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Every little child must love the cross on which our dear Lord died for us.

THE LIFE ON EARTH OF
OUR BLESSED LORD

TOLD IN RHYME, STORY, AND PICTURE

FOR

LITTLE CATHOLIC CHILDREN

GRACE KEON

Author of " The Ruler of the Kingdom," " Not a Judgment—'

" When Love is Strong," Etc. \

GrctceV/alla.

THIRD EDITION

ST. LOUIS, MO.

Published by B. HERDER

17 SOUTH BROADWAY

FREIBURG (BADEN) [ 68 GREAT RUSSELL ST.

GERMANY LONDON, W. C.

1913

IRibil ©bstat.

Sti. Ludovici, die 15. Julii, 1913

F. G. HoLWECK

Censor Librorum

Umprimatur.

Sti. Ludovici, die 16. Julii, 1913

•{« Joannes J. Glennon

Archiepiscopus Sti. Ludovkt

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

npHis book has been prepared to teach, as its title page indicates, the chief
-*- events in the Hfe of our blessed Lord on earth to little Catholic children,
say from three to six years old. As all our educators agree, the training
of a child in the knowledge of God can not begin too early. One teacher,
impressed with this, cast about for some vehicle by which there might be
conveyed to a number of small children under her care, the true meaning of
Christmas. To them it was the season of gift-giving, the season of St.
Nicholas the toy-bringer, and all efforts to give them a different idea, by way
of oral explanation, were unsuccessful.

So, when the thought of verses occurred to her, she strung together a
few simple rhymes about the Christmas season, set them to the simple air
which will be found further on, and sang them to the children one evening.
Their effect was instantaneous. In one week's time the children knew
three or four verses by heart, could tell, when asked, what Christmas is, and
the sioY}' of the shepherds and the angels. When the last verse ended, it came
to be the usual plea: " Oh, don't you know any more? Sing a little more!"
In this way the life of Our Lord, as set forth in these pages, came to be written.

'' Tell me a stoiy, please tell me a story!" This request from the older
ones can easily be satisfied, but for the small girl or boy of three or four years,
whose brains can not respond with interest for more than four minutes
(" a minute a year " is a good allowance) these rhymes were found effective.

To include herein all the actions of Our Lord on earth would make the
book tedious, long-drawn-out, and, perhaps, cause lack of interest. Too
many incidents would confuse the little minds we are so anxious to train,
and the other events in the life of Our Lord can be given as the children
grow older. Nothing important is missing, while in Appendix A will l^e found
the omitted events, the miracles and the parables, with their Bible references,
for the convenience of the teacher. The rhymes may be picked out at random,
to suit the need of the moment and the lesson which is to be conveyed.

A veiy brief general account is given of the life of Our Lord, to serve
as a connecting link between the rhymes. Some quotations from the Balti-

more Catecliism are used in this portion. These are emphasized by itahcs
throughout.

After the initial success, another experiment was tried — namely, the teach-
ing of the prayers by means of music: the " Our Father " was set to tlie air
of "To Jesus' Heart All Burning " and the " Hail Maiy " to the air of
" Daily, Daily Sing to Maiy." These will be found in Appendix B. Father
Furniss recommends this method of teaching the prayers to small children,
and experience proves that childhood's hymns are often remembered when
catechetical answers have been forgotten. Here it was found very practical,
and the prayers were learned wdthout difficulty.

Upon the mother v/ho has her children at her knee during their most
impressionable years, devolves the sacred duty of preparing the ground, as
it were, for the future instructions of pastor and teacher. It is hoped that
this book will help her in the great task that is hers. Sunday-school teachers
who have wrestled long and laboriously to get the words of the principal
prayers into the minds of even older children will appreciate what a little
help in this direction means. Those who are teaching the children of foreign
parents, to whom our language is like a sealed book, and who have, after
hours of patient drilhng, received the most absurd answers to even the simplest
questions, will find anything that helps, a boon.

To the many kind friends, both clergy and laity, Priests, Sisters, and
Teachers, who have interested themselves in this volume, and who have
helped, by keen criticism and invaluable suggestions, to bring it to its present
form, the author offers sincere and grateful thanks. " That it may help "
is the real reason for this little volume — its reason and its dedication. To
all teachers, instructors, mothers, and to our good Sisters, who are doing
Christ's work on earth, this book is tendered — its only excuse, its only plea
being " that it may help."

The Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1913.

CONTENTS

PAGE

The Story of the King 11

The Law which God Gave 11

The Law is Broken 12

Why God Sent His Son 12

The Angel is Sent 14

What the Angel Said 14

The Visitation 16

St. Ehzabeth and Our Lady 16

The Arrival at Bethlehem 18

Heaven, all Beautiful 18

The Angel's Song 20

What the Shepherds Heard 20

The Little Cave 22

What the Shepherds Thought 22

Our dear Lord's Name 24

The Presentation 24

In the Temple 26

The Wise Men 26

The Wise Men Speak 28

The Angel Comes 28

The Angel's Warning 30

The Flight into Egypt 30

The Holy Innocents 32

The Angel Comes Again 32

At Nazareth 34

The Paschal Feast 34

Our Lord is Lost 36

The I'inding in the Temple 36

Our Lord Speaks 38

The Death of St. Joseph 38

The Voice in the Wilderness 40

At the River Jordan 40

In the Desert 42

Why we Keep Lent 42

Our Lord's First Miracle 44

The Storm at Sea 44

PAGE

Calming the Tempest 4G

The Rich Ruler's Daughter 46

Choosing the Twelve Apostles 48

The Sermon on the Mount 48

The Poor Widow's Son 50

Our Lord's Teaching 50

The People Question 52

St. Peter's Answer 52

Our Holy Father 54

The Transfiguration 54

The Good Shepherd 56

Blessing the Children 56

The First Palm Sunday 58

Our Lord's Love 58

The First Communion 60

Our Lord with us! 60

In the Tabernacle 62

Judas Betrays Our Lord 62

The Scourging 04

The Crowning with Thorns 64

The Carrying of the Cross 66

The Nailing to the Cross 66

At the Cross 68

Our dear Lord Dies 68

The Sun is Darkened 70

Only God Could Pay 70

In the Tomb 72

The Resurrection 72

" Peace be to You " 74

The Ascension 74

The Day of Pentecost 76

The Assumption 76

Loving Our Lord 77

Serving Our Lord 77

Appendices 78-80

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Frontispiece 2

He Dice! on the Cross 13

The Angel is Sent to Our Lady 15

Our Lord on Earth for us 17

The People of Bethlehem telling St.
Joseph they have no Room 19

The Angels bringing the Joyous Message
to the Shepherds 21

The Arrival of tlie Shepherds at the Man-
ger m which Our Lord is Lying 23

The holy Simeon telling Our Lady that a

Sword will pierce her Heart 25

The Three Wise Kings following the
Star 27

The Three Wise Kings offering their
Gifts 29

The Flight of the Holy Family into
Egypt 31

The First Little Ones who died for Our
dear Lord 33

Our Lady, St. Joseph and our blessed

Lord at Nazareth 35

Our Lord is found by His parents teach-
ing in the Temple 37

The death of St. Joseph 39

PAGE

The Baptism of Our Lord in the River

Jordan 41

The Lord thy God Shalt thou Adore 43

Our blessed Lord Calming the Tempest . 45
The Raising of the Rich Ruler's Daugh-
ter 47

Preaching the Sermon on the Mount. ... 49

The Raising of the Poor Widow's Son. . . 51
St. Peter, the Head of the Apo.stles, to
whom our blessed Lord gave the

Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven .... 53

The Transfiguration of Our Lord 55

Suffer the Little Children to come unto

Me 57

Our blessed Lord and His Apostles at the

Last Supper 59

Our Lord really with us in the Tabernacle . Gl

Judas taking the thirty silver Pieces .... 63

The Mocking of our blessed Lord 65

Our Lord is Nailed to the Cross 67

Our Lord dies on the Cross 69

Our Lord is placed in the Tomb 71

The Glorious Resurrection of our blessed

Lord 73

Our Lord Ascends into Heaven 75

ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT.

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IN the beginning ( lod crcatt'd lieavon and
earth. . . . And God created man to His
own image . . . nude and female . . . God saw
all the things that He had made, and they
were very good. — Genesis i, ], 27, 31.

And He commanded him, .saying: Of
every tree of paradise thou shalt eat.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil thou shalt not eat. — Genesis ii,
IG, 17.

XI be Storv? ot tbc Ikino

'T^o EVERY little boy and girl,

-*- This blessed tale is given:

About a King who lo\-ed us so

That He came down from heaven,
And died upon the cross for us.

So we might know and lo^•e
And serve Him ever in this world

And reign with Him above.

XTbe Xaw wbicb (3o& Gave

TAo YOU know why He came to us?
-*-^ Because, long years ago,
When God created all the world

And all the things that grow:
To Adam and Eve, in paradise,

He said: "That you may live
And never die, there's one command,

One law which I shall give."

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THE beautiful land, heaven, is the home of
God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, our
blessed Lady, the angels, the saints, and all
those who were the friends of God when they
lived on earth. This earth, on which we all
live, is our home only for a little wliile —
our real home is in heaven, with God.

But for years and j^ears and years no one
on this earth could go home to heaven
Ijecause of a great sin which had been done
against God. And God was so sorrj'' for the
people who could not go home to heaven,
that His only Son, who was also God, came
down on earth to pay for this great sin by
dying, as man, on the cross.

So, because God died for us, we are now
able, if we do right, to go home to heaven
when we die.

What could tliis great sin be? So great
that God's only Son had to come down
on earth to pay for it? Well, when God the
Father made the first man and woman,
Adam and Eve, He made them " like Him-
self," and put them in paradise. Adam and
Eve were innocent and holy when they came
from the hand of God. He gave them every-
thing on the earth — the rivers, the trees,
the flowers, the animals, the birds — every-
thing belonged to them and to their
children.

To find out, then, if they really loved
Him, who had given them so much, God
told them there was one thing th(\v must
never, never do. He told them if they kept
this one connnand of His they would live
forever.

npHOU hast eaten of the tree whereof I
■*■ commanded thee that thou shouldst
not eat. . . Why hast thou done this? —
Genesis iii, 11, 13.

I will put enmities between thee and the
woman, and thy seed and her seed. She shall
crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait
for her heel. — Genesis iii, 15.

XTbe %a\v is Broken

EHOLD the Tree of Knowledge,
To try yoU; there it stands.

Of this you shall not taste the fruit
Nor touch it with your hands."

First Eve^ then Adam, broke the Law,
That Law which God had made;

So the}^ were sent away from God,
Because they DISOBEYED.

Mbi^ Go& Sent Ibis ^on

"^ToT 3"ou, nor I, nor any one,
■^ ^ Could ever see God's face,
Unless God's Son came dow^i to us,

And won us back our place.
So that is why, dear little ones,

Down from His heav-en-ly throne.
There came the mighty Son of God

To claim and save His own.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

To try their obedience, God commanded
Adam and Eve not to eat of a cer-
tain fruit which grew in the garden of
paradise.

One day, however, thcv liroke this one
command. They DISOBEYED God. Eve
took some of the fruit of the Tree, ate of
it, and gave some to Adam, who also ate.
As soon as they had done this, they were
sorry and ashamed.

But God knew about it right away, and
because Adam and Eve did not remain faithfid
to God, hid broJ:e His command hy eating the
forJndden fruit, He had to punish them. He
sent them out of paradise, down to the earth,
AWAY FROM IHIVI. And at the gate of
paradise He put an angel with a flaming
sword, so that they could not go liack.

Now every man and woman and cliild on

this earth are the children of Adam and Eve,
our first father and mother. On account of
the disobedience of our first parents, we all
share in their sin and punishment, as we
shoidd have shared in their happiness if they
had remained faithfid.

But still we belonged to God. He loved
us, and He wanted us in heaven, our real
home, which we would never have lost had
not Adam and Eve disobeyed Him. That
sin of theirs had to be paid for. Who could
pay for it? Only God. So God the Son
came down from heaven, took the form of a
man, and died as a man on the cross. Our
Blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is
the Redeemer of mankind. He is God and He
was man, too, and as man He died on the
cross for j^ou and me and every one in the
whole world.

As man He died on the cross for you and me, and every one in
the whole world.

AND in the sixth month the Angel Gabriel
was sent from God into a city of Galilee,
called Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man
wl:ose name was Joseph. — St. Luke i, 26, 27.

And the angel said. . . Marj^, thou hast
found grace with God, Behold. . . thou
shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call
His name Jesus. — St. Luke i, 30, 31.

'C;F3e Rmci is Sent

T70UII thousand years the people prayed,
■*- Four thousand years had passed
Before they knew the time was near

When He would come at last!
To Nazareth; where Maiy lived.

The Angel Gabriel
Was sent, as God's ow^n messenger.

The happy news to tell.

Mbat tbe Rngcl Sai&

T>EFOiiE Our Queen the angel stood.
^^ "Hail, full of grace!" he said,
"The Lord is with thee! Blest art thou!"

And Mary bowed her head:
" I am His handmaid — be it done

According to His will!"
Thus meekly spoke the Chosen One,

Tho' Mother, Virgin still!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THE Son of God did not become man imme-
diately after the sin of our first parents,
hut ivas PROMISED to them as a Redeemer.
Four thousand years passed. All the people
who lived on earth during that time, and
who loved God, prayed that the Saviour
might soon come down from heaven. Those
xoho lived before the Son of God became man
could be saved by believing in a Redeemer to
come, and by keeping the Commandments.

At last, one great day, the Angel Gabriel
was sent to Nazareth, to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, to tell her that she was to be the
^Mother of God.

This great day is called Annunciation day.

Nazareth was a little town in Galilee,
where the Blessed Virgin Mary and St.
Joseph hved. St. Joseph was a carpenter.
He worked at his trade, and our blessed
Lady took care of the house. She was very
kind to all. But morning, noon, and night

she prayed to God, for she loved Him better
than any one of us can ever love Him. No
one on this earth, except our dear Lord
Himself, was ever as good and pure as our
blessed Lady. We keep the feast of the
Immaculate Conception — a special feast of
our clear Lady's — on the eighth of December
every year. It is a holy day.

When the Angel Gabriel came into the room
where our blessed Lady was kneeling, saying
her prayers on that great day, he said to
her: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is
with thee! Blessed art thou among women!"
Our dear Lady was frightened. " Do not
be afraid," the angel said. " God has sent
me to tell thee that at last His Son is coming,
and that thou art to be His Mother. And
thou shalt call His name JESUS."

Mary was filled ^vith ]oj. She bowed her
head, saying: " I belong to God. He can
do with me just as He pleases."

Our Blessed Lady was kneeling, saying her prayers on that great day,
when the Angel Gabriel came into the room.

AND Mary rising up in those days went
into the liill country. And she entered
into the house , . . and saluted Ehzabeth. — St.
Luke i, 39.

And Ehzabeth was fiUed with the Holy
Ghost and she cried out with a loud voice,
and said, Blessed art thou among women. —
St. Luke i, 42.

Ube Visitation

T?AR, far across the distant hills

Lived St. Elizabeth,
Our Lady's cousin^ whom she loved-

And SO; from Nazareth,
She went into the little town

And traveled many days;
Elizabeth, on seeing her,

Was filled with joy and praise.

St» j£Ii3abetb anb ®ur %at>^

"|\ yfosT happil}^ she greeted her:

" 0 Mary, can this be.
That thou, the Mother of my Lord,

Should come to visit me?"
Then Mary spoke — but when, some day.

The blessed Book you read:
You'll learn how our dear Lady praised

God's work and word and deed.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

FAR off across the mountains, in a little
town among the hills, lived the Blessed
Mary's cousin, St. Elizabeth. After the
Angel Gabriel had been sent with the message,
and when our blessed Lady knew that she was
to be God's Mother, she left Nazareth. She
wanted to see her cousin, and to be with her.
When she went into the house where St.
Elizabeth was living, and St. Elizabeth heard
Our Lady's voice, she seemed to know at once
that Mary was to be the Mother of God's
only Son. She used the very same words
the Angel (labriel had spoken: " Blessed
art thou among women!"

" Blessed art thou among women!" cried

St. Ehzabeth. "Oh, what have I done to
earn this joy — that the Mother of my Lord
should come to visit me?" And then Our
Lady began " The Magyiificat," which you
will read in the Bible when you grow older —
Our Lady's song of praise.

Our blessed Mother staj^ed in the little
town in the hill country until Elizabeth's
son John was born. The son of St. Elizabeth
was St. John the Baptist, and a little further
on in this story you will learn why he was
called by this name. When Elizabeth did
not need her, Mary went back to her own
home at Nazareth. But she was not to stay
in Nazareth a long while.

Because God died for us, \vc are now able, if we do right, to go home
to heaven w'hen we die.

AND it came to pass in those days . . .
that the whole world should be enrolled
. . . every one in his own city. And Joseph
also went . . . with Mary. . . When they

were there . . . she brought forth her first-
born Son . . . and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the
inn. — St. Luke ii, 1-7.

Tibc arrival at Betblebcm

UNTO the town of Bethlehem
St. Joseph and Our Queen
Came, begging shelter — there was none

In house or hall or inn.
They found a lonely cave at last —

How mean and poor a throne!
Yet there was born the King of kings,
The Father's onlv Son.

Ibeaven, HII Beautiful

FAR, far above those deep blue skies,
Where stars are set at night,
WTiere hangs the silver moon, and where

The splendid sun gives light:
Our blessed Lord in heaven dwells,

With all the angels, too;
But leaving heaven on Christmas night
He came to me and you.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

ABOUT this time, the Emperor wanted to
know how many people were living in
his country. So he sent out a command that
every man should go to the city to which he
belonged, there to have his name put down in
a big book. St. Joseph belonged to the city
of Bethlehem, and taking our blessed Lady
with him, he went there from Nazareth. It
was very near the time for Our Lord to be
bom, but they had to go, to obey the com-
mand of the Emperor. Lots and lots of other
people had to go, too, and the city of Beth-
lehem was so crowded that St. Joseph could
not find any room. No one would let them
in. No matter how many they asked there
was only one answer, " We have no room!
We have no room!" Tired out, they went
past the houses, and found a little cave in

the side of a mountain. There were a few
animals in the cave, for it was used as a
stable. In this cave Our Lord, God's only
Son, was born, on Christmas Day. Christ-
mas Day is, as you know, dear children, one
of the greatest of feast days.

Down from heaven, that beautiful land,
where the angels praised and loved Him,
came our blessed Lord! One would think
that He should be born in a palace, and laid
in a bed of gold — that He should come to
earth a king. But, no! He was born in a
lonely stable, with only St. Joseph and His
Mother to kneel before Him and worship
Him. It made Mary sad to think how poor
and cold the stable was. But soon she
forgot to be sad, for she had her dear little
Baby in her arms. And her Baby was God!

No matter how many tlicy asked there was only one answer; "We have
no room! We have no room!"

AND suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly army, prais-
ing God, and saving. Glorv be to God in
the highest— 5^ 'Luke ii, 13, 14.

For this day is horn to you a Saviour, who
is Christ the Lord. . . You shall find the
Infant . . . laid in a manger. — Si. Lxike ii,
11, 12.

/T-^HEY placed Him gently in the straw.
^ They did not have a bed;
The Lord of all had here no room

Wherein to lay His head.
Yet love and joy filled Mary's heart.

While o'er the distant hill
The angels sang, " On earth be peace

To people of good will!"

Mbat tbe Sbepber^s IbearD

''-T^HE shepherds tended carefully

-*- Their little lambs so white;

The angel came with jo3^ous news

That blessed Christmas night:
" Oh, hasten, shepherds, hasten on,

And see Him where He lies;
Come, follow far the Christm.as star

That lights the Christmas skies!"

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

YES, a palace of marble, a rich bed, the
softest and finest clothing, and dozens
of people to take care of him — all these
are ready for the son of an earthly king when
he comes into the world. But our dear Lord,
the King of heaven, did not have any of
these things. He had not even a bed to
lie in, and His Mother wrapped Him up in
swaddling-clothes, and laid Him in a manger
filled with straw, from which the cattle used
to eat.

But the angels who had seen this great
sight — God Himself born in a stable — sang
the Christmas message overhead: " Glory

be to God on high, and on earth peace to men
of good will!"

The beautiful Christmas angels came to
the shepherds who were taking care of their
sheep and lambs on the other side of tlie
mountain. They were poor, hardworking
men, and when they saw the great light in
the sky, and heard the angels singing, they
did not know what it all meant. But the
angel said: "Do not be afraid! I bring
you happy, happy news. This day a Saviour
is born! Christ the Lord is born! And
you will find Him lying on the straw in a
stable!"

'I bring you happy, happy news. This day a Saviour is born ! Christ
the Lord is born !"

AND behold an angel of the Lord stood bj^
them, and the brightness of God shone
round about them. — St. Luke ii, 9.

They came \\ith haste, and found Mary
and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the man-
ger.—*SL Luke, ii, 16.

XTbe Xittlc Cav>e

QCAECE knowing what the angel meant
^ Who had appeared to them.
The shepherds followed quickly to

The cave at Bethlehem.
St. Joseph and Our Lady dear,

In prayer, and love, and awe,
Were kneeling at the tiny crib,

AMiere God lay on the straw!

Mbat tbe SbcpberDs Ubougbt

\ ND then the shepherds knew the truth:
^ About the holy Child,
And while they stood in wond'ring fear.

He gazed at them and smiled.
" No gifts have we," they meekly thought,

" For we are very poor."
He seemed to whisper: "Bring 3'our love,

I ask for nothing more."

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THEN the shepherds wondered and spoke
to one another. " Can this be?" they
asked. " Can it be that the Promised One,
the Redeemer, has come at last? Oh, we
will go at once and see!" For you know,
dear cliildren, that even the very poorest
of God's people were sure that some day the
SAVIOUR would be born. They knew, too,
that He was to be born in Bethlehem, because
a holy man of CJod, called the Prophet Isaias,
had said so seven hundred years before.

And now the shepherds started off, carry-
ing with them some of the little lambs of the
flock as a gift to the new-born King. They
found the stable very easily. Everything
was as the angel had said. The dear Lord
was lying on straw in the manger, and St.

Joseph and our blessed Lady were kneeling
beside Him.

When the shepherds looked inside the
stable, and saw the Baby shining with such
a heavenly light, they knew they had found
the new-born King. So they went in, and
knelt before the manger. And they thought
what a wonderful thing it was, that God
had come, after four thousand years, to pay
for the DISOBEDIENCE of Adam and Eve.
They were sorry that they could not bring
precious gifts. But when the little Lord
looked at them, they felt, deep down in their
hearts, that the only gift He really wanted
was their love.

And that, dear children, is the only gift
God wants from us all.

Our dear Lord was l\iiig mh >tr:i\v in tlic inan-cr, and St. Joseph and Our
Lady were beside Him.

AND after eight days were accomplished
that the Child should be circumcised:
His name was called Jesus. — St. Luke ii, 21.

According to the law of Moses. . . they
carried Him to Jerusalem, to present Him
to the Lord.— *S^. Luke ii, 22.

®ur Dear Xor^'5 IRame

Oo WHEN eight days had passed away
*^ They gave unto Our Lord
The holy name of Jesus Christ,

By heaven and earth adored.
And when we hear that name, we bow

The head; or bend the knee,
And whisper, " Praised be Christ our King

Foralleternitv!"

dhc ipresentation

/^BEYiNG, then, the Church's law

^^ Up to Jerusalem

They carried Christ, the Infant King

That they might offer Him
To God within the Temple old —

In joy came Simeon
And held Him in his trembling arms,

God's blessed, only Son!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THE shepherds went back again to take
care of their sheep, telling every one
they met of the wonderful Baby they had
just been to see. And the time passed on,
until Our Lord was eight days old, and He
was to be given His name. So St. Joseph
called Him JESUS, as he had been told by
the angel. The name JESUS means Saviour,
Redeemer. When we hear that holy name,
or say it in our prayers, we must bow our"
head, or bend our knee, because it is God's
name. The day on which Our Lord was
given His name is another of the Church's
great feast-days — the Feast of the Circum-
cision.

It is a holy day, and we celel)rate it on the
first day of January.

It was the law of the Church that every

little boy who was born first in a family
should be carried to the Temple, and there
offered to God. The father and mother
carried the baby to the Temple, offered him
to God, and then, before the priest gave
him back again, offered something in place
of him. Rich people gave rich gifts, but the
poor could give only poor gifts. St. Joseph
and Our Lady were poor, and when they
carried the dear Lord to the Temple to offer
Him to God, His Father, thej^ took two
doves as a gift, for they could not afford
any more.

While they stood, Simeon came into the
Temple. He was an old, old man, and so
good that God the Holy Ghost had let him
know that he would not die until he had seen
the Promised Redeemer.

While they stood, Simeon came into the Temple. He was an old, old man.

AND behold there was a man . . . named
Simeon. And he had received an answer
that he should not see death before he had
seen the Christ.— 5<. Luke ii, 25, 26.

Behold, there came Wise Men from the
East to Jerusalem, saying Where is He
that is born King of the Jews?— 5^ Matthew
ii, 1. 2.

Un tbe Uemple

BEFORE the hoh' man they stood —
Of David's royal race —
" Now, bless the Lord, my soul!" he said,

''That I have seen His face.
Yet, Mary, through thy tender heart

Shall go a cruel sword!"
The will of God the Mrgin heard
In meekness, and adored.

Zbc Wiisc /iDen

THE AYise Men of the East had learned
That now the time was near,
AMien Christ, the Lord of all mankind,

Our Saviour, would appear.
So taking gifts of gold and myrrh

And frankincense as well.
They left their homes to seek the place
WTierein the King might dwell.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

WHEN the good and holy Simeon came
into the Temple, and took the little
Bab\^ in liis arms, he knew that this was the
Sa\iour who had been promised — the Saviour
who was to be born of the race of David,
the great King of Israel. Both Mary and
Joseph were of David's race. Simeon looked
up to heaven, and said: " Now I can die
in peace, 0 God, for this is indeed Thy Son,
who has come down on earth to save His
people."

Ajid then he turned to Mary, our dear
blessed Mother—" Oh, Mother, thou wilt
suffer!" he said. " Thou wilt suffer so
much that it will be like a sword going through
thy heart!"

St. Joseph and Our Lady were in Bethlehem
when the three Wise Men or Magi came from

the East. From their books these Wise
Men knew that a great King, long promised
to the Jewish people, was to be born, and
led by a star they came to look for Him.
King Herod was told that three Wise 'Men
were looking for a new King. He asked
them to come back and tell him if they found
Him, " because I want to worsliip Him,
too," he said. At last the ]\Lagi saw the
star shine over the stable, so they went in,
and fell on their knees before the Lord, and
adored Him and gave Him gifts.

The gift of the first Wise Man was gold,
because Our Lord is King; the second Wise
Man gave frankincense, because Our Lord
is God ; and the third Wise Man gave myrrh,
because Our Lord, as man, was to die on the
cross.

At last the Magi saw the star shine over the stable.

THE star wliich they had seen in the East
went before them until it came and stood
over where the Child was . . . they found
the Child wnth Mary His Mother and falling

down they adored Him. — St. Mattheivu, 9, 11.
And after they were departed, behold an
angel of the Lord appeared ... to Joseph. —
St. Matthew ii, 13.

XLbc Wiisc men Speaft

TT TE AKE the Magi, journeying,
' ' From Eastern lands afar —
Our people call us Mel-chi-or,

Gas-par, and Bal-ta-sar.
We followed, from Jerusalem,

The Star that shone on high;
We come to greet the promised King,

The Lord of earth and sky!"

Xlbe Hngel Comes

'TpHE Kings arose and went away,
•^ St. Joseph slept alone
And dreamed of God, the holy One-

When round about him shone
A flame that filled the little room,

A blaze of dazzling light.
And lo! A shining angel stood

Before his wond'ring sight.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

VERY old writings tell us that there were
three of these Wise Men, or Magi, and
that they were called Melchior, Caspar, and
Baltasar. It made no difference to them
that our blessed Lord was not born in a rich
house. They knew He was the KING, the
one who had been PROMISED.

And now they had to go back into their
own country. They wondered if they should
let Herod know that they had found the new
King. But while they were sleeping they
were told by an angel that they must go back
by another way, and not say anything to
Herod. Herod was waiting, but of course they

did not go near him — they obeyed the angel.

The visit of the poor shepherds and the
visit of the rich Wise Men to our dear Lord,
show that He came down from heaven for
all people. Every one on this earth, rich
or poor, king or beggar, belongs to God.

The Wise Men had gone. St. Joseph was
fast asleep, when it seemed to him that the
place was suddenly filled with the most
dazzling light. At first he did not know
what it meant, but soon he saw an angel,
and when the angel spoke to him he grew
afraid — for the angel told him something
that really troubled him.

So they went in, and fell on their knees before the Lord and adored
Him, and gave Him gifts.

SAYING, Arise, and take the Child and His | Who arose and took the Cliild and His
Mother, and fly into Egypt. For Herod will Mother by night, and retired into Egypt. —
seek ... to destroy Him.— >S«. Matthew ii, 13. i St. Matthew ii, 14.

XTbe Hngel's XlXIlarnina

"/"^o, QUICKLY, quickly, Joseph — go,

I bid thee to arise!
And take the Mother, and the Child

From the cradle where He lies.
The cruel Herod sendeth men

To kill the holy One!
So thou must haste to Eg}'pt's land,

To save God's only Son."

^be miQbt into lEQWt

Qt. Joseph trembled, sore afraid,
^ For well he loved the Child
And well he loved the ]\Iother dear —

Our Mother, meek and mild.
In haste he rose, and then they went

Out in the dark of night.
Afar, afar to Egypt's land,

Away from Herod's might.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

" A RISE quickly, Joseph," said the angel.
■^"^ " Take the Mother and the Child, and
get ready to go away." And then, while
St. Joseph hstened, the heavenly messenger
continued: " Not back to Nazareth, or to
any other part of thine own country. But
far off into Egypt, where thou must stay
until thou art told to leave it. Herod is
very angry. He told the Wise Men to return
to him when they had found the new King.
And now he knows that they have gone
without any word to him, and he is afraid,
too, that the new King will be king in his
place. So he is going to send soldiers to
kill the Son of God."

How could our dear St. Joseph tell this

awful news to Our Lady? But he had to.
The Bible sa.ys that St. Joseph " arose and
took the Child and His Mother by night,"
so that the journey must have been begun
at once. We can almost see our dear, good
St. Joseph getting ready. Perhaps he led
out the strong little donkey that had carried
Our Lady from Nazareth to Bethlehem,
and Our Lady sat upon it, holding the dear
Lord, while St. Joseph led it. In tliis way
they left Bethlehem, where Christ was born
on Christmas daij in a stable over nineteen
hundred years ago. They did not know what
they were going to do in Egypt, but Mary
and St. Joseph were very sure that God would
take care of them.

They did not know what they were going to do in Egj-pt, but Mary and
Joseph were very sure that God would take care of them.

HEROD . . . exceeding angn' . . . killed all
the men-children that were in Bethle-
hem . . . from two years old and under. —
JSt. Matthew ii, IG.

An angel of the Lord appeared m slei p lo
Joseph in Egypt, saying: Arise and take
the Child and His Mother, and go into the
land of Israel— St. Matthew ii, 20.

TLbc Ibolv Unuoccuts

TT THEN they were gone, through all that place,
^^ Great cruelty was clone;
For soldiers killed all little boys —

To kill the blessed One.
The baby in his mother's arms,

The baby at her knee —
But safe and sound in Egypt's land,

Dwelt the Holy Family!

XTbe Hiujel Comes Hgain

\ ND there they stayed for many years,
^ Until the hour l^efell
When they might safely pass into

The land of Israel.
While deep in sleep St. Joseph lay.

The angel came again,
And said, " Go forth, for those are dead,

A\Tio sought His life in vain."

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD'

Now, Herod was a cruel man, and a bad
king. The visit of the Wise Men had
made him afraid. When a man loves money,
or pleasure, or a high place in the world
instead of God, he is always afraid of losing
that which he loves instead of God. So
Herod, who loved being a king, feared that
he might lose this honor if the new King
were found. When the Wise Men went
back without a word he was sure they did
not want to say anything to him about the
new King — so he made up his mind that the
new King must die. He sent his soldiers
to Bethlehem, commanding them to kill
every little boy baby who was two years
old and younger. In this way, thought
Herod, the new King will surely be killed.

But the Holy Family were safe on the way
to Egypt.

There, in Egypt, the Holy Family lived
for some time. St. Joseph, as we know, was
a carpenter, and he found plenty of work to
do, while Our Lady took care of the Lord,
and was very happy. Then the cruel King
Herod died, and the angel came again to
St. Joseph in his sleep and told him to go
back to his own country — the land of Israel.
Which St. Joseph did. Herod's son was
king in Herod's place, so St. Joseph did
not go near Bethlehem. Instead, he went
straight to Nazareth, to the little house in
which he and the Blessed Virgin were living
when the Angel Gabriel was sent to tell her
that she was to be the Mother of God.

The first little ones to die for our blessed Lord. The feast of the Holy
Innocents is kept on the twenty-eighth of December, three davs
after Christmas.

HE AROSE and took the Child and His
Mother and came into the land of
Israel. . . . And coming, he dwelt in a citv
called Nazareth.— »S«. Matthew ii, 21, 23.

And the Child grew and waxed strong,
full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in
Him. And His parents went every year to
Jerusalem, at the Pasch. — St. Luke ii, 40, 41.

Ht IRasaretb

TT TiTHiN the home at Nazareth
^' Our Lady wove and spun;
St. Joseph used the plane and saw,

And Jesus did not shun
The httle, humble, daily task,

The humble daily toil —
To carry water from the well,

Or work the blessed soil.

Zbc ipascbal ifeast

■ow every year, at paschal time,
Of work and task made free —
From Naz'reth to Jerusalem
Set forth the holy Three —
According to this custom, they,

WTien Christ was twelve years old,
Made haste to keep the paschal feast
Within the Temple's fold.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

You can be very sure that St. Joseph and
Our Lady were glad to get back to their
own home in their own land again, although
both could be happy in any country while
they had their divine Son, Our Lord, with
them. They Uved once more at Nazareth,
and now, when St. Joseph worked at his
trade, our dear Lord helped him with his
work — while Our Lady spun the flax and
wove the cloth to make the robes they wore.
And when she wanted water from the well,
or vegetables from the garden, Our Lord
used to get them for her, just as you do httle
errands for mother or grandma.

It came the Feast of the Pasch, which was
a great feast. Everj^ year Our Lady and St.
Joseph went up to the Temple in Jerusalem
during this time, taking Our Lord with them.
But when Our Lord was twelve years old,
it was the LAW that He should go, just as,
when you are seven years old, it is the
LAW of the Church for you to go to Mass on
every Sunday and holy day. When they
went up to the Temple the men used to go
together in one company by themselves,
and the women in another company by them-
selves. Sometimes the children were with
the men, and sometimes with the women.

rhey lived once more at Nazareth, and St. Joseph worked at his trade.
And Our Lord helped him with his work.

THEY sought Him among their kinsfolk and
acquaintances, and not finding Him they
returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. — St. Luke
ii. 44. 45.

They found Him in the Temple, sitting
in the midst of the Doctors. . . . And all
that heard Him were astonished. — St. Luke
ii, 46, 47.

®ur Xor& is %ost

\ ND when they had fulfilled the Law,
^ ^ They went their homeward wa}' —
St. Joseph and Our Lady sweet —

Nor missed their Son that day.
Until, at last, not seeing Him

'Alid friends and kinsfolk near:
With troubled hearts they sought for Him-

The Boy to them so dear.

Z\K fin^ina, in tl3e Xlcmple

r ONG, long tht}' looked for liim in vain:
^^ At last His face they saw,
Amid the Temple's learned ones,

And Doctors of the Law.
And then the Mother spoke: " ]\Iy Son,

For da}'s and nights now three
Behold, we seek Thee sorrowing —

Why didst Thou so to me?"

HOW THE STORY .AIAY BE TOLD

AFTER they had kept the Feast in the
Temple, Mary and Joseph started back
again to Nazareth. Not seeing the Lord,
Our Lady thought He was with St. Joseph,
and when St. Joseph missed Him, he thought
the dear Lord was with His _ Mother.. . In-
stead, He had stayed in Jerusalem.

When the men and women met at the first
stopping-place, Mary and St. Joseph came
looking for each other. Not until then did
they know that the Lord was not with the
party. They searched and asked, but could
not find Him. No one could tell them any-
thing about Him.

Oh, how sad they were! Our Lady's heart
ached— she was terribly grieved. Her dear

Boy was lost! And St. Joseph was very sad
too. Thej^ started right back again, of
course, and looked in every part of the city.
But it was all of no use. At last, after three
long days, the}^ went into the Temple. And
there they saw the Lord sitting with the
Doctors of the Temple, talking to them.
Our Lady went up to Him and put her hand
on His arm. Her face was white and sad.
She stood looking at Our Lord for a few
moments, and then she said: "Why didst
Thou do this? We have been searching
for Thee three days, not knowing where to
find Thee. And we have been afraid, and
very sorrowful. Dear Son, why didst Thou
do this? "
36

At last, after three long days, they went into the Temple. And there tliey
saw the Lord with the Doctors of the Temple.

AND His Mother said to Him: Son, why
hast Thou done so to us? Behold, Thy
father and I have sought Thee, sorrowing.
And He said to them: How is it that you
sought Me? Did you not know that I must

be about My Father's business? — St. Luke
ii. 48, 49.

And He went down with them and came to
Nazareth. And His Mother kept all these
words in her heart. — St. Luke ii, 51.

©ur Xor& Speafts

'A";.

]M other!" came His tender words-
How is't thou dost not know
That on the heavenly Father's work

His Son must ever go?"
Our Lady mutely bowed her head:
The sword had pierced her heart;
Too soon, too soon, the day would come,
When He and she must part!

Ube H)eatb ot St. Sosepb

,NCE more they went to Xazareth-
The Holy Family.
And there they lived for man}' years,

And there, most happily,
St. Joseph closed his e}'es on earth —

Ah, let us pray that we
May die as blessed Joseph died,
And in such company!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOI-D

OUR blessed Lord looked up at His Mother.
He waited a little while, and then He
said, very softly: " Didst thou look for Me?
What could happen to Me? Didst thou not
know that I must do some work for My
Father in heaven?"

Our Lady said nothing, but bowed her head
sadly. Soon, soon He would be a man, and
give His life for His people! The pain that
went through her heart was so sharp that it
felt as if a sword had gone into it! She
remembered the words of holy Simeon in the
Temple: " And thy own soul a sword shall
pierce!" and she knew that when the dear
Lord left her, to do the will of His Father
in heaven, she would suffer very much.

But the parting had not yet come. Our
Lord was only a little boy, so He went back
to Nazareth vnth St. Josepli and His Mother,
and stayed there until He was a man. In
the years that followed, St. Joseph grew old,
and it came time for him to die. Our Lord
and the blessed Mother knelt beside Him,
and angels were waiting to carry his pure
soul into the place where it had to stay
until heaven was opened. This place was
called Limbo. The souls of all the good
people who died before Our Saviour paid for
the DISOBEDIENCE of Adam and Eve
by dying on the cross, went to Limbo. Not
even dear St. Joseph could go home to
HEAVEN until that sin had been paid for!

In the years that followed, St. Joseph grew old, and it eanie tnn^
him to die.

AND in those days cometh John the Bap-
tist, preaching in the desert of Judea:
and saying, Do penance, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. — St. Matthew iii, 1, 2.

And Jesus, being baptized, forthwith came
out of the water, and lo, the heavens were
opened to Him: and He saw the Spirit of
God.— St. Matthew iii, 16.

Zbc Dolce in tbe Mil&crness

AT LAST, St. John the Baptist —
Pre-cur-sor of the Word —
(Which means that he was sent to tell

The coming of the Lord) —
Began to preach of Christ, and said:
" Make straight His paths to-day —
For He has come! The Lamb of God,
Who taketh sin awa}^!"

Ht tbe IRiver 5or^an

UNTO St. John the Baptist,
^^llo preached, bap-ti-zing men,
Came Christ, and on His sacred head

W^as poured the water then.
And when 'twas done, the heavens oped,

And God spoke from the skies:
" See! This is My beloved Son
Whom I so dearly prize!"

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

AT LAST Our Lord was a man— Ho was
thirty years old. He must now begin
to tell the people what they were to do to
please God. Our blessed Mother knew that
the hour had come — that she must give up
her Son, who was God. That He must
leave His home to teach and preach, and in
the end, die. But, before Our Lord began
His work on earth, St. John the Baptist,
who had been living in the desert, came out,
and began to tell every one that the long-
promised Saviour of His people was coming —
that the LAMB OF GOD would appear,
and all must begin to prepare the way for
Him.

You will remember that St. John the Baptist
was St. Elizabeth's son, and a cousin of Our
Lady's. (A very old story says that St.
John the Baptist's father, Zachary, was put
to death by the soldiers because he told of

the glory of the new-born Saviour after the
Holy Family's flight into EgjqDt. And then,
fearing that her son, St. John the Baptist^
might be killed, too, St. EUzabeth took
him away into the desert, where he lived
until he was a man.)

The reason why St. John is called the Bap-
tist is that when the people came to listen
to him, and were sorry for their sins, he bap-
tized them in the water of the River Jordan.
Our Lord came to him also to be baptized.
St. John said: " Thou art the great Son of
God — / should be baptized by Thee." But
Our Lord said, " No." Then St. John
baptized Our Lord in the river, and when
He stepped out of the water the sky opened,
and God the Holy Ghost, in the shape of
a dove, rested above Him, while God the
Father spoke from heaven, saying: " This
is My beloved Son!"

St. John the Baptist baptized Our Lord in llie n\cr. . . while God the
Father spoke from heaven, saying: "This is My beloved Son!"

THEK' Jesus saith to him, Begone, Satan
, . . Then the de\dl left Him, and
behold, angels came. — St. Matthew iv, 10, 11.

From that time Jesus began to preach . . .
preaching the gospel of the kingdom and heal-
ing—St. Matthew iv, 17, 23.

IFn tbe H)esert

r|-MiEN forth into the desert drear
-*- Our blessed Lord was led.
And there He stayed, and fasted long,

Till forty days had sped.
But when the devil, tempting, came,

Our Saviour cried: "Begone!
The Lord thy God shalt thou adore:

And serve but Him alone!"

Mbp we Ikeep Xent

T>ECAUSE Christ fasted forty days,

We keep the Lenten fast.
Because He fasted for our sins

This holy time is passed
In pra3'er by every Catholic;

\Yho shuns all pleasures gay.
That he may thankfully rejoice

Upon glad Easter day!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

AFTER Our Lord was baptized by St.
Jolm the Baptist, He was led out into
the desert. There, for forty days and forty
nights He fasted. At the end of the forty
daj^s and forty nights Our Lord was hungry
and weak. The devil came then, and tried
to make Him do wrong. But Our Lord
said: " Go, Satan! The Lord thy God
shalt thou adore!" The devil went away then,
and angels came down to Our Lord and gave
Him food.

Our dear Lord, as man, allowed the devil
to tempt Him to do wrong in order that we,
too, when tempted to do wrong, should re-
member Our Lord's words, and say: "Go,
Satan! We will never offend our dear
Saviour by SIX!"

Christ lived on earth about thirty-three ijears,
and led a most holy life in poverty and siiffering.
He came from heaven to this earth, and from
a httle child, grew up to be a man. That
was a wonderful thing for God to do, but
He did it for us, because none of us could pay
God back for the great sin of Adam and
Eve. Only God could do that. And when
He fasted forty days and fort}^ nights in the
desert. Our Lord was still paying. In lov-
ing memory of that fast of Our Lord we keep
the forty days of Lent, praying a little more,
going to church a little oftener, and giving
up little pleasures, so that when Easter Day
comes, we can all be glad that we have done
something to show our dear Lord how much
we love Him.

The devil came then, and tried to make Him do wrong. But Our Lord
said: "Go, Satan! The Lord thy God shalt thou adore!"

AND the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus
saith unto Him, Thej' have no wine. . . .
His IMother saith to the waiters. Whatsoever
He says to ye, do ye. — St. John ii, 3, 5.

And behold a great tempest arose in the
sea, so that the boat was covered with waves^
but He was asleep. . . . And His disciples
waked Him— 5i. Matthew viii, 24, 25.

®ur Xor^'s jfirst /FlMracle

/^F OUR dear Lord's first mir-a-cle

We read, in Holy Text:
How at the feast the wine had failed

And all were shamed and vext.
His Mother's pleading words He heard.

And changed, so all could see:
The brimming water into wine.

At Cana of Galilee!

XTbe Storm at Sea

rjE preached, one day, from morn till eve,
-*■ -*■ The people closer pressed;
And He and His disciples went.

Into a boat to rest.
But soon a mighty storm arose —

The waves rolled mountain-high:
The little ship tossed to and fro —

And death seemed very nigh.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

So Our Lord was baptized in the River
Jordan, fasted forty daj's and forty nights,
and was tempted bj'^ the devil. Then He
began to teach the people. About this
time there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.
Our blessed Lady was there, and Our Lord
was there, too, and while all the guests
were chatting and laughing, and enjoying
themselves, the wine gave out. The bride
and bridegroom were ashamed, and told
Our Lady about it, perhaps, for it was Our
Lady who came to her dear Son, and whis-
pered: "Son, they have no wine." Then
she bade the waiters to do whatever He told
them. At His word they set out six big water-
pots filled up to the top \vith water. Our
Lord said: " Draw out now, and carry to

the chief steward of the feast." And when
they did as they were told, the water was
found changed into wine. This was Our
Lord's first miracle.

But Our Lord worked many, many miracles,
or wonders, and in every way proved He was
the Son of God. The people followed Him
at all times, listening to Him. One daj'',
near the evening, s(>eing such a big crowd
about Him, He went with His disciples into
a little ship. Then, sending the people
away for a while. He and His disciples set
out in the boat. Our Lord fell asleep. A
storm arose. The waves were as high as
mountains, and those who were in the ship
thouglit it would surely sink, and that they
would be drowned. But still the Lord slept.

Our Lord stood up, and lifting His hand, said to the waves. 'Tcacc-
be still!" And the waves were calm.

BUT the men wondered, saying, what man-
ner of man is tliis, for the winds and the
sea obey Him. — St. Mattheio viii, 27.
Give place, for the girl is not dead, but

sleepeth. And they laughed. ... He went
in and took her by the hand. And the maid
arose. And the fame hereof went abroad. —
St. Matthew ix, 24, 25.

Calming tbe Uempest

T)UT there the Lord lay fast asleep,

Until, grown much afraid:
"Lord, save us, or we surely die!"

Awaking Him, they praj-ed.
And as He rose and calmed the sea

And quieted the winds —
"0 ye of little faith!" He said,

'^ What fear doth fill j^our minds!"

TTbe IRicb IRuler's Daugbter

/^NE day, a certain ruler came

And worshiping, he said:
" In yonder house, my only child,

My daughter, lieth dead.
Yet shall she live if Thou but say

The word, and take her hand!"
Our Saviour called the little maid:

AMio lived at His command!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

AT LAST the disciples were so scared that
they could not wait any longer, for
" the waves beat into the ship, so that the
boat was covered %\nth waves, and it was
filled, and they were in danger." They went
to Our Lord and woke Him, saj'ing, " Lord,
if Thou dost not save us, we shall all be
drowned!" Our Lord stood up, and lifting
His hand, said to the waves, " Peace — be
still!" And the waves were calm, and the
wind died down, and all was quiet. And
then Our Lord turned to His disciples.
" Why are ye afraid?" He asked. " Am
I not with ye?"

Jairus was the name of a rich ruler who
lived in a place called Capharnaum. His

little daughter was very, very sick, so sick
that every one was sure she was going to die.
But the rich ruler thought of Our Lord:
"If He would come here, He would make
my httle girl well." So Jairus went to Our
Lord, and fell down at His feet, and said:
" My Uttle girl is sick. If Thou wilt, Thou
canst cure her."

Our Lord went with him to his house,
but before they reached it people came
running, crying out: " No one can help
now! The child is dead!" But the dear
Lord kept right on. And when He went
into the house He took the little girl's hand
in His and said: "Arise!" And the little
girl that was dead came back to life again.

He took the little girl's hand in His and said: "Arise!" And the little
girl that was dead came back to life again.

AND it came to pass . . . that He spent
the whole night in prayer with God.
And when day was come He called unto
Him His disciples; and He chose twelve of

them (whom also He named apostles). —
St. Luke vi, 12, 13.

And all the multitude sought to touch
Him. — St. Luke vi, 19.

Cboosino tbe twelve apostles

"VTow Jesus chose the Tweh'e, that they
■^ His works on earth might do:
Peter, Andrew, James and John,

Phihp, Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew, James and Jude,

And Simon — they are named.
And last of all came Judas, who

The Traitor is pro-claimed.

Ubc Sermon on tbe /IDount

HE PREACHED the Scmion on the Mount:
Saying: "Blessed are the poor;
The meek; and those who mourn; and those

Who justice would implore;
And blessed are the merciful;

And blest the clean of heart;
The peacemakers; and those who feel
Oppression's cruel smart."

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

OUR Lord knew that when His work, as
man, on earth was done, and the great
sin of Adam and Eve had been paid for by
His death on the cross. He would go back
to His own beautiful home, heaven. So
He wanted to leave us our Church — the
Catholic Church — with the Holy Father,
the Bishops, and the Priests to take care of
us. To begin the Church He chose twelve
men, the APOSTLES. But before choosing
them He went up on a mountain, and prayed
to God the Father the whole night long.
When day came He rose from His knees,
and called the Twelve Apostles. That was
the beginning of our Church. And He gave
the Twelve Apostles the power to do just
as He did — to tell the people what was right
and what was wrong, cure the sick, help
those who were suffering, forgive sins, and

bring the dead back to life again. Our
Blessed Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST
is the INVISIBLE Head of the Church. Our
Holy Father, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome,
is the vicar of Christ on earth and the VISIBLE
Head of the Church.

After beginning our Church — the Catholic
Church — Our Lord talked once more to the
people, saying many beautiful things to
them. This sermon of His is called the Ser-
mon on the Mount, because when He gave
it He stood up on the mountain, so that
every one could hear Him easily, and see
Him.

It was during this sermon that Our Lord
taught us the Eight Beatitudes, which
begin, " Blessed are the poor," and which all
children ought to learn by heart when they
are able to read.

This sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount. becau.M- He ^t^M,,! u|) on
the mountain so that every one could hear Him and sec Him.

THE Lord . . . moved ^ith mercj^ . . . said
to her, Weep not. And He came near
and touched the bier . . . and He said,
Young man, . . . arise. — St. Luke \aii, 13, 14.

The bhnd see, the lame walk, the lepers
are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise
again, to the poor the gospel is preached. —
St. Luke vii, 22.

Ube poor Mi^ow's Son

GAIN, outside the city gates
Of Nairn, a mother old,
A widow, walked beside the bier,

"VMiere lifeless lay, and cold.
The body of her only child.

Our Saviour, tenderly
Said, "Mother, weep not! See, I give
Thy living son to thee!"

®ur Xor^'s XTeacbing

]\ /TiDST those who were His followers.

He went from place to place.
He preached and taught. His words were fraught

With love and truth and grace.
The sick, the deaf, the blind, the dumb.

All gathered in His train.
He gave them hearing, sight, and speech.

And washed their souls from stain.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

SHORTLY after this. Our Lord was going
into a city called Nairn. Outside the
gate He met a number of people, and some
men carrying a stretcher or bier, on which
lay the body of a young man. The poor
mother walked beside the bier, weeping sadly,
for she had no one left in the world to care
for her now that her dear and only son was
gone. Our Lord was very sorry for the poor
mother, so He went near and touched the
stretcher, and the men who were carrying
it stood still and put it down. Our Lord
then spoke to the young man, saying:
"Young man, I say unto thee, arise!" And

the dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Our Lord gave him back alive to his
mother.

But our dear I^ord was always doing good,
making sick httle children better, and cur-
ing poor lame people. He made blind people
see again, and deaf people hear, and dumb
people talk. Fathers and mothers brought
their children to Him. He taught them to
love God, to be good, to do right things, to
be kind and gentle to every one, because
God wanted them to live in this way. Christ
lived so long on earth to show us the way to
heaven by His teaching and example.

The young man that was dead sat up, and begc^.i to speak, and Our
Lord gave him back to his mother. ■ '■'

AND Jesus came . . . and He asked His
disciples, saying: Who do men say
that the Son of man is? And they said:
Some John the Baptist, and other some
Elias, and others Jeremias. — St. Matthew
xvi, 13, 14.

Jesus saith to them: But whom do you
say that I am? Simon Peter answered, and
said: Thou ?rt Christ, the Son of the hving
God. And Jesus answering said to him,
Blessed art thou.— »S;. Matthew xvi, 15, 16,
17.

Zbc people (Siuestion

"TT7HO ma}' this be?" the people cried

(The}' came in crowds to hear);
'' For at His word all Nature bows.

Yes, even devils fear."
" He is a King!" said some. " 'Tis He

The Baptist called the Lamb!"
But Jesus asked among the Twelve:

" AMiom say ye that I am?"

St. Peter's Hnswer

'' TT 7H0M say ye that I am?" He asked.

St. Peter raised his head:
" Thou art the Christ, the Son of God,

The living God!" he said.
And then Our Saviour, answering

Said, " Peter, thou art blest;
Upon thee will I build My Church,

Upon thee shall it rest."

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THE people began to ask all sorts of ques-
tions about Him. Many of them were
sure that He was the Son of God, who had
been promised thousands of years before.
Some wicked men said, " No, He is NOT
the Son of God!" But the ones who loved
Him said, " See what great things He does!
No one but God could bring dead people
back to life. And how He talks to us! No
one ever said such beautiful words as this
Man! He is surely, surely God!" But
still the wicked men cried out, " No, no!
He is NOT God!" Our Lord heard all this.
He took the Twelve Apostles away by them-
selves, and said to them: "People are

wondering if I am the Son of God — Whom
do YOU say that I am?"

" Whom do YOU say that I am?" asked
our blessed Lord. Now the Apostles had
seen all the wonderful things which Our
Lord had done, and when He asked them
that question, Simon Peter raised his head,
saying very quickly: " Why, Thou art
Christ, the Son of God!" Then Our Lord
said, " Thou art iilest, Peter! Because thou
hast said this I will make thee the Head of
My Church. Thy name, Peter, means a
rock, and I will build My Church on thee, and
it will last forever and forever.
"And I will give to thee the keys of Heaven."

St. rv-tcr was tin- first Pope, and ever since St. Peter's time there hi
always been a Pope in his place as the liead of the Catholic Church.

THOU art Peter, and upon this rock will
I build My Church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. And I will
give to thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven.— ^f. Matthew xvi, 18, 19.

And He was transfigured before them.
And His face did shine as the sun : . . . And
lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is
Mv beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
—St. Mattheiv xvii, 2, 5.

®ur 1boIp jfatber

THE Church of Christ can never fail
Nor shall the gates of hell
Prevail 'gainst her within whose soul

The Holy Ghost doth dwell.
And we^ the children of the Church

Are the Holy Father's care:
In Rome he takes St. Peter's place,
And fills St. Peter's chair.

Xlbe transfiguration

WITH Peter, James, and John apart,
Upon a mountain high —
Midst brilliant light, in garments white,

Stood Christ against the sky.

The three apostles were afraid,

When lo! They hear a voice:

" This is My well-beloved Son,

Behold Him, and rejoice!"

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

So THIS is how we Catholics know that we
belong to the Church which Our Lord
began on earth. St. Peter was the first
Pope, and ever since St. Peter's time there
has always been a Pope in his place as the
head of the Catholic Church. The Pope, the
Bishop of Rome, is the VISIBLE Head of the
Church because he is the successor of St. Peter,
whom Christ made the chief of the Apostles
and the VISIBLE Head of the Church. The
successors of the other Apostles are the Bishops
of the Holy Catholic Church. We must love
our Holy Father, the Pope, and pray for him,
and do whatever he tells us to do, because
God has put him over us. When we do
what our Holy Father tells us to do, we are
doing what Cod tells us to do.

About a week after Our Lord said that St.
Peter was to be the Head of the Church, He
went on a very high mountain to pray. He
took St. Peter and St. James and St. John
with Him. Then He began to shine like the
sun, with a light so bright that no one could
look at Him. This shining of Our Lord
is called the Transfiguration — a great big
word, but perhaps you can say it?

St. Peter and St. James and St. John were
really scared. They fell on their faces,
for they heard a voice from heaven saying:
"This is My dear Son!" They could not
move until Our Lord came and spoke to
them, and said, " Look at Me — do not be
troubled!" And when they looked, the
bright light was all gone.

Then He began to shine like the sun, with a light so bright that no
one could look at Him. This shining of Our Lord is called the
TRAXS-FIG-U-RA-TION.

THEN were little cliildren presented to
Him, that He should impose hands
upon them. . . Jesus said, Suffer the httle

cliildren, and forbid them not to come to
Me : for the kingdom of heaven is for such. —
St. Matthew xix, 13, 14.

Ube Gool:> Sbepber^

y^NEbook like this could never tell

What mir-a-cles were done,
Nor all His words, nor all His deeds:

The Father's holy Son.
"I am the Shepherd, I will die

To save IM}^ flock from sin;
I am the Door," He said, " by which

All men shall enter in."

Blessing tbe CbilDren

TTE DEARLY loved the little ones —

A happ}^ compan}^:
The}^ crept within His tender arms,

And sat upon His knee.
He said, " My Father's kingdom is

For such as these in heart:
So let the little children come

And liid them not depart."

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

OUK Lord spoke so much to His Apostles,
and told them so many things that it
takes a big, big book to hold all the story.
Some of the things He said and did are in
the Bible. The others our holy Church
tells us. We shall know the things which
we are to believe from the Catholic Church,
through which God speaks to us. We shall
find the chief truths which the Church teaches
in the APOSTLES' CREED. Some of you
know the Apostles' Creed, don't you?

At one time there were ten sick men.
Our Lord cured them all, but only one came
back to thank Him. This shows us how
careful we must be to thank God all the time
for the many good things Uc gives us. Our
Lord said Ho is the GOOD SHI^PIIEKD,
who loves all His sheep, meaning us. He

also said He is a DOOR, meaning that
through Him, as through a door, we can go
back to our places in heaven, which we lost
through the DISOBEDIENCE of Adam and
Eve.

Again it is told how Our Lord showed what
great love He had for little cliildren — His
lambs. He was tired out one day, and sat
down to rest, and the mothers, seeing Him,
began to bring their little ones to Him.
The disciples, knowing that the Lord was so
tired, wanted to send them away for a while.
But our blessed Lord would not allow it.
Instead, He held out His arms, and all the
children came running to Him. He blessed
them and said, " Let the little ones come to
Me, and do not send them away, for they
belong to heaven."

He held out His arms, and all the children came running to Him. He
blessed them and said: "Let the little ones come to Me."

AND when He was come into Jerusalem,
the whole city was moved, saying:
Who is tlus? And the people said: This
is Jesus the prophet. — St. Matthew xxi, 10, 11.

And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took
bread and blessed and broke and gave to
His disciples and said: Take ye, and eat:
This is My Body —St. Matthew xxvi, 26.

Ube ifirst palm Sun&ap

THEN came that first Palm Sunday,
When men, with loud acclaim
Covered the Saviour's path with palms,

And blessed the Saviour's name.
" Hosanna to the Son," they sang,

"Of David! May He be
Forever blest ! Hosanna to
Jesus of Galilee!"

BUT, children, dear, the hour was nigh
For which He longed and came —
When for our sins He gave Himself,

In suffering and shame.
And yet, to make this world of ours

Like paradise above.
He left to us a mighty proof
Of His endurino; love.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

IT WAS now the day we call Palm Sunday,
and Our Lord went to the Temple in the
city of Jerusalem. When the people in the
city heard that Our Lord was coming, all
ran out to meet Him. Some cut big branches
full of leaves from the trees and covered
the road with them. Others took Ijranchcs
from the palm-trees, and waved them,
shouting their joy. And the word they sang
the loudest was, " Hosanna! Hosanna!
Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the
name of the Lord! Hosanna! Hosanna!
Hosanna!"

But the time was drawing very near when
Our liord was to pay for the sin of Adam and
Eve and the sins of the whole world, l^y
dying on the cross. He had come from His

beautiful home, heaven, to die, so that we
can go to Him when we die, if we live good
hves on earth. The wicked men who would
not beheve that He was the Son of God,
those wicked men who said, " No, no! He
is NOT the Son of God!" meant now to
kill Him, our own dear Lord. But He
loved us so much that He wanted to do MORE
for us than die upon the cross! He could
not bear to leave us — He wanted to stay
with us, so that we could go to Him even
here on earth with all our sorrows and all
ours joA's. Therefore, Christ instituted the
Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper the night
before He died. When Our Lord instituted the
Holy Eucharist the Twelve Apostles were
present.

Our Lord took the bread in His hands. . . . He broke the bread and
said, 'Take yc and eat. THIS IS MY BODY."

AND taking the chalice He gave thanks:
and gave to them, saying: Drink 3-6
all of this. For this is the l)lood of the new
testament. — St. Matthew xxxi, 27, 28.

Labor not for the meat that perisheth,
but for that which endureth unto hfe everlast-
ing which the Son of man \\ill give you. —
St. John \a, 27.

Ubc ifirst Communion

YES, in that room, the Cen-a-cle,
He took the bread and wme:
And blessed and gave among the Twelve,

And spoke these words divine:
" This is MY BODY; take and eat.

Drink, too, MY BLOOD," He said:
" That Flesh which shall be cru-ci-fied,
That Blood which shall be shed."

®ur Xor& witb TUs!

SEE, child, what Jesus Christ has done
To be among His own:
Came down from heaven, lived on earth,

He sought no earthly throne!
The King, whose might and majesty

No child can ever know:
Stays here to be our food and drink
To live with us below!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

IT WAS on Thursday night — Holy Thursday
night — four days after Palm Sunday.
Our Lord and His disciples were sitting in a
room eating the supper which is called the
Last Supper. The Twelve Apostles were
there, as we have said: St. Peter, St. James,
and St. John, and all the others. Judas was
there. He was an Apostle, too, but a bad
Apostle, for he had made up his mind to sell
the Lord to those wicked men who would
put Him to death on the cross. But still
Judas sat there at the table. And Our Lord
said: "There is one here who will sell Me
to those who hate Me." All the Apostles
were sad and a.sked who it could be. At
last Judas asked: " Ls it I, Lord?" And
Our Lord said, " Yes."

Our Lord took the bread in His hands.
He was about to do a wonderful thing for
every one of us. He broke the bread, and

blessed it, and said: " Take ve and eat.
THIS IS MY BODY." Then He took
the cup of wine in His hands, and blessed it,
and said: "Drink ve all of this. THIS
IS MY BLOOD." Just as Our Lord changed
the water into wine at Cana of Galilee, so
now, sitting at the table He changed bread
into His BODY, and wine into His BLOOD.
This change of the bread and nine into the
BODY and BLOOD of Our Lord is called
TRAXSUBSTANTIATION. He told St.
Peter and the Apostles to do this always.
And as our Holy Father, our Bishops, and
our Priests take the place of St. Peter and the
Apostles, thev, too, change bread and wine
into Our Lord's BODY and BLOOD because
He gave them the power to do so. The
bread and xoine are changed into the BODY
and BLOOD of Christ at the Consecration
in the Mass.

Our dear Lord is in heaven, looking down on us, but He is here on
earth, too. He is behind the tal)ernacle door of every Catholic church. t.

IF ANY man eat of this Bread he shall live
forever: and the bread that I will give
is My Flesh for the life of the world . . .
except ye eat the Flesh of the Sun of Man,

and drink His Blood, you shall not have
life in you. — St. John vi, 52, 54.

Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of
man shall be betrayed. — St. Matthew xxvi, 45.

Hn tbe XTabernacle

BEHIND the tab-ei"-na-cle door,
Behind the silken veil,
The Saviour stays — and longs to see

You kneeling at the rail!
He waits the sound of little feet,

The sound of childish prayer:
Come often, child, to tell your love,
For God is waiting there!

5u&as Betraps ®ur %ov^

BUT now, dear children, listen well-
That First Communion o'er;
Judas arose, and from the Twelve
Stole sneaking through the door.
For thirty paltr}^ silver coins

Laid in his itching hand,
He promised to yield up the Lord
Unto the soldier band.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THIS is how Our Lord stays here with us
always. He is really, really on earth all
the time. Isn't this wonderful? First, Adam
and Eve DISOBEYED God, and we lost
heaven. But God was sorry for us. Heaven
is so beautiful, and each has a place in it, but
none could go to that place. So God sent
His only Son. And His only Son came down
and lived here, and loved us. And because
He loved us so much. He knew we would
be sad without Him, so He gave us Himself.
We are united to JESUS CHRIST in the
Holy Eucharist by means of Holy Communion.
Holy Communion is the receiving of the BODY
and BLOOD of Christ.

Some dav, ver}^ soon, perhaps, YOU will
receive tlie* BODY and BLOOD of our dear
Lord! That day will be the happiest day
that will ever come to you. Pray, then,
dear children, that you will soon be able to
say: " Come, dear Lord! Come to me!"

Our dear Lord is in heaven, looking down
on us, loving us always, but He is here on
earth, too. He is beliind the tabernacle
door in every Catholic church, waiting for
us to visit Him. We must often kneel in
church, and say to Him: " Thank You,
dear Lord! Thank You for coming down
on earth! Thank You for staying here
with us!" And saj^, too: "We love You,
dear Lord! Make us love You ever more
and more!"

But the Last Supper was over. Judas got
u}) from the table, stole out, and met the
wicked men who hated Our Lord, and wanted
to kill Him. They gave Judas thirty pieces
of silver, and Judas said: "To-night He
is going to the Garden of Olives. I will go
there with the soldiers. When I walk up
to Him and kiss Him, then the soldiers will
know it is He, and they can take Him away
to prison."

Judas met the wicked men who hated Our Lord and wanted to kill Him.
They gave Judas thirty pieces of silver.

THEN did they spit in His face and buffeted
Him, and others struck His face with the
pahns of their hands, saying. Prophesy unto
us, 0 Christ, who is he that struck Thee? —
St. Matthew xxvi, 67, 68.

And stripping Him, they put a scarlet
cloak about Him, and plaiting a crown of
thorns thej^ put it upon His head, and a reed
in His right hand. — St. Matthew xxvii, 28,
29.

Ube Scourging

THAT night; \\dthin the Garden,
Our Sa^'iou^, desolate,
Arose to meet the savage men

Who seized Him, filled with hate.
They took Him, and they scourged Him sore.

Oh, children, stop, and see
How He was tortured for our sins.
And suffered cruelly!

Ubc Crowuincj witb TIborns

UPON His forehead, white and pure,
They pressed a crown of thorn.
They clothed Him as a fool was clothed

And mocked at Him in scorn.
Within His hand they thrust a reed.

And spat upon that Face,
And struck and scoffed, and cried, "All hail!
Thou King of David's race!"

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

OUR Lord went with the Apostles into the
Garden of Olives. He knew that soon
the soldiers would come. He knew that
soon He must die. He asked His Father
in heaven to help Him. His Apostles were
tired. They fell fast asleep, and our dear
Lord was all alone! All alone! And He was
sad, and said to them: " Could you not
watch one hour with Me?" Pretty soon
came the noise of the soldiers. Judas was
with them. He walked up to Our Lord
and kissed Him on the cheek. Then the
soldiers took Our Lord, tied His hands
l)ehind His back, and led Him off to prison.
The Apostles were afraid, and went away
and hid.

Dear children, those cruel men took great,

heavy whips, and beat and beat and beat
Our Lord until He was covered with blood.
They took cruel thorns and twisted them
around to make a crown, and pressed it
down on His forehead. They took a long
reed and put it in His hand to make believe
it was the scepter of a king. And they
laughed and yelled and made fun of Him,
and said: " 0 King! King of the Jews!
Hail, King of the Jews! How does it feel
to be a King?"

And oh, dear children, this was God's
only Son! Our blessed Lord! But He had
to pay for the sins of the whole world! To
buy back our places in heaven He had to
suffer and die! Christ suffered and died
for our sins.

i.ulud and x'elled and ni
King of tile Jews! 11;

' ! ' :ind said, "O King I

King uf the Jews!"

AND after they had mocked Him, they took
off the cloak from Him and put on Him
His own garments and led Him away to
crucify Him. And going out they found a
man of CjTene, named Simon. Him they

forced to take up His cross. — St. Matthew
xxvii, 31, 32.

And they came to the place that is called
Golgotha, which is, the place of Calvary. —
St. Matthew xxvii, 33.

Zbc Carrplnc; ot ibc Cross

THEN forth unto Mount Calvaiy,
Amid the jeering throng,
They led the spotless Lamb of God —

Oh, sad the way and long!
Three times He fell beneath the cross,

For He was sore oppressed:
Till Simon came, unwillingly.
To help the Saviour blest.

Ubc IRailing to tbe Cross

THEN stripping Him, they laid Him down
Upon that cruel tree;
Drove nails through sacred Hands and Feet,

With savage cruelty.
They raised that sacred form aloft,

And there He hung on high:
The sacrifice of God for man
Between the earth and sky!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THEY took Our Lord, all covered with
blood, before the judge, and when the
judge asked, '' What shall be done to this
Man?" all cried out, " Crucify Him! Crucify
Him! Crucify Him!" Then a great cross of
wood was made and put on His shoulder, and
they set out for Mount Calvary, the crowds
following after. Those who loved Our Lord
were crj'ing, but those who hated Him were
glad.

Our dear blessed Mother was there, too!
Think of her sufferings when she saw her
Son treated so!

He carried the cross until He could carry
it no longer. Then He fell, and they beat
Him with whips until He got on His feet
and went along a little way. Again He fell.
But when He fell a third time, they were

afraid He would die before He got to Mount
Calvarj^, so thej' made a man named Simon
help Him to carry the cross.

Now there were two thieves who were to
be put to death at the same time. They
were to be crucified, also. When Mount
Calvary was reached, the soldiers took off
Our Lord's clothes, and laid Him down on
the cross, stretching out His arms, and driv-
ing great big nails into the palms of His
hands. They pulled down His feet, and
nailed them to the wood, so that He was
fastened tightly. Then they lifted the cross
and set it between the crosses on which the two
thieves were hanging. Thus, for our sakes,
God's own Son, our blessed Lord, JESUS
CHRIST .suffered a bloody siceat, n cruel scourg-
ing, was crowned with thorns, and was crucified.

When Mount Calvary was reached the soldiers pulled off Our Lord's
clothes, and laid Him down on the cross.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus,
His Mother . . . when Jesus, therefore,
had seen His Mother and the disciple stand-
ing, whom He loved. He saith to His Mother,
Woman, behold thv son! — St. John xix,
25, 26.

And after that He saith to the disciple,
Behold thy Mother. And from that hour
the disciple took her to his o^vn. . . . Jesus,
therefore. . . said: It is consummated. And
bowing His head, He gave up the ghost. —
St. John xix, 27, 30.

Ht tbe Cross

AND there was Mary, sorrowing:
With breaking heart she stood
A silent witness of the death

Her Son bore on that wood!
Oh, bitter was the manger-bed.

And pang of poverty!
A thousand times more bitter this —
The cross on Calvary.

®ur Bear %ox^ H)tes

THEN to His Father up above
Christ lifted weary eyes:
" Father, forgive them," went the plea,

" Nor for this act chastise."
And so the dreadful hour came:

He died upon the tree:
Oh, children, think how much it cost
From sin to set us free!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

OUR Lady had followed her divine Ron all
the way to Mount Calvary, and now
stood at the foot of the cross, looking up at
Him. What can we say to our blessed Lady
to show her how sorry we are? She had been
so happy when the Angel Gabriel brought the
word that (iod was coming down to earth.
But now! The sword that the holy Simeon had
told about in the Temple seemed going riglit
through her heart, as she looked at God's
only Son, and her Son, nailed to the cross
for you and mo. She asked the Father in
heaven to help her bear this terrible
sorrow.

But Our Lady knew that this dreadful
thing had to be — that God had to die for

the whole world. And yet when those cruel
men lifted up Our Lord on the cross. His
first prayer was for the people who were
putting Him to death. He turned His
face to heaven, and said, " Father, forgive
them! They do not know what they are
doing!" This was Our Lord's first word—
a prayer of forgiveness for the men who
were treating Him so cruellj\ After three
long hours of suffering, Our Lord could
suffer no more, but bowed down His head and
died. Christ died on Good Fridai/. We call
that day GOOD on xchich Christ died so
sorrowful a death, because by His death He
shoxoed His great love for man, and 'purchased
for him every blessing.

After three long hours of suffering, Our Lord could suffer no more,
but bowed His head and died.

BUT after they were conie to Jesus . , .
one of the soldiers with a spear opened
His side and immediately there came out
blood and water. — St. John xix, 33, 34.

For these things were done that the Scrip-
ture might be fulfilled: Ye shall not break
a bone of Him. And again. . . . They shall
look upon Him whom they pierced. — *S^.
John xix, 36, 37.

Ube Sun is H)arl^ene&

y^UR Saviour dies! Our Saviour dies!
^-^ 0 frightful words and drear:
The sun no longer gave its light —

All earth was filled with fear —
They pierced that Sacred Heart in twain:

As Mary's Son hung dead
The lance went through her very soul

As Simeon had said.

®nlp (BoD Coult) pap

A^N Christmas night Our Saviour came,
^-^ To live for you and me —

To teach His holy doctrine, and

To die in agony.
For sin can't go unpunished.

And only God could pay
The debt which we all owed to God

From Eve and Adam's day.

[HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

WHEN Our Lord died, every tiling became
as dark as night, although it was
only three o'clock in the afternoon. People
were wondering — they did not know what
was the matter. The soldier who stood at
the foot of the cross said, " Tliis Man was
the Son of God!" All those who stood near
were very much afraid, and said, after the
soldier, " Yes, this Man was the Son of God!"
But the wicked men were there, too, and they
wanted to be quite, quite sure that Our
Lord was really dead, so one of the soldiers
drove a spear into His Heart, and blood and
water came trickling out.

When the Son of God was born on Christ-
mas night. He came to save the world. And
to save it, Christ was nailed to the cross, and
died on it between two thieves. He taught
the things we must believe, and began the
Catholic Church — Our Church. We can
find what He has taught in our Church only,
and nowhere else. We must do as Our Lord
has told us, live as He wants us to live,
and be good, loving children. Then we will
go to heaven and be there forever with God
and our blessed Mother and the angels and
the saints.

Surely we all want to go to heaven!

Near the place where Our Lord had heen crucified was a garden, and
in this garden was a new tomb. . . . They laid the Lord's body in
this new tomb.

Now there was in the place where He was
crucified, a garden: and in the garden
a new sepulcher . . . There therefore . . .
they laid Jesus. — St. John xix, 41, 42.

And behold there was a great earthquake.
For an angel of the Lord descended from
heaven : and coming rolled back the stone. —
St. Matthew xxviii, 2.

Hn tbe Uomb

WITHIN the rocky, new-made tomb
They laid that body cold,
And sealed it fast. A mighty stone

Before its mouth was rolled.
The soldiers guarded well against

The resurrection hour —
For sore were all the Jews afraid
Of Christ's almighty power.

Ubc IResurrcction

BUT when three days were past and gone,
The stone was rolled away;
And Christ the King, triumphantly,

Came forth on Easter day.
0 sing the song of gloiy

That He who came to save.
The Son of God, Our Master, Lord,
Is risen from the grave!

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD]

IN THE evening they took Our I^ord's body
down from the cross. There was a rich
man named Joseph of Arimathea who loved
Our Lord very much. He asked for the
body of Our Lord, so that he could lay it in
his own new tomb. They gave it to him, and
then Our Lady and St. John and some of
the friends of the dear Lord got the body
ready for the tomb, wrapping it up in fine
linen and spices. Near the place where
Our Lord had been crucified was a garden,
and in this garden was the new tomb which
Joseph of Arimathea had dug out of a rock.

They laid Our Lord's body in this new
tomb.

The wicked men remembered that Our
Lord had said, when He was yet alive,

" After three days I will rise again." So
they came to the judge, and asked him if
they could set a watch on the tomb. The
judge told them yes. They went, then,
to the tomb, made sure that the great heavy
stone was in front of it, and put soldiers on
guard, telling them to watch the tomb day
and night.

But very early on the following Sunday
morning there was what sounded like a great
earthquake. An angel from heaven rolled
back the heavy stone from the tomb, and
sat upon it. When the guards saw the angel
they fell down on the ground like dead men.
Our Lord was risen ! Christ rose from the dead,
glorious and immortal, on Easter Sunday,
the third day after His death.

Christ rose from the dead, glorious and immortal, on
Easter Sunda)-, the third day after His death.

Now when it was late that same daj',
the first of the week, and the doors
were shut, where the disciples were gathered
together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came. —
St. John XX, 19.

And He led them out as far as Bethania.
and lifting up His hands He blessed them.
And it came to pass whilst He blessed them,
He departed from them and was carried up
to heaven. — St. Luke xxiv, 51, 52.

** peace be to 3J)ou!"

Tn doubt, in fear, th' Apostles stayed
^ Close-shut within a room —
Although they knew Our Saviour was

No longer in the tomb.
When lo! He stood there, in their midst

And, "Peace be to you!" said.
At which they knelt and worshiped Him

Now risen from the dead.

Zbc Rsccnsion

FOR forty days He came and went
And comforted His own;
Sad were their hearts to feel that He

Must leave them all alone.
Until at last He led the way

Unto the mountain height —
And sending them to preach His name
Was lifted from their sight.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

THE Apostles were sitting in the room
where Our Lord had eaten the Last
Supper with them. They heard that the
Lord was risen from the dead, but they did
not know whether to beheve it or not. While
they were talking and wondering if it could
be true, Our Lord came into the room, and
said:

" Peace be to you. It is I, the Lord."
The Apostles were afraid. They did not
know what to tliink. And He said, " Why
are you afraid? See My hands and My
feet and My side." And they saw the marks
of the cruel nails and the mark of the spear,
and knew that it was indeed their dear Lord
and Master, and they were very, very glad.
Christ stayed on earth forty days after His
resurrection to show that He was tridy risen
from the dead, and to instruct His Apostles.
He taught them what they were to do, and

how they were to take care of the Church.
He gave them and all the Bishops and Priests
who came after them the power to do just
as He had done on earth and to change bread
and wine into His BODY and BLOOD, so
that we can receive Him in Holy Com-
munion. After forty days, Christ ascended
into heaven, and the day on ivhich He ascended
into heaven is called Ascensio7i Day. It is a
holy day. On that day He brought the
Apostles to Mount Olivet, blessed them all,
and went up to heaven. In heaven Christ
sits at the right hand of God, the Father
Almighty. And all the good people who had
died since the great sin of Adam and Eve,
and who had never been able to go to heaven,
but had been forced to wait in Lim])o— all
these good people now stood about, thanking
and praising their Redeemer. St. Joseph,
too, was with them.

After forty days Our Lord brought the Apostles to Mount Olivet, blessed
them all, and went up to heaven.

AND I send the promise of My Father
upon you; but stay j'ou in the city till
you be endowed with power from on high. —
St. Luke xxiv, 49.

All these were persevering with one mind
in prayer with the women, and Mary the
Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren. —
Acts i, 14.

Zbc H)ap ot Pentecost ,

Now Christ had promised that He'd send
The Spirit of truth and hght.
So till the days of Pentecost

They prayed both day and night.
And then the Holy Ghost came down

In tongues of living flame:
He made them strong to preach and teach
And glorify Christ's name!

XTbe Hssumptiott

/^^hrist's Mother dear remained
^^ To wait God's holy will;
And how could they be very sad

Who had that Mother still?
But noW; upon the golden throne

Of glory she has won:
She pra3^s that every child on earth

i\Iay serve her blessed Son.

HOW THE STORY ^^lAY BE TOLD

OTJR Lord had promised that after He
went to heaven He would send God
the H0I3' Ghost down upon the Apostles,
to make them very strong. So, when He
had gone up on high, they went back, with
our blessed Mother, to the httle room, and
there waited, praying all the time. At last
the Holy Ghost came doum upon the Apostles
ten days after the Ascension of Our Lord;
and the day on which He came down upon
the Apostles is called Whit Sunday, or Pente-
cost. This day is, really, the BIRTHDAY
of the Church. While they sat together
there seemed to come a sound from heaven —
a mighty, rushing wind, which filled the
whole house. The Holy Ghost came doum
xipon the Apostles in the form of tongxies of
fire. And now they were no longer afraid
of anything, but wanted to go out and talk
about Our Lord to every one they met.
The Holy Ghost will abide with the Church

forever, and guide it in the way of holiness and
truth.

Our blessed Lady did not go to heaven with
Our Lord, but stayed on earth for some years
afterward. At last it was her turn to go.
How glad she was! Now she would see her
dear Son! When she died they laid her in a
tomb, but when they went the next day to
pray there, the tomb was empty. Our
Lady's blessed body had been carried to
heaven b.y the angels. This is called the
ASSUMPTION of Our Lady, and in memory
of it we celebrate the feast of the Assump-
tion, on the fifteenth of August every j-ear.
It is a holy day.

In heaven our dear Lady was welcomed
by her Son and God the Father and God
the Holy Ghost, and by St. Joseph and all
the good people. She was crowned Queen
of angels and saints, Queen of heaven. But
she is and always will be our dear Mother.

THIS is My comniandnicnt: That you
love one another, as I have loved you.
Ciirater love than this no man hath, that a
man lav down his life for his friends. — St.
John xv, 12, 13.

You are My friends if you do the things
that I command you. . . . You have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you . , .
whatsoever j'ou ask the Father in My name
He may give it you. — St. John xv, 14, 16

ON Christmas night Our ►Sa\'iour came-
To teach us to be true:
To all the duties of our life

The old ones and the new.
A prisoner He sta3^s within

The Holy Eucharist.
If He has done so much for us
Shall we His love resist?

ServiriG ®ur Xor&

'"p^HEN let us love our holy Church

As all her children should —
The prayers we saj' at morn and night

Will help us to be good —
A slight — a sorrow — cruel words —

Bear these with gentleness:
So may the life of every child

Its love for Him confess.

HOW THE STORY MAY BE TOLD

Oi-R dear Lord came on earth for j-ou
and me. He was laid in a cold manger,
on a bed of straw. He was hated l\v bad
men, who scourged Him, crucified Him,
killed Him. All this He suffered for us —
to buy back our places in heaven. We can
never pay Him for what He has done, never.

And He stays with us. In church, on the
altar, behind the little door, He is waiting for
us, loving us. At least we must love Him
in return. How?

We w'ill ask His blessing every morning
and everv night. We A^all love our dear

Cluirch, and our Holy Father at Rome,
who takes St. Peter's place. We w'ill love
and praj' for our IJishops and Priests. And,
since it was SIN which caused Our Lord
so much suffering, we will promise never to
SIX. We will try never to do anytliing
wrong as long as we live. In this way we
shall reach heaven and see Our Lord and His
l^lcssed ^lother and St. Joseph and all the
saints and holy angels, and be with them
forever and ever.

AMEN.

APPENDIX A.*

HPhe following incidents have been omitted from the foregoing life of our blessed Lord on
earth, as being unsuited to the Umited understanding of very Uttle children, difficult
of explanation, and confusing. If the teacher, however, wishes to enlarge on any of these
particular occurrences, they are given in their order, with the chapters and verse of Bible
where they may be found.

Christ's First Disciples {John i, 29-51).

The Casting of the Money Changers Out of

the Temple {John ii, 12-21).
Jesus and Xicodemus {John iii, 21).
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (John iv,

1-42).
The Calling of Peter and Andrew, James, and

John {^IaU. iv, 18-22; Mark i, 16-20).
The Calling of Matthew {Matt, ix, 9-17;

Mark ii, 13-22; Luke v, 27-39).
Jesus Asserts His Divinity {John v, 16-47).
Magdalen Anoints the Feet of Jesus {Luke vii,

36-50).
Jesus Driven from Nazareth {Matt.xni, 54-58;

Mark vi, 1-6; Luke iv, 16-30).
Jesus Prepares His Apostles for their Ministry

{Matt. X, 7-42; Mark vi, 7-13; ix, 40;

Lxike ix, 1-6; xii, 2-9; xiv, 26, 27).
The Mission of the Apostles {Matt, x, 1 ;

xi, 1 ; Mark vi, 7, 12, 13; Luke ix, 1, 2, 6).
Jesus Walking on the Waters {Matt, xiv,

22-33; Mark vi, 45-53; John vi, 15-21).
The Promise of the Most Holy Eucharist

{John vi, 22-72).
The Woman of Chanaan {Matt, xv, 21-28;

Mark vii, 24-31.)
The Temple Tribute {Matt, xvii, 21-26).
Instructions to the Apostles {Matt, xviii;

Mark ix; Luke ix, xvii).
Jesus Teaches in the Temple {John vii).
The Woman taken in Sin {JoJtn viii, 1-11).

* See Preface.

The Seventy-two Disciples {Luke x, 1-12, 16).

The Good Samaritan {Luke x, 25-37).

At the House of Martha and Mary {Luke

X, 38-42).
Zacheus and Our Blessed Lord {Luke xix,

1-10).
The Farewell Supper at Bethania {Matt, xxvi,

6-13; Mark xiv, 3-9).
The Widow's Mite {Mark xii, 41-44; Luke

xxi, 1-4).
The Miracles of Our Blessed Lord :

The Healing of the Ruler's Son {John iv,

43-54).
The Casting Out of the Devils at Caphar-
naum {Mark i, 21-34; Luke iv, 31-41).
The Cure of the Demoniacs at Gerasa
{Matt, viii, 23-34; Mark v, 1-21; Luke
viii, 26-40).
Healing of the Paralj'tic at Capharnaum
{Matt, ix, 1-8; Mark ii, 1-12; Luke v,
17-20).
Healing of the Woman -svith the Issue of
Blood. Curing of Two Blind Men.
Healing of One Possessed {Matt, ix,
20-34; Mark v, 25-34; Luke viii, 43-48).
Healing of the Cripple at the Probatic Pool

{John V, 1-15).
The Cure of the Withered Hand. Healing
of those possessed of Unclean Spirits
{Matt, xii, 10-22; Mark iii, 1-12; Luke
vi, 6-18).

The Miracles of Our Blessed Lord :

Healing of the Leper and the Centurion's

Servant {Matt, viii, 1-13; Mark i,

40-45; Luke v, 12-lG; vii, 1-10).
First Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

{Matt xiv, 13-21; Mark vi, 30-44;

Luke ix, 10-17; John vi, 1-14).
Healing of the Deaf Mute of Decapolis

{Mark vii, 31-37).
Second Multiplication of the Loaves {Matt.

XV, 29-39; Mark viii, 1-10).
The Healing of the Blind Man of Bcthsaida

{Mark viii, 22-26).
The Healing of the Lunatic {Matt, xvii,

14-20; Mark ix, 16-28; Luke ix,

37^3).
The Curing of the Ten Lepers {Luke xvii,

11-19).
The Cure of the Man Born Blind {John ix,

1-41).
The Healing of the Infirm Woman {Luke

xiii, 10-17).
The Cure of the Dropsical Man {Luke xiv,

1-6); _

The Raising of Lazarus {John xi, 38-44).
The Cure of the BUnd Men at Jericho

{Matt. XX, 29-34).
The Parables of Our Blessed TiOrd:
The Parable of the Sower {Luke viii).
The Parable of the Good Grain and the

Cockle {Matt, xiii, 24-30, 36-43).
The Parable of the Net {Matt, xiii, 47-50).
The Parable of the Grain of IVIustard-seed

{Matt, xiii, 31, 32; Mark iv, 30-32;

Luke xiii, 18, 19).
The Parable of the Leaven {Matt, xiii, 33).
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure {Matt.

xiii, 44-46).
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

{Matt, xiii, 51-53).
The Parable of the Two Servants {Matt.

xviii, 23-35).

The Parables of Our Blessed Lord:
The Parable of the Unjust Judge and the

Widow {Luke xviii, 1-8).
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Pub-
lican {Luke xviii, 9-14).
The Parable of the Rich Man {Luke xii,

16-21).
The Parable of the Faithful Servants

{Matt, xxiv, 42).
The Parable of the Watchful Householder

{Matt, xxiv, 43, 44; Luke xii, 39, 40).
The Parable of the Faithful Steward {Matt.

xxiv, 45-51; Luke xii, 42-48).
The Parable of the Barren Fig-tree {Luke

xiii, 6-9).
The Parable of the Lowest Place (Luke xiv,

7-11).
The Parable of the Supper {Luke xiv,

15-24).
The Parable of the Lost Sheep {Luke xv,

1-7).
The Parable of the Lost Groat {Luke xv,

8-10).
The Parable of the Prodigal Son {Luke xv,

11-32).
The Parable of the Unjust Steward {Luke

xvi, 1-15).
The Parable of the Rich ^lan and Lazarus

{Luke xvi, 19-31).
The Parable of the Laborers in the Vine-
yard {Matt. XX, 1-16).
The Parable of the Pounds {Luke .\ix,

11-28).
The Parable of the Murderous Vinedressers

{Matt, xxi, 33-46; Mark xii, 1-12; Luke

XX, 9-19).
The Parable of the jMarriage Feast {Matt.

xxii, 1-14).
The Parable of the Ten Virgins {Matt. .\xv,

1-13).
The Parable of the Five Talents {Matt.

XXV, 14-30).

APPENDIX B,

THE OUR FATHER.

^^^^^^^m^^^^^^^l^

Our Fa - ther who art in heav - en, hal - lowed be Thy name.

i^Sztd:

:q=:qv

Thy king - dom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heav'n.

.--J-

e=^r:

:=]^=lv==5;:

-| 1^ — ^ — ^ — t^ — 9^-

xzr.

Give us this day our dai - ly bread And for - give us our tres- pass - es

^i^p|3^=^fegEi£g=3=3=^

= ^ — w —

As we for - give those who tres - pass a- gainst us; And lead us

:t2=t^=t^:

1=:^=q=q=qs=^s=l'N=^v

t^-

:*=*:

M=^J=J=;^:

V — ^ — h-

not in - to temp - ta - tion, but de - liv - er us from e - vil. A - men.

F^l

THE HAIL MARY.

=s — I --*-E» ^==1^

Hail, Ma • ry, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, Bless ■ ed

art thou a - mong wo - men. and bless - ed is the fruit of

-J

thy woml), Je - sus. Ho- ly Ma - ry, Moth - er of God: Pray for us

S w-

:i1==t

--!— ^— • 1 -^ ^-*— fca-i •— *—• ^-

^-^-t^-^-^:

sin - ners now, and at the hour of our death. A
* See Preface.

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