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A Blessed Ash Wednesday - Lenten Printables to Share

3/5/2019

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We would like to share a couple of printables that we use each Lent to help us keep on track.  The child can either mark off each day as it passes or place one of the Sacred Heart stickers on their cross in the appropriate spot.

May you all have a blessed and fruitful Lent.
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my_lenten_cross.pdf
File Size: 232 kb
File Type: pdf
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sacred_heart_stickers.pdf
File Size: 43 kb
File Type: pdf
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Lent - Once More the Solemn Season Calls

3/5/2019

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ONCE more the solemn season calls
A holy fast to keep,
And now within the temple walls
Both priest and people meet.

But vain all outward sign of grief,
And vain the form of prayer,
Unless the heart implore relief
And penitence be there.

We smite the breast, we weep in pain,
In vain in ashes mourn,
Unless with penitential pain
The smitten soul be torn.

In sorrow true, then, let us pray-
To our offended God
From us to turn His wrath away,
And stay the uplifted rod.

O God ! our Judge and Father, deign
To spare the bruised reed ;
We pray for time to turn again,
For grace to turn indeed.

Blest Three in One, to thee we bow;
Vouchsafe us in Thy love
To gather from these fasts below
Immortal fruit above.  Amen.
- Hymns and Songs for Catholic Children -

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Lent is Here - Sharing a few Lenten Projects Below

3/5/2019

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With Ash Wednesday fast approaching I thought I would share with you some of our past posts with  Lenten printables you may find useful.  May you all have a blessed and fruitful Lenten Season!

My Lenten Cross Printable

Stations of the Cross and Stabat Mater printing book.

Station of the Cross and Stabat Mater handwriting book.

Prayer for Everyday of Lent printing practice.

Prayer for Everyday of Lent handwriting practice.
 
Stations of the Cross Coloring Book.


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Lenten Lapbook and Tutorial

3/5/2019

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Sharing our Lenten Lapbook again for those who have asked for it. 
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Sacrifice after Sacrifice, Prayer by Prayer,
The day of our Redemption
will soon be here.

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As we prepare for Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday we thought we would share a tutorial on piecing together our Lenten Lapbook. At the bottom of this post are the files for the lapbook. Just below is a tutorial on making a single copy of the lapbook.  Thank you to my dear friend CeAnne for making this tutorial for us its beyond my ability.

What you will need:
 - 16 Sheets of Cardstock (regular paper will do if that is what is to be had)
- 2 sheets of Address Labels (We used Avery's 1" x 2 5/8" #8160)
Again if all that is had is card stock or plain paper, use scissors and glue to accommodate.
- 1 or 2 purple file folders (any purple will do,we used this box so that we could use the other colors for things such as blue in May for our Blessed Mother, but these or these over on Amazon will work too.  (And no I'm not an affiliate ;) )
- A color printer (black will do too, just color items in by hand)
- Scissors
- Glue
- 1 sandwich bag that seals
-Stapler
-Small piece of purple ribbon or string
-Willing hands and a Lenten spirit!

Start by Printing and Prepping Your Pieces

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Please note: When printing, check your printer settings. All printers are different, but on mine the default is not set to a specific printer. In my print screen, I have to open the page setup, select my printer. If I print without doing this the size of the image on the paper is not right. Its very important when printing on the address labels that this is done right. 

Print Your Cover - There are two Choices

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1.) Print one of the two Lenten Lapbook covers, for EACH of the Lapbooks you plan on making. Carefuly and slowly color the picture of Our Lord that you chose. Cut out along the edges of the image. 

Print the History of Lent and All for Jesus Booklets

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2.) Print the History of Lent and All for Jesus Booklets, in color, double sided.  Cut along the outside edge of both books, DO NOT CUT DOWN THE MIDDLE (insert mother voice here to children… may need to be repeated, or maybe tri-peated? ;) ) Fold down the middle of each booklet. Either at this point or once your lapbook is put together, read with your child the History of Lent. Then fill out the All for Jesus Book with things that your child plans on doing more of and things that your child will plan on doing less of during Lent. Set aside these books as we will put the lapbook together once all the elements are ready to go.

Print the Countdown Cross

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3.) Print one copy, per lapbook you are making, of the Lenten Countdown Cross. Print in Color, single sided on card stock (if you are using card stock). Cut on the outside edge of the cross. DO NOT (in mother voice again) cut the lines inside the cross. Set aside for later.

Print the Holy Week Matchbox Booklets

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4.) Print the Holy Week Matchbox Booklets AND the Passion Sunday File (with other pieces),   2 sided, in color. Cut each piece out around the outside bounding box. Set aside for later.

Print the Stations Pocket & Resurrection Flip Book

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5.) Print out the Stations Pocket and Resurrection flap book. Single sided, in color. Cut along the outside edges, do not cut the lines inside the book. 

If you want color the outside flaps of the Resurrection Flip book yellow and write He has Risen! On one flap. Using the picture of the Resurrection (printed in the step above), glue it to the inside square of the flap book. Fold the sides in starting with the top flap, then counter clock-wise. The last flap gets tucked under the first to hold it closed. For th e Stations pocket, fold the large flap back on the line then fold in the side flaps. Glue the back of the side flaps to the back flap to make a pocket.5.) Print out the Stations Pocket and Resurrection flap book. Single sided, in color. Cut along the outside edges, do not cut the lines inside the book. 

Print the Stations of the Cross

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7.) Print the Stations of the Cross. Cut to fit the pocket that was printed above, so that they are all similar in size making sure not to cut off any words or parts of the picture. We have one child that was able to do this fine and the other I drew lines around with a ruler and blue pen to give him some guides. If you wish, lovingly, reverently, while meditating on each picture, color the pictures of Our Lord's Way of the Cross. 

Now Print your Stickers

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8.) Print the Sacred Heart and Flower Stickers on the address labels. Make sure to check your printer settings (see above). Print single sided in color. Cut down each set of 5 (with the Avery labels there is a non sticker gutter there) and then cut down each row. Store in a plastic bag. The Sacred Heart Stickers will be used to count down the days of Lent with on the count down cross. The flowers are placed on the Crown of Thorns for every good deed and sacrifice the child does so that by Easter they have turned the Crown of Thorns into a wreath of flowers for Jesus.

Putting it All Together! Lets start with folding the folder!

First open your file folder like a book….

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Next, fold the right side to the middle of the folder...

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Once you have folded the right side in it will look like this...

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Now fold the other side so that it lines up with the cut of the side you just folded.

When you get it folded it will look like this, divided into 4 sections. Since that branding mark was showing inside our folder, I turned it over and creased the folds in the opposite direction.
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Time to start placing the pieces in their new home….

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Glue HALF of your cover piece to the left side, of the front of your file folder.
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Glue the Crown of Thorns to the lower right of the cross. The middle of the Crown will have the crease of the folder behind it, that is ok, it will fold with the folder.
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Open your folder like a book and glue your Lenten Cross Count Down in the center.
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Add the History of Lent Book to the left top side of the folder. Glue the All for Jesus book to the top right of the folder. 
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Fold your Holy Week Match Books: Fold the picture part at the line over the text. For the two small ones that will be the only step, just folding them in half.
If the matchbook is longer, fold UP the bottom part under the picture part.
Glue in your lapbook in order (Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday, Maunday Thursday, Black Friday and Holy Saturday) placing the glue on the back part which should be white allowing the book to still open. 
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Glue the back of the Stations of the Cross pocket to the lower left hand corner. Glue the Prayer in Commemoration of Our Lord's Passion between the Crown of Thorns and All for Jesus book. To the back of the folder staple the bag at the top between the seal of the bag on only the BACK side of the seal. Then place your stickers inside and this will allow you to seal and re-seal the bag while keeping the stickers with the lapbook for the next 40 days.
Punch a hole in the flap of the front cover and also in the side of the file folder just opposite. Tie a ribbon or string in a bow to secure the lapbook closed. Write My Lenten Lapbook and place authors name on it.

Enjoy using your lapbook through- out Lent to encourage sacrifices, to teach children to forget themselves and think of others and also to pray to Our Dear Lord.

stations_of_the_cross.pdf
File Size: 8402 kb
File Type: pdf
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inserts_for_lapbook.pdf
File Size: 1926 kb
File Type: pdf
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flower_stickers.pdf
File Size: 36 kb
File Type: pdf
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sacred_heart_stickers.pdf
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: pdf
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Quote of the Day - March 4th

3/4/2019

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The sufferings of this life bear no proportion to the greatness of the glory to come. 
                                                                                                                - Imitation of Christ -
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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Quinquagesima Sunday - Spiritual Blindness

3/3/2019

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THE blind man of Jericho, whose healing is recounted in the Gospel of this day, is the image ... of a soul which has fallen into spiritual blindness. Consider well the characters and the remedies of this moral blindness, which is the saddest of all.

First Point.—The characters of spiritual blindness.
As Jesus approached Jericho He met a blind man seated on the wayside and asking alms To understand this species of blindness which falls upon sinners you have only to look about you. Have you not been sometimes terrified at the insensibility of certain men for their eternal interests? Religion, which has converted the world by the sublimity of its teachings, is for them only a mass of gross reveries. Morality, which has brought on earth the reign of virtue, is in their eyes only fanaticism or superstition. The most heroic examples of virtue, instead of exciting in them a sentiment of admiration, only provoke pity and contempt. The most touching exhortations awaken their curiosity without appealing to their mind or heart They commit crime after crime, violate the most sacred engagements, revel in blasphemy, and remain perfectly tranquil. Duties which every reasonable being owes to his Creator are put aside; laws of the Church, to which every Christian should be submissive, are trampled underfoot; they publish scandals and what is baneful to religion, and still believe themselves irreproachable, and ask what evil have they done. They live without remorse, and die undisturbed and fall into the avenging hands of God, whom they have despised. Can
there be a state more fearful than this in the eyes of reason and in the eyes of faith ?

The blind man of Jericho, to sustain his sad existence, asked of those who passed by an alms, which was often refused him. The Gospel says he was begging - mendicans. This is the second character of spiritual blindness. In the bosom of the Catholic Church, the depository of eternal truths, in the midst of that light with which Christianity has inundated the world, in the midst of so many means to find repose of mind and peace of heart, they who are stricken become mendicants. They ask of reason light which they have not; they ask of human wisdom the truth which she cannot give; they ask of pleasure joys of which she is ignorant. In their need of joys, their famished souls extend their hands to the passions and to pleasures. Each passion and each pleasure deposits an alms, but it is only an alms; it may suffice to solace, or rather to distract, the heart for a moment, but it is powerless to satisfy the need which devours it; it remains hungry and is always begging—mendicans.

The blind man of Jericho was seated on the wayside. This is the last trait which characterizes those who are spiritually blind. They are near the way which conducts to truth, to virtue, to life, and still they do not wish to enter there. Reflect on this expression, which contains a truth at once profound and true—"He was sitting. " It is not said that he was standing and ready to walk, but he was seated; he remained there in stupid repose, unmindful of what was passing around him. This expression is sufficient to make us understand that he was satisfied in his unfortunate carelessness, preferring an unworthy repose to generous effort which would place him in the right way. This is only a too true picture of those sinners of whom we are speaking. They are outside the way which conducts to salvation, and are not striving to re-enter it. To do this they should be most active, and instructed in their duties, and resist their passions, or at least make some efforts; but they love their ease beyond anything else, and nothing can determine them to abandon their tranquillity. And thus the privation of all truth, the want of all good works, and complete carelessness of salvation are the characters of this terrible malady which is called spiritual blindness. We shall now see how it may be healed.

Second Point.—For a complete cure of spiritual blindness, the first thing which must be done by him who is afflicted is to be instructed in his religion and to make known his uncertainties and doubts to those who can resolve them. At the sound of the voices which were about him and the noise made by the multitude which had followed Jesus, the blind man informed himself of air that passed. He asked "what it was." Well, Christianity passes near us, is about us on every side, with its laws, its dogmas, its blessings, its threats, and its promises. We should inform ourselves what it is, we should study the claims and proofs on which it rests, the duties it imposes, and labor earnestly to merit the blessings which it promises. We should avoid the evils with which it threatens us, since eternity is well worth the trouble which all this requires. Indifference in this matter is wholly unjustifiable.

The second thing to do in a case of spiritual blindness is to pray. Faith is a gift of God, and this gift we all receive in Baptism. This explains the facility with which we believe the highest mysteries, even in tenderest infancy, and as long as we preserve purity of heart. But when, by bad books, sinful conversations, voluntary doubts, and by indulgence of our passions we have driven the spirit of faith from our intelligence, we cannot again recall it, except by most fervent prayer. But you say, "I wish I could have faith!" Have you prayed to obtain it? Reflect on the prayer of the blind man imploring his healing, and strive to imitate his fervor. "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!" See how he feels his malady, how he desires a return of health. And what perseverance in his prayer! They who are near to him endeavor to impose silence on him, but he seems unmindful of them and is not at all influenced by their words; he even cries louder still. From the moment you wish to belong to God the world will blame you. Prejudices, habits, passions shall strive to turn you away from prayer. However, still remain faithful to it, since your healing and your salvation will be due to your perseverance.

O my God, I address Thee with the prayer which the poor blind man employed—" Son of David, have pity on me!" Have pity, because of the sad state to which sin has reduced me. Make known to me my misfortune in its fullest extent; I do not know it sufficiently. Place in my heart a lively and profound sorrow for my sins, which should be there and which I do not find there. Inspire me with those strong, courageous, and efficacious resolutions which I strive in vain to form. Break these criminal attachments and these vicious habits which I have not the strength to break. Reform my sad inclinations which drag me down in spite of my feeble efforts. Have pity on me, Lord ! Have pity on my weakness!

Source: Short Instructions on the Feasts of the Year, Imprimatur 1897



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Quote of the Day - March 2nd

3/1/2019

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Do not fear the Cross. . . . Without it you cannot find Christ. With it you will find the help and consolation of His open Heart. Without Christ the cross is hard, dead, crushing wood. With Christ the Cross is strong as God, sweet as love, tender as a tear.
                                                                                                                      - Father Kane, S.J.-
Source:  Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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St. Catherine's Academy Gazette - Issue 51 - March 2019

3/1/2019

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Our latest edition of the Gazette is now available.  You can view it below and download and print it here.
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Quote of the Day - March 1st

3/1/2019

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Then He saith to them: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death; stay you here and watch with me." And going a little farther He fell upon His face, praying, and saying: "My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt."
                                                                                                               - Matt. 26: 38, 39 -
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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Quote of the Day - February 27th

2/27/2019

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Seek not for consolation but for the Cross, seek for work and not for rest, for bitterness rather than joy, for the least and not the most, for the worst and not the best, for poverty and not the possession of anything whatever.
                                                                                                     - St. John of the Cross -

Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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Quote of the Day - February 26th

2/26/2019

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"It is a great imperfection to complain unceasingly of little things."
                                                                                                    -St. Francis de Sales-
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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Sexagesima Sunday - The Word of God

2/24/2019

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 First Point.—Four kinds of hearers usually surround the Christian pulpit. The first are . . likened to the great highway on which a part of the seed falls, as is mentioned in the Gospel parable today; the birds gather it up, or the travelers trample it under their feet. There are some characters so flippant that nothing can make them fixed or resolute, and whose lively imagination runs from one object to another, touching lightly on everything, without going to the bottom of any. They are enemies of all reflection and of all serious thought; meditation kills them. They are emotional and seek to satisfy their desires in silly romances and sensational sheets. You may see them receive the most serious truths with a smile of indifference, while they are suffused with tears at the recital of some romantic adventure. There can be nothing done with minds of this character. They come, indeed, at certain epochs during the year to hear God's word, but this is nothing serious for them. For them it is a pastime, a matter of curiosity, a means of distraction, and this is all. Holy advice, inspirations of grace, remorse of conscience which alarms them, the remembrance of a past which causes them to blush, the terror of the future, the distaste for the world, the ordinary effect of the Gospel words, fall on their frivolous minds; but the different thoughts which pass and repass incessantly in them quickly efface even the least traces of the sacred word. They are the travelled and open highways; there the demon finds easy access, and before it can germinate away he takes the precious seed which is sown. This is the first obstacle to the development of the word of God dissipation of mind.

Second Point.-- Another part fell on the stony ground and, after springing up, was parched, because there was no moisture. " Two kinds of hearers are figured by this stony ground in which the good seed cannot take root. The first and the most pitiable are those who are voluntarily deaf- their hearts are hardened and have become as stone with regard to the word of God. We could scarcely believe it, if there was not the saddest experience to convince us. There are men who are determined to remain just as they are. They come to hear the word of God spoken with a fixed resolution of not profiting by it. Let them hear the most touching exhortations, let the most terrible truths be presented to them, even if the grace of a retreat or a mission is offered them, it is all useless. They hear nothing, they will profit by nothing; they are the minds of that character which the prophet indignantly depicts when he exclaims: "They have closed their ears, lest they should hear." What shall be the consequences of this studied and systematic resistance to the truth which is spoken exteriorly, and to the grace which urges and solicits interiorly? The very thought makes the heart grow cold. Our blessed Saviour exclaims: "Woe to you, Jerusalem, because if Tyre and Sidon had received the same graces as you have, they would have done penance in sackcloth and ashes. They shall be treated with less rigor than you." Yes, on the judgment day the infidel shall find an excuse in the misfortune of his birth, the heretic shall find an excuse in his ignorance, but you, reared in the bosom of the true Church, you, enlightened by so many lights and surrounded by so many graces,' what excuse shall you have ?

The second kind of hearers figured by the stony ground on which the precious seed falls is composed of all those Christians in whom certain passions have reached a state of habit. These form an almost insurmountable obstacle to the effects of the divine word. They hear it with pleasure, they admit the truth of all the reproaches hurled against them, and they would wish to be converted. Far from flying from the truth, they seek it. Should the preacher speak of the divine mercies, their hearts are touched; they make splendid promises-. Casting a glance on the disorders of their past life, their eyes are bathed in tears; but scarcely have they left the house of God than everything is forgotten. The old habits weigh them down, they succumb to the first flame of passion, the good germ is parched; the root is necessary if the good seed would develop. The second obstacle to the development of the word of God is a depraved will.

Third Point.—-The third obstacle to the effect of the sacred word comes from attachment to the things of the world, whatever may be the name by which you designate them. They are represented by the thorns in which the good seed falls. It grows there, it is true; the germ is developed, but it is stifled at its birth by the thorns which cover and clog the soil. This is the too common effect of pleasures and riches. Whoever possesses them finds much difficulty in extricating his heart from them, and the heart which is charmed by them affords very little access to the truths of salvation. It is true that the riches and pleasures of life are not criminal things in themselves, but the abuse which we make of them, and the affection we have for them, soon render them criminal.

Our divine Saviour compares the pleasures of the world to thorns, because they produce the same effect. If at first they spread on our pathway some agreeable flowers, soon they will embarrass us. Then they will make us feel their sharpened points, and in time they will wound us. See that young man, or that young woman, who has heard the divine word with docility and who has profited by it, who carefully cultivates the virtues which grace has germinated in her heart, but who, at the same time, cherishes a love for the world; because this love, which is moderate in the beginning, does not lead them into grave faults they imagine their virtue has received no wound; they think that in spite of the words of Christ they can serve two masters, and can continue to love the world without ceasing to love God. Fatal error; profane attachments grow and are strengthened, and in the same proportion religious inclinations are diminished and weakened. The evil is so great that it is not perceived. There is surely an increase on the one hand, and a decrease on the other. Because the same pious practices are continued, do we believe the same virtues are also continued? The exterior acts are the same, but the heart is already changed. After having lost the taste for pious exercises, there is no delay in losing the use of them also. We easily omit what has been done without inclination and by constraint; moreover, we are skilful to find pretexts for shortening certain practices and omitting others; this remissness insensibly leads to sloth, and the interval from sloth to sin is very short. See how worldly attachments lead us, little by little, when they are not early uprooted.

O my God, to what can I attribute the little fruit I have hitherto drawn from so many instructions, unless to my bad dispositions? Have pity on me, Lord; change my heart. Give me a new one, in which Thy word shall remain, take root, and produce those fruits of salvation which Thou hast a right to expect from me.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Quote of the Day - February 23th

2/23/2019

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If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of the great holiness to which He desires you to attain.
                                                                                                                                   - St. Ignatius -
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth,  Imprimatur 1919
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Quote of the Day - February 22nd

2/22/2019

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The more we complain of our trials the heavier our burden grows; if on the contrary we humbly and lovingly bear them, the burden becomes light and agreeable.
                                                                                                - Blessed Egidius of Assisi -
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth,  Imprimatur 1919
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Quote of the Day - February 21st

2/21/2019

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As the priest reverently, devoutly, and lovingly gathers up from the paten the tiniest particles of the Host, so should you gather up all the thorns, the trials and the sufferings you meet on your way, to put them in the chalice of love along with the Precious Blood of the Saviour.
        Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919                                      ~ Father Brisson ~
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Quote of the Day - February 20th

2/20/2019

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Learn to suffer and to be silent if you wish to live in peace and to attain to great virtue.
                                                                                                                      - St. John of the Cross -
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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Quote of the Day - February 19th

2/19/2019

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What is death? It is but the leap of a child springing into his Father's arms.
                                                                                              - Father Tesnieres, SSS., D.D. -
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919
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Quote of the Day - February 18th

2/18/2019

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When we feel us too faint, remember Christ's strength. In our fear, let us remember Christ's painful agony that Himself would (for our comfort) suffer before His passion, to the intent that no fear should make us despair.
                                                                                                                                   Blessed Thomas More
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919


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Obscene Conversations and Songs

2/18/2019

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                          “Be not seduced: evil conversations corrupt good morals” (I Cor. 15. 33).

Impurity being in itself so shameful, it would seem that no one would venture to take delight in conversing thereon, or in listening to such conversations. But there are shameless persons who find great pleasure in such conversations and even in the singing of obscene songs. Those who speak and sing about obscene things are guilty of giving scandal, and deserve to be called seducers of the innocent.
1. The scandal of such conversations and songs is almost irreparable. It is calculated to seduce and corrupt the young, the innocent. These discourses, these songs palliate the malice and shamefulness of the vice of impurity in a seductive and enticing manner, and by means of obscene jokes and anecdotes, words of double meaning and suggestive allusions, awaken impure representations, which afford the wicked food for sensual gratification, and instruct the innocent in the ways of vice, and corrupt their hearts and their morals. The sharper the dagger, the deeper the wound, and the more refined and suggestive such conversations or allusions, or songs, the more apt they are to deeply impress and take root in the minds and imaginations of the young.

“His words are smoother than oil, and the same are darts” (Ps. 54. 22).

Whatever is apt to inspire pleasure in impurity cannot be said or sung, or willfully listened to without grievous sin, without scandal. Those who speak of or sing about such matters have either a bad intention or a bad habit. If the former, they are seducers, scandal-givers, the very agents of Satan for the ruin of souls. If the latter, they are bound to use efficient means to correct it; if they neglect doing so, they are equally guilty with those who do so with a bad intention. Words are the signs of thoughts as smoke is of fire.

“A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6. 45).

The evil man is devoid of shame; he openly professes wickedness; he has no fear of God, who hears and despises him; he has no conscience, for he is wholly indifferent to the bad effects he may produce in his hearers, and to the injury he may do the innocent. He knows he is doing wrong, for he dares not indulge in such filth when respectable persons are present.

“Of the fruits of a man’s mouth shall his belly be satisfied, and the off spring of his lips shall fill him. Death and life are in the power of the tongue; they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof ” (Prov. 18. 20, 21).
No one can speak or sing about things obscene without having corresponding thoughts; no one can hear or listen to such conversations or songs without being reminded of the obscene things themselves. How difficult, especially for the young, to eradicate the thoughts awakened by such discourses and songs ! Most probably he who uses such language and sings such songs was led astray in the same way.

“A man killeth through malice, and when the spirit is gone forth, it shall not return, neither shall he call back the soul that is received” ( Wisd. 16. 14).

No matter how wicked are your companions, you can not be justified in using such language, for it arouses impure thoughts and entices to impurity. 

“All uncleanness... let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints” (Eph. 5. 3).

No one is excepted from this rule, be they married or single, old or young, vicious or innocent! In the ashes of burnt wood there is still fire, and he who lows thereon and lays fresh fuel on it, causes a fresh fire to spring up.

“Speech is a spark to move our heart” (Wisd. 2. 2). The pleasure those present take in listening to you is a sign of their susceptibility.

“I stick fast in the mire of the deep, and there is no sure (secure) standing” (Ps. 68. 3). “Shun profane and vain babblings, for they grow much towards ungodliness, and their speech spreads like a cancer” (2 Tim. 2. 16, 17).

There are gatherings in which only one word suffices to turn the conversation to the most obscene subjects, for “birds of a feather flock together.” One earnest Christian could easily put a stop to it! But

“let none of us go without his part in luxury; let us everywhere leave tokens of joy, for this is our portion, this our lot” (Wisd. 2. 9).

Every one is eager to pour a little more oil on the flames, and this all for fun! But “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8. 37). No one can repair the injury done, for the evil impression is lasting, and the speaker cannot remove it by pious remarks or conversations, for he will only be laughed at! Perhaps by tears of pen ance? But he has led others astray! Bad words brought on bad thoughts in the innocent, then followed reflection, then curiosity, then passion, then pleasure, then desire, then occasion, then the deed followed by many others! The garment of innocence can never be mended. The wound is incurable! Perhaps the victim is now confirmed in lust, or has died in sin, after leading others astray as he himself had been. You have perhaps amended your life, but the harm you have done your neighbor can never be repaired.

“Their tongue is like a piercing arrow” (Jer. 9. 8).

2. He who approvingly listens to obscene conversations and songs, is already seduced, because he listens in silence, instead of preventing them; he listens willfully, instead of shunning them; and soon he will join in them, instead of being ashamed of them. Such language is, in some manner, worse than the evil deeds which infuse shame into those  who commit them, whilst obscene talk excites the imagination; the deeds shock, but the words please and cause those present to drink in the poison as a delicious beverage! Who are guilty of a culpable silence in this matter? Parents, superiors, those in authority, influential persons. To them God says: “I will require his blood from thy hand” (Ezech. 3. 18). But I do not want to be impolite! Blessed is he who is not ashamed of Jesus Christ, who has the moral courage to remonstrate against such filth! You are bound to avoid the company of those who are wont to converse about obscene matters, whenever it is possible for you to do so. Do like Joseph, fleeing from the seducer! But if you cannot keep away, because you have to work among such a crowd, then if they show their sinfulness, show your virtue by taking no part in the conversation, by not willfully listening to it. Beware of joining them in their laughter!

Could you laugh if some one were threatening your life? They are threatening the life of your soul! Your pleased countenance would show the direction of your heart. Remember you cannot serve two masters. When obscene conversations are going on around you, remember that you must not find therein any matter for joking, for a pastime, for any laughter!  “He who takes pleasure in the words,” says St. Jerome, “is not far from the deed.” Act like St. Bernardine of Siena in his youth, for his companions, when they saw him coming, would warn each other to cease speaking of obscene subjects. Imitate the youth St. Stanislaus, who was so horrified when an impure word or allusion was uttered in his presence that he would faint away.

3. Evil effects of obscene conversations and songs. In the first place, they are the ruin of good morals, for they rob the young of their innocence, which is the foundation of good morals; they corrupt the principles, which should be the rule of good morals. Secondly, they implant bad morals by robbing the hearers of modesty, which is the safeguard of purity; they make a beaten track to evil company, infuse a love for vice, by making it appear delightful, so that the formerly innocent soon become adepts in vicious practices!
“How is the gold become dim, the finest color is changed, and the stones of the sanctuary at the corners of every street?” (Lament. 4. i). Formerly that person was so reserved, but is now so impudent; she was so shy of every look, now she is accustomed to obscene language; formerly she was so bashful in presence of one of the other sex, but now how free, how unrestrained, how dissipated! Formerly she considered such freedom of language so sinful, but now looks upon it as a pleasant pastime. Her ears are accustomed to obscenity, her eyes seek it, her tongue utters and sings it, and the more licentious it is, the more her heart enjoys it. Her first fall has been followed by many others, and the evil has taken deep root.
What is once morally rotten, usually remains rotten! Woe to the seducer! Woe to the seduced! “The evil man obeyeth an unjust tongue, and the deceitful hearkeneth to lying lips” (Prov. 17. 4). “The impure tongue is an open tomb” (Ps. 5. 11). Woe to them during their life! All the good despise them as impure beasts, as attacked by a disgusting contagious disease, as agents of Satan! For them there is no more consolation, no more honorable pleasure or supernatural hope! Their life shall be filled with bitter moments, their conscience with frightful reproaches, their soul with sad memories! Woe to them in death, for terrible will be their remorse! Woe to them at judgment!
The seducer shall then hear cries of vengeance from the parents whose children he corrupted, from the guardian angels of these little ones, from the blood of Jesus Christ which he has rendered vain for so many souls, and from the souls he has led astray !
“Set a watch to my mouth, and a door round about my lips” (Ps. 140. 3).

 Source: Sermon Matter, Imprimatur 1915
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Septuagesima Sunday -           The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

2/17/2019

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First Point.—Under the figure of the father of the family who goes out early in the morning to engage laborers for his vineyard, it is easy to recognize God, the common Father of all men. By the agency of His ministers or by the secret promptings of grace He does not cease to call us to Himself, and entreats us to labor in His vineyard, that is to say, in the cultivation of our soul. If the vineyard in which the father of the family sends his workmen represents a figure of the soul, it is in accordance with the word of God itself. In fact, everywhere in Holy Scripture we find that God claims our souls as His domain. And this is, after all, only just, since we belong to Him by the most legitimate titles. Is it not He who has formed us with His own hands? Is it not from Him that we hold all that we have and all that we are ? And not content with having created our soul and enriched it with the most magnificent gifts, God has reconquered it from the demon by redeeming it with His blood; hence we belong to Him by the triple right of birth, conquest, and love. The soul thus redeemed God places in our keeping; it is a trust He has confided to us; it is the field which He commands us to cultivate and make fruitful for Him.

If the field of our soul remain sterile, this fault cannot be imputed to the Father of the family, since He has done for her all He could do. He has placed her in the bosom of the Church, where she receives the abundance of graces which God does not cease to pour out on this blessed soil; He surrounds her with the sacraments, and she participates in all the benefits which Jesus has merited by His death. She has been overwhelmed by every kind of grace and enriched by every blessing. Can she ask of God anything more? In confiding to us the culture of a land thus prepared, has He not the right to expect some fruit in return? Here reflect seriously on yourself; recall the graces you have hitherto received, all the means of sanctification which have been lavished on you, and ask yourself what return you have made ?

Second Point.—The different hours at which the father of the family sends the laborers to his vineyard
mark the different ages at which we give ourselves to the service of God: infancy, youth, mature years, and old age. At all times of our life, the Father of the human race, our first, our truest Father, comes to us to urge us to labor for our sanctification. He it is who always makes the first advances. He goes out to seek us in the public place, that is to say, in the midst of the dissipation's of life, in the tumult of business, in the pleasures of the world. Our very faults do not discourage Him; however great they may be, still His merciful goodness extends a pardon to us, and even urges us to merit it. He exhorts us to labor for our sanctification by the words which His ministers address by us the religious objects which He exposes to our view; by the examples of virtue of which He makes us witnesses; by the disgrace with which He afflicts us; by the sudden deaths with which He visits our imitators and, perhaps, the accomplices of our sins; in a word, by all the circumstances with which He does not cease to surround us He especially exhorts us by the different sentiments which He excites within us. Have no doubt about it: these pious promptings, which you experience, these holy thoughts which are suggested from time to time to your mind, this remorse which troubles you, the inquietude's, which disturb you at the remembrance of your sins—these are all so many inspirations which God sends you and so many exhortations which He addresses you If hitherto you have remained deaf to His invitations you have reason to fear lest He cease to call you and, as it were, pursue you. Do not persevere in a resistance which may be fatal to you; cease to offer your refusal to His tenderness, and have for your soul as much pity as He Himself has for it.

Third Point.-The evening at last had come, and the father of the family said to his steward. "Call the laborers and pay them their hire beginning from the last even to the first. " When the evening of life shall come-that solemn moment when our labors shall have terminated and the recompense shall begin—we shall appear before the Steward, before Jesus, who has been appointed by His Father the Judge of the living and the dead. The soul at her departure from the body, in which she has so long been enclosed, shall see herself suddenly transported to the foot of the supreme tribunal, and the state in which she is found at that moment shall fix her lot for eternity. She shall be for all eternity either adorned and brilliant by the virtues with which she is enriched, or she shall be stained, disfigured, and punished for the sins with which she is covered.

And, perhaps, you are surprised to see the Master of the vineyard giving to all the laborers the same recompense,—the same to those who have labored only an hour as to those who have borne the heat and the burdens of the day. This is a warning which Jesus gives us. He would teach us that God shall dispense His recompense, not according to the time engaged, but according to the fervor which has been brought to the work. He regards the quality rather than the quantity of the labor; He weighs the work instead of counting it. Oh, happy are they who from their early youth have borne the yoke of the Lord; they certainly have great advantages; but, at last, the time of labor can also be rewarded because of the devotion which has been given. The traveler who starts on his journey too late may, by hastening, reach and even pass him who started early in the morning and who walked slowly. And this also explains these other words of the Father of the family, viz.: " The first shall be last and the last shall be first. " Our divine Saviour does not wish us to understand that they who begin late in the service of God shall, therefore, precede those who shall have served Him early. Far from us this thought which is so injurious to divine justice and wisdom, and which should be calculated to encourage a delay of conversion so severely condemned. The sense of these words is, simply, that among those who are last in the order of their vocation very many shall become first in the order of glory  that we shall see sinners converted, more penetrated by humility, more inflamed by charity than certain just men; and that they who shall have labored for their salvation but a short time, and more effectively, shall surpass those who shall have labored a longer time, but with less zeal and ardor. O my God, how long Thou hast already called me and I have always resisted the voice of Thy grace.

Today Thou callest me still, and I wish to profit by this new appeal to labor in Thy vineyard, that is to say, for my salvation, with promptitude, since I have lost so much time; with fidelity, since all my moments belong to Thee; with perseverance since the recompense is given only to those who labor until evening has come; with courage to repair the lost time; with fervor, since Thy recompense shall be measured, not by the time spent in Thy service, but by the ardor with which it shall be accomplished.
Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Happy Saint Valentine's Day

2/14/2019

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5th Sunday after Epiphany -          The Mingling of the Good and the Wicked

2/10/2019

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THE parable of the cockle mingled with the good grain in the field of the father of the family, . . . furnishes us an occasion of meditating on the mingling of the good and the bad in the Church of Jesus Christ. Consider how some become bad, why God allows the association of the good and the wicked, what duties devolve on you, and how this mixture of good and bad shall terminate.

First Point. — How men become wicked. We cannot accuse God as the cause of this mingling of good and bad which afflicts the Church so much; every sinner must accuse himself only for his perversions. God has done everything for us that we should be good and virtuous. Not to mention here the sacrifice of the cross, which has been the principle of all justice and every virtue worthy of the name, how many graces have followed for us? Grace of the sacraments, grace of holy inspiration, grace of instruction and good example. There has been no admixture; yet after all this the servants of the good master were obliged to say: "Master, have you not sown good grain in your field? How comes it we find cockle there?" Was ever reply more just? "It is my enemy that has done this."  Yes, the demon, ever hostile to Jesus, and the passions ever hostile to our happiness — these are the enemies whose artifices and cruel influence we must always fear. And how does the demon come to pervert even the most virtuous hearts and subject them to his rule? Jesus Himself tells us; he comes in the night, and as a thief. Well does Satan know that, if he presented sin in its true colors to an innocent soul, he should be surely rejected; therefore he presents it under a deceitful color and as if in the night. He persuades us that this thought, this doubt, this society, this association is most innocent, and under the pretext of that pretended innocence we yield and insensibly entangle ourselves in his snares. The evil which is the consequence of our want of foresight is not perceived at once, but it is not the less real. Thus the cockle while it is only in the germ does not appear, but after its growth it saddens our heart. We must constantly watch and be on our guard, if we would protect our hearts from the first attacks of evil; every temptation is easily rejected at the outset, but once let it enter the soul, it will be a difficult thing to drive it out. Therefore it is our blessed Saviour gives us this advice, to which we cannot be too faithful: "Watch," not indeed to hinder the temptation: that is impossible; but "lest you enter into temptation" — that is, not to allow it to enter your heart.

Second Point — Why does God allow this mingling of the good and the wicked? It is through His  bounty for sinners; the tolerance which God manifests for them is a marvel of His mercy. '*The long patience of God" says St. Paul, " invites sinners to repentance." Isaias says "it is to pardon them that he awaits them; and the prophet Ezechiel adds: "God does not wish the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live." We cannot but admire here the unspeakable goodness of God. If divine justice had struck you when you were under the yoke of sin, where would you be now? Alas, even in this very moment where would you go, if the Supreme Judge came to demand the account which you must one day render? With regard to the just, their mingling with sinners serves for their sanctification. It is in persecutions that virtue is purified; it is in temptations it is strengthened; virtue must be exercised if it shall become sustaining. The trials of every kind to which the wicked subject the good keep them in continual activity and hinder them from growing weary in well-doing. Virtue is never more beautiful than when it is victorious over illusions, seductions, bad examples, contempt, threats, and the persecutions of the world, which are always anxious to corrupt and desirous of being corrupted.

Third Point — What should our conduct be with regard to sinners? The tolerance which God man- ifests towards them must oblige us to tolerate them also, and to treat them with sweetness and indul- gence. And by what right could you reject those whom God Himself tolerates? Perhaps this impious one or that sinner, whose conduct is revolting to you, may be destined to become a vessel of election. Perhaps these sinners may be called to a higher sanctity than you whose indiscreet severity would hurl anathemas against them. Alas ! you who have such great need of indulgence, how can you show such little indulgence to others? A second duty towards sinners is to labor as much as you can for their conversion. There are two means to attain this desirable end, and the first is our own example. This means is, the first of all, the most efficacious and most free from all inconvenience. We should give to sinners a salutary horror for vice by the sight of our own virtues, and by seeing what we are they shall learn to blush for what they are. The second means to convert the wicked is prayer. The prayers of the just shall procure for them the grace of conversion. To the prayers of St. Stephen and St. Monica the Church is indebted for her two great lights — St. Paul and St. Augustine. God wishes only to pardon and to bless, but His mercy must be implored by the prayers of the just. By the mouth of His prophet He tells us: " I have sought a man who shall stand between My justice and the sinner, to arrest My arm, but I have not found him." Make it your duty to interpose between God and so many sinners who are rushing blindly to the abyss; this should be a sweet duty to discharge when it is a question of obtaining the conversion of a friend or the salvation of a father So or a mother. How can you refuse to procure for yourself a joy so worthy of a Christian heart?

Fourth Point — How shall the mingling of the good and bad terminate? By the chastisement of the wicked and the recompense of the good. " At the time of the harvest, I shall say to the reapers, Gather up first the cockle and bind it in bundles to burn, but the wheat, gather into my barn." Behold the destiny of both: strive to comprehend the consequences, first with regard to sinners. The words of the parable alone suffice to make you appreciate the rigorous chastisement which awaits them. The time of the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. In the harvest time the cockle is gathered and given to the flames, and so the Son of man, at the end of the world, shall send His angels, who shall take from His kingdom all scandalous sinners and those who have committed iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'' Behold the frightful destiny of the wicked. But oh, how much the destiny of the just is to be en- vied! Jesus Himself says: "Then the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." He then adds: "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." O my God, who is there that shall not be awak- ened from sleep, in reflecting on these great truths? Let the impious and libertine close their ears, lest they should hear, but it shall be their own folly and  misfortune.

For myself I ask, O my God, a docile heart to profit by such an important lesson. Detach my heart from all that is transitory, that I may comprehend and taste what is eternal. Ah, Lord, grant that Thy justice may terrify me, that Thy goodness may assure me, that Thy law may be my rule, and that, walking here below in Thy light, I may attain, one day, to Thy glory.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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St. Catherine's Academy Gazette ~ February 2019 ~ Issue 50

2/8/2019

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We have finally put together another Gazette.  You can view it below and download and print it here.
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4th Sunday after Epiphany - The Tempest Appeased by Jesus

1/29/2019

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First Point.  THE sea on which the apostles embarked is the image of the world,—the sea strewn with. . . dangers and countless shipwrecks. The ship which carries them is the figure of your soul in its journey towards eternity. The tempest which threatens to submerge them represents the temptations of every kind, which embarrass us on our way to heaven. Every one experiences these temptations, the child and the young man, the full grown man, and the aged; the Trappist in his solitude, as well as the worldly man in the midst of his festivities. The most scrupulous and exact piety is not even a safeguard from their attacks. Did not temptations come to those who were in closest companionship with Christ? Be careful, therefore, lest you believe that your love for God, your fervor in His service, your fidelity in the fulfillment of your duties shall shield you from temptations. This would be a dangerous error. On the contrary, your piety and your innocence shall be the reason for the demon to make greater efforts to bring you under his dominion. There are hearts enough who deliver themselves up as a prey to their enemy. He is assured of these, but he is desirous of choice souls like yours; to make a conquest of them he redoubles his seductive snares. Still you must not be discouraged by temptations, but see in them the consolation that you are not as yet under his dominion. St. Francis de Sales has said that the dogs do not bark after the people who belong to the house, but only after strangers, so the demon leaves in a sad peace those whom he knows belong to him and wearies the others by his pursuits, and invents a thousand artifices to turn them away from the paths of virtue. Alas, he only succeeds too well ! Just cast a glance about you: where are so many souls that were hitherto so fervent? What have become of them ? They have become a prey to the demon and now they languish far from God and from virtue, in a shameful slavery! Weep for them, and conjure our good Lord to keep you far from such misfortunes.

Second Point. While the tempest raged and threatened to engulf the bark on which the apostles sailed, "Jesus slept.- This sleep of Jesus is the occasion of our great temptations and the principle of all our falling; it is the symbol of the languor which conducts a soul to those negligences which she permits, the distractions in which she allows herself to be drawn—certain affections which are wholly natural and which have over her too great sway and especially the facility to commit light faults! True, indeed, these faults do not deprive us of the presence of Jesus, but they diminish the effect of His presence; they do not destroy His grace, but they weaken and diminish it. Grave sins crucify Him in us, while light offenses cause Him to sink into a deep sleep. This sleep of Jesus in our soul is not always a crime, but it is always a misfortune. In fact, it is during His sleep that the storms arise, that the passions are awakened, that the enemy, who never sleeps, renews with greater activity all his dangerous attacks. He is too weak to conquer us when we are divinely assisted, but he awaits the moment to combat with us when we are not assisted by this heavenly aid. If, therefore, you perceive that Jesus sleeps in you, awaken Him immediately. That is to say, if you feel your fervor weakening or your heart growing cold towards God, your courage unequal to the fulfillment of your duties, promptly renew your ardor and take heart again. A soldier should not lay aside his arms when he perceives the approach of the enemy; on the contrary, then it is he should be animated by a new courage. However, be not presumptuous; and never forget that you can do nothing by yourself your strength comes from God; ask Him for His grace most earnestly. Even as the apostles, have recourse to the divine Master, and cry to Him with a profound feeling of your weakness: "Lord, save me, for without your aid I shall perish." Be assured, if you are faithful to invoke God in the moment of danger, if you invoke Him with confidence, the same prodigy which was wrought for the apostles shall be wrought for you ; Jesus shall again command the tempest to be appeased, and tranquillity and calm shall be restored to your soul.

Third Point.—But when the temptation shall have passed be assured your work is not over. Either you have successfully resisted, or you have yielded. If you have been fortunate enough to have resisted, do not claim for yourself the glory of this triumph. Be careful to refer all the honor of your victory to God. Gratitude for benefits received shall gain for you new blessings and attract new graces. Moses,after his victory over the Amalekites, erected an altar on the battlefield and there offered to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Bossuet praised the great Conde, the conqueror at Rocroy, for having intoned the Te Deum on the field of battle, thus recognizing that he was indebted to God for his first victory. Imitate these examples, for, since you are weak it is impossible to triumph over the enemy by your own unaided strength? It is to the protection of the Virgin Mother and the assistance which God
sends you by His angels that you are indebted for victory; why then take the glory as if it had come from yourself?
If you are obliged to admit defeat, then deplore it, but be not cast down or discouraged. Here there are two dangers to be feared: indifference and discouragement. Indifference, alas! is only too frequent. One commits sin and thinks of it no more; one is the enemy of God and remains tranquil. Should you see some loved one die you cannot restrain your tears; but your soul is dead in sin. Shall you be insensible to this spiritual death? Be on your guard against this guilty carelessness. You have offended your God? then cast yourself on your knees and ask for pardon. Your soul is stained by sin? then do not remain in sin, but hasten to wash it away in the sacred waters of penance. Also avoid discouragement. This would be nothing less than a new outrage against God. And let us ask, What can be the motive for discouragement? You have sinned; do you think you are impeccable ? - Are you stronger than Samson, holier than David, or wiser than Solomon? Whence come, therefore, your discouragement and anger? God opens His heart to you; have recourse to His mercy. Instead of being saddened or unduly discouraged, let the remembrance of your faults serve as a motive of greater humility, since you are so weak; more patience, since you have so much to expiate; more charity, since you have so much need of indulgence. Oh, then shall your fault be a happy one, and even as God you shall draw good from evil.

O my God, how good Thou. art! Thou experiencest more pity than anger at the sight of Thy children's faults. I wish hereafter to entertain for Thee a truly filial confidence. If I have the misfortune to offend Thee, I shall cast myself into Thy arms, feeling well assured that Thou wilt not reject Thy repentant child.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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3rd Sunday after Epiphany - Jesus Heals the Leper

1/29/2019

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THE leper, whose healing is recounted today in the Gospel narrative, is the image of a soul . . . whom sin, and especially the sin of impurity has stained. There is a striking resemblance between the consequences of leprosy and the consequences of the sin of impurity. Leprosy, as it is depicted in our sacred books, produced four effects on the unfortunate victim. First, it corrupted the blood and attacked the very sources of life; 2nd it disfigured the body, and made it an object of disgust; 3d, it condemned the leper to live far from the society of men; 4th, it made his society dangerous because of the contagion. You shall find these different effects in sin, and especially in the sin of impurity.


First Point.—As leprosy corrupts the blood, so the sin of impurity corrupts the heart and vitiates the very life of the soul. It not only attacks the surface, but it attacks the most intimate sources of spiritual life. Under its dominion the soul quickly loses its noblest faculties; memory is weakened intelligence enfeebled, and the noblest faculties 'are compelled to give way to ignoble instincts; there is no progress in science; application to study is impossible, no grand and elevated thoughts; the mind is narrowed, and genius becomes extinct.

In the heart the effects are still more deplorable. It perverts the most happy dispositions and develops
the most shameful desires; conscience is blunted and loses its first delicacy. The victim becomes indifferent to disorders the very thought of which was once revolting; a stupid carelessness succeeds to vivacity of faith and fervor and piety. The tastes, the inclinations, and the very character are changed. Sin has done in the soul what leprosy has done in the body; it has corrupted it at the foundation, it has vitiated the very sources of life.

Second Point.—As leprosy disfigures the body and makes it an object of horror and disgust, so sin disfigures our souls and makes them an object of disgust to the heart of God. You would understand this second effect of sin if you could understand the beauty of a soul in a state of grace, the splendor with which it shines, the glory which surrounds it, and the holy pleasure with which God regards it. This beauty, it is true, has nothing exterior, nothing sensible. The prophet tells us " that the glory of the daughter of Sion is within her." None of those splendid rays fall on our mortal eyes, but the splendor is no less real. It is that which gives a charm to infancy, it is that refreshing grace which exercises over our hearts an empire as sweet as it is irresistible. To know the price of a soul adorned by grace, we must consult the Holy Scriptures; for what is more reliable than the testimony of uncreated wisdom?

Hear, therefore, what the Holy Spirit says of a soul ornamented with grace and the esteem which He has for it: "I who am your God, I who can deceive none, nor can I be deceived, I declare to you that I only consider silver as dross when compared with a just soul." And is this enough? No; bring together
all the gold that is in the bowels of the earth: God considers all that as only a little grain of sand in comparison with a just soul. There are indeed many precious stones in the depths of the sea; they are so beautiful that they serve as ornaments for vanity, and heighten by their splendor the glory of a diadem; but when God compares them with a just soul He finds the soul a thousand times more precious. It is a grand thing to rule over an extensive kingdom, to be seated on a brilliant throne, but all that is nothing when compared with a soul adorned by grace. In a word, unite all glory, all beauty, all grandeur, yet all these cannot approach the beauty, the merit, the excellence of a soul which is clothed with grace and empurpled by the blood of the Son of God made man.

Sin, as a hideous leprosy, strips the soul of its beauty and makes it an object of disgust and horror in the eyes of God. It is with tears in their eyes that the prophets deplore the unhappy state of a soul stained and disfigured by sin. Jeremias exclaims: "How has the pure gold been changed into vile metal ! All the glory of the daughter of Sion has departed !" Unfortunate soul ! Who shall give to my eyes two sources of tears to weep for thy misfortune ?

Third Point.—The law required that every leper should be driven from the people and separated from his fellows as an unclean being. This is also the destiny of the sinner. As long as a man is in the state of grace, he is the child of God, the heir to heaven, the co-heir with Jesus. What a dignity! He enjoys all the rights of the children of the Church, he shares in all the goods she possesses, he participates in the prayers of the saints in heaven and of the just on earth: he has a right to the merits of the august sacrifice, to all the indulgences which the Church draws from her treasury. What riches! But by sinning he loses everything—he loses his titles of child of God and citizen of heaven, he is deprived of all the merits he has acquired, and even of the right to acquire new merits. True, indeed, he is not cut off from the bosom of the Church; he is always a member of it, but he is a dead member. He receives also certain graces, but they are weak graces, which his bad dispositions render sterile. In a word, he appears living in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of God he is dead. Oh, how horrible is this state, and how much you are to be pitied if you do not understand this misfortune!

Fourth Point.—There is a fourth effect common to sin and to leprosy: it is contagion. Leprosy is a malady to be feared so much because it is contagious. The leper communicated his malady to all who approached him, unless suitable precautions were taken. This explains the severity of the laws regarding it and the reason of its universal repulsion. Sin is also contagious, and is communicated and spread by bad words and by bad examples. A vicious friend shall lead you to vice; his corrupting discourse shall rob you of your faith, little by little; his undue confidences shall initiate you into the knowledge of evil ; his insidious words shall cause you to love him, and his conduct shall justify him in your eyes.

Fear, then, the influence of a friend who is not most virtuous; break away from his society; fly from him as you would fly from the sight of a serpent; this is the advice which the Holy Spirit gives you by the mouth of the wise man. In giving you this advice, he would teach you that a vicious friend contains within him a subtle poison, which escapes from his whole conduct, insinuates itself into the faculties of the soul, and carries with it ruin and death.

O my God, preserve my soul from the leprosy of sin; do not permit that, in becoming Thy enemy, I should lose that which in Thy eyes constitutes my true beauty, and that which can alone give me rights to heaven. Oh, may I never become for others the occasion of scandal or ruin ! But if I have had the misfortune to fall into sin, give me the strength to rise again, and to find in a generous confession both happiness and life, by obtaining Thy friendship again.

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

 
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