It is always a grand, inspiring sight to see young people come together in great numbers to hear the word of God, to consider the wonderful deeds of God, and listen to His beautiful discourses, which have been preserved in the gospels. Today there is proposed to our consideration the wonderful feeding of five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes.

The evening was approaching, and still the crowd, charmed by the words of Our Lord in His sublime instruction, made not the least move to leave Him and go to their homes in the city, nor did they even think of procuring food. Our Lord was still busy healing the sick. What a preacher He must have been! You see the mass of people, closely gathered about Him, listening with eagerness to every word addressed to them, and so intent are they that they forget their food.

In the time of Our Lord there were thousands who went to Him with a good heart; He loved them for it and this evening they were to be the guests of the divine Master. In our day we do not as a rule find that hunger after the word of God; people do not like sermons, and especially young people can hardly contain themselves and sit still to listen to the word of God. Parents can plead and threaten, the confessor can admonish, the pastor shows his zeal in vain. But what great damage results to our soul from this carelessness! From this comes that ignorance of religion and God and blindness of the mind which is the mother of all evil. From this you can trace the hardness of men's hearts, obstinacy in vice and sin, and at last eternal damnation. There is not, says St. Bernard, a more certain sign of people losing their immortal souls than their aversion to the word of God.

One day as St. Hilary was about to preach, after having finished the reading of the Gospel, many got up to go out. The saintly preacher was stirred, and he called to them to return and resume their places, saying, "You are going out, but you will not so easily go out of hell." It is related of St. Anthony of Padua that he wanted to preach to a number of heretics, but they all went away and would not listen; he then went to the seashore and began to preach to the fishes.

"Listen to the word of God, ye fishes of the sea, for these unhappy heretics will not listen to me." With that an immense number of fishes gathered as near as they could come to him, with their heads slightly raised out of the water as if they were all attention. When St. Anthony saw this he said,

"Blessed be God, for the fishes honor God more than the people of the earth." In many churches is witnessed this eagerness to run away, and to such these words can be applied,

"You can easily leave the church, but you cannot so easily get out of hell."

Dear children, if you wish to save your souls and go to heaven, it is absolutely necessary to hear the word of God.

When our dear Lord saw this great crowd of people that had followed Him and had continued with Him so as not to lose one of His discourses, He was touched with compassion for them. Turning to Philip, one of His disciples. He asked him,

"Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Philip answered Him,

"Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little." Our Lord, calling the Apostles about Him, asked,

"How many loaves have you?" Andrew answered,

"There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves and two fishes, but what are these among so many?" "Bring Me," said Our Lord, "the little you have, and make the people sit down on the grass." Our Lord then took the loaves, and, raising His eyes to heaven, blessed them, and distributed to them that were sat down. What a magnificent miracle Our Lord worked for the benefit of His followers on this occasion! Be ye also true followers of Jesus; live in His holy love and fear, and He will provide for you in all your necessities. Would that you were convinced of this! There are, indeed, many who have to undergo terrible sufferings, some even die of hunger; but you must not accuse almighty God of carelessness in their regard.

Often it is their own fault on account of the bad lives they have led. Wickedness produces untold evil in this world; you know there are many young people who lead impious and criminal lives, who are Catholics only in name, who never go to confession, though they have been taught to go from their early childhood; they do not go to communion nor observe Sundays and holydays; they blaspheme the word of God, and they act worse than the brute in the pursuit of the object of their passions. God will not prosper such as these, they cannot have the peace of mind which is the share of those who serve God; they are harassed by discontent and anger, and these vices sometimes produce terrible effects, and could really be a sufficient explanation of much of the misery with which we find poor humanity afflicted. Yes, if sin could be removed from this world, no doubt many of the scourges which come upon us, many sicknesses, terrible and unforeseen deaths, would be removed also and heavenly peace would reign supreme. Often and often we read of this in the word of God. The impious are told that they are hurrying toward their destruction, and the good are the favorite children of God. But, you will say, the good are often afflicted; for we have met them suffering hunger, misery, and persecution.

Why does God allow His faithful followers to be so tried, as was the good and holy Job? God permits these trials to the just to purify them, to detach them from the things of this world, and to give them opportunity to merit more for eternal life. God reigns supreme in the hearts of the just; He gives them His grace to suffer with patience whatever may come to them, and this is the reason that these trials are no longer afflictions but rather consolations. St. Paul says, "We glory also in tribulations."

The loaves which fed such a multitude represent the Holy Eucharist. Every day this mystical bread is multiplied and distributed from the altar. What a great gift is this Blessed Sacrament, what a proof of God's love for His children, what a display of His omnipotence! The bread on our altars remains no longer bread; it is changed by the power of Jesus Christ into His sacred body and blood. With this bread you can feed your soul every day. It is natural fo suppose that the crowd that was fed miraculously had knowledge of it, and ate that blessed bread with avidity. What fervent thanks did they not return to Him who had so favored them! The same joy tills the heart of the generous young man or woman after the reception of the body of the Lord. You have felt this; it is the greatest consolation and the most exquisite enjoyment of your life.

Many there are who do not realize what they do, and are cold and indevout. To them communion is without consolation; they go, perhaps from habit or because their companions of a sodality are going in a body, but not that they really hunger; after this Bread of life. It is related of a young man, whose wicked parents did not wish him to go to communion, that by some means he eluded their vigilance, and at the very dawn, when no one in the house was yet stirring, he would hasten to first Mass and go to communion; then making his thanksgiving on his way back, he went to bed again before any one had noticed his absence. This young man appreciated the happiness of holy communion. Let us approach this sacred banquet and eat our fill; we will derive strength and endurance from it. If Our Lord sees us approach with affection. He will return love for love and be the greatest friend we have.

But you, smaller children, my lambs, who have not yet had the happiness of drawing so closely to Our Lord, look forward to the day of your first communion; you are now learning the teachings of the Church concerning the real presence; you are beginning to distinguish this Bread of angels from ordinary bread, and as soon as you reach the use of reason you will be admitted to the divine festival. Be anxious to know your holy faith by learning the Catechism; try to realize that it is Jesus you are going to receive, and begin now to form in your heart sentiments of great love and desire.

Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, when a young child, had a great desire to go to communion; but she was denied the happiness because she was not old enough. She had a great knowledge of Jesus on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament, and spent hours on her knees in the church. At one time her mother went to communion and little Magdalen saw her. How beautiful her mother looked! The child was so struck at the sight that she begged to be allowed to make her first communion, that she, too, might feel that great happiness. She afterwards called the days of communion days of love. I cannot persuade myself even now to cease speaking of the Blessed Sacrament. Approach the altar with exterior as well as interior reverence and holy fear. Let the world, your companions and the parish, see that you realize the sacred act in which you are engaged. Your mind must be centred on the great God whom you are to receive, and you certainly know that you owe Him fervent love and holy fear. St. Thomas a Kempis, in his "Following of Christ,^' says, "If you had the purity of the angels or the sanctity of a John the Baptist, you would not be worthy to touch this Holy Sacrament."

Holy men and women know that they are not good enough to go to communion; still they go because Our Lord draws them to it. With what severity they judge themselves and make their confession, so that every stain of sin may be effaced! It is a dreadful action to go to Jesus and receive Him who is the God of the universe.

After this great number of people had been fed, they were enthusiastic; they wished to take Jesus and make Him their king. But Our Lord wanted no temporal dominions, so He
hid Himself from them. He wishes to be king of your heart. After having received Our Lord, it is your duty to make Him the king and master of your soul. Be faithful to Him, be not a disciple like Judas, who betrayed Him. No longer allow the devil to have the direction of your actions. Let Our Lord alone have His throne there, Jesus the good Master, the Prince of peace, the God of joy and of all consolation. A great missionary once laying his finger on a wicked man's heart asked, '^Who reigns in this heart, God or the devil?" Ask yourselves the same question, and your conscience will give the answer; in fact, you know it already, if you are in real earnest about your eternal welfare.

Our loving Redeemer, in all His journeys through Judea, performed many works of mercy and kindness to poor humanity. All the sick people who could approach Him were cured, the blind received their sight, the deaf heard, the lame walked, and even the dead were raised to life. He was the great wonder-worker of those days, and the sick and unfortunate especially flocked around Him.

But not only did He work miracles ^He also led a most holy life, a life that was an example to every one. In Him there was no defect, no vice, no fault. From all this it would appear to us that He should he known by all as the Messias. The crowds, indeed, knew Him, but they were the common people, who followed, loved, and adored Him as their Saviour.

But the Pharisees were not of this class; they were full of envy of Jesus because He was not of their school; they calumniated and persecuted Him; His greatest and holiest actions were presented in a bad light, and in this very day's Gospel we have an example of their perversity. Our Lord had cast out the devil, and the Pharisees, with a significant shake of the head and frightened mien, said, "This man casteth not out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of devils.'^ There are many in the world that imitate the Pharisees; whatever good is done by a person is looked at in a bad light; evil purposes are attributed to the purest intentions.

Young people are much given to this sort of criticism; they are so thoughtless that they will say almost anything of another. They see a companion serious and pious, and they say he is crazy, or a devotee; here is one that goes to communion regularly ^and they call him a hypocrite; here is a noble young fellow, polite and good to his masters and obedient to their directions they say he is a mean, sneaky character and does it all to obtain power; a retired, quiet boy is considered a fool; if he is found praying in church, they make fun of his devotion; in fact, the bad boy cannot see any good in a well-behaved, religious lad. It is a singular thing, but nevertheless true, that Jealousy is in our hearts, especially in regard to the good qualities of our companions. All the good they have seems to detract from us, and we cannot acknowledge ourselves inferior to others. It is an abominable trait, hateful to God and to our fellow creatures.

Then speak no evil of the goodness of others; commend your good companions, love them the more, recommend them to the notice of others, and make up your mind to avoid the company of evil talkers and detractors. If this detraction should strike you, and make you feel the injustice of mankind, continue in your goodness, let them talk. Would you become bad because the wicked see no good in you? Did Our Lord change the manner of His life when the Pharisees spoke evil of Him? On the contrary, He quietly continued, as if He did not hear them at all.

The devil had deprived the poor man of the power of speech, not for his own good you may be sure; he might have left him the use of his tongue, and instigated him to speak very much evil: for though the tongue is a small member, it can do an immense amount of harm. Just consider for a minute what the tongue can do: the blasphemies against God, the frauds against men, detraction, deception. bad counsel, immodest words, ridicule of religion and religious usages; these are the fruits of an unguarded tongue. St. James tells us that the tongue is the universe of iniquity.

If our young people were only dumb in regard to the vices of the tongue, they would not have to answer for so many sins or for the eternal ruin of their companions. St. Vincent Ferrer relates an example of a dumb woman who was brought to him to be cured. "What do you wish me to do for you, my daughter?'' She, that had never spoken before, said, "Give me the knowledge of how to live a holy and spiritual life, besides the faculty of speech." St. Vincent replied, "Yes, you shall have the first request, but as to the faculty of speech I will not obtain it for you; it is better to save yourself without being able to speak, than to damn your soul by the sins of the tongue. Even though now you have spoken you will again become dumb."

How many men at the judgment-seat will wish that they had been born dumb, when they see that they have lost their souls by the faculty of speech! As I said before, the devil did not deprive this youth of whom we are treating in this Gospel of speech for his own good. Satan never does anything for our good, but for our destruction. The devil's delight is to make men spiritually dumb; he enters into their hearts, takes possession of them, and makes them incapable of speaking. They become mute and do not open their mouths in prayer; even when pressed by the greatest need they cannot go to confession. They have committed a great sin and he makes them tremble with fear; they would rather conceal the poison in their breast than confess the fault. Bold as men are before committing a crime, they are real cowards after it is done; he suggests to the poor sinner that he will lose the esteem and good opinion of the confessor; that he will be scandalized, that he will scold and that he will deny him absolution.

No, my dear children, allow not yourselves to be led away by the devil. The confessor does not think less of his penitent by hearing his confession; on the contrary he is impressed by his openheartedness; he is not scandalized at the recital of sins, he only sees an example of faith and piety; he will not scold, only to put you on your guard and give you the necessary advice to escape faults in the future; and if he does scold, it is because, aroused by the danger you are in, he wants to put sufficient emphasis to his words, so that you may appreciate the importance of your fall. The confessor will never deny absolution except in cases where he sees that there is going to be no effort made at correction.

Be on your guard, my dear young people, against sin; but should you commit any, make up your mind at once to get rid of that dark stain on your conscience by a sincere confession. Oh, what miseries are heaped up by those who conceal their sins! All their confessions are worthless; the sin of sacrilege is added to the rest, their condition is even worse than it was before. Then there is the danger that when a sin is once concealed, it will close the mouth of the penitent so effectually that even at the hour of death it will not be revealed, as we find in many cases. An unhappy woman was ashamed to confess a certain sin. She fell seriously ill, and her confessor was called; when she saw him she cried out, "You have come in time to see a lying penitent of yours go to hell. I have often confessed to you, but have always concealed the graver faults." He begged her to make her confession, but she said, " I cannot, I am damned! " and she breathed her last.

When you have overcome this dumb devil by a good confession, and he shall have gone away from you, have the doors of your heart well under observation that he may not come back again; then you will have peace of mind. "When a strong man well armed guards his house, all that he has will be secure." Our Lord does not say to guard the interior, but He desires you to have special care of the entrance. And why? Because when the door of the soul, by which all manner of evil may enter, is not looked after, there will be little hope of your continuing in good. Is it not written, "He who loveth danger shall perish in it!"

Easter is near, and you wish to make a good confession; you desire to be really converted. Then you will have to make a good and firm resolution not only to avoid sin, but to watch every approach to the soul. If your conversion is not of this kind it will not be real, and you will not persevere to the end. You cannot imagine all the tricks the devil is going to employ to catch you again. "When the devil has gone out of a man, he wanders about in lonesome places, looking for a home; but not finding a suitable one he will say to himself, I will go back to the soul from which I came. He finds the soul cleansed and beautifully ornamented with virtues, a thing not at all to his taste, and he sees that the soul evidently thinks herself strong. He goes and takes with him seven others worse than himself; they make a sudden attack by wily means, and again they triumph; they enter, and the last condition of that soul is worse than the first.

The devil will not quietly give up what he has lost; he makes every possible effort, employs every artifice to regain possession. He tempts the poor soul with a sense of false security, he follows her in all her acts of piety and devotion, he fills her imagination with magnificent promises. "All these things will I give thee.'' He would give the whole world if it were his, to gain his point. You can, from this, form an idea of the value of a soul, when you see the devil make such efforts to gain it. You can see how valuable it is, when it has cost the life of Our Lord to ransom it from the grasp of the enemy. What insanity, then, to think the soul of little worth! From henceforth have a great care of your soul; do not sell it to the devil for any price; certainly not for a momentary pleasure, or for some unlawful satisfaction.

When the devil has come into possession of your soul for the second time, how hard it will be to dislodge him again; if he takes seven other devils worse than himself, how much
stronger will be his hold; he will rivet the chains firmer. The devil does in your case as you would do to a bird that has escaped the meshes of your net; you will choose stronger cords, and should you succeed in alluring it to the net again, you will make sure that it shall not escape a second time.

The devil would do with you as you would do to a slave who has struck off his chains. You would put heavier chains on him, and keep such a guard over him that it would be impossible for him to get away. So also will the devil shut off every avenue of approach to your relief. Should you find some benefit to your soul from the reading of a good book, he will lead you to places where there are none to fall into your hands; should you have an opportunity to hear a good sermon that would perhaps open your eyes, he will lure you to plays and enjoyments. In this way he will use every artifice and all the cunning of which he is master, until at last you will be firmly under his dominion. And thus it is that the last state is worse than the first. So it is that those who fall again into the slavery of Satan rarely find the power of resistance until they are led to the gates of hell. May such a terrible thing never happen to you; that having put the devil from you, you should again make peace with him and allow him to regain your soul.

When Our Lord had concluded His words, such admiration came over the crowd that they could no longer contain themselves, and a certain woman cried out, "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee and the paps that gave Thee suck." Our Lord was certainly conscious of the great glory of His Mother Mary, but He answered, "Yea, rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it." Be of the number of those happy and blessed ones. The Pharisees heard the word of God, but kept it not. You, my good children, listen with simplicity of heart and with humility. Many have gone and many will go to heaven because they heard the word of God and kept it. St. John of God was a wanderer on the face of the earth; he had run away from his home: was twice a soldier, and was once condemned to death. He had the happiness once to hear a sermon; he heard it with a contrite and humble heart, he fell on his face in the church, publicly confessed his sins, and rose to become a saint.
                                Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900

I WANT to speak to you today of heaven. But what am I to say of that blessed place? It is as if I would take a coal from the blazing fire and, with it as an illustration, should try to explain to you the glory of the sun. The saints, who we may say had a foretaste of heaven, would cry out, "paradise! paradise!" and could say no more, as if they were wrapt in an ecstasy of delight. St. Paul tells us that he saw and heard things that no tongue could tell, nor eye ever contemplate, in fact the truth of the reality has never entered the mind of a human being, "what God has prepared for those who love Him." St. Catharine of Sienna was admitted into paradise; in an ecstasy she told Blessed Raymondo, "I have seen such things as would be impossible for me to tell in words, and if I could describe it you could not comprehend it." If on entering a palace you are struck with its riches and beauty, its magnificent corridors hung with beautiful pictures, its grand statues and furniture, splendid carpets and rugs, the walls covered with gold, then think how much more magnificent must be the house of the King of kings, the Creator of heaven and earth. St. Fulgentius at one time saw the grandeur of the city of Rome, when it was illuminated for a great feast; his mind turned to the beauties of paradise and he said, "How beautiful must be the celestial Jerusalem, if Rome is so magnificent!" If in this world so much honor is given to those who love its vanities, how much more honor and glory will not God give to those who deserve it after a good life? A palace of this world, when compared to the celestial dwelling of the just, would be no more than the dingy, smoky hut of a savage: the most picturesque garden, compared to the garden of heaven, would be like a dismal desert. According to the Apocalypse gold is as plentiful in heaven as dust on this earth, the streets are of the purest gold. St. John in describing the city of heaven tells us that it is a square, having twelve gates of the most precious stones. Jeremias, the prophet, tells us that he could not describe the immensity of this city, its towers and walls built of transparent crystals. Isaias calls it a city of pleasure. Better is a day here than thousands in the habitations of this world.

When you arrive in this beautiful city you will first see your guardian angel, who will congratulate you. At last all the labor is over, no more pain, afflictions, or sufferings. What thanks will not your soul pour forth to that angel for having conducted you through so many difficulties, defended you from so many enemies who were besetting you to rob you of your future happiness! You will meet there glorious processions of the heavenly citizens, who will rejoice in your arrival. What joy there will be to meet your good parents, your friends; what a recognition! What happiness to meet your good companions, who by their example and modest words made your start in life a holy one and your continuance in it successful! You will bless the day that you broke off with bad companions who had great pleasure in the world in sin. You will be happy again in meeting your teachers, to whom you will not be able to render sufficient thanks for the advice given you, and to whom, after God, you owe gratitude for the happy privilege of being now safe in the haven of eternal bliss. What happiness will you not feel to see those saints to whom you have prayed, and whom you have honored in life. You will see St. Joseph, the foster-father of Our Lord, the Apostles of Christ, St. John, St. Peter, St. Paul, and all the other saints, of whom you have heard so much: you will cast yourself at their feet to pour out to them your fervent thanks. They will say, "No longer are we your protectors, but your companions and sharers in the glory of the Lord. You are no longer guests and pilgrims, but permanent inhabitants of heaven" They will pay you the respect due to your victory; you will receive greater honors than if you were kings and princes. Is it possible, my dear young people, that because you refuse to give up a bad companion, or a sin, you would resign the right to all this future glory, and refuse to become the companion of the pure angels and the glorious saints?

What happiness you will feel when you are brought to the throne of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, advocate of sinners and your mother also! How beautiful she is! So beautiful is she that you would gladly be blind all your life just for this one look at her. You will fall prostrate at her feet, kiss the hem of her garments and with gratitude you will cry out, "By your aid I am now in paradise: you have been so kind to me in my wanderings and now you have brought me to this unmerited glory." What joy must it not be to see Mary, to hear her speak in the musical words of heaven! She will embrace and caress you. Then from the throne of Mary there is but a step to that of her divine Son, Jesus. Yes, you shall behold Jesus, living in a holy and glorious humanity. What rays of light and of glory will shine forth from that countenance! If a hundred suns were to unite their glorious rays they would not be comparable to the glory of the face of Christ. It is said of St. Teresa that she once saw in spirit for a moment the sacred and adorable humanity of Our Lord, and was so enraptured by the vision that the sun in its meridian appeared pale and without warmth in comparison to Him.

From here you will be conducted to the throne of the Blessed Trinity, and you wall fix your gaze on the centre of all good, the fountain of all beatitude, the abyss of inaccessible light. To see God! Yes, this is the very essence of the glory and happiness of all eternity! You will be lost in ecstasy for the torrent of joy which will inundate your soul. You will see God, you will love Him, you will possess Him; as St. Augustine tells us, "You shall see the happiness of God, you will be rich with His riches" But when shall that blessed day dawn when we shall be in heaven? It will come, my dear young people, very soon, as soon as this life is over.

We all wish to go to heaven that is our general desire. But remember the inscription that will be seen at the portals of paradise, and which concerns you very much: "This is no place for dogs who are filthy, no place for the impure, the revengeful in short, no place for the sinner. The innocent alone and those of a pure heart may enter.'' Can you even bear the thought in your mind that this happiness is not for you, that the blood of the Redeemer was shed for you in vain, and that He will not open the gates of heaven for you? Our Lord once said to St. Catharine of Sienna, after having made her feel a little of the happiness of paradise, "See, My daughter, of what great happiness the sinner deprives himself, and to what dreadful torments he is blindly rushing." Keep your eyes always on heaven, my dear young people; that is your fatherland, your inheritance, your kingdom: rouse yourselves to serve Our Lord faithfully, to practise good works courageously, to avoid evil, and rather suffer death than renounce heaven.

We read in the Sacred Scriptures of a mother whose seven sons were apprehended by a cruel tyrant, and terrible torments were inflicted on them before her very eyes. The skinof their heads was pulled off with the hair, their hands and feet were cut off, their tongues were cut out, they were roasted at a slow fire, and in these torments she saw six of them die. One still remained, the youngest, the handsomest, the one most dear to her heart. The tyrant turned to the mother and said, "Have compassion on this one that is left; make him adore the idols, make him obey me, and you shall have him safe and sound. But if you refuse, my bitterest hate shall fall on him, and when he is gone I will apply the same tortures to you, until you also close your eyes in death." Then the mother pressed the youth to her bosom, bathed his sweet face with tears of affection, and said, "I beseech thee. my son, look upon heaven and earth, and all that is in them: and consider, that God made them out of nothing, and mankind also: So thou shalt not fear this tormentor, but being made a worthy partner with thy brethren, receive death, that in that mercy I may receive thee again with thy brethren."

The youth allowed himself to be scourged, and suffered the greatest torments, and so was found worthy to enter heaven. What do you say now? With you the question is not whether you have to pass through fire and sword to obtain heaven. God requires less of you. He wants you to persevere in the good way in w'hich you have been educated, obedient to your superiors, faithful to your prayers and in the frequent use of the sacraments. He asks you only to curb your passions.

Many have done great things to gain heaven, as you have heard. The martyrs sacrificed their lives will you do less than they? Will you for a momentary pleasure renounce heaven? Will you rather be a devil in hell than a saint in paradise? Think seriously of this, and then decide nobly that, cost what it may, you will do all in your power, with the grace of God, to merit that eternal reward that awaits all those that are faithful to the end.

Source:  Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900

When reading this days Gospel, what person is there that is not astonished at our dear Lord who, by a rigorous and continued fast of forty days and forty nights, condescended to show us how to mortify the flesh. He was the flower of innocence, the lily of the valley, the lamb without stain. Why did He wish to undergo this fast? To give us an example of penance and mortification.

We are now beginning the days of abstinence and of fast, called Lent, which the holy Church enjoins. Now, my good young people, were I preaching to older persons, who are bound to observe the fast, I would have to preach on the unwillingness of many
to inconvenience themselves by doing anything contrary to the demands of their appetites. They have no reason for not obeying the law, and still they find many excuses for evading it. But, speaking to you, my dear young people, who are not yet obliged to fast, I must insist that these are days of public penance and that you also are obliged to do something, however little, something of mortification and penance, in order to prepare for the great feast of Easter. When in the time of the Jews the prophets announced a fast, not only were those of mature age included in it but the young, even the infants and the domestic animals. But, you will ask. What penances are we to do? Are we to fast, to take the discipline,and put on sackcloth? It might be advisable to counsel these rigors to many a youth whose conscience is marked by the ravages of sin. St. Paul tells us, "As you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity, so now yield your members to serve justice unto sanctification.''

St. Ambrose wrote to a poor girl that had fallen into sin, "There is no other remedy for you except penance; inflict punishment on your body, tame it by fasting, cover it with ashes and groan under the hair shirt."

My good young people, I cannot be hard on you. I would rather be indulgent, because I think you have not stained your souls with great crimes; I do not enjoin a strict fast on you, only I pray you do not lose sight in these days of Lent, of the fact that you owe to the call of the Church some little mortification. Would it not be an easy and at the same time a most grateful sacrifice if you ate only at your meals? Could you not at breakfast take merely a piece of bread and a cup of coffee or milk? Could you not sometimes refuse a drink that you like very much? It is certain that the mortification of the palate is a most powerful means to enable us to restrain our passions. A horse that is not obedient to the bridle has to be subdued by other means, sometimes much more severe; so it is with the soul and body. If the body will not obey the law of God, and will even drag the soul down after unlawful pleasures, severe means must be used to bring it under submission. All the saints have performed works of penance, and the practice of mortification was one of the most profitable used in subjugating the body. Then these little abstinences gives us health and prolong our lives.

It stands to reason that we must not give the body all that it craves. Even in olden times the Romans knew this, and pagan moralists have shown us that to be healthy a simple and rigorous diet is the very best. The appetites of the body are curious, and make very extravagant demands on us. See the drunkard, how his thirst cannot be satisfied except by
copious draughts of spirituous liquors. The drunkard's life affords us sufficient proof of the unhappiness of unbridled appetites. Unless you mortify the flesh, it will become unmanageable, will lead you into terrible sin, and then to eternal damnation. When St. Francis of Assisi lay on his death-bed, seeing his body nothing but bones, he said,

"My body, do you see now that I loved you well, and did well in treating you harshly? Now our penances are over; there are no more fasts, and you will see in a short time what a reward it has brought you."

Having now spoken to you of fasting, let me speak of those who eat meat without being restrained in any way by the law of the Church. Such Catholics, though they retain the name, might better leave the ranks of the children of the Church; they would then, at least, not give scandal to others. Be faithful to the laws of the Church; the very care you take not to eat meat on forbidden days is in itself a fast. You will say there is not much in eating a piece of meat, but let us take an example related in the book of Machabees.

Eleazar was an old man, who practised the Jewish law; by an edict of the king he was to eat pork, which was forbidden by the law of Moses. He was to suffer death unless he complied with it, but the grand old man was firm, and would rather undergo any torture than yield to the demand. Some of his friends who stood about advised him to make believe he had eaten, which would have satisfied the cruel king, but the old man absolutely refused; he would rather suffer the penalty than give such an example to the young. Having declared his unchangeable intention, he was at last dragged to death.

But to return to the Gospel. The devil saw that Our Lord was weak from His long fast, and assuming a visible human form he presented himself before Jesus, and said:

"If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. You can certainly do this, for God will hear you and you will then have enough for all your necessities." Listen to the answer of Our Lord,

"It is written, not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." He wished us to understand that it is not so much the food of the body that we should be solicitous about, but rather the spiritual help we find in the word of God. How many are there who think daily and hourly of the food of the body, while the word of God is never considered. Think of the smartness of the devil; how he puts on the outward appearance of fairness and fitness. He does not advise that the bread should be stolen, or even earned by honest labor, but counsels that the bread should be got by a miracle and by prayer. Does not the devil often appear to us under the same garb? He does not advise a young lad to become a great thief at once, for he might be frightened at
that, but he might take a few pennies or dimes that can be abstracted without discovery. This is such a small matterthat it would be unbearable scrupulosity to mind it. He begins with little things, until you are hardened to these petty thefts, and he ends by giving you courage to commit a robbery.

Behold, he has succeeded in making you a full-fledged thief! The devil will not tempt you to say bad words, nor to enter into bad conversation, but he will put into your mouth words of double meaning; he will introduce you to companions who are not exactly bad, for in that case you might be shocked and keep away from them, but to one who is on the way of being spoiled; he and you join your inclinations, and soon end in doing mischief; you may begin by disliking your confessor, so that you go to confession less frequently; the devil will furnish you with many excuses for omitting your prayers or for saying them hurriedly until he at last brings you to the point when you do not pray at all. Such are the artifices of Satan, and you know from experience in your own case and observation of others how often he succeeds.

The devil, though struck with the answer he received from Our Lord, did not desist. He took Him up to the roof of the Temple and placing Him on the pinnacle said,

"If Thou be the Son of God cast Thyself down, for it is written: that He hath given His angels charge over Thee and in their hands shall they bear Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." Our Lord answered,

"It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Not only did Jesus wish to reprimand the devil in this answer, but He had us also in His mind when He said these words. We should not expose ourselves to the danger of falling into sin, expecting that God would draw us out unhurt. We must therefore avoid the occasions of sin, for in the book of Ecclesiasticus we read,

"He that loveth danger shall perish in it." It will not be an excuse to say, "I will be on my guard, I will be careful and watchful not to fall into sin." Eemember that if you place yourself in danger, you may say that you have already fallen. St. Bernard very strongly says,

"It is a greater miracle when in voluntary occasion of sin not to fall than to raise the dead to life." God has not promised us the help of angels under all circumstances. He has not promised us help when we place ourselves on the edge of a precipice. It is true the angels will go with us until we come to the very occasion of sin, but then they veil their faces with their wings, and are sorry for the folly which is going to lead us into ruin. The devil must have been ashamed of the failure of his second effort, but even then he did not stop; again he took Our Lord and placed Him on a very high mountain, where all the expanse of this glorious world could be seen, where the beautiful palaces shone forth from the wooded hills, where the kingdoms of this world could be observed. Showing Him these, the Evil One said: 

"All these will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me." The devil has reached the very depth of degradation; he did not propose this act of idolatry at once, but came to it by degrees, never running away, never abashed or frightened till he reached this point. Christ then rose in His anger and drove the devil from Him, repeating the divine precept,

"The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve." Driven off by the divine power the devil left Our Saviour, and angels came and ministered unto Him. Often has the devil made to you the same proposition,

"All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and adore me." What beautiful things does not Satan suggest, if you will surrender yourself to his service; honors, pleasures, riches, liberty, and happiness, he brings before your mind, and he promises them to you just for that little act of adoration. But are these his to give? He lies, for he is the father of lies. We are sometimes deceived by these promises, and the world looks as if it really belonged to the devil. The rich who are not good enjoy this world; the poor who are God's poor have to suffer want, sickness, and privation. The world which is far from God appears to be happy, for it seems to have all the good, things; while the children of God have only the fear of God and many temptations, and they have to avoid sinful pleasures.

No wonder the youth is deceived and dragged away into the slavery of Satan with the hope of obtaining these glorious promises. Remember the story of the prodigal son; he, too, thought the devil would give him worldly pleasures of every kind, but he was soon undeceived; he found himself in misfortune, and begging for the husks intended for the swine; not even this was given him. Believe not the devil or any of his promises. I have resolved to serve another master, my good God, my Creator, Him only will I adore; and He can and will make me really happy if not in this world, which is after all of short duration, at least for all eternity with His angels in paradise.

                                    Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900

      PREDICTION OF OUR LORD'S PASSION AND                          THE CURE OF THE BLIND MAN
In this Gospel the Church teaches us something of the Passion of Our Lord. About this time of the year a certain
part of the world is going crazy with carnival; people imagine it great fun when they put on masks, dance, and walk about in processions. But the Church wishes her children to think of the Passion of Our Lord, and on these days she asks them to be more zealous and fervent.

Sin is the cause of the Passion of Our Lord; we crucify Our Lord again and make Him an object of mockery. We
have not the same customs here that exist in Europe at carnival time, but by degrees they are creeping in here, too; let us consider the great damage it does to the young people of those countries, and draw from it a lesson which will be very useful to us. We can also judge from it what would be the consequence of following similar indulgences at any time of the year. These applications can be made to our picnics, moonlight excursions, and dances. On the approach, of the carnival the Church redoubles her prayers, and puts on the garb of penance, because so many sins are committed; for this reason, too, the saints of the Church, the friends of God, do more penance that God may be kind to the people who are indulging in these excesses. St. Francis de Sales used to call the carnival days hours of pain and grief to the Church. What disorders, dissoluteness, unlawful relaxations are committed in those days! St. Vincent Ferrer used to think of the approach of those days with horror, for, with unbounded license, people would commit sin after sin without giving themselves time to think. St. Catharine of Sienna was accustomed to cry out with groans, "Oh, what an unhappy time! what a diabolical time!" Day and night she would invoke Our Lord. When the carnival is open you may well say that heaven is closed. The reprehensible things about the carnival are things that are considered dangerous at all times, such as masquerade balls and theatres. St. John Chrysostom considered the theatre the worst place, where the vilest spiritual diseases may be contracted. St. Augustine called the theatre of his day the pomp of Satan. St. Cyprian speaking of it says it is the innovation of the devil; apply all this to picnics and balls too. Now, my good young people, whom would you rather believe; would you rather believe your own passions that drag you into considering these things small matters; would you rather believe our modern, loose Christians, who consider the theatre the school of virtue? Or would you not rather believe those great doctors whom I have quoted, who studied much, and who were enlightened by almighty God? You will say that you always criticise the title of a play before you go. That is nonsense; you know that the name of a play does not give a clue as to whether it is moral or not. What about masquerade balls? The dance is one of the greatest occasions of evil, especially for young people. A youth that loves the ball-room will sooner or later fall into grave sin.

"He who jokes with the devil," says St. Peter Chrysologus, cannot reign with Christ." St. John Chrysostom declared vehemently against dancing; he says it is the innovation of the devil, and those who engage in it cannot escape the snares of the devil. All the saints have said the same thing. During these days of the carnival, especially, let us not form part of the world that has gone crazy, we may say.

There is no objection to modest recreation nor to simple enjoyments. Endeavor to compensate Our Lord Jesus for so many sins committed during this time. With great love, visit a church where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, pray, and receive from Him spiritual joy of which the world knows nothing. In this way you will not put your salvation in jeopardy nor will you, as often happens, ruin the health of the body, as is frequently the case. I myself have seen on the last days of the carnival a funeral procession, and on asking for whom such display was made, was told that it was the funeral of a youth of sixteen years. A few days previously he had taken part in the carnival procession; he had gone to the theatre and to a masked ball. Here he had become overheated, caught cold, contracted pneumonia, and in a few days died. Had he obeyed his parents, had he been reasonable in his enjoyments, he might have saved his life.

But let us return to the Gospel; while Jesus was in the vicinity of Jericho, a poor blind man who sat by the wayside begging, hearing the approach of a great crowd, asked what this might be. They told him that the Great Prophet, the Son of David, was passing by. Then he raised his voice as high as he could, and cried out,

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." Can you not easily see in this poor blind man the figure of a poor sinner? How terrible is the blindness of sinners! They know that by sinning they lose God, that God who created them and redeemed them; they know that they have lost the right to heaven; they sin frequently and without any remorse. What blindness thus to insult almighty God, in whose presence they commit these sins; that God who could annihilate them or could at any moment precipitate them into the flames of hell! Sometimes, by the grace of God, the blind sinners open their eyes to the real state of their souls; they see their misery and their danger, and return to God while it is yet time, and break the chains that hold them bound to the servitude of the devil. Then they ask themselves: Who is this Jesus who is passing by? The truth will suddenly shine on their souls. This is the Saviour of souls, the healer of the blind and of all diseases, especially of the soul. Then in earnest they will raise their voices to Our Lord and cry out in humility and compunction of heart,

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." But you know that the world does not like these exhibitions of piety, the fashionable world does not want to be disturbed by these cries. The passions so natural to our frailty and increased by indulgence, are urged on by the devil, who gives us occasions of sin. Our old companions who continue in their evil course would like us to do the same; these lay their hands on the mouth of the sinner that he may not cry out, and tell him that he should be ashamed to make such an outcry. This is the inner voice that we feel; the voice of conscience that admonishes us and the voice of the body that speaks of enjoyments that are the death of the soul. How the sinner hates to be disturbed by these contending claims! The good voice is hated by the sinner, and he tries to silence it. Again he shuts his eyes and listens to the wicked voice, so that joyously and carelessly he goes on sinning. He has abused once more the grace of the voice of God speaking to his soul. Sinners become ashamed of having ever been modest and pure in word and action, ashamed of ever having loved God, and ridicule the holy maxims of the Gospel. What blindness and perversity this is! Should any of my hearers be of the number of those who have been blind, let them arouse themselves by prayer, and then the grace of light will also come to them. How tearfully and sadly St. Augustine describes these dreadful days of his own blindness,

"I went from one disorder to another, from one precipice to another, like one that was blind." When Jesus heard His name called in that strong way. He stopped, and gave orders that they should bring the poor man to Him. "

What wilt thou that I should do for thee?" asked Our Lord with the most loving condescension.

"Ah, Lord, you see what I need. I am a miserable blind man, give me the light of my eyes." What a beautiful prayer, how short, how affectionate it was, what great good it accomplished. This same petition we too should continually make.

"Lord, that I may see." This spiritual blindness, ignorance, and darkness must be removed; we must be able to see clearly. Give me intelligence, that I may know things rightly, that I may from my earliest days know the wickedness of sin, for now in my blindness it looks so attractive and so beautiful. Lord, make me see the great danger there is in the world, that I may be on my guard and not fall a willing prey to the wiles of Satan. Lord, let me know what company I must avoid, let me see the foolishness of thinking much of riches, excepting in so far as I may be able to use them for the good of others. It is vanity to indulge the appetites of the flesh and to desire that which, if consented to, will bring upon me great punishment. Let me, Lord, see the vanity of wishing for a long life; give me the grace to be contented with a short one and so to labor during it that I may enjoy the heavenly sight of paradise. The good Lord answered the prayer of the blind man, saying,

"Thy faith has cured thee," and immediately the eyes of the blind man received their sight. Filled with joy he followed Our Lord, giving Him praise, and all the people who saw the great miracle also gave praise to God. See, my young people, what grateful recognition you owe to almighty God for the corporal and spiritual light of your body and soul. How often has God given the power of vision to your soul! You certainly remember the darkness in which your soul was cast when you fell into mortal sin. Bodily blindness may bring some good to the soul, for then we cannot see the dangerous occasions which might lead us into sin; the alluring aspect of the objects of our passions cannot be seen by us, and hence cannot excite our imagination; but the blindness of the soul gives the devil power over us.

As soon as God enlightened your soul you saw the dangerous situation in which you were. He stretched out His hands to raise you up, and what appeared to you so beautiful and attractive now looked so hideous that you were terrified, and willingly fled from it. What a great grace this was to you! He made you know what was good, and gave you grace to love it.

Thank almighty God for these spiritual gifts, praise Him for being so good to you. We cannot sufficiently appreciate what God has done for us in giving understanding and light to our soul; but we will know it when, after witnessing the damnation of many souls, we will at last find ourselves in heaven.

                                    Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900