simeon has been fulfilled in Mary, and with a cruel precision. It is the destiny of mortals that no one can exempt himself from the law which condemns all to suffer. Even she who by special privilege was exempted from the stain of Adam has been obliged to submit to this severe condition of suffering. Although she had been declared blessed, and that she should see, in the future, all generations publish her honor, still her heart was a prey to the most bitter affliction. Her august character of Mother of God, which proclaimed her the happiest of women, however, ren- dered her the most afflicted of mothers. For other mothers it is a matter of supremest joy to possess a son, but for Mary it was a subject of constant distress and sadness, because she knew for what fright- ful destinies she had given birth to her Son. St. John, in the Apocalypse, records that he saw Jesus under the figure of a lamb immolated. The sorrowful Mother of Jesus had this lamentable spectacle before her eyes during her whole life. The sweetness of those caresses which she lavished on her Son, the tenderness of her cares with which she surrounded Him, were constantly empoisoned by this horrible image. The very circumstances best calculated to excite her joy recalled the sorrows which awaited her. When she rejoiced to have found Him in the Temple, after an absence of three days, the thought that she should one day lose Him in a more sorrowful manner came quickly to her mind. If she rejoiced at having snatched Him from the fury of Herod, at once she thought that it was only for a death still more cruel she had preserved Him. She rejoiced, it is true, to see Him walking through the cities and villages, working miracles, strewing blessings at every footstep, surrounded by multitudes full of enthusiasm and gratitude; but she saw that same multitude turn against Him with fury, demand His death with loud cries, hasten His punishment, and to insult and raillery add their cruelty. Thus, from the day when the fatal destiny of her Son was revealed to her, the life of Mary was only one long and continual agony. If the heart of Mary was so violently disturbed by the sufferings of her Son, and when she could only foresee them, what must have been her cruel agony when she saw His sufferings realized before her eyes? The desolate Agar, wandering in the desert of Bersabee, was crushed by affliction at seeing the state to which her son Ismael had been reduced. This is the ordinary effect of sorrow, it is the natural promptings of a mother's love; but with the Mother of God everything is supernatural. A love like hers demands the greatest sacrifice. She never left this Son, so dear to her, and she shall not abandon Him until His last sigh on the cross. The Virgin of Nazareth walks to the mountain on which her Son is to be immolated. She walks, followed by some other daughters of Sion, weeping with her for their well-beloved Jesus, and while He shall there consummate the holocaust of His life they shall consummate holocausts of their hearts. There nothing is lost for her which can bring her the deepest affliction; she hears all, sees all — all the cruelties of the executioners and the torments of her Son she feels in her own heart. Moreover, although the fury of the Jews had spared her life, the Fathers of the Church do not hesitate to attribute to Mary the glory of martyrdom; and this martyrdom, although not stained by blood, is not the less heroic. The other martyrs suffered with Jesus reigning in heaven; Mary suffered with Jesus while He suffered on the cross; the prospect of His glory sustained their constancy, but the sight of His humiliations disconcerted the Mother. The love of God was for them a solace, but for Mary it was an increase of sorrow.

O Mary, my Mother, engrave deeply in my heart the memory of thy sorrows, that I may better comprehend how much thou hast paid for the sad privilege of having me for thy child. And Thou, amiable Jesus, give me the grace to follow Thee as my Guide, to imitate Thee as my Model, and to obey Thee as my King, that Thou mayst be for me, not the occasion of my ruin, but the cause of my resurrection and salvation. Amen.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897


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Christmas Day - The Stable of Bethlehem

12/24/2018

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THE birth of Jesus in the crib of Bethlehem presents for our consideration a prodigy of humility and a prodigy of goodness.

First Point — The crib in Bethlehem is a wonder of humility. Pride has ever been the source of the greatest misfortunes. Adam wishes to become like to God, and he is forthwith expelled from the garden of delights. The pride of Cain is aroused at the preference which God manifests for the sacrifices of Abel, and Cain becomes the murderer of his brother. The children of Noe construct a tower, which, they say, shall be a lasting monument to their greatness, and this act of pride is punished by the confusion of tongues. Even now, pride begets dissensions, hatred, and wars which desolate empires, and schisms which rend the Church. Since pride is the greatest of all the vices, it was necessary to apply a remedy to it at once, and what more efficacious remedy can there be than the humility of a God? The Divine Word offers Himself for our redemption by saying to God His Father:  "Holocausts for sin are no longer pleasing to Thee. Behold Me, Lord, Thy eternal Son, united to a mortal body; behold Me, the heir of David, poor, forsaken, and reduced to the horrors of misery. For a throne, I have a manger; for a palace, I have a stable; for a royal mantle, I have swaddling-clothes, and for courtiers I have some poor shepherds." What humility! Can you ever comprehend all its greatness? Know it well, nothing would have been easier for this Child than to have been born in a superb palace, of a celebrated or renowned princess, and in the midst of a court eager to serve Him. He could do all this, since the earth, with all that it contains, belongs to Him. "All things under heaven are mine." But has not this example flattered our vices instead of extirpating them ? Is it not an excuse for our pride, instead of a remedy? Men love riches, as they are the source of honors which are often as vain and fleeting as their origin; but the Saviour, by His birth in a stable, has taught men to love poverty. Men attach much importance to an illustrious origin; but Jesus is born of a daughter of David and the world ignores Him; and this royal daughter, who is a spectacle for angels, is unable to find in Bethlehem a friendly hand that shall assist her in her poverty. Men are also proud of their studies and their science; they blush to be found in contact with people without education or instruction; but the God of the manger calls about Him simple and ignorant shepherds. Of what then shall men henceforth be proud? How can a proud man dare to look at the crib? He who possesses every perfection consents to be reckoned as nothing. He who fills all places by His immensity is compelled to seek an asylum in a stable. He before whom all men are as small insects becomes like to them to save them. Can there be an abnegation like to this? O my humble Master! who shall not be instructed by this mystery, when he sees Thee treated as the meanest of men, rejected by every one, relegated to a poor dwelling, and surrounded by vile animals? Why dost Thou hide Thyself under a veil so unworthy of Thy greatness? Thy love answers: it is to confound the pride of men. O man, you are but the dust of the earth, still you dream only of grandeur and frivolity, while your God conceals Himself under the form of a slave. You are but a plaything of vanity, and constantly sigh for new ornaments; while your God is naked and so poor that His mother can scarcely find wherewith to cover His sacred body. If, after this wonder of humility, you still seek to exalt yourself, it would be indeed a wonder, and it would be a prodigy of pride.

Second Point — The crib is a prodigy of goodness. Let us suppose that the only son of the greatest king of the earth, unmindful of his rank, his birth, and all the pleasures of the court of which he is the brightest ornament, should come in the midst of us and share the labors of the most unfortunate; and let us suppose that, wishing to solace them as far as he can, he should ask of his father to charge him with the obligations of all, and to fulfill these obligations he should expose himself to the rigors of the seasons and the fury of a thousand enemies, would he not be a monster, worthy of our anathemas, who should not love such a generous prince? And who is this Son of the great King? He is the Word of God, eternal, equal to His Father in everything, a Father who is truly worthy of the name, and who places in His Son all His delights. The human race, lost by its own crimes, was about to perish. The hand of the Most High was prepared to hurl His thunders against men, but His Son, this merciful Son, restrained Him, and His anger is changed to tenderness. But a sacrifice is necessary. Well, He shall be the Victim. The crib in Bethlehem is the altar on which He is offered. O infant God, how dear Thou art to me! The tears Thou didst shed are for me; the sorrows Thy delicate members experience have been occasioned by me, and still Thy charity makes all these sufferings light and tolerable. To understand this prodigy of goodness well, we should meditate on the sorrowful circumstances which accompany the entrance of Jesus into the world. He is born in the middle of a winter night, — the cold seizes His weak body, — His mother looks about for garments to cover Him, and finds only some poor clothes which scarcely serve their purpose. He is born to be the Saviour of men, and men despise Him and reject Him from their society as the last of all men. Hardly is He born than He at once begins to exercise the functions of a Saviour; His tears are falling in the manger. Do not suppose that the tears of the Infant Jesus come only from a natural cause, as the tears of other children. No; His soul, reasonable at all times, sees all the crimes of men. He weeps for men, and His tears are the tears of penance. And you are the cause of these tears, you unthinking Christians, who, by refusing to receive Him in the sacrament of His love, close the door of your heart against Him, as on the day of His birth the rich closed the doors of their houses against Him. You are the object of those tears, worldly young men, who are plunged in pleasures while He endures for you the greatest sufferings. You, slaves of vanity, you are the objects of those tears, you who seek the esteem and praise of men while He is born in misery and lives in opprobrium for love of you.

O my divine and amiable Master, it is indeed a great prodigy that Thou shouldst come to me and testify so much love for me; but it is a prodigy greater still that I should acknowledge Thy love so little. After all that Thou hast suffered for me, should I find it too hard to suffer something for Thee? Good Jesus, unveil to my heart the mystery of the crib at Bethlehem, make me understand well its divine teachings, that, through love for Thee, I may know how to suffer and be humble, since Thou hast suffered and wast humiliated through love for me.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897


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4th Sunday of Advent -           The Dispositions for the Feast of Christmas

12/23/2018

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WHEN a king wishes to go through his kingdom and visit his people, an armed herald .... precedes him and announces his arrival. Everything which might inconvenience his passage is removed; triumphal arches are erected in his honor, and flowers are strewn on the way which he shall pass. Well, the King Jesus is coming to visit us; already His herald has preceded Him, inviting you to do Him honor. St. John the Baptist asks of you, in the name of his Master, not indeed to cast flowers on His way or to erect triumphal arches, but he does require that you should fill the void which is in your heart and adorn it with virtues. "Every valley shall be filled." He indicates the virtues you must acquire; but there are two especially viz., humility, which shall bring down your pride, and a spirit of faith, which shall smooth your pathway. " Every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked ways shall be made straight."

First Point — The first disposition which the precursor demands in the name of his Master is humility. '' Every mountain and every hill shall be brought low." These two expressions seem to indicate two kinds of pride. The larger kind increases beyond measure, and seems to lift us up as a high mountain, the weight of which crushes everything else that is near it. This is the first pride of which we must divest ourselves. There is another, more delicate and hidden, represented by the hills, and seems rather to be self-complacency, that raises us above others. This pride, although less crim- inal, no less hinders the coming of the Saviour. If Jesus shall approach you, you must begin by hum- bling yourself in your own estimation. Pride, in all its shades, is the sworn enemy of the Saviour; it has occasioned the loss of the first man, and it is still the cause of all the disorders which disturb the world. Pride of independence is the source of revolts against superiors; pride of ambition is the source of the catastrophes which desolate society; pride of reason is the principle of incredulity which refuses the yoke of faith; pride of science is the cause of schisms which rend the bosom of the Church; pride of human respect makes us blush for our faith and abandon our Christian duties; pride of vanity begets love of the world, taste for dress, luxury, the ruin of families, and the loss of innocence. This must be sufficient to tell you the horror which pride inspires in Him who has come to destroy sin, which is, after all, the pride of our first father. Pride explains the humiliations of the crib, the thirty years of Jesus' life in the house of a poor artisan, the severity of a moral all abnegation and humility, the opprobrium and the humiliations of the cross; to oppose it not only are lessons and precepts necessary, but the force of example is required to remove every excuse and to confound forever all human vanity. Jesus might have been born in the palace of a king and in the midst of opulence. ''If He had wished it," says Bossuet, "what golden coronet could have encircled His head, and what royal purple could cover His shoulders!'' But He has not wished it. He has selected the other extremity, just precisely to teach us, by His example, loving humility. May you comprehend these great and exalted lessons, and, in the school of the divine Master, may you learn the practice of humility.

Second Point— The crooked ways shall be made straight. You find indicated here, under these symbolic expressions, one of those virtues which the world hardly suspects, but which the eye of God contemplates with pleasure; it is purity of intention or a spirit of faith. The man and the Christian, in their reflective acts, have always a motive which determines them. Man acts through self-love, through self-complacency, goodness of heart, or natural inclination; and these acts are wholly natural, without merit before God, because God rewards only what is done for Him. The Christian, on the contrary, finds in his faith the motives of his conduct. He acts for God. Having Him for the object, he wishes to please or glorify Him, and hence his acts are supernatural in virtue of this principle, that an action always participates in the nature of the motive which determines it; and his acts are meritorious before God, since they are performed for Him. When God depicts the just man, He defines him "a man who lives by faith." Jesus, the Just One by excellence, declares, that " His life is to do the will of His Father.'' This is also the life of a Christian who knows how to be faithful to his vocation; it is his glory, it is his true greatness. In fact, true exaltation presupposes continual ab- negation, and to impose silence on the passions; to put aside all interest or self-love, all inclinations and affections, and to seek in the very bosom of God the reason of our acts, of our judgments, and our affections. If this is not true greatness, then where shall it be found ? And precisely because this spirit of faith supposes higher exaltation, it is most rare among men. Not to speak of so many good, though worldly, men who multiply their good works through purely natural motives, how many are there, otherwise pious and regular, who are wanting in their conduct and even in their piety this right intention which seeks only God and His good pleasure? They are kind and good, but rather by their natural goodness of heart than by their charity; they are generous to certain persons, and yet without pity for others. They pray, it is true, but only to find consolation; they abridge or prolong their conversation with God, as they experience in it fervor or dryness; they are interested friends, to whom Jesus could well say, as to the multitude which followed Him: ''It is not for My sake that you follow Me, but in the hope that I shall again multiply the bread for you." It is true they confess and communicate, but it is through habit, or to do as others do, or to please a master or a friend; in a word, they act for others, rather than for God. These are the winding and the crooked ways which the holy precursor invites us to make straight. And so hitherto, perhaps, you have been charitable through caprice, goodness of heart, or through ostentation. Now be charitable to please God, who is charity itself, and to please Jesus, who is in the person of each one who suffers. Hitherto you have brought, perhaps, to the exercise of your zeal dispositions which are wholly human; good and anxious for some, but stormy and intolerant for others; you are ardent when successful, but discouraged when your efforts are sterile. Now seek the will of God, rather than success and the interests of self-love. Then you shall never be cast down. Hitherto you have sought in prayer, in confession, and in communion your consolations and your joys; and hence followed sadness, tears, and perhaps resistance, when your hopes were not realized. Rectify these views, which are wholly natural. Go to God with simplicity of heart, which always obeys when commanded, which submits when forbidden, and finds peace only in holy obedience; then you shall make straight the paths which shall conduct you to God. 

Adorable Jesus, Thou didst come to this world only to enter my heart. Deign to enter there and take possession of it, and make it worthy to receive Thee. Enlighten me on everything which may render me displeasing in Thine eyes. Or rather, O good Jesus! create in me a new heart; fill up what is void, by adorning it with virtue; humble my pride, correct my perverse inclinations, that all the ways may be opened to Thee to come and reign in my heart and possess it forever.


Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897

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3rd Sunday of Advent -                  St. John the Baptist, A Model of Humility

12/16/2018

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THE Jews had sent some messengers to ask of St. John the Baptist if he were the Messiah, ... or, at least, if he were Elias, or a prophet. He replied : " No ! I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord." By these simple and modest words, St. John gives us an admirable lesson in humility, and his humility is made manifest by three principal traits: he refuses all kinds of honor, he speaks of himself in the most modest terms, and he eulogizes Him who is considered his rival.

First Point — St. John refuses all honors. At once he refuses those honors to which he has no right. The object of the Jews, in addressing St. John the question, '' Who art thou?" was to compel him to declare if he was, or was not, the Messiah. The mere expression of such a doubt filled the precursor with confusion. He was sorrowfully surprised at the thought that anyone should confound him with the Master. He therefore rejects this supposition with all the strength of an indignant soul, and boldly and emphatically declares that he is not the Messiah — "And he confessed and did not deny, and confessed, I am not the Christ." But they still urge him: ''Who, then, art thou? art thou Elias? and he said to them, I am not. Art thou a prophet? He answered. "No" The humility of St. John had here to undergo a severe trial. In fact the Jews were disposed, if he had wished it, to recognize him as their king, their liberator, and even as the Messiah. He had but to say a single word, and the whole synagogue would have come to do him homage; but St. John is too humble to accept a title and honors which he does not merit, and hence he declares without hesitation that he is not the Christ. His humility goes farther; he refuses even the honors to which he has a just right.  Without being the Christ, St. John the Baptist was great enough to be extolled and praised; without any usurpation he could claim at least the titles which Jesus had given him on several occasions. If he were not really Elias, he was a figure of him. He represented him. and he exercised, in the first coming of the Son of God, the ministry which Elias shall exercise at His second coming. He leads the same life as Elias led, he manifests the same virtues, the same zeal, the same mortifications, and the same fearlessness before the powers of the earth. True, he was not Elias in reality, but he was Elias in spirit and in virtue. With the same truth, he could accept or refuse the title of prophet. He could refuse it, since the minister of the prophets consisted in announcing, from afar, the coming of the promised Messiah. His mission was to show that the Messiah had come to the Judeans. This, however, was not to prophesy, but only to announce what already existed. He could also accept the title of prophet; the Messiah whom he preached existed in truth, but He had not yet manifested Himself. His mission hitherto remained in the class of future things, so that he was really predicting and prophesying what he announced. So that, between the two, St. John, without hesitation, takes the part which is most favorable to his profound humility. But Jesus bestows on him, with superabundance, the glory of which he had deprived himself; He declared that not only was St. John the Baptist a prophet, but that he was more than a prophet, thus realizing what He had so often preached, i,e, that ''he who humbles himself shall be exalted."


Second Point — St. John speaks of himself in the most modest terms. The Jews, dissatisfied by the response which St. John had given, said to him: "Who art thou, what sayest thou of thyself?" He answered: ''I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord. I indeed baptize in water, but there is One in your midst whom you do not know, whose shoes I am not worthy to loose." The holy precursor abstained as much as possible from declaring whom he was, and confined himself strictly to the questions which were proposed to him. He was content to modestly, but positively, avow what he was not. But a precise question puts him to the necessity of an explanation and to say exactly who he is. He speaks of himself, but it is because he is constrained to do so. It is an avowal which is forced from his modesty, and by declaring the truth he shall still more conciliate this duty with his sentiments of humility. He shall say only what is necessary to make known his mission. The interests of his Master demand it, but he shall say it in the most simple terms, and far from all pretension and praise for himself: ''I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord." It was simply impossible for him to speak of himself in a more modest manner. A voice is only a mere sound, entirely without substance. St. John, therefore, declares that he is absolutely nothing by himself. For a moment put yourself in the place of St. John the Baptist. Think that some one comes with authority to demand who you are, what have you to say of yourself? Candidly, what response should you make? Would you, as the holy precursor, be principally occupied in preventing an opinion, too advantageous, which might be formed of you? Would you acknowledge with the same frankness what was wanting in you? And, if obliged to speak of what was advantageous to you, would you do so as simply and as modestly as St. John did?

Third Point — While St. John speaks of himself and of all that concerns him with so much modesty and reserve, he enlarges with pleasure on the grandeur of Jesus, and finds also in praising Him the  means of humbling himself. This is the conduct of one who possesses a truly humble heart. As much as he tries to conceal in secret the gifts which he has received from God, just so much does he love to publish the gifts with which others are adorned. His modesty suffers from the eulogies he receives, while his charity rejoices at those which he gives. Are these your sentiments? Do you love to bestow praise rather than to receive it? Are you eager to extol the good qualities of your neighbor, and to be forgetful of his defects? How rare are dispositions like these, and yet how suitable they are in a Christian soul?

O my God, how far I am from having the sentiments of humility which Thy holy precursor had ! I am as proud as he was humble. Do not permit, Lord, that I should ever forget the nothingness from which Thou hast drawn me; and if I am obliged to extol the good which I possess, let it be only to make known the greatness of Thy power and the magnificence of Thy gifts.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897


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2nd Sunday of Advent - Jesus an Object of Scandal

12/9/2018

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THE disciples of St. John came to ask of Jesus if He were the Messias so long promised to the . . . world. He answered them by working miracles, and added: "Blessed is he who shall not be scandalized in Me." What a sorrow it is to think that the amiable Son of God could be an object of scandal for any one! We will now consider how frequent is this scandal and how criminal it is.

First Point. — It is indeed strange that Jesus and His religion should be an object of scandal and contradiction among men; yet such was the prediction of the holy old man, Simeon: "Behold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many, and for a sign which shall be contradicted." Never has a prediction been verified with more constant precision. Jesus was an object of scandal for the Pharisees by the splendor of His virtues. These haughty hypocrites could not endure Him whose wisdom compelled them to blush. They wished Him to be considered as a Samaritan, a sinner, one possessed by the demon, and they put Him to death. His poverty and humiliations were a scandal to the Jewish people. These worldly people imagined the Messias to be a conquering king, who should reduce all other nations under His empire, and they refused to recognize the Messias in the humble Jesus. The Gentiles were scandalized at the Cross, which they regarded as a folly. He had been an object of scandal for the pagan emperors, who persecuted Him for three  hundred years, in the person of His disciples. The bloody persecutions ceased, but the scandal still remains. Even in His Church Jesus is an object of contradiction. The incredulous are scandalized at the mysteries which their proud reason rejects, because they cannot comprehend His mysteries. The libertine is scandalized at the severity of His Christian morality, and which he pretends is above and beyond the strength of men. The heretics are scandalized at the undeniable authority of His Church, and raise against her the standard of revolt. And lax Christians, in still greater numbers, are scandalized at the abasement of His mercies; while slaves of a miserable human respect blush at His name and the duties which that name imposes. Such ingratitude is indeed revolting; but are you wholly exempt from it? Is it true that Jesus is not for you an object of scandal? You love riches and Jesus despised them; you seek after pleasures, and Jesus condemned them; you are fond of the world, Jesus rejected the world. How, then, can you say that you love Jesus, when you love nothing which He has commanded, but, on the contrary, love precisely what He has forbidden? In thus Jesus an  living, you cannot deny that Jesus is for you an object of contradiction. While you do not despise His name, His doctrine and His love are a scandal for you! Yes, Jesus is a scandal for you, O vindictive man! because He has pardoned injuries; Jesus is a scandal for you, vain young woman, because He practiced humility; Jesus is a scandal for you, young man, because He has loved purity; and for you, who do not know how to obey or mortify yourselves, Jesus is also a scandal, because He has practiced obedience even to the death of the Cross.

O my Jesus, inspire in my heart a true love for Thee, that henceforth nothing shall be a scandal to me, in Thy doctrine. Thy life, or Thy humiliations. I shall strive to become like Thee by loving what Thou loved and by despising that which Thou despised, and by practicing the virtues of which Thou hast given an example.

Second Point. — To be scandalized at Jesus is a crime. What greater outrage can there be against God, than to be scandalized at His benefits, and to seek in His infinite goodness some reason for revolt against Him? In fact, what is it, says Bourdaloue, that scandalizes and disheartens us in the religion we profess? Precisely that in which God manifests His love for us. All those mysteries which shock our delicacy — those mysteries of a God made man, a God humiliated, a God persecuted, a God dying — are these anything else than the fulfillment of that grand word spoken to us by God Himself — ''God has so loved the world"...   Pope St. Gregory signalizes and deplores this criminal conduct, when he exclaims: ''Man has taken as an object of scandal against his God the very things which should inviolably attach him to his God." In fact, it is evident, if anything were capable of uniting us closely to God, inspiring us with zeal for Him, and making us ready to sacrifice everything for His honor, it is certainly the thought that God has died for us and was annihilated for us. This thought has produced marvelous fruits in the saints — prodigies of virtue, heroic conversions, renunciation of the world, and dispositions generous enough for martyrdom. And what has done all that? The sight of the God-Man, and of a God sacrificed for the salvation of men. This it is which has gained their hearts and filled them with intensest love. It is also that which has been the occasion of scandal for certain Christians and induced them to lead an idle, impure, and disorderly life. At the sight of this disorder, Tertullian indignantly exclaims: ''Be scandalized, if you will, at everything, but at least spare the person of your Saviour; spare His cross, since it is the source of your life ; spare it, since it is the hope of the whole world.'' If it were the angels who were offended at it, or were scandalized, this would be in a measure tolerable, since Jesus has not suffered for them. But since it is for you that the Saviour has come, and for you He has wished to die, the scandal should recoil on you and upon all crea- tures."  Learn, therefore, at the foot of your Saviour's cross, the sentiments with which the memories of His mercies should inspire you. See, in His voluntary abasement, not a motive for blushing, but a reason for loving Him. It is not necessary to be a Christian to reason in this way, but it is necessary thus to think to be a Christian. The more you enter into these sentiments, the more you will participate in the grace and spirit of Christianity; and in proportion as these sentiments shall grow less in you, so too will the spirit of Christianity decrease in you. Let the worldlings run after the world and its vanities, but as for you, strive to cling closely to the person of your lovable Redeemer. There is no salvation except through Him; love His teaching, love His example, and love His religion, and then you will not make a subject of scandal that which is the principle of your salvation and the foundation of your perfection.

O my Saviour, do not permit that I should ever be scandalized at what Thou hast done for me and the divine teachings Thou hast given me. Impress on my heart such a high esteem for Thy humiliations and sufferings, that Thy cross may be at once my strength, my guide, and my glory.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897

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Prayer to Obtain for the Children the Virtue of Chastity

12/8/2018

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O Most holy God! Who lovest purity and innocence, grant to my children the precious gift of purity.  Woe to them should the vice of impurity take hold of their hearts!  How miserable would they not be! O Lord, do Thou guard them! Keep with Thy powerful hand this monster far from them. Without Thy special help they cannot preserve the virtue of chastity.  O God, grant them this help.  By it let their hearts be like sanctuaries, unprofaned, undefiled by any impure thought or feeling; by it let their eyes be modest, bashful; their ears and mouth unapproachable, and closed to any impropriety in word and deed.  By Thy grace fill them with hatred against whatever may be contrary to decency, and let them persevere, body and soul, in unimpaired purity, so that they may always stretch out to Thee pure hands, and that their bodies may continue to be hallowed temples of the Holy Ghost.  O God, lover of pure souls, let my children belong to the number of Thy favorites; let the blessing and the happiness and prosperity which, according to Thy gracious dispositions, accompany holy purity come upon my children.  Amen.

Holy Virgin Mary, most chaste mother and intercessor of pure souls; St. Joseph, most chaste spouse of the Holy Virgin; St. Aloysius, angel in the flesh; and all ye holy virgins and children, and all ye saints in heaven, assist me with your powerful intercession, so that the Lord, who has given you the grace of unimpaired innocence and chastity, may also bestow this same great gift upon my children.  Amen.

Source: The Christian Mother, the Education of Her Children and Her Prayer,  Imprimatur 1880

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More Precious Than Mountains of Gold and Silver

12/8/2018

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The most precious virtue we can have is that of purity and it isn't even thought of much anymore. Our society is saturated with impurity. One can't even go to the grocery store with out seeing immodesty. It is everywhere. It's a hard job teaching the precious little souls God puts in our care about this most important virtue.  

AS I begin this talk there rises up before me a beautiful picture. I see the Blessed Virgin Mary as a little girl, sitting at the side of her mother, St. Anna, and listening attentively to her instructions. How well instructed Our Lady was! And when we think of her we think of all virtues, surely; but there is especially one that shines forth in her with unequalled splendor. Of this, the pearl of virtues, I am going to speak now.

A good child, as everybody knows, must be obedient, kind and gentle, devout and pious. And now I am going to tell you what else a good child must be-- something without which a child simply cannot be a model of obedience, gentleness, and piety. That something is the lily-like virtue of holy purity—a jewel among the virtues. Yes, a good child must be modest, chaste, and pure. Be sure of this, my little people, for you and for everyone else purity is the most important and most necessary virtue for happiness in this life and in the eternal life to come. Without it you will make no progress in goodness and will never amount to much of anything in any way. Words cannot tell how priceless this virtue is. It is more precious than mountains of gold and silver; all the diamonds and gems of the world are as nothing when compared with this pearl of great price-- holy purity.

We can best understand what purity is telling what impurity is. And what is impurity? You have seen lovely, snow-white lilies on the altar, haven't you? How beautiful, how fragrant they are! Now, take such a lily and throw it into the gutter, into the mud of the street, and trample on it. Then pick it up and look at it. That is a picture of impurity! How ugly! Rather than soil in the least the lily of holy purity you must avoid everything that would endanger it: companions, places, movies, books, pictures. As soon as you feel that a thing is not nice, have nothing to do with it. Be willing to lose everything, even life itself, rather than your pearl of great price. Remember that you are a temple of God and that the Holy Ghost dwells within you. Remember that your body is holy, that it was consecrated to God in Baptism, that it is sanctified in Holy Communion. You are like a church, like an altar. How dreadful it is to desecrate such holy places!

Now, if you would not keep certain parts of your body covered you would blush for shame; and others would cry, "Shame on you!" and turn their faces away. People cover such parts even when they go in bathing. And one who purposely and without necessity or for the sake of impure pleasure uncovers these parts on oneself or others or looks at them or touches them or lets others do this, commits a sin against holy purity. I t can quickly and easily become a big sin, too. Indeed, impurity is so hateful to God that it can even be a big sin only to think willingly and with pleasure of such forbidden things, or willingly to talk about or listen to such things when bad, wicked persons make fun of them or tell stories about them or sing immodest songs. Whenever you are tempted to do anything that is not modest, think of God and say, " I can't and I won't! God is watching me." You cannot go to any place where God and your Guardian Angel do not see you.

But suppose you have lost your pearl of great price already—then what? Ah, then you must not be discouraged and give up and let yourself go. No, never! You can get it back—the pearl of virtue regained. And while you are still young it is all the easier. The chains of bad habit are not yet so strong. You can break them now, with the help of Jesus and Mary. Just make a sincere and sorrowful confession. Your sins will be forgiven and he will help you, so that you never throw that lily into the gutter again.

But maybe you never soiled the lily yet. Maybe you can say—as so many can: "With God's grace I have always been chaste and modest and pure." Oh, how happy you are! You don't know how happy! You cannot imagine from how many sufferings and temptations you are free because of your purity. You have no idea of how lovingly the Lord of heaven and earth looks down upon you, and the Blessed Virgin, and all the angels and saints. Why, you could never even dream of the wonderful reward you'll get for your holy purity in heaven! But you will always have to be careful, always on your guard, especially in our day and country. The devil has traps set everywhere. He wants to catch souls in the net of impurity. So I'll tell you what to do in order to avoid his snares and those of his allies, the world and the flesh.

You must be watchful and keep strict guard over your senses and your imagination. In this you must be resolute and constant. You must carefully observe exterior modesty, especially when dressing or undressing, and also in toilet rooms. But remember that what is necessary for cleanliness or such like reasons is not sinful. Indeed, great cleanliness in this regard is a real help to holy purity. Fight at once all thoughts against this pearl of virtues by turning your mind away and having recourse to prayer; by saying little ejaculatory prayers for help; by pronouncing over and over again the powerful names of Jesus and Mary; by thinking especially of the eternal truths: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

And remember this well: it is no sin when these thoughts come, no sin to have them. They are temptations, and temptation is no sin, but an incentive to sin. As long as you do not really want them, as long as you do not entertain them, as long as your will does not consent to the temptation, you commit no sin. On the contrary, by bravely fighting the temptation you show your love for God in very deed and merit to receive from Him a hundredfold reward in heaven. If you happen to see or hear anything that is dangerous or immodest, turn away from it at once with disgust and refuse to think of it at all. Do not let yourself be led astray by curiosity. Do not keep thinking of such things. What you need to know will be told you in due time; and if there is something that you think you should know, ask it privately of a person who is able to inform you in a nice, helpful way—like Mother, for instance.

Never read a book that is not modest and that causes you temptations against the pearl of virtues; and do not even look at pictures in papers and magazines if they are not decent. Look out especially for bad companions, wicked and nasty persons, who show at once by their conduct and words that they are impure. If you see that they are a danger to others, report them at once to teacher or pastor or parents. Do not let yourself be fooled when children of the devil laugh at you or tell you with scorn that this or that is not a sin, and you know that it really is a shameful and immodest thing. Such persons are liars and deceivers!

Above all, pray every day for the grace of holy purity. Receive Holy Communion often. It is the very best means of remaining pure. And the next best means is devotion to Mary. It is a beautiful and well worthwhile practice to say the rosary every day just for the grace that your soul may ever be lily-like in its purity and your body ever be the unsullied temple of the Holy Ghost. If you cannot say the whole rosary each day you can at least practice the devotion of the three Hail Marys. Every morning, with your morning prayer, say three Hail Marys in honor of Mary's spotless virginity and for the grace of purity during the day. Then add the prayer: "O Mary, my good Mother, keep me this day from mortal sin." And every evening, with your evening prayer, say three Hail Marys for the same intention and add the words: "O Mary, my good Mother, keep me this night from mortal sin."

                                                                      Heart of Mary, bless the way,
                                                                       Keep us all by night and day.
                                                                        Heart of Mary, Mystic Rose,
                                                                          Send us all a sweet repose.
                                                                       Heart of Mary, Morning Star,
                                                                        Ward off danger near or far!
                                                                       Heart of Mary, by thy sorrow,
                                                             Keep us upright through the morrow.
                                                                         Heart of Mary, by thy grace,
                                                                      Give us with the saints a place.

Source: "Talks for Boys and Girls," imprimatur 1931


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1st Sunday of Advent - The Two Advents

12/2/2018

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First Point. - We are naturally led to consider the two comings of our blessed Saviour. The first, when He comes to save men; and the second, when He shall come to judge them. These two comings are attended by very different circumstances. In the first, it is a hidden God, who seems to fear manifesting Himself, and He veils His majesty under the charms of infancy. In the second, it shall be a terrible God, who will appear in splendor. His voice will resound as thunder, and will cause the powers of heaven to tremble. In the first coming the prophets represent Him to us as a gracious King, who comes in all kindness; but in the other coming, they show Him to us with thunderbolts in His hands and indignation in His face. At the first coming, the shepherds and wise men kiss His feet and contemplate Him with love, while the angels invite men to rejoice. ''Behold, I announce to you tidings of great joy." Angels also will come to announce Him at the end of time, but they will announce Him by a terrifying trumpet-sound, which shall awaken the dead in their tombs. At Bethlehem, everything calls for love and confidence, but at the end of the world everything will inspire fear and terror. At His first coming, the poor swaddling-clothes shall be the sign by which He will be recognized, but at His second coming, the sun eclipsed and the moon stained by blood shall be the signs of His advent. The first coming takes place in the silence of the night; the other, amid thunder and lightning. At Bethlehem, He is in a manger, in the stable; but then, He will be on a throne and will come in a brilliant cloud. What relations can these two comings have, so widely different in their circumstances and in their objects, that the Church, which does nothing except in profound wisdom, begins the holy season, when she prepares her children for the coming of Christ the Saviour, by the spectacle of Jesus as our Judge? She wishes that the remembrance of the one should serve as a preparation for the other. By fear of the judgments which Jesus shall render as sovereign Judge of the universe, she wishes to determine our rebellious hearts to profit by the mysteries of love which Jesus our Liberator will teach us. Fear smooths the way to love, and we shall understand better the benefit of redemption in all its extent when we shall be vividly impressed by the rigor of those judgments from which this benefit will preserve us. Let us, therefore, enter into the spirit of the Church, our mother, and by contemplating Jesus in the clouds which will serve as a tribunal, we shall dispose ourselves to adore Him in the manger which serves Him as a cradle.

Second Point. — Let us consider the signs which shall announce the second coming of the Son of God, and the principal circumstances which will accompany His coming. The sun will refuse its light to terrified men; the moon will appear as if stained by blood; the sea in frightful convulsions, threatening to overflow its barriers; densest darkness will cover the earth as with a thick veil of mourning; angels will come to announce that the end of time has arrived — the human race awaiting, in consternation, in frightful anxiety, the end which these sad signs foretell. However, the destruction of the universe is not the most appalling in the last scenes which will terminate all the scenes of the world. For what is it, after all, that the world should be effaced, when we know that it must perish? But on the ruins of the world, the Son of man, announced by so many prodigies, preceded by justice, surrounded by majesty, comes from heaven in all the pomp of His power, in the midst of the acclamations of the heavenly court, who attend Him! What a contrast between glory and destruction, between life and death! Behold the picture which the Prophet Daniel has made of it: "I beheld attentively, until the thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days was seated.  His throne was like flames of fire and its wheels of burning fire. A swift stream of fire issued forth from before Him. A million of angels ministered to Him and a thousand million stood before Him. The Judge is seated and the books were opened. I beheld one like the Son of man advance towards the Ancient of days; and they presented them before Him. And they gave Him honor, power, and kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him. His power is an everlasting power which shall not be taken away from Him, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed. My spirit trembled. I, Daniel, was affrighted at these things.'' And who shall not be terrified? O my God, behold me at Thy feet, seized with terror at the remembrance of Thy judgments! Have pity on me before the day of Thy vengeance arrives, for on that day there shall be no longer pity or pardon.

Third Point. — Let us consider the rigor with which Jesus shall deal towards impenitent sinners on the day of His justice. He will command His angels to separate the wicked from the elect, as if they were unclean animals. He will place before their eyes the iniquities which have stained their miserable lives; and when He shall have confounded them before the eyes of the whole world, He will turn on them the eyes of His majesty. But who could endure the weight of His avenging looks? How true it is to say that sinners shall implore the mountains to crush them and death to annihilate them! But no, this will not happen; they must endure the agony of His terrible gaze, they must live to render by their sufferings eternal homage to that justice which they have so shamefully outraged. To understand to what extent sinners are hideous in the eyes of God, it will suffice to meditate on the first word He will address them. It is a word of indignation and disgust: "Depart from Me," and His voice, like to thunder-sound, shall resound to the extremities of the earth. At this anathema hell rejoices at the victims which are given and the demons rush forth to receive their prey. A saint thought he heard a voice issue from the throne of God to plead the cause of the sinner, and the following dialogue ensued: "Lord, dost Thou not recognize the work of Thy hands, and Thy privileged creature? O my God, suspend Thy sentence and Thy vengeance. These whom Thou rejectest are the very ones for whom Thou didst die; they are Thy children, the heirs to Thy Kingdom." But He answers: "I do not know them! They have blasphemed My name, they have despised My love, they are ingrates. They have employed My very gifts against Me, and now I have cursed them. Depart from Me forever.'' " But, O my God, behold their tears, hear their lamentations. They form a large part of Thy children! Do not allow them to perish forever." But He answers: " Have they not outraged Me? Indeed they weep, but it is with rage, not in love. How often have I spoken to their hearts, how often have I tried to lead them back to Me, and they have closed their ears to My voice. Now I curse them, let them go far from My presence. Depart, ye cursed!"

O my God, I am not astonished, if the remembrance of Thy judgments has converted so many sinners, peopled the deserts with holy anchorites, and wrung tears from so many holy penitents. Is it possible to weep too bitterly for the faults which must be expiated in hell, unless they are expiated here on earth? My God, what shall be my misfortune, if, after having reflected on the terrors and the regrets which will follow Thy second coming, I shall not profit by the means of salvation which the first coming affords me ! Do not permit it, O my God, and grant that I may never abuse Thy love and Thy mercy.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897


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