The practical catechist

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THE

PRACTICAL CATECHIST

FROM THE GERMAN OF

REV. JAMES NIST

PARISH PRIEST OF BIRKENHOERDT

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

REV. JAMES LINDEN, S.J.

EDITED BY

REV. FERREOL GIRARDEY, C.SS.R.

ST. LOUIS, MO.7 191 5

Published by B. Herder

17 South Broadway

Freiburg ( Baden ) 68, Great Russell Str.

Germany | London, W. C.

LIBRARY/OF

NIHIL OB ST AT
Sti. Ludovici, die 10. No'v. 1912

F. G. Holweck,
Censor Librorum.

IMPRIMATUR
Sti. Ludovici, die 12. Nov. 1912

LOAN STACK

+U Joannes I. Glennon,
Archiepiscopus
Sti. Ludovici.

Copyright, J913,

by

Joseph Gummersbach

All rig lils reserved

Mads in U. S. A.

VAIL-BALLOU COMPANY

BINQHAMTON AND NEW YORK

INTRODUCTORY

The Germans during the last two centuries turned their
attention in a special manner to the vast field of instruc-
tion and education ; but in no branch was there more earnest
work done than in Catechetics. In numerous cathechetical
periodicals and associations, and in a series of catechetical
courses men of the greatest talent have devoted all their
learning and ability to discuss and test the various methods,
and to establish the most fruitful process of teaching Cate-
chism. The movement has not yet met with perfect suc-
cess; although the views of the weightiest authors now
approach unanimity and a number of principles have been
adopted as practically reliable, nevertheless it is not an
easy matter to reduce them to practice. Of the many who
have attempted to do so, only a few have met with satis-
factory results. Lacking a thorough understanding of said
principles, nearly all have applied them without sufficient
care; among these are some who have the reputation of
being masters in Catechetics. The Rev. James Nist, parish
priest of Birkenhcerdt (Palatinate), easily surpasses all his
predecessors, and may be considered by far the best in
Catechetics, for he has satisfactorily fulfilled his task. He
has, indeed, mastered the true catechetical Method, with-
out allowing it to master him. His catechetical works,
therefore, deserve to be recommended as models. Even
the older and more experienced Catechists can find much
to learn therein, and especially the rare art of becoming
little with the little, of accommodating oneself to their
mind, heart and will. Wherefore, most willingly comply-
ing with the request of the Publisher, I have written this
brief Introductory to the English translation of his model

iii

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iv INTRODUCTORY

work. I recommend especially a thorough study of his
treatment of the Sixth Commandment, of the Holy Sac-
rifice of the Mass, and of the Sacrament of Penance (for
the first confession).

James Linden, S.J.

March 26th, 191 1, St. Boniface's, Emmerich, Palatinate.

PREFACE TO PART I. THE APOSTLES' CREED

Long is the way from a good Catechism to good Cate-
chetics. What the Catechism explains about the doctrines
of the faith in clear, short and precise words, Catechetics
should impressively develop and bring within the reach of
the child's mind and heart. Catechetics should indicate,
elucidate and prove the Catholic truth, render it pleasing,
lovely, dear and acceptable. It behooves, therefore, the
Catechist to possess not only a clear, firm and solid knowl-
edge of the truths of faith, but also the language of chil-
dren, and a warm, enthusiastic heart for the faith, in order
to disclose to their mind the whole depth and beauty of
the inexhaustible wealth of comfort and the application of
religion to practical life.

Rev. James Nist, parish priest of Birkenhcerdt, has hap-
pily made a marked success of his Catechetics on Faith.
He teaches not merely, as a genuine priest, correctly and
solidly, but he also speaks the language of children in its
wonderful transparency and graceful naturalness. We may,
perhaps, prefer a different Method; but it will be very
difficult to find another book of equal merit. Children will
surely not sleep during his instructions, or hardly be tired
or distracted, so well does he know how to occupy, win
and rivet their attention and good will by the abundance
of encouraging comparisons and practical applications.

This is especially the case in the chapters devoted to the
life of our Saviour. How eloquently do the lovely pictures
of the Child and Boy Jesus, of the august figure of the
Teacher and Lawgiver, and the touching aspect of our suf-
fering and dying Saviour, speak to the heart of the child!
The Rev. Catechist is well acquainted with all the chords

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vi PREFACE TO PART I

of a child's heart, and he touches them with a masterly-
hand. These august mysteries of the life of Jesus, the
figures of our holy religion and of the Christian life, he
discloses in the manifold ways and forms and practices of
our divine worship; he possesses the great gift of revealing
them all in a surprising manner to the child's mind, and
recommending them to his imitation.

I hereby most warmly recommend the work to all pastors
of souls, catechists and teachers.

M. Meschler, S.J.

Luxemburg, Oct. 25th, 1908.

EDITOR'S NOTICE

Children, in general, do not find the study of the Cate-
chism very attractive. It seems to them very dry and
abstract and a mere work of the memory. Consequently,
the Catechism is often poorly learned and easily forgotten.
The best remedy for this is a good, practical Catechist.

The Catechist should I, possess a correct and clear
knowledge of the doctrines of faith; 2, he should be able
to speak in the language of children, that is, with great
simplicity and clearness; 3, his heart should be filled with
an ardent and enthusiastic love for the truths of faith, so
as to be able to speak on them from the abundance of his
heart ; 4, he should have a practical mind, capable of adapt-
ing his teaching to the practical religious life of children,
for mere theory and speculation are out of place with
them ; 5, he should dearly love children, for without such
love, he will scarcely be able to devote his whole energy
to their religious training. See how well little children
understand their mother. Why? Because the love in her
motherly heart speaks directly to their hearts; 6, he needs
a large stock of patience; in fact, it should be inexhausti-
ble. It is only by dint of numberless and varied repetitions
that thorough knowledge is imparted to the young. The
Catechist should be especially patient with those who are
dull and slow of comprehension. Only a good Catechist
will succeed in rendering the least talented of his pupils
fairly proficient in the knowledge and understanding of the
Catechism.

The teaching of Catechism is an art so difficult and so
important as to require that the Catechist should always
make a good preparation for it, and follow therein a prac-

vii

viii EDITOR'S NOTICE

tical and uniform method. However great his experience
may be therein, he should consider it a matter of conscience
never to omit serious preparation for it.

Of all the methods of Catechetics, that of Rev. James
Nist is so thorough and practical, as to be considered the
best and the most worthy of serving as a model in every
respect. His exposition and explanation of the Catechism
is so handled that the children themselves are interested
therein, and made step by step to develop, explain and
apply in advance the lesson for the following day. The
result is that, before studying the lesson in the Catechism,
they already know it mostly by heart, and find real interest
in studying it. Hence the study of the Catechism becomes
for them an easy and agreeable task.

His method, however, presupposes in the children a cer-
tain knowledge of Bible History. Where this knowledge
is lacking, the Catechist would have to supply it, so as to
make the illustrations and applications clear and interesting
to the children.

The results of Father Nist's method will not be transi-
tory, but permanent; they are well calculated to produce in
the children a clear and precise knowledge of our holy
religion, a childlike love for it, and to render its practice
like a second nature to them.

The translator has somewhat condensed the work of
Father Nist, and adapted certain parts unsuited for the
United States, to the wants of our children.

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CONTENTS

PART I. THE APOSTLES CREED.

PAGE

1. On Faith 3

ib. God, the Creator 6

2. God is almighty io

3. God is everywhere. God is a spirit 13

4. There is but one God. God knows all things ... 15

5. God is eternal 18

6. The Blessed Trinity 20

7. God cares for the world. God is good 24

7b. God rules the world 30

8. The Creation and the Fall of the Angels .... 32

9. God is holy and just 38

10. The Guardian Angels 42

11. The Creation of the first Man 46

12. Man is the most noble Creature of God on earth . . 51

13. The Creation of Eve. Paradise 55

14. The Commandment of God in Paradise. Why we are

on earth 59

15. The Fall of our First Parents 61

16. The Confession and Punishment of our First Parents 64

17. Original Sin 69

18. Promise of the Redeemer 71

19. The Announcement of the Redeemer's Birth ... 75

20. Birth of the Redeemer 81

21. The Shepherds adore the Infant Saviour .... 85

22. On Holy Mass 91

23. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem 95

24. The Wise Men from the East adore the Redeemer . 100

25. Flight of the Holy Family to Egypt 107

26. The twelve-year-old Child Jesus in the Temple of

Jerusalem 112

27. The Life of Jesus at Nazareth 120

28. Jesus teaches, works Miracles and chooses His Apos-

tles 124

CONTENTS

PAGE

29. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead 129

30. Jesus sweats blood in the Garden of olives . . . .134

31. The Arrest of Jesus 141

32. Jesus is scourged 145

33. Jesus is crowned with thorns 151

34. Jesus is condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross . .155

35. Jesus carries His heavy Cross 160

36. Jesus is crucified 166

37. The dead Body of Jesus is pierced and buried . . . 175

38. The Soul of Jesus goes down to Limbo. Jesus rises

from the dead 180

39. Jesus appears to His Disciples. Jesus ascends to

Heaven 188

40. The Holy Ghost descends upon the Apostles . . . 196

41. The Catholic Church 204

42. The End of the Catholic Church. The Communion of

Saints. The Forgiveness of Sins 209

43. The Resurrection of the Body and Life everlasting.

Amen 215

44. Death; Judgment; Purgatory; Heaven; Hell . . . 219

45. The General Judgment 226

PART II. THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.

i. The Commandment of the Love of God 237

2. The Commandment of the Love of our Neighbor . . 245

3. On the Commandments. God gave the Ten Com-

mandments 252

First Commandment of God 258

4. The Worship of God 258

5. The Worship of God by Sacrifice 266

6. Honoring the Saints 271

7. Second Commandment. Reverence for the Name of

God 278

8. Taking God's Name in vain 282

9. Third Commandment of God. First Commandment of

the Church. Sanctification of the Sunday and of the
Holydays of obligation 289

10. The Fourth Commandment. Duties of Children to-

wards their Parents 297

11. The Sins of Children against their Parents . . . 309

12. The Fifth Commandment. Sins against the Life of

the Body 316

CONTENTS

PAGE

13. Seduction, or leading astray 325

14. The Sixth and Ninth Commandments. Impurity . .331

15. Chastity, or Purity 337

16. The Seventh Commandment. Our Neighbor's Prop-

erty 350

17. Eighth Commandment. Lying and Falsehood . . . 359

18. The Tenth Commandment. Unjust Desires of our

Neighbor's Property 368

PART III. THE SACRAMENTS.

i. The Sacraments in general 377

2. Baptism 381

3. Confirmation 386

4. The Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar 391

5. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass 399

6. Hearing Mass 412

7. The Worship of the Blessed Sacrament 428

8. The Sacrament of Penance, and, at the same time, an

Instruction for the first Confession. The Institu-
tion of the Sacrament of Penance 436

9. The Examination of Conscience 446

10. A Practical Examination of Conscience 452

11. Idea of Contrition 471

12. The Qualities of Contrition 476

13. The Purpose of Amendment, or the Resolution to sin

no more 484

14. The awaking of Contrition and the Good Resolution . 494

15. Confession 504

16. Satisfaction 521

17. A Practical Confession 529

18. Extreme Unction 541

19. Holy Order 547

20. Marriage 551

PART I
THE APOSTLES' CREED

1. On Faith.

Dear Children, you have already learned, not only from
Bible History, but also from the Catechism, how God
created the world. Your teacher teaches you Bible His-
tory and the Catechism. Who else teaches them to you?
The priest. Where else does the priest teach? In the
church when he preaches. There he teaches not only the
children, but also the grown people. In every parish there
is a priest, who is the pastor of the parish. All priests
teach the people. The bishop is above the priests. He
also teaches the people. The bishop sends a priest to
every parish, to teach the people ; and he tells the priest
what he must teach. The priests are not allowed to teach
differently from the bishop. There are over one thousand
bishops in the world. The highest bishop is the bishop of
Rome; he is called the Pope. The Pope and the bishops
all teach the same. What one of them teaches, all the
others teach. (Repeat the above, if necessary.)

Who sends priests to the parishes? The bishop. What
must the priest do in a parish? Teach the people about
God. What does the bishop also do? How many bishops
are there in the world? Who is the highest bishop? The
bishop of Rome ; he is also called the Pope. The Pope to-
gether with the bishops is called the Catholic Church. What
other words can we use instead of, the Pope and the bishops
teach? The Catholic Church teaches. Before the Pope
and the bishops who are now teaching, another Pope and
other bishops taught; and others again before them. The

3

4 APOSTLES' CREED

apostles were the first bishops in the world. There were
twelve apostles. The apostles also taught. Jesus told the
apostles what they should teach. The apostles remained
with Jesus nearly three years ; and during that time Jesus
taught them many things. He told them all that we must
know about God. Men could never have found out by
themselves what we know about God. Jesus had to make
it known. To whom did Jesus make it known? He made
it known (revealed it) to the apostles.

Who were the first bishops in the world? How many
apostles were there? From whom did the apostles learn
what they taught? From Jesus. What did Jesus teach
the apostles? All that we must know about God. What
does reveal mean? It means to make known. The apos-
tles wrote down most of the truths Jesus had revealed to
them about God. They are found in the Catechism and
in Bible History; but not all. Many beautiful things are
related in them. You have already learned about the cre-
ation of the world, Adam and Eve, the earthly paradise,
and some things about the Child Jesus. I know that these
things please you very much. Which story in your Reader
pleased you the most? Did you believe what is related
in that story about (mention some of the personages) ?
No. Why not? That is not true; a wise man made it up
to please children.

Do you know some one, mentioned in Bible History,
who made up a story in order to make men unhappy ? Yes ;
the devil. He wished to induce them to eat of the for-
bidden fruit. What did God threaten to our first parents,
if they would eat of that fruit? That they must die. But
what did the devil say (make up) ? You shall by no means
die. Whom did Eve believe more ? The devil. And what
did Eve then do? She ate of the forbidden fruit and gave
some to Adam. And what did Adam do? He ate it to
please Eve. Then Adam and Eve were banished from
the earthly paradise. And finally they had to die. Who

FAITH 5

had foretold this to them? Who, then, had told them the
truth ? Who had lied to them ? The devil always tells lies.
He is a liar through and through. But God can never lie.
He is always truthful.

Jesus Christ also is God. How do we call all that He
says? How do we call all that He revealed to His apos-
tles? All that He revealed to His apostles is true. What
must we, therefore, believe? We must believe all that
Jesus Christ, who is God, revealed to the apostles. What
do we call the Pope together with all the bishops? The
Catholic Church. (Repeat.) How can we express in two
ways? Who teaches men what God has revealed?

You little children are not yet able to learn and remem-
ber all that the Catholic Church teaches. That is a great
deal too much for you now. But it is not yet necessary
for you to know it all. You should, however, know at
least what is the most important. The apostles put to-
gether into a prayer the principal truths which we all
ought to know. This prayer is short. It contains twelve
sentences, or articles. It begins : " I believe in God the
Father Almighty." How is this prayer called? The
Creed; also the Apostles' Creed. Of how many sentences
(articles) is it composed? What is briefly (in few words)
contained in these twelve articles? The principal truths
which we must believe.

Summary. Which prayer contains in few words the
most important truths which we must believe? The prin-
cipal (most important) truths which we must believe are
briefly contained in the Apostles' Creed. Wrhy is it called
the Apostles' Creed? Because it comes from the apostles.
Recite the Apostles' Creed. What must we believe? We
must believe all that God has revealed. Who teaches us
all that God has revealed? The Catholic Church teaches
us all that God has revealed.

Application — Technical. You will find in your new
(larger) Catechism what I have taught you to-day. Open

6 APOSTLES' CREED

your Catechism, page ... It begins with Q. I : Why
are we on earth (in this world) ? Write this question on
the board. Show it to me in your Catechism. (Ex-
amine.) Q. means question; therefore after Q. is asked:
" Why are we on earth ? " a line below you see A. ; it
means answer. Show it to me. When the children are
asked the Q., they must give the answer A. Next comes
Q. 2. Where? Below is Q. 3. Show it. What does
Q. mean? What do you read in the same line? "What
must we believe?" These are the questions for to-day.
A line further down you see A. W^hat does that mean?
Answer. Who can read the answer? Proceed in like man-
ner with Q. 4, 5, 6, 7. You must read once more Q. 4,
5, 6, 7 at home. What must you read at home? Can you
find it by yourselves? Let us try. Close your Catechism.
When you come home, and your mother asks you : " Which
is your next lesson in Catechism?" open your Catechism,
and show it to her. Which is your next lesson? Show
me. Open your Catechism. Where is your next lesson?
At home say to your mother : " Mother, please question
me." Then your mother will ask you the questions. What
answer will you give her to the question : " What must
we believe ? " etc. How do children do, when they study
the Catechism together? One asks the questions, and the
other gives the answers. Let us 'practise this. Close your
Catechism.

lb. God, the Creator.

There is a prayer which contains in a few words all that
you are to learn in the Catechism and in Bible History.
It begins : " I believe in God the Father almighty." How
is this prayer called? The Creed. It is called also the
Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed has twelve sen-
tences, or articles. You will learn by degrees all that is
contained in the Apostles' Creed. I will explain a part

GOD, THE CREATOR 7

of it to-day. The Apostles' Creed begins thus : " I be-
lieve in God."

Object. I am going to tell you to-day what God has
made.

Relation. In the beginning God created heaven and
earth. But the earth was like a desert, without anything
on it; it was all dark and covered with water. Then God
said : " Let there be light." And then light was imme-
diately there. God called the light day, and the darkness
night. That was the first day. Then God said : " Let
the firmament be." And the firmament was immediately
there. God called the firmament heaven. That was the
second day. After this God said: "Let the waters flow
into one place, and let dry land appear." And so it hap-
pened immediately. God called the dry land earth, and
the waters that had gathered together, sea. And God said :
" Let the earth bring forth grass, plants and fruit-trees."
And so grass, plants and fruit-trees immediately grew out
of the earth, and the earth looked green and beautiful.
This was the third day. Then God said : " Let there be
lights in the heavens." And immediately the lights ap-
peared, for God created the sun, the moon and the stars,
that they should give light to the earth. And this was
the fourth day. God said further : " Let there be fishes
in the water and birds in the air." And God created all
kinds of fishes and birds, and blessed them, saying: "In-
crease and multiply." That was the fifth day.

God spoke again : " Let the earth bring forth all kinds
of animals." And immediately all kinds of animals ap-
peared on the earth. And last of all God created man.
That was the sixth day. And on the seventh day God
rested, and blessed and sanctified that day.

N. B. The children are supposed to know all the fore-
going already.

Explanation — Heaven and earth in six days. What
did God do in the beginning, when there was nothing be-

8 APOSTLES' CREED

sides God? In the beginning God created heaven and
earth. In what state was the earth then? It was like a
desert without anything living or growing on it; it was
all dark and covered with water. When is it dark with
us? In the night. Just as dark as it is with us those
nights when neither the moon nor the stars shine. So dark
was it everywhere in the beginning of the world. What
does your mother do at night to light up a dark room?
She makes a light. How did God make a light in the dark
world ? He said : " Let there be light," and there was
light. In this way the dark night disappeared, and there
was daylight. How grand! That was the first day.
What did God create on the second day? On the second
day God created the firmament. He called the firmament
heaven. But the heavens were not yet so beautiful as they
are now, for there were no stars, no sun, no moon there.
The earth was yet bare, with nothing on it. God wished
to make the earth beautiful. What did He create on the
third day? On the third day He created the dry land
(the earth), and the large body of water called the sea.
What did God cause to grow on the earth? He caused
grass, plants and fruit-trees to grow on the earth. There
were now meadows, plants and trees of every kind. The
whole earth became a beautiful garden. There bloomed
thereon the sweet-scented violet, the pansy, the rose, the
lily and all the beautiful flowers; and there were number-
less trees laden with fine fruits, apples, apricots, pears,
peaches, plums, cherries.

After making the earth beautiful, God wished to adorn
the heavens also. What did God create on the fourth day ?
The sun, the moon and the stars, that they might shine
on the earth. The heavens and the earth were now a
beautiful sight. But there was silence everywhere. There
was yet no living thing. What did God create on the
fifth day? The fishes in the water and the birds in the
air. There were more fishes swimming in the water and

GOD, THE CREATOR 9

more birds flying in the air than we can imagine. The
birds were happy flying about and singing beautifully. But
there was something still wanting on the earth. You know
what it was. God created it on the sixth day. On that
day God created animals of all kinds on the earth, such
as horses, cattle, dogs, cats, elephants, lions, tigers, bears,
etc. The woods were full of hares, squirrels, deer and wild
beasts. All animals were happy and enjoyed life. And
God Himself rejoiced at all that He had made, for it was
all very good. But God did not need the earth for His
own use. For whom did He make the earth so beautiful?
For men. On which day did He create man? On the
sixth day. And man was the last thing He made on that
day. In how many days did He create the world? He
created the world in six days.

The day of rest. After the sixth day God ceased to
create new things. What did God do on the seventh day?
You must not think that God got even a little tired, for
God cannot get tired. But He wished that men should
work six days, and should rest on the seventh day. Which
day is that? Sunday. God blessed and sanctified the
seventh day. Therefore we also should keep the Sunday
holy. Where do we go on Sundays? What clothes do
you wear there ? Sunday clothes. Where do you not need
to go on Sundays? Who instituted that day for mankind?
You see how God loves us and how He takes our welfare to
heart. From whom do you get all the good things you
eat? Of which fruits are you especially fond? (Enumer-
ate some.) What pleasure you children find with animals,
such as rabbits, dogs, playful kittens; and you like the
canary that sings so sweetly in its cage! From whom do
all those good things come? From God every good thing
comes. From whom do heaven and earth come?

And everything therein. What did God do in the
heavens? What has He made to grow on earth? What
besides plants? Animals and men. What did God place

io APOSTLES' CREED

in the water and in the air? Therefore, God made heaven
and earth and everything in them. Heaven and earth and
all that they contain are called the world, the universe.

Summary. What things did God make? He made the
world (universe), heaven and earth and all that they con-
tain. From whom does everything good come ? From God
every good thing comes.

Application. For whom did God create all that is beau-
tiful and good? See, then, how much God loves us.

What do you say to your mother when she gives you
something good? Thank you. We must, therefore, thank
God for all these good and beautiful things. How can
we thank God? By saying: " O my God, I thank Thee."
This would please God. But you can please Him more
in another way. Who knows ? By praying. When should
you pray to Him? Where especially should you pray?
That is very pleasing to God. Even the flowers, the trees
and the birds give Him pleasure. The flowers bloom and
smell so sweet. The trees lift their tops heavenward where
God dwells. The birds in the woods, in the gardens sing
to God such joyful songs. The lark in the field in the
early morn ascends towards heaven, singing to God a won-
derful song of thanks. That is pleasing to God. Do you
also wish to please God? You cannot do it better than
by your good behavior and praying devoutly to Him.

2. God is Almighty.

Object. I will tell you how God made all things.

Development — How? Suppose to-morrow morning
your mother would say in the dark from her bed : " Let
there be light." What would happen? It would remain
dark. Or suppose the carpenter would open his shop and
say : " Let there be a new table here right away." What
would happen ? But how did God create light ? God said :
"Let there be light." What happened then? And imme-

GOD IS ALMIGHTY n

diately there was light. How did God create the sun, moon,
and the stars? He said: "Let there be lights in the
heavens," etc. And immediately the great brilliant sun
stood in the heavens, the moon was shining in her friendly
way, and numberless stars opened their bright eyes in the
firmament. (Repeat in like manner the creation of the
fishes, birds, plants and animals.) What do we call heaven
and earth and all that they contain? How did God create
the world (universe)? He said: "Let the world be.'
And what happened? And immediately the world was
there.

To create. What does your mother need to make light?
What does a carpenter need to make a table? What does
a contractor need to build a house? Materials, tools,
workmen. (Explain briefly.) But how different it is with
God! He needs no materials, no tools, no workmen. He
made the world out of nothing, without materials, without
tools, without workmen, and only by willing it. What did
God make out of nothing? God made the world out of
nothing. To make things out of nothing is called to create.
Instead of : God made the world out of nothing, let us
say : God created the world.

Almighty. Name some things which God created on the
earth. Grass, flowers, trees. What are the trees made of?
Wood. Suppose I would give you plenty of wood and
all kinds of tools, and ask you to make a tree that grows,
blossoms and produces fruits. What would you say? We
cannot do it. Can any man on earth do it? No. Suppose
I would give you feathers, flesh and bones and tell you
to make a living bird with those things. What would you
say? We cannot do it; no man can. Well, then, make a
little flower that will grow. That is not possible for us.
Well, then, make a blade of grass in the flower-pot. We
cannot do it. You see now that you cannot make even a
little blade of grass grow. Even if all the men on earth
would work together, they could not make a small blade

12 APOSTLES' CREED

of grass grow. Who made all the grass, all the flowers
and all the trees on earth grow? And all the fishes, birds
and animals? And how did He make them all? There is
not a thing which God cannot do. He can do all that He
wills. There is not a thing, however great or difficult,
which God cannot make, if He only wills to make it. God
is almighty.

The Creator. Because God has created all things, we
call Him Creator. What name can we give Him for having
created heaven? Creator of heaven. And for having
created the earth? Creator of the earth. What, then, do
we call God? Creator of heaven and earth.

Creatures. The things which God created are called
creatures. What are the flowers, the stars, etc., etc.?
They are creatures of God.

The Lord. Suppose you make a boat of paper; whose
boat is it? Mine. You are, then, the owner, the master
of that boat. WThy? Because I made it. Your father
makes a table. What is your father with regard to that
table? Its owner, its master. Why? Who created the
world? God is, then, the Master, the Lord of the world.
Who created the earth, the heavens? What is God, on
account of that? From whom comes every good? From
God. Therefore we say: God, from whom every good
comes, is the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth.

Summary. Who is the Creator and Lord of heaven
and earth? Why? How did God create the world? God
merely said : " Let the world be," and immediately the
world was made. Why do we say that God is almighty?

Application. How powerful, how great is God, who
created the world merely by willing it! Would that I
could tell you how great and how mighty God is ! Suppose
all the water in the brooks, in the rivers, in the lakes,
in the ocean was ink; and suppose also all the blades of
grass, all the leaves of plants and trees were pens; sup-
pose all the worms, caterpillars, butterflies, birds and ani-

GOD IS EVERYWHERE 13

mals and all men were writers, and the vast firmament was
writing paper, and all those writers would write on that
paper for thousands of years day and night, in order to
explain how great and powerful God is, they could never
finish doing so, for He is infinitely great and powerful.
And when you see in spring how every plant sprouts and
blossoms, you should say : " Almighty God, we praise
Thee, and we intend to praise Thee as many times as there
are stars in the heavens, flowers in the fields, leaves in the
forests, and drops of water in the ocean."

3. God is everywhere. God is a spirit.

Object. I will now tell you where God is.

Development — We cannot see God. When school
opened this morning, we said some prayers to God. Where
does God dwell ? He dwells in heaven. Must we not talk
very loud for God to hear us in heaven? But listen: God
is not only in heaven ; He is also here in this school-room
with us. But where? We cannot see Him. (It is not
God Himself who hangs on that cross; but only His image.)
Can you not see me and all the children here? How do
you see ? With your eyes ; your eyes belong to your body ;
hence we call them our bodily, or corporal eyes. (Repeat.)

God is a spirit. You see me, my head, my shoulders, my
arms, etc. ; these are parts of my body. But God has no
body, nor anything bodily or corporal, such as, head, eyes,
etc. God is a spirit. We cannot see a spirit with our cor-
poral eyes. Why? Because God is a spirit and has not a
body. What other things are there, which we cannot see?
We cannot see our soul, angels, the air, the wind. We
cannot see heat or cold, but we can feel them ; and thus we
know that they exist. (This admits of further development
by questions and answers.)

God is everywhere. Who is here in this room that we
cannot see ? God. He is also in the church ; in your

14 APOSTLES' CREED

houses; in the streets, in the fields, all over the ocean; in
every country; in the air; underground in the mines. If
you could fly to the moon, to the sun and the stars, you
would find God there also. There is not a place in the
whole world where God is not. God is everywhere on
earth, in the heavens, in heaven. Is He also in hell ? Yes,
He is there also ; but He does not suffer, but exercises His
power by punishing the wicked.

God is immense. You children have been growing larger
and larger; you can now reach higher than you did two
years ago. But how tall you would have to be, in order
to be able to reach with your hand the cross on the church
steeple! But God is all over the world; He reaches every-
where ; He is infinitely great ; He is immense. And yet God
has no size, as our body has. We cannot say of Him that
He is so tall, so wide. He is everywhere, and in each place
He is whole and entire. How can that be? We cannot
understand it ; but it is so. Our soul makes our body live.
Where there is life in our body, our soul is there. But
there is life in every part of our body ; therefore the soul
is in every part of our body ; but our soul has no size ; it is
not so long, and so wide like our body. We cannot divide
our soul as our body; and where the soul is, it is all there;
not like our body, for each part of our body is in its own
place, such as the head, the arms, the feet ; where the head
is, the arms, the feet are not there; etc. But our soul is
whole and entire in our whole body, and in every part of our
body. In like manner, God is all over the world, and He
is also whole and entire in every little part of the world.
God is seen in heaven as He is, face to face.

Summary. Where is God present without being seen?
Where is He seen? Is there a place where God is not?
God is in heaven, on earth and in all places. He is a spirit
and cannot be seen with corporal eyes.

Application. Suppose you had to go on a dark night
through a thick forest, and your father would be with you.

ONE GOD 15

Would you be afraid? Why not? Because your father is
strong and able to defend you. But there is One much
stronger than your father, who is with you wherever you
are, wherever you go. God is always with you, near you,
by day and by night, at home, at school, in the street, in the
fields. When your mother sends you to a dark place to get
something, do you need to be afraid? Is not God there?
Is He not with you? Is He not your loving Father and
Protector ?

4. There is but one God. God knows all things.

Object. I will explain to you that God knows and sees
all things.

Development. There is but one sun. It is very warm
to-day. What makes this room so warm? Whence comes
the heat in the woods, in the fields, in the streets? It is hot
also in .... (mention some neighboring towns, etc.).
What makes it hot there also? It is the sun. Is it the same
or another sun that makes it hot here and elsewhere? No,
it is the same sun everywhere. How many suns produce
heat all over the country? One sun only causes all this
heat.

Only one God. In like manner, there is only one and
the same God everywhere. Is there more than one God
for the whole world (universe) ? No, there is only one
God; He who made all things.

God sees all things. We know that this one God is
everywhere. Where are we all now? Therefore we all
see what is done in this room. Can your mother at home
see what we are doing here? No. Why? Because she
is not here. She must be here, in order to be able to see
what is going on here. And to see what is going on in
your house, you must be there. (Similar questions about
other places, countries.) If you were in the woods on a
dark night, could you see what would be going on there?

16 APOSTLES' CREED

Or if you stood in front of a house, could you see what
would be going on in the rooms inside? Why? Because
I would not be inside. If you could see at one and the
same time all that is going on in all the houses in this
place, in every country on earth, in the stars, etc., where
would you have to be ? Everywhere. Who is everywhere ?
How much, then, can God see? He can see and sees all
things.

Also in the dark nights and places. God can see every-
where, and all things. There is no darkness for God.
He has the brightest and most piercing eyes. The darkest
night is for Him just as bright as the noonday sun. He
can see also all our thoughts. We can see only the out-
side of things. We can see only what is outward in men.
We cannot see into any one's heart. Can you see what
N. is thinking in his heart? No. What a person thinks
are his thoughts. What is it that we cannot see in men?
Their thoughts. But God sees into every man's inmost heart.
He sees all our thoughts, all our wishes, all our feelings.
God saw in King Herod's mind all his wicked thoughts
and intentions, that is, all he intended to do. What did
Herod say to the wise men when he sent them to Beth-
lehem? " Go and find out the new-born King, then come
and tell me, and I also will go and adore Him." But in
his heart Herod thought (meant) differently. What
wicked thoughts had he? Did the wise men know them?
Did the scribes, did Joseph and Mary know Herod's secret
thoughts? Herod had told no one of these his secret
thoughts. Although the wise men did not know them, yet
they did not go back to Herod, but returned home by an-
other road. And why? Because God had told them not
to go back to Herod. And why did God command that
to them? Because Herod intended to kill the Infant Jesus.
Who knew Herod's secret thoughts? God knew them.
God knows every one's most hidden thoughts, because He
reads in every one's mind.

GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS 17

When you are in the school-room, you see all that is
done there, you hear all that is said there. (The same in
church.) Where is God? Everywhere. Therefore God
sees all that is done everywhere. He sees all you do, when
you are at home, in church, in school, in the street, in the
places where no person sees you, by day and by night. He
sees when you are obedient, when you are good, when you
are doing anything bad. He sees everything that is done
in the whole world. He knows how many stars there are,
how many grains of sand, leaves, drops of water, plants,
insects, animals and men, and all that they do. God knows
every man, everything each one does, each one's most hid-
den thoughts. In a word, He knows all things.

Summary. How much does God know? How much
does He see? What thoughts does He see? Does God
know all things?

Application. James and his sister Anna were alone at
home, for their mother had gone out. James tried to coax
Anna to go with him to the pantry to eat preserves. Anna
said : " It is wrong for us to do so. Mother forbade
us." But James said: "There is nobody here; and no
one will see us." But Anna replied : " I will not go ; it
is a sin; God sees us." What do you think of James?
Was Anna right? Yes. Remember that, when your
parents are not at home, you are not all alone; for God
is there and sees you. Some children sometimes miss Mass
on a Sunday, or stay away from school, under the pretext
of being sick; but how often is that a lie! The teacher
may be deceived, but God cannot be deceived, for He sees
and knows all things. After death every one of us shall
have to give God an account of every bad word and bad
act, of every bad thought and bad wish. Therefore, bad
boys and bad girls must fear, because God will punish
them. Good children need not be afraid, for God will
reward them in heaven for every good thought, good word

18 APOSTLES' CREED

and good deed. God knows they are fond of prayer, that
they behave in church, are obedient, tell the truth, etc.

5. God is eternal.

Object. You will hear to-day how long God lives.
Development — Everything has a beginning. When
does school begin in the morning? School has, then, a
beginning. When does the sun rise? What begins then?
The day. The day has a beginning. Many days make a
year. How do you call that day on which the new year
begins? New Year's day. How old are you? Therefore
twenty years ago none of you were born. What have each
of you had? A beginning. A hundred years ago your
parents were not yet born. They also had a beginning.
This town was not yet here a thousand years ago. It also
had a beginning. A million years ago there were not yet
any sun, moon or stars. They all had a beginning. All
that we see around us had a beginning.

God has no beginning. Who made all things? God was
already before there were any earth, sun, moon and stars.
He saw how all of them had a beginning. Heaven and
earth, plants, fishes, birds, animals, all began. God was
already long before all of them. God always was, for
He had no beginning. (Repeat with appropriate ques-
tions.) What has everything in the world, which God has
not? A beginning.

The world has an end. The things in the world do not
always remain. The flowers, now in bloom, will wither
and die, and disappear; they will have an end. The same
will happen to all plants, animals; to all our clothing, to
all our houses. Our bodies will die, rot and disappear.
No matter how young, healthy and strong you are, you
shall have an end; death will come, and take you out of
this world. The sun, moon and stars will fall from heaven,

GOD IS ETERNAL 19

and fire will destroy this earth and all it contains. There-
fore the whole earth will one day have an end.

God alone has no end. Only One will be always. Who is
it ? God. Even if every creature would disappear and end,
God will still be. God has no end. What is it that God
has not? An end. What else has He not? A beginning.
God, therefore, had no beginning and shall have no end.
God is always. God is eternal, that is, without beginning
and without end.

God remains forever. God was before all time ; before
there was any day, any year. He was before all things
and all time. At the end of the world " time shall be no
more." No more days, no more years ; it will then be
always; eternity; and God remains forever. (Repeat with
appropriate questions.)

Summary. Had God a beginning? Will He have an
end ? No ; God is always ; He is eternal ; He is without
beginning and without end. He is before all time; He re-
mains forever.

Application. How long the eternal God lives, we can-
not even imagine. Have you not already seen a little
canary bird in a cage drinking out of his little glass? The
glass contains only a little water. The bird drinks only
a little at a time, but often ; but he cannot empty the little
glass in a day. How much water is there in the ocean?
Suppose every thousand years a little bird would come and
drink one little drop of water out of the ocean. Oh, how
long would it take that little bird to drink all the water
in the ocean, and entirely empty the ocean ! And yet after
he would have drunk the whole ocean dry, not one minute
of eternity would have passed away; eternity would not
have become one minute shorter! And God lives always,
without end. How old is God? Old men have grey hair
and grey beards ; and God is so painted ; why ? Old people
at last die. Can God die?

20 APOSTLES' CREED

I will now relate an anecdote of a woman who dreamt
that God had died. There was a workman and his wife;
they were very, very poor, and became poorer every day.
At last they had nothing to eat. The man said : " Oh,
if I could die ! " His wife said : " Do not speak so ; God
has always helped us; He will help us again." But the
man would not believe her, and became very gloomy. She
also got sad, and would not eat any more. This continued
for two days. He asked her : " What is the matter with
you? Why are you so sad?" She replied: "Oh, I had
an awful dream. I dreamt I saw God lying in His coffin.
His long hair was white like silver, and the angels stood
around in a circle, and were weeping. Oh, how unfortunate
we are, since God cannot help us any more, for He is
dead." The man then burst out laughing, and said to her :
" How stupid you are ! do you not know that God cannot
die? That God is eternal, that He always was and always
will be ? " She then said : " Oh, you know that too !
And why do you imagine that God will not help us any
more? He is almighty, goodness itself, and has promised
to help those who trust in Him." This cured her husband
of his melancholy. Dear children, no matter what misfor-
tunes may come to you, do not despond ; even if your
parents were to die. Trust in the good God, and He will
always care for you.

6. The Blessed Trinity.

N. B. As an object lesson bring along three equal pieces
of a wax candle.

Object. I will speak to you to-day of God, of the
Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Development — The Father, a divine Person. What sign
do we make when we begin our prayers? The sign of
the cross. Make it, John. What do you say when you
put your right hand to your forehead ? " In the name of the

THE BLESSED TRINITY 21

Father." The Father you mention is God the Father, who
is in heaven. Every child has a father at home. The
father at home is a person ; the mother is a person ; each
child is also a person. Mention other persons. The priest,
the teacher. Your father is a man ; therefore he is a hu-
man person ; and you and your mother are also human per-
sons. The Father in heaven is also a person ; but He is not
a man. What is He? God. Therefore He is a divine
Person. (Repeat with appropriate questions.)

The Son, a divine Person. In making the sign of the
cross, what do you say when you put your right hand to
your breast? "And of the Son." "John," your father
says to you, " you are my son." To Mary he says also :
" Mary, you are my daughter." What does your father
say to you, Fred? To you, Rose? God the Father in
heaven also has a Son. He is called Jesus Christ. He
died for us on a cross. Look at the crucifix ; it is His
image. It is He whom we mean, when we say : " And
of the Son." The Son of God is also a person. He is
God also like His Father. What kind of person is God
the Son? A divine Person. (Repeat.)

The Holy Ghost, a divine Person. What do we say
when we put our right hand, first to the left, and then
to the right shoulder ? " And of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
The Holy Ghost is also a person. He is God, like the
Father and the Son. What kind of person is the Holy
Ghost? A divine Person. (Repeat with appropriate ques-
tions.)

The three divine Persons. Count the divine Persons.
How many are there ? Three divine Persons : the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Father is the first Per-
son; the Son is the second Person, and the Holy Ghost
is the third Person. How is the first Person in God called ?
The second? The third? How many Persons in God?
Three. Name them.

Each Person is true God. I have here three small can-

22 APOSTLES' CREED

dies. What are all three made of? Of wax. Compare
them with one another. They are all of the same size;
the first is not larger than the second, nor the second larger
than the third; all three are equal to one another. Is any
one of them thicker or longer than any of the other two?
In like manner the three divine Persons are equal to one
another in all things. God the Father is infinitely great.
How great is God the Son? How great is God the Holy
Ghost? How great are the three divine Persons? All
three are infinitely great. Infinite means without end,
without limits. (Repeat a similar explanation to show
that none of them is older than the others; all are equally
eternal, without beginning, without end, without limits.
Also to show that they are all three equally almighty.
Then briefly repeat all the above by asking appropriate
questions.) Because the Father is infinitely great, eternal,
almighty, He is true God. Because the Son is infinitely
great, etc., He is true God. Likewise the Holy Ghost.

The three divine Persons are only one God. If you were to
count as follows: The Father is God (lift up one finger) ;
the Son is God (lift up another finger) ; the Holy Ghost
is God (lift up a third finger) ; how many Gods would
that be? But to count up in this manner would be en-
tirely wrong, for there is only one God. The three divine
Persons are only one God. You cannot understand how
that is ; neither can I, nor can any one else, for it is a great
and deep mystery.

Illustrate with the three candles. I light these candles.
How many candles do I hold? Three. How many lights
(flames) ? Three. But now I put them together. I have
three candles, but only one flame, one light. So it is with
the three divine Persons. As the three candles put to-
gether have only one and the same flame (light), so the
three divine Persons are but one and the same God.

The Blessed Trinity. The three divine Persons together
are called the Blessed Trinity. Trinity means three Per-

THE BLESSED TRINITY 23

sons in one God. How do we call the three divine Per-
sons together? The three divine Persons together are
called the Blessed Trinity.

Each of the three divine Persons is good to us. God
the Father created us; you and you, every one of you;
otherwise none of you would be in the world. Fred, what
good did God the Father do for you? God the Father
created me. It was the will of God the Father that all
men should go to heaven. But our first parents, Adam
and Eve, sinned, and God closed heaven against them and
their descendants, against all men. Then God the Son
came down from heaven on the earth and became man.
He died for all men, for each man, for every one of you,
on the cross, and opened heaven again to men, so that we
can now go to heaven. Wherefore we say : God the Son
redeemed all men, each one of us. What good, what benefit
did God the Son bestow on you? He redeemed me. The
Holy Ghost also has done much good to us. When you
were a little baby the priest baptized you. Then the
Holy Ghost came into your soul and made it holy and
wonderfully beautiful. He whose soul is holy, is fit
to go to heaven. What good did the Holy Ghost do to
you? He sanctified my soul, that is, He made it holy.
(Repeat.)

Summary. Is each Person of the Blessed Trinity true
God? Are the three Persons but one and the same God?
What is the Blessed Trinity?

Application, i. I will now tell you something about
the three divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity. When
Jesus was thirty years old, He went to the river Jordan,
where many people came to St. John to be baptized. They
went into the river, and St. John poured water over their
heads. Jesus also came to him to be baptized. When
Jesus came out of the river, He knelt down and prayed.
The heavens opened, and the Holy Ghost in the form of
a beautiful white dove, came down and remained over

24 APOSTLES' CREED

His head, and a voice from heaven was heard saying:
" This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Who came to St. John to be baptized? Jesus. Jesus
is the Son of God. What did Jesus do after He was bap-
tized? When He was praying a voice was heard from
heaven. What did it say? Who can call Jesus His Son?
The Father of Jesus. Who is the Father of Jesus? God
the Father in heaven. Who was over the head of Jesus?
The Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. Here you have
the three divine Persons of the Blessed Trkiity. What
did the Father do ? What did the Son do ? What did the
Holy Ghost do?

2. We sometimes see a picture of the Blessed Trinity.
Here is one. Show me God the Son. How do you know
that it represents Him? How can you distinguish the.
Holy Ghost? How does the Father look? Like a vener-
able old man. Why? How do you call the three divine
Persons? The Blessed Trinity.

3. Each of the divine Persons did much good to us.
What did the Father do? What did the Son do? What
did the Holy Ghost do? We can never thank, honor or
praise them enough. Say the Glory be to the Father, etc.
Say another prayer in their honor. The sign of the cross.
What do you do, when you say that? By this sign we
honor the Blessed Trinity.

7. God cares for the world. God is good.

Transition. You have learned that God created the
world. What did God create in the heavens? What did
He create on earth?

Object. You will now hear what God still does for the
world.

Development, i. God causes the world to continue to
exist. The grass, plants, trees, birds, animals and men
that God created in the beginning, are no longer. And

GOD CARES FOR THE WORLD 25

yet there is grass, there are trees, vegetables, fruits and
flowers. And God causes them to grow. But what must
men do, in order to have vegetables, fruits, etc.? They
must sow their seeds. And trees? They must sow or
transplant them. Each plant has its own seed. It is God,
who enables them to have seed. How wonderful ! A man
sows in the ground a grain of wheat, of corn, a peach-
stone, an apple-seed, a piece of a potato, and the grain grows
and produces hundreds of other grains ; the piece of a potato
grows and produces sometimes many dozens of whole po-
tatoes. And of these other grains, when planted, each
produces hundreds of others. (Illustration may be pro-
longed and diversified according to the products of each
region.)

Plants grow from seeds. But where do the little birds
come from? And the fowls? From eggs laid and hatched
by the older ones. Horses, cows, cats gets little ones, and
these grow up, and also get little ones, and so on. God
cares for all.

The sun, moon and stars are in the heavens as God
created them. They continue to do what God has created
them for. The sun still gives us light and warmth, the
moon lights up the night, and the stars shine and twinkle
at night. Tell me how God cares for the world ; for plants ;
for birds ; for animals ; for the sun, etc.

God cares for young animals. Where are the little birds
at first? In the nest made by the older ones, where they
were hatched. To grow larger and strong, to be able to
fly, they must eat. But how can they get food? The
older ones bring them worms, etc., and feed them as a
mother feeds her baby with a spoon of mush, and keep
them warm at night by covering them with their wings,
If the older birds did not do this, the little ones would
perish. Who taught the older ones to procure food for
the little ones, to feed them and keep them warm? God.
God cares for the older ones, by enabling them to find

26 APOSTLES' CREED

worms, insects, grains of wheat, corn, etc. He cares for
them in winter, lest they should freeze ; He makes them
fly South for hundreds of miles to a warmer climate, and
come back in time for warmer weather. The birds that
stay, get a thicker coat of feathers to keep them warm.
The cattle have also a thicker coat of hair in winter.

God cares for the plants. How beautiful are the flowers!
The snow-white lilies, the forget-me-nots with their blue
mantle; also the fruit-trees in spring with their beautiful
blossoms, the orange trees with their sweet-scented blos-
soms ! No King is so beautifully clothed as they ! In
winter the ground is covered with snow to protect certain
plants, and to prevent the ground from freezing too deep,
otherwise nothing could grow in spring, for it would take
too long to thaw the ground. Winter is to the earth and to
plants what sleep is to us.

Recapitulation. For which things does God care?
Animals, plants. God cares for His creatures, for the
beings He created.

Application. God cares for even the smallest creature,
and has provided for it means of subsistence. (How the
egg of a butterfly becomes a worm, a caterpillar, and lastly
a butterfly.) He who cares for all things, cares also for
me.

2. God cares as a father for us His children. Who cares
for you at home? Father and mother. They reflect and
work all day, so that nothing may be wanting to you.
For whom especially do they work? For their children.
And why do they do so? Because they love their children.
Father and mother love you more than all else in the world.
But far better than your father and mother care for you,
does God care for all His creatures. Therefore call God
also your Father. He is the Father of the whole world.
Where does He dwell? In heaven. Therefore we call
Him our Father in heaven, our heavenly Father. More
than your father and mother at home does God love you.

GOD CARES FOR US 27

He cares for us with a special love. You know already
how He cares for birds, for animals. They sow not, they
reap not, nor do they lay up into barns, and yet they have
their daily food. They have no other wants, and they are
so joyful. And does not God esteem you far more than
a little bird? You are children of God. Look at the
flowers ; they work not in summer, do not spin in winter,
nor do they sew, and yet they are more magnificently
clothed than the richest monarch. If God so cares for
flowers, how much greater care will He bestow on you !
Are you not worth more than a little flower? You all
are God's beloved children. Let us see how He cares for
you.

God gave you parents, that is, a father and a mother,
saying to them : " Here is this dear child ; care for it ;
give it all it needs." And to enable them to do this well,
God gave them a deep love for you. You are to grow
larger and stronger. What do you need for this? Who
gives you food? Your parents give you . . . (enumerate
some of the foods, such as, bread made from wheat flour,
meat, milk, eggs from animals, fruits from trees.) Who
made the wheat and the fruit-trees grow? Who made the
cows, the cattle, the chickens? Therefore we pray daily
to God : " Our Father who art in heaven, give us this
day our daily bread " (food).

You are all well and comfortably clothed. Of which
things are your clothes made? Hemp, cotton, wool,
leather ; plants, sheep and cattle. Who made these ? Who
then cares for your clothing? At night you sleep in a
warm, soft bed of moss, etc. Who made these things grow ?
God cares, then, for you during the night. How many
sick persons cannot sleep at night, on account of their great
pains ? And you get up in the morning refreshed and with
a good appetite. Who has cared for you?

God loves some children with a special love ; He calls
them to Himself in heaven, when they are yet infants.

28 APOSTLES' CREED

How happy they are! How good it is for them to go
straight to heaven ! We should not grieve over them.
You now see how God loves all men as His children and
cares for them. God made for men, His children, every-
thing in the world; the sun, moon, stars, flowers, plants,
fruits, birds, fishes, all animals. From heaven God looks
down on all men; He hears their prayers; He helps them
in their wants. Your parents cannot always help you;
but your heavenly Father can always help you. If your
father at home dies, you still have a Father in heaven,
the best, the most loving and powerful of fathers. For
whom, then, does God care with a special love? For us,
His children.

Divine Providence. Sometimes God allows misfortunes
to happen to men. Even this is a mark of His love for
them. A very holy man wished to go by sea to a certain
place. He was just about to enter the ship, when he fell
down and broke his leg. He had to remain on land until
his leg would be healed. His servant was very mad be-
cause they had to remain where they were. But the holy
man told him not to get mad, saying : " All that God does
is good. Who can now tell why He allowed my leg to
get broken? " They were told later, that the ship on which
they intended to embark, was wrecked, and that all on
board had been drowned. The saint and his servant would
also have been drowned, if he had not broken his leg.
So you see that what at first appeared to be a misfortune,
was a real blessing. Why? Therefore all that God does,
is good. Nothing can happen without God knowing it.
He knows how many hairs we have on our head, and
not one of them falls off without His knowing it.

Often God sends misfortunes to the wicked who will not
obey Him. He sends sickness, fearful storms, hailstorms,
frost, cyclones, floods, etc., which destroy houses, plants,
fruits, etc., and the people get poor and suffer want. He
does this, that they may reflect on how wicked they have

GOD'S PROVIDENCE 29

been, pray to Him, repent of their sins, be converted and
lead a good life. If they remain good, where will they go
after death? How many there are, who, if they had not
met with misfortune, would have remained bad, and would
never go to heaven, but would be condemned to the ever-
lasting fire of hell.

Summary. What does God always do for the world?
He cares for all His creatures. For whom does God care
with special love? God cares especially for us, His chil-
dren. God's care for the world and all creatures is called
Divine Providence.

Application, i. You now see how good God is towards
us. What does a good child say to him who makes him a
nice present? You have perhaps already seen your mother
give some money, or some food, to a poor person. What
did the poor person then say? And if he did not say it,
does not your mother remark : " That person does not
even say ' Thank you.' " Little Bertha, coming home one
day from school, found there a basket of fine apples, which
her godmother had sent her. She exclaimed : " Oh, how
good is my godmother to me. Mother, may I not go at
once to thank her for her loving kindness?" "Yes," re-
plied her mother, " it is right for you to go to thank her."

Dear children, you receive every day from God a thou-
sand times more than Bertha received from her godmother.
God daily gives you your life, food, drink, etc. What do
you owe to God for all this? How do you thank Him
for it? Do you pray before and after your meals? What
do you say before meals? What do you say after meals?
Do you sit down to eat, and get up after eating, without
thinking of God who gives you your food, without a word
of prayer, of thanks? Do you ever think of thanking God
for all His other benefits? How often must you be re-
minded of your morning prayers, of your night prayers?
Are those children who neglect their morning or their night
prayers, thankful to God? Children who do not pray and

3o APOSTLES' CREED

thank God, are like animals that lie down, get up, eat and
drink without a thought of God.

2. When a misfortune happens to you, you should not
get angry, for God who allowed it to happen to you, knows
that it is good for you. Remember that nothing happens
without God's permission and for our good. Tooth-ache,
sickness, and death in the family, even of your mother.
God permits all this for our good, because He loves us.

7b. God rules the World.

Object. I will tell you to-day of other things that God
does in the world.

Development — God presences all things. God created
the world. What does He do to keep it from perishing?
God preserves the world; He preserves men, animals,
plants, etc. He so arranges things, that there are always
on earth men, animals, plants, etc. How does it happen
that there are always plants? Plants produce seeds, and
seeds planted produce new plants. Animals grown up have
young ones; and the young after growing up, also have
young ones. Birds and fowls lay eggs, and young birds
and fowls are hatched from the eggs. (Repeat here from
i of preceding 7 God's care for animals, plants, etc.)

God orders all things. Who cares for everything at your
house? Who in the school? In school you should behave
well, and study diligently. Are you allowed to come when
you like? To go out when you like? To sit where you
like? To do as you like? Who would not suffer or permit
it? Why? Because everything would be in confusion;
and no one could learn anything. How long must you
remain in school? Where must you sit? Who takes care
that everything is properly done in school ? The teacher.
The teacher keeps order in the school. In school there
must be order, or the children will not be able to learn
anything.

GOD RULES THE WORLD 31

There must be order in the world. The sun may not rise
or set when or where it likes. Where must it rise ? Where
must it set? So has God ordered it. The stars may not
go where they like. God has appointed a place for each
star. He said to one : " Here is your place " ; to another :
" There is yours." They rise at the appointed time, not a
minute too soon, not a minute too late. So it is in the
heavens. On earth some animals (birds) live in the air,
others on the land, and the rest in the water. Some of
the birds build their nests in trees, others on houses, others
in hedges, and some on the ground. Some animals eat
grass and herbs, others eat insects, others feed on nuts,
on fruits, and others on flesh. Some trees bear apples,
others, peaches, others, oranges, others, nuts. Man lives
on cereals, eggs, meat, fish, vegetables, fruits. There is
order all over the world. Who orders all things in the
world? God orders everything in the world.

God directs all things. God does not merely give each
thing its place. The driver does not merely hitch his horse
to the wagon, and let it go or run where it likes. Whom
must the horse obey? The driver. The horse must go
where the driver wills. Therefore the driver holds the
reins in his hands. What does he do when he wishes the
horse to turn to the right? He pulls the rein on the right
side. And to make the horse turn to the left? The driver
directs his horse with the reins. As the driver directs his
horse, so God directs all things in the world. It is God,
and no one else, who in the fall directs the birds to fly
hundreds of miles over rivers, mountains and forests to
seek a warmer climate for the winter, and to come back in
the spring. In like manner, God directs the sun in its
course. He directs the clouds to rain where rain is needed,
and the rivers in their course to the sea. He directs each
thing where it has to go, and what it has to do. He directs
all things as He pleases.

God directs all things for good. He directs (or governs)

32 APOSTLES' CREED

men also. Some He allows to live long, others only a few
years. Some He allows to get rich, and others to remain
poor ; some to be healthy and strong, others to be weak
and sickly. God does all that He wills, as it pleases Him,
and as it is good for each one and for all. To some He
sends good fortune, and misfortune to others. (Repeat
the anecdote of the saint who was prevented to sail in a
vessel by falling and breaking his leg.) This shows how
well God directed everything for the welfare of that holy
man. God often sends sickness, or some misfortune, to
wicked or worldly persons, in order to convert them; for
instance, St. Ignatius who was wounded, and could find
nothing else to while away time than to read the lives of
the Saints.

Summary. The other day I explained to you what God
does to preserve the world; and you have just heard how
He directs and governs the world. God, therefore, pre-
serves and governs the world. How does God preserve
the world? He causes the world to continue, as it pleases
Him, and as long as He pleases. How does He govern
the world? He cares for all things, orders and directs all
things, just as He wills.

Application. The same as in the foregoing number.

8. The Creation and Fall of the Angels.

Object. To-day I will speak to you on the angels.

Relation. Before creating heaven and earth God cre-
ated the angels. Seated on His brilliant throne, God said :
" Let the angels be." Immediately there were there many,
very many angels. They were brighter than the sun. And
then God said further : " The angels shall dwell with Me
in heaven, stand before My throne and praise and adore
Me. They shall protect men and bring them to heaven."
At that very moment the angels stood before the throne
of God. They began to praise and adore God. The an-

THE ANGELS 33

gels loved God very much, and cheerfully obeyed Him.
They were perfectly happy.

But many of the angels grew proud. They wished to
be equal to God, and would no longer obey Him. There
arose a battle between the good and the bad angels. The
leader of the good angels was Michael. The bad angels
were conquered by the good angels and driven out of
heaven. And as lightning comes down quickly from the
heavens to the earth, so the bad angels fell down like
lightning into the abyss of hell. They suddenly became
fearfully ugly and horrible to look at. They are now called
devils or demons. But the good angels remained in heaven.
God rewarded them with eternal happiness (bliss).

Explanation — Invisible spirits. When you go out of
the house, you can see the heavens above and the earth
below. How are the heavens and the earth called? The
world (universe). We can see the world, for it is visible,
and is called the visible world.

But above the visible heavens is another heaven. This
heaven we cannot see. There God is seated on His bright
throne. What did God say when, seated on His throne,
and before He created heaven and earth ? " Let there be
angels." To count the angels is as difficult as to count
the stars in the heavens on a clear night. Can you count
the stars in the heavens? No. Why? There are so
many, that we cannot see or distinguish all of them. It
is even much more difficult to count the angels. They are
countless. How many angels did God create? The angels
have no head ; but they can think ; they have no eyes, but
they can see ; they have no ears, but they can hear ; they
have no tongue, but they can speak; they have no hands,
but they can work. In a word, the angels have no body.
God Himself has no body. How do we call God, because
He has no body? God is a spirit. The angels have no
body. What, then, are the angels? The angels are spirits.

God is a far better and more perfect spirit than the

34 APOSTLES' CREED

angels. Compared with God, the angels are like a tiny
spark of fire compared with the sun. Because God is a
spirit, we cannot see Him ; He is invisible. The angels
also are spirits. What, then, are the angels? The angels
are invisible. The angels are invisible spirits. How many
invisible spirits did God create? God created very many
invisible spirits. When did God create these invisible
spirits? Before He created heaven and earth. Therefore
God created two kinds of things. Which kind did God
create first? Which kind did He create afterwards? Did
God create something else besides the visible world? God
created also many invisible spirits, the angels.

All good. When God created the angels, did He say
where they were to dwell ? What should they do in heaven ?
Praise and adore God. And the angels did so. Some
placed themselves around the throne of God; others knelt
in front of it, joined their hands and bowed their heads.
And all began to sing very beautifully, in order to praise
and adore God. The angels sang many hymns in praise
of God. One time one angel would sing alone; then two
would sing together; then all the angels would sing to-
gether. Sometimes they would sing so softly and sweetly,
and then so loud, that the whole heaven would tremble.
All the angels loved God very much. They obeyed God
in everything. It made them happy to obey and please
God. He who loves God, prays willingly, obeys well and
is good. What were all the angels when God created them ?
Good.

And all happy. The angels were all so beautiful. How
beautifully the stars twinkle on a clear night! But near
the bright sun a little star is almost as nothing. But an
angel shines more brightly than the sun. So beautiful are
the angels. There are nine kinds of angels; each kind
seems more beautiful than the others. But God is hun-
dreds of millions of times more beautiful still. The an-
gels resemble God. The angels were exceedingly happy

THE ANGELS 35

with God in heaven. Nothing was wanting to them ; they
had all they wished. Their life was a continual joy and
pleasure. He who has continual joy and pleasure, is truly
happy. What, then, were all the angels, when God created
them? The angels were all happy; all good and happy.

Learned and powerful. The angels are very learned and
smart. Do you know how many blades of grass grow on
the earth, how many flowers are blooming, and the name of
each kind? But an angel knows all this. An angel knows
more than all the men on earth. They are also strong
and powerful. An angel can lift with ease the largest
building, carry the highest mountain, and break the thickest
chain more easily than you can break a small thread. An
angel by a single breath can open the largest and heaviest
gate that is locked.

God's messengers. Many times did God send angels on
earth to men. To whom did God once send an angel ?
To Mary ; to Joseph. Where did an angel stand in the
earthly paradise? To whom did very many angels appear
one night? To the shepherds. What was the angel to
do for God, when God sent him to Mary? When he was
sent to St. Joseph? What did the angel announce to the
shepherds? All these angels had to bring a message from
God, and to speak in the name of God. The angels are
God's messengers. Men also send messengers to bring
news to other men, or to transact business with them in
their name. The letter-carrier is a messenger ; also the
carrier of telegrams. What the messenger is to say or
do, is called a message. The angels bring messages to
men from God. What message did the angel bring to
Mary? To Joseph? To the shepherds?

Pictures or portraits of the angels. The shepherds,
Mary and Joseph could see the angels. These angels had
put on the form of a human body, just as we put on a
coat, etc. They looked like men ; only they were much
more beautiful. When an angel is painted, he is painted

36 APOSTLES' CREED

like a man, a child. Look at the picture of the Annuncia-
tion. Where is the angel? How do you know it is an
angel? He looks like a beautiful large boy, with wings
on his shoulders. But angels have no wings. Birds fly
fast with their wings. Wings denote speed. The angels
go very fast from place to place. The wings spread out
denote that the angels are always ready to go where God
sends them.

The sin of the angels. For some time all the angels
were good and happy. They saw how beautiful, learned,
smart and powerful they were. What do children, who
are beautiful and smart, often become? Proud. What did
many angels become, when they saw how beautiful and
smart they were? Many angels became proud. They
wished to ascend to God and place themselves on thrones
like His, alongside of Him. To whom did they wish to
be equal? They wished to be equal to God. Therefore
they would not obey God any more. He who disobeys
God, commits a sin. What did those angels commit by
not obeying God? A sin. They sinned. They were no
longer good angels, and God was not pleased with them.

The punishment. God would no longer look at them.
He spoke : " Put them out of heaven." What happened
then between the good and the bad angels? What is the
name of the leader of the good angels? Michael. He said
to the leader of the bad angels : " What ! you wish to
be like God? Who is like God?" And now there was
a great battle between the good and the bad angels. But
it did not last long, for God helped the good angels and
made them much stronger than the bad ones. And what
then happened to the bad angels ? The bad angels were cast
into hell. In hell there is a great and terrible fire. In
this fire the bad angels must burn. They weep and howl
for pain and curse horribly. And that will last forever !

Did all the angels remain good and happy? No. Why
not? Many angels sinned. How did they sin? How did

THE ANGELS 37

God punish them for their sin? They were cast (precipi-
tafed) into hell. As long as they obeyed, those angels
were good spirits. What kind of spirits are they now?
Bad or evil spirits, or devils, or demons. Who has seen
a picture of the devil? Where? The devil is thousands
of times more ugly than he can be painted. It was only
one sin that made him so ugly and hideous.

The reward. Where did the good angels remain? In
heaven. Because they obeyed God, they were, from that
time, enabled to see God in all His beauty and magnificence.
Just as you can now see my face, so the good angels now
stand before the throne of God, and see Him face to face
in all His splendor and glory. They never get weary ad-
miring Him, so beautiful He is ! The very sight of God
in His infinite beauty makes the angels perfectly happy.
And in their joy and happiness, they constantly sing:
" Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts ! Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." How long will
their happiness last? Always; for all eternity!

Summary. Did God create anything besides this visible
world? How were the angels when He created them?
Did all the angels remain good and happy? How do we
call the angels that sinned?

Application. The punishment of the angels shows us
how severely God punishes sin. Like lightning the wicked
angels were put out of the beautiful heaven, and cast into
the everlasting fire of hell. How frightful it must have
been for them suddenly to lose all their beauty and splen-
dor ! How painful it must have been for them to see
themselves suddenly changed into ugly and hideous devils !
And what for? For one mortal sin. And there are chil-
dren who commit mortal sin, and do not care about it !
They miss Mass on a Sunday, and then say : " It matters
not, if I miss Mass ! " So they speak. But will it not
matter a great deal when they shall have to burn for it
in hell ? Some eat meat on Friday, and say : " There is

38 APOSTLES' CREED

nothing wrong in that." Is there nothing wrong in com-
mitting a mortal sin, which deserves the everlasting fire of
hell? Who would like to be punished like the bad angels?
Hence, dear children, never commit a mortal sin, not even
for the whole world! Remember how terribly God pun-
ishes a mortal sin in the next life. The example of the
bad angels should be a powerful warning for us. A single
mortal sin turned angels into devils! Beware, then, of
committing a mortal sin.

9. God is holy and just.

Object. I will explain to you to-day that God rewards
what is good, and punishes what is bad.

Development, i. God loves the good. What were the
angels when God created them? The angels were good
and happy. They obeyed God in all things. God loved
them for this. But God did not always love all the angels.
Which angels did God always love and still loves? God
loves also all good men. There is a child, who is poor
and not very smart; but he is very good. God loves that
child. There is a sick man lying in bed; he is poor, but
pious and good. God loves him. There is a cripple;
there is also a man who has only one eye ; there is another
man who has only one leg; but all three are good and
pious. How does God look upon them? With love.
What kind of persons does God love? God loves all who
are good.

God detests the zvicked. After the angels had sinned,
God did not love them any more. He could no longer
bear them. When you pass in summer near a dead ani-
mal, such as a dog, a cat, which is already corrupting, you
turn your face away. Why? Because you cannot bear
looking at, staying near it, or its offensive odor ; you detest
it. God has a greater horror of the bad angels, than you
can have of rotten dead animals. But God detests and

GOD IS HOLY 39

abhors far more than that a man, a child who has com-
mitted a mortal sin. For instance, there is in a large city
a very rich man, living in a fine house, dressed in the
height of fashion ; he is loved and admired and envied by
many people. But he has committed a mortal sin by break-
ing one of God's commandments. But God justly detests
him. There is in a certain school a child who is very,
very smart, so well dressed, for his parents are rich; all
his schoolmates envy him. But he is bad. How does God
feel towards him? God detests him. What kind of per-
sons does God detest? Which angels does God detest?
Which angels does He love? And which persons does
He love? God loves the good and detests the wicked.

God loves all that is good. How does God see that some
one is good ? God loves those who go regularly to church,
who are fond of praying, charitable towards the poor, who
suffer for the love of God. Even the smallest good act is
pleasing to God. For instance, you please God, whenever
you devoutly make the sign of the cross, obey punctually,
study diligently, behave well in church, in school, at home;
when you are kind to your companions. God is then greatly
pleased with you, for He loves all that is good.

God detests all that is bad or evil. How does God see
that some one is bad? God detests cursing, stealing, tell-
ing lies, disobedience, quarreling, fighting, jealousy, im-
modesty, impurity, misbehaving in church, missing Mass on
Sundays, eating meat on Fridays. God does not love, but
detests those children who commit these sins. God loves
all that is good and detests all that is bad or evil.

Because God loves all that is good, and detests all that
is bad, we say that He is holy. Why do we say that God
is holy? The angels also are holy. The angels are as
pure and white as the snow that has fallen. But God is
more than a hundred millions of times more pure and holy
than they. God is most holy, infinitely holy. What do
the angels sing constantly before the throne of God?

4o APOSTLES' CREED

2. God rewards the good. God showed the good angels
how much He loves those who are good. How did He
reward them for obeying Him ? He placed them in heaven,
where they will be happy with Him forever. God rewards
men also for doing good. When you say your morning
prayers devoutly, you receive a reward from God. Also
when you study well in school, when you are obedient to
your parents, etc.

God rewards also the smallest good act. You need not
do great things to receive a reward from God. For in-
stance, to give a sick person a drink of water, is nothing
great, but God will reward it, if it is done for His sake.
In like manner, to give a little alms to a poor person, to
make devoutly the sign of the cross. God rewards even
the smallest good act. He often rewards these acts on
earth, but not always, by enabling men to prosper, by im-
parting peace and joy to their hearts. But it is only after
their death that the good receive the greatest reward, for
God then takes them up to heaven.

God punishes the wicked. God punished the bad angels
for their disobedience. How did God punish them? In
like manner, God punishes men also when they do evil;
for instance, thieves, murderers, those who wilfully miss
Mass on Sundays. He punishes the children also who do
not mind their parents.

God punishes the smallest evil. He punishes a bad word,
and even a wilful bad thought. What does God punish?
All that is evil. God often punishes in this world. A
father punishes his child with a rod. God punishes some
persons by permitting them to get sick, to meet with some
accident or some misfortune, or a child's parents to get
sick, or his father to get out of work. But it is after
death that He punishes men most severely for their sins.
Where do the wicked go after their death?

Connection — God is just. What would you say, if

GOD IS JUST 41

God would take the wicked to heaven, and cast the good
into hell? You would say that God does not act right.
Or if God would take all men to heaven, both the good
and the wicked? You would say that it would not be right
for God to treat the good and the wicked alike. Or if
God would give only a slight reward to those who have
been very good, and a great reward to those who have done
only a little good? What kind of reward will God give to
those who have done much good? To those who have
done only a little good? The more good a person has
done, the greater the reward which God will give him.
And also, the greater the evil a person has done, the greater
will be the punishment he will receive from God. God
rewards all that is good, and punishes all that is evil.
Therefore we say: "God is just." What is God? Just;
infinitely just.

Summary. Why do we call God just? Why do we
call Him holy?

Application. God does not pay attention if a person
is beautiful, rich, smart, or has a great name. He loves
a poor and a dull child who is good, more than a rich and
smart child who is wicked, or even not so good as the
other child. God is infinitely holy. If you wish to be with
God in heaven, you must become holy, for only those who
are holy are admitted into heaven. Let us see how far
you are from being holy. Are you fond of praying? Do
you obey as promptly as the angels? Do you never tell
a lie? Do you always behave well in church? You see
now that you are still far from being holy, from being
saints. Take pains henceforth to become daily more and
more pious, obedient and holy, that you may be admitted
into heaven to sing with the angels : " Holy, holy, holy
the Lord God of hosts."

42 APOSTLES' CREED

10. The Guardian Angels.

Object. I will tell you to-day how the good and the
bad angels act towards us.

Development — The bad angels hate us. The bad an-
gels hate God, and constantly curse and blaspheme Him.
If they only could, they would dethrone Him and cast
Him into hell. But that is impossible. The bad angels
hate us also, because we are the image and likeness of God ;
and because they were cast out of heaven, they do not
wish us to go to heaven, but would like to drag us with
them into hell. Therefore they are always doing all they
can to induce us to commit sin. When you tell lies, pilfer,
steal, disobey, you can think that the devil prompted you
to do it.

Object. The good angels are willing to help us to go
to heaven.

Relation. When you were born, God chose for each
of you a good angel. He said : " In ... a child is born ;
I give him to thee as thine own. Take care that no harm
happens to his body, but especially that he do nothing bad.
Now go to that child, and stay near him day and night, as
long as he lives; and when he dies, bring him to Me in
heaven to be happy forever." The angel obeyed, and ever
since is always near you and has never left you.

Explanation — The guardian angel is always near us.
Who is always near you ? Our guardian angel. Who sent
that angel to you ? When ? What has your guardian angel
to do? Take care of me. In cities there are men ap-
pointed (policemen) to watch that no one steals, that no
property be damaged, that no one does harm to his neigh-
bor. What are they called ? What must they do ? Guard
the life and property of the inhabitants. What do our
angels care for? Therefore they are called guardian an-
gels. How do you call that angel who is always near
you? He accompanies you to school, to church, wherever

THE GUARDIAN ANGELS 43

you go or remain. He is with you when you are awake,

and when you are asleep ; when you are praying, studying,

playing, eating; by day and by night. He never leaves you.

The guardian angel protects our body. In a certain city

there was an old wall falling to pieces. A good woman

was walking along with her five-year-old boy holding

her hand. When they came near that wall, the boy

stopped, and made his mother stop. She said to him :

" Come on." But he would not move. All at once an

awful crash was heard, and down came the old wall in

a cloud of dust. A few more steps, and both mother and

child would have been killed and buried under the ruins.

When they reached home, the mother asked : " Why did

you stop suddenly and would not go on ? " He said :

"Did you not see?" "See what?" she asked astonished.

" That beautiful youth dressed in long bright clothes ; he

stood right before me, and I could not pass." Where did

the boy stop short? What did his mother say to him?

Did he obey? In what direction was he looking? What

did he see? Who was it? What did the angel do to

keep the boy back? Why? What then happened? Did

any harm happen to the boy and his mother? How was

harm and death prevented ? Now, dear children, had it not

been for your guardian angel, how often you would have

been hurt when you fell down, when you were playing in

the streets and nearly run over by some vehicle? Who

protected you? What did he then protect?

The guardian angel protects us in our soul. There was
once a very pious girl thirteen years old. Her name was
Agnes. A wicked man tried to make her commit sin.
But she would not. He then tried to force her against
her will. But Agnes said : " You cannot force me to do
evil, for my guardian angel helps me." The wicked man
tried to take hold of Agnes, but the angel struck him dead.
What was the pious girl's name? What did the wicked
man wish her to do? Who helped Agnes against him?

44 APOSTLES' CREED

Hence we say : " The angel protected Agnes." Perhaps
you would have committed sin many a time; perhaps the
devil would have induced you to sin as he did Eve; or
perhaps a bad child or a wicked person would have led
you into sin; but your guardian angel did not permit it,
and protected you. Or you might often have seen or heard
evil things, but your guardian angel closed or turned away
your eyes, that you might not see it, or kept you from
understanding what you heard. And thus you escaped
committing sin. Those sins would not have injured your
body, but your soul would no longer be pure and holy, and
perhaps they would have caused you to be cast into hell.
Who kept you from committing those sins ? Your guardian
angel protected you. What did he protect in you? Your
soul. What else does he protect in you ? Your body. Our
guardian angel protects us in soul and body.

Our guardian angel prays for us. Our guardian angel
prays daily for us, that we may remain good and pious.
When we pray, he prays along with us. And when we
pray to God for something, he prays with us and for us.
Many sinners would already be in hell, if their guardian
angels had not interceded with God for them. The guard-
ian angels of many bad children have prayed to God to
put off their punishment, and give them another chance to
become good. What does our guardian angel do for us be-
fore God's throne?

Our guardian angel admonishes and warns us. Where
should our guardian angel bring us in the end ? To heaven.
For this reason he tries to keep us from sin. Have you
not sometimes gone to the pantry to take cakes, sweet
meats, etc., without permission? Did you not then seem
to hear some one telling you : " Do not take that ; that
is wrong ; God sees you " ? It was your guardian angel
speaking to you. He warns you against taking things
without permission, against stealing, against cursing, against
disobedience, against going with bad companions. He

THE GUARDIAN ANGELS 45

warns you against all that is evil. When you rise in the
morning, your guardian angel reminds you to say your
morning prayers ; and at night, to say your night prayers.
He also admonishes you to go to church, to study, to obey,
to behave well ; in a word to all that is good. What does
he warn you against? When your parents and teachers
admonish or warn you, they speak aloud to you; but your
guardian angel does it silently, for he speaks only to your
heart. Pay attention, and you will often hear his voice
interiorly in your heart. What he then tells you is called
an inspiration.

Connection — The good and the bad angels. The devil
also gives inspirations. The devil and your guardian angel
would each wish to have you for himself. Where does
the devil try to bring you to? Where does your guardian
angel wish to bring you to? What does the devil inspire
you with? To what does your guardian angel admonish
you? What does he do for your soul and your body?
What does he do for you before God's throne? What
does his conduct towards us prove? That he loves us.
All the other good angels love us, and act towards us like
our guardian angel.

Summary. What do the good angels do for us?

Application — Follozv the inspirations. What should
you do when your parents tell you to do something? Obey.
You should obey cheerfully and promptly. Your guardian
angel admonishes and warns you oftener than your parents.
He knows all you think about and all you intend to do.
What should you do when he inspires you to go to church,
to obey, to study, to keep away from bad children?

Pray devoutly. One night there was a large house on
fire. Two children were sleeping upstairs. They awoke
only when the house was already all on fire. They could
not get down the stairs, for they were on fire. The elder
girl cried out : " Holy guardian angel, help me," and then
jumped out of the window; she fell on the hard frozen

46 APOSTLES' CREED

ground, but did not hurt herself. Then she said to her
sister : " Do as I did." The little girl then said : " Holy
guardian angel, help me," and she also jumped, and fell
upon the hard frozen ground, but did not get hurt. How
did the two girls get out safely from the burning house?
How easily they could each have broken a leg, or even
their necks ! But they were not hurt at all. What did
they say before jumping? Who protected them? When
you are in any danger whatever, invoke your guardian an-
gel. Invoke him also when the devil tempts you to dis-
obey, to steal, etc., and when he fills your mind with bad
thoughts. But pray to him devoutly, for only then will
he help and protect you. Be sure always to follow his
inspirations and heed his warnings.

11. The Creation of the first Man.

Preparation. Last time I spoke to you about the an-
gels ; to-day you will hear something about men. There
are now many men on earth. God created all of them.
But did God create so many in the beginning? No, God
first created only one man.

Object. I will tell you how God created the first man.

Relation. When God was about to create the first man,
He said : " Let us make man according to our own image.
He shall rule over all animals and over the whole earth."
Then God made a human (man's) body out of clay, and
breathed into it a living soul. It was in this manner that
God created the first man. God called him Adam, that
is, a man of clay.

Consideration — Creation of the body. What did God
say when He was about to create man? What did God
then make first? A body. Of what did he make that
body? Out of clay. That body had the appearance of a
grown-up man, with head, eyes, etc., etc. It appeared like
a man's body; but it was cold and stiff, without life, and

MAN'S CREATION 47

was very much like a dead body. What can a dead body
do with its hands and feet, eyes and ears, etc. ? Nothing.

Breathing in of the soul. God blew in the face of that
body. Fred, blow into your hands. Can you see your
breath? It is not visible. But you feel it. How is it?
Warm. When God breathed on the deathlike cold body,
His warming breath went through the nostrils and mouth
into every part of that body. The heart now began to
beat, the whole body grew warm, the cheeks rosy. W'hat
God breathed into that body was invisible, just like your
breath. The invisible thing which God blew into that body
was the soul. How was the body after God had breathed
into it? Alive. The first man was now finished. He did
not remain lying on the ground, but got up, and began
to see, to walk and use every part of his body. (Repeat
all the foregoing in questions and answers.) The first
thing God created in man was his body; and then his soul.
We are all men like Adam. We are composed of body
and soul. The soul is, in some manner, the breath of
God.

We cannot live without a soul. Although we cannot see
the soul, we can know whether the soul is in the body.
How was it remarked in Adam? He got up and walked;
he was alive. How could it be known that there was yet
no soul in his body? His body was yet cold, stiff and like
dead. So it is with every man. No man can live without
a soul.

The body is mortal. Every man's soul shall once leave
his body; and his body will then be dead. Therefore we
say: 'The body is mortal." A dead body, or corpse, is
first laid in a coffin, and then brought to the graveyard.
Where will it then be placed? In the grave, and then
will be covered up with earth. When after many (some)
years a grave is opened, there is found in it only earth
and dust. What became of the body? It turned grad-
ually into earth and dust. It was made of earth. Why

48 APOSTLES' CREED

did God call the first man Adam? What became of
Adam's body after his death? It turned into earth and
dust. We are made of dust, and we shall return into dust.

The soul is immortal. Wrhat becomes of a man's soul
after his death? It also returns whence it came. Whence
did it come? From God's breath. The soul returns to
God, from whom it came. If the soul is perfectly pure,
God immediately places her in heaven. If she is defiled
by grievous sins, God at once casts her into hell. If she
is stained with only small faults, God places her in pur-
gatory until she is entirely purified. After thousands and
millions of years the soul still lives. The soul cannot die.
So has our Saviour said. Does not the soul die with the
body ? No, the soul never dies. Therefore we say : " The
soul is immortal." Wrhat is it that we cannot do without
our soul? Wherefrom did God take the soul? Repeat
what you have learnt about the soul.

The soul has understanding. You learn in school also
reading, writing, arithmetic. Animals learn and remember
many things ; for instance, the horse and the ox learn to
draw wagons, to plow, to turn to the right and to the left.
They recognize your house, their stable, and stop there of
themselves. When a shepherd brings his flock home in the
evening, the sheep run of themselves to their stable. How
many things can some dogs learn ! Parrots learn to say
some things, and babble them the whole day, and give
wrong and foolish answers to questions; they have no
sense, no understanding. If a little child would give such
queer answers, everybody would laugh at him. WThat
should a child do, before answering a question ? He should
think (reflect), that he may find out what he should an-
swer. If I ask you: " What did you write the day before
yesterday?" what should you do before answering?
Think. Why does not the parrot also think before an-
swering ? Because he cannot think. Animals cannot think.
Why? Because they have no understanding.

MAN'S SOUL 49

Where have you got your understanding? In my head.
But animals also have heads. Do not forget that the un-
derstanding is in the soul, belongs to the soul. What does
man's soul possess? Understanding. The soul is a spirit
and is immortal. Animals have no immortal souls, that
are spirits, as men have. Therefore they have no under-
standing. Parrots learn from men how to prattle certain
words ; but other animals do not learn to speak words. A
child can learn how to speak well. Why? Because he
has understanding. What a happiness to be able to speak !
If you could not speak, you would not be able to tell your
wants to your parents and what happens to you. Some
children, however, cannot keep still, they talk all the time,
even in church. Animals can make known their hunger
etc., in different ways (such as dogs, chickens). What
is it that they cannot do? Why? They have no under-
standing.

The soul has free-will. You have something else which
animals have not. Mary pays a visit to some friends who
are careless Catholics. They invite her to dine with them.
It is Friday. They have meat. They urge her to have
some. But she remembers it is Friday, the day on which
meat is forbidden. She is very hungry, and the meat
looks and smells so nice. Now Mary, if she only wills,
can refuse to eat and willingly suffer great hunger rather
than commit a sin. And, in fact, she preferred to remain
hungry, rather than even taste the meat. Now an animal
that is hungry and has food before him, has not the power
to keep from eating, unless through fear of a stick, etc.
What is the difference in this matter between men and
an animal ? Man has free-will ; an animal has not. A
good man says : " I will pray, I will go to Mass, I will
work, I will keep away from bad company." Man can,
therefore, do what he wills ; he is free ; he has a free will.
Animals have no free-will, because they have no spiritual
soul. Why has man a free will ? Because he has a soul.

50 APOSTLES' CREED

We cannot think without a soul. Man alone has an
immortal soul. Animals have not. (Repeat in questions
and answers the differences between man and animals.)
Children forget what they have learned; they forget the
letters of the alphabet. What must they then do? They
must think over, reflect. Men can reflect; animals cannot.
Why? Because they have no souls. Man has a soul.

// we had no soul, we could not speak. God knows what
we think of; even our inmost, hidden, secret thoughts.
Men cannot. How can you make known to men what you
are thinking about? By speaking. You can, therefore,
make known to others your wants, your opinions, and relate
what you have done, seen and heard ; you can tell them
how you rejoice with them in their good fortune, how
you sympathize with them in their misfortunes ; you can
tell your parents how you love them, give instructions,
show what you know, consult, ask questions, admonish,
encourage, etc. Can animals do that? Why not?

Summary. Tell me the gifts or qualities our soul pos-
sesses. The soul is a spirit, immortal, possesses under-
standing, free-will, the power of communicating our
thoughts and feelings, and of learning. How did God
create Adam?

Application. You have heard that God gave Adam a
beautiful body and an immortal soul. Adam knew that
he had received all from God. What was the first thing
Adam did after he saw that God had created him so
beautiful? He knelt down and thanked God for it. God
gave you also a body and a soul and life. How good He
is ! Therefore thank God for it from your heart, saying :
" O God, Thou hast given me so beautiful a body, eyes
to see, ears to hear, a tongue to speak. How good art
Thou ! I thank Thee from my inmost heart." Some chil-
dren use their tongues principally to tell lies, curse, scold,
speak harshly and cross. Have you also done that? Oh,
how ungrateful have you been to God ! Do not again use

MAN, GOD'S NOBLE CREATURE 51

your tongue in such a sinful manner. God has given you
an immortal soul to enable you to think; should you, then,
think on evil things? Your souls should often think on
God. God gave you a free will ; you are able to do as
you will, either good or evil. But you cannot do either
without serious consequences. There is a reward for every
good thing you do, and a punishment for every evil thing
you do. For which will you use your free-will ? God gave
it to you to do good.

12. Man is God's most noble Creature on earth.

Object. To-day I will explain what man is worth on ac-
count of his soul.

Development — The soul is like unto God. What is
man's soul? It is a spirit. A spirit is not thick and coarse
like a body, but like the breath, very fine and invisible.
Who else is a spirit? God. Why is the soul an image
of God, or like God? Because it is a spirit. God is a far
greater and more perfect spirit than the soul. God is im-
mortal. What is the soul also? In what is the soul sim-
ilar to God? In being immortal. God knows all things.
You also already know many things. Every day you learn
more things. In what is your soul like God? In being
able to know things. But you cannot know all things, as
God does. If you did, you would not only be like God,
but would be His equal. (Institute similar comparisons
between man's power and God's omnipotence, man's in-
tellect and God's, man's free-will and God's, etc.)

Image and likeness. Man is like (similar to) God in
many things. A boy looks like his father, in eyes, mouth,
nose, hair, gait, and talent. Your father, for instance,
looks into a mirror. What does he see? His likeness;
the picture of his face, eyes, etc., all like himself. The
child is also his father's likeness, his living likeness, but
smaller than his father.

52 APOSTLES' CREED

The soul also a likeness of God. God wished to have
on earth a small living likeness of Himself. Which crea-
ture did God say He would make like Himself? What did
God say when He was about to create man? Man's body
cannot be a likeness of God. Why not? What is fit in
man to be a likeness of God? His soul. There must be
many things in man's soul which make it similar to God.
We have already learned them. (Man's soul a spirit, im-
mortal, having knowledge, power, understanding, free-
will.) His soul is similar to God, God's likeness. God
created man after His image and likeness.

Man is God's most noble creature on earth. Let us sup-
pose two children stand here side by side: a millionaire's
son and a poor laborer's son. The millionaire's son has
finer clothes, his features look more delicate, he can talk
nicely; he is more vain and proud. His outward appear-
ance is nicer, more noble than that of the laborer's son.
But in their souls there is no essential difference. What
is the poor boy in his soul? The rich boy? Both are
God's likeness in their souls.

Now suppose all the animals in the world were assembled
together. How many would there be? How many large
and beautiful ones! Suppose also that alongside of all
the animals there would be all the beautiful, many colored
flowers and all the gold, silver and precious stones in the
world in a heap like a mountain. Now put in the midst
of all these creatures the poor child with patched clothes.
He could hardly be seen, for he is so small. No one
would care to look at him. And yet that poor boy has
something which all those animals, flowers, gold and pre-
cious stones have not. What is it? An immortal soul.
And his immortal soul is a million times better, more
beautiful, more precious than all the animals, flowers, gold
and precious stones in the world ! After what was his
soul created? After the image and likeness of God. He
is therefore more noble, more excellent than all else in

MAN, GOD'S NOBLE CREATURE 53

the visible creation. Tell me in which things man's soul
is more excellent than animals.

Man's body is more noble than animals. Animals, such
as the horse, the dog, walk bent down, looking towards
the ground, to show that they are made only for the earth.
Man walks erect, holding his head towards heaven, to show
that he is made for heaven. He has two hands, and how
many things he can do with them ! Animals have no hands ;
they cannot do what man can do. No animal has such a
fine, handsome face as man. And in his face his two eyes
shine like two stars, and enable him to look up heaven-
ward. Where is man destined to go? No animal can go
there. What must we do to reach heaven? We must
pray, we must obey. When should you pray? To whom
do you speak when you pray? You must love God. Think
how wonderful it is to be able to speak to God, to love
God ! God is so great, so powerful ; He carries the whole
world on His finger. And with this great God you may
speak in prayer ; you need not fear Him ; for, when you
pray, God bends down to you like a good father and gra-
ciously listens to you. A child that prays is like the angels
in heaven. No one on earth, except man, can pray. Now
tell me in how many things man's body is more noble, more
excellent than animals. There are creatures more noble
and excellent than man. Who are they? The angels.
There is One who is infinitely more noble and above the
angels. Who is it? God.

Connection. What is God? What are the angels?
What is our soul ? Who is the greatest spirit ? How great
is God? What do we mean when we say God is eternal?
Will the angels ever die? Is our soul immortal? Our soul
and the angels had a beginning. God had no beginning.
How much does God know? How much do men and the
angels know? How much can God do? How much can
men do? How much can the angels do? Are the angels
above men? God placed men a little below the angels.

54 APOSTLES' CREED

Summary. Whom did man resemble after his creation?
What is man with regard to God? His likeness. Are
the angels more like God than men? Why? All other
creatures on earth are not the images of God. Why? Is
man more noble and more excellent than they?

Application, i. Man is the lord of the other creatures
on earth, because he is more noble and excellent than they.
God made him their lord. What did God say, when He
was about to create man? He said: " Let us make man
to rule over the earth." Man is the lord of all animals,
and also of the earth itself. Man therefore uses some
animals to help him or work for him, to be useful to him
in other ways, such as the domestic animals ; and he culti-
vates the earth, and uses its materials to build houses, rail-
roads, etc. God rules over men, and they must obey Him,
and not waste earthly things, for they are gifts of God
to supply their wants.

2. Our soul is a wonderfully beautiful image (likeness)
of God, but not an inanimate image on paper, etc., but a
living image. If you have a very beautiful picture, you
take great care not to soil or tear it. Therefore do not
defile, soil or destroy your soul. How can your soul be
soiled or destroyed ? By sin, such as, telling lies, stealing,
cursing, missing Mass on Sunday, disobedience, impure
thoughts, words or deeds. If another child would soil
or damage a very nice picture of yours, what would you
say ? " Oh, my fine picture ! " You would even cry over
it. And would not that child deserve to be punished?
Therefore, remember that your soul is a beautiful image of
God, most beautiful in itself, and say : " I will never soil
or defile it by sinning."

3. You are created in the image of God. You have
learned to know God; you must continue to learn still
more about Him, and you will see always more and more
how good God is, how much He loves you, and you will
be able to love Him every day more and more. A child

CREATION OF EVE 55

that loves God is fond of praying to Him, and will try
to resemble the angels in heaven before God's throne. A
child that does not pray is like a mere animal. He is even
worse than an animal. Why does not a beast pray? A
beast cannot pray. Why does a child not pray? Because
he does not wish to pray; he is too lazy to do so. There-
fore when you rise in the morning, say your morning
prayers; and before you retire at night, say your night
prayers, and do not act like cattle and other animals. But
always pray devoutly.

13. The Creation of Eve. Paradise.

1. Preparation. What was the name of the man who
was alone on earth in the beginning? Adam. Adam was
well off. He had all that he wanted. But it would have
been more pleasant for him, if he had had company. Sup-
pose you were, like him, alone in such a beautiful garden,
and neither your father and mother, nor your brothers
and sisters were with you. You would feel lonesome, and
not perfectly happy. That was the case with Adam at first.
He had no one to speak to, for the animals did not under-
stand him. That was not very pleasant for Adam.

Object. I will now tell you how God created a wife
for Adam.

Relation. God said : " It is not good for Adam to
be alone. Let us make him a helpmate like himself."
God sent a deep sleep on Adam. Whilst he slept, God
took one of his ribs, and made a woman of it. When
Adam awoke, God brought her to him. Adam was glad
and called her Eve ; this word means " Mother of all the
living."

Explanation — The Creation of Eve. Who was the
first man on earth? Why was it not good for him to
remain alone? God then wished to create a being like
Adam, having like him a body and an immortal soul.

56 APOSTLES' CREED

What could it be? Only a human being. God, therefore,
created a woman as a helpmate and companion of Adam.
What did God say, when He was about to create woman?
" It is not good," etc. Relate how God created woman.
What did He make her body of? A rib is a bone in our
side. Animals also have ribs. You can see the marks of
the ribs on the skin of a lean horse.

Adam did not feel God taking one of his ribs, for he
was sound asleep. What did God make Adam's body of?
And that of Eve? God also breathed an immortal soul
into Eve's body. What did God do, when Adam awoke?
You may be sure Adam was glad when he saw Eve. He
named her Eve. How many persons were then on earth?
Two, Adam and Eve.

Our iirst parents. Adam and Eve got children, and
their children also had children in the course of time.
And there are now hundreds of millions of men on earth.
All of them come from Adam and Eve. A large tree
has many branches and twigs ; all men on earth are like
a large tree. Adam and Eve are like the trunk of the tree,
and all the other men are its branches and twigs. As the
branches and twigs of a tree come from its trunk, so do
all men come (or descend) from Adam and Eve. From
whom do you descend? Adam is the ancestor or fore-
father (first father) of all men, and Eve is the mother
of the living, the foremother of all men.

Summary. Relate how Eve was created. How were
the first man and the first woman called? Of what did
God make Eve's body? What do we call Adam and Eve?
Our first parents.

2. Object. I will relate to you how Adam and Eve
lived.

Relation. God had planted a wonderfully beautiful
garden for our first parents. It was called the earthly
paradise. It was full of all kinds of trees bearing delicious
fruits. In the center there was a great spring, from which

EARTHLY PARADISE 57

flowed four streams of running water irrigating the garden.
God placed our first parents in paradise to take care of
it. God said to them: " You may eat of the fruits of all
the trees in the garden ; but you must not eat of the fruits
of the tree in the middle of the garden ; if you eat of
them, you shall die." Adam and Eve lived very happy
in paradise. They were holy and just, and had no knowl-
edge of evil. God therefore loved them much.

Explanation — Happy in paradise. What had God
planted for our first parents? What was that garden
called ? In this garden God placed our first parents. They
were to dwell there. Rich people have fine houses ; the
rooms are splendidly adorned with rich carpets, large mir-
rors, splendid paintings, silken draperies, etc. But no rich
man, no monarch has ever had so beautiful a dwelling as
our first parents had in paradise. What was there in
paradise? Beautiful trees, a great spring, fine rivers.
(Enumerate some of the fruit trees, with delicious fruits
hanging on them.) There were in paradise many fine cool
spots, where Adam and Eve could sit down and have a
pleasant talk. What could they do, when they felt hungry ?
They could choose what they wished among so many de-
licious fruits. They could have the finest eggs, milk and
meat from the animals, and the most refreshing clear water
from the spring. The animals were all tame; they would
come and eat out of the hands of our first parents. (It
is well to enumerate some of the animals.) The birds
would joyfully flutter about the trees, singing so sweetly,
and would come down to perch on their hands or shoulders.
They would watch sometimes the various kinds of fish
swimming in every direction in the rivers. There were
there also all kinds of domestic animals and fowls. Adam,
after his creation, had reviewed all the animals, given each
kind its name. So you see that Adam and Eve had much
pleasure in paradise. God often came to Adam and Eve
in the evening. They awaited His coming with joy. Sud-

58 APOSTLES' CREED

denly the trees would move their branches and bend their
tops in reverence. Then the hearts of Adam and Eve beat
with joy ; soon God appeared. He was so kind and friendly
with them, as a father with his children. Oh, how fast
the time in paradise passed for them ! They wished God
would never leave them. Tell me how many different joys
Adam and Eve had in paradise. They lived happy
there.

Nothing to suffer, never to die. Adam was not to re-
main idle in paradise. Why had God placed him in it?
To care for it. What kind of work is required in a gar-
den? Adam had to perform it. But work was like play
to our first parents. When men work long and hard, what
do they become? Tired. But Adam and Eve did not get
tired in paradise. The work was not hard, and the weather
was always mild and the sun was shining. How do people
working in the sun in summer feel? Very hot. And in
winter? Very cold. But our first parents never felt hot
or cold in paradise; the weather was so mild and pleasant.
They never were sick or suffered pain ; they were never
to die. Wrhat was to happen at the end of their life on
earth ? To go to heaven in body and soul.

Explanation — Holy. God intended at the end of the
life of Adam and Eve on earth to take them in both body
and soul to heaven. Who were already in heaven with
God? The good angels. They are holy. They are as
pure and white as the recently fallen snow, and they shine
as the sun. Who is millions of times more holy than the
angels? God is infinitely holy. Only those who are holy
can go to Him in heaven. What had our first parents to
be, in order to go to heaven? Holy. Therefore God had
placed something wonderful from His heart into the hearts
of Adam and Eve. That was sanctifying grace. It was
like a bright garment for their souls, and made their souls
holy. He who has this garment of grace in his soul, is a
child of God. What were Adam and Eve with this gar-

END OF MAN 59

ment in their souls? God was well pleased with them and
loved them very much.

Just. Adam and Eve also loved God and tried to please
Him. They were fond of praying to Him. They cheer-
fully did all that God required of them. They never did
anything that was not right; they never thought of doing
anything wrong. All they did was right and just. There-
fore they were just. Because they had on the garment of
grace, they were holy and just. So they were after their
creation.

Summary. What were Adam and Eve in the beginning?
Holy and just. Were they also happy? They had noth-
ing to suffer, and were never to die.

Application. How glad I would be, if I could say that
all of you children here always do what is right before
God. But there are some that do not like to pray, to be
obedient. They miss Mass even on Sundays. They need
to be often admonished. And yet these children wish to
go to heaven. When they were baptized, they also received
the garment of sanctifying grace. When they tell lies, dis-
obey, quarrel, misbehave, they defile their garment of grace,
and become unfit for heaven. If you are fond of praying,
of going to Mass, and love God and do all He commands
you, the garment of grace remains clean in your soul, and
becomes daily more beautiful ; and you feel happy on earth.
And when you will die, God will take you to Himself in
the beautiful heaven. In heaven it is far more pleasant
than it was in paradise for Adam and Eve. In heaven
there is no sickness, no trouble, no suffering, but only
pleasure and happiness without end.

14. The Commandment of God in Paradise. Why

are we on earth?

Object. I will tell you to-day why God created man.
Development — To serve God. How did our first

60 APOSTLES' CREED

parents live in paradise? Where were they destined to go?
But God wished first to see whether they would obey Him.
Therefore He forbade them to eat of the fruit of one of
the trees. What did God say to them ? " You may eat
of the fruits of all the trees in paradise, except of the
fruit of the tree in the center. If you eat of the fruit
of this tree, you shall die." This was what God forbade
them. God has given us also and all men some command-
ments, such as, to pray, to honor our father and mother,
not to tell lies, not to steal. What must you do, when
your father bids you to do something? You must obey
him. You must obey your superiors also, such as the
Church, the priest, your teacher, the government. (Serv-
ants, etc., must obey their masters, their employers.) We
are all servants of God ; all, the Pope, bishops, priests,
monarchs, must obey God. We are all on earth to serve
God, to do what He commands us.

Heaven is the reward. Servants and workmen get their
wages, according to their work and the length of time they
work. Adam and Eve were to get their wages (reward)
in heaven, if they served God faithfully. What would
happen to them, if they did not serve God, did not obey
Him? They should die. We also are destined to go to
heaven, which is to be given to us as an exceedingly
great reward or pay for serving God faithfully during our
life. That is why God has placed us on earth; to serve
Him and gain heaven.

Summary. Why are we on earth? Where shall we
go, if we serve God? We are on earth to serve God and
go to heaven by doing so.

Application. The angels and saints are in heaven.
There they continually serve God. They cheerfully do all
that He wills. The will of God is always done in heaven.
It should be done always on earth also. Who should do
the will of God on earth? Who does the will of God on
earth? All those who keep His commandments (enumer-

THE FALL 61

ate). But God has to help us to do always His will on
earth. Therefore we pray in the Our Father : ' Thy will
be done on earth as it is in heaven." If all men on earth
would do God's will as the angels do it in heaven, this
earth would be almost as good and as happy as heaven
itself, and we would all go to heaven, the kingdom of God.
For this also we pray to God : " Thy kingdom come."

15. The Fall of our First Parents.

Preparation. Have you ever seen boys trying to catch
fish with a hook? How is a hook made? But if the boys
would throw the hook just as it is into the water, no fish
would bite. What do they put on the hook to draw the
fish ? Bait. And now the stupid fish, seeing only the bait,
and not the hook hidden by the bait, takes hold of the bait
and bites the hook, and thinking how good the worm tastes,
tries to swallow the bait and hook, and moves its tail and
pulls the hook and is caught ! Just as boys catch fish with
a hook and bait, so did the devil try to lead our first
parents to disobey God and make them unhappy.

Object. I will now tell you how the devil acted to in-
duce our first parents to disobey God's commandment.

Relation. The devil was very envious of the happiness
of our first parents. He resolved to lead them into the
sin of disobeying God. Therefore he hid himself in a
serpent. The serpent was on the forbidden tree. One day
Eve went near the forbidden tree and saw the serpent on it.
The serpent said to Eve : " Why hath God commanded
you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?"
Eve replied: "Of the fruit of the trees that are in para-
dise we do eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in
the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we
should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest per-
haps we die." But the serpent said to Eve : " No, you
shall not die. For God knows that, when you shall eat of

62 APOSTLES' CREED

it, your eyes shall be opened; and you shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil." And Eve "saw that the tree
was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to
behold; and she took of its fruit, and did eat, and gave
to her husband who did eat."

Explanation — Envy of the devil. Where did Adam
and Eve dwell in the beginning? Were they happy there?
Who is it that could not bear to see them happy? He who
cannot bear to see others happy, is envious. The devil
envied (was envious of) the happiness of our first parents.
Why was he so envious? The devil was at first so happy.
What had he been? Where had he dwelt? In heaven.
Why was he cast into hell? The devil was anxious that
men also should be cast into hell. Therefore he thought :
" If I could only induce men not to keep God's command-
ments. I will try." What did the devil intend to do?
To tempt our first parents to disobey God.

The temptation. In what animal did the devil hide him-
self ? Where was the serpent? Who came near that tree?
What did Eve see on the tree? The devil showed him-
self very friendly, and asked her : " Why hath God com-
manded you," etc. Eve was astonished at hearing the ser-
pent speak. What did she answer? Whose commandment
did Eve know quite well? And she knew the punishment
also, for she said : " Lest we perhaps die." But what
had God said ? " You shall die, if," etc. She thought that
what God had said, might not be true, for she said " per-
haps." The serpent laughed, saying: " By no means; you
shall not die, and your eyes," etc. He meant that Adam
would see that they were equal to God.

The devil was anxious that men also should wish to be
like or equal to God, so that God should at once cast
them also into hell. The devil knew that men could not
become like God, and yet he said they would. He was the
first liar; he is the father of lies. Whom should Eve have
believed, the serpent or God? And Eve should have gone

THE FALL 63

away, and not stood to listen to the serpent's lies. But
the words of the serpent pleased Eve. She would have
liked so much to become equal to God. Therefore she
stayed longer near the tree, and looked at its fruits. What
did she think of them? That they looked nice and tasted
good. There were many, very many other fruits in para-
dise. Why did these please her more? Because she be-
lieved that, if she ate of them, she would become like
God.

The fall. Then Eve went nearer the tree, and looked
more closely at the fruit. Then there happened to her
what happens to the fish looking at the bait on the hook.
The fruit pleased her so much, that she longed to taste
it. At last she took and ate some, and gave some to Adam.
And what did Adam do? How great was the joy of the
devil, when he saw that!

Explanation — The first sin. What had God for-
bidden our first parents? Did they obey God? They did
not obey Him. They transgressed (broke) His command-
ment. He who transgresses a commandment of God, com-
mits a sin. What did our first parents commit by
disobeying God ? They committed a sin ; they sinned.
Was God's commandment very hard to keep? No, for
there were very many other trees with delicious fruits,
besides the forbidden tree. There was no need of their
eating the forbidden fruit. The sin of our first parents
was great, grievous before God.

Pride. Why did Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden
fruit? Because they wished to be equal to God. But no
one can be equal to God. How do you call those persons
who wish to be more (greater) than they are? Proud.
What were Adam and Eve? Proud. Who before Adam
and Eve wished to be like (equal to) God? Those angels
were proud. What did they commit thereby? A great
sin. Pride is a sin.

Lying. The devil knew very well that Adam and Eve

64 APOSTLES' CREED

could not be like God. Yet he said : " You shall be as
gods." What do you call his saying that? A lie. The
devil was the first liar. Whom does a child who tells lies,
imitate? By his lies the devil succeeded in causing our
first parents to commit sin.

Summary. What commandment had God given to our
first parents? What did they do? Transgressed God's
commandment, and sinned.

Application. The devil seeks to lead you also into sin ;
for instance, when you are alone at home, he suggests to you
to go to the pantry to take and eat of the sweetmeats that
are there, telling you how nice and good they are, and
that your mother will not see you, or know that you have
taken or tasted them. When there is some change lying
loose in the house, he suggests to you to take some to buy
candy, etc. How often does he not suggest to you to tell
lies, in order to escape punishment ; to strike others, to
call them abusive names ; and often he sends a bad com-
panion to lead you into mischief, into sin !

If Eve had gone away, she would not have sinned. You
also must go out of the way of temptation, out of bad
company, or else you will fall into sin. Pray to God not
to let great temptations come to you ; say : " Lead us not
into temptation." And when temptation comes, ask God
to help you to overcome it. " Jesus and Mary, help me
to keep from sin."

16. The Confession and Punishment of our First

Parents.

Object. I will relate to you how God punished our
first parents for their sin.

Relation. After Adam and Eve had sinned, their eyes
were opened, and they saw that they were naked. Full
of shame, they made for themselves aprons with fig-leaves.
When they heard the voice of God, they hid themselves

CONFESSION OF ADAM AND EVE 65

among the trees of paradise. And God called Adam:
" Where art thou ? And Adam said : I heard Thy voice
in paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and
I hid myself. And God said to him: And who hath
told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten
of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst
not eat? And Adam said: The woman that Thou gavest
me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did
eat. And God said to the woman : Why hast thou done
this ? And she answered : The serpent deceived me, and
I did eat. And God said to the serpent, because thou
hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle and
beasts of the earth. I will put enmities between thee and
the woman, and thy seed and her seed ; she shall crush
thy head. To the woman also He said: I will multiply
thy sorrows from thy children ; thou shalt be under thy
husband's power, and he shall have dominion over thee.
And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to
the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof
I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is
the earth in thy work; with labor and toil thou shalt eat
thereof all the days of thy life. In the sweat of thy face
thou shalt eat bread, till thou return to the earth, out of
which thou wast taken ; for dust thou art, and into dust
shalt thou return." Then God clothed Adam and Eve
with garments of skin, and cast them out of paradise.

Explanation — The trial. What did the devil tell Eve
to induce her to eat of the forbidden fruit? He said
that they would not die, but that their eyes would be opened,
and they would be like God, if they would eat of it. One
thing which the devil told them, was true; that their eyes
would be opened. But they saw something very different
from what the devil had made them believe. What did
they see? That they were naked. They got ashamed and
covered themselves with aprons made of fig-leaves. Do
you remember what was the garment of the souls of Adam

66 APOSTLES' CREED

and Eve when God created them? The garment of grace.
It made their souls exceedingly bright and resplendent;
this brightness penetrated their bodies and made them
bright also, and this brightness served as a garment for
their bodies; hence they needed no material clothes as we
do. But when Adam and Eve sinned, they lost sanctifying
grace, the bright garment of their souls, and all the bright-
ness of their bodies disappeared.

What injury did the sin of our first parents cause to
their souls? It robbed them of the garment of grace, and
defiled them with a mortal sin ; so that their souls looked
ugly and repulsive (disgusting). Therefore Adam and
Eve were no longer children of God. And now their con-
sciences reproached them with having disobeyed God, and
they got afraid. Their hearts beat violently. And they
heard the voice of God. This time they did not feel glad
that God was coming to them. They ran away. What
did they do to keep God from seeing them? They hid
themselves. But God had seen them. Why? Because
He is everywhere, and no one can hide himself from Him.

Then God called out : " Adam, where art thou ? " Then
Adam and Eve had to come out of their hiding-places.
Adam did not tell the exact truth why he had hidden him-
self. What did he say? But God knew Adam's sin. He
knew why Adam was afraid. What did He say to Adam?
Adam should then have said : " Lord, forgive me." But
what did he say? He tried to excuse himself by putting
all the blame on Eve (and remotely on God Himself who
had given her to him as his companion). What did God
then say to Eve? How ought Eve to have spoken then
to God, and begged His forgiveness? But what did she
say instead? She blamed the serpent for deceiving her.
But should she not have believed God rather than the ser-
pent? What should she have done, when the serpent began
to speak to her? Was she not guilty? And was Adam
bound to take and eat the forbidden fruit given him by

PUNISHMENT OF ADAM AND EVE 67

Eve? No. He also was guilty. Both were guilty. Who
was most guilty? The serpent. All three were punished.
How was each of them punished?

The punishment. What did God say to the serpent?
(Will be explained further on.) Who was punished after
the serpent? Eve. What did God say to her? You know
how babies often cry all night, and their poor mothers can-
not sleep, for they must be all the time with their crying
babies. How much do poor mothers suffer and complain !
God foretold that. Why was Eve so punished? Whom
did she seduce (lead into sin)? Hence God said to her:
' Thou shalt be under the power of thy husband." Finally,
Adam got his punishment. What did God say to him?
" Cursed be the earth," etc. On account of this curse the
earth no longer so easily produces eatables, no such fine
fruits as there were in paradise. What should it produce
henceforth of itself? Thorns and thistles (weeds). If
Adam and Eve wished to eat, Adam would have to work so
hard, that the sweat would pour from his brow down his
face. How did God say that? As Adam would sweat
in summer, so he would freeze in winter ; and he would
be liable to get sick, to suffer pains of all kinds, in every
part of his body, during his whole life. God told him
also that he must die. From what did God make Adam's
body? What would his body become in the grave? Dust.
God said : " Thou art dust," etc.

God's mercy. When Adam and Eve heard these pun-
ishments, they began to weep bitterly. Even then God
showed them how much He loved them. As they were
naked He made them clothes out of the skins of animals.
Where were Adam and Eve no longer allowed to remain?
What did God do to them? How many times did they
not look back towards paradise, to see if God would not
call them back ! But they were nevermore allowed to re-
turn to it. They had lost paradise forever. God placed
an angel with a flaming sword before its gate to keep our

68 APOSTLES' CREED

first parents from entering it again. When Adam and Eve
left paradise, the animals, hitherto so tame, began to make
horrible noises, ran away and became wild. (Explain a
picture of Adam and Eve's expulsion from paradise.)

Connection. We shall now again consider how our first
parents were punished for their sin.

In their souls. What garment had Adam and Eve in
their souls before their sin? What was the effect of their
sin on this garment of grace? That was the first punish-
ment of their sin. What was their soul before their sin?
Beautiful, bright, pure and holy. And after their sin? It
was all defiled, ugly and disgusting. That was the second
punishment. Whose children were Adam and Eve before
their sin? And after their sin? That was their third
punishment. Where were Adam and Eve to go later on,
if they had remained faithful ? Where were they no longer
able to go after their sin? That was their fourth punish-
ment.

In their bodies. Where did Adam and Eve dwell before
their sin? What did God do to them after their sin?
Cast them out of paradise. That was the fifth punish-
ment. What kind of work did they have before their sin?
And after their sin? This was the sixth punishment.
After their sin their bodies were liable to undergo all kinds
of sickness and suffering and death, and to return to dust.
That was the seventh punishment.

Summary. Our first parents, in punishment of their
sin, were cast out of paradise, became liable to many suffer-
ings, and were to die.

Application. You have often heard of some child pun-
ished by its good father; and each time the thought came
to you : " That child must have done something bad."
God was a good father to Adam and Eve; and yet He
punished them severely. Why did God do that? All
those misfortunes would not have come over our first
parents, if they had not sinned. This shows you how

ORIGINAL SIN 69

wicked sin is in the sight of God. Suppose an ugly rep-
tile, a snake, would creep up your clothes. It would make
you afraid and scream aloud, and you would at once shake
it off and jump away from it. Now sin is more horrid
and dangerous than a poisonous snake. You should prefer
to suffer hunger rather than to steal, to be laughed at rather
than to go with bad companions, to take punishment rather
than to escape it by telling a lie.

The holy Queen Blanche often said to her little son:
" Louis, I love you more than anything on earth, but I
would rather see you dead than to hear that you have
committed a sin." Little Louis took these words so much
to heart during his whole life, that he never committed
a mortal sin, and became a great saint. Dear children, I
love you also very much; but if I would know that any
of you would later on fall into a mortal sin, I w.ould pray
to God rather to let you die now. For if you die without
grievous sin, you shall forever dwell in heaven; but if you
commit a mortal sin and die in it, you shall be cast forever
into hell. Every good child tries hard to avoid even the
smallest sin.

17. Original Sin.

Preparation. I told you the other day how Adam and
Eve became unhappy by their sin.

Object. You will hear to-day how all men have been
made unhappy by the sin of our first parents.

Development — To inherit. After they were cast out of
paradise, Adam and Eve had children. When the parents
are rich, their children also are rich. When the parents
are poor, the children also are poor. Now, think a little,
and tell me, when the parents die, who gets all that be-
longed to the parents; their houses, furniture, fields, money?
The children. Therefore we say : " Children inherit the
property of their parents." If their parents are poor, or

70 APOSTLES' CREED

if they are rich, the children inherit accordingly. Before
their sin Adam and Eve were rich in paradise ; they were
not only rich, but good and happy. Their children were
to be like them, rich and happy, because they would have
inherited riches and happiness from them. All men are
children of Adam and Eve. Why? Therefore all men
were destined to inherit the riches and happiness of Adam
and Eve.

Original sin. But Adam and Eve did not obey God.
What did they do? Therefore the children of Adam and
Eve were born with sin in their souls, and also all the
children born since then have inherited the sin of Adam
and Eve. That is a great misfortune for all of us. The
sin which all men have inherited from our first parents
is called original sin.

Inclination to evil. Because all men inherited the sin of
Adam and Eve, they have in themselves an inclination to
evil. Therefore all children have an inclination to steal
fruits, sweetmeats, to tell lies, to quarrel, to strike others.
Who was the first to let the inclination to evil come into
her heart? Eve. All men have inherited that inclination
from Adam and Eve.

The punishments. What did Adam and Eve lose in
their souls through their sin? When we were born we
did not have the garment of grace in our souls. The sin
of our first parents is the cause of this. Whose children
did Adam and Eve cease to be after their sin? God's.
When we were born, we were not children of God. Why?
And where could Adam and Eve no longer go after their
sin? To heaven. Heaven was closed against them and
against all men by their sin. In what other way did God
punish Adam and Eve? They had much to suffer, and
at last to die. How did they have to suffer? Hard work,
sickness, troubles. We also must suffer like them, and at
last die. Why?

Summary. What have all men inherited from Adam

PROMISE OF THE REDEEMER 71

and Eve ? First, original sin, and secondly, the punishment
of original sin.

Application. You have not yet suffered much. Per;
haps a little headache or toothache, a few punishments.
But you have perhaps seen others suffer great pains, and
heard their cries and complaints. There are a great many
sick persons on earth ; how much do they suffer ! Some
die of hunger, others freeze or burn to death, or are
drowned, or killed in accidents. How people grieve over
the death of their relatives and friends, in the house, in
the graveyard. One hundred thousand persons die daily
on earth. What are all these pains, deaths and grief?
The punishment and consequence of sin.

Moreover, you have an inclination to evil, to be dis-
obedient, to steal, to tell lies, etc. When you feel inclined
or tempted to do wrong, do you not act like Adam and
Eve? Do you keep away from bad companions and all
danger of sin? Do you pray when you are strongly
tempted?

18. Promise of the Redeemer.

Object. I will relate to you how God showed Himself
kind and merciful to men after the sin of our first parents.

Development — All men were lost. Whom did Adam
and Eve obey, when they sinned? The devil. Therefore
they belonged after that to the devil. They deserved hell
by their sin. Sin was like a rope, with which the devil
tied them and tried to drag them into hell. Who inherited
the sin of Adam ? All men. Therefore when children are
born, they are not the children of God. And where does
original sin prevent men from going? But the devil was
not satisfied with preventing men from going to heaven ;
he wished to bring all men to hell with him. Therefore
he made the plan to lead all men to commit all kinds of
sins, and to use their sins as ropes to drag them all into

72 APOSTLES' CREED

hell. No man could ever free himself, by his own efforts,
from these ropes. No, not all men together could break
the ropes of sin ; even if they tried as hard as they could.
Nor could any angel, no, not even could all the angels to-
gether break the rope of sin and free men from sin. And
yet no man could ever go to heaven, if he did not get free
from that rope. God alone could free men from it, and
redeem all of them. (Ask questions on the foregoing.)

God shows mercy. God did not redeem the bad angels
from their sin. Where did He cast them? God could
have treated Adam and Eve in the same manner and cast
them into hell. But Adam and Eve were not so enlight-
ened as the angels; also Eve did not of herself alone dis-
obey God. Who had deceived her and induced her to disobey
God? The devil. Therefore God had pity on men. And
the Son of God in heaven spoke to His Father : " I will
help man to be free from sin." For the Son of God had
pity on men in their misfortune, and wished to show them
mercy. But the heavenly Father asked Him : " How wilt
Thou help men?" The Son replied: "I will choose a
holy Mother, and become man. I will then combat the
devil, and My Mother shall crush his head, and then
men shall be free from sin." This pleased God the
Father.

Promise of the Redeemer. God had said this to the
serpent in paradise. How did He say it? " She (the
woman) shall crush thy head." This He said after He
had cursed the serpent. Because the serpent was cursed
by God, men hate it, pursue it and kill it. What do chil-
dren do when they see one? What is the meaning of all
that God said to the serpent ? " Thou thinkest that, be-
cause thou hast seduced Eve, and Adam through her, that
thou wilt bring all men into hell. But there shall come
a holy woman with a holy Child, and she shall crush thy
head, and her Child shall free men from sin." Who was
to come? What was the Child to do? And what should

PROMISE OF THE REDEEMER 73

the woman do to the serpent? When the head of a snake
is crushed, the snake can no longer bite or do harm. There-
fore when the promised woman would crush the devil's head
(power), the devil would no longer be able to harm men,
to drag them by the rope of sin into hell. Therefore the
devil got no good from his joy at seducing Eve.

The Redeemer is the Son of God. Who said to God
the Father, that He would free (deliver) men from sin?
The Son of God. How was He to do this ? By becoming
man. He would take a body and soul like ours, and would
be born as a little baby. And what would His Mother
do in consequence? Who is that Child, who, as God prom-
ised, would free men from sin? And who is the woman
that would crush the head of the serpent?

Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer. Explain the pic-
ture of God punishing Adam and Eve, and the serpent.
You see on the right a lovely little picture of a woman
with a child in her arms. What is her foot treading on?
The head of the serpent. This represents what God said
to the serpent in paradise. Who is this woman ? And who
is the Child she is holding in her arms? Of what woman
and of what Child was God speaking?

Who in heaven had already said that Mary with her
Child would crush the serpent's head? But God did not
call her Mary. How did He call her? Whose mother is
Mary? Mary is the Mother of the Son of God. There-
fore she is the Mother of God. Who is the Child Jesus
she is holding in her arms? The Child Jesus is the Son
of God. Mary and the Son of God were to crush the
serpent's head. And from what did the Son of God wish
to free us? And what is He, therefore, called? The Re-
deemer. To whom did God promise a Redeemer? When?
Immediately after the fall (sin) of our first parents God
promised them a Redeemer, who would free them from
sin. He did this out of pity for men. What would have
become of mankind, if God had not had pity on them?

74 APOSTLES' CREED

The expectation of the Redeemer. Adam and Eve were
very sorry for their sin. They did not afterwards get
angry for having to suffer so much on account of it. They
thought : " We will willingly suffer everything, for we
have deserved it." They said to God : " Lord, forgive
us; we will never sin again. Send us the Redeemer soon."
Therefore God took away their sin from their souls, and
restored His friendship to them; that is, He forgave them.
They related to their children that God had promised a
Redeemer; and their children related it to their own chil-
dren, and thus all men knew it and expected the Re-
deemer.

The corruption of the "world. But men did not remain
good ; not even all the children of Adam and Eve. One
of them, called Cain, was wicked; he killed his brother
Abel. Later on men became still worse; they made statues
of wood and stone, and said : " These are our gods."
And they adored the sun, moon and stars. In a certain
city they had a large statue of iron, which was hollow
inside. They would make in it a great fire, and when the
statue was red-hot, parents would place their little children
in the red-hot arms of the statue, and the children would
roll from the arms into the big mouth of the statue, and
were burnt up inside. These men knew nothing of God
and the Redeemer.

The great Advent. But there were still many men on
earth who knew that the Redeemer was to come. Every
day they would go to church, and pray thus to God : " O
Lord, send us the Redeemer." But the Redeemer did not
come yet. At last these good men thought they could wait
no longer until the Redeemer would come. They would
get up during the night, kneel down and pray God to send
the Redeemer. Sometimes they wished that the Redeemer
would grow out of the ground at night as a beautiful flower,
or would at early morning come down from heaven as the
dew falls from heaven on the earth, or that the clouds would

THE ANNUNCIATION 75

pour Him down like rain. But it was only after several
thousand years that the Redeemer came. The long waiting
of men for the Redeemer is called Advent.

19. The Announcement of the Redeemer's Birth.

Preparation. How did God show mercy to men? Im-
mediately after the sin of our first parents God promised
them a Redeemer, who would free them from sin. Whose
son was the Redeemer to be ? To redeem us, the Redeemer
had to become man. What did He wish to seek for Himself
on earth? A mother. There were many rich and beau-
tiful women on earth. They were all anxious to be His
Mother. Whom do you think He chose as His Mother?
A queen, or an empress? Listen: He chose a poor vir-
gin. You know her name? Mary lived at Nazareth, a
poor little country village. It is far from here in Asia.
To get there, it is necessary to travel many days on a
railroad and in a vessel on the sea. Mary was poor, but
very pious. She often prayed the heavenly Father to send
the promised Redeemer ; but she never imagined that she
was to be His Mother. She thought she was of too little
account for that great honor.

Object. But, as I will now relate to you, God sent her
a message to inform her that she would be the mother
of the promised Redeemer.

Relation. The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a
poor, pious virgin named Mary. She was espoused (mar-
ried) to a holy man called Joseph. Mary was praying
in her little room, when the angel Gabriel came in and said
to her: " Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed
art thou among women." W^hen Mary heard these words,
she got frightened ; but the angel said to her : " Be not
afraid, Mary, because thou hast found grace with God.
Thou shalt conceive a son, and shalt call His name Jesus.
He will be great and the Son of the Almighty." Mary

76 APOSTLES' CREED

asked : " How will this happen ? " The angel replied :
" The Holy Ghost will come over thee, and by His power
thou shalt become the Mother of God." Mary then said:
" Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it done to me
according to thy word."

St. Joseph also lived at Nazareth. He was a poor car-
penter. To Joseph also an angel appeared and said :
" Take Mary to thee ; the Holy Ghost came over her, and
she will have a Son, whom thou shalt call Jesus, and He
will save His people from their sins."

Explanation — The Virgin Mary. Where did Mary live?
What was Mary? A poor, pious virgin. To whom was
she espoused? Therefore St. Joseph is called the spouse
of Mary. Mary had but little money and no fine dresses.
And yet God loved her more than all the other women in
the world. Why? She was already very pious and so
holy that there has never been any one in the world so
holy as she. You have seen pictures of Mary with a lily
in her hand. Of what color is the lily? Pure white, with-
out the slightest spot or stain. Inside the leaves are golden
threads, from which golden dust falls on the leaves.

But Mary's soul was much more beautiful than the most
beautiful lily. She had never committed a sin. What sin
stains the soul of every man that comes into the world?
Now listen : Mary's soul was never stained with original
sin. Mary alone among all the descendants of Adam and
Eve, did not inherit original sin. She never had the least
stain of any sin in her soul. Her soul was as pure white,
and as shining like gold as the finest lily, and even far
more beautiful. Her soul was rich in grace. No virgin
was ever so rich in grace as Mary, for the heavenly Father
willed that the soul of the Mother of the Redeemer should
be the most beautiful, pious and holy of all women and
virgins. Therefore we call her the Most Holy Virgin Mary.

The greeting of the angel. Mary was very fond of
prayer and prayed often. On a certain day when she was

THE ANNUNCIATION 77

at prayer, her room suddenly became wonderfully bright.
Who was standing in front of Mary? An angel dressed
in purest white, and his face was as bright and as beau-
tiful as the sun. The angel made a low bow to her, and
greeted her. What did he say?

How did he begin his greeting? He said: "Hail, full
of grace." Just as if he said: "A beautiful greeting to
thee from the Lord." When your father, or your mother,
sends you to greet your uncle, or a friend, in their name,
they show that they love the one to whom they send their
greeting. From whom did the angel bring the greeting to
Mary? What did God intend to show to Mary? That
he loved and honored her; that she was more pleasing to
Him than any one else. Why did God love Mary so
much ? Because she was so good and so holy ; she was
without sin. How beautifully pure was her soul ! Her
soul possessed more grace than all men and angels to-
gether. She was " full of grace."

Because Mary was full of grace, she became the Mother
of the Son of God. She was allowed to carry the Lord
God in her arms. The Lord was always near her and
with her. Mary is the most happy of women, because she
is the Mother of God. Therefore no woman is so greatly
praised and honored as Mary. The angel truly said:
" Blessed art thou among women." Repeat now the whole
of the angel's greeting (salutation).

The message of the angel. When Mary so suddenly
saw the angel and heard his wonderful greeting, she was
frightened. The angel saw it, and said to her : " Fear
not, Mary, etc., thou shalt," etc. And the angel at once
told her what would be her Son's name, saying that He
" shall be called Jesus." What else did the angel tell her
about Him ? " He shall be called the Son of the Most
High." Who is Most High in heaven and on earth? God.
Whose Son will the Son of Mary be called? The Son
of God. How great is God? Infinitely great. Therefore

78 APOSTLES' CREED

the angel implied that Mary's Son would be great. But
Mary could not imagine how this could be. She asked
the angel about it. The angel said that she would conceive
Him by the Holy Ghost.

Mary's consent. The angel's answer satisfied Mary.
.What did she then say? " Behold the handmaid of the
Lord ; be it done to me according to thy word." So many
rich and noble women had longed to be the mother of the
Redeemer. But God preferred Mary. Mary is therefore
better and more noble than all those great ladies. But she
is not proud of it ; for what does she call herself ? Only
a servant (handmaid) of God. You know what a servant
is ; whom must a servant obey? The mistress of the house.
Mary calls herself the servant of God, to show that she
would always be ready to do what God would bid her.
Then the angel returned. Where? To God's throne, to
bring to God Mary's answer. What was her answer?

St. Joseph. Who was St. Joseph? The spouse (hus-
band) of Mary. Where did he live? What was his trade?
He was poor like Mary. You have already seen a picture
of St. Joseph. What does he hold in his hand? How do
the leaves of the lily look? St. Joseph's soul was as pure
and white as the lily. What does the lily in his hand teach
us? St. Joseph did not know that Mary had been chosen
to be the Mother of God; and Mary did not tell him a
word about it. But an angel came to him and told him to
call the Redeemer's name Jesus. What was St. Joseph
expected to do? To support and protect Mary and Jesus,
her Son.

Explanation — Redeemer, Saviour, Christ. What did
the angel say to St. Joseph about the name he should give
to Mary's Son ? Why should He be called Jesus ? " Because
He shall save His people from their sins." What means
Jesus? Saviour. Jesus has yet another name. What is
it? Christ. How is the Redeemer called? Jesus Christ.

The only-begotten Son of God. Whose Son is the Re-

THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION 79

deemer? God's; God is His Father. A father on earth
has often more than one son. But Jesus is the only Son
of God the Father.

Our Lord. Who is God? The Lord of heaven and
earth. Jesus is also our Lord. Why? Because He is
God. To whom did men belong after the fall (sin) of
our first parents? To the devil. Who freed us from sin?
Jesus. Therefore we belong to Him, and He is our Lord
and Master.

Summary. Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of
God. Why do we belong to Jesus Christ? Therefore we
call Him our Lord, as the Apostles' Creed teaches. Who
is His Mother? Mary. She is the happiest of women.
What do we call her? The Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

The An gel us. Wrho came to Mary when she was pray-
ing? Whose messengers are the angels? What message
from God did the angel Gabriel bring to Mary? Mary
could not understand the message; she asked the angel to
explain it. What did the angel reply? "The Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee." And thus make her the Mother
of the Son of God. Was Mary satisfied with the angel's
answer? What did she say?

The Angelical Greeting, or Salutation. When you say the
Hail Mary, you should think : " O Mary, I greet thee
from my heart." Who first greeted Mary? It is for this
reason that the Hail Mary is called the Angelical Saluta-
tion. How greatly you would rejoice, if an angel would
come to you and say : " God sends you greeting." What
a joy Mary must have felt when the angel greeted her in
the name of God, and delivered and explained to her his
message! She must often have thought of it afterwards.
Where is Mary now? God has made her Queen of heaven,
Queen of all the angels and saints. Mary is very much
pleased when we greet her as the angel did.

The words of Elisabeth. Then after " blessed art thou
among women," we add : " and blessed is the fruit of thy

80 APOSTLES' CREED

womb." These words were first spoken to Mary by her
cousin St. Elizabeth. When Mary knew that she was to
be the Mother of God, she went quickly to St. Elizabeth.
When Mary entered Elizabeth's house and greeted her,
Elizabeth knew at once that Mary would be the Mother
of God, for the Holy Ghost inspired it to her. And now
Elizabeth greeted Mary as the angel had done, saying:
" Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb." And as Jesus is Mary's Son, we add
" Jesus."

The prayer of petition. We thus continue the Angelical
Salutation : " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sin-
ners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." We beg
Mary to pray for us. John's mother is sick. John would
like her to get well. And so he says to Mary : " O dear
Mother of God, pray God to make my mother well again."
And Mary prays to God for John's mother, and she
will get well. Why ? Because God does all that Mary asks
of Him, for He cannot refuse anything to the Mother of
His Son. Therefore, when we need anything, let us say :
" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us for . . ." We
need Mary's prayers, for we are all poor sinners. With
what sin in our soul were we born? And we have also
committed sins of our own, and perhaps grievous sins, for
which God can justly cast us into hell. Therefore, let us
beg Mary to pray for us novo, that is, every day, that God
may forgive us.

But the most dangerous time for us is the hour of our
death. Men dread death. They fear hell on account of
their sins. And the devil is watching when men are dying,
for he does not wish them to be sorry for their sins; he
tries to make them commit more sins. No one can better
help those who are dying than Mary. The devil is greatly
afraid of her. If she prays for us, the devil cannot harm
us. What do we wish Mary to do for us? When do we
ask her to pray for us? Why especially at the hour of our

BIRTH OF THE REDEEMER 81

death ? You should all reflect on this when you recite the
Hail Mary. By doing so, you will give Mary great pleasure.

20. Birth of the Redeemer.

Object. I will tell you to-day how the Redeemer was
born.

Preparation. You know already who is our Redeemer,
who is His Mother, and who is her spouse. Where did
Mary and Joseph live? Bethlehem is also in Palestine.
It was called the city of David, because that great king
was born there. Mary and Joseph descended from King
David ; hence we say that they were of the family of
David. When the Redeemer was born Herod was king
of Judea. He lived in its capital, called Jerusalem. Herod
had to obey a much greater monarch than himself. This
was the Emperor Augustus, who lived in Rome and gov-
erned a great part of the world. Augustus wished to know
how many people lived in his empire. What must I do
to find out how many children are here? Count them.
Now Augustus had to get the people in his empire counted,
in order to find out their number. The same is done every
ten years in the United States. This is called taking the
census. (Appropriate questions.)

Relation. Therefore Augustus ordered the census to
be taken in his immense empire. Every one had to go
to his city to give in his name, and all about his family.
St. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, the city of David,
because they were of the family of David. But when
they came there, the hotels, boarding-houses, and private
houses were all full because of the crowds that had come
there; they could find no place to lodge in. They had to
go into a poor, abandoned stable just outside of the city.
In this miserable place Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was
born ; and Mary wrapped Him in swaddling-clothes, and
laid Him on straw in the manger.

82 APOSTLES' CREED

Explanation — The command. Under what emperor
was Judea? What did Augustus wish to know? What
means did he use to find it out? Where had Joseph and
Mary to go on that account? Taking the census in the
United States is done differently. Who knows how it is
done?

The journey. Where did Joseph and Mary go to get
their names inscribed in the census book? Why had they
to go there? There were no railroads in those days. Rich
people could travel in wagons. But how had Joseph and
Mary to travel ? On foot for three days. They were very
tired, and would have been glad to get lodgings in some
house.

Their arrival. When they came to Bethlehem, it was
late in the evening. They had no friends or relatives in
Bethlehem to whom they could go. They sought the public
inn or lodging place for strangers. There was no more
place for them. They sought a lodging elsewhere, but no
one would give it to them, no one wanted them, for they
were too poor. Suppose you would come to a strange town
on a cold night, and you could find no place to lodge, to
spend the night ! How would you feel ? Imagine, then,
how Mary and Joseph felt. They did not get angry, or
complain. They looked around, and at last found that
wretched abandoned stable just outside the walls. They
went in and were glad to get that poor place. It was
night. The lights of Bethlehem were put out one by one,
until there was darkness all over the city, and the people
were all asleep. Mary was still praying, and Joseph tried to
fix and clean up the miserable place.

The birth of the Redeemer. All at once, at midnight,
a great bright light lit up wonderfully the poor stable, and
Mary saw on her dress a beautifully bright Baby looking
at her and smiling. Then it began to cry and hold out its
little hands to Mary. She saw it and prostrated herself
before it, adored it, and lovingly and tenderly kissed it

THE REDEEMER 83

over and over again, and held it in her arms. She could
not get tired looking at its beautiful bright little face. St.
Joseph looked at it with reverence and joy, knelt down
and adored it, and tenderly kissed it. Then Mary wrapped
up the Infant Saviour (Redeemer) in swaddling-clothes;
and where did she put Him? In a fine cradle? No; she
had none; the only place she could find for Him was the
manger out of which cattle eat ; in it there was a little
straw, and there she laid the sweet divine Infant. Oh, how
poor was the Saviour born, on a cold night ; He had no
bed to lie on ; no fire to warm Him ; nothing to make Him
comfortable.

Further Explanation — The Infant Jesas is the only-
begotten Son of God. That Infant in the crib, or manger,
is wrapped in swaddling-clothes, like all the other children
in Judea; He is as weak and helpless as other children at
their birth. From the angel Gabriel we know that He is
much more than other children. Whose Son was He to
be called? The Son of the Most High. Therefore He is
the Son of God ; the only Son of God the Father.

God became man. Therefore the Son of God became
a little infant. He did not cease to be God. As God He
could not be seen. Why? But He could be seen as an
infant in the manger. His face, His eyes, His mouth, His
hands and feet, His whole body could be seen. There was
one thing in Him that could not be seen. It was His soul,
for He had a body and soul like ours, which He took when
He became man. He remained God. Therefore He is
both God and man.

The Redeemer, or Saviour. Where was it that God the
Son told God the Father that He was willing to become
man? In heaven. Why did He wish to become man?
To save us. What name was Mary told to give Him?
Jesus. What does Jesus mean? Saviour. The Saviour
is the only-begotten Son of God, who became man to save
us.

84 APOSTLES' CREED

The Word was made flesh. We can also say : ' The
Word was made flesh to save us." Why? Because the
Son of God is called also the Word; and to be made flesh
means also to become man. In what prayer do we say:
" And the Word was made flesh " ? In the Angelus.
Where was Jesus, the Son of God, born? And for thirty-
three years He dwelt among us. It is nearly two thousand
years since the Son of God came on earth.

Application. Why did the Son of God come upon earth ?
What would have become of men, if the Son of God
had not come upon earth ? They would all be lost. There-
fore we cannot be grateful enough to Him. We should
thank Him for it by reciting the Angelus three times a
day, when the church bell rings in the morning, at noon
and in the evening.

The Angelus. The Angelus begins as follows : " The
Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary; And she conceived
of the Holy Ghost." When saying this, think of the angel
entering Mary's room when she was praying, and an-
nouncing to her that she was chosen to be the mother of
the Redeemer ; and say the Hail Mary. Then say : " Be-
hold the handmaid of the Lord; Be it done unto me
according to thy word." This was Mary's answer to the
angel's message ; she consented to become the mother of
the Redeemer, in obedience to God's will. Then say an-
other Hail Mary. After this say : " And the Word was
made flesh; And dwelt among us." As soon as Mary
gave her consent, God the Son took a body and soul like
ours and dwelt among us for thirty-three years. When
you say these words, strike your breast, if you are
kneeling; but if you are standing, make a genuflexion.
Then add a third Hail Mary. After this recite the fol-
lowing: "Pray for us, O holy Mother of God; that we
may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us
pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace
into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ,

ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS 85

Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel,
may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of
His resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen."

When the Angelus bell rings in the morning, children
are usually asleep. They should then recite the Angelus
after rising. If you are at home, when the Angelus bell
rings at noon and in the evening, say it when the bell
rings. If you are outside, you ought to stop your play,
your conversation, and say the Angelus quietly, the boys
with their hats off. Always say it devoutly.

21. The Shepherds adore the Infant Saviour.

Preparation. The first persons who knew of the
Saviour's birth were Mary and Joseph.

Object. But, as I am going to relate to you, God had
it announced on the same night to some pious shep-
herds.

Relation. In the neighborhood of the stable there
were some pious shepherds in the fields keeping night-
watch over their flocks. Suddenly there was around them
a very bright light, and they feared very much; an angel
stood before them, saying: "Fear not; I announce to
you tidings of great joy. To-day in the city of David is
born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this
shall be a sign to you; you will find an infant wrapped
in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger." And sud-
denly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
army, praising God and saying : " Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." Then
the angels returned to heaven. The shepherds then said
to one another : " Let us go over to Bethlehem, and see
what has been told us." They hastened to the stable, and
found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger.
And after this they returned to their flocks, thanking and

86 APOSTLES' CREED

praising God. Eight days later the Infant was circumcised
and named Jesus, as the angel had foretold.

Explanation — The apparition of the angel. On the
night that Jesus was born the stable was empty. The
sheep were in the fields guarded by the shepherds. The
shepherds had lighted a fire, and were seated around it.
They had been speaking about the Saviour who was ex-
pected to come soon. Then they fell asleep, and only one
shepherd remained on the watch, walking up and down.
The night was calm and clear and the stars were shining
so nicely. All at once the watching shepherd saw a bright
light in the heavens coming down nearer and nearer, and
making everything as bright as the noon-day. Greatly as-
tonished, he awoke the other shepherds ; they sprang up ;
the light around them was so bright that they could no
longer see the stars or the fire. They were dazzled and
got afraid. In the midst of the bright light they beheld
an angel clothed in shining white garments ; his face looked
heavenly. They were so much afraid that they fell down to
the ground. But the angel had come to bring them good
news.

The message of the angel. What did he say to them?
Why should they rejoice? How did the angel call the
Saviour ? Did he tell them where He was born ? In which
city? Did he tell them how they would find Him?

The hymn of the angels. The shepherds listened joy-
fully and devoutly to what the angel said to them. Then
they saw a multitude of other bright angels in the air
around them, so that there was like a street of light up to
heaven. And all the angels sang. What did they sing?
How sweet and beautiful was their singing! It was a
heavenly melody in the quiet night extending from earth
to heaven. Since then men also sing the beautiful hymn
of the angels. The priest intones (begins) it at the high
Mass, and the choir continues it. It is called the Gloria.
But men cannot sing it so beautifully as the angels.

ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS 87

The shepherds seek the Infant Saviour. Suddenly the
angels all disappeared. Whither did they return? The
shepherds stood a long time looking up to heaven after the
angels. But they at last remembered what the angel had
told them about the Infant Saviour, and said to one an-
other: "Let us go over to Bethlehem, and see what the
Lord hath told us." You may be sure the shepherds has-
tened as fast as they could in order to go to Jesus. They
came to the stable, knocked at the door, and St. Joseph came
to open it and asked them what they wished. They related
what the angel had told them, and what they had seen and
heard.

The shepherds find the Infant Saviour. Full of joy St.
Joseph let them in. There they found everything as the
angel had told them. Whom did they see there? Greatly
wondering, they stood around the Infant Saviour lying on
straw in a manger. His Mother had not even a little room
or a little bed for Him. For Jesus, the Lord of heaven
and earth, Mary, the best and holiest of mothers, had
found only a stable, the dwelling of cattle. The cold wind
was blowing through the cracks in the walls. Jesus had
to endure cold at His very birth. But the shepherds knew
from the angel that the poor Infant in the manger was the
long expected Redeemer.

The return of the shepherds. Where did the shepherds
go after seeing and adoring the Infant Jesus? On their
way back to their flocks they thanked and praised God,
sang pious hymns, and spoke of the Infant Saviour just
born.

The Circumcision. What happened when Jesus was a
week old? He was circumcised. His skin was cut, and
He bled a little. On that day He received the name of
Jesus. WTho foretold that He would receive that name?
The angel. When?

Explanation — Jesus. Why did the angel say that He
should be named Jesus? What does Jesus mean? From

88 APOSTLES' CREED

what was He to save or redeem us? Sin had made our
souls slaves of the devil, and Jesus was to redeem them
from sin. The angel, when speaking to the shepherds, had
called Him Saviour. Why was Bethlehem called the city
of David? His father was a shepherd, and David also
had been a shepherd in his youth.

Christ. David was very good, pious and pleasing to
God. Therefore God intended that he should become king
of the Jews. The prophet Samuel, a man of God, was
ordered by God to anoint David's head with oil in His
name. David was an anointed of God; by this anointing
he was made king of God's chosen people. Jesus is also a
king, the King of heaven and earth. He is also called " the
Anointed," or Christ, for Christ means the Anointed.

Our Lord. Who called the Redeemer Christ? What
other name did the angel give Him? The Lord. Jesus
Christ is our Lord. Why? Because He is God. Who
had become our master on account of sin? The devil.
But the devil did not always remain our master. Why?
Who is now our Master, or Lord? Jesus Christ is, then,
twice our Master, our Lord. How is that?

Humiliation. God is infinitely rich and powerful. To
Him belongs all that is in heaven and on earth. The Son
of God could, if He had wished, when He became man
for us, have been born in a splendid palace, and laid on
a bed of the finest silk in a golden cradle. But in what
kind of building was He born? What kind of bed had
He ? He wished to be born in great poverty and suffering.
For our sake He wished to suffer already from His very
birth.

Summary. Let us recite all the names given to the In-
fant Jesus in the manger (crib). How did the angel,
that was sent to Mary and Joseph, call Him ? Jesus. How
do you call Him? The Infant Jesus. Whose Son did the
angel say that Jesus was? The Son of the Most High.
Whose Son is He then? The Son of God. We, there-

ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS 89

fore, call Him also the Divine Infant. How is He called,
because the Father has only one Son? The only-begotten
Son of God. How did the angel call Him, when speaking
to the shepherds? The Saviour, Christ, the Lord. Who
were the first to come and adore the Divine Infant?
Where did they come from? From the neighborhood.
And how did they find out that the Saviour was born?
An angel came from heaven to tell them.

Application — Poverty. Some of you have parents
that are poor ; therefore you have no fine clothes, and suffer
from cold in winter. But none of you are so poor as the
Infant Jesus. You have a soft bed to sleep in, and you
do not live in a stable. When you see other children with
better clothes and many more good things than you have,
do not envy them, do not be displeased, but say : " For
the love of me Jesus, the Son of God, became poor, and
for the love of Him I will willingly bear my poverty."
Blessed Herman Joseph was very poor. Many a time he
had to go to school very hungry and without any breakfast.
He would then each time kneel down and pray before a
statue of the Blessed Virgin, holding the Infant Jesus in
her arms, saying: "Dear little Infant Jesus, this morn-
ing I got only a very small piece of bread to eat, and I
am still so hungry. But I will be contented. Thou art
the Son of God, and Thou hast suffered want." Then
Herman Joseph would go cheerfully to school. Dear chil-
dren, like Herman Joseph, be content, for the love of the
Infant Jesus, with the little you have.

Christmas. We all rejoice very much because our
Saviour was born. He was born during the night. That
night has been blessed and sanctified. What is it called?
Christmas night. In memory of that night we celebrate
every year on the twenty-fifth of December the great feast
of Christmas. In Catholic countries, and where the bishops
allow it, Mass is then celebrated at midnight, because the
Infant Jesus, our Saviour, was born at midnight. On

90 APOSTLES' CREED

Christmas night Almighty God presented to us what He
loved above everything else, His only-begotten Son. In
remembrance of this most precious of gifts, children receive
Christmas gifts. (Santa Claus is not Catholic; it is a
Protestant invention and institution, a corruption of the
Catholic practice of honoring and rejoicing over the birth
of Jesus Christ.) Christmas is essentially a Catholic feast,
on which we remember, and thank God for the gift of
His divine Son as our Saviour.

Advent. Children rejoice long beforehand on account
of Christmas ; they can hardly wait for it. The Church
has set apart four weeks to prepare for Christmas in re-
membrance of the four thousand years, during which men
were anxiously waiting for the coming of the promised Re-
deemer. These four weeks are called Advent. During
this time the Church repeats the prayers and sighs of the
holy persons yearning for the coming of the Redeemer.
(Rorate coeli.)

Veneration of the name of Jesus. Who is the Just One,
whom the clouds should rain down from heaven? The
Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The name Jesus was given Him
by God Himself. It is a most holy name. When it is
pronounced, all the angels bend the knee. When we say
the Hail Mary, we bow our head at the name of Jesus.
In some Catholic countries those who meet a priest, say:
"Praised be Jesus Christ." And the priest answers:
" Forever." That is a much better and more appropriate
greeting than " Good morning," " Good evening."

The picture. Explain the picture. Where is the Infant
Jesus? In what is He wrapped up? On what does he lie?
Where are the shepherds? Where is Mary? Where is
St. Joseph? How do you know it is a stable? The ox
and the ass. Where is the manger? But it is night.
Where does the light come from? From above, or from
the Infant Jesus? Where are the angels? What do they
remind you of?

HOLY MASS 91

22. On Holy Mass.

(Adapted from Canon Meyerberg's Catechetical Instruc-
tion.)

Dear Children, what did the angel say on Christmas
night to the shepherds? "I announce to you tidings of
great joy. This night the Saviour was born in the city
of David." I will announce to you a similar event you
have yourselves witnessed. It is Sunday. In this town
(city) everything is quiet. (The catechist should give
some local details.) The carpenter, the blacksmith, the
farmers are not engaged in their every-day work. Every-
thing is so quiet, so solemn. The large church bell sud-
denly rings in the quiet morning, beautifully, earnestly
and long. The people are going out of their houses. They
are better dressed than on other days. From every side
people are coming to church. The children also are com-
ing. The bell continues to ring. It seems as if it was
speaking. It tells something to all the people, to the chil-
dren. And the bell causes all to come from far and near.
What does the bell say? The bell says almost the same
thing as the angel of Christmas said : " I announce to you
a great joy this day; come to church; the Saviour is born."
What does the bell say? (Answered by the children.)
The bell tells you also: "My child, I announce to you
a great joy; to-day during Holy Mass the Saviour will be
born." You know, dear children, that the shepherds were
very happy. The angel had said to them : ' You shall
see the Saviour." And we all wish to be as happy as they.
Just think of how holy and great a thing is about to take
place! Our dear Lord Himself, our Saviour, will be born
during Mass in this church. He will come to us.

What did the shepherds do? They hastened to Beth-
lehem. They did not stop on the way and stand looking
all around. And they found Mary and Joseph and the
Infant Saviour lying in the manger. There is a school-

92 APOSTLES' CREED

boy, a schoolgirl, who are going to church; the bell tells
them : " I announce to you a great joy ; to-day the Saviour
is born." But they stop and look around, and perhaps
are doing some mischief. The bell continues to ring; but
they do not hear the bell any more. Other children come
along and join them. They walk a few steps towards the
church, and something else attracts their attention, and they
stop to look. But the bell continues to ring, saying:
" Come, I announce to you a great joy." At last the bell
stops ringing; it has spoken loud and long enough. The
children enter the church late, much too late. Are these
children like the shepherds? Are their guardian angels
pleased with them? (Here admonitions may be given ap-
propriate to the circumstances of the people and the place.)

Divine service will soon begin in the church. There the
little bells will also begin to ring. On Christmas night an
angel said: "I announce to you tidings of great joy."
Suddenly a multitude of angels joined him and all praised
God, singing " Glory to God on high," etc. In like man-
ner, the little bells will repeat what the large bell has said.
What will they say to us?

Entering the church. You now come to the church.
But I must first relate something to you. There was once
a holy man called Bernard. He was fond of going to
church. When he would come to the church door, he
would first turn around and look back. And then only
would he go in. One day his pupils asked him : " Father
Bernard, why do you always turn around and look back,
when you come to the church door?" He said: "I will
tell you. I stand still in front of the church and look
back. Then I say in my heart : You worldly thoughts,
you street thoughts, you must now stay outside. I will
think on God only."

Dear children, you must do likewise. Of course, you
need not turn around in front of the door. That would

HOLY MASS 93

cause great confusion among those who are going in. But
I will tell you how you must act. What do you find on
entering the church? Who knows? What do grown peo-
ple take there? Yes, holy water; water blessed by the
priest. His blessing has made it holy. On entering the
church you devoutly take holy water, not with your whole
hand, but only with the tip of your fingers. (Do not play
in or with the holy water.) And then what do you do?
Make the sign of the cross. When you place your right
hand on your forehead you should remember that it means :
" My child, leave all your street thoughts, your thoughts
of school, of play, outside. Think of God; you are now
in His house, and He is there in the tabernacle waiting
for you. Remember where you are; think on God, and
adore Him really present." Then look closely at the priest
who says Mass, and if you have a prayer-book, recite the
prayers in it for hearing Mass. Do not look around. If
you catch yourself thinking of things outside, check your-
self, try to drive away such thoughts, and begin to pray
again and pay devout attention to the priest saying Mass.
By acting in this way, you will please God and draw His
blessing upon yourself.

In church, especially during Mass, you must not speak,
but keep silence. You should speak to God only, that is,
pray to Him. In ancient times there was a holy man, a
prophet of God. He spoke in the name of God, and fore-
told things that were going to happen, for God had made
them known to him. He spoke to the Jews about behaving
in church. What he said was very beautiful. Listen at-
tentively : ' The Lord is in His temple ; let the whole
earth keep silence before Him." Remember, then, that
God is in the church, and every one should keep silence
in it, and not talk. The whole earth, all men should keep
silent in His presence. What, then, should we think of
those boys and girls, who talk, whisper to one another

94 APOSTLES' CREED

in church, and never think of God. Are they more than
the whole earth ? God is in His own house, and those who
come into it, must not talk with their companions, but must
speak only to God, that is, pray to Him.

When you bless yourself, you next place your right hand
on your breast, in which your heart is placed. And this
means as if God said to you : " My child, give Me thy
heart. Give Me all that thou hast. Give Me thy inmost
heart, the best thing that thou hast. Give Me thy whole
soul, all thy strength. Give me, especially in church, thy
heart with thy pious prayers. Give Me a pure, obedient,
pious, upright heart, a heart that tries always to be good."
And when you touch your shoulders with your right hand,
it means this : " My child, be ready to carry thy little cross
for Jesus as He carried His for thee. Take upon thy
shoulders the burden of keeping the commandments of
God and of His Church. For only by doing this, thou
canst gain heaven."

And when, on entering the church, you make the sign
of the cross with holy water, say devoutly : " In the name,"
etc. And go into the church in the name of God the Father,
who created you, and all the stars, plants, flowers, birds,
fishes and animals. To Him all things belong. He is
everywhere, but especially in the church, which is His
temple. Let the whole earth keep still before Him. You
enter the church also in the name of God the Son, in the
name of Jesus, our Saviour. In the church, you will, like
the shepherds, find Jesus. The bell truly says : " I an-
nounce to you a great joy. To-day in this church, during
Holy Mass, the Saviour will be born." You enter the
church also in the name of God the Holy Ghost. He will
Himself descend into your heart. The Holy Ghost breathes
(distributes His gifts) when and where He pleases. You
do not know where He comes from, nor where He goes.
But He comes down to the children who are devout in
church, for He loves children very much, and He quietly

PRESENTATION OF JESUS 95

comes clown into their souls like a soft wind in spring. He
helps you to pray from your inmost heart, and to say:
" Our Father who art in heaven."

23. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple of

Jerusalem.

Preparation. In Catholic countries it is customary for
a mother to bring her month-old baby to church. There
she kneels before the altar to thank God for giving her
that child; she promises God that she will raise him so
piously, that he may be able, at the end of his life, to go
to heaven. In ancient times it was the custom among the
Jews that mothers should bring to church their first-born
boys, forty days after they were born. There was only
one church in all Judea ; it was in Jerusalem. It was very
large, and was called the Temple. Here the mother would
hand her baby to the priest; and the priest, holding it in
his arms, would offer it to God. This was called the
presentation of the child to God. In offering her child to
God through the priest, the mother meant to say : " I
wish to offer my child to God; it should belong to God."
What did the Jewish mothers offer to God in the temple?
How did they do it?

Object. I will now tell you how Mary and Joseph pre-
sented the Infant Jesus to God.

Relation. When Jesus was forty days old, Mary and
Joseph brought Him to Jerusalem, in order to present Him
to God. At the same time they made the offering of the
poor — two young doves. At that time there lived in Jeru-
salem a God-fearing old man, named Simeon. He longed
and prayed ardently for the coming of the Redeemer. In-
spired by the Holy Ghost, he came to the temple just as
Mary and Joseph were bringing Jesus in. Simeon took
the Infant Jesus in his arms, praised God saying: "Lord,
I can now die in peace, for my eyes have seen the Saviour."

96 APOSTLES' CREED

In Jerusalem there was a pious widow eighty-four years
old, called Anna. She served God day and night in fasting
and prayer. She also came to the temple at the same time,
praised God for having been able to see the Saviour, and
spoke of the Infant Saviour to all who were waiting for
the redemption.

Explanation — The journey. After Jesus was born
Mary and Joseph remained for a time in Bethlehem.
Where did they bring Jesus when He was forty days old?
On the way Mary sat on a donkey, carefully holding the
Infant Jesus in her arms. She had covered Him with
her large veil. Joseph walked, leading the donkey by the
bridle. Spring had already begun, and the early flowers
were already in bloom. In two hours they reached Jeru-
salem, that beautiful city. Just as a young bird peeps from
its nest through the leaves of the tree, so the Infant Jesus
was peeping with His lovely eyes through Mary's veil on
the city and temple. How the little heart of the Saviour
was beating! Our Saviour had long dwelt there as God.
Now He came as man for the first time into the temple.
With great joy He looked at everything, for He knew that
the temple was the house of His Father. Jesus is the Son
of God ; He was therefore the Lord and God of the temple.
Why did Joseph and Mary bring the Infant Jesus to the
temple? How did they present Him in the temple? They
handed the Divine Infant to the priest, and the priest held
Him towards heaven to offer Him to God, as if he would
say: "Dear Lord, this Child shall belong to Thee." The
priest then gave Him back to Mary and Joseph.

Mary's Offering. Jewish mothers had to do also some-
thing else. The rich ones had to offer a lamb to God in
the temple; but the poor mothers had to offer only two
doves. Which offering did Mary make? Why? Because
she was poor.

Simeon and Anna. Who can tell me which two persons
came into the temple just when Mary and Joseph were

PRESENTATION OF JESUS 97

bringing the Infant Jesus? Were they young? No; for
Simeon is called an old man. He was pious and feared
offending God by committing sin. At that time all pious
persons were expecting the Redeemer. Simeon was ex-
pecting the Redeemer; but because he was very old, he
feared he would not live long enough to see the Redeemer.
So he prayed to God every day to send the Redeemer, so
that he might see Him before his death. The Holy Ghost
rewarded his intense desire by promising him that he should
not die before seeing the Redeemer. That was a great
joy for him. He used to go daily to the temple to pray
and wait for the Redeemer to come. On the day when
Mary and Joseph came to the temple with the Infant Jesus,
the Holy Ghost made known to him : " To-day the Re-
deemer will surely come to the temple. Go there and you
will see Him." Did Simeon go that day to the temple
to see the Redeemer? Yes, he went that day very early
to the temple, that he might not miss seeing Him, just
like children, who go very early to see a parade, so that
they may not miss seeing it. Simeon was led by the Holy
Ghost to the temple. When Mary and Joseph came with
the Infant Jesus, Simeon was already there waiting. As
soon as he saw them, he recognized the Infant Jesus as
the Redeemer. He at once came to them, knelt down,
bowed deeply before the Divine Infant. Probably the In-
fant Jesus bent down towards him, to show to Mary that
He wished to go to him. Simeon held out his arms to
Jesus, and Mary put Jesus in Simeon's arms. Oh, with how
great reverence and love the holy old man pressed the In-
fant Jesus to his heart ! Then holding Him out in front
of him, to take a good look at Him, he gazed at the Infant
Jesus with unspeakable love. He saw in the Infant's eyes
a light that grew brighter and brighter, and at last en-
lightened the whole world. Oh, how happy Simeon felt !
He felt as if he would now willingly die, since he had seen
the Redeemer. What did he say?

98 APOSTLES' CREED

Who praised God after Simeon for the coming of the
Redeemer? Anna. What was she? A very old widow.
She was much bent in walking, and had to lean on a stick.
She was very lean, because, for the love of God, she used
to fast, that is, she ate very little. Moreover, she prayed
much day and night. The Holy Ghost made known to
Anna that the Infant Mary held in her arms was the Re-
deemer. How did Anna manifest her joy? She praised
God, and in doing so, her thin, pale face looked flushed
(red) and beautiful, and her eyes brightened with joy.
The people who were then in the temple listened to her
words. She said : " The Redeemer, whom we have so
long expected, has now come. He is here in the temple ;
look at Him; there He is; that Child in His Mother's
arms." Our Infant Saviour was much pleased with those
two holy persons, and gave them His blessing. And Mary
and Joseph wondered how Simeon and Anna had found out
that the Infant Jesus was the Redeemer. Although He
was only an infant, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna had
praised Him as the Redeemer.

Further Explanation — The intention in the offering.
Why did Mary and Joseph bring the Divine Infant to the
temple? How was the ceremony of His presentation per-
formed? What did the priest mean to say? Whilst the
priest was holding Him towards heaven, the Infant Jesus
offered Himself for us to God the Father, saying in His
Heart : " Dear Father in heaven, Thou hast willed that
I should become man to redeem all men. I am willing to
suffer and die for them, as Thou wiliest that I should do."
Mary also offered the Divine Infant to God at the same
time, for she said in silence : " Dear Father in heaven, I
will not keep this Child for myself. I offer Him again to
Thee. Thou wiliest that He should suffer and die for men ;
I am satisfied with Thy holy will. May it always be done ! "

Summary. How old was the Infant Jesus, when Mary

PRESENTATION OF JESUS 99

and Joseph brought Him to the temple? And why did
they bring Him there? Because Simeon saw a great light
in the eyes of the Infant Jesus, when He was presented
(offered) in the temple, we celebrate a feast every year,
in which wax candles are blessed and carried around in
procession. That feast is called Candlemas-day. It is cele-
brated on the second of February, forty days after Christ-
mas.

Application — The Offertory of the Mass. As Mary
and Joseph went with the Infant Jesus to the temple, so
you go to church on Sundays and Holydays to assist at
Floly Mass. When the priest says Mass, he has before
him on the altar, a gilt silver chalice, and on it a gilt
silver little plate, and on the plate is a thin round white
bread, called the host. Over all this is a nice silk cover.
When the priest takes off that cover, the altar boy rings
a little bell. The priest next takes in his hands the little
silver plate with the host on it, and raises it towards God
in heaven, just as the priest in the temple raised the Infant
Jesus heavenward. The altar boy then brings wine and
water to the priest, who pours some of each into the chalice,
and then raises the chalice heavenward. What did the
priest in the temple mean to say, when he raised the Infant
Jesus towards God? The priest in the church says the
same to God when he raises heavenward the host and the
chalice, saying (in substance) : " O God, I offer these to
Thee; deign to accept them; they belong to Thee." (Ap-
propriate questions on the foregoing.) What is the Offer-
tory in the Mass? What does the priest do at the Offer-
tory? During the Offertory you should imitate the Infant
Jesus. What did He say to His heavenly Father, when
the priest was offering Him to God? So ought you also
to do during the Offertory, saying to God from your heart :
" Dear Lord, I wish to be all Thine ; I give Thee my body
and my soul, my whole self." When should you say this

ioo APOSTLES' CREED

in your heart? How do you know when the Offertory
begins? You must, therefore, pay attention to the priest
during Mass.

24. The Wise Men from the East adore the Re-
deemer.

Preparation. Mary and Joseph, the pious shepherds
and Simeon and Anna rejoiced greatly because the Re-
deemer was born. They had long expected Him. How
did they know that a Redeemer was to come? To whom
had God promised Him? To whom did Adam and Eve
relate this? To prevent men from forgetting during four
thousand years the promise of a Redeemer, God repeated
from time to time this promise to the Jews. This He
did through holy men, called prophets. God made many
things known to the prophets about the coming of the
Redeemer. One of them told the Jews that the Redeemer
would be born when a wonderful star would be seen in
the heavens. Another said that the Redeemer would be
born at Bethlehem. (Appropriate questions on the fore-
going.)

What the prophets foretold about the Redeemer was
written in the Holy Scriptures, or the Bible. The Bible
contains holy things revealed or inspired by God. The
Jews were fond of reading the Holy Scriptures. Some
of them became so learned, that they knew almost all the
Holy Bible by heart. They were called scribes. But the
Jews were not the only people that knew that the Redeemer
would come. Even the pagan nations knew it; they had
heard it from the Jews, etc.

Object. When the Redeemer was born, three kings
came from pagan countries to adore the Infant Jesus. I
will now tell you all about it.

Relation. When Jesus was born at Bethlehem, wise
men came from the East to Jerusalem. They asked :

ADORATION OF THE WISE MEN 101

" Where is He that is born king of the Jews ? For we
have seen His Star in the East, and are come to adore
Him." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened.
He called all the scribes together, and asked them where
Christ was to be born. They answered : " At Bethlehem
in the tribe of Juda." Then Herod sent the wise men to
Bethlehem, and said to them : " Go there, and seek the
Child carefully, and when you have found Him, come and
let me know where He is, and I also will go to adore
Him."

The wise men set out immediately for Bethlehem. And
the wonderful Star went ahead of them to show them
the way. When they got near the stable, the Star stopped
directly over it. When the wise men saw the Star, they
were overjoyed. They went into the stable, and found
the Child with Mary, His Mother. They prostrated them-
selves and adored the Infant Jesus. They also offered Him
gold, incense and myrrh. During the night God com-
manded them not to go back to Herod. They returned
to their country by another route.

Explanation — The wise men come to Jerusalem.
Show me where the sun rises. The countries in that di-
rection are called the East. The East was far from Jeru-
salem. Who came from the East when Jesus was born?
How many were they? They were smart and learned.
They were as rich as kings, and were very pious. Later
on they even became saints. Hence they are called " the
three holy kings." They rode on camels, and had many
servants with them.

Where did they first seek the Redeemer? In Jerusalem.
How did they inquire for Him? They thought that He
was the son of a king. Why did they seek Him in Jeru-
salem? Because King Herod dwelt there. How did they
know that the Redeemer was born? They had seen a
new and wonderful Star suddenly shining in the heavens.
The Star came towards them, and grew always larger and

102 APOSTLES' CREED

brighter. They had never before seen such a star. It
was truly wonderful. Now they knew that that wonderful
Star was the Star foretold by the prophet. What was to
happen when that Star would appear? Therefore, when
they came to Jerusalem, they said : " We have seen His
Star." How did Herod feel, when he heard this? He
was frightened, and thought in his heart : " Who is this
newly born king? Shall I be no longer king?" What
was it that Herod could not tell the wise men? Whom
did he ask about it? Why could the scribes know it?
What answer did they give?

Herod sends the wise men to Bethlehem. Where did
Herod tell the wise men to go? What did he tell them to
do? What did he mean by this? He meant that the wise
men should seek Him and inquire about Him, until they
should find Him. To whom were they to make known
where the Redeemer was? And why should they tell it
to him? Herod only said so, but he meant something very
different. He meant to go and kill the Infant Jesus.

The wise men on their way find the Infant Jesus. The
wise men left Herod. Where did they go? But they did
not know which of the infants in Bethlehem was the Re-
deemer. Who showed them the way to the Infant Jesus?
The Star. From the time they had left their country they
had not seen the Star any more. But as soon as they got
out of Jerusalem, the Star suddenly appeared before them.
But it did not do this of its own accord. Who commanded
the Star to go before them ? Now they knew for sure that
they were on the right road. How did they feel, when
they saw the Star? Where did the Star stop? The Star
shed bright rays of light on the entrance of the stable, as
with a lighted finger pointing to it.

The wise men find the Infant Jesus. Before entering
the stable the wise men put on their finest clothes. Then
they went slowly with their servants in procession into the
stable. Whom did they find in it ? Mary was sitting down

ADORATION OF THE WISE MEN 103

with the Infant Jesus in her lap. She bowed kindly to the
three wise men and showed them the Infant Jesus. They
looked at Him with reverence and joy. How did they call
the Infant Jesus when they inquired about Him in Jeru-
salem? What, then, was the Infant Jesus? He was truly
a king, but not a king like Herod, nor an emperor like
Augustus. He is a much greater and better king. Where
is His throne? In the kingdom of Heaven. He is the
King of heaven and earth. And even much more. Whose
Son is He?

The wise men worship the Divine Infant. How did
the wise men wish to worship the Divine Infant? Mary,
for that reason, held Him standing on her lap turned to-
wards them. The wise men (holy kings) knelt before
Him with hands joined, and adored Him. The Divine
Infant looked at them with His bright little eyes in a kind
and friendly way, and raised His little hands upwards, as
if to give them His blessing. Probably Mary allowed them
to kiss His hands and to hold Him a little while in their
arms. After the wise men their servants likewise knelt
and adored the Infant Jesus.

The gifts of the three wise men. Each of the wise men
had brought a gift for the Infant Saviour. They were glori-
ous gifts, the best of the things the country of each of them
produced. What did the first one offer? Gold. You all
know what gold is. What things are made of gold? What
did the second wise man offer to the Infant Jesus? In-
cense. You have already seen incense in church. What
is it used for? It is laid on burning coals in the censer,
and then rises heavenward as a sweet fragrant smoke.
What did the third wise man offer? Myrrh. We have
no myrrh in our country. It is a fine resin. Why did
the wise men bring most precious gifts to the Infant Jesus?
They thought that, since the Infant Jesus was God, they
should give Him the best of what they had. They stayed
a whole day with Jesus. They related about the wonderful

104 APOSTLES' CREED

Star and their journey. When taking leave of Mary they
wept, for it pained them to go. They asked Mary and
Joseph to remember them. They also invited them to come
and see them, saying : " All that we have shall be yours."
Then they again adored Jesus and departed.

The wise men return to their country. They remained
over night in Bethlehem, and soon fell asleep. They had
a dream. Who appeared to them in their dream? What
did God say to them ? " King Herod intends to kill the
Infant Jesus." To which city did they not return? How
did they return to their country? What was it that Herod
did not find out? How did Herod fail to murder the Infant
Jesus? Who protected Him?

Explanation — Meaning of the gifts. Who were the
first to hear of the birth of the Infant Jesus? How did
they find it out? Where did the wise men come from?
How did they learn of the birth of the Redeemer? Why
did they go to Him? What did the first wise man offer
Him? Gold. Why? Because Jesus Christ is King, and
kings wear crowns of gold. What did the second wise man
offer Him? Incense. Wrhere is incense used? How is
it used? Towards whom does incense rise? Heavenward
to God. Jesus is God, and to honor Him as God the smoke
of burning incense is made to rise heavenward. What did
the third wise man offer? Myrrh. Myrrh is bitter. Our
Saviour suffered bitter pains to redeem us. The bitter
taste of myrrh should remind us of the bitter passion of
Jesus Christ. Why did the wise men offer to the Infant
Jesus gold, incense and myrrh?

Application — The Infant Jesus comes to us at the Con-
secration of the Mass. Where did the three wise men
(kings) come from? The distance from the East to Beth-
lehem is very great. They had to travel many days to
reach Bethlehem. They did not fear hardships and fa-
tigue ; nothing seemed too difficult to them, if they could
only come to Jesus. You boys and girls need not go so

ADORATION OF THE WISE MEN 105

far to find Jesus. Where do we find Him? In the church.
Every day Jesus comes on earth at the Consecration of the
Mass. He is hidden in the Sacred Host ; therefore we can-
not see Him.

Adoration at the Consecration. The priest raises heaven-
ward the Infant Jesus in the Sacred Host, and the altar
boy rings the little bell ; and there is a deep silence all
over the church. You should then adore the Infant Jesus,
as the three wise men adored Him. How did they adore
Him? Therefore, kneel down, bow your head, then look
at the Sacred Host, whilst you say in your heart : " Jesus,
my Lord and my God ; I adore Thee, I love Thee." When
the priest raises the chalice containing the blood of Jesus
Christ, the altar boy again rings the bell. Then bow your
head, and then look up at the chalice and strike your breast,
saying : " O Jesus, have mercy on me, for whom Thou
didst shed all Thy blood."

The offering. But it is not enough to adore the Infant
Jesus ; you should, like the wise men, make Him an offer-
ing. The Infant Jesus does not ask of you gold, incense
and myrrh ; but He wishes you to give Him something
more precious. During Mass you should offer yourselves
to the Infant Jesus. How do you call that part of the
Mass, in which you should do this? What should you then
say? "O Jesus, I offer Thee my body and my soul, my
whole self to Thee." The Infant Jesus wishes especially
for your heart. Therefore, give Him your heart. There-
fore when the priest raises the little silver plate with the
host on it, you should in thought place your heart on that
little plate, and say : " Sweet Infant Jesus, I now offer
Thee my little heart." But not every heart pleases the In-
fant Jesus. What kind of heart pleases Him ? From what
must such a heart be free?

The Communion. The Infant Jesus comes into a pure
heart. He comes during every Mass into the heart of the
priest. But before He enters it, the priest strikes His

106 APOSTLES' CREED

breast three times, saying each time : " Lord, I am not
worthy," etc. This part of the Mass is called the Com-
munion. It follows some time after the Consecration.
Each time the priest then strikes his breast, the altar boy
rings the bell. You also should then strike your breast
three times, saying each time, like the priest : " Lord, I
am not worthy," etc. After the third time say : " O Jesus,
sweet Jesus, come to me. See, my heart longs for thee."
Or you may say : " Dear little Infant Jesus, come to me
and make me good and pious." And Jesus will joyfully
come and dwell in your heart.

The presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The
wise men could not remain long with the Infant Jesus.
They had to return home. You remember how sorry they
felt when they took leave, for they would never again have
the chance to come to Him. But you can go every day to
the Infant Jesus ; for He not only comes on the altar at
the Consecration of Holy Mass, but He remains all day
in the church. The church is His house; He stays there
in the tabernacle. The tabernacle is like His manger. We
cannot, indeed, see the Infant Jesus as the shepherds and
the wise men saw Him. But He is always there. The
wonderful Star is also there. It is not so large and so
bright as the wise men saw it. It is the perpetual light,
the lamp that is always kept lighted before the tabernacle.
Have you not remarked how it flares and trembles? It
is like a fiery little tongue speaking to you : " Child, Jesus
dwells here." Jesus is glad if you often visit Him; He
expects your visits; He dearly loves those who visit Him.

How to go into the church. The wise men went slowly
and orderly, as in a procession, into the stable where Jesus
was. So you also should go slowly and orderly into the
church, taking holy water and blessing yourself with it
when going in, and making a genuflexion towards the taber-
nacle before you go into the pew. The genuflexion should
be your greeting to Jesus in the tabernacle. After entering

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT 107

and kneeling down in the pew, what prayers should you
say? "In the name of the Father," etc. In leaving the
church, you should make the sign of the cross before going
out of the pew, and genuflect two by two towards the
tabernacle, turn towards the door, looking neither to the
right nor to the left to gaze at the people, and at the
entrance bless yourself with holy water before you are out
of the church. (Practise this with the children.)

25. Flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.

Preparation. Who came first to adore the Infant
Jesus? Who told them that the Redeemer was born?
Who were the two pious persons that worshiped the Infant
Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem? Who came a great
way from the East to adore the Infant Jesus? How did
they find out that He was born? All these persons re-
joiced, because they were allowed to see the Redeemer.
Herod also had heard of His birth. But this news gave
him no joy. What did he mean to do to the Infant
Saviour? Why? Because he thought Jesus would later
on take away his kingdom and become king in his place.
But Herod had no reason to fear the Infant Jesus, for
Jesus did not intend to take away from any one what he
had. He came to redeem men and make them happy.
Herod wished to find out from the wise men where the
Infant Jesus was ; but he had not told them what he meant
to do to Him. He had not told it to any one. But God
saw all those evil thoughts in Herod's heart. How did
God take care to prevent Herod from finding out where
the Infant Jesus was? What did he command the wise
men to do? The wise men did not go back to Herod.
But the danger was not yet over. What had Herod learned
from the scribes about the Infant Saviour? He also knew
about how old Jesus was. Thus he had still a good chance
to find Him out.

108 APOSTLES' CREED

Object. Now listen, and you will learn how the Infant
Jesus was saved.

Relation. During the night an angel of God appeared
to Joseph and said to him : " Arise, take the Child and
His Mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there till I tell
thee; for Herod is seeking the Child, that he may kill
Him." Joseph got up at once, and during that very night
he took the Child and His Mother and started for Egypt.
Herod had waited for some time for the return of the
wise men. Seeing that they did not come back to him, he
got very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the baby boys
under two years of age in and around Bethlehem. The
soldiers obeyed, and killed all they could find. There arose
great lamentations, and the mothers of those little ones
would not be consoled. Not long after Herod died a most
awful death. Later on the angel of God appeared to
Joseph in Egypt, and said to him : " Arise, and take the
Child and His Mother, and return to the land of Israel."
Joseph immediately obeyed, and left Egypt, went to Galilee
and dwelt at Nazareth.

Explanation — The angel's order. How did St. Joseph
find out that Herod wished to kill the Divine Infant? An
angel appeared to him during the night. What did the
angel say to him? "Arise," etc. What was Joseph to do
with the Child and His Mother? Flee, that is, go away
as fast as he could. Where should he go? To Egypt, a
country very far off, where Herod had no power.

The flight. Joseph did not wait till morning. How did
he fulfil the order of the angel? Oh, how hard it was for
Joseph and Mary to start so hurriedly in the night, to go
so far to a strange country, where they were perfect stran-
gers. Mary wept, because the Infant Jesus, so young, had
to flee. But Mary and Joseph were not mad about this;
they thought : " God wills it." Mary awoke the Infant
Jesus, wrapped Him carefully and took Him in her arms.
Then she sat on the donkey, and Joseph led the donkey

MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS 109

by the bridle. In this way they left Bethlehem in the mid-
dle of the night. The moon was shining. They went
through the streets and alongside of the houses, in which
all were sound asleep. Mary and Joseph traveled many
days. There were hardly any roads, and they often suf-
fered from hunger and thirst. They often got very tired,
especially Mary, because she had to hold the Infant Jesus
continually in her arms. In the evening they sat down
under some tree; they ate a little. The Infant Jesus slept
in their midst, and Mary and Joseph usually slept on the
ground in the open air. Sometimes they stopped over
night in some small village. At last they reached Egypt.
There they lived in a very small house. St. Joseph worked
as a carpenter, and earned hardly enough for their wants.
Mary employed herself in spinning, making woolen cloth
and sewing.

The stay in Egypt. In Egypt nearly all the inhabitants
were pagans. They adored cats, alligators and other ani-
mals. This greatly pained Mary and Joseph. Mary would
sit in the evening outside their little house, and St. Joseph
would cull some wild flowers to amuse little Jesus. It was
there that Jesus learned how to speak, that He put on His
first dress and took His first steps. Often when sitting
at Mary's feet, He would play with other children. When
Joseph came home in the evening, Jesus would go to meet
him. Joseph usually brought Him some fruit. Jesus would
bring and show it to His Mother. Already little Jesus
began to help Mary and Joseph a little.

The massacre of the Innocents at Bethlehem. What
happened in Judea when Mary, Joseph and the Infant Jesus
were on their way to Egypt? The wise men on their way
home had not passed through Jerusalem. Herod in vain
waited for them. He suddenly found out that they had
already long before started on their way home. He got
fearfully angry. He said : " Yes, I will yet catch that
child. I will order all the baby boys under two years of

no APOSTLES' CREED

age in and around Bethlehem to be killed, and I shall be
sure of having the Infant Jesus among them." Therefore
Herod sent soldiers to Bethlehem with strict orders to kill
at once all the baby boys under two years of age. Where
were the soldiers ordered to go? What should they do?

The soldiers obeyed Herod's cruel order. They entered
all the houses in Bethlehem, and all the houses in all the
places near Bethlehem, and where they found a little boy
two years old and less, they pulled him out of his mother's
arms or out of his little bed, and stabbed him to death
with their swords. The poor mothers did all they could
to save their baby boys, and wept and sobbed aloud. In
every house were heard loud cries and lamentations. The
mothers would say : " Oh, my dear little boy ! How cruelly
they have killed you ! " The friends and relatives of the
mothers came and tried to console them ; but the mothers
would not be consoled, and continued to cry and lament
for many days.

Herod's death. Who was the cause of all this grief and
sorrow? Herod. But God punished Herod for his cruel
deed. God sent him a terrible disease. Fearful sores
broke out all over his body, and these sores were all full
of worms eating up his flesh ; and the sores spread a most
horrible stench, so that no one could stand it. And he
died in the most intense pains.

The return to Nazareth. How did Joseph find this out
in Egypt ? An angel appeared to him and said : " Arise,"
etc. Israel here means the land of the Jews. How did
Joseph obey the order of the angel? The land of Israel
was large; there were many towns and villages in it. In
what town were Mary and Joseph living before they went
to Bethlehem? In Nazareth. It was to Nazareth that
Joseph and Mary with the Child Jesus went after return-
ing from Egypt. Nazareth is a town of Galilee ; and Galilee
was a part of the land of the Jews. (Questions on the
foregoing. )

ST. JOSEPH, FOSTER-FATHER OF JESUS in

Further Explanation — Joseph, the foster-father of
Jesus. Joseph and Mary worked and cared for the Child
Jesus, just as your father and mother do for you. Whose
Son was the Child Jesus from all eternity? The Son of
God. Who was His Father? God the Father in heaven.
St. Joseph was not His real father, but he cared for the
Child Jesus, as a good father cares for his son. He worked
in order to provide Jesus with food and with all His needs.
How did he save Jesus from being killed by Herod? On
the way to and from Egypt St. Joseph had to take care
that no harm should happen to Jesus, and that He should
have a place to rest at night. Therefore he is called the
foster-father of Jesus. St. Joseph represented God the
Father on earth towards Jesus.

The Holy Family. Who is the Mother of Jesus?
Father, mother and children make and are called a family.
What were Jesus, Mary and Joseph together? A family.
All three are holy, and are, therefore, called the Holy
Family.

The Holy Innocents. Why did the Son of God come
upon earth? To redeem us. He wished to redeem us by
suffering, and finally by dying for us. He wished first
to grow up as man and teach men. Therefore the heavenly
Father protected Him against Herod. How was the In-
fant Jesus saved from death? Who were killed by order
of Herod? Many baby boys. These little boys had to
die to save the Infant Jesus. They were entirely innocent.
Therefore they are called the Holy Innocents. They have
a beautiful place in heaven. They are near the throne of
God, and pray for the children on earth. They pray espe-
cially for those who invoke them. We invoke them when
we say: "Holy Innocents, pray for us." The Church
celebrates every year a feast, on which we especially honor
and invoke the Holy Innocents. How is it called? Feast
of the Holy Innocents.

Connection. The Holy Innocents are in heaven with

112 APOSTLES' CREED

God. Who else are also in heaven? The saints and an-
gels. What do they do? Praise, sing, pray and serve.
Since the Infant Jesus came on earth angels often come
down from heaven on earth. To whom did an angel first
appear on account of the Infant Jesus? To the Blessed
Virgin Mary. What did he announce to Mary? Who can
tell me to whom else did the angel appear on account of
the Infant Jesus? Three times to St. Joseph; to the shep-
herds first one angel, then many. On no one else's account
have so many angels and so often come, than on account
of the Infant Jesus. Why? Because He is the Son of
God.

Summary. Did the Holy Family always remain in the
Jewish country? No. Where had they to flee? To
Egypt. Wrhy? Where did the Holy Family live after re-
turning from Egypt? In Nazareth.

Application — St. Joseph our protector. St. Joseph was
the foster-father and protector of Jesus Christ. He
watched over Him and protected Him. St. Joseph pro-
tects us also. He is greatly pleased, when we invoke His
protection ; and he always helps us, if we pray earnestly
to Him. Therefore he is also our protector. We ought,
then, to pray daily to him. It was St. Joseph's guardian
angel who told him to flee with the Infant Jesus. God
has given to each of us also a guardian angel to remain
day and night near us, and to protect our body and soul.
Wfhat should we do to have him protect us against all
evil? Pray to him. How can you do so?

26. The twelve-year-old Child Jesus in the Temple

of Jerusalem.

Preparation. Where did the Holy Family live after
their return from Egypt? How did Jesus behave in Naza-
reth towards His parents? The Child Jesus grew in age
and size just like other children. When He was twelve

JESUS IN THE TEMPLE u

6

years old He went again to Jerusalem. When had He
been there before? At His presentation in the temple.
The temple was the most beautiful and grand building in
Judea. It was built on a hill ; and many wide steps led
to it. The doors were covered with gold; golden flowers
adorned the walls, and even the floor was gilt. Before
the holy place in it there was a large silk curtain beau-
tifully embroidered. It was in that temple that the Jews
made their offerings to God, prayed to God, and sang holy
hymns. We have a church in almost every town. But
among the Jews there was only one temple. Where
was it? In other places there was only a small house of
prayer. Where had the Jews to go when they visited the
temple ?

Object. When the Child Jesus was twelve years old,
He went to Jerusalem with His parents, and remained there
three days after they had departed. I will now relate this
to you.

Relation. When Jesus was twelve years old He went
with His parents to Jerusalem for the feast of Easter.
After the days of the feast were over, Joseph and Mary
returned. But the Boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem with-
out His parents knowing it. They traveled a whole day,
and then sought Jesus among their relatives and friends;
but they did not find Him ; therefore they went back to
Jerusalem. And it was only on the third day that they
found Jesus in the temple. He was sitting among the
doctors and men learned in the law of God, listening to
them, answering them and asking them questions. All
those who heard Him, wondered at His knowledge and an-
swers. His Mother said to Him : " Son, why hast Thou
done so to us ? Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee
sorrowing. And Jesus said to them: How is it that you
sought Me: did you not know, that I must be about My
Father's business?" And Jesus went with them to Naza-
reth, and was subject to them, and remained with them

ii4 APOSTLES' CREED

till He was thirty years old. And Jesus advanced in wis-
dom and age, and grace with God and men.

Explanation — The journey to Jerusalem. Pious chil-
dren are fond of going to church. On which day must
we go to church? That is not very difficult for us. Why?
The church is not very far off. But it was not so easy
for the Jews. How many churches were there in their
country? How was that church called? Where was the
temple? Most of the Jews lived very far from Jerusalem.
They had to walk not only for hours, but for whole days,
to get there. Therefore the Jews were obliged to go to
the temple at most only on the three great feasts in the
year. Easter was the chief of those feasts. Mary and
Joseph used to travel every year for Easter to Jerusalem.
People went there from all the towns and villages, so that
there was a procession on every road. In a procession
the people walk in order. Who go first? Who go next?
Who follow? So it was among the Jews going to and
returning from Jerusalem. The little children had to stay
at home.

How old was Jesus when He first went for Easter to
Jerusalem with His parents? The people of Nazareth
traveled together. It was a long procession. The boys
went first. With them was the little Saviour Jesus. On
the way there was praying and singing. Jesus prayed
and sang along such psalms as : "I rejoiced in what was
said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord."
And : " How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ;
my soul longeth for the courts of the Lord." It was in
spring ; the flowers they saw on the way were in full bloom.
The journey lasted three days ; much of the way was over
steep hills. Jesus surely felt tired ; but He went along
willingly. He rejoiced at the thought : " I shall see the
temple and pray in it."

The parents lose Jesus. There were many sights in
Jerusalem. It was full of large and beautiful buildings

JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 115

and fine stores. It was filled with people from every coun-
try. Many had come on camels. There was much to de-
light, astonish and amuse boys. But our little Saviour
paid no attention to all this. Where did He go? What
took place in the temple? In the temple there was also
a school in which learned men explained Holy Scripture.
They sat on a platform. The feast of Easter lasted eight
days. Jesus was nearly the whole time in the temple.
What did Mary and Joseph do when the feast was over?
They started for home with the other people from Nazareth.
They returned home in the same order as they had come.
What was this order? The children were not with their
parents. In this way Mary and Joseph traveled a whole
day. But where was the Boy Jesus? Joseph and Mary
believed He had been with the other boys in front. When
did they miss Him? What did they then do? Among
whom did they seek Him? But, as they did not find Him,
they got very anxious about Him. What did they then do ?
On the whole way back to Jerusalem they inquired about
Jesus. How long did they seek Him? Where did they
find Him?

Jesus listens to the teachers in the temple. Our divine
Saviour had remained in the temple. After praying a long
time, He went to the school in the temple. He took a
seat among the listeners, and paid great attention to what
the teachers said. He was also asked questions. He easily
answered every question they asked Him. He knew every-
thing much better than even the teachers themselves. His
answers were so clear and correct, that every one looked
at Him with astonishment. They could have listened to
Him for hours without getting tired. They said : " There
never has been so smart and prudent a twelve-year-old
boy like Him." In the evening Jesus went out of the
temple and sought a place to sleep in. The next morning
He went early to the temple, and after praying long and
devoutly, He visited the school. The people there were

n6 APOSTLES' CREED

waiting for Him and made Him sit in front. He again
listened very attentively, and gave the very best answers.
At last the most learned and smart men came to question
and examine Him.

Jesus also teaches. Now the little Saviour began also
to ask questions and examine the teachers. He asked them :
"Will the Saviour come?" They answered: "Yes."
Then He asked: "Of what tribe is the Saviour to be?"
They replied : " Of the tribe of Juda." He then asked :
"Of what family?" They said: "Of the family of
David." Then He asked : " In what city was He to be
born?" They answered: "In Bethlehem, the city of
David." You see that they gave correct answers. After
this He asked them: "When is the Redeemer to come?"
They replied : " When a wonderful Star shall appear in
the heavens." Then He asked them : " Has the Redeemer
come already?" They said: "No." But little Jesus
said : " He has come already ; for has not that wonderful
Star already appeared ? " They answered : " No, it is not
true." And they grew envious and got very angry and
vexed. But Jesus continued : " Have you not heard how
the three wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, and
asked about the newly born King of the Jews ? This King
is the promised Redeemer. Have you not heard how
those wise men related that they had seen the Redeemer's
Star? Did not Herod call the scribes together, and ask
them where the Redeemer was to be born ? Did not Herod
send the wise men to Bethlehem? And have you already
forgotten that, on account of it, Herod later on ordered
the children in and around Bethlehem to be massacred?"
The teachers and the scribes could not say : " No ; that
is not true." But they became furious. They got up
from their seats, and the head teacher came down also,
and all cried out: " How can you, a mere little boy, under-
take to teach us, old men? Do you, perhaps, claim to be
the Redeemer ? " And they tried to surround Jesus ; but

JESUS FOUND IN THE TEMPLE 117

He fell back (retreated), and they came nearer and nearer
to Him.

Jesus on the Chair of Moses. But Jesus retreated al-
ways more and more till He got to the platform ; He then
ascended it, and took the head teacher's chair. Now He
was the teacher. And there stood around Him the very
much astonished teachers and scribes and many others lis-
tening to Him teaching them.

Mary and Joseph find Jesus. Just then Mary and Joseph
came in and saw with astonishment the little Jesus in the
head teacher's seat teaching. As soon as Jesus saw His
parents, He rose and came down from the platform, and
went to them very respectfully. Mary began to weep for
grief and joy, held out her hands towards Him, in order
to embrace Him. And how did she speak to Him? Very
sweetly and lovingly. She did not scold Jesus. But
Jesus raised His little right hand towards heaven. And
what did He answer her? He meant to say: "You did
not need to be anxious about Me. You know where I
must be." When saying this, His face became bright, and
His eyes were shining like two stars. All present kept
still, and looked at Him with respect and astonishment.
Then our Saviour went to His mother, gave her one of His
hands and the other to St. Joseph, and went away with
them walking through the crowd.

Jesus in Nazareth. Where did Jesus then go with His
parents ? And how did He behave towards them ? " He
was subject to them," that is, obedient to them. At Naza-
reth Jesus grew up to be a young man, and then to be a
full grown man. Hence we say : " He grew in age."
Jesus was the Son of God ; therefore He was very wise ;
He was full of wisdom. When He was still an infant,
people could not remark that He was full of wisdom.
What is it a little child cannot do? He cannot speak.
But as Jesus became older, He gradually let people see
that He was wise. Where did He especially show His

n8 APOSTLES' CREED

wisdom ? In the temple. Therefore we say : " Jesus in-
creased in wisdom." People became also more and more
fond of Him. Why? And even His heavenly Father
looked upon Him with greater pleasure. Hence we say:
" Jesus increased in grace before God and men." In what
did Jesus Christ increase at Nazareth? How long did He
remain there with His parents? He was then already a
full grown man ; and continued to obey His parents.

Explanation. Why did Jesus Christ continue to obey
even after He had become a man? He wished to show
that all children, even when they are grown up, should
obey their parents. But He was still more obedient to
His heavenly Father than to His parents on earth. The
heavenly Father had made known to some persons that
the Redeemer had come. To whom? To Mary, Joseph,
the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, the wise men. Whom did
He send to tell it to Mary? To Joseph? To the shep-
herds? How did the wise men, Simeon and Anna find it
out ? Now twelve years had passed since His birth. Jesus
was then about to show to men that He was the Redeemer
and the Son of God. Therefore He remained in Jeru-
salem, when His parents departed for Nazareth. And
therefore also He asked the scribes, whether the Redeemer
had already come ; whether they had not heard of the Star,
of the wise men that were seeking the newly born King
of the Jews, and of Herod's slaughter of the children on
account of the newly born King. The scribes knew that
Jesus was right. Therefore they got very angry at Jesus.
And what did they then ask Him? "Dost Thou perhaps
claim to be the Redeemer?" What did He answer His
Mother, when she asked Him : " Son, why didst Thou
remain here ? " Jesus is in the house of God, and is there
doing the will of His Father. He therefore calls the house
of God the house of His Father. Who, then, is His
Father? if His Father is God, who is Jesus? He is, as
He said : " I am the Son of God."

JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 119

Summary. What did Jesus do when He was twelve
years old? How long did He remain in the temple after
His parents were gone?

Application. How glad did Jesus feel when He was
permitted to go into the temple of Jerusalem ! How de-
vout He was there ! He then thought only of His Father
in heaven. He paid no attention to the people coming in
and going out. Do you behave like Jesus in the house of
God? At home you may eat, drink, talk, laugh, play, look
around to see who is passing by. But not so in church;
there you must not talk, whisper, laugh or look around.
The church is a holy house. Who is in the church? God.
And in the tabernacle He dwells, who, when a boy, be-
haved so well in the temple. He looks at you, and sees
all you do. If you look devoutly towards Him, or pray
and sing well, you give Him pleasure. He will love you,
and when you pray to Him for some favor, He will give
it to you. But He sees from His tabernacle those children
who misbehave, talk, laugh and disturb others. That greatly
displeases Him. Are you one of those children? How
do you after this intend to behave in church? Will you
not try to be like Jesus?

Also in school, in studying and paying attention, you
should be like the Boy Jesus. He did not need instruction.
He was the Son of God. And yet how attentive He was
in the temple ! You do not yet know much about God ;
you must first learn more. But how much pains are
needed to teach you ! And yet some of you do not pay
attention, do not properly study the catechism. And I
am sometimes obliged to admonish and even punish you.
How ashamed should such children feel before the Child
Jesus ! Endeavor after this to be more diligent and at-
tentive in school and in church. How happy would I be if
there were no more careless and inattentive children among
you! How pleasing would you all then be to our dear
Saviour ! Do your best now, all of you, to give Him great

120 APOSTLES' CREED

pleasure. You will please God, if you willingly pray, study
and obey.

27. The Life of Jesus at Nazareth.

Object. To-day I will tell you how the Holy Family
lived at Nazareth.

Relation. Where did the Holy Family go after their
return from Egypt? They owned a small house there.
Near by was the workshop of St. Joseph. In that house
the Child Jesus grew up. Let us imagine we are now all
in that little house to see what the Child Jesus does. It
is now morning before sunrise. The little Saviour is still
sleeping and resting in His little room. How nicely He
rests! Like an angel He lies in bed with one hand under
His head, and the other over His breast. Now He awakes ;
He looks up heavenward to His Father in heaven, and most
lovingly says : " My dear God, to Thee I offer up My
awakening." He arises immediately and dresses quickly,
but quietly, so as not to disturb any one. Then He kneels
down and says His morning prayer. He prays long and
devoutly ; He could pray better than any one else. He
was fond of reciting the Our Father.

After Flis morning prayer, Jesus went to the kitchen,
prepared and arranged all that His Mother would need
during the day. He probably also swept that little room,
for everything in that house was clean and neat. Then
He greeted His dear Mother and St. Joseph with great
respect. This He did daily with an ever fresh love. Then
He asked them what they wished Him to do. He would
bring water from the well to His Mother, prepare the wood
for the kitchen; He would go on errands to the stores
to get what was needed. Then He would go with St.
Joseph to the workshop. He wished to learn the carpenter
trade from St. Joseph. And St. Joseph would show Him
how to work, and sometimes would hold in his large hand

JESUS AT NAZARETH 121

the small hand of Jesus to direct it in the work. Je
at work was industrious and quiet : and He worked -
stopping. And when the weath 3 -
perspiration poured down His I re *ad, He die stop,

but continued to work till H - be :er hand ! grad-

ually hard. At work our S . a tine

iing around and talking, and He would irr
do everything St. Joseph commanded Him.

;our accompanied St. Joseph back to the house. The
Blessed Virgin had. in the meanwhile, prepared the din- . -
S* Jose - aid grace, and Jesus prayed with him
Saviour took the last place at tar . i waited till S:

\ oh served Him. He \ 5 satisfied with what was g
Him. All that His Mother had prepared was to H
During meals the Holy Fam: - ie to one ar I : - :n a
friendly and devout manner. E a they prayed

again. And after awhile St. Joseph and the S
to work again. Sometimes would come with her

work into the shop, and would look at Jes - hM of
In the evening our Sarin e . - thing in its pr: r

place and cleaned the « - ap, and then ac;
Joseph to the house. After s ar 1 sit for

some time on the bench in front of the house. Perl
Jes ts then read aloud some passage of He E :re and

explained it. Then they all said night prayers together, and
afterwards retired to r.

On Sunc -ibbath) the Ho"; 'y did • \ :rlc

Jesus put on His best suit of clothes and went with His
parents to the fctk - :'j. (the - gogtBe

There He joined the congregation in reciting r sing-

ing the beautiful psalms. He Ssis \ the ser-

mon. He could have rr-. -

" - self forward. C - 3 the H

sonei a went out km :. abort or to visit re

neighbors or acquaintances. Jesas
the sick, and to speak 1 exhor: them to

122 APOSTLES' CREED

suffer patiently. Thus was our Saviour's life at Nazareth
holy and beautiful. God and men were pleased with Him.

Explanation — Pious. About whom were our Sav-
iour's first thoughts on awaking in the morning? What
did He say the very moment He awoke? But He was
not satisfied with this short prayer. What did He do
after dressing? What can you say about His morning
prayer? At what other times did He pray? Could any
one pray better, more devoutly or more willingly than He?
Jesus knew how pleasing prayer is to His heavenly Father.
He loved above all to please the Father. Do you also
wish to please our heavenly Father? Do as our Saviour
did. Of whom should you think first when you awake?
What should you say to him? Do you say your morning
prayer after you are dressed? What prayers do you say
during the day ? You should do your best to pray devoutly
like our dear Saviour.

Docile. What did our Saviour do after His morning
prayer? How beautifully He acted! He could have
thought : "lam the Son of God, the Lord of heaven and
earth ; I need not do anything for others. I am much
greater than My Mother, than My foster-father." But
such were not our Saviour's thoughts. He knew that Mary
and Joseph represented His heavenly Father towards Him,
and that it was His heavenly Father's will that He should
obey them as He would obey the heavenly Father Himself.
Our little Saviour loved obedience above everything else.
It was a pleasure for Him to obey. He was always think-
ing : " How can I obey My parents, for I wish to please
My Father in heaven."

Industrious. Where did our little Saviour go with St.
Joseph after breakfast? You have already seen a picture
of St. Joseph in his workshop. He is sawing a beam.
St. Joseph pulls one end of the big saw, and who pulls
the other end? Or you see our Saviour chopping wood.
Jesus worked constantly. Even when only a little child,

JESUS AT NAZARETH 123

He tried to help His parents, and was always ready and
pleased to do so. The larger He grew, the harder He
worked. How did He work especially in hot weather?

Subject. What did He do when St. Joseph commanded
Him something? He did it immediately. Whether His
parents ordered Him to perform something easy or diffi-
cult, something important or insignificant, pleasant or dis-
agreeable, or whether He had to work alone or near Joseph
and Mary, it was all the same to Jesus. Nothing was too
much for Him. As soon as something was commanded
Him, He thought : " This is the will of My Father in
heaven ; " and then He did it cheerfully. His parents
knew that they could not please Him better than when
they commanded Him to do something. Otherwise they
would not have dared to command Him anything. And
why? And the heavenly Father was pleased more by His
Son's silent obedience, than by anything else on earth.
God the Father could say all the time of Jesus : " This
is My well-beloved Son; I am well pleased with Him."
How did Jesus conduct Himself towards His parents in
Nazareth? Did He obey only in important things? In
what things was He obedient? What did He ask His
parents every morning? How He could help them. When
He knew that they would like Him to do something, He
did it of Himself, and did not wait to be told to do it.
He was the Son of God, and yet He subjected Himself
to His earthly parents. He knew better than St. Joseph
how to work, and yet He let St. Joseph teach Him how
to work. He could have taken the first place in the house ;
but which place did He take? He could have required
His parents to come first to greet Him in the morning,
but what did He do? He made Himself lower than His
parents, and was subject to them in all things. He, the
Lord of heaven and earth, made Himself subject to His
creatures, and came to serve them, and not to be served by
them. Oh, how different it is in the world!

124 APOSTLES' CREED

Application. Why did the Son of God wish to be sub-
ject to His creatures? Do you remember how Adam and
Eve in paradise did not obey God? Just on account of
their disobedience, our Saviour wished to be obedient. He
wished to teach men to be obedient, and how beautiful
obedience is in the sight of God. Therefore you should
not seek to do always only what you please. You should,
before all, do what your parents command you. The chil-
dren who do all that their parents and teachers require,
do enough, for they do what God wills of them, and all
they do is good and holy before God. Not every child
can be rich, smart or beautiful. That is not necessary to
please God or to go to heaven. But every child can obey.
Are you always obedient like our Saviour? Do you at
once do what your parents command you? Do you obey
also when they order you to do something you do not
like? Whether you like it or not, you should at once obey.
Remember how the Son of God was obedient in all things.

28. Jesus teaches, works miracles and chooses His

Apostles.

Object. To-day I will relate to you how Jesus taught
the people and cured the sick.

Relation. Where did Jesus live after His return from
Egypt? How long did He remain at Nazareth with His
parents? He left Nazareth when He was thirty years old,
and went from place to place through the whole Jewish
country. Wherever He came, He went first to the little
house of prayer. When the people had come there, He
would begin to teach and to preach. This He did espe-
cially on the Sabbath. He would tell them that He was
the Son of God, the promised Redeemer. He taught them
all that is necessary to bring men to heaven. He spoke
wonderfully well, but so simply that every one could easily

PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS 125

understand Him. The people, therefore, all liked to hear
Him. When they learned that He had come to a place,
the people from all around came in hundreds and thou-
sands to near Him, so that the little church there was by
far too small to contain them. Then He would go out-
side, and preach in the open air. Sometimes even the
towns were too small for the crowds that came; then He
would go to preach in large fields, in places, where no one
lived ; and sometimes even on a mountain. There the im-
mense crowds would partly stand around Him, and partly
sit on the ground. Whilst He preached, there was no
noise, no disturbance, no want of attention, no looking
around. All looked at Jesus the whole time, and paid
great attention to every word He said. Jesus would be-
gin to speak to them of the Kingdom of heaven so beau-
tifully. His voice and His words penetrated into the in-
most depth of their hearts. And when He had finished
speaking, the people would say : " We have never heard
such good preaching. That is Jesus, the teacher, Jesus
the divine Teacher."

After the sermon many sick persons were brought to
be cured. When a blind man was brought, Jesus would
merely say : " Be thou seeing," and the blind could see
after that. When a lame man was brought to Him, Jesus
would say : " Arise and walk ; " and the lame man was
able to walk. Thus with a word or two, He would heal
persons of every kind of disease, and even raise dead per-
sons to life. At the funeral of a young man, He merely
said : " Young man, I say to thee : Arise." And the dead
young man came to life again. To a dead girl Jesus said :
"Little girl, I say to thee: Arise." And the dead girl
arose full of life. The people wondered much about these
miracles, and praised Jesus, saying: 'He has done all
things well." He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the
deaf, speech to the dumb, made the lame walk, and raised

126 APOSTLES' CREED

the dead to life. Many believed in Him and followed Him
everywhere. These persons were called the disciples of
Jesus.

Once our Saviour had prayed all night on a mountain.
In the morning He came down where many persons were
waiting for Him, for He was to preach again. His dis-
ciples were there also. Jesus said that from among His
many disciples He was going to choose twelve ; these twelve
should always be with Him and become His messengers,
or apostles. The sun had just risen and had lit up the
whole country around with his golden rays. The Saviour
stood solemnly before the people, and they all looked at
Him with wonder. And now Jesus called out the names
of those whom He had chosen for His apostles : Peter,
James, John, Andrew, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholo-
mew, Matthew, Simon, Thaddeus and Judas. Each of
these twelve full of joy and love came forward when
Jesus called out his name. They all knelt before Jesus.
Jesus blessing them laid His hand on the head of each,
and ordained them as His apostles. Then He made them
sit alongside of Him. And from that time the twelve
apostles were always with Him and accompanied Him
everywhere. They were later on to preach to the whole
world what they had heard Him preach.

Explanation — Jesus teaches. How old was Jesus be-
fore He left His parents? Where did He go? All over
the land of the Jews. What did Jesus do wherever He
went? Where have we preaching in this place? In
church. Where did Jesus sometimes preach? Where else
did He also preach? Why did Jesus go out of the church
to preach outside or in the fields? WThy did the people
like to hear our Saviour preach? What did He preach
about Himself? What else did He preach about? Who
went and who were allowed to hear Him preach? Be-
cause He preached to all who came to hear Him, we say:
" Jesus preached in public." When did He begin to preach ?

PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS 127

Jesus performs miracles. Why were sick persons
brought to Him after His preaching? Who is now called
to see the sick? What does the doctor do for the sick?
What must the sick person then do to get well? Often
the medicine does no good, or takes a long time to cure.
But what happened to the sick who were brought to Jesus ?
To the blind, the deaf-mutes, the lame? How did Jesus
cure them ? He cured them at once, without medicine,
and only by saying to the blind : " Be thou seeing ; " to
the lame : " Arise and walk." What would happen, if
doctors would try to cure the sick, etc., in that way? The
blind would remain blind, etc. It would be a miracle if
doctors would cure the sick as Jesus did. The cures Jesus
wrought were miracles. But Jesus performed still greater
miracles than these, for He raised to life a dead young
man, a dead girl twelve years of age, merely by telling
them to arise. God alone can raise a dead person alive
again. Why could Jesus do it? Because He was God.
Mention some of the miracles Jesus performed? When
did Jesus begin to perform miracles? When He was
thirty years old. Because of these miracles the people
believed in Jesus Christ ; they believed that He could do
all He wished, and that He spoke the truth, when He
preached to them. What did Jesus teach about Himself?
That He was the Son of God and the promised Saviour.
What do you call those who believed in Jesus? His dis-
ciples. He had many disciples on account of His miracles.
But the high priest and the scribes were greatly displeased
at this. They envied Him and would not believe in Him;
they were too proud.

Choice of the twelve apostles. How many of His dis-
ciples did Jesus make apostles? Where were they to be
always? Near Jesus to hear Him preach, to witness His
virtues and His miracles. What were they to do later
on? Teach. Teach what? What Jesus had taught, that
is, His doctrine. Where were they to teach His doctrine?

128 APOSTLES' CREED

All over the world. How did Jesus call these twelve dis-
ciples on account of this? Apostles (messengers). Men-
tion some of the apostles.

Summary. What did Jesus do when He was thirty
years old? Whom did He choose to preach His doctrine
all over the world?

Application. The teaching of Jesus came from heaven.
It is called the Gospel. The apostles preached the Gospel
all over the world. It is now also preached all over the
world. Much of it is written in the Holy Bible. The
priest reads a portion of it on Sundays from the pulpit.
You ought to pay close attention to it. You will often
hear the priest read : " At that time Jesus said to His
disciples," that is, to the people. Before the priest begins
to read, the people stand up and make the sign of the
cross. You must do likewise. What should you do, when
the priest is about to read the Gospel? When the priest
reads the name of Jesus in the Gospel, you should bow
your head a little. Why? And why does the priest kiss
the book after reading the Gospel? Because the words of
the Gospel are holy. You can always tell when the priest
reads the Gospel during Mass, for the Mass-book (Missal)
is carried by the altar boy to the left side of the altar,
and all the people stand up when the priest reads or sings
the Gospel. In beginning the Gospel the priest makes with
his right thumb the sign of the cross on the Missal, then
on his forehead, lips and breast. You should do the same.
When the priest has read the Gospel, he kisses the Missal
in the place where the Gospel is.

How happy you are to hear the beautiful and holy teach-
ing of Jesus Christ ! Listen to it in the sermon and the
Catechism class with great attention ; and then do what
Jesus and the priest teach you. That is the sure way to
heaven.

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS 129

29. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

Object. I will tell you to-day how Jesus made a dead
man, called Lazarus, alive again.

Relation, i. Lazarus lived at Bethania near Jerusalem
with his sisters Martha and Mary. Lazarus took suddenly
sick. His sisters sent a message to Jesus, saying: " Lord,
he whom Thou lovest, is sick." But Jesus stayed two
days more where He was. On the third day, He said to
His apostles : " Lazarus is dead ; I will now go to awake
him." When Jesus came to Bethania, Lazarus was already
four days in the grave. Martha went to meet Jesus, and
said to Him : " Lord, if Thou hadst been here, Lazarus
would not have died." Jesus said to her: " Your brother
will rise again." " Yes," said Martha, " I know that he
will rise again at the general resurrection at the last day."
But Jesus said to her : " I am the resurrection and the
life. He who believes in Me shall live, even if he be dead.
And every one who believes in Me, shall not die forever.
Dost thou believe this ? " Martha answered : " Yes, Lord,
I believe that Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God,
that came into this world."

2. Then Martha went to call her sister Mary, and said
to her : " The Master is there and calls thee." Mary at
once hastened to where Jesus was. She knelt at His feet,
saying: "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother
would not have died." Mary wept ; and the Jews who had
followed her, wept also. Then Jesus grieved and said:
"Where have you laid him?" They said: "Come and
see." And Jesus wept. The Jews said : " See how He
loved him." The grave was a large hole (or chamber)
cut into a rock; the opening was covered with a large,
heavy stone. When they came to the grave, Jesus said :
" Remove the stone." But Martha said : " Lord, the
stench is great, for he is buried already four days." But
Jesus said to her: "Did I not tell thee, that, if thou

130 APOSTLES' CREED

didst believe, thou wouldst see the glory of God ? " So
they removed the large stone. Jesus then raised His eyes
towards heaven, and prayed to His heavenly Father. Then
with a loud voice He said : " Lazarus, come forth." And
Lazarus came out at once, but with difficulty, for his hands
and feet were tied up with bandages. Therefore Jesus
said : " Untie the bandages, so that he may walk."

3. Many of the Jews present at this extraordinary mir-
acle, believed in Jesus. Others went to the Jewish priests
and told them what Jesus had done. And the chief priests
said : " What shall we do ? This man works many mir-
acles." They resolved to put Jesus to death, in order to
get Him out of the way. But Jesus went far away into a
retired place.

Explanation — The sickness of Lazarus. How was
the dead man called, whom Jesus made alive again? How
were his sisters called? Where did they all live? Where
was Bethania situated? Lazarus, Martha and Mary be-
lieved in Jesus, and were much attached to Him. There-
fore Jesus also loved them. He often came to their house.
What suddenly happened to Lazarus? His sisters sent for
a doctor. But Lazarus grew worse, and his sisters feared
he would die. Who could have surely cured Lazarus?
His sisters knew it ; but Jesus was far away.

The Saviour does not come immediately. How did
Jesus know that Lazarus was sick? What message did
they send to Jesus? They could also have asked Him to
come and cure Lazarus. But they did not do so ; they
knew how much Jesus loved their brother. They thought
that Jesus would come of His own accord, if He believed
it necessary. But our Saviour did not come immediately.
How long did He still remain where He was? In the
meantime Lazarus got worse, and the sisters said to each
other : " Oh, if our Saviour were here, Lazarus would
not die."

Lazarus dies. But Lazarus died. And our Saviour had

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

131

not arrived. The sisters wept very much. Lazarus was
buried, and Jesus had not yet come. But even now the
sisters hoped that our Saviour would yet come and help
them. Jesus knew well that Lazarus was dead. How did
He know it? What did He say to His apostles on the
third day? Where was Lazarus when Jesus arrived?
How long had he been buried?

Jesus and Martha. What did Martha do, when she
heard that Jesus had arrived? Martha knelt at His feet
and wept very much. What did she say to our Saviour?
She meant to say : " O Lord, Thou didst love my brother
so much, that, if Thou hadst been here, Thou wouldst
have cured him." What did Jesus answer? Jesus meant:
" I will make your brother alive again. He shall rise alive
from the grave." What did Martha reply? Martha did
not rightly understand what Jesus had said. She thought
only of the resurrection of all men at the end of the world,
when Lazarus would rise also. Therefore Jesus said to
Martha : " I am the resurrection and the life," etc. What
was Martha's reply?

Jesus and Mary Magdalen. Whom did Martha call?
What did she say to her? What did Martha call Jesus?
The apostles often called Him Master. Master means
Lord. What did Mary then do? Who followed her?
What did Mary do, when she came to Jesus? And what
did she say? How could people know that she grieved
very much over her brother's death? And Mary wept
again ; and all the friends and relatives of the two sisters
wept also when they saw them weep. All wept for grief
and looked imploringly to Jesus, for they knew that He
alone could help them. What did Jesus then feel in His
heart? He had compassion on the two sisters. How did
He show it? He also wept. It was very touching to see
Jesus weep. What did the Jews say, when they saw Him
weeping ?

On the zvay to the grave. What did Jesus ask the sisters

132

APOSTLES' CREED

about Lazarus? What did they answer? Where did they
all go? The Jews did not dig their graves deep in the
ground ; but they cut out holes in the rock ; and after
wrapping up the corpse in a sheet, and tying bandages
around it, they laid it in the grave in the rock and covered
the opening with a great stone. What do you know about
the grave of Lazarus?

The resurrection of Lazarus. What did Jesus command,
when they reached the grave? When a person is dead,
after two or three days his body begins to corrupt (get
rotten) and to send forth a great stench; and nobody
cares to look at it any more, or to stay near it. But
Lazarus was already four days buried. What did his sis-
ters say about this to Jesus, when He ordered the stone
that closed the grave to be removed? What did Jesus
reply? Did they remove the stone? All were standing
around the grave, wondering very much about what was
going to happen. What did Jesus do first? What did
Jesus then say with a loud voice into the grave? What
took place after He had said that? How they all got
greatly frightened when Lazarus came out of the grave!
How did he look? Some people screamed, others fell on
their knees before Jesus and adored Him. What order
did Jesus give about Lazarus? The apostles untied the
bandages around his hands and feet. Lazarus then knelt
before Jesus, adored and thanked Him. Jesus blessed him,
took him by the hand and led him to his sisters. They
were overjoyed and embraced him. And they also knelt
before Jesus, adored and thanked Him. Many of the
Jews present believed in Jesus Christ. Others got angry
and still more envious of Jesus Christ. To whom did they
relate what Jesus had done? What did the chief priests
say? What did they intend to do? Where did Jesus go
after this?

Interpretation — The Saviour is almighty and knows
all things. Have you ever heard that a dead man in this

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS 133

town ever became alive again? Such an event would be
a great miracle. You have already heard that people
deathly sick got well again. What did the sisters of Laz-
arus wish Jesus to do to their brother who was deathly
sick? What message did they send to Jesus? Our Sav-
iour knew beforehand that Lazarus was dangerously ill.
He knew also that Lazarus would die. Why did He know
all this? I have already seen the picture of a certain man ;
when you stand in front of it, he is looking at you ; when
you stand on the right, he is also looking at you ; and he
still looks at you when you stand on the left. No matter
which way you turn, he is looking at you. So does our
Saviour look at us wherever we are. No mother watches
so carefully at the bedside of her sick child, as our Sav-
iour watches over us. He watched over Lazarus also.
Nevertheless He did not go directly to Lazarus. He would
let him die, for He wished to do more for him than to
cure him. He wished to raise him from the dead. He
can still help us, when no one else can. For what is He?
Almighty. How did He show it with the dead Lazarus?
What do you call making a dead person alive again?
Jesus had previously raised to life a dead girl and a dead
young man. Those were great miracles. But the corpse
of Lazarus was already corrupting, and the stench was
insupportable. How long had he already been buried?
And yet with a word Jesus made him alive again. How
great was this miracle! What did Jesus intend to show
by it? And many on account of it believed in Him.

Application. Lazarus is a proof that our Saviour does
not always help immediately. After receiving the news
of the illness of Lazarus, He remained where He was two
days longer. The sisters of Lazarus thought He would
come immediately to cure him. Jesus did not come, and
Lazarus died. The sisters still believed that Jesus would
yet help. And Jesus did help. He did much more for
them than they expected. What did He do for them?

134 APOSTLES' CREED

Our divine Saviour has now as good a heart as He had
then. He helps us also as willingly, as He helped Lazarus
and his sisters. And He is always very near us. Where
does He dwell? In the tabernacle in the church. What
must we do to obtain His help? Ask Him; pray to Him.
But He does not always help immediately. Sometimes He
makes us wait long for His help. You should not then
think : " My prayers are not good." But you must con-
tinue to pray and hope for help, and He will surely help
you. And then the same will happen to you as happened
to the sisters of Lazarus. He may give you much more
than you ask for and expect.

30. Jesus sweats blood in the Garden of Olives.

Preparation. What were the feelings of the chief
priests towards Jesus Christ, because many people believed
in Him? The greater the number of those who believed
in Him, the more also the envy of the chief priests in-
creased. When Jesus had raised Lazarus to life, the chief
priests became still more angry with Him. They began to
fear that, in the end, everybody would follow Him and
believe in Him, and no one would any longer care for
them. What did they intend to do to Him? But they
were afraid to arrest Him publicly, in the daytime, lest
the people would say : " We will not let you do Him any
harm." Therefore they intended to arrest Him in the
night. But they did not know where He stayed at night.
Who were always with Jesus? Who knew where Jesus
was at night? How many apostles were there? You will
say : " Surely none of the apostles would tell the chief
priests where Jesus was at night." And yet one of them
did tell. His name was Judas. Formerly Judas was good
and pious. But of late he no longer cared to pray. He
became covetous, that is, he wished to make plenty of
money. And in order to get money, he became a thief.

JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF OLIVES 135

Then the devil whispered to him : " If you go to the chief
priests, and tell them where they can easily arrest Jesus,
you will earn plenty of money." At first, Judas did not
listen to the devil ; but he began to think of the amount
of money he could make by telling the chief priests where
they could easily arrest Jesus. At last he went to the chief
priests and said : " What will you give me, if I tell you
where Jesus stays at night?" They promised him thirty
pieces of silver. Judas was satisfied with that sum. But
Jesus knew very well what the chief priests intended to
do to Him, and that Judas was going to betray Him. But
He did not leave Jerusalem. For why had He come on
earth? How did He wish to redeem us? To die for us.
When did He first promise to do so ? And God the Father
accepted His offer. Now the time had come, when Jesus
was really to die for us. But before dying, He wished
to suffer very much for us.

Object. I will now relate to you how Jesus began His
bitter passion for us.

Relation. On the night before His death Jesus went
with His apostles to the Mount of Olives. There was a
garden there called Gethsemani. Jesus entered the garden.
At the entrance He said to His apostles : " Sit down here,
whilst I go there to pray." Now He took Peter, James
and John with Him into the garden. He began to be sad
and to tremble. He told the three apostles : " My soul
is sad even unto death ; stay here, and watch and pray
with Me." Jesus went a little distance away from them,
and fell with His face on the ground and prayed saying:
" Father, if it is possible, take this chalice from Me. But
not My will, but Thine be done." In this manner Jesus
prayed three different times. Then an angel from heaven
came to strengthen Him, that He might not die then of
sadness and sorrow. But He fell on the ground in an
agony (as if He was dying), and a deathly sweat came
upon Him like drops of blood, trickling to the ground.

136 APOSTLES' CREED

Jesus prayed then only the longer and the more earnestly.
After this He arose from His prayer, and said to His
apostles: "Arise, and let us go; see, My betrayer is ap-
proaching."

Explanation — Jesus enters the Garden of Gethsemani.
What is the name of the garden Jesus went to before His
death? Who were with Jesus? How many apostles were
with Him? Judas was not among them. Where was he
probably at that time? Where was the Garden of Geth-
semani? The garden was near Jerusalem. Red flowers
and rosemary grew in it, and also plenty of olive trees.
Oil is made from olives. It was a quiet, pleasant place.
Jesus often went there at night to pray. The apostles also
knew the place very well. Jesus entered it with them;
but He wished to be alone. What did He intend to do?
To pray. What did He say to the apostles at the entrance
of the garden? Did they do so? Which three apostles
did He take with Him further into the garden? Now
Jesus began to feel very, very sad. What did He say to
His three apostles? What did He tell them to do?
' Watch ye and pray." He did not wish that they should
leave Him alone, or fall asleep. But our Saviour did not
remain near them, but went a short distance from them.
What did He then do?

Jesus prays the first time. Around Jesus is the dark-
ness of the night. What do you do at night? Perhaps
you have already had a terrible dream, that you saw some
wild beast about to spring upon you and tear and eat
you up. You were very much afraid and perhaps screamed
in your dream. Just as you saw in your dream frightful
things, so our Lord saw something really dreadful before
Him. He saw how His enemies were coming to arrest
Him; how they would beat Him till He would bleed so
that His blood would flow and cover the ground; how
they would make Him carry a heavy cross and then nail
Him to it. These frightful sights surrounded our Saviour

JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF OLIVES 137

and rushed upon Him, as the wild beast in the dream was
rushing upon the child. At last all these terrible things
seemed to Jesus to be in a chalice, which the heavenly
Father gave Him, to drink everything in it. Where have
you seen a chalice? Who drinks out of it? Now sup-
pose a chalice was full of poison, and that you were com-
pelled to drink out of it ! Would you not get much afraid
and do your best to keep from drinking out of it? Why?
Because drinking out of it would cause death. But the
frightful things in the chalice our Saviour saw, were worse
than poison. How did Jesus feel about them? He trem-
bled, and felt as if He could not drink all that was in the
chalice. What did He do in His fear and anguish? He
fell with His face to the ground; that is, He knelt down
and bowed so low that His face almost touched the ground.
He stretched out His hands, as if He was seeking help,
and He prayed. How did He pray? WThat did He ask
of His heavenly Father? He meant to say: "Father, if
it is possible do not make Me suffer all that. But if Thou
wiliest that I should suffer it all, I will obey Thee. Not
My will, but Thine be done."

Then Jesus rose and went to His three apostles. He
could hardly walk, for He was so weak and faint. His
whole body trembled, and His face was deathly pale, when
He came to His apostles. W'hat had Jesus told them, be-
fore He went to pray? "Watch and pray." But the
apostles slept, because they felt tired. Jesus awoke them.
The apostles were frightened when they saw Jesus so pale
and trembling. But Jesus said to them : " You are
asleep ! Could you not watch one hour with Me ? Watch
and pray."

Jesus prays the second time. Our Saviour returned to
His place to pray, and again fell on His face. Now He
saw more frightful things. He saw all the sins Adam and
all men had already committed, and also all the sins men
would commit until the end of the world. Oh, how many

138 APOSTLES' CREED

sins our Saviour saw then ! For instance : your disobe-
dience to your parents and teachers; your neglect of
prayer, your misbehavior in church; your lying, etc., etc.
Jesus then saw all, all. It was to Him, as if a thousand
rivers of filth flowed to Him, and that He should drink all
that out of the chalice ! He felt such a terrible repug-
nance to do this, that He was filled with sadness. There-
fore He prayed a second time, as He did the first time.
After His prayer Jesus rose and went again to His apos-
tles and found them asleep. He awakened them. But
when the apostles saw by the moonlight Jesus so pale
and trembling, they thought He would fall down. They
therefore held Him up under the arms to keep Him from
falling. They were so frightened that they did not know
what to say. But our Lord said to them : " Do not fall
asleep again. Oh, watch and pray with Me." Jesus then
returned to His place.

Jesus prays the third time. He again prostrated Himself
to the ground, and now saw the most frightful things. He
saw so many millions of men who do not believe in Him.
They will not obey Him, and do not even will to be re-
deemed by Him. They prefer to follow the devil, to be
seduced by him and to be cast into hell. And even for
them Jesus must die! Jesus sees them all passing in long
rows before Him and the devil in their midst. The sight
greatly grieved our Saviour. He loved them so much and
would so willingly die to save them all. But they do not
want to be saved by Him ! That pained Jesus most of all,
and made His chalice more bitter than all else. Jesus
prayed now the third time as before to His heavenly Fa-
ther.

The agony of Jesus. Now His anguish became terrible,
so much so that He felt as if He would drop dead. What
do we call the anguish He felt then? His agony. In His
agony He fell to the ground as a person dying.

Jesus szveats blood. A man, when about to die, falls

JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF OLIVES 139

into a cold sweat; His forehead is all covered with it.
The anguish of Jesus was so great, that His whole body
was covered with sweat; but it was not drops of water
that oozed out of his pores, but drops of blood ! It was
a heavy sweat of blood that covered His body and trickled
down His face, filled His eyes and fell to the ground. In
His extreme anguish He did not stop praying. In that
prayer He wept and called aloud to His Heavenly Father
for help.

The Father does not take away the chalice. Whom did
His heavenly Father send to Him? The angel held a
little chalice, and offered it to Jesus, as if he would say:
" The Father will not take the chalice away from Thee.
Thou must suffer and die for men." And Jesus accepted
the chalice, because He was going to do the will of His
Heavenly Father.

Jesus is comforted. But the angel brought to Jesus
consolation from His heavenly Father. He showed Him
all the men who would go to heaven through His passion
and death. Our Saviour sees Adam and Eve, Simeon
and Anna, the three wise men, the Holy Innocents, and an
immense number of persons who would enter heaven
with Him. The apostles, His disciples, the martyrs, the
virgins, the Popes, bishops, priests, religious, pious men
and women, Jesus sees them all passing before Him wear-
ing crowns, clothed in costly garments. It was a wonder-
ful and touching sight. They were around His Sacred
Heart as a wonderful flower wreath, thanking their Saviour
for having suffered and died for them, that they might
enter heaven. Oh, how that sight consoled our Saviour !
It renewed His courage. He felt so strong, that He would
have suffered every torment and died even to save only
one soul ! And now He sees the numberless souls His
sufferings and death will save and bring to heaven. He
remained yet a little while in prayer, and then went to
His apostles ; He was still pale, but He no longer trem-

i4o APOSTLES' CREED

bled. He was full of courage. The apostles were still
sleeping. What did Jesus say to them? Who was the
traitor ?

Explanation — Jesus suffers through obedience. How
were our first parents punished for their sin? What
misfortune did Adam bring upon all men? How is the
sin called, which we inherit from Adam? What would
happen to men, if God had not shown them mercy? How
did our Redeemer intend to free us from sin? To whom
did He say that in heaven? And God the Father accepted
His offer.

When our Saviour on the Mount of Olives saw the suf-
ferings He was about to endure, He was seized with a
great dread. What did He pray for to His Heavenly
Father? What was there in that chalice? Our sins and
His sufferings. How often did Jesus address that prayer
to His heavenly Father? But what did He add each time
to His prayer? But His Father did not take away the chal-
ice. What did the Saviour do then? He who does what
the Father wills, is obedient. How did our Saviour show
Himself obedient to His Father? For whom was Jesus
going to suffer and die? For all men; for each one of us
also. He willed to take upon Himself the punishment we
deserved for our sins. If we had not sinned, our Saviour
would have had no need to suffer and die. For whom
did He suffer on the Mount of Olives? What did He
suffer there for us? How great was His agony? He
sweat blood. Think of this when you recite the first sor-
rowful mystery of the rosary.

Application. In His great anguish Jesus began to
pray. To whom did He pray? Now, children, sometimes
you have some little thing to suffer ; for instance : when
you dread something; when you, your father or mother
are sick, or some misfortune has happened in the family.
What should you then do? If God does not immediately
grant you what you pray for, you must not stop praying.

THE ARREST OF JESUS 141

Our Saviour did not stop praying. How many times did
He pray? So you also should pray again.

Our Saviour did not tell the heavenly Father : " Father,
Thou must take away that chalice and My bitter passion,
for I do not want to suffer." But how did He pray?
Therefore you must not pray : " Dear Lord, Thou must
help me." How ought you to pray? "Not my will, O
Lord, but Thy will be done." What should you think?
" If God does not wish to take away this suffering from
me, I will bear it cheerfully." Then if God does not take
it away, your prayer is not in vain. Our Saviour's prayer
was not in vain, for the heavenly Father sent Him an an-
gel to console and strengthen Him. In like manner, God
will console and strengthen you, so that you may be able
to bear that suffering.

31. The Arrest of Jesus.

Object. I will relate to you how Jesus was arrested.

Relation. Whilst Jesus was telling His apostles : " See
the traitor is coming," Judas came with many soldiers and
servants. They were armed with swords and clubs. Ju-
das had said to them : " He whom I shall kiss is the one
you must arrest." Then he went to Jesus and said : " Hail,
Master ! " And he kissed Jesus. But Jesus said to him :
"Friend, for what art thou come? Dost thou betray the
Son of man with a kiss?" Then Jesus went to meet the
crowd, and asked : " Whom do you seek ? " They replied :
" Jesus of Nazareth." And Jesus said : " I am He." And
they fell backward to the ground. Jesus again asked
them : " Whom do you seek ? " They answered : " Jesus
of Nazareth." Jesus then said : " I have told you that I
am He. If you seek Me, let these go their way " (let these
alone). And they laid hands on Jesus. Then Peter drew
a sword and hit Malchus, a servant of the highpriest, and
cut off his right ear. Jesus said to Peter : " Put back thy

142 APOSTLES' CREED

sword into its scabbard." And Jesus touched the ear of
Malchus and healed it. Now Jesus was seized and bound.
But the apostles left Him and ran away. Only Peter and
John followed Jesus from afar.

Explanation — The band. What had Jesus said to the
apostles, when He came to them after His third prayer?
Who was the traitor? But Judas did not come alone.
Who accompanied him? The soldiers and the servants of
the highpriest. Priests and scribes went along in the rear.
That was a large crowd. What had the soldiers and serv-
ants brought along? And what else? Ropes and chains.
Why?

The traitor. Many of the soldiers and servants did not
know Jesus. They might have mistaken one of the apostles
for Jesus. What means did Judas use to point Jesus out
to them ? He said : " He whom I shall kiss, is Jesus. Ar-
rest Him ; and take care that He does not escape." But
when Judas saw Jesus, he got afraid, and began to trem-
ble. But He nevertheless went up to Jesus. How did he
greet Jesus? And what did he do?

Jesus and the traitor. To kiss someone is a mark of
love. What did Judas wish Jesus to believe when he kissed
Jesus? But Jesus knew well that Judas was betraying
Him with his kiss, and yet He allowed Judas to kiss Him.
He also kissed Judas. Oh, how many saints would have
been overjoyed, if Jesus had deigned to kiss them ! But
Jesus did not. But He permitted Judas to kiss Him, and
He also kissed Judas. What did Jesus say to Judas, when
Judas had kissed Him? Jesus looked sadly at Judas. He
meant to say to him : " Judas, with a kiss people are wont
to show their love; but thou kissest Me, in order to enable
My enemies to recognize Me." Our Saviour said this in
a friendly manner to Judas. Do you know why Jesus was
so friendly to Judas? Jesus wished to remind Judas of
what a horrible sin he was committing, and how deeply it
pained Him. Judas ought then to have knelt down before

THE ARREST OF JESUS 143

Jesus and said to Him : " O dear Saviour, forgive my
great sin. I am sorry for having so shamefully betrayed
Thee." But Judas did not do that. Had he done it, Jesus
would have forgiven him.

Jesus and the armed band. Now the soldiers and serv-
ants knew Jesus. Jesus advanced to meet them. What
did He ask them? What did they answer? What did
Jesus then say? And what happened to them when Jesus
had said this? It happened like a sudden clap of thunder;
they fell down all at once as if they had been struck dead.
Who caused them to fall down so suddenly? Jesus wished
to show His enemies: " If I wished, you could do Me no
harm, for I could by a single word suddenly strike you all
dead ; and then I could go away where I wished, and none
of you could touch Me even with a finger."

Jesus is arrested. Slowly the soldiers and servants got
up one after the other, and stood up in ranks. What did
Jesus ask them the second time? What answer did they
give Him? And what did Jesus then say? Whom did He
forbid them to harm? What did the armed band then do?
The soldiers went up to Jesus, surrounded Him, and laid
hands on Him.

Peter defends Jesus. Which apostle tried to help Je-
sus? What kind of weapon did he use? He drew his
sword out of his scabbard (case). Whose ear did he cut
off? What was Malchus? But Jesus did not want Peter
to fight for Him. He could have helped Himself, if He
had wished. What did He say to Peter? Jesus was sorry
to see Malchus bleeding so much. What did He do there-
fore? He healed Malchus. What could the Jews have
concluded from this? That Jesus was God. What should
they have done then?

Jesus is led away. What did they do instead with Jesus ?
Jesus quietly gave His hands to be bound. And they bound
His hands tight together, and dragged Him away. On
the way the soldiers kept pulling and pushing Him and

144 APOSTLES' CREED

striking Him. They treated Him so roughly that He fell
down several times before reaching Jerusalem. The priests
and scribes rejoiced like devils over all this. They
thought : " Now we have got Him. He shall never escape
us. He shall die." But Jesus bore all this in silence.

The apostles flee. When the apostles saw that Jesus
willingly allowed Himself to be bound, they did not know
what was going to happen to them, and they got fright-
ened. What did they do through fear? But not all.
Who did not flee? What did they do?

Further Explanation — Jesus suffers freely. Jesus
knew beforehand that Judas was going to betray Him to
His enemies. He knew also where His enemies would
bring Him after His arrest. Where? What could Jesus
have done to prevent His enemies from arresting Him in
the Garden of Olives? And Jesus went there. Why?
When Jesus had prayed the third time in the Garden of
Olives, He knew that Judas was coming with His enemies.
What did He say about it to His apostles? What could
Jesus have done even then to escape from His enemies?
But He did not go away. On the contrary, He advanced
to meet Judas and His enemies. What does this prove?
What could Jesus have done when all His enemies had
fallen down? And why did He not wish Peter to defend
Him? And if our Saviour had prayed for it, His heavenly
Father would have sent Him a hundred thousand angels to
protect Him. Indeed, Jesus needed only to say the word, or
to breathe, and He could have made Himself free. No
one could compel Him. But He did none of these things.
Why? Because He wished to suffer and die for us.
Therefore He suffered of His own free will.

Summary. How did our Saviour suffer? He suffered
of His own free will.

Application. How beautiful would it be, if you would
sometimes willingly suffer a little for our dear Saviour's
sake ! Suppose on a certain week-day you had no school,

JESUS IS SCOURGED 145

and you hear the bell ringing for early Mass. You are still
in bed ; and it feels so good to remain in it. And you think :
" To-day I will stay in bed, and not go to Mass, for it is
no sin not to hear Mass on a week-day." But now comes
another thought : " For the love of our dear Saviour, I will
get up and go to Mass." And you do so. You thus do
something difficult for you, and resemble our Saviour.
And your heart tells you : " You have done well." And
you feel happy over it.

I will now relate how a certain boy suffered something
willingly. A man wished to take a walk in the forest
with his three sons on a Sunday afternoon after Vespers.
But their sister was sick, and she would have to remain
alone the whole afternoon in bed. Their mother had long
been dead. Now a voice from his heart said to the eldest
boy : ' ' Will you not stay home with your sick sister, so
that she may not feel lonesome ? " That boy had already
the whole week before been rejoicing at the prospect of
that fine walk, and he felt so anxious to go along. But
at last he thought : " For the love of our divine Saviour I
will stay at home with my sick sister." How beautiful
was his conduct ! Did it not cause him more pleasure
than if he had gone out walking? In this way you can
please our divine Saviour every day by doing something
good which you are not bound to do; and you would find
every day more and more pleasure in doing so. This is
a very good way to thank Jesus for having willed to suffer
so much for you. Try it all of you.

32. Jesus is scourged.

Preparation. What must a child do, when his father
commands him something? Obey. The child must obey
his father. He who does not obey his father, commits a
fault. What does the child deserve for that fault? Pun-
ishment. Suppose a child steals a dollar, he commits a

146 APOSTLES' CREED

fault and deserves punishment for it. Which fault is the
greater, to disobey or to steal a dollar? To steal a dollar.
What then should be the punishment for stealing a dollar?
Greater than for disobedience. Hence the child who steals
should be punished with the rod. Stealing is an evil deed,
or rather a misdeed, a crime. What, then, is the child
who steals? A thief, a criminal. He who steals only a
trifle, is a petty criminal, an evil-doer. A criminal is a
thief that steals much, or a person that robs, kills, etc.
What kind of punishment does such a criminal deserve?
A great punishment. Who punishes criminals? The po-
lice arrest him and bring him to the judge of the Criminal
Court, and he is tried by the judge and jury. The wit-
nesses tell what they saw or know of his crime. After
this the jury brings in a verdict of " guilty " or " not
guilty," and, if he is not guilty, the judge sets him free ; but
if he is guilty, the judge condemns him, according to his
crime, either to death or to the penitentiary, and hard labor
for a number of years or for life. The greatest crimes,
such as murder, are punishable with death (hanging or elec-
trocution). (Who appoints or elects the judge?)

In the time of our Saviour the judges were appointed
by the Roman emperor. The Roman emperor did not
live in Judea; but appointed a governor for Judea, who
had the power to govern and to judge the greater criminals
and condemn them to death. Among the Jews highway
robbers and murderers were condemned to be crucified,
that is, to be nailed to a cross and to die on it. The chief
priests wished Jesus to be crucified ; therefore they brought
Him to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, that he should
condemn Jesus to be crucified, as if He was one of the
greatest criminals.

Object. I will relate to you what the Roman governor
did to Jesus.

Relation. In the morning Jesus was brought to Pon-
tius Pilate, that he might condemn Jesus to death. But Pi-

JESUS IS SCOURGED 147

late easily saw that the chief priests had brought Jesus
through envy to be condemned. He sought to set Jesus
free. But the priests and scribes excited the people, and
they all cried out as loud as they could : " Crucify Him,
crucify Him!" Pilate replied: "What evil has He done?
I will have Him scourged, and then I will set Him free."
Then he commanded Jesus to be scourged.

Explanation — Jesus is brought to Pilate. The Jews
had arrested Jesus during the night. On what day ? Then,
on Friday morning the Jews brought Jesus to the Roman
governor. What was his name ? Why did they bring Jesus
to the Roman governor? Why did they wish Jesus to be
put to death? If Jesus were put to death, He would be
looked upon as a great criminal.

Pilate finds Jesus not guilty of any crime. The chief
priests, therefore, accused Jesus of many wicked deeds;
but they lied, and could not prove what they said. You
know that Jesus had done many good things to men. Men-
tion some of them. Pilate examined everything that the
chief priests said against Jesus. What did Pilate find out
about the chief priests? And what was it that he did not
find out about Jesus? Guilt. It is not allowed to put
an innocent man to death. What should a judge do to an
innocent man? What should Pilate have done to Jesus?
Pilate wished to set Jesus free.

The chief priests excite the people. But the chief priests
did not want him to do that. Therefore they told the peo-
ple : " Jesus must not be set free. Do not allow it. He
must be crucified ! " They made the people wild, just like
bad boys excite a dog. And what did the people (rabble)
cry out ? What did Pilate ask them ? What did Pilate de-
clare Jesus to be? Innocent. What then ought Pilate to
have done at once?

Pilate condemns Jesus to be scourged. But Pilate was
afraid. He thought: "If I do not punish Jesus, the peo-
ple will become still more wild. I must give him a pun-

148 APOSTLES' CREED

ishment to quiet them." What punishment did he order
to be inflicted on Jesus? The scourging. With what does
a father punish his bad child? Pilate ordered Jesus to be
beaten with heavy rods and big whips, whips far worse
than those of teamsters, for each of them had several
thongs, and at the end of the thongs there were pieces of
sharp iron or balls of lead. These whips were called
scourges.

The scourging. Jesus was scourged outside the court
building, and not before Pilate. The soldiers tied Jesus
to a stone column after pulling off His clothing. Jesus
had to stand half naked. Oh, how he felt ashamed ! And
now two soldiers began to scourge Him with those terrible
whips. They hit Him with all their might. Every blow
makes a red and blue mark on His skin ; but soon the skin
is cut through and the blood of Jesus flows ; and still they
continue to strike Him as hard as they can. When the
first two soldiers get tired striking Jesus, two other soldiers
take their places, and then not only is the skin of Jesus
all torn, but His flesh also, and His blood runs in streams
down to the ground. Soon the flesh of Jesus is so torn,
that in some places His very bones can be seen. And thus
Jesus is so cruelly scourged until all the soldiers are so tired
that they must stop ! The whole body of Jesus is a dread-
ful wound; He is all bloody and bleeding from head to
foot, and the ground is covered with a pool of His blood!
Oh, how Jesus suffered ! Every blow convulsed Him with
pain ; and His body was so delicate, so sensitive to the
slightest pain. He wept aloud for pain; His crying could
be heard between the blows He received; and the Jews
stood around Him rejoicing, laughing at and making fun
of Plim, and shamefully insulting Him ! When He was
untied from the column, He was so weak and so faint, that
He fell down half dead on the ground! But He was made
to get up and to put on His clothes Himself. There was
no one to help Him, who had helped so many !

JESUS IS SCOURGED 149

Further Explanation — Jesus suffers innocently.
If Jesus had been a criminal, He would have deserved
that no one should help Him. But what evil had He done?
What did Pilate say about His innocence? Jesus was per-
fectly faultless. Jesus therefore suffered innocently.

Jesus suffers patiently. Suppose some other man, who
was innocent, had been scourged as cruelly as our Saviour,
would he not cry out aloud, complain, scold, and show the
greatest impatience? But how differently did Jesus act?
What did He do, when He was scourged? He wept, and
thought in His heart : " My Heavenly Father wills that I
should suffer this." Therefore Jesus quietly held out His
bare back to the blows and^ allowed the soldiers to scourge
Him so cruelly ! When we suffer quietly and do not com-
plain, but think : " Our dear Lord has sent me this pain,
and I will suffer it willingly," we suffer patiently. What
is it that Jesus did not do whilst He was scourged ? Show
impatience. What did He think in His heart? How did
He suffer?

For our sins. Jesus took upon Himself the punishment
due to our sins, as if He really deserved it. But there was
no guilt in Him. All men were guilty. Each sin is a
debt to God's justice. Who committed the first sin on
earth and contracted the first debt to God's justice? Every
sin contracts a debt to God's justice. Just think now how
many and how great debts all men have since the first sin
contracted to God's justice! And each of you has already
contracted many such debts. And our Saviour took all
these debts upon Himself, and allowed Himself to be
scourged for them ! And He received on His innocent and
tender body the fearful blows which all men deserved !

Especially for impurity. In the scourging Jesus not only
suffered cruel blows, but He was especially greatly pained
and put to shame in appearing half naked before a great
number of people. And there are children who are not
ashamed to stand around in the house half naked morning

150 APOSTLES' CREED

and evening, or who unnecessarily uncover themselves
during the day even before others ! Woe to those im-
modest children ! It was especially on account of their
sins that Jesus was so cruelly beaten on His bare body be-
fore so many people.

Summary. For whom did Jesus allow Himself to be so
cruelly scourged? For all men. But for whose sins es-
pecially was he scourged? For the sins of the immodest
and the impure. How did He suffer the scourging? In-
nocently and patiently. From what words do you see that
He was innocent? How do you know that He suffered
patiently ?

Application, i. Suppose when you go home, you
would find your father or your mother lying on the floor
all bleeding and covered with wounds, and hear them
groaning with pain! Would you not grieve very much,
especially if you knew that they were suffering this on your
account ? Now see our divine Saviour lying down near the
pillar, all covered with fearful bleeding wounds and moan-
ing for pain, and that on account of your sins ! Does not
this sight, this thought grieve you? You should, there-
fore, resolve to be pure and modest, never to look or touch
with pleasure anything impure.

2. Was it not cruel for the soldiers to scourge our in-
nocent Saviour so unmercifully? But our Saviour bore
it patiently. Perhaps you may have yet to suffer some-
thing without being guilty (deserving it). How much you
would please our Saviour, if you would bear it patiently.
For your sake Jesus suffered so patiently. Strive, there-
fore, also to suffer patiently for His sake. 3. Let us, when
we recite the second decade of the sorrowful mysteries of
the rosary, reflect on the fearful pains Jesus endured in
His scourging.

JESUS CROWNED WITH THORNS 151

33. Jesus is crowned with thorns.

Object. I will relate to you how Jesus, after being
scourged, was reviled and mocked by the soldiers.

Relation. After scourging Jesus the soldiers put on
Jesus an old tattered purple cloak. They also plaited a
crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and placed a
reed in His right hand. Then in mockery they bent their
knee before Jesus, saying: "Hail, king of the Jews."
Some spit upon Him ; one after another slapped Him,
took the reed out of His hand, and hit Him on the head
with it.

Explanation — Jesus as a mock king. After the
scourging Jesus was led into Pilate's yard ; the soldiers
guarded Him. Our Saviour stood there trembling with
pain. How good it would have been for Him, if He could
have had a little rest ! But His sufferings were far from
being over. The soldiers had heard that He claimed to
be a king. Now they thought they could have a little
fun with Him. A king, in those days, usually wore a
rich purple cloak ; and Jesus would need one, if He were
to be presented as a king. The soldiers soon found an
old, worn out, ragged red cloak. They then roughly pulled
off by force all His clothing, which was now sticking close
to His terrible wounds, and cause His wounds to bleed
afresh, to His great suffering. Suppose you had badly
cut your finger, and your mother bandaged it with a piece
of linen, and the linen were now sticking closely to the
wound of your finger ; how greatly would it hurt you to
pull off roughly that piece of linen from your finger ! And
would not the wound of your finger begin to bleed again?
But our divine Saviour had not merely one wound, but His
whole back was covered with large, deep wounds, and His
clothing was sticking fast to His wounds, and the soldiers
most roughly pulled off His clothes to hurt Him the more !
How greatly He must have suffered ! His wounds must

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have burned like fire ! What did the soldiers place after
this on His shoulders ! Now Jesus was wearing a king's
cloak !

A king, in those days, sat on a golden throne. What
does Jesus need more to be a king? Therefore the sol-
diers lead Him to a large stone. That was to be His
throne. They made Him sit on it. But the king on his
throne wore a golden crown on his head. Therefore the
soldiers said : " This king must have a crown." They
then made Him a crown, not of gold, but one of thorns.
They took branches full of thorns, and plaited them into
a crown, and then set that crown on His head. They
pressed it down on His head as hard as they could, so as
to make the thorns sink deep into His head. Those thorns
were very sharp and as hard as nails. How it hurts when
a little thorn has entered our finger or our foot ! But the
long, sharp and hard thorns of our Saviour's crown sank
deep into His head. How terrible were the pains they
caused Him !

A king on his throne held a costly rod, called sceptre,
in his hand. What kind of sceptre did the soldiers place
in our Saviour's hand? It was a reed. Relate how the
soldiers adorned Jesus as a mock king.

The mockery. A king on his golden throne was rev-
erenced by the people. Those who approached him, used
to kneel on one knee very respectfully. What did the
soldiers do to Jesus Christ? They bent their knee before
Him and pulled out their tongue at Him. They did not
intend to honor Jesus, but to mock and revile Him by
their kneeling. A king is greeted by the words : " Long
live our king ! " But the soldiers greeted Him in mockery :
" Hail, king of the Jews ! " Costly presents are offered
to a king. What presents did the soldiers give to Jesus?
They slapped Him, they spat in His face ! In kneeling be-
fore a king, the people kiss his sceptre. How did they

JESUS CROWNED WITH THORNS 153

mock Jesus with the reed as His sceptre? Finally to com-
plete the mockery, they threw Jesus down on the ground
from the stone. Look at the picture representing Jesus
crowned with thorns. He is seated on a stone; His head
is bent down; His beautiful forehead is covered with the
crown of thorns ; His hair is entangled in the thorns ; blood
is flowing from every part of His head, and running in
streamlets down His face, dyeing His shoulders red, and
gluing His hair together. Around are the soldiers mocking
Him. How this causes pain and shame to our Saviour !

Further Explanation — Hoiv painful and undeserved
the mockery. Let us suppose that some children had done
wicked things in a house. Only one of the children there
had nothing to do with it. All the others blame him for
it ; and he is severely punished by his father. The innocent
child weeps bitterly. When the father is gone, the wicked
children stand around the innocent child, and mock him.
Now tell me what hurts the innocent child more, the pun-
ishment, or the mockery of the other children?

Our Saviour also is innocent. For whom did He suffer
such terrible punishment? He suffered for all men, out
of love for them. Men should therefore have had com-
passion on Him in His suffering. But instead of pitying
Him, what did the soldiers do? How greatly must it have
pained Jesus ! Every word and act of mockery must have
been like the thrust of a big thorn into His heart. Which
hurt Him the most, the thorns piercing His head, or the
mockery piercing His heart?

Jesus suffers mockery for us. How could Jesus have
acted towards the soldiers? Had He wished, He could
have defended Himself, reproached the soldiers for their
shameful conduct, and by a single word or breath He
could have made them fall dead to the ground. But what
did our Saviour do against all this mockery? He was
perfectly silent, meek and gentle. And why? Because He

154 APOSTLES' CREED

wished to suffer for mankind. He allowed Himself to be
reviled, because men so often unjustly revile their neighbor.
Mockery is like the stroke of a whip in one's face, so
greatly does it hurt. Mockery is like the thorns with which
we would pierce and pain our neighbor. Oh, how it pained
Jesus to be so outrageously mocked ! Oh, how it made Him
feel ashamed ! What a fearful penance He did for the
sins of mockery we commit against our neighbor !

Our Saviour, being the King of heaven and earth, could
have worn a gold crown glittering with diamonds. But
He wished to wear a crown of thorns, because men have
their heads so full of proud and other evil thoughts, and
wish to be and to have more than others. By wearing
such a painful crown Jesus wished to do penance for our
evil thoughts.

Application. You have probably at home a picture of
Jesus crowned with thorns. Who does not feel compassion
for Jesus when he looks at it? Did not Jesus deserve to
be better treated? How sad He looks in that picture!
When you are inclined to feel proud, just look at that
picture, and think that Jesus suffered it all for the many
sins of pride men commit. And when you are tempted to
make fun of, to ridicule other children, old people, then
remember that picture of Jesus crowned with thorns. Does
He not wear that crown of thorns to atone for the sins of
mockery men commit? When you are unjustly laughed
at or mocked, remember again the picture of Jesus crowned
with thorns. He did not get angry or mock back. Do
then as He did.

The crown of thorns worn by our Lord is a thousand
times dearer to us than if it were of gold. Our Saviour
wore the crown of thorns, because He loved us. Now as
a reward for it, He wears in heaven a crown of bright
stars. Instead of the soldiers bending their knee before
Him in mockery, there now bend the knee in love and
adoration before Him the Pope, the bishops, millions of

JESUS CONDEMNED TO DIE 155

the best people on earth, and in heaven countless angels
and saints kneel before Him, adore Him and sing His
praises forever !

34. Jesus is condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

Preparation. Jesus had already terribly suffered in the
scourging and crowning with thorns. But His enemies
were not satisfied. They insisted that Pilate should con-
demn Him to be crucified. But Pilate wished to set Him
free. Why?

Object. I will now tell you how it happened that Pilate
at last condemned Jesus to be crucified.

Relation. Pilate attempted once more to free Jesus.
He had Him brought before the people. Jesus came forth
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. Pilate
said to them : " Behold the man ! " The chief priests and
their servants cried out : " Crucify Him, crucify Him ! "
Pilate said : " I find no crime in Him." The Jews an-
swered : " We have a law, and according to this law,
He must die, because He made Himself (claims to be)
the Son of God." Pilate tried for the last time to set Jesus
free. But the Jews became furious and cried out: 'If
thou set Him free, thou art no friend of Caesar" (the em-
peror). Pilate then called for water and washed his hands
before the people, and said: "I am innocent of the blood
of this just man. See you to it." Then all the people
cried out : " His blood be upon us and upon our chil-
dren." And Pilate gave Jesus up to be crucified.

Explanation — Jesus is presented to the people. After
crowning Jesus with thorns and mocking Him, the soldiers
again brought our Saviour to Pilate. Pilate had pity on
the innocent Jesus so cruelly beaten and torn. He thought :
" I will now show Jesus in His terrible condition to the
people : perhaps they will have pity on Him and let me
set Him free." What did he then do with Jesus? Jesus

156 APOSTLES' CREED

stood before the people all wounded and bloody and
crowned with thorns. He wore that torn purple cloak,
and His hands were tightly bound together. All the people
could see Him. Pilate pointed to Him with his hand.
What did he say to the people ? He meant by these words :
" Oh, look at that poor terribly scourged man ! He can
scarcely be recognized. He hardly looks like a man, for
He is so disfigured. Have you, then, not a spark of com-
passion for Him! Oil, let Him go free now; He has been
punished enough." All eyes were now turned to our
Saviour. He was a fearful sight, wearing a crown of
thorns and a ragged cloak, with His face covered with
blood and spittle, His body torn by the scourging, and a
reed for a sceptre in His bleeding and trembling hands.
He was bent down., and His eyes looked so sad at that
ungrateful people. The people felt shocked at seeing
Jesus in so pitiable a state. Around Him all was as silent
as death. And Pilate thought : " Now the Jews will not
say anything against my setting Him free."

But who felt no pity for Jesus? They were more cruel
than wild beasts. What did the chief priests and their
servants cry out? They looked as if they were possessed
by the devil. Jesus had always done nothing but good
to the Jews, and yet they cried out over and over again:
" Crucify Him, crucify Him ! " Pilate was unwilling to
condemn Jesus to be crucified. He ought also to have set
Him free. Why? Because he declared that Jesus was
innocent, that Jesus had done no evil. What did the Jews
answer, when Pilate said: "I find no cause (crime) in
Him"? "He must die, because He made (claims to be)
Himself the Son of God." But is not Jesus really the
Son of God? Was it, then, wrong for Him to say: "I
am the Son of God"? Did He deserve death for this?

Pilate did not wish to condemn Jesus to death. He tried
for the last time to free Jesus. What did the Jews then
cry out? They meant: "If you set Him free, we will

JESUS CONDEMNED TO DIE 157

get you into trouble with the emperor by bringing charges
against you." Pilate wished to remain a friend of the
emperor, in order not to lose his office. He, therefore,
got afraid: "I will rather yield to the demand of the
Jews than get into trouble with the emperor, therefore I
will condemn Jesus to be crucified."

Pilate zvashcs his hands. The blood of those who are
crucified flows out from their hands and feet; and those
who nail them to the cross get their hands all bloody.
As Pilate was condemning Jesus to be crucified, it was
as if he himself actually nailed the hands and feet of Jesus
to the cross and stained his hands with our Saviour's blood.
But Pilate did not wish to be responsible for shedding the
blood of Jesus on the cross ; he wished the Jews to be
alone responsible for the death of Jesus. Therefore he
ordered a servant to bring him some water. What for?
What did he do? And what did he say? Whom did he
call " that just man "? Why does he call Jesus " that just
man " ? What did Pilate mean by these words and by
washing his hands ? "I will take no responsibility for
the blood of Jesus that will flow on the cross. You chief
priests and Jews alone are responsible. Beware, for you
may soon be severely punished for it." Pilate in placing
all responsibility for the death of Jesus on the Jews, thought
that they would get afraid and suffer Jesus to be set free.

But Pilate hoped in vain. What did the people cry out
with all their might? They meant: "His blood must be
shed, whatever may be the consequences. We will take
the responsibility. We are not afraid of punishment fall-
ing upon us ; it will not be much ; and even if our children
are punished on our account, they will be able to stand it."
They cared no more for the death of Jesus, than for the
death of an insect, which any one may crush with his foot.

Our Saviour standing there had seen and heard all.
How it must have pained His loving heart to see that
people so cruel and so ungrateful ! How many had He

158 APOSTLES' CREED

benefited among those fiercely clamoring for His death !
He had blessed their children, cured their sick. He could
have reproached them for their conduct. But He kept
silent and prayed for those ungrateful persons.

The sentence of death. Pilate then sat down in his
judicial seat. Armed Roman soldiers stood on each side
of him. Jesus was brought before him. Pilate said to
Jesus : " You are condemned to be crucified." Then he
said to the soldiers : " Bring the cross." To what was
Jesus condemned? What were the Jews allowed to do to
Jesus? To whom did Pilate turn Jesus over?

Explanation — Pilate's fault. Pilate seemed to think
that he was not responsible for the death of Jesus. What
should Pilate have done with Jesus after declaring Him
innocent and just? Set Him free. What should he never
have done to Jesus? Condemn Him. It is never allowed
to condemn an innocent man to death. Was not Pilate very
guilty in condemning Jesus to death? The water with
which he washed his hands, could not wash away this great
crime from his soul. Because Pilate was guilty of making
Jesus suffer so much we say in the Apostle's Creed : " Suf-
fered under Pontius Pilate."

Jesus suffers freely. Jesus could have said to Pilate:
" Only the greatest criminals are condemned to be cruci-
fied. You know that I am innocent ; why, then, do you
condemn Me to be crucified?" But what did our Saviour
say? Nothing. Why did not Jesus defend Himself? Be-
cause He willed to suffer and die. No one could have
compelled Him against His will. Therefore He suffered
death willingly, freely.

For its. Who had deserved death and the torments of
hell ? Who, of His own free will, took our sins upon
Himself? Who, then, had to suffer the punishment they
deserved? Our Saviour. Many a child among you, for
instance, has sinned by lying and disobedience. What has
he deserved for those sins? Which of you would be will-

JESUS CONDEMNED TO DIE 159

ing to take upon you the punishment deserved by another
child? How are thieves punished? Imprisoned. Which
of you would be willing to be imprisoned instead of a thief ?
Not one. What punishment does a murderer deserve?
Which of you would offer to be executed (put to death)
instead of a murderer? Now see how Jesus freely did what
none of you, what no one on earth would be willing to do.
For us He allowed Himself to be arrested, scourged,
crowned with thorns, mocked and condemned to be cruci-
fied.

Out of love. What does this prove? That Jesus loves
us. Out of love for us our divine Saviour came upon earth
and became man. Out of love for us He willed to be born
in a stable, to be laid in a manger. Out of love for us He
suffered an agony and sweat blood in the Garden of Olives.
Out of love for us He allowed Himself to be cruelly
scourged, crowned with thorns and condemned, as a great
criminal, to be crucified.

Out of infinite love. And this He did for all men. For
all men He willed to suffer and to die, and this even for
His enemies, for the chief priests and scribes, for the
soldiers and the wicked Jews. [Yes, even for the traitor
Judas, Jesus wished to suffer and die. When Judas saw
that Jesus was condemned to death, he took a rope and
hanged himself on a tree. Judas had no reason for doing
this. If he had said to Jesus : " I am sorry for betraying
Thee," Jesus would have forgiven him and enabled him
to go to heaven.] So great was our Saviour's love for
men. No one has ever had such great love. There can
be no greater than our Saviour's for sinful men. His
love for us has no bounds ; it is an infinite love.

Summary. Therefore we say: "Jesus, out of His in-
finite love for us, suffered a cruel death." Was Jesus
obliged to suffer death? No. Jesus suffered death for us
of His own free will.

Application. Dear children, because Jesus, out of His

160 APOSTLES' CREED

infinite love for us suffered so many and such painful
torments, we ought, out of love for Him willingly suffer
a little. This was so beautifully done by little Maria
Josepha. She got very sick and had great pains in the
chest and in the side. A pious lady once visited her, and
said : " Oh, poor child, how much you suffer ! " But
Maria Josepha replied : " My dear Jesus suffered a great
deal more for me ; His whole back was covered with
wounds ; His whole head was pierced with thorns ; and I
feel only a little pain in the side. Because Jesus suffered
such great pains for me, I will also, for His sake, bear
my pains willingly."

Dear children, imitate that pious child. If you have
headache or toothache, or some other pain, think : " O
my beloved Jesus, Thou hast suffered much greater pains
for me. Therefore, I will bear my pains also for Thy
sake." Those who do this show themselves grateful to
Jesus and please Him very much.

35. Jesus carries His heavy Cross.

Preparation. Among the Jews the criminals condemned
to death were executed in a public place. The place of
execution for Jesus was outside of Jerusalem and quite
near to it. It was a hill, or a small mountain. It had
two names : Golgotha and Mount Calvary. It had the
form of a man's head ; hence it was called the mountain
of skulls. Those who were condemned to be crucified, had
to carry, each his own cross.

Object. I will now relate to you how Jesus carried His
cross to Mount Calvary.

Relation. The executioners laid hold of Jesus, took
off His purple cloak, put on Him His own clothes, and
led Him out to be crucified. And Jesus went out of the
city carrying His cross to the place called Calvary, or Gol-
gotha, that is a place of skulls. With Jesus two murderers

JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 161

were led out. A certain man, called Simon, coming from
the fields, was passing by. The soldiers stopped him and
obliged him to carry the cross behind Jesus. A great crowd
accompanied Jesus. Among them were women crying and
lamenting over Jesus.

Explanation — The cross laid on Jesus. The soldiers
who had scourged and mocked Jesus, were ordered to ac-
company Him to the place of execution. We call them
executioners, for they were to crucify Jesus. As soon as
Pilate had condemned Jesus, they lay hold of Jesus. He
should no longer wear the purple cloak. What, then, did
the executioners do? And what did they put on our
Saviour? But they left the crown of thorns on His head.
Then they brought the large, heavy cross, and threw it
down at His feet, and ordered Him to take it up and carry
it. The cross was twice as high as a man. A carpenter
had made it with two heavy boards. When our Saviour
saw the large cross, He was, at first, frightened. He
thought of the fearful sufferings He would endure on it,
and also of the great shame it was for Him to die on the
cross. But He knew also that His heavenly Father sent
Him that cross, and that He was going to redeem men by
dying on that cross. Our Saviour had also thought on
that cross all His life; and now it was ready for Him.
He knelt down, put His arms around the cross and kissed
it. And then He took it up courageously in His arms,
and laid it Himself on His shoulders with childlike re-
spect. The soldiers now led Him out on the way to be
crucified.

The march to Calvary. Jesus was not led alone to the
place of execution. Who were led out with Jesus? It
was a long and sad march. In front went a Roman cap-
tain on horseback. Then came Jesus with the cross on
His shoulder, between four soldiers leading Him by a rope.
Then came the two murderers, each between four soldiers.
After them came the executioners who were to nail Jesus

162 APOSTLES' CREED

and the two murderers to their crosses. Then came the
chief priests and the scribes and the rabble. They rejoiced
like devils that Jesus was to die on the cross. And who
else went with Jesus?

The way to Calvary was very painful for our Saviour.
He had become very faint from the sweat of blood in the
Garden of Olives, from the scourging and crowning with
thorns, and from having had nothing to eat or drink for
sixteen or more hours. Before taking the cross He could
scarcely walk. And now He must carry that heavy cross
on His bruised and wounded shoulder. He staggered along
under its great weight. He walked very much bent down.
His face was all swollen and bloody. His eyes looked so
sad and so imploring under the painful crown of thorns.
And His lips moved in prayer. Everywhere in the streets,
at the doors and windows of houses people stood looking
at Jesus, mocking and insulting Him. Where was He
going? To Calvary, the place of execution. The proces-
sion stopped at every corner. A soldier blew the trumpet,
and everything became quiet and still. Then the soldier
cried out in a loud voice : " Know you that Jesus of
Nazareth has been condemned to be crucified, because He
said that He is the king of the Jews." Then the procession
continued on its way.

Jesus falls. The way was very rough. After going a
short distance, Jesus, all faint and worn out, fell down,
with the cross upon Him. Jesus stretched out His hand
for help. When a poor horse falls down under his load
and cannot get up, everybody runs, out of pity, to help him
to get up. But for Jesus neither the soldiers nor the
executioners had any pity. No one helped him. The sol-
diers began to curse, to pull Him by the rope and to strike
Him, till He got up and went on.

Simon of Cyrene. When our Saviour had fallen a sec-
ond time, He could not get up. The soldiers feared He
would die before reaching Calvary. This did not please

JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 163

them, for they wished to see Him die on the cross. There-
fore they wished to get someone to help Jesus to carry
His cross. But no one was willing to do so. Whom did
they then meet? Simon. He was not from Jerusalem, but
from a distant city, called Cyrene. What was he there-
fore called? Simon of Cyrene, or the Cyrenean. He had
been at work and was returning home with his two boys.
He did not come to help Jesus. He refused. What did
the soldiers do, so that he should help Jesus? Simon
looked upon it as a great shame to carry the cross for
Jesus. He would rather have done anything else. It made
him afraid merely to look at Jesus, for Jesus looked so
horrible. His clothes were covered with mud and blood
stains. Therefore Simon did not wish to help Jesus to
carry His cross. He refused to do so. But Jesus, lying
on the ground and weeping, stretched out his hand to Simon,
looking imploringly at him. Then Simon's heart softened.
He took the cross and helped Jesus to carry it. Then the
more he looked at the bleeding and patient Saviour, the
more willing he was to help Him ; and at last he carried
it willingly and cheerfully. How fortunate was Simon to
help Jesus to carry His cross ! He was sanctified by doing
so, and now he is praised in the whole world.

The weeping women. Not all who accompanied Jesus
were His enemies on His way to death. Among the great
number of the wicked there were also some good persons
who had compassion on Jesus. Who were they ? How did
those women show their compassion? They wept aloud
and shed many tears over Jesus. That was good on their
part.

Veronica. Another woman was standing along the way
when Jesus passed. She saw how drops of sweat ran down
the bloody face of Jesus. This greatly moved her to com-
passion. She pushed her way through the soldiers, knelt
down before Jesus, handed to Him a white cloth, which
she used as a veil, that Jesus might wipe away the sweat

164 APOSTLES' CREED

and blood from His face. That was a good act on the
part of Veronica. Jesus kindly took the veil, wiped His
face with it, and gave it back to Veronica. And there
was impressed on that veil the picture of our Saviour's
face. Thus did Jesus reward her loving compassion.

The Mother of Jesus. The Mother of Jesus was wait-
ing at a certain place to see Jesus carrying His cross pass
by. She wished to see her beloved Son, and remain near
Him till His death and die with Him. And now she sees
Jesus coming with the cross on His shoulder, tired and
worn out, staggering and bleeding. Oh, how great a sorrow
was in her heart, when she beheld her divine Son in so
wretched a state! It seemed to her that she felt seven
swords piercing her heart. She would gladly have gone
to her Son to speak a few words with Him. But the sol-
diers would not let her pass. Then she held out her arms
towards Jesus, and Jesus remarked that His Mother was
there. And Jesus and Mary looked at each other with un-
speakable compassion, sadness and love. Mary, weeping,
followed her Son.

Explanation and Application — The sins of all man-
kind made the cross of Jesus so heavy. How heavily does
the cross press on Jesus ! Three times He fell down under
its weight. And do you know what made His cross so
heavy? The sins of all men. They are so many, that no
one could count them. If they were made into a tower,
they would reach from earth to heaven. The big mountain
of the sins of mankind pressed on the cross of Jesus. No
wonder He fell three times under His cross !

Thanks. Our Saviour carried His cross loaded with all
the sins of men, in order to redeem all men. We can
never thank Jesus enough for this. We thank Him every
time we recite the fourth decade of the sorrowful mysteries
of the rosary. Let us think on this, and recite it with
devotion.

The Way of the Cross. The way Jesus passed along

JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 165

carrying His cross on His shoulder, starts from the house
of Pilate and ends at Mount Calvary. It is over a mile
long. Later on the Mother of Jesus and the apostles made
the way of the cross, stopping a little at those places on
the way where something remarkable had happened to
Jesus ; for instance, where Jesus fell the first time under the
cross. There they would stop and reflect how greatly He
suffered there, and how the sins of men had prepared those
sufferings for Him. Then they would compassionate with
Jesus, saying in their heart: "We would rather die than
commit a sin." After that they would go to the next
station. Where Jesus met His Mother, they stopped again,
and so on, till they finished the way of the cross at the
sepulchre, where Jesus was buried. Altogether they
stopped and reflected fourteen times. Those fourteen
places are called Stations. (Ask appropriate questions on
the foregoing.)

Later on at each station a picture was placed, on which
was painted what happened there to Jesus. Soon people
went there from every country in the world to make the
Way of the Cross, where Jesus had made it. The people
would look at the pictures and think on them, pray de-
voutly before them, and thank Jesus for all He had suf-
fered for them. And now the Fourteen Stations are in
nearly every church in the world. And you sometimes see
people going from one picture to another, look at each,
and then kneel down and pray. This is called making the
Way of the Cross. This greatly pleases our Saviour.

You children also can make the Way of the Cross. Do
it in this way. First kneel before the altar and say :
" Dear Saviour, Thou didst make the bitter way of the
cross for the sins of the whole world ; and also for my
sins. I am sorry for my sins. O Jesus, forgive me. I
will now for the love of Thee make the Way of the Cross."
Then go to the First Station. Look at the picture, and
think a little while on what it shows that Jesus suffered ;

1 66 APOSTLES' CREED

then recite devoutly one Our Father. Then go to the next
Station and do the same there; do this until you have
finished the fourteenth (last) Station. Now tell me how
you can easily make the Way of the Cross. Which of you
will make it? You will then find out how happy you will
feel in your heart, whenever you make the Way of the
Cross with devotion. A child that likes to make the Way
of the Cross will surely go to heaven.

36. Jesus is crucified.

Object. I will relate to you how Jesus was crucified.

Relation. Jesus reached Mount Calvary about noon.
The soldiers gave Him wine mixed with gall. Jesus tasted
it, but would not drink it. Then they crucified Him.
With Jesus they crucified two criminals, the one on His
right hand, and the other on His left, and Jesus in the
middle. After this the soldiers took the clothes of Jesus,
and divided them into parts, one for each soldier. The
woven tunic, which had no seam, they would not divide;
they cast lots for it. Then they sat down and watched
Jesus. Our Saviour hung on the cross for three hours.
The chief priests and many Jews mocked and reviled Jesus,
saying: "If Thou art the Son of God, come down from
the cross. He helped others, but He cannot help Himself ! "
But Jesus prayed : " Father, forgive them, for they know
not what they are doing."

At noon the sun was eclipsed and a great darkness came
over the earth, which lasted three hours. Then Jesus said :
" It is consummated." Not long after Jesus cried out with
a loud voice : " Father, into Thy hands I commend My
spirit ; " and then He bent down His head and gave up
His spirit. And now the earth trembled, the rocks split,
graves opened and the bodies of many of the holy dead
arose. The captain and the soldiers watching our Lord
got frightened and said: "Truly this man was just; He

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED 167

was the Son of God." And all the people struck their
breasts and returned in silence to Jerusalem.

Explanation — The wine with myrrh. On what day
was Jesus condemned to be crucified, and was led to the
place of execution? At what hour did He reach Calvary?
Our Saviour was exceedingly tired, deathly pale and cov-
ered with perspiration. What did the soldiers give to Jesus
to drink? With what was the wine mixed? Who knows
how gall tastes? The bitter wine was intended to prevent
Jesus from feeling His pains so much. Some good women
had sent Him the wine. But what did our Lord not wish ?
He did not wish to be insensible to pain, but to suffer all
the fearful pains of the crucifixion. But He also wished
to please the good women who had sent Him the wine.
Therefore He tasted it.

Our Saviour's clothes taken off. Then the soldiers took
off His clothes very roughly. But His clothes stuck to
His wounded body. What then happened to His wounds?
They were opened again. Did that hurt Jesus very much?
It hurt Him like a fresh scourging, for His blood again
flowed all over His body and made it all red.

Jesus nailed to the cross. Now the soldiers gather
around Jesus, and the most terrible thing is going to be
done. The executioners stretched out their hands to lay
hold of Jesus. You may imagine how the heart of Jesus
must have beaten out of dread. But He allowed the ex-
ecutioners to lay Him down on the cross. What a hard
bed it was, especially for the sore back of Jesus ! And
yet how touching it was to see Him lying on it! Now
one of the executioners kneels on the breast of Jesus ;
another on His right arm ; a third takes hold of His right
hand and lays it on the arm of the cross, and with a ham-
mer drives a big sharp nail through the Saviour's right
hand into the cross. A trembling passes through every
part of our Lord's body. The blood squirts out from His
hand, and His fingers, through pain, close up around the

1 68 APOSTLES' CREED

nail. The same happens with the nailing of the left hand
to the other arm of the cross. Hot tears pour out from
the eyes of Jesus, and He weeps aloud. Now is the turn
of the feet. Pain had cramped up His feet. The execu-
tioners roughly stretched His legs and nailed His feet to
the cross; the bones cracked while the nails cut their way
between them ! How terrible that pain ! At last our
Saviour is nailed to the cross; His body is fearfully
stretched on it. His face is deathly pale, and covered with
blood. His whole body is red with blood, and blood streams
from His hands and feet.

The raising of the cross. The cross is now raised by
means of ropes, poles and ladders. The cross staggers for
some moments, rises a little, staggers again, rises a little
more ; after some more staggering it is up and with a fright-
ful jerk its foot falls into the hole prepared for it, and
the sufferings of Jesus in His hands and feet are increased.
The hole is then filled with ground, and the cross is up
and stands fast in its place.

Jesus hangs on the cross. The cross of salvation is
now erected for the first time on earth. On it hangs the
Son of God between heaven and earth. His head is cov-
ered with the crown of thorns. Jesus cannot move. The
blood from the crown of thorns continues to flow and
trickles down into His eyes and mouth. And from His
hands and feet streamlets of blood run over His arms and
down the cross to the ground.

Who were crucified with Jesus? In what order were
the crosses placed? Jesus was placed in the middle, as if
He were the worst of criminals.

When the cross was raised, the chief priests and scribes
yelled for joy ! They rejoiced like devils, and all hell re-
joiced with them. They thought : " We have got Jesus
at last ! He shall no more escape us. Now He must die."

Compassion of friends under the cross. There were also
friends of Jesus standing under the cross : St. John and

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Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and other pious women.
Weeping they raised their hands towards Jesus, and looked
at Him full of grief and love. Also the Mother of Jesus
stood under the cross, that bed on which her Son and
her God was dying! Oh, how much she suffered near
that terrible death-bed of Jesus ! Mary and Jesus looked
at each other's eyes, and spoke together in silence with
their looks. What a love! What a sorrow! Because
Mary underwent so great a sorrow at her Son's death,
she is called the Mother of Sorrows.

Division of the clothes of Jesus. How many soldiers
led Jesus to execution and helped to crucify Him? These
four soldiers took possession of the clothes of Jesus ; His
shoes, a girdle, an upper garment, an inner one, and a
cloak. What did the soldiers do with the clothes, so that
each one should get as much as any of the others? They
divided them so that he who got the shoes, got also a piece
of the upper garment ; and he who got the girdle, got also
a piece of the cloak. The four parts were equal in value.
The under garment was left. This garment the Blessed
Virgin had woven herself as a single piece without seam.
The soldiers would not cut it into pieces, for it was too
good to be cut up. Only one of them was to get it. They
threw dice to see who would get the largest number, for
the largest number would win the inner garment. This
was the way in which they cast lots for it. Did the sol-
diers then go away? How long did they remain on Mount
Calvary? Until Jesus died. At what hour of the day did
He die?

Jesus reviled and mocked. In the meantime what were
the chief priests and the other Jews doing to Jesus? They
made fun of Jesus and insulted Him. They would not
give Him a moment of rest or let Him die quietly. Wre
must never make fun of an unfortunate person. That
gives him fearful pain. Much less should we make fun
of a person dying. How did the chief priests and Jews

lyo APOSTLES' CREED

revile and insult the dying Jesus ? They said: " Ah, Thou
Son of God, show now what Thou canst do: come down
from the cross." You know that Jesus could easily have
come down from the cross, if He had wished. Why?
But why did He not come down? What else did they
say to revile Jesus? But Jesus prayed for those who in-
sulted Him. What did He say?

The eclipse of the sun. What wonderful thing happened
in the heavens while Jesus was hanging on the cross? At
what hour? It became as dark as the darkest night over
the whole earth. The birds stopped singing, the animals,
greatly frightened, ran about and hid themselves. The
men also were in great fear, looked at the heavens to see
what was the cause of the darkness. How long did the
darkness last?

Jesus dies. As long as He hung on the cross, Jesus was
praying silently to His heavenly Father for all men. At
last He had suffered enough. He raised His head crowned
with thorns, and said: "It is consummated" (finished).
What was consummated? His suffering. He had finished
all that His Father had commanded Him. He had atoned
for the sins of mankind. Men were redeemed. And now
for the last time on the cross He opens His lips. What
did He say with a loud voice? "I commend," that is,
I give up. To whom did He give up His soul? How
beautiful ! Jesus knows no one to whom He would rather
give up His soul than to His heavenly Father. What did
our Saviour then do with His head? He bowed His head.
He wished to give a signal to death, as if He said : " Now,
death, you can come; I will now die." Then Jesus drew
one breath more, and then breathed out His soul, that is,
gave up His soul. Jesus was dead.

The tvonders at the death of Jesus. At the moment
Jesus died, great wonders took place. What were these
wonders? What did the earth do? It trembled. People
thought the houses would fall down, and ran out into the

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED 171

streets and the fields. What happened to many large rocks ?
They split like wood cut with an axe. Mount Calvary was
split in two. What happened to some graves? Who came
out of the graves?

The impression made by these wonders. The soldiers
were still on guard around the cross. Their captain was
also with them. He was very near the cross of Jesus,
and looked all the time at the face of our Saviour. How
did the captain and the soldiers feel when the earth trembled
and the rocks split? Who caused these wonders to take
place at the death of Jesus? What should the Jews have
concluded from these wonders? Who made the right con-
clusion? What did they say? What did they believe about
our Saviour? How did the people act? On what did they
probably reflect when they went home in silence?

Further Explanation — Tree of the cross; tree of
paradise. The Redeemer hangs dead high up on the cross.
The cross is like a tree with two dry (withered) branches.
Our bleeding Saviour is the red fruit on the tree of the
cross. The tree of the cross reminds us of another tree,
on which fruit was hanging. Who knows which tree I
mean? The tree of paradise. What command had God
given to our first parents concerning that tree? What
would happen, if they would eat of its fruit?

All men lost. How did they obey that command ? What
did they commit by their disobedience? What did their'
sin do to their soul? Where could they no longer go?
God closed heaven to men. What punishment were they
to undergo after their death ? Where would their soul go ?
Who inherited their sin and punishment? Most of men
have also committed actual sins, personal mortal sins.
Where should such men go after their death? To hell,
the endless punishment due to their sins.

Our Saviour took upon Himself the sins of all men.
But the Son of God undertook to wash away in His own
blood the pains of hell and the sins of all men. Therefore

172 APOSTLES' CREED

He took upon Himself our sins, the sins of all men. He
was so overloaded with these sins, that His heavenly Father
saw nothing but sins when He looked at Him. And our
Saviour loaded with all these sins allowed Himself to be
hanged on the tree of the cross between two criminals, as
if He were the worst of criminals. He took upon Him-
self all the sins of all men. And let us see how He atones
for them.

Our Saviour atones for our sins. What did our Saviour
receive by being nailed to the cross through His hands
and feet? How did He before this receive many wounds?
His wounds pained Him very much, especially those in
His hands and feet. The big nails burned Him like red
hot irons. He felt as if there came from every one of His
wounds flames of fire. He felt as if He was lying in the
fire of hell, for His pains were like those of hell itself.
And how many hours did He suffer all this? Three hours.
Whilst He is hanging on the cross, what flows from His
wounds? And the blood of Jesus, thus flowing down the
tree of the cross, washes the sins from the souls of men.
Wrhat happened to Jesus when all His blood had flowed out
of His wounds? He died.

We are redeemed. At that moment heaven was opened
again. What punishments did our Saviour atone for by
His pains? What did He wash away from our souls with
His blood? Now we have been freed from the slavery of
sin and the pains of hell. And what is now open to men?
Men are redeemed. Oh, how lovely is Jesus on the cross!
Already in the manger He was lovely! But He is more
lovely to us with His wounds on the cross. He loved us
and washed us from our sins with His blood.

Summary. No one could have obliged Jesus to suffer
death for us. But what induced Him to suffer for us?
The infinite love He has for us induced Him freely to
suffer and die for us, in order to redeem and save us.
Where was Jesus crucified? On Mount Calvary, near

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED 173

Jerusalem. How long did He hang on the cross? What
did Jesus do at last with His head? Bowed it down.
And what then took place? He died. After hanging three
hours on the cross, Jesus at last bowed His head and died.
Let us repeat what Jesus suffered for us. What did He
suffer in the Garden of Olives? Agony and a bloody sweat.
What then happened to Him? He was arrested, scourged,
crowned with thorns, and finally nailed to the cross.

Application — Holy Week. On which two days did
Jesus suffer all this for us? On which day did He die
for us? Good Friday is the day on which our Saviour
died. When the father dies, the children are sad. The
day of his death is for them a day of sadness and mourn-
ing. So is the Friday, on which our Saviour died, a day
of mourning for all men. That Friday is called Good
Friday ; it is called Good, because on that day Jesus re-
deemed us from sin and hell. On Maundy Thursday the
bells stop ringing and the organ becomes silent.

Abstinence. The last two (three) days of Holy Week
are days of abstinence from flesh meat. Why? Because
Jesus suffered for us. And because Jesus died on a Friday,
we are not allowed to eat meat on Fridays during the whole
year, except on the feasts of obligation that fall on a
Friday (Pope Pius X.).

Veneration of the cross. On Good Friday a picture of
our Lord on the cross, called a crucifix, is exposed for
the veneration of the faithful. The people go to that
crucifix, kneel down before it, pray to and thank our
Saviour for dying on the cross for us, and then they kiss
our Saviour's wounds on the crucifix. You children
should do this as well as the grown people. Therefore,
like them, kneel before the crucifix, pray to Jesus crucified
and thank Him for dying for you, and devoutly kiss our
Saviour's wounds. The crucifixion is the fifth sorrowful
mystery of the rosary. In the house of every Catholic
there should be a crucifix. There is one in every church,

174 APOSTLES' CREED

on every altar. Whenever you see a crucifix, think how
Jesus died on the cross for us. Pious people love to pray
to Jesus before a crucifix, and this is very pleasing to
Jesus. Thank Jesus for dying for you on the cross, and
say to Him : " My dear Jesus, I thank Thee for dying
on the cross for me. May Thy blood not be shed in vain
for me."

The passion of Jesus should not be in vain. Our Saviour
died, indeed, for each one of us. And yet it might happen
that some of you will be condemned to hell. Why are
some persons condemned to hell? It is not the fault of
Jesus ; it is their fault ; on account of their sins, of which
they do not and will not repent, Jesus died in vain for
them. In vain He suffered for them, in vain He shed His
blood for them, in vain He died on the cross for them.
It would be the greatest possible misfortune to be of the
number of those persons ! Our Saviour can help a child
never to commit a mortal sin ; He can help a child who
has committed a mortal sin to be really sorry for it, and
He will pardon the child who is really sorry for his mortal
sins. Such a child will go to heaven. For such a one
the sufferings and blood of Jesus are not in vain. Often
pray to Jesus : " I thank Thee, O Lord, for having died
for me. Let not Thy sufferings and Thy blood be lost for
me."

Everything for the love of Jesus. You can thank Jesus
also in this way : " My dearest Jesus, Thou hast done all
for the love of me ; I wish to do also all for the love of
Thee." When you work, when you study, when you find
it hard to obey, when you suffer pain or are sick, say:
" O Jesus, all for the love of Thee." If you do this, your
whole life belongs to Jesus, you live for Jesus.

At the Elevation. When Jesus is raised up by the priest
at the Elevation of the Mass, it is as if He was dying on
the cross for us. Then you should love Him so much,
that you would be ready to die for Him. You ought then

JESUS PIERCED AND BURIED 175

to say to Him : " O Jesus, for Thee I live, for Thee I
die. I am all Thine in life and in death."

37. The dead Body of Jesus is pierced and buried.

Object. I will tell you to-day what was done with the
body of Jesus after His death.

Relation. Towards evening one of the soldiers opened
the side of Jesus with a spear (lance). Blood and water
immediately flowed out of it. Then two members of the
Great Council of the Jews took the body of Jesus down
from the cross, wrapped it up in fine linen and laid it in
a new grave cut out of a rock. They then covered the
entrance with a large heavy stone. The next day the chief
priests sealed the stone, and placed a guard of soldiers over
the grave.

Explanation. How long did Jesus hang on the cross
before dying? What happened to the sun when Jesus was
hanging on the cross? After the death of Jesus the sky
became gradually clear, and the evening sun cast gloomy
rays through the clouds on the Redeemer's dead body
hanging on the cross. Where are dead bodies placed?
In graves. But not immediately ; they are usually kept
a day or two before being buried. A dead body is called
a corpse. The dead body of Jesus was buried the same
evening. A Roman soldier wished to see if Jesus was
really dead. What did he do to find it out? With what
did he pierce the side of Jesus? A spear, or lance, is a
weapon with a long handle or pole, having a sharp piece
of steel at the end. With this spear the soldier struck the
side of Jesus so hard, that the sharp piece of steel went
through His breast deep into His very heart. When he
drew out his spear there was a large and deep wound in
the side of Jesus, out of which Jesus shed the last drops
of His blood. Jesus was then really dead. How many
large wounds were there now in the body of Jesus ? They

176 APOSTLES' CREED

are called the Five Sacred Wounds of Jesus. Which was
the largest? The wound in His side. It was so large
that a man could put his hand inside of it. It was wide
open, and through it the heart of Jesus could be seen.
Why did the soldier open or pierce the side of Jesus?
The wound in the side of Jesus is like an open door through
which we can reach the Heart of Jesus. When the Blessed
Virgin saw the soldier piercing the heart of Jesus with
his spear, she cried out greatly frightened.

Jesus is taken down from the cross. Now Mary would
have wished to take down the body of her divine Son from
the cross and bury it. But she was not able to do it.
Who came to help her? Two influential members of the
Great Council. One was Joseph, of the town of Arimathea,
and the other Nicodemus of Jerusalem. They bought fine
white sheets of linen and plenty of aromatic (sweet smell-
ing) spices, and went to Mount Calvary. Mary was very
glad when she saw them coming to her assistance. They
first knelt devoutly before the cross to adore their dead
Saviour. Then they placed ladders against the cross, and
went up on them. One of them pulled out the nails from
the hands and feet of Jesus. He kissed the nails and
handed them down below. The other received in the linen
sheet the body of Jesus, holding it tight. Then both car-
ried it down from the cross with great reverence. They
spoke only what was necessary, and in a whisper, as if
they were in church.

The Saviour's dead body in His Mother's lap. Mary
sat down on a mat, and both men slowly and carefully
laid the body of Jesus in her lap. The Infant of Beth-
lehem lies again in His Mother's lap. Mary, holding Him
by the neck, kisses Him, and lays her face long on His
face; then she draws His head to her breast, just as if
He was asleep. But, alas ! He is dead. His lovely face
is pale, swollen and bloody. Mary can hardly recognize
it. His eyes are closed in death. His arms are rigid and

JESUS BURIED 177

stiff. His head is pierced with thorns. His right shoulder
is badly bruised from carrying the cross. The hands and
feet bear the cruel marks of the nails. And in His side
there is a wide, deep wound reaching into His very heart.
Mary saw and considered all. She felt as if she had had her
heart suddenly pierced by seven sharp swords, and as if
she would have to die of grief. Who has seen a picture
of Mary holding her dead Jesus in her lap?

Mary cared for the body of Jesus. Mary first removed
tenderly the crown of thorns from the head of Jesus.
Then she washed His head and face. She washed also
the bloody wounds in His shoulder and in His back, and
His pierced hands and feet. Lastly she combed His hair
and poured on it some sweet-scented ointment.

The embalming. Jesus was now to be buried. Joseph
and Nicodemus wrapped His body in the winding sheet,
placing all around the body inside the sheet plenty of sweet
aromatic herbs and spices. This they did, in order to
prevent the body from corrupting and emitting stench.

The burial. They then carried the body of Jesus to the
grave. The graves of the Jews were different from ours,
as I have already explained to you, when I related to you
the resurrection of Lazarus. What did I say about his
grave? People could go into it as in a little room. Some-
times several corpses were placed in one grave. Our
Saviour's grave was like that of Lazarus, cut out of a rock.
No corpse had yet been laid in that grave. What was it,
therefore, called? A new grave. The grave was in a
garden near Mount Calvary, belonging to Joseph of Ari-
mathea. He had got the grave made for himself, for he
wished to be buried in it after his death. Into this grave
the body of Jesus was carried by Joseph and Nicodemus.
The Blessed Virgin, St. John and the holy women followed
the body of our Lord. In the grave our Saviour's body
was gently and reverentially laid in a coffin of stone. His
body, though full of wounds, no longer bled. The sweet-

178 APOSTLES' CREED

scented herbs and spices spread an agreeable odor. Out-
side the grave there grew palm-trees, shrubs and flowers ;
and the garden was already full of blooming spring flowers.

Taking leave of the dead Saviour. The holy Mother
of Jesus entered the grave to take a last look on the body
of our Saviour now lying there surrounded by so many
beautiful flowers and blossoms. She bent down weeping
over the body of Jesus and gave it a last kiss. Then the
men and holy women also entered the grave to adore our
Saviour and kiss His wounds.

The closing of the grave. The entrance of the grave
was now closed with a stone so large that it could not
be carried. How did they bring it and place it against
the opening? Then they went away sorrowful and silent.
Their eyes were red from much weeping. After reaching
home they thought all the time about the Saviour's body
in the grave.

The guard over the grave. The chief priests were still
very much afraid. They feared that the apostles would
come in the night and carry away the Saviour's body, and
then tell everybody that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Therefore, early on Saturday morning they went to the
grave with sixteen soldiers. The soldiers were strictly or-
dered to keep a close watch over the grave. What were
the soldiers, therefore, called? Guards. The chief priests
said to the guards : " Stay here day and night, and take
good care that no one comes here and steals the body of
Jesus."

The sealing of the large stone. But this was not enough
for the chief priests. They placed a sign on the grave, so
that no one could move the stone closing the grave without
its being found out. Who knows what that sign was?
What did they do to the stone? Who has already seen
a sealed letter? The seal is placed just where the letter
is closed. And if the letter is opened, what happens to
the seal? The seal is broken. You can tell by the seal if

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS 179

the letter was opened. Our Saviour's grave could not be
sealed exactly like a letter. The priests placed some tape
or large strings around the large stone and fastened the
ends on each side of the grave. Now how could they find
out, if somebody had opened the grave? Why did the
chief priests seal the grave of Jesus?

Summary. What was done to our Saviour's side after
His death? After His death His side was pierced with
a spear. And after that what happened to His dead body?
The dead body of Jesus was taken down from the cross
and laid in the grave.

Explanation and Application — The Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus. Where was then the body of Jesus? In
the grave. The sufferings of Jesus were all over. When
did He shed the last drops of His blood? When His side
was opened with a spear. What could be seen through
the opening in His side? His Heart. A mother often
asks her child: "Where do you love me?" Where does
the child point? To his heart. Our father and mother
love us more than any one else. But our Saviour loves
us infinitely more than they. He loves us so much, that
He shed for us the very last drop of blood in His Heart.
He wished also to show us His most loving Heart. There-
fore He allowed His side to be opened with a spear. In
many pictures you can see the Heart of Jesus, and Jesus
pointing to it, as if He said to us: "Oh, see this Heart
which has loved men so much." What do we owe to our
Saviour for His love? We should often say: "Sweet
Heart of Jesus, be my love."

Our gratitude to Jesus for His love. I once read of
a fight between a lion and a large snake. The snake had
enveloped itself around the lion and was squeezing him
to death. But a knight passing by, seeing this, pulled
out his sword and cut the snake in two, and saved the
lion's life. How do you think the lion showed his grati-
tude to that knight? He followed the knight everywhere,

180 APOSTLES' CREED

and brought him deer and other game which he caught
for him. He never left the knight. Thus you can see how
a wild beast showed his gratitude to him who had saved
his life. If you do not wish to be less grateful than a
wild beast, you must thank our divine Saviour. How can
you show your gratitude to Him? When Blessed Margaret
Mary was still a child, she also learned that our Saviour
had suffered so much on the cross. She therefore had a
great love for Jesus. Seeing a crucifix one day she 'wept
and kissed it, saying: "Most beloved Jesus, I will belong
entirely to Thee." Whenever after this she saw a crucifix,
she would pray before it, and thank Jesus for suffering
so much for her. Dear children, accustom yourselves to
think on our loving Jesus and His bitter passion, espe-
cially when you see a crucifix. Think on it whenever you
recite these words of the Creed : " Suffered under Pontius
Pilate, died and was buried," and pronounce these words
devoutly.

Prayer to the five wounds of Jesus. There is another
prayer, by which we venerate the passion of our Saviour;
that is the prayer to the five wounds of Jesus, in which
we say : " O Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us on the
cross, through the wound of Thy right hand, have mercy
on us." (Rehearse this with the children, and repeat the
prayer for each of the other wounds : of Thy left hand ;
of Thy right foot; of Thy left foot; of Thy sacred side.)

38. The Soul of Jesus goes down to Limbo. Jesus
rises from the dead.

Object. I will tell you to-day where the soul of Jesus
went after His death.

Relation. When the soul of Jesus left His body it went
down as fast as lightning to Limbo, where the souls of
those were who had already died. They were waiting there
for the coming of the Redeemer. The soul of Jesus re-

JESUS IN LIMBO 181

mained three days with them. He said to them: " I have
redeemed mankind. You shall soon go to heaven."

Explanation — Limbo. What leaves man's body when
he dies ? The soul ; the spirit. What did Jesus breathe
forth at His death? His soul. Where did the soul of
Jesus go when He died? It went directly and quickly
to Limbo. Limbo was a place under the ground, anciently
called hell, that is, a lower region. It was not the hell
where the devils and wicked men, who are dead, suffer
punishment. In Limbo there were the souls of good, pious
men, such as, Adam and Eve, Abel, the pious shepherds,
the wise men, who had already died ; and also of the Holy
Innocents massacred by Herod on account of the Infant
Jesus. Also Simeon and Anna were there. And who else?
St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus. He had not been
dead very long. All these persons were good and holy
at their death. How do we call them? The souls of the
just. Where ought these souls to have gone after their
death? To heaven. But why could they not go there?
Heaven was then closed. They had to wait in Limbo
until heaven would again be opened. Some of those souls
had spent already over three thousand years in Limbo.
They had no pains to suffer in Limbo, no fire as there is
in hell or purgatory. But they were not allowed to see
God. You can imagine how these souls longed for heaven.
Who was to open heaven for them? They could hardly
wait until the Redeemer would come.

Jesus in Limbo. All on a sudden Limbo became very
bright, just as it does on earth when the sun rises. The
soul of Jesus was there. And His soul was surrounded
by very many angels. Jesus was glorious and as bright
as the sun. The whole of Limbo was beautifully lit up
by Him. Jesus spoke to the just: "I have just died on
the cross for all men; now heaven is opened, and you
shall all leave this place and go to heaven." You may
imagine how those holy souls rejoiced. They all knelt full

182 APOSTLES' CREED

of joy before Jesus, adored and thanked Him. Where
did the soul of Jesus go after His death? Who were in
Limbo? The soul of Jesus went, after His death, to Limbo,
where were the souls of the just who had died. There-
fore we say in the Creed : " He descended into hell."
Mention some of the souls that were there. What did
Jesus say to them? How long did the soul of Jesus re-
main there?

Object. On the third day the soul of Jesus returned
to His body, and Jesus rose from the dead, as I will now
tell you.

Relation. At dawn of the third day Jesus rose from
the dead and came out glorious from the grave. And be-
hold, there took place a great earthquake, and an angel
came down from heaven, rolled away the large stone from
the grave, and sat on it. His appearance was like light-
ning, and his garment was as white as snow. The guards
trembled for fear, and were like dead. At the same time
pious women set out for the grave. They wished to em-
balm Jesus. When they arrived, they saw the grave open.
The angel said to them : " You seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified. He is not here ; He is risen. Make
haste and tell it to His disciples and Peter."

Explanation — The body and soul of Jesus again united
together. The third day after the death of Jesus had come.
On which day did Jesus die? That was the first day.
Which day comes after Good Friday? Holy Saturday.
That was the second day. And which is the third day?
Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday the soul of Jesus re-
turned from Limbo. Jesus took the souls of the just along
and many angels. They all went to the grave of Jesus.
They passed through the large stone into the grave. The
body of Jesus lay there as if asleep. And the angels knelt
down around it to adore it. Jesus showed the holy souls
His wounded and torn body. They all shuddered out of
holy fear, and again thanked Jesus for the sufferings He

JESUS RISES FROM THE DEAD 183

had endured for them. Then the soul of Jesus bent over
His body and entered it and entirely penetrated it and
thus again became united with His body.

Jesus rises from the dead. In what state was the body
of Jesus when His soul had left it? What took place in
the body of Jesus, when His soul returned into it? His
members began to move. Jesus freed Himself from the
sheets around Him and stood up. The sun had not yet
risen. What begins with the rising of the sun? The day.
But before the sun rises, it begins already to be light. It
was just then that Jesus rose from the dead. That time
is called the dawn of the day. When did Jesus rise from
the dead? At the dawn of the third day, Easter Sunday.

The glorified body of Jesus. The body of Jesus was
now a great deal more beautiful than before. It was as
bright as the sun at noon on a clear day. The whole grave
was filled with a dazzling light. The eyes of Jesus were
like two lovely morning stars. Instead of the frightful
crown of thorns, there was a bright golden ring around
the forehead of Jesus. His hair, like shining gold, cov-
ered His neck and shoulders. His garments glittered from
light blue, like the sky in sunshine, to the beautiful red
of sunrise and sunset. It was a wonderfully pleasing
sight. The wounds made by the scourging were no longer
visible. Only the five great wounds of the hands, feet and
side remained, but they were healed ; they were as beau-
tiful as roses, and were shining like the rays of the sun.

Jesus had a new and wonderful life. He no longer
needed food and drink, nor to walk slowly on the ground
as we do. Just as birds take flight in the air and fly
quickly from one place to another, so Jesus could go as
fast as lightning from one place to another. His body
was as light as air. He was transparent, and passed like
an angel through walls and stones. His body was almost
like a soul, a spirit. Therefore we say: "The body of
Jesus at His resurrection was transfigured and glorified."

1 84 APOSTLES' CREED

In what state was the body of Jesus, when He rose from
the dead? Why do we call a body glorified?

The joy of Jesus risen. Oh, how happy was Jesus in His
glorified state! It was now a joy for Him to be the Re-
deemer. His sufferings and torments were now over, and
seemed like a dream. He now rejoiced over them, and His
joy has no end. Now our Saviour raises His hands and
eyes towards His heavenly Father. He now wishes to
show Himself to Him in His glory; and in exultation He
exclaims : " I am risen from the dead." And it seems as
if the heavenly Father turns to Jesus and says: "Thou
art My beloved Son." And the holy souls wondering
praise the risen Saviour and sing : " Alleluia. This is the
day which the Lord hath made; let us exult and rejoice
in it. Alleluia. Sing to the Lord a new hymn, for He
hath done wonders." Thus was the resurrection of Jesus
celebrated already in His grave.

Jesus comes forth from the grave. And now Jesus came
out of the grave. With what was the grave closed ? What
had the chief priests done to the stone? And whom had
they placed before the grave? But the stone, the seal and
the guards could not keep Jesus in the grave. What hap-
pened to the body of Jesus when the soul went back into
it? It became alive again and also glorified. How can
a glorified body come out of a closed grave? Also the
angels and the souls of the just had gone in and out of
the closed grave, and the soldiers had not noticed it. They
were now guarding an empty grave. They would soon
find it empty. Who then came down from heaven ? What
did the angel do? Now everybody could look into the
grave. What was the appearance of the angel? What
other wonder took place ? How did the guards get fright-
ened at the earthquake and at the appearance of the angel ?
The guards after a while regained consciousness. They
got up and looked very frightened at the open grave.
Where did they no longer wish to remain? Where did

JESUS APPEARS TO HIS MOTHER 185

they go? They related to the chief priests: "Jesus rose
this morning from the dead. The grave is open and
empty." The chief priests gave money to the guards, say-
ing to them : " Keep quiet about that, and do not tell
any one that Jesus is risen from the dead. Tell the people :
We fell asleep at the grave, and the apostles came and
stole the body of Jesus." And the guards obeyed them.

The women at the grave. Who went out early in the
morning to the grave? What did those pious women in-
tend to do? We lay on the graves of our friends wreaths
and flowers ; we do this to show our love for them. How
did the holy women wish to show their love for Jesus?
They wished to embalm Him. They took along ointments,
sweet herbs and myrrh. What did they see when they
came to the grave? They were frightened. They entered
the grave. What did they see there? The angel knew
whom they were seeking. What did he say to them?
What did he announce to them? To whom should they
hasten to deliver the joyful message? You can easily
imagine how happy these women felt.

Jesus appears to His Mother. Immediately after His
resurrection Jesus went to His Mother. She knew He
would rise from the dead. She waited the whole night
for Him. She had decorated her little room with flowers
and fine plants. Then she put on her feast day dress, and
knelt down to pray. Not very long after midnight she
heard a sweet hymn sung softly as by heavenly voices,
and her room became so full of light, that her lighted
lamp seemed as if it was not lighted at all. Our Saviour
was there with many angels and the souls of the just from
Limbo. Jesus greeted His Mother very affectionately.
Mary prostrated herself at His feet, and exclaimed with
joy: "Is it Thou, indeed, my dear Son?" Our Saviour
replied : " Yes, beloved Mother, it is I. I have risen from
the dead, and have come to tell thee." He then embraced
her, laid His face on hers, and pressed her to His heart.

186 APOSTLES' CREED

Mary then looked at His holy glorified body, His face and
His hands. Jesus showed her His wounds, which had been
so dreadful, but which now were so shining and so lovely.
Mary rejoiced and praised God for giving back her Son
to her.

Explanation — The combat between Jesus and the devil.
To whom did men belong after the sin of our first parents ?
Our Saviour wished to rescue men from the devil. How
did the devil hold them in his power? Jesus fought the
devil. Soldiers (in certain countries) wear a helmet to
protect their head. What did Jesus allow to be placed on
His head? The crown of thorns was His helmet. Sol-
diers have a sword to fight with. What did Jesus have
in His hand? A reed. Soldiers like to fight on horse-
back. Our Saviour in His fight was hanging on the cross.
The soldiers in battle utter their war-cry. What did Jesus
do on the cross? He prayed. During a battle when the
cavalry mingle in the fight and the cannons roar, the earth
trembles. What happened to the earth, when Jesus was
combating the devil? There was a great earthquake.
The combat was terrible. God the Father looked on at-
tentively from heaven; the angels listened and held their
breath. The devils were watching the result of the battle.
The terrible battle lasted three hours, and Jesus died.
Where was His body laid? People would think: "O
misfortune ! Jesus is dead, the devil has conquered."
And the devil, indeed, cried out, " Hurrah ! " He thought :
" Jesus is dead and buried ; a big stone closes His grave ;
He can never get out; I have won the fight. All men
now belong to me. No one shall escape me. I will drag
them all into hell." But the devil rejoiced too soon.

The victory of Jesus over the devil. What did Jesus
do on the third day? He rose from the dead. To whom
does the victory now belong? What a terror for the devil!
Now his head is crushed. How did Jesus restore life to
His body? He re-united His soul with His body. He

THE RISEN SAVIOUR 187

raised Himself from death to life! Which other dead
persons did He raise to life? That Jesus raised them to
life is a great miracle indeed; but that He raised Himself
to life is the greatest of miracles ! Who raised Himself
to life? What does it prove? That Jesus is God!

The victory of Jesus over death. In the stable of Beth-
lehem Jesus was born as a little, helpless child. There
He received human life, which lasts only for a time. On
Easter Sunday Jesus received His new life. What can
no longer happen to Jesus? Suffering and death. Jesus
rose from the grave glorious and immortal. Because He
rose from the dead, we also shall rise one day from the
dead. Now death is only a temporary sleep, for Jesus has
conquered death.

Picture. Let us look at the picture of the resurrection.

The risen Saviour. What do we see on His head ? The
crown of victory. Wrhy does His body shine so beauti-
fully? His body is glorified. What do you see in the
hands and feet of Jesus ? Why do you see no other wounds
in His body? What does our Saviour hold in His hand?
A flag. What is on the flag? This flag shows that Jesus
has gained the victory. He who conquers in a difficult
battle is called a hero. What, then, is our Saviour?
Whom did He overcome? Death and the devil. The cross
tells us that Jesus conquered them by His death on the
cross.

The angels, the guards. Who else are seen in the pic-
ture? How do you recognize the angel? What is he do-
ing with his hands? Why does he kneel with joined
hands? In what position are the guards? Why are they
lying on the ground? What frightens them? Whom did
the guards not see? Only angels and good men were al-
lowed to see the glorious risen Saviour.

The grave. Show me the grave. In what kind of place
was it? It is now open and empty. Where is the stone
that closed it?

188 APOSTLES' CREED

Summary. What did Jesus do on the third day after
His death? He rose glorious from the dead. The Creed
says: "The third day He rose again from the dead."

Application. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we
celebrate a great feast — Easter Sunday. The church is
beautifully adorned. Alleluia is heard during the Mass.
" Jesus is risen, alleluia." We thus express our joy that
Jesus rose from the dead, triumphing over His enemies,
and opening heaven to us. Now Jesus reigns forever.
Therefore heaven and earth, angels and men rejoice. Chil-
dren should also share in the joy. What do they get on
Easter Sunday? You surely do not know why children
get eggs on Easter Sunday. I will tell you. An egg
contains a little bird, a little chicken. When the time of
hatching comes, the little chicken breaks the shell with its
bill and comes out alive. So also did Jesus come out alive
from the closed grave ; and so shall our body come out
alive from its grave on the last day.

39. Jesus appears to His Disciples. Jesus ascends

to Heaven.

Object. I will now relate how Jesus showed Himself
to His disciples after His resurrection.

Relation. After His resurrection Jesus remained forty
days on earth. He appeared often to His apostles, and
sometimes to His other disciples. Once five hundred of
His disciples were present. He wished to show them that
He was really risen from the dead. He even ate and drank
with them. Moreover, He wished yet to teach many things
to His apostles.

Explanation — The apparitions of Jesus. After His
resurrection Jesus could have immediately returned to
heaven. Mankind was already redeemed. But Jesus
wished first to show Himself to His apostles. One even-
ing they were all together in a room in Jerusalem. For

APPARITIONS OF JESUS 189

fear of the Jews they had locked the doors. All at once
there was Jesus standing among them. How did He get
in? Because He suddenly stood before the apostles, we
say : " He appeared to them." The apostles did not
know where He came from, or how He got in. But how
they rejoiced when they saw Him! They would have
liked Him to remain with them. But suddenly He was
gone, that is, He disappeared as suddenly as He had come.
At one time how many of His disciples were present when
He appeared ? Over five hundred. On some occasions He
sat at table with the apostles. What did they then do?
Ate and drank. Our Saviour also showed them His
wounds. Once He allowed one of the apostles to touch
them, to put his finger into the wounds in His hands, and
his hand into His side. In this manner Jesus appeared
various times during forty days to His disciples.

Reason of the apparitions of Jesus. If the apostles had
not seen Jesus after His resurrection, they would prob-
ably not have believed that He was risen from the dead.
Why did He appear so often to them? He wished to
prove clearly that He was risen from the dead. For the
same reason also He ate and drank with them, showed
them His wounds, and allowed one of His apostles to touch
them. But Jesus did not remain on earth merely to show
Himself to His apostles. He also taught them to say
Mass, to baptize and many other things, because they
would soon have to go to preach to all men in the whole
world. At last, the time came for Jesus to return to
heaven.

Object. I will now tell you how Jesus ascended into
heaven.

Relation. On the fortieth day after His resurrection
Jesus appeared to His apostles for the last time. They
were again in Jerusalem, assembled in the Supper Room.
Jesus sat down at table with them and explained Holy
Scripture to them. Then He commanded them : " Stay

190 APOSTLES' CREED

in the city until you are endowed with power from above.
And then go forth all over the world to preach to Jews
and pagans." Then He led them out to Mount of Olives.
There He raised His hands over them and blessed them.
Whilst He was blessing them He was lifted up heaven-
ward in their presence, entered heaven and sat at the right
hand of God.

The apostles adored Jesus and gazed at Him ascending
until a cloud concealed Him from their view. Then two
angels clothed in white appeared and said : " You men
of Galilee, why are you standing here, looking up to
heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from
among you into heaven, shall come again in like manner,
as you have seen Him ascend." And the apostles re-
turned with great joy to Jerusalem.

Explanation — Jesus appears for the last time. Be-
fore ascending into heaven, Jesus wished to take leave of
His apostles. He wished on that occasion to eat once
more with them. How many days after His resurrection
did Jesus ascend into heaven? On the fortieth day. It
was a Thursday. Where were the apostles assembled?
Jesus sat at table with His apostles. He sat in the mid-
dle, and His apostles and disciples sat around Him. The
holy women also were there, seated at another table. Next
to Jesus was His Blessed Mother. She wished to see all
that our Saviour did, and hear all that He taught. Jesus
first prayed and blessed the food. Then He distributed
the food to each one, and to His Blessed Mother and the
holy women. Whilst eating, Jesus spoke with His apos-
tles, and said to them : ' The time has now come for
Me to return to My Father in heaven. I will prepare in
heaven a place for you and for all who will believe in
Me, so that you may be there with Me."

Jesus promises the Holy Ghost. When the apostles
heard that they would not see Jesus any more on earth,
they felt very sad. Many of them wept. They would

THE ASCENSION 191

have liked to keep the Saviour with them. Perhaps they
said : " O dearest Jesus, stay with us. When Thou art
gone, we shall be all alone in the world, like poor orphans
without a father." But our Saviour consoled them, say-
ing: " If I go not to the Father, you shall not be able
to go to Him. Therefore you ought to rejoice, that I go
away from you. Do not be afraid. Do not leave Jeru-
salem so soon, but remain together waiting and praying."
Where should the apostles remain? And what should they
do? Our Saviour would send them the Holy Ghost. The
Holy Ghost would come down from heaven upon them,
and give them strength. The apostles would then be en-
dowed by Him with strength. Where would the Holy
Ghost come from? From on high. In this way they
would become so strong, as to have no fear of any one.
How long should the apostles remain in Jerusalem? Until
they would be endowed with strength from on high.
What should the apostles then do? Go all over the world
and preach the Gospel to all nations.

On the way to Mount of Olives. After Jesus had said
this, they all rose. Our Saviour took His Mother by the
hand and placed her in the midst of the apostles, saying
to them : " My Mother is henceforth to be your Mother.
Love her very much. She will always pray for you."
Then He ordered Peter to come in the midst of the apos-
tles, and said to them : " When I shall have ascended into
heaven, Peter shall be your chief; and you must obey
him." Then Jesus said to all : " Come to see Me ascend-
ing into heaven."

Where did Jesus lead His apostles? Many of the dis-
ciples also went along. On Mount of Olives there were
other disciples waiting for Jesus, for they had heard that
He was about to leave the earth. At the foot of the
mountain there were shade trees. In this cool place Jesus
sat down on the grass for a while with the apostles and
conversed with them. The people of Jerusalem had heard

192 APOSTLES' CREED

that Jesus was about to leave the earth. When they saw
that a number of persons had gathered together on Mount
of Olives, they set out in crowds for the Mount. When
it was near noon, Jesus stood up with His disciples and
went up the Mount with them. The apostles, Mary and
the holy women were with Jesus, and people from all sides
followed, as in a procession. Whilst going up the Mount,
our Saviour's face and body began to shine. He walked
always faster and faster, as if He was trying to get away
from the apostles.

The last blessing. When Jesus reached the top of
Mount of Olives, Jesus was gloriously bright. All stood
around Him in a circle. The holy souls of Limbo were
also there; but they were invisible and could not be seen.
It was noon. Jesus was shining as brightly as the sun,
but in various colors, like a grand rainbow. Now Jesus
looked once more with infinite love on His Mother, on
the apostles, on all present. Now He was going to give
them His last blessing. What do we do when the priest
gives us his blessing? We kneel down, and make the
sign of the cross. Thus did Mary, the apostles and all
present. And what did our Saviour do? He turned
around towards all, and blessed them and the whole world.

The Ascension. And what happened to our Saviour
whilst He was giving His blessing? He was lifted up
from the ground. He made Himself light, and His feet
left the earth and He rose upward towards heaven. The
eyes of all followed Him. Bright and shining He went
up higher and higher. Now He is almost up to the clouds.
Then there comes a bright cloud from heaven, shining
like the sun; but Jesus is still brighter. He enters that
cloud, just as if one sun would enter another sun. The
souls of Limbo ascended invisibly upward with our
Saviour and also entered the bright cloud. When Jesus
had reached the top of that cloud, He could no longer
be seen from the ground. But others saw Him : the angels.

THE ASCENSION 193

They looked down from heaven and saw Jesus standing
on the cloud. But He soon leaves the cloud and ascends
higher and higher. Now the clouds are far below Him.
Now He is as high up as the stars, and He still continues
to go higher and higher until the stars are far below Him,
and He has reached the gate of heaven.

The entry into heaven. Now a voice in heaven is heard
saying: "Open the eternal gates of heaven! Open them
wide, for the King of glory is about to make His entry
into heaven." And now, children, for the first time since
the sin of our first parents, the gate of heaven was opened,
and the Redeemer of mankind, followed by the countless
souls from Limbo, made His glorious entry into heaven.
It was a long and grand procession. The angels came to
meet our Saviour, singing : " Alleluia, praise the Lord
who ascends over the heaven of heavens." And the multi-
tude of the souls from Limbo, who accompanied Jesus,
sang : " We rejoiced, when we were told, that we shall
go into the house of the Lord. Better is one day in Thy
house, O Lord, than a thousand other days." Our Saviour
went through heaven, always higher and higher, above all
the angels and archangels, and higher till up to the throne
of God.

Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father. There
the Father and the Holy Ghost rose from their throne to
meet our Saviour. The Father took Him by the hand,
looking at Him with unspeakable love, and said to Him:
" Because Thou wast obedient to Me unto the death of
the cross, now Thou shalt be higher than every one else.
Be seated on My throne at My right hand, and rule over
the whole world. Every knee shall bend to Thee in heaven
and on earth, and all the angels shall adore Thee." At
these words all the angels and all the souls in heaven pros-
trated themselves on their faces and adored our Saviour.
He is now seated on the throne at the right hand of God
the Father almighty, and rules and governs the whole

194 APOSTLES' CREED

creation together with the Father and the Holy Ghost for-
ever and ever. What place does our Saviour hold in
heaven ?

The apparition of the angels. The apostles were still
on Mount of Olives. When they saw Jesus rising upwards
from the ground, they knelt down in great astonishment.
And how did they again venerate our Saviour? What did
they do whilst Jesus was ascending heavenward? How
long did they gaze at Him? How was He hidden from
their view? And even when they could no longer see
Him, they kept on looking upward. Who suddenly ap-
peared near them? They came from heaven. How were
they clothed? What did they say to the apostles? Why
did they say " Men of Galilee " ? What question did they
ask the apostles? What would you have answered, if
you had been there? The apostles probably said the same.
What did the angels tell the apostles about Jesus who had
just ascended into heaven? Who knows when that will be?
The angels then disappeared. The apostles and the crowds
remained a good while longer on Mount of Olives, speaking
about the Saviour's Ascension.

The return of the apostles. Where did the apostles go
after leaving Mount of Olives? We would now naturally
think that the apostles grieved and wept, because our Sav-
iour had left them. But no; they returned to Jerusalem
full of joy. They had never before seen anything so glo-
rious; and they never forgot it so long as they lived.

Explanation — Christ ascended into heaven in soul and
in body. If our soul is perfectly pure when we die, it
will go straight to heaven. What will be done to our
body ? What will happen to our body in the grave ? What
happened to the body of Jesus on the third day after His
burial? How did His body become alive again? From
that moment His body and His soul remained always united
together. And, therefore, Jesus ascended in body and in
soul into heaven. After our death which part of us will

JESUS IN HEAVEN 195

go to heaven? But how was it with Jesus when He
ascended into heaven? How long was it after His resur-
rection? What feast does the Church celebrate in honor
of our Saviour's ascension into heaven.

Application. Now it is a pleasure for Jesus to be
the Redeemer of men. Now He can rest after His labors
and sufferings. The wicked Jews can no longer do Him
any harm. No enemy can reach Him on His throne. The
gate of heaven is now wide open day and night, and every
day many holy souls enter it. They all place themselves
around His throne. It looks like thousands of wreaths of
angels and saints around Him. The saints take off their
golden crowns, kneel down, thank our divine Saviour and
adore Him. Our Saviour is seated on His beautiful throne.
He alone is seated. He is raised above all. He is the Lord
of all. How far different is it now from what it was
on Good Friday, when Jesus died on the cross ! On Good
Friday the people in church are sad; many weep. Why?
But now we should rejoice the more, because Jesus in
heaven is raised above all.

You are destined to go to Jesus in heaven. What has
He prepared there? You are to be, as well as the angels
and saints, near Jesus forever in heaven. How greatly
you should rejoice at this thought! But to go to heaven,
you must do like Jesus. He had to deserve His place in
heaven. What did the Father say to Him when He led
Him to His throne? How did Jesus deserve so high a
place? All through obedience. You must, therefore, be
obedient like Jesus. When your parents command you
to do something, you must do it, even if you would rather
go and play. When the food is not to your liking, think:
" Like Jesus, I will accept what is bitter and disagreeable."
When the teacher gives you a hard lesson, you must cheer-
fully do your best to learn it well. In this manner you
will deserve a high place in heaven.

A certain mother used to call up her boys every morn-

196 APOSTLES' CREED

ing, saying : " Boys, get up ; life is short, you have but
little time to deserve heaven. Every minute you oversleep
yourselves, you could have employed well to gain greater
happiness in heaven. Therefore get up quickly, and go
and assist at holy Mass." Dear children, when your
mother calls you in the morning, obey at once and get up,
dress, say your morning prayers, and go to hear Mass.
If you promptly obey your parents and superiors you will
surely gain a high place in heaven.

40. The Holy Ghost descends upon the Apostles.

Preparation. With what were the apostles to be en-
dowed after our Saviour's Ascension? Whom did Jesus
promise He would send them from heaven for this pur-
pose? Where should the apostles remain until then?
What should they do?

Object. I will now relate to you how the Holy Ghost
came down from the apostles.

Relation. In Jerusalem the apostles went to the hall
where they usually stayed in that city. There they all
remained in prayer, and there were with them the Mother
of Jesus and other disciples. There were about one hun-
dred and twenty persons in all. On the tenth day there
suddenly came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind,
and it filled the whole house where they were assembled.
Tongues as of fire appeared and rested on each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began
to speak in diverse tongues. When the people of Jerusalem
heard that great sound, they hastened in great numbers
to the house where the apostles were. St. Peter came out,
and preached to them that Jesus had risen from the dead,
and was now seated in heaven at the right hand of God.
Many believed and were baptized. About three thousand
persons were admitted into the Church on that day.

Explanation — Waiting for the coming of the Holy

PENTECOST 197

Ghost. Where had the apostles returned after the Ascen-
sion of Jesus? Where did they stay in Jerusalem? Who
were with the apostles? How many were there in all?
They were in that large room, or hall, as in a church.
What did they do there? Spent the time in prayer. In
this manner they remained together for ten days. The
tenth day was a Sunday. On this day the Jews celebrated
a great feast, Pentecost. On this day Jews from every
country came to pray in the temple. Was there any other
feast when the Jews had to come to pray in the temple of
Jerusalem? The immense temple was filled with people,
and the streets were crowded.

The mighty wind. What came up suddenly in Jerusa-
lem on the tenth day? What was the sound like? But
this sound was not over the whole city, but only at and
around the house where the apostles were assembled. The
sound from heaven came always nearer and nearer, till it
was all around the house, and at last it entered and filled
the house.

The tongues as of fire. Another wonderful thing took
place. The room in which the apostles were, became sud-
denly all bright. What was seen there? They came there
suddenly. No one knew where they came from. There-
fore we say that they appeared. They were first seen on
the ceiling ; then they were seen coming down slowly.
Where did they place themselves? Over each apostle one
fiery tongue placed itself and remained suspended over
him. Look at the picture of the descent of the Holy Ghost.
Who is sitting in the midst of the apostles? What do
you see over the head of the Blessed Virgin? Also there
is one over the head of each apostle. These tongues were
not of real fire, and therefore did not burn the apostles.

The filling with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost was
in the fiery tongue. When the fiery tongues placed them-
selves over the apostles, the Holy Ghost invisibly came
into the apostles by descending from their heads to their

198 APOSTLES' CREED

hearts, until they were all filled with Him. When a vase
is filled with water, we say that it is full of water. With
what were the apostles filled? The Holy Ghost descended
also on all the disciples present.

The miracle of tongues. How could the people hear that
the Holy Ghost had come down upon the apostles? Be-
fore that day the apostles could speak and understand only
one language — the Jewish language. You yourselves un-
derstand and speak only one language. Which is it? In
church we hear the priest and the altar boys praying in
another language. Which is it? The Latin. Do you un-
derstand it? You sometimes hear Germans, Italians, etc.,
speak. What language do they speak? Almost every
country has its own language different from all other
languages. If you wish to learn the language of another
country, you must study it even for many years. Some per-
sons find it very hard, and even impossible to do so. But
after receiving the Holy Ghost, the apostles could under-
stand and speak not only the Jewish language, but also
every language in the world, without having studied them.
How could this be? The Holy Ghost taught them all at
once. That was a great miracle.

The apostles go forth to preach. What did the people
of Jerusalem do when they heard that mighty sound?
They hastened to the house in which the apostles were,
and remained in front of it. They wished to see what had
happened there. The door of the house was soon opened,
and all the apostles came out. How wonderful ! Before
this the apostles were so full of fear, that they always kept
the door locked for fear of the Jews. Now they no longer
feared the Jews.

St. Peter's sermon. St. Peter came forth and preached.
What did he preach about? He said to the Jews: "You
committed a great sin, when you crucified Jesus. He is
the Son of God and the Redeemer. He is risen again from
the dead, and has ascended into heaven. There He is

PENTECOST 199

seated at the right hand of God. To-day He sent down
the Holy Ghost upon us. Be now sorry for your sins,
and receive baptism." Among those who heard St. Peter
preach there were many strangers from Egypt, Rome, and
every country in the world. There were many thousands
of people present at his sermon. Why were there so many
strangers in Jerusalem? Now think a moment: if there
were here, besides yourselves, Germans, Frenchmen, Ital-
ians, Chinese, Japanese, who could not understand a word
of English, could they now understand every word I say
to you? Not at all. But St. Peter's sermon in the Jewish
language was understood by Egyptians, Romans, Greeks,
Gauls, etc., who did not know a word of Jewish ! Who
caused this great wonder?

The effect of the sermon. All had listened attentively to
St. Peter's sermon and understood it. What was the ef-
fect of the sermon? Three thousand persons believed in
Jesus Christ and were baptized. These persons were called
Christians. Why? Because they became disciples or fol-
lowers of Jesus Christ. Who were the very first that be-
lieved in Jesus Christ? The apostles and disciples who
followed Him whilst He was still on earth.

The Church of Jesus. All the Christians together are
called the Church of Christ. His Church was small in
the beginning. Who first belonged to it? The apostles,
disciples and the holy women. And when were there new
Christians? How many? There were more than three
thousand persons who heard St. Peter's sermon. Why did
not all of them become Christians? Because only three
thousand believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized. How
are people received into the Church? By baptism. How
do people go into your house? By the door. How do
people enter the Church of Christ? By baptism. Baptism
is the door of the Church of Christ. How many were bap-
tized on Pentecost and entered the Church of Christ? When
they were baptized, they also received the Holy Ghost.

200 APOSTLES' CREED

Explanation — The enlightening. The Holy Ghost is
like a light. Of what use is a light? It shines and en-
lightens things. The Holy Ghost shone in the souls of
the apostles and enlightened them. After this the apostles
understood much better than before what Jesus had done
and taught, and clearly remembered what they had already
forgotten.

The strengthening. The apostles had to know well all
that our Saviour had done and taught, because they had to
preach it all over the world. But the apostles had always
been afraid of the Jews. How did they act after the Holy
Ghost had come upon them? They opened the door and
came out to preach publicly. And what did St. Peter do?
He reproached the Jews for the great sin they had com-
mitted in crucifying the Redeemer, the Son of God. St.
Peter no longer had any fear of the Jews. He and the
other apostles were full of courage, for the Holy Ghost
had endowed them with strength and fortitude ; He had
strengthened them. How had Jesus foretold this to the
apostles? What effects did the Holy Ghost produce in
the apostles? He enlightened and strengthened them, and
enabled them to speak in different languages.

The Holy Ghost is sent to the Church. How do we call
those who received the Holy Ghost on Pentecost? Chris-
tians. And, taken all together, what did they form? The
Church of Jesus Christ. Therefore we can say also: The
Holy Ghost came down upon the Church of Christ. In re-
membrance of the descent of the Holy Ghost, we celebrate
the feast of Pentecost, ten days after the Ascension of
Jesus into heaven. How many days after Easter is the
Ascension? How many days after Easter is Pentecost?

The Holy Ghost comes to ns also in baptism. The Holy
Ghost descended not only into the souls of the first Chris-
tians, but also into your soul and heart when you were
baptized. In whose image and likeness was your soul cre-
ated? Your soul is an image of God. When you were

THE HOLY GHOST 201

born, your soul was not pure and beautiful. There was a
sin in it. Which sin? Original sin. That sin defiled the
image of God in your soul, and made it ugly. God could
not then be pleased with your soul. If you had died so,
you could not have gone to heaven. Therefore, when you
were a little baby, you were brought to the church. For
what ? And when you were baptized, the Holy Ghost came
invisibly into your soul, and washed away from it original
sin. Your soul then became so clean and pure that there
was not even the slightest stain in it. And then the image
of God in your soul became perfectly pure and beautiful.
And the Holy Ghost gave your soul a snow-white garment.
This garment made your soul holy. How do you call it?
The holy garment of sanctifying grace. Your soul then
became as beautiful as a little angel. And if you had
died then, your soul would have flown directly to God in
heaven, and people would have said : " That child is now
a beautiful little angel." And at your funeral they would
have said : " That is the body of an angel." And your
brothers and sisters, and also your parents could have
prayed to you as they now pray to the angels and saints
in heaven. Who came down into your soul at baptism?
What did the Holy Ghost remove from your soul? And
what did He bring to your soul? The garment of sancti-
fying grace, more precious than all the riches of the world.
What did it make your soul? Holy. The Holy Ghost
made you holy; He sanctified you. Each of the three Di-
vine Persons has benefited you. What benefit has the
Father bestowed on you? What benefit has the Son con-
ferred on you? And what has the Holy Ghost done for
you? He sanctified you.

The Holy Ghost dwells in the soul. After your baptism,
the Holy Ghost remained and dwelt in your soul. How
do you call the house in which God dwells? God's house,
a church. And what has your soul, your heart, become
:-ince the Holy Ghost dwells therein? A house of God, a

202 APOSTLES' CREED

church, a temple of the Holy Ghost. Sometimes some rela-
tives or friends come to spend a few days at your house.
They are called your guests. They usually bring some
present for you. In like manner, the Holy Ghost has come
to stay in your soul. He brought something for your soul.
What has He brought? Therefore you can call Him the
guest of your soul.

Mortal sin drives away the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost
wishes to remain always in your soul. But He can dwell
only in a pure and holy soul. That is why He is called
the Holy Ghost. So long as Judas was good and pious, the
Holy Ghost dwelt in his soul. But when Judas committed
a grievous sin, the Holy Ghost left his soul and with Him
the garment of grace went away also. And then the devil
entered his soul, his heart. The same happens to other
men. When does the Holy Ghost leave the soul? How
long does the Holy Ghost remain in the soul?

Summary. The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the
Blessed Trinity. He is true God like the Father and the
Son. He was sent to the Church on Pentecost. The Holy
Ghost came into our soul already at our baptism, and re-
mains in our soul as long as we keep free from mortal sin.

Application. Suppose you had suddenly become chil-
dren of a monarch, of a millionaire? How happy would
you feel? But since you received in baptism from
the Holy Ghost the holy garment of grace, you are more
noble, more rich than the children of a monarch, of a
millionaire, for you are children of God. Should not this
fill you with joy? But be very careful to remain children
of God, and do not lose the garment of grace. How
could you lose it? By committing a mortal sin, for in-
stance. . . . Rather die than commit a mortal sin. Chil-
dren are anxious to be beautiful and rich. With the gar-
ment of grace our soul is as beautiful as an angel and
much richer than any monarch or millionaire. If you
are good, the Holy Ghost will make you every day more

THE HOLY GHOST 203

and more beautiful and rich. Therefore He enlightens
you with the light of His grace. Then He inspires you to
do good ; for instance, He suggests to you to say : " I will
pray; I will be devout in church; I will cheerfully obey; I
will study diligently ; I will be modest." It is the Holy
Ghost that sends to you all these good thoughts. Before
the sermon, before the instruction we recite a prayer to
the Holy Ghost. Then He enlightens us that we may better
understand and remember the sermon and the instruction,
or the word of God. The Catechism also is the word of
God. The Holy Ghost helps you at the instruction in Cate-
chism to understand it better. When you find the Cate-
chism lesson hard to learn, stop awhile and say an Our
Father to the Holy Ghost; and then take a new start in
studying it, and you will learn it more easily.

When you feel inclined or tempted to do anything bad,
for instance, to disobey, to tell lies, to steal, say : " Help
me, O Holy Ghost, to avoid that sin." And the Holy Ghost
will give you the strength to overcome your evil inclination
and avoid that sin.

There are some children who are happy to obey always
punctually. They find nothing too much or too hard. Do
you know who makes them so willing to obey? It is the
Holy Ghost. He strengthens them. And when the Holy
Ghost makes a person strong, he finds everything easy
and pleasant. And everything a good child does is pre-
cious in the sight of God.

On the roof of some churches there are gilt stars. When
the sun shines on them, they shine and twinkle like the
stars in the heavens. But if the sun does not shine on
them, they can hardly be seen. What makes those stars so
beautiful? The sun. The Holy Ghost in your heart is
also a sun. All you do becomes gilt and bright by His light,
and is pleasing to God. And the heavenly wings of your
soul grow always more and more. But if the Holy Ghost
is not in your heart, all the good you then do, is almost

204 APOSTLES' CREED

nothing in the sight of God, and heavenly wings are want-
ing to you. Without the Holy Ghost you can do nothing
to deserve heaven.

You now see how much the Holy Ghost benefits you.
Is He not a dear sweet guest in your soul? Often pray
devoutly to the Holy Ghost, and ask Him often to come
to you and enrich you with His grace. Say to Him : " O
Holy Ghost, my sweet Guest, who possessest all graces,
come to enlighten and strengthen me, and help me to un-
derstand the word of God, and cheerfully to fulfil all His
commands."

41. The Catholic Church.

Connection. The last time I gave you an explanation
of the Church. You know that Jesus preached for three
years among the Jews, and that many believed in Him.
How were those called who believed in Him? Christians.
What did all the Christians together constitute? The
Church of Jesus Christ. By the Church of Jesus Christ
we do not mean a stone or frame building into which we
go to pray. When people see you going together to church,
they say : " Here comes the school." They do not mean
the school-house, where the teacher teaches, and the chil-
dren learn and recite their lessons. What do they mean?
And when something was said in school, people say : ' The
whole school laughed." They do not mean that the school
building or the school-room laughed. And when we say
or speak about the Church of Christ, we do not mean the
church building. What, then, do we mean by the Church?

Object. By degrees the number of Christians increased
and the Church grew larger, as I will tell you to-day.

Development — Spreading of the Church after Pente-
cost. Our divine Saviour wished that all men should be-
long to the Church. Therefore, shortly before ascending
to heaven, He said to His apostles : " Go into the whole

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 205

world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." What
did Jesus command His apostles? But men spoke many
different languages in the world. What did Jesus do to
enable all men to understand the apostles? When did the
apostles begin to preach? Who preached the first sermon?
What was the effect of his sermon? Because they be-
lieved in Jesus Christ they were called Christians, or faith-
ful, because they were faithful in believing and becoming
Christians. How many new Christians were there on
Pentecost? To what did they belong? To the Church.

Just as St. Peter preached on Pentecost, so did the other
apostles preach afterwards. They first preached in the
Jewish country. The chief Jews did not like it, and there-
fore they persecuted the apostles as they had persecuted
Jesus. They put the apostles in prison and scourged them ;
but this did not stop their preaching; they preferred to die
rather than disobey Jesus. Who gave the apostles such
great courage and strength? The apostles also proved the
truth of what they preached about Jesus. Soon after Pen-
tecost Peter saw a beggar who was a cripple lying down
near one of the gates of the temple. St. Peter took him by
the hand, and said : " In the name of Jesus of Nazareth
arise and walk." The cripple immediately jumped up, and
was able to walk. What did St. Peter do by this? He
performed a miracle. Who is alone able to work a miracle?
God ; Jesus as God. What did St. Peter say when he cured
that cripple? The people therefore knew that a miracle
had been performed through Jesus, and many believed in
Him, five thousand men, besides the women and children.

But the apostles did not all remain in Judea. Where did
they afterwards go to preach Jesus Christ and His doc-
trine? All over the world. One went to Egypt, another
to Persia, another to Rome ; and so they went to every
country. They preached wherever they went, and every-
where many became Christians, and the number of Chris-

206 APOSTLES' CREED

tians kept on increasing. Jews and pagans, rich and poor,
even princes and kings believed in Jesus Christ and were
baptized. To what did they all belong? Thus the Church
of Christ spread always into more and more countries.

The Christians, a family. All the members of the Church
clung together and loved one another very much, just
as it is with you at home. The father and mother and the
children all belong together and love one another. And
when any member of the family goes elsewhere, do you not
love him still ? Does he not still belong to the family ? How
do you show your love to the absent ones? By writing,
sending little presents as tokens of love. You are all but
one family. In like manner, all the Christians belonged
together and loved and helped one another. They formed
one large family. They did not all live together at Jerusa-
lem. Where else were there Christians? In Egypt, in
Greece, in Rome, in every country. They formed an im-
mense family, the Church of Christ.

The Pope, the head of the Church. In every family there
must be one at the head who commands and cares for
all. Who is it? The father. The father is the head of
the family. The Church, a very large family, must have
a head. This head is also a father, our Holy Father, the
Pope. All the Catholics in the world love and obey him
and call him Holy Father, or the Pope. Who is the head
of the Church? The Pope.

St. Peter, the first head of the Church, the first Pastor
or Pope. St. Peter was the first Holy Father or Pope.
Who made him head of the Church? One day Jesus asked
St. Peter : " Dost thou love Me ? " St. Peter answered :
" Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee." Then Jesus said
to him : " Feed My lambs ; feed My sheep." WThat a
great meaning in these words ! What do you call a man
who takes care of sheep and lambs? A shepherd, or a
pastor. What did Jesus order St. Peter to do? To feed
the lambs and sheep belonging to Jesus. What, then, did

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 207

He make St. Peter? A shepherd, or pastor. But the
sheep and lambs of Jesus were not ordinary sheep and
lambs, but all Christians, that is, all the men, women and
children who believed in Jesus and were baptized ; these
formed the flock, or the Church of Christ. But the sheep
of Christ's flock, or Church, are not all close together as
sheep and lambs in a flock. They are scattered over the
whole world, in every country, city, town, etc. And St.
Peter was ordered by Jesus to feed them all, to care for
them, to be their shepherd, their pastor. St. Peter was,
therefore, the first head of the Church, or Pope.

The apostles were also all shepherds. But St. Peter could
not care all alone for the immense flock of Jesus. It
needed many shepherds, shepherds in every country and
place. Jesus knew this ; therefore, He made the other
apostles shepherds also, as helpers of St. Peter. Each
apostle was to care for a part of the flock, but they all had
to obey St. Peter, the head-shepherd.

Bishops, the successors of the apostles. But St. Peter
and the other apostles did not live always ; they all died
in the course of time. To take their places after their
death, the apostles chose and ordained other pious men as
bishops, or shepherds, for this was the will of Jesus Christ.
And these bishops succeeded the apostles after their death.
When a bishop died, another was chosen in his place, and
this has continued until now and will continue as long as
the Church of Christ lasts, and that will be until the end
of the world. There are now even more than one thou-
sand bishops in the world. (Name some cities where bish-
ops reside.)

The Bishop of Rome. Before his death St. Peter lived
in Rome. The bishop who succeeded him, lived also in
Rome ; and all his successors lived also in Rome. The
Bishop of Rome is the successor of St. Peter. What was
St. Peter to the whole Church of Jesus Christ? Her head.
The Bishop of Rome has always been the head of the

208 APOSTLES' CREED

Church. How is he called? There have been already over
two hundred and sixty Popes.

Priests, the assistants of the bishops. Because the Pope
and the bishops are the successors of the apostles, they
must do what the apostles did. What did Jesus command
the apostles to do? To teach men what He had taught
and baptize those who believed. They have also to say
Mass, to hear confessions, administer the sacraments, etc.
But some bishops have to care for several hundred thou-
sand Christians, scattered in cities, towns, etc. The bishop
cannot alone care for all, hear the confessions of all, bap-
tize all the children, say Mass for all, preach to and instruct
all, prepare all the dying for a good death, etc. He needs
a great deal of help. Who preaches, says Mass for you,
instructs you, etc.? The pastor; his assistant. The bishop
ordains priests and sends them as his help in the parishes
of his diocese. Therefore there are several hundred thou-
sand priests in the world helping the bishops to care for
their share of the flock of Jesus Christ.

The Catiiolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. Which
bishop is the head of the Church? Who was the first head
of the Church? Who is the successor of St. Peter? Who
are the successors of the other apostles ? Who help the bish-
ops in caring for the souls of the faithful? Who willed that
St. Peter and the other apostles should have successors?
Jesus willed also that priests should help the bishops in
caring for souls. Who wills that the Church should be
as it is now? In other words, who founded the Church?
The Church in which the Pope is the head, is called the
Catholic Church, and all the Christians who belong to it,
are called Catholics. Who belong to the Church of Christ ?
Catholics. You are also Catholics. How did you become
Catholics ?

Application — Society of the Holy Childhood. It is a
great happiness to belong to the Catholic Church. I will
tell you how you can thank God for it. In Asia, in China

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 209

there are many millions of pagan children. They are not
baptized. They do not belong to the Catholic Church; if
they die thus, they cannot go to heaven. And many die
thus. The parents often throw their new-born babies into
the streets, or into rivers, or into the woods, where they die
of hunger, or cold, are drowned or are eaten up by ani-
mals. Would you be willing to help to have these children
baptized and become Catholics like yourselves? You can
help a little. How? By saying daily a Hail Mary that
God may grant that those children should be baptized, and
giving every month one cent to save these poor little chil-
dren. The money is sent to pious priests in those countries.
They baptize them, save their life, feed and clothe them,
bring them up as Catholic children, just as you yourselves
are brought up and taught to serve God and save your
soul. Sometimes those pious priests buy those children
from their parents, and bring them up as good Catholic
children. The more money sent to these priests, the more
pagan children they can baptize and make good Catholics
of them. There are thousands of Catholic children, like
yourselves, who daily say a Hail Mary and give one cent
every month for those pagan children. They do this in
honor of the Holy Child Jesus, and they form a society
called Society of the Holy Childhood. What must the
members of that society do every day ? Every month ?

42. The End of the Catholic Church. The Com-
munion of Saints. The Forgiveness of Sins.

Object. I will now show you how great a happiness
it is to be a member of the Catholic Church.

Development — The shepherds, or pastors lead. All
Catholics together form the Church or flock of Christ.
During His life Jesus Himself was the shepherd. He
once said of Himself: " I am the Good Shepherd." When
Jesus returned to heaven, He did not wish to leave His

210 APOSTLES' CREED

flock without a shepherd. Whom did Jesus, be-fore ascend-
ing into heaven, appoint as the head shepherd of His flock?
What did He say to St. Peter? "Feed My lambs, feed
My sheep." What did He appoint His apostles to be?
Shepherds.

The flock of Jesus is very great. There are now over
three hundred millions of Catholics in the world. Who
is now the head shepherd of this great flock? The Pope.
(Give his name.) That large flock is now divided into
more than one thousand smaller flocks. The bishops are
the shepherds of these flocks. The flocks of the bishops
are still very large; they average one hundred thousand
each. Each bishop cannot care by himself for his whole
flock. By whom are the bishops helped? By the priests.
Each bishop has, on an average, over one hundred priests
to help him. The priests also are shepherds, or pastors.
I am the pastor or shepherd of ... . Rev. Father is pas-
tor of .... So it is all over the world. Every parish
has its shepherd, or pastor. Where does the pastor lead
his flock?

The flock follows, obeys. Some of you have perhaps al-
ready seen a flock of sheep going somewhere. Where is
the shepherd? In front; and the sheep follow him where-
ever he goes. How beautiful! In like manner, the Rev.
pastors lead their flocks to the pastures. The bishop goes
ahead, and his priests follow him, each one leading his
own little flock. And who is at the head of the whole
flock of Jesus Christ? The Pope. Why? Because he is
the head-shepherd of the whole flock, and the whole flock
follows him.

The end or object of the zvhole Hock and of the head-
shepherd is heaven. Do you know where the Pope is lead-
ing the flock of Jesus Christ? To heaven. Towards
heaven the Pope directs his steps. The sheep in every
little flock look to their shepherd or pastor in front; and

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 211

these shepherds look to the shepherd ahead of them, the
bishop; and all the bishops look to and follow the Pope at
the head of all of them; and the Pope looks to heaven
and walks in the road leading there, and all follow him
in that direction.

The Church leads us on the right road. If the Pope
would not lead the immense flock of Jesus Christ on the
right road, the whole flock would not reach heaven. But
the Pope knows the way to heaven. Our divine Saviour
showed the way to His apostles. It is true that the apos-
tles did not always understand well what Jesus said, and
that they forgot much of it ; but later on they remembered
and understood all. How? The Holy Ghost enlightened
them on Pentecost.

The Holy Ghost directs the Church. Since Pentecost
the Holy Ghost has always remained with the Church.
He is still with her and enlightens the Pope and the bishops.
Therefore the Pope and the bishops now know the way
to heaven as well as the apostles did; and they now teach
the very same things which Jesus commanded the apostles
to teach. Who help the bishops in the care of souls?
The priests. The bishop tells his priests what they must
teach to their flocks, and the priests teach nothing else
than what their bishop teaches ; and the bishops teach only
what the Pope teaches. Therefore all is true that is taught
in the whole Church, and the Church cannot lead us on
a wrong road, but leads us always right. Who takes care
that the Church should always lead us right? The Holy
Ghost. When did Jesus send the Holy Ghost to His
Church? Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost to His Church
on Pentecost.

We must obey the Church. Where will the Church lead
us? To heaven. She goes in front. And what must we
do, if we wish to go to heaven? If we wish to go to
heaven we must follow, that is, obey the Church. To be

212 APOSTLES' CREED

saved means to go to heaven. What must we do to be
saved? If we wish to be saved, we must always obey the
Church.

In the Church ive receive the forgiveness of our sins.
A sheep that does not follow the shepherd, will get always
further and further away from the flock, and at last it
will no longer see the flock. It does not know then where
to go; it runs about in every direction, and gets at last
entangled in briars and thorns; and if the shepherd does
not come to free it from the briars and thorns, the poor
sheep perishes. So it is with the Catholics who do not
follow (obey) the Church. They go astray and get en-
tangled in sins, perhaps in mortal sins, and if there were
no one to loosen them, they could never go to heaven. But
the Church can come and loosen those sheep of hers from
their sins. The sheep help along, for they confess their
sins to the priest. And then the priest loosens them from
their sins, that is, he forgives their sins. What must we
do to have our sins forgiven? Each of you have already
been forgiven a sin. Which sin was it? Original sin.
When was it forgiven you? It is only in the Catholic
Church that sins can be forgiven. Therefore we say in
the Apostles' Creed : " I believe in the forgiveness of
sins." He whose sins are forgiven, can again go to
heaven.

Object of the Church. No one is able to find heaven
by himself. Who leads us on the right road to heaven?
The Church ; for it was for this purpose that Jesus founded
His Church. Jesus established His Church to lead men
by the right road to heaven, to eternal salvation. To what
must all men belong, in order to be saved? Therefore
Jesus said to His apostles : " Go into the whole world
and preach to all nations," etc., etc.

The Catholics, or the Christian faithful on earth. When,
in a family, the father earns some money, the mother and
the children derive profit from it. And when one of the

COMMUNION OF SAINTS 213

children earns money, his brothers and sisters and parents
share in it. And in the great family of the Catholic Church
when a member gains some merit, all the other members
share in it. Many of the faithful are pious and holy and
do much good. For this they deserve a great reward from
God. They do not keep it all for themselves. You and
all other Catholics share in it. A girl that goes to the
convent, and becomes a Sister, deserves great reward
from God. All the faithful share in it. When the Pope,
the bishops and priests say Mass, they pray for all the
faithful. And as at home the parents pray for the chil-
dren, and the children for the parents, so all the faithful
pray for one another.

The suffering souls in purgatory. When one of the
faithful dies in the state of grace, he may not go directly
to heaven. Why? Because he may not be perfectly pure
at his death; perhaps his soul is then stained with some
venial sins. His soul must be entirely purified, before it
can enter heaven ; therefore it is sent to purgatory, where
it will have to suffer until it is perfectly pure. There are
many, many souls in purgatory. They must suffer much ;
they cannot help themselves. Therefore we call them the
suffering souls, the poor souls. These souls still belong to
us. They are our brothers and sisters of the great Catholic
family. In purgatory they think of us, and cry out to us :
" Oh, help us ! Please help us." And we can help them.
How?

The souls in heaven. Where do the souls in purgatory
go when they are perfectly pure? The souls that are per-
fectly pure at death, go directly to heaven. There they
see and enjoy God, and are perfectly happy. They are
the " blessed " in heaven. There are probably members
of your family already in heaven ; for instance, your
grandparents, a child that died soon after its baptism, etc.
Although they are already dead and in heaven, they still
belong to your family. They think of you and pray for

2i4 APOSTLES' CREED

you. All the souls in heaven belong to the great Catholic
family. They think of us, love us and pray for us.

The Communion of saints. Who still belong to the great
Catholic family on earth? The souls in purgatory and the
souls in heaven. The faithful on earth, the souls in purga-
tory and the souls in heaven form a society which is called
the Communion of saints. The souls in heaven are al-
ready holy or saints. The souls in purgatory have the
garment of sanctifying grace, and will soon be perfectly
holy. The Catholics on earth have been sanctified in bap-
tism, and should daily become more and more holy, for
they are destined to be saints in heaven. Therefore the
society of the saints in heaven, of the souls in purgatory
and of the faithful on earth is called the Communion of
saints.

Summary. Who belong to the Communion of saints?
What must we do to be saved? Who takes care that the
Church will lead us by the right road to heaven? For
what purpose did Jesus Christ establish His Church?

Application, i. The saints in heaven are willing to
help us, that we may succeed in saving our soul on earth
and may join them in heaven. Therefore they pray for
us, and when we ask God for something, they pray to God
to give it to us, that is, they intercede for us. God will-
ingly grants us what the saints beg Him to give us. Let
us love to pray to the saints in heaven, and especially to
the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. They are our patrons.
We should, then, pray daily to them. Each of you has a
special patron, whose name you bear. What is the name
of your patron? Of yours? A good child prays daily to

his patron. Often say: " My holy Patron, St , pray

for me; protect me." 2. Just as the saints in heaven will-
ingly help us, so should we help the souls in purgatory.
Let us often pray for them, saying: "Eternal rest give
unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen." Pray especially for the

RESURRECTION OF THE BODY 215

souls of the members of your family, of your benefactors,
etc. You now see how all in the Catholic Church help one
another to be saved. How happy it should make you, and
how grateful to God you should be for it !

43. The Resurrection of the Body and Life everlast-
ing. Amen.

Preparation. What becomes of man's body after
death? The grave is, indeed, a small, narrow bed. Your
bed at home is warm and soft. In it you sleep well and
soundly. Children often sleep so soundly, that they do
not wish to get awake. What does your mother then do?
She awakens you. And then what do you do?

No one is warm and comfortable in the grave; it is a
cold, hard and heavy bed. How is it covered? With
earth. The dead in the grave sleep continually day and
night, summer and winter, and so soundly that there is
no awaking them. But the time shall come, when all the
dead shall again awake, at the resurrection of the dead.

Object. I will now tell you who will again awake the
dead.

Relation. At the end of the world the sun will be
darkened, the moon will give no more light, and the stars
will fall from the heavens. Then our Saviour will send
His angels, and they will sound their trumpets all over
the earth, saying: "Arise, ye dead; and come to judg-
ment." The angels will sound their trumpets so loudly,
as to awaken the dead in their graves. And behold ! in a
moment the dead shall get alive again and come out of
their graves. The bodies of the good shall be wonderfully
bright and beautiful ; but the bodies of the wicked shall
be gloomy and horrible. That will be the resurrection of
the dead.

Explanation — The last day. What will happen to the
sun, moon and stars at the end of the world? There will

216 APOSTLES' CREED

not be any more sun. What begins when the sun rises?
The day. And when is the day over? When the sun
sets. And when shall the sun not rise any more? How
do you call that day on which the sun will rise for the
last time at the end of the world? The last day.

The resurrection of the dead. The bodies of the dead
will sleep in their graves until the last day. How long
then will the bodies of the dead remain in the ground?
Until the last day. What shall then happen with all the
dead? They shall rise again. What does your mother do
to make you get up in the morning? How will the dead
be awakened ? Our Saviour will awaken the dead. Whom
will He send on earth to do this? The angels seated on a
hurricane; they will ride quickly all over the world. What
will they do at the same time? Blow their trumpets. How
powerful will be the sound of their trumpets? Then there
will be a stir in every grave. The bones of each dead
body come together, flesh grows at once over them, and
skin immediately covers the flesh. Each person gets his
own bones, flesh, skin, etc., no matter how long before his
body rotted and fell to pieces, or how the wind scattered
the dust into which the body had fallen. God knows how
to bring all together again.

But the soul is still wanting to that body. Where does
the soul go after death? The soul is not buried in the
grave with the body. How did the body of Jesus get alive
again? In like manner it will be with us. God places
the soul again into the body, and makes the body and soul
one again ; that is, He again unites the body and soul to-
gether. And now the body gets alive again and comes out
of the grave. In this manner all men shall rise again on
the last day. Rich and poor, kings and beggars, children
and grown up persons, all shall rise at once together.
Therefore the last day is called also the day of the general
resurrection.

When Jesus was on earth, He raised three dead persons

RESURRECTION OF THE BODY 217

to life : Lazarus, a young man and a girl. Jesus re-united
their souls with their bodies. But these three persons died
again. What did their souls do, when they died again?
They again left their bodies. But when, at the general
resurrection, the souls of all men are again united to their
bodies, there shall be no more separation. How long, then,
shall they remain united? Forever. How long will our
bodies remain in the ground? Until the last day. What
will God then do to the body? Raise it up. With what
will each body be re-united? With its own soul. For how
long? Forever. How do we call the general resurrection
on the last day? The resurrection of the body. There-
fore we say in the Apostles' Creed : " I believe in the
resurrection of the body."

The bodies of the good. But how different will the
bodies be, when they shall rise again ! They will not be
all alike. The bodies of the good will come out of their
graves beautiful like flowers, like the stars, bright and
shining like the sun, splendid like a rainbow. During their
life they made good use of their bodies ; of their tongue
to pray, of their hands to give alms and to work for God,
of their feet to obey and go to church. Their bodies were
perhaps often sick and in great pain. Now they are re-
warded. Their bodies are no longer sick, or feel pain, or
die. They will be as bright and transparent as crystal.
They will no longer have to walk slowly and wearily on
the ground, but as light and as cheerful as birds, they will
go up in the air and more quickly from one place to an-
other. Who has had such a body? What did we call the
body of Jesus Christ? The bodies of the just (good)
shall also be glorified after the general resurrection.

What kind of body will the just have when they shall
rise from their graves? In such a glorified body will the
soul dwell forever. Suppose a very rich man would pre-
sent you with a beautiful house grandly furnished and
ornamented, and say to you : " In this grand building you

218 APOSTLES' CREED

may dwell forever." Oh, how happy you would feel!
How much more happy will the just be, when they shall
have so wonderful and glorious a body for their soul to
dwell in forever!

The bodies of the wicked. During their life the wicked
abused their bodies to commit sin; their eyes to look at
bad things, their tongues to curse and speak indecently,
their feet to go with evil companions. When a child does
something wrong, for instance, tells a lie, it can be seen in
his face. When he is angry or envious, his face shows it
clearly, and betrays his guilt. In like manner, all the sins
of each wicked person shall be seen as if they were written
on his forehead. How horrible the wicked will look !
Suppose you would now see a corpse already corrupt and
eaten by worms ! Merely to think of it disgusts and
shocks us. But how much worse and how ugly will the
bodies of the wicked be at the general resurrection ! What
a horrible sight, what a horrible stench will there be ! How
disgusting will it be for the souls of the wicked to dwell
forever in such bodies ! Suppose you were shown a hole
full of filth and vermin, and were told you would have
to live in it ! You would surely say : " I would rather
die a thousand times than live there ! " In like manner,
the souls of the wicked would rather die than dwell in
such bodies. But they cannot die, and shall have to dwell
forever in those horrible bodies !

The bodies of the good and the wicked, when they rise
from the dead shall appear in the same state as were their
respective souls at the hour of death. The souls of the
good at their death were inconceivably beautiful and grand;
therefore their bodies at the resurrection will be glorified
and wonderfully beautiful ! But the souls of the wicked
at death were fearfully ugly and hideous ; and so shall
their bodies also be at the resurrection. The more hor-
rible was the soul at death, also the more horrible shall

DEATH 219

the body be at the resurrection. (In like manner, the same
similarity between the souls and bodies of the just.)

Application. Now children, what kind of body would
you wish yours to be at the general resurrection? If you
wish your body to be then beautiful and glorious, you must
take care to have a beautiful soul during your life and at
your death. Not all children can now be beautiful in
body, but every child that wishes it earnestly, can become
wonderfully beautiful in soul. How? By taking great
care to be punctually obedient, patient in suffering, devout
at prayer, pure in thought, word and deed, truthful, honest
and charitable towards all. Your body shall then be won-
derfully beautiful at the resurrection, and forever remain
so.

44. Death; Judgment; Purgatory; Heaven; Hell.

Preparation. God said to our first parents : " You
shall not eat of the tree in the middle of paradise, or else
you shall die." Our first parents broke the commandment
of God ; and now all men must die.

Object. Let us now see how a man dies.

Relation. A father of family is about to die. The
mother and the children stand around his bed and weep.
They light the blessed candle. The dying man is in his
agony. There is a cold perspiration all over his body.
His hands and feet grow cold. His sight grows dim ;
he hears the weeping of his wife and children; he hears
also the prayers for the departing soul. Soon he can hear
no longer. His heart still beats, but slower and slower,
weaker and weaker ; it stops a moment, and then beats
once more ; another longer stop ; and it beats once more,
then comes His last gasp, and his soul has left his body;
his heart is still ; he is dead.

Soon his corpse is prepared for burial ; it is cold and

220 APOSTLES' CREED

stiff ; it is laid in the coffin. The priest comes and prays
over him; then he is brought to the church; and thence
to the graveyard, followed by his wife and children, rel-
atives, friends praying for him. Whilst the coffin is laid
in the grave the priest prays and blesses the corpse with
holy water and incense. The grave is then filled up, and
all go home. Now the dead man is alone in his grave,
night and day among the dead in their graves. The corpse
soon begins to corrupt, and continues to do so until only
a handful of dust is left.

Explanation — The soul leaves the body. Each of us
shall die sooner or later. Relate what happens at death.
What happens to the hands and feet? To the eyes and
the ears? To the heart? What finally leaves the body?
The soul leaves the body. When God created man, the
soul was not at first in the body. In what state was the
body then? Lifeless. What is the body now without the
soul? Dead. At death the body becomes cold and stiff
as at the creation of the first man.

The body returns to earth. Where is a dead body
brought? What happens to it there? What remains of
it? Out of what was the body of the first man made?
Of earth. And what becomes of the body in the end?
It returns to earth. After death the body returns to that
from which it was taken ; for it returns to earth. What
happens to the soul at death? At death the soul leaves
the body, and the body returns to earth.

Object. I will now relate to you what becomes of the
soul immediately after death.

Development. When the soul is breathed out (leaves
the body), she looks at herself, and she sees whether she is
in the state of grace, or in the state of sin, also whether
she is perfectly pure or stained with venial sins.

The judgment. The soul then flies to God. God ex-
amines the good and bad deeds of the soul, that is, He
judges the soul. Where does the soul go immediately after

PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 221

death? Before God. What does God do with the soul?
God judges the soul.

Hell. If a man who has committed a mortal sin dies
in it, his soul has no longer sanctifying grace, but is fear-
fully defiled by sin, and is frightfully ugly. God cannot
bear the sight of her. He says : " Depart from Me, into
the everlasting fire of hell with the devils." And that
soul is at once cast into hell. But not all those who com-
mit mortal sin are cast into hell. Only he who is not sorry
for his mortal sin and does not confess it sincerely, shall
be cast into hell. He who dies with two mortal sins will
be cast deeper into hell, than if he had committed only one.
He who dies with even only one mortal sin, shall surely
be cast into hell, whether he is rich or poor, young or
old, a monarch or a beggar. Who are cast into hell? All
who die in mortal sin. This happened to Judas. What
enormous sin had he committed ? What was the last thing
he did? Hanged himself; and that was another grievous
sin. Where was he cast?

(When time is wanting, the following in [] may be
omitted.)

[God holds a pair of scales in His hand; before Him
are two books ; one of gold, and the other all black. In
these books are written what each man did during his life.
In the golden book is written all the good a man has per-
formed : all his good thoughts, all his good words are
written in it; none are left out. Also all the good he did,
such as: how a child liked to pray, how he was always
punctually obedient, always truthful, etc. All this is writ-
ten in the golden book. But in the black book is written
all the evil a man has committed. How many thoughts
a child has every day ! And some are perhaps not good.
When a child has a wilful bad thought, a thought of
anger, etc., it is written in the black book. In that book
are found also all his bad words, his lies, curses, etc.
Every bad word is marked down. In it are found also

122 APOSTLES' CREED

all the evil things he did, such as: praying without at-
tention, neglect of prayer and study, disobedience, stealing,
striking others, missing Mass on Sundays, eating meat
on Fridays. All the evil deeds he committed are written
in it.

Every sin is to be punished. What is the punishment
for a mortal sin? For a venial sin? Also in the black
book the punishments a man deserved for each sin is
marked down. But if he was sorry for his sins and con-
fessed them, his guardian angel effaced them. You may
imagine how large those two books are! They contain all
the good and all the evil done by all mankind.

Let us see how God judges a soul. First, a soul that
has not the garment of sanctifying grace. There is a
large ugly stain on her that makes her look horrible.
God opens the golden book, in which it is written that
that soul during life went to Mass, prayed and obeyed,
etc. Then He looks into the black book, and finds written
in it that that soul committed mortal sin, was not sorry
for it, did not confess it, and died in it. Now God will
show which weighs more, the good she did, or the mortal
sin she committed. He places in one end of the scales
all the good she did, and in the other end the mortal sin
she committed. The end on which the mortal sin is placed
is much heavier, for it sinks very deep. Which then
weighs more before God, all the good a man did, or one
mortal sin which he committed? And therefore God con-
demns that soul, saying: " Depart from Me into the ever-
lasting fire of hell with the devils." And that soul is at
once cast into hell.]

Heaven. When at the hour of death a soul has the
garment of sanctifying grace, and comes to be judged by
God, God examines her very closely, to see whether she
is as bright as the sun and as white as snow that has just
fallen. And if she has some stains, or even only one, she
cannot yet enter heaven, for nothing defiled can enter there.

TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT OF SIN 223

Only he who is perfectly pure and free from the slightest
stain of sin, can be admitted into heaven immediately after
death. Who, then, goes directly to heaven immediately
after death? Only he who is perfectly free from all sin.

Perhaps such a one committed even many sins. But
he confessed them all, and God, like a good father, for-
gave him, because he was sorry for his sins. But the
father sometimes says : " I forgive you, but as a punish-
ment, you shall not go out and play," etc. God acts in
like manner. When He forgives a man's sins, He often
gives him a punishment for them ; sometimes it is some
suffering, some sickness, some misfortune, some disappoint-
ment. Every one can also impose on himself some penance
or punishment for his sin ; for instance ; to say some prayers,
to hear a Mass on a week day, to abstain from eating or
drinking between meals, etc. Such punishments last only
for a time; they are called temporal punishments. If a
man bears such punishments with patience, he will be,
sooner or later, free from all punishment for his sins.
And then he is fit to enter heaven. To be allowed to enter
heaven we must be free from all sin whatever, and also
from all punishment due to our sins. So long as we still
owe temporal punishment for our sins, we cannot yet enter
heaven, although all our sins may have already been for-
given. The Blessed Virgin at her death went straight to
heaven, because she had never in her life committed the
slightest sin. She had no stain of sin; she had never
deserved any temporal punishment; therefore she was per-
fectly fit to enter heaven immediately after her death.

Purgatory. Now reflect on this : A soul appears be-
fore the throne of God ; she wears the garment of sanc-
tifying grace; she is very dear to God. But she is not
yet free from every sin. There are yet some little stains
of sin on her. Where can that soul not go yet? To
heaven. But she will not be cast into hell, for she is holy.
Where will that soul be sent? To purgatory. Why? Be-

224 APOSTLES' CREED

cause she is not yet free from every sin. Or else: A
soul at death is free from all sin, but not yet from all
the temporal punishment which she owes for her forgiven
sins. Where can that soul not yet enter? Heaven. She
cannot be cast into hell, for she is free from sin. She
also is sent to purgatory. And why? Because she has
not yet paid all the temporal punishment she owes. There-
fore two kinds of souls go to purgatory. Which are they?

What happens to the souls in purgatory? How long
must they remain there? Until they are perfectly free
from sin and from all temporal punishment due for sin.
Then and then only can they be admitted into heaven.
That may be a long, long time. And in purgatory they
suffer terrible pains. And they cannot help themselves.
What are these souls called?

The Particular Judgment. Therefore every soul after
this life is brought to God to be judged. Men die every
day. Some will die to-day, others will die to-morrow.
As soon as a man dies, his soul is at once brought before
the throne of God to be judged. Each man is then judged
in particular; that is, separately from all others, and this
at the very moment of his death. He who dies first is
judged first; he who dies later, is judged later. Because
each man is judged in particular after his death, this judg-
ment is called the particular judgment.

Summary. Where does the soul go immediately after
death? What is the judgment called which every soul then
undergoes? Where does the soul go after the particular
judgment? Who is cast into hell? Who goes directly to
heaven? Who is sent to purgatory?

Application. Suppose you would die now, and your
soul would have to appear now before the judgment-seat
of God. God would show you all the evil you have done
in your whole life. All your envious, angry and bad
thoughts ; all your bad, lying, abusive words and curses ;
your prayers omitted or badly said, and the evil things

PURGATORY 225

you have done. Your guardian angel will accuse you of
not having listened to him. O woe, woe ! What would
then happen to you? Where would you be cast, if your
soul was stained with a mortal sin? What a terrible mis-
fortune this would be for you ! You would be cast into
hell with all the devils and wicked men. In hell a terrible
fire burns forever. The pains of hell are most horrible.

Therefore, dear children, be sure never to commit a
mortal sin. Rather suffer everything, even death itself,
than commit a mortal sin. If necessary, rather suffer a
great sickness and even die a painful death, in order to
avoid mortal sin, for you shall then surely go to heaven.
Sickness and death cannot injure you; but one mortal sin
suffices to send you to hell, where you would be forever
miserable. Therefore, children, no mortal sin !

Take care also not to be obliged to stay long in purgatory.
What sins will bring you to purgatory? For instance,
praying carelessly, disobedience, telling lies, quarreling,
stealing little things. Many children make no account of
little faults. They say : " Oh, I shall not go to hell for
that." How foolish to say that! If you shall not go to
hell for that, you shall go to purgatory, where the suffer-
ings are greater than any suffering in this world. Suppose
a man steals a dollar, saying : " I shall not be hanged for
that, but I shall have to go to the penitentiary for some
months at least." Does he act reasonably? How much
more foolish is the light-minded child, who is not afraid
to commit venial sin. Purgatory is a thousand times more
to be feared than the penitentiary.

Be therefore on your guard against little faults. Many
a child is now burning in purgatory, weeping and thinking:
" Oh, had I prayed better, been more obedient, never told
lies, etc., I would not have to suffer such terrible pains ;
but I would now be already in heaven happy with God."
But that child has to continue to suffer perhaps for weeks
and months, and even longer! Therefore, children, be

226 APOSTLES' CREED

reasonable, and avoid all that would later on cause you
fearful pains in purgatory. And when you suffer some
pain, or are sick, be patient and think : " I will suffer
these pains for my sins, that I may not suffer so much
in purgatory."

45. The General Judgment.

Preparation. After the general resurrection Jesus
Christ will come again upon earth. When did He come
the first time? When did He leave the earth? When He
ascended into heaven. Where is He now? What place
has He in heaven? He is seated at the right hand of
God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come
after the general resurrection again on earth. Wrhat did
the two angels say about this to the apostles at the As-
cension of our Saviour? Which coming of Jesus will that
be? The second.

Object. I will tell you to-day what will happen when
Jesus Christ will come again on earth.

Relation. Jesus told His apostles what would happen
at His second coming. He said: "The Son of man shall
come in His glory, and all the angels with Him. Then
He shall sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations
of the earth shall be assembled before Him. And He shall
separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats. He shall place the sheep on His right hand, and
the goats on His left. Then the King shall say to those
on His right hand: Come, ye blessed of My Father, and
possess the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning
of the world. But to those on His left the King shall
say: Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the everlasting fire
which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And
these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the others
into life everlasting."

Explanation — The first and the second coming of

GENERAL JUDGMENT 227

Jesus. The second coming of Jesus will be very different
from the first. Jesus came the first time as a lovely, poor,
helpless infant, for He was born in a stable at Bethlehem.
For the love of us He there made Himself little and poor.
Many thought that they needed not to follow Him, and
that they could mock Him. But how will Jesus, the Son
of man, come upon earth the second time? He shall come
in His glory, seated upon the clouds, and the clouds around
Him shall shine as the dawn of day, and our Saviour's body
will be as bright as the sun, and a large fiery cross shall
be placed before Him.

The first time Jesus came quietly during the night; only
a few knew of His birth. Who will be with Jesus when
He shall come the second time upon earth ? All the angels
of heaven shall comewith Him. All the angels that came
and appeared near Bethlehem and sang their joyful hymn,
and millions and millions of other angels shall come with
our Saviour. These countless angels are called a great
host, a great power. Hence Jesus shall come with great
power.

At His first coming Jesus lay in a manger (crib). Where
shall He be placed at His second coming? He shall sit
on the throne of His glory, that is, on a glorious throne.
In what capacity will He come, since He is seated on a
throne? As King of heaven and earth. A king's throne
is surrounded by many noblemen and many noble ladies,
who form his court. Who form the court of the heavenly
King? The angels. When our Saviour is seated on his
throne, the wounds of His hands, feet and side shall be
seen by all men. They will be as beautiful as roses in
full bloom, and will shine as bright as the stars.

At our Lord's first coming only a few shepherds and
wise men came to venerate Him. Who shall be assembled
before Him at His second coming? All the nations of
the earth shall be assembled before Jesus. Americans,
Europeans, etc. ; that is, all the men who shall have lived

228 APOSTLES' CREED

on earth from Adam to the end of the world, shall be
assembled before Jesus. All of us shall be there also.
From every direction men in great numbers shall come
there. The good with their glorified bodies shall fly there
swiftly, full of joy. It will be a long procession, almost
without end, for there will be so many. Their angels also
shall joyfully accompany them. When the just shall see
our Saviour so bright and resplendent, seated on the throne
of His glory, they shall wonder greatly, and shall begin to
praise Him, singing beautiful canticles. In the Apostles'
Creed the just are called " the living," and the wicked are
called " the dead."

But the wicked with their heavy, swollen, ugly bodies,
will be unwilling to approach our divine Saviour. He
will appear terrible to them. Woe to them ! This Jesus,
in whom they would not believe, whom they reviled, whom
they offended and outraged by their sins, is now seated
on His glorious throne as King and Judge of all men.
When Jesus was an infant, He had to flee from Herod
into Egypt. And now Herod and all the wicked would
wish to flee away from the Saviour. Oh, if they could
only crawl into the ground ! They would be only too glad,
if they could only die and cease to exist ! Therefore they
shall call upon the hills and mountains : " Ye mountains
fall over us ; ye hills cover and hide us." But that is not
possible. The wicked can die no more. They must ap-
pear before the Saviour on His throne. The devils drive
and push them forward, as a herd of unclean animals, to
the judgment-seat of the Saviour.

Why did the Saviour come the first time upon earth?
To redeem all men. The second time He shall come to
judge all men. After the general resurrection He shall
come to judge the living and the dead, the just and the
wicked.

On what day will Jesus come to judge all men? On
the last day; the day of the general judgment. You have

GENERAL JUDGMENT 229

heard of another judgment in which our Saviour judges
each man. What is it called? The particular judgment.
When does it take place? In it each one is judged alone.
But at the general judgment how shall men be judged?
All men together. How is this judgment called? The
last judgment, the general judgment.

The manifestation of the consciences. All men that have
ever lived up to the end of the world are assembled be-
fore the throne of the Son of God to be judged. What
shall be seen on the bodies of the wicked? Their sins.
All the sins committed by each man during his whole life
shall be clearly seen on his body. Even those sins children
committed when alone, when they thought: " Nobody sees
me." How untrue ! God saw it, and at the general judg-
ment all men shall see it. Suppose a child, all alone, com-
mitted some sin, something shameful ; and then every-
body would find it out ! How ashamed he would feel !
But it will be a much greater shame for him at the last
day, when all mankind shall know all the shameful things
he did ! Known to his parents, brothers and sisters, to
the priest, etc., who always believed that child to be good
and pure ! And now they find out how bad and deceitful
he was ! What a shame for him ! But if that child was
sorry for his sins and made a good confession, those sins
will not harm him.

Also all the good each one has done during his whole
life shall be manifested to all mankind. For instance, that
child's piety, his hearing Mass on week days also, his obe-
dience, his modesty, truthfulness, patience, etc., shall be
known to all men. Oh, what an honor, what a joy for that
child !

The separation. At first all men will be mingled to-
gether before the Saviour's throne; the. beautiful bright
bodies of the just (the living) shall be mixed up among
the horrible disgusting bodies of the wicked (the dead).
But they do not fit together. What will our Saviour do?

230 APOSTLES' CREED

He shall separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats. The goats are stubborn; they will not
follow the shepherd, and give no peace to the sheep. There-
fore the shepherd removes the quarrelsome goats from the
peaceful and obedient sheep; in other words: The shep-
herd separates the goats from the sheep. In like manner,
at the general judgment our Saviour shall separate the
disobedient, wicked sinners from the good and obedient
just. On which side will He place the good? On His
right. And the wicked? On His left.

The sentence. The reward of the just. What shall the
King say to those who are on His right hand? "Come,
ye blessed of My Father, and possess the kingdom pre-
pared for you since .the foundation of the world. Come
to Me, into My arms, to My Heart ! You shall be blessed
and happy. You have been good, pious children of the
heavenly Father. Come now to your Father in heaven;
possess that kingdom of happiness ; it is yours ; it has
been prepared for you since the beginning of the world,
for in the beginning God created heaven and earth. So
dear were you to the Father Almighty in heaven, that when
He created the world, He already created the beautiful
heaven for you." Oh, how the good will rejoice when
hearing these welcome words of our divine Saviour !

The punishment of the wicked. What will the King
say to those on His left hand ? " Depart from Me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the
devil and his angels. Depart from Me; away with you;
I do not wish to see you any more, you wicked ; you are
cursed; no more shall you see Me. And yet how good I
have been to you ! For you I suffered ; for you I died,
that you might all come with Me to heaven. But you
would not. You were so wicked ; you would not be sorry
for your sins. Therefore away with you into the ever-
lasting fire of hell." Who is in that fire? And who else?
And the other wicked angels. Therefore, " away with you

GENERAL JUDGMENT 231

into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels." Now the wicked utter terrible screams. They
would wish to implore God for mercy. But now it is
of no use. Then the earth shall be opened, and the wicked
shall be cast down into hell ! Where shall the wicked go
after the general judgment? Into hell! But the good
shall accompany Jesus, Mary and the angels into heaven.
What a glorious procession! Where shall the good go
after the general judgment? To heaven.

The last judgment and the harvest. At the general judg-
ment the same will happen as at the harvest. The chaff
shall be separated from the wheat, and be put aside.
What shall be done with it? It shall be burnt. And what
is done with the wheat? It is placed in the granary. This
is what happens at the harvest. Which kind of men are
like the chaff? What shall be done with the wicked after
the general judgment? They are cast into the fire of hell.
And where shall the good be placed? In heaven. And
how long shall heaven and hell last? For all eternity.

The heaven of the good. All joy. Oh, how beautiful is
heaven? In heaven there are millions and millions of
beautiful angels. There you shall see your good guardian
angel. How you will rejoice with him ! He will feel
happy, because he helped you to go to heaven. You shall
see also an immense number of beautiful saints in heaven.
I feel confident that you shall find among them your parents,
brothers and sisters, relatives, etc. How happy you will
be to meet them and never more to be separated from
them ! In heaven you shall see also the Blessed Virgin
very near the throne of God. How glad you will be to
go to her, to thank her, to kiss her hand and to be allowed
to call her your Mother! But your greatest joy in heaven
shall be to see God in His infinite beauty, and to love Him
with your whole heart. You shall never tire seeing His
beauty, which will enrapture you as it will enrapture all
the saints and angels in heaven for all eternity. You shall

232 APOSTLES' CREED

have in heaven everything you can wish for. In heaven
all is pleasure and joy.

No suffering. On earth you may have often wept. In
heaven God Himself will wipe away all your tears. There
shall be no pain, no suffering there; no grief, no sorrow,
no troubles; but perfect happiness, which lasts forever,
and is called life everlasting. Therefore we say in the
Apostles' Creed : " I believe in life everlasting."

The hell of the damned; nothing but pain and suffering.
How much you dread fire ! You cry even when you burn
your finger a little. How you would cry and scream, if
your whole hand would burn for some minutes in the
stove ! How frightful it would be, if you were thrown
into a large fire or a furnace. The pain would be hor-
rible. (St. Laurence roasted by slow fire on a gridiron.)
But all that would not be the fire, the torments of hell !
And in hell the whole body of a damned person is always
burning, and never burnt up !

No joy, no pleasure. No matter how unhappy is a per-
son on earth, he always has something that gives him
pleasure. His parents, relatives or friends console him ;
or there is the thought that he will soon get well, get out
of his troubles. Or he thinks: "If I die, I shall have
peace, or rest." He can pray God to take him soon to
heaven. But in hell there is nothing that can give him
the least pleasure. There is no one to cast on him a look
of love or sympathy. No one to speak a kind word to
him, or to encourage him ; no one to give him the least
hope. There is no heart that loves him or cares for him.
Those that loved him in life, have forgotten him, or curse
him, whenever they think of him. Who can live without
love or sympathy?

For all eternity. The damned know that never shall
there be any change or improvement in their state. Their
bodies are always burning, but are never consumed. Thou-
sands and millions of years shall come and pass away, and

ETERNITY 233

they shall bum all that time, and shall continue to burn
forever after that!

Have you ever seen a canary bird sharpening his bill
on the wire of his cage? Now listen. In a country far
from here, there is a large mountain. It is about five miles
long, five miles wide and five miles high, and is all of hard
stone. To this mountain a bird flies once every thousand
years and rubs his bill on it. Now how many thousands
of years will it take that bird to wear out that mountain
with his bill ? No one can tell. But if the damned in hell
were told : ' When that bird shall have worn out that
large mountain with his bill, you shall come out of hell,"
they would cheer so loud as to be heard in heaven ! But,
dear children, when that bird would have worn out that
mountain with his bill, the damned would not have one
minute less to suffer in hell ! They turn about in the
flames of hell in horrible pains ; they groan, they weep,
they howl and curse ! And this shall continue for all eter-
nity, and eternity has no end.

Summary. At the general judgment Jesus Christ will
come again upon earth to judge all men. Therefore we
say in the Apostles' Creed : " From thence He shall
come to judge the living and the dead." The judgment
at the end of the world is called the last or general judg-
ment. When the judgment shall be over, the wicked shall
be cast into hell, and the good shall be taken up to heaven.
In heaven there is no pain, no suffering, but all pleasure
and joy forever ! This is called life everlasting. There-
fore we say in the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in life
everlasting. Amen." But in hell there is nothing but pain
and suffering, and not the least joy or pleasure; hell lasts
forever.

Application. Dear children, do you wish to be cast
into hell? WTiat a terrible misfortune that would be!
But if you were to commit one mortal sin, and should
die before you repent of it, you shall be surely cast into

234 APOSTLES' CREED

the everlasting fire of hell ! Therefore, children, never
commit a mortal sin. Rather suffer all, rather die imme-
diately than commit a mortal sin and deserve to be cast
into hell !

Where do you all wish to go? But what must you do
to go to heaven? Is not heaven worth doing all that?
To gain heaven you ought to find nothing too great or
too difficult. So many other children have done it all,
and why should not you also be able to do it? Therefore
avoid sin, always do your duty, and often say to your-
selves : "I will do my best to get a high place in heaven ! "

PART II
THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.

1. The Commandment of the Love of God.

i. Object. I will teach you to-day why we should love
God, and how much we should love Him. One day a
lawyer came to Jesus and asked Him : " Master, what
must I do to gain heaven ? " Jesus answered : " Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all
thy soul, with all thy mind and with all thy strength."

2. Explanation, a. Paternal Goodness — Body. It
is so easy and so beautiful to love God. For God is our
good Father. He created us; otherwise we should not
be in this world. God gave us a beautiful body. Our
body has two eyes to see. Whence do they come? How
unfortunate should we not be, if we were blind. God gave
us also two ears, that we may willingly listen to our
parents and teachers. What else has God given us in our
body? A mouth, hands and feet. A mouth and tongue
that we may ask questions, express our thoughts, laugh
and sing, pray and praise the God in heaven whom we
love.

God has given you hands to work diligently, and feet
to go where duty directs. You have also in your breast
a heart, though small, which beats joyfully. Do you know
where your heart is? Our good God gave you a heart
to love and life itself.

What do all these good gifts prove? That God loves
us. And every day God, like a good father, loves you
and cares for you. From the highest heaven, where the
angels dwell, God looks down upon every child with pleas-
ure. He gives it its daily bread, and helps it in all its
troubles and wants. Through whom does He give you
your daily bread? Through your parents. He gave you

237

238 THE COMMANDMENTS

your parents also, that, in His stead, they may care for
you. And that they may do this well, He has placed in
their heart a great love for you. No one on earth loves
you as much as your parents. Enumerate all the good
God has done for your body. Every corporal good we
have comes from God.

Soul. And what did God breathe into your body? An
immortal soul. In whose image did God create your soul?
How beautiful was your soul then ! Who entered your
heart when you were baptized? And what did He bring
to your soul? Your soul became then much more beau-
tiful; she became holy. And God wills that your soul
should remain beautiful and holy. And whom did He
place by your side to guard and protect you? Your guard-
ian angel accompanies you at every step, at every motion.
Where is your guardian angel to bring you after your
death ? There you shall always be happy. You see now
all the good God has done for your soul. Enumerate it
all. All good comes from God.

Heart. What does a child feel for his father and mother,
because they give him so many good things ? Love. From
whom do we receive all that is good? From God. What
do we owe to God for it? Love. Therefore we must love
God, because all good things come from Him. We love
God in the same way as we love our parents. When your
mother says to you : " Show me where you love me,"
you show her your heart. We love with our heart. We
love God also with our heart. Therefore God says to each
one of you : ' My child, give Me thy heart." And our
Saviour commands us : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with thy whole heart."

b. Love of the Son. I will now tell you why God
still more deserves our love. God the Father has given
us what was dearest to Him. He sent His Son upon the
earth ; and God the Son bestowed on us all His love.
What was God the Son going to do for us? To suffer

LOVE OF GOD 239

and die. Which of you would be willing to suffer and
die for some one else? But what none of you would be
willing to do for some one else, our divine Saviour did for
the love of us. For the love of us our Saviour underwent
a death-agony and sweat blood. For the love of us He
allowed Himself to be fearfully scourged. For the love
of us He allowed a crown of sharp thorns to be pressed
down on His head. For the love of us He carried a heavy
cross and allowed Himself to be nailed to it. On what day
did our loving Saviour suffer and die for us? On Good
Friday. On that day the crucifix is placed on a black
cloth spread out on the floor, and the faithful, and the
children likewise, kneel down before it to venerate our
Saviour.

Sorrow. And when we consider our loving Saviour's
pale features, His head crowned with thorns, his eyes cov-
ered with blood, his bloodless lips, and the cruel wounds
in His hands and feet and in His side, we feel compelled
to say : " O Jesus, Thou didst suffer too much for me,
a poor child; it pains too much even my sinful heart."
And then we feel our heart moved, deeply moved. This
feeling of sorrow sometimes increases so as to cause many
to shed tears, and even to sob aloud. And then they bend
over to kiss tenderly the Saviour's wounds in His hands,
feet and side.

When we kiss some one, what do we intend to show?
What do we intend to show to our Saviour by kissing His
wounds? That we love Him. And wherefrom did our
love and sorrow arise? From our heart; from our feel-
ings. But it is the consideration of our mind that causes
various feelings to arise, spring up in our heart, that causes
us to compassionate with our suffering Saviour, and to
resolve never again to displease Him by committing sin.

Joy. Where will our soul go after our death? To
heaven. In heaven you will see our divine Saviour in
His glorified body. He will look lovingly at you, and

240 THE COMMANDMENTS

His five wounds will shine as bright blooming roses. How
beautiful will that be? What will then be your feelings?
Feelings of love and joy, like those of the angels. We
rejoice also on earth over our Lord. How do the angels
express their joy? They sing. What beautiful hymn do
they sing continually? "Holy, holy," etc. And how can
we express our joy with regard to God? We can rejoice
in our mind, in our feelings. Where are our feelings?
When we rejoice very much, our heart begins to beat.
Yes, our heart leaps, as it were, for joy. Love and joy
warm up our heart, and even cause it to grow hot, for
people say : " My heart burns with love and joy." And
thus we observe our Saviour's commandment : " Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy mind." How should
we love God? What commandment did our Saviour give
us?

c. Supreme Good — The highest, the best. How good
must God be, since He loves men so excessively ! How
good is a mother towards her child ! It cannot be ex-
pressed. The angels are far better than a mother, than
all men. Who is the best among all angels and all men?
Oh, how good is Mary! But God is infinitely better than
Mary and all angels and men. Mary and the angels and
saints are not so good and holy of themselves. Who was
with Mary, when the angel saluted her? And who came
down over Mary. God helped also all the other saints to
be good and holy. But does any one help God to be so
good and so holy ? No ; God is good in Himself ; God
possesses all good in Himself. W'hatever good there is in
men, in the angels, in Mary and in all the saints, they re-
ceived it all from God. And God has infinitely more in
Himself. There is nothing in heaven and on earth that
is so good as God. Therefore our Saviour said : " God
alone is good." Hence we call God the highest and the
best good.

Beautiful. If I could only tell you how beautiful is

LOVE OF GOD 241

God. How beautiful is the sun! And how do the stars
twinkle so friendly at night ! And are not the flowers
beautiful? What is there beautiful in the sun, in the stars?
And what pleases us so much in the flowers? How beautiful
must not God be, who has made them all? What there is
bright in the sun, what twinkles in the stars, what is beau-
tiful in the flowers, in Mary, in all the angels and saints,
they have all received it from God. And all that is in-
finitely more beautiful in God. There is nothing more
beautiful than God ; hence we say : " God is the most
beautiful good."

Most lovely. What should we feel towards God on ac-
count of His unsurpassable beauty and goodness? Love
and joy. You love your mother very much, and why?
Your mother deserves your love, for she is lovable or
lovely. But Mary is much better and more beautiful than
your mother and all the angels and saints. And what does
she deserve much more than they? She is much more
lovely and deserving of love than they. Who is the best
and most beautiful of all in heaven and on earth? God.
What, then, does He deserve more than every one else?
He deserves our love more than any one else. He is,
therefore, the most lovely of all. (Repetition of the
highest, the best, the most beautiful, the most lovely.) We
must love God because He is the highest (supreme), the
best, the most beautiful, the most lovely good.

Soul. He who loves God is often with God in his
thoughts and takes pleasure in God. With what do we
think? Who is it that thinks with the mind? The soul.
Which part of yourselves must be with God in loving Him?
Our soul. Therefore our Saviour commands us: 'Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole soul." With
what else must we also love God? With our heart, with
our mind.

Whole. We must, then, love God with our heart, with
our mind, with our soul. What other word does our

242 THE COMMANDMENTS

Saviour place before heart, mind and soul? The word
whole. We should love God with our whole heart, that
is, we should love God with our whole heart more than
anything else, as much as we can. We should love God
with our whole soul, that is, we should think on God
more than on anything else, as often as we can. We
should love God with our whole mind, that is, we should
rejoice about God more than about anything else, as much
as we can. But with our little heart and our soul and our
mind, we are far from loving God as much as He deserves.
Would that we had thousands of hearts more wherewith
to love God, and thousands of souls to think on Him, and
thousands of minds to rejoice over Him.

All our strength. We should love God with all that we
are and with all that we have, our eyes, ears, mouth,
tongue, hands and feet, with all that is within and without
us; in a word, we should love God our Lord with all our
strength, for our Saviour commands : " Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy strength."

3. Summary. Tell me again with what we should love
God. With our heart, our soul, our mind, all our strength.
How did our Saviour command this to us? 'Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy
whole soul, with thy whole mind and with all thy strength."
This is called the commandment of the love of God. (Re-
peat questions on this.) Why should we love God? We
should love God, because He is the highest (supreme)
Good, and everything good comes from Him.

4. Application. " For the love of God." a. Do
good — Pray. How does a good child show that it loves
God with its whole soul? By often thinking of Him. Of
whom does it at once think when awaking in the morning?
Of whom does it think at night before going to sleep?
Your first thoughts in the morning should be about God,
and your last thoughts at night before falling asleep should
be about God also.

LOVE OF GOD 243

Prayer of thanksgiving. Why should we give to God
our first thoughts 011 awaking in the morning, and also
our last thoughts before falling asleep at night? Because
He bestows so many good things on us. What do you
say to your father, when he gives you something good?
But every day God gives you far more good things than
your father and mother. How do we thank God? By
praying to Him. How do you thank God at night? "O
my God, I thank Thee for all the benefits Thou hast be-
stowed on me this day." During the night God, like a
good father, watches over you, gives you a quiet, refresh-
ing sleep and keeps you in good health. Therefore you
should thank Him in the morning: " I thank Thee, O
my God, for all Thou hast done for me, and for having
watched over me and preserved me this night." You
should also thank Him after each meal, and why?

Devout prayer. You also pray before your meals. But
when your mother has prepared something you like, or
you are very hungry, you say the prayer before meals
with hands joined, but your thoughts and your heart are
directed to the eatables on the table, but not to God, to
whom you are speaking. On whom should you think when
you are praying? When you think on God in your prayer,
your soul is with God. And when you pray devoutly, the
love of God and joy about God are awakened in you.
And then what else is with God? Your heart and your
mind, and not merely your tongue and your lips, and your
prayer is devout. This kind of prayer pleases God very
much, for He then sees that you really love Him. How
must you pray to show God that you really love Him?

Awaking love. You should often tell God that you
love Him : "Omy God, I love Thee with all my heart,
because Thou art the highest (chief, supreme) Good."
Whenever you thus awake in you the love of God, your
heart and your mind ascend to God.

To please God. If you love God where will you like

244 THE COMMANDMENTS

to go? To church. For instance, you hear the church
bell ringing in the morning, and the thought strikes you,
that you would please God, if you went to church to
hear Mass. But it is so cold outdoors, and it is so nice
and warm in your bed. But you, nevertheless, get up
immediately; for what? For the love of God, to please
God. In church your knees sometimes pain you, and you
would like to sit down. But the thought presents itself:
" It will please God, if I remain kneeling ; " and you re-
main kneeling. Why? To please God. Another time
you are engaged in playing a very interesting game, and
you hear your mother calling : " John, come home." It
is very hard for you to stop playing at once; but the
thought presents itself : " Obey to please God," or " for
God's sake," and obedience becomes easier. What we do
out of love becomes easy. Everything we do to please
God is easy.

Why should you willingly obey ? To please God, and not
in order to be praised. Why should you go to church ? To
please God, and not perhaps to get a picture as a reward.
Why should you willingly and devoutly say your prayers?
Mention other things we should do to please God. Study,
work. To study, work, pray, obey, go to church, are all
good things. What should we do to please God? We
should do all that is good to please God. To please God
you should rise in the morning, say your prayers, study,
obey, help your father and mother. What do we show
when we do good to please God? We show that we love
Him.

b. Avoid evil. What should you avoid doing, if you
love God? Telling lies, stealing, cursing, etc., for lying,
stealing, cursing are evil, are sinful. We should, there-
fore, do no evil, avoid evil. For instance, you are kneel-
ing down in church. Your companion would like to talk
with you, and you are on the point of doing the same.
But the reflection comes : " That would be wrong, sinful.

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 245

I would offend God by doing so." What would you then
do? Not talk. To please whom would you have kept
from talking? Another time you hear somebody walking
out of the church, and you at once feel like looking around
to see who it is. But the thought strikes you : ' It is
wrong to look around in church," and you keep looking at
the altar. And why did you not look around? On ac-
count of God, to please God. Sometimes even ill-behaved
children behave well in church and do not talk or look
around, but they avoid doing these things not to please
God, but for what? Because they are afraid of being
punished. Perhaps you are passing a fine orchard with
plenty of fine ripe fruit. You feel like taking some, for
there is nobody near. What good thought can keep you
from stealing? "God sees me." Also: "to please God
I'll keep from stealing."

You have hitherto perhaps often avoided evil for fear
of punishment. This did not please God much. Hence-
forth you should do better. Why should we avoid evil?
We should avoid evil, in order to please God. You should
then resolve : " To please God I will not curse, I will
not tell lies, I will not steal, I will not disobey, I will not
misbehave in church." What does it prove if you avoid
doing evil, in order to please God? It proves that we
love God. In what other way can we prove that we love
God? If we do good in order to please God. Therefore
we show that we really love God, if, to please Him (for
His sake), we do good and avoid evil.

2. The Commandment of the Love of our Neighbor.

Object. I will show you to-day that we must love all
men.

I. Explanation — Neighbor. Who created all men?
God. According to what? According to (or after) His
own image. God is, therefore, the Father of all men. If

246 THE COMMANDMENTS

God is our Father, what are we? His children. And
what are we, if God created us in (or after) His own
image? We are images of God. All men are God's chil-
dren and images. What do father (mother) and children
form? A family. What do God and all men form? A
family. That is a very large family. It is God's family.
To God's family all men on earth belong. How many
fathers in a family? Charles and Rose have together but
one father. What is the relation between Charles and
Rose, since they have the same father? Brother and sister?
They are the nearest relatives to each other. In like man-
ner all men are related to each other; they are brethren
to one another; they are one another's neighbor. All
the children in school are neighbor to one another; all the
people in our town, in our State, in our country, in the
whole world are our neighbor, for we all are children of one
and the same Father, God. Every man, woman and child
in the whole world, without exception, are our neighbor.
And why? Where does the Father of us all dwell? In
heaven. Therefore, all men in the world, without excep-
tion, are our neighbor, because we are all children of the
same Father in heaven.

Our divine Saviour taught us this. One day, as you
know, a lawyer asked Him : " Master, what must I do
to go to heaven?" How did Jesus answer him? "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God," etc. And then Jesus added :
" Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Then the law-
yer asked Him : " And who is my neighbor ? " And
Jesus related to him the following parable:

II. Relation. A man was traveling from Jerusalem to
Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers who beat
him, stole all he had and left him half dead. A Jewish
priest passing by saw him and left him lie there. Then a
levite coming that way saw him and also left him lie there.
Finally, there came a Samaritan along that way; he saw
the poor traveler, went to him, dressed his wounds, took

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 247

him to an inn and had him cared for till he was cured.
Now our Saviour asked the lawyer : " Which of these
three acted as neighbor towards that unfortunate man?"
The lawyer replied : " He who showed compassion
(mercy) towards him." Then Jesus said: "Go thou and
do likewise."

Explanation. Who asked a question of Jesus? The
lawyers were men learned in the Jewish (Mosaic) law and
in the Scriptures ; sometimes they were called scribes.
They read and studied constantly the Holy Scriptures.
Who remembers on what occasion King Herod called the
Jewish priests and scribes together? What question did
he put to them? Now one of these lawyers or scribes
asked Jesus: "Who is my neighbor?" What would you
have answered him? Our Saviour instead of that, related
an anecdote, or a parable.

A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho. You al-
ready know all about Jerusalem. Jericho is a city in Pales-
tine about twenty miles from Jerusalem. The road lays
across mountains, where there were highway robbers.
What misfortune happened to that man on his way? The
robbers attacked him. What did they take from him?
Money, clothing and everything he had. They robbed him.
And they also so cruelly beat him, that he was covered
with wounds. The robbers then escaped. In what state
did they leave that man? Half dead. It was a wicked
thing for those robbers to attack, rob and so badly wound
that man who was going his way peaceably. The hot sun
shining on his wounds caused him great pain. He was
every moment growing weaker, and he knew that, if some
one did not come soon to his assistance, he should die.
He heard steps coming nearer and nearer. Who was com-
ing? The poor wounded man was glad, for he thought
that he would get some help. The Jewish priest saw the
unfortunate man. What did he do? He passed on. Who
came along soon after the priest? The levites had to assist

248 THE COMMANDMENTS

the priests in the temple. What did the wounded man
desire that the levite should do? But the levite, like the
priest, passed on. Now a third man was coming along the
same way ; he was riding on a mule. He was a Samaritan,
that is, he was a native of Samaria. The wounded man
thought : " I hope that man will not pass on as the others
did, and leave me here to die." And the Samaritan took
compassion on him, and came to his assistance. He first
washed his wounds. And what did he pour into them?
Oil is cooling and curing. How much good it did to the
poor man ! Then he bound up his wounds, and lifted him
up. But he could not walk. How did the Samaritan bring
him away? He lifted him up on his mule and brought
him to an inn (hotel), and said to the innkeeper: "Take
care of this wounded man until he is cured, and I will
pay all the expenses." Now repeat how the Samaritan
helped the unfortunate man. He, therefore, not only had
compassion on him, but he also helped him. He who has
pity on the unfortunate and helps them, is merciful, is
charitable. What did the Samaritan show towards the
wounded man? Charity. He is, therefore, called the
Charitable Samaritan.

III. Explanation — To love as ourselves. Who treated
that traveler so cruelly? The robbers. What evil had he
done to them? None. Suppose some one would come in
here and, without any provocation, would tear off your
clothing, and beat you till your blood would flow. How
would you like it? Not at all. You would not like to
be thus treated. It would be equally wrong and cruel to
treat others in that way. Our Lord commands us to act
quite differently, for He says : " Whatsoever you would
wish others to do unto you, do ye unto them." If you
were lying on the ground all covered with wounds, and
would see people passing by, what would you wish them
to do for you? What did that wounded man wish the
passers-by to do for him? What would that priest and

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 249

that levite have wished, if they had been in the place of
that unfortunate man? That very thing they should have
done for him. But they thought : " That man is a stran-
ger. I do not know him. It is none of my business."
Is it true that a stranger's misfortune is none of our busi-
ness? What is every man to us, even if he is a stranger
to us? What was that wounded stranger to that priest
and that levite? Because he was the child and the image
of God. What we do to God's child and image, we do
to God Himself. If the priest and the levite had cared
for that wounded man, God would have considered it as
done to Himself.

This must have been the thought of the good Samaritan,
that he should do unto that unfortunate man what he would
wish him to do to himself, if he were in his place. And
he actually did it. Which of our Saviour's commandments
did he thereby fulfil ? " Whatever you wish others to do
unto you, do ye unto them." He who does to another what
he would wish another to do unto him, loves him as he
loves himself. How did the good Samaritan love his
neighbor? As himself. Which of our Saviour's command-
ments did he fulfil? The commandment of the love of our
neighbor.

Now you can answer the question our Saviour asked of
that lawyer. What did He ask him? Which three did
our Saviour mean? How would you answer our Saviour's
question? The good (charitable) Samaritan. Why? Be-
cause he had compassion on the wounded man and assisted
him. In other words, he showed mercy (charity) to him.
What answer did the lawyer give ? " He that showed
mercy to him."

IV. Summary. The commandment of the love of our
neighbor is: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
All men without exception are our neighbor, because all
men are children of one Father in heaven. We love our
neighbor as ourselves when we observe this commandment

250 THE COMMANDMENTS

of our divine Saviour : " Whatever you wish that others
should do unto you, do ye also unto them."

V. Application. What were Christ's concluding words
to the lawyer : " Go thou and do likewise." Our Lord
meant by these words : " Act like the Samaritan." Our
Lord practised what He commanded the lawyer to do.

1. When our divine Saviour was going through Palestine
preaching the Gospel, people were wont to bring Him after
His preaching, sick people to cure, such as the blind, the
deaf and dumb, the lame. How did our Lord help the
blind? the deaf and dumb, the lame? How glad and happy
were those He cured ! On one occasion there was an
immense^ crowd of people with Jesus. They had had noth-
ing to eat for a long time, some even for three days. Our
Saviour fed them all by a miracle. On another day He
met the funeral procession of a young man ; He saw the
mother of the deceased, a poor widow, weeping; He said
to her : " Do not weep," and He went to those who were
carrying the corpse, and raised the dead young man to
life. Thus did Jesus help many others also. What did
our Saviour show by helping so many? That He loved
them. How did He best show that He loved all men?
By dying for all men. Our Saviour loved even His ene-
mies. How did He show, when He was arrested, that He
still loved Judas? He allowed Judas to kiss Him. How
did He show that He loved Malchus, who was one of those
who came to arrest Him? How did He show, when He
was hanging on the cross that He loved even those who
put Him to death? He prayed for them.

2. You see how Jesus acted like the good Samaritan.
He is Himself the Good Samaritan. He helped all. And
we also will help our neighbor, when in need. Hence Jesus
says to us also : " Go and do likewise." There is Rose N.,
who comes to our school. She rides to school every morn-
ing, for she can hardly walk. She cannot go up the steps
by herself. What do most of you do? You go away

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 251

and let her help herself as well as she can. What do you
care for Rose? You act like that priest and that levite
towards the poor wounded man. But not all act in that
way. What do some do to help Rose to go up the steps?
Rose cannot run and jump and play like the other children.
If you were in her place, how would you wish the other
children to act towards you? Remain near us. Thus
should you act towards Rose. A few of you could remain
with her and speak kindly to her. That would do Rose
good. What does it prove ?

There is an old hunchback. When he crosses a street,
he is always surrounded by a number of bad children who
make fun of him and mimic him. This always hurts the
poor old man's feelings ; it is as if he received a wound
in his heart. It has often so pained him, as to make him
weep. Who inflicted so painful a wound on the poor old
man? Those rough, ill-bred, uncharitable children, who,
like the robbers in the parable, fell upon him and badly
wounded him in his feelings. What would you, N. N.,
have done, had you seen those bad children acting so
cruelly? Reported them in school. That would have been
right. Perhaps you would also have said to those children :
" Stop that ; let the poor man be in peace." That would
have been even better. Why is it wrong to pain that old
man? He is our neighbor, a child of God. Other good
children have thought of this, and therefore saluted him
in a friendly manner, and when they saw him sitting in
front of his little home, they went to him and tried to
entertain him. This always made him very glad.

Children sometimes mock and ridicule their schoolmates.
As soon as a child gives a wrong answer, the others begin
to laugh at him. That is ugly and uncharitable; the child
then gets so timid, as no longer to have the courage to
answer a question. How would you like to be treated thus
by the others? What ought we to refrain from, when
others make a mistake? On what saying should we then

252 THE COMMANDMENTS

think? "Whatever thou wishest others to do unto thee,
do thou also unto them."

3. When you undertake to help your little sister to per-
form her task, and she is rather awkward, you at once
scold her, abuse her. Is not that rather rough conduct?
Will that make your sister smarter? How would you take
being treated in such a way? Therefore "whatever," etc.
You have brought to school a fine large apple, and you
are just going to bite into it and eat ; but you see near
you a pair of hungry, longing eyes, those of a schoolmate
who is very poor. You can give him half, or even the
whole apple, and you do so. What does he see in this act
of yours? You have won his love and even his friend-
ship. You have two pencils, and he has none. What can
you do? You meet a young child in the street that has
lost its way, and is far from home. What can you do?
There is another poor child sent to the grocery, that has
lost the money for bread, and is crying. What can you do ?
Help to look for it. There is an automobile coming; a
little child in the street will surely be run over by it, if
you do not carry it out of danger. What should you do?
How many other cases in which you can all show that you
love your neighbor !

ON THE COMMANDMENTS.
3. God gave the ten Commandments.

Which are the two principal commandments? You have
already learned many beautiful things about them. God
Himself told us more clearly how we should love Him
and our neighbor, by giving the ten commandments to the
Jews. These ten commandments oblige all men.

Object. I will relate to-day how God gave the ten
commandments.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 253

I. Relation. The Israelites dwelt many years in Egypt.
There they worshiped the true God. The Egyptians wor-
shiped false gods. There was a pious and learned man
among the Israelites called Moses. God spoke to him:
" Lead the Israelites out of Egypt ; I will give them a
beautiful country to live in." The Israelites departed.
They had a long way to go. In the beginning of the
third month they came to Mount Sinai. There they put
up their tents. Moses went up the mountain, and there
the Lord spoke to him : " Go down and order them to
sanctify themselves to-day and to-morrow, and to wash
their garments, and to be ready on the third day. And
when they hear the blast of the trumpets, they shall come
to the mountain." Moses did what God had commanded
him. The morning of the third day came. And it began
to lighten and thunder. A dark cloud covered Mount
Sinai, and gave it a terrible aspect; it began to quake, to
smoke and to emit flames. The blast of the trumpets be-
came louder and louder, and the Israelites were terrified.
Moses led them to the foot of the mountain, and God
spoke from the midst of the flames, saying:

1. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange
gods before Me ; thou shalt not make to thyself any graven
thing to adore it.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God
in vain.

3. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

4. Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be
well with thee, and thou mayst live long on the earth.

5. Thou shalt not kill.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh-
bor.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

254 THE COMMANDMENTS

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor his
field, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his
ass, nor anything that is his.

Full of dread, the people said : " We shall do all that
the Lord has commanded." After this Moses again went
up the mountain, and remained there forty days and forty
nights. All that time he ate no bread and drank no water.
God gave him two tables of stone, on which His finger
had engraved the ten commandments.

11. Explanation. Where did the Israelites dwell?
There they were obliged to work very hard for the Egyp-
tians, without receiving any pay. If they did not perform
enough work, or took a little rest, they were beaten by
the Egyptians. The Israelites were thus very badly treated
in Egypt. But there was something else that was much
worse. The Egyptians worshiped cats, crocodiles, storks
and a calf. They said : " These are our gods." What
kind of gods were those animals? False gods. Whom
did the Israelites worship? But they gradually began to
worship false gods besides the true God. From whom
had they learnt this? It could have easily happened in
the course of time, that they would at last no longer be-
lieve in the true God. Therefore God willed that the
Israelites should leave Egypt. Who was to lead them out
of Egypt? What did God say to Moses about this? By
what way were the Israelites to go? It was on that way
that God gave them the ten commandments. From what
mountain? How long had the Israelites already traveled?
Here they stayed for a long time. They could not build
solid houses, because they were not to remain there always.
And they could not live without shelter. In what did they
live? In tents. They carried along all the parts of tents.
And when they came to a place where they were to stop,
they put up their tents. Where did Moses go? He went
up the mountain. God wished to proclaim His command-
ments on the third day. That was a matter of great im-

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 255

portance. Therefore that day was to be a great feast day
for the Israelites. What kind of clothes do you put on
on feast days? What would your mother do, if your
clothes were not clean? Suppose you were to go and see
the president on a certain day ; how careful you would be
to be neat and clean in your whole appearance ! But there
is no one greater than God, and the Israelites were to
appear before God ! What were they , ordered to do ?
They were required to be outwardly neat and clean. But
God does not see merely the exterior, but even into our
inmost heart. How should our heart be, when we go be-
fore God? Free from sin; it should be pure and holy.
What were the Israelites to be free from in their soul?
From sin. Therefore they had to make a twofold prepara-
tion. What was the outward preparation to consist in?
And the inward? How long were they given to prepare
themselves? What order did God send them through
Moses?

The morning of the third day came. It was a terrible
day. What did the Israelites see on the mountain? In
what was the mountain enveloped? In a dark cloud. In
the cloud there were constant flashes of lightning, as if
the mountain was on fire. The thunder pealed so fear-
fully, as to cause the mountain to quake and totter. Who
was in the cloud and in the fire? God Himself. What
did the people feel when they beheld the dazzling flashes
of lightning and heard the terrible peals of thunder? Fear
and terror. Where did Moses lead the Israelites ? To the
foot of the mountain. When they reached it, God spoke
to them from the midst of the fire : " I am," etc. The
people were greatly frightened when God, with a voice of
thunder, proclaimed the ten commandments, and they
trembled as they listened. What did the Israelites promise
after hearing the commandments God gave them? Where
did Moses then betake himself? How long did he remain
there ? During all that time he took neither food nor drink,

256 THE COMMANDMENTS

that is, he fasted. Can you tell me why Moses remained
so long on the mountain ? During that time God explained
to him the ten commandments. The Israelites might have
forgotten the commandments. But God would not permit
it. What do I often do when I wish you not to forget
what I teach you ? Write it on the board. Therefore what
did God do with regard to the ten commandments?

III. and IV. Explanation and Application. On what
do I write? On the blackboard. With what? That can
be easily rubbed out. On what did God write the ten
commandments? On two tables of stone. They were very
large. Who has already seen writing on stone? Where?
On tombs, monuments. The writing cannot be rubbed out.
Why? It is cut into the stone, and will last as long as
the stone itself. The ten commandments are to last al-
ways; as long as the world lasts. Wherefore God en-
graved them deeply in the tables of stone. How? With
His finger, just as if they had been carved in the stone.
Who gave the ten commandments? Where? To whom?
On what were they written? God gave to Moses the ten
commandments written on two tables of stone. How are
these tables of stone represented? One with numbers I,
II and III, meaning the first, second and third command-
ments, which concern our duties towards God. The other
with the following seven numbers up to X, meaning the
seven remaining commandments, which concern our duties
towards our neighbor. The first three commandments
teach us how we must love God ; and the other seven teach
us how we must love our neighbor.

V. Application, i. What did the Israelites see and
hear when God gave the ten commandments? God was
angry with the Israelites because they disobeyed Him and
adored also false gods. Therefore he said : "I am the
Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before
Me; thou shalt adore none but Me." And thus He spoke
ten consecutive times to them, telling them what they should

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 257

do, and what they should not do. Three times He said:
" Thou shalt ; " and seven times : " Thou shalt not."

2. When God spoke thus to the Israelites, His voice
was as terrible as the rolling of thunder, and His eyes
shone through the cloud as the most vivid lightning. You
can see from this that God was very severe when He gave
the ten commandments, and He is very strict in requiring
their observance. He who breaks one of the command-
ments, commits a sin, and will be punished by God. We
have examples of this in Adam and Eve, in Cain, in the
angels who rebelled against God. How did He punish
Adam and Eve? Cain? God will punish us also, if we
break any of His commandments. He can cause us to
fall dead whilst we are committing a sin. And if we die
in mortal sin, God must, in His justice, condemn us to
hell. We shall all die once, and then shall have to appear
before God to be judged. How terrible will it then be for
us, if we have not kept the commandments and fallen into
mortal sin ! God will then say to us : " Depart from Me,
you accursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for
the devil and his angels." How unhappy you would then
be ! What must you do to avoid such a misfortune ? Keep
the commandments. But a good child needs not to be
threatened with punishment to make him keep the com-
mandments of God. Only lately I taught you why you
ought to obey, to pray, to study. To please God. Why
should you also keep the commandments? What do we
show when, to please God, we keep His commandments?
Our divine Saviour says : " He that loveth Me, keepeth
My commandments."

3. The Israelites had to appear at the foot of Mount
Sinai before God. You appear every morning during holy
Mass before God. What had the Israelites to do before
appearing before God? You should not come to church
without washing your face, your hands, and combing your
hair, and your clothes and shoes should be clean. But

258 FIRST COMMANDMENT

God looks further than your dress ; He sees into your in-
most heart. How should your heart especially be, when
you appear before God? Pure. But you cannot purify
your heart all alone. Who has to help you ? God. Hence
when you enter the church, take holy water devoutly, and
whilst making the sign of the cross with it, say : " O
Lord, cleanse (purify) me of my sins." If you do this
devoutly, God will forgive you your sins.

FIRST COMMANDMENT OF GOD.
4. The Worship of God. A.

I. Preparation. What do you do when I come into
the school? Wre stand up and salute you. By doing so,
you honor me. What do you do when you meet me on
the street? We take off our hats and salute you. By
doing so, you also honor me. When the bishop comes
to our church, all turn out in procession to receive him,
in their best clothes, and the church bells ring joyfully,
and the church is beautifully decorated. By all this the
clergy and faithful wish to show due honor to the bishop.
But there is One who deserves far greater honor than the
bishop, than the Pope himself. Who is it? God. We
must honor God far more than all else.

Object. I will show by the history of the three wise
men how we should honor God. Who can relate their
history?

II. Relation. When Jesus was born at Bethlehem,
there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem. They
asked : " Where is the new-born king of the Jews ? We
have seen His Star in the East and have come to adore
Him." When Herod heard this, he was afraid. He sum-
moned the priests and the scribes, and asked them where
the Christ (Messiah) was to be born. They answered:
" At Bethlehem in the tribe of Juda." Then Herod sent

THE WORSHIP OF GOD 259

the wise men to Bethlehem, saying : " Go there and seek
diligently for the Child; and when you have found Him,
tell me, and I also will go to adore Him." The wise men
set out at once for Bethlehem. And the star appeared and
led them to the place where the Child was. When they
saw the Star, they rejoiced very much. They entered the
place and found the Child with Mary, His Mother. They
prostrated themselves and adored the Child. They offered
Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. During the night God
commanded the wise men not to go back to Herod ; there-
fore they returned by another way to their country.

A. THE ADORATION OF THE THREE WISE MEN.

III. Development — Hope. How did the wise men
learn the birth of the Redeemer? From a Star. The
prophets had foretold that a special Star would appear at
the birth of the Redeemer, and that the Redeemer would
be king in Judea. Who had told this to the prophets?
God. But what God says is true. Therefore the wise
men firmly believed it. And they wished to see the Re-
deemer. They went to Judea. In what city did they first
seek the Redeemer? What did they inquire about Him?
Who had called the Redeemer a king? Why did the wise
men seek the new-born King in Jerusalem? Because King
Herod lived there. They therefore believed they would
surely find the Redeemer in the royal city of Jerusalem.
Therefore they said: 'They hoped surely to find the Re-
deemer." But they did not find Him in Jerusalem. But
through King Herod they found out that the Redeemer
was to be born at Bethlehem. They at once started for
Bethlehem. And as they left Jerusalem, the Star again
appeared to them. What were their feelings at this sight?
Why? They felt sure of finding the Redeemer. They fol-
lowed the Star. Where did the Star stop?

Faith. Naturally a king's son is born in a palace; but
the wise men stood in front of a miserable stable. They

26o FIRST COMMANDMENT

go in. They seek a king's child in a costly decorated
cradle. And they find a Child in a manger lying on straw.
A royal child is usually surrounded by many noble at-
tendants. And whom do they find with the Infant Jesus?
Others would have probably thought : " And is this Infant
lying on straw in a manger in this wretched stable really
the King of the Jews? " But the wise men believed in this
Infant King. They believe Him to be the promised Re-
deemer, because the Star indicated Him. They believe Him
to be the King of the Jews. They believe that poor In-
fant to be the infinite, great, rich and almighty God. By
their faith they honor and worship the divine Infant. The
wise men believed in the Infant Jesus.

Adoration. The wise men had already said in Jerusalem
why they were seeking that Infant. In order to adore
Him. Adoration is due to God alone. What did the wise
men believe the new-born King of the Jews to be? God.
And how, on this account, did they worship that Infant,
when they had entered the stable? They prostrated them-
selves before the Infant Jesus and adored Him. Therefore
they took off their crowns, for they knew that that Child
was a far greater king than they. Where is His throne?
This Child is the King and Lord of heaven and earth.
Before Him they are very little, as a mere nothing. All
that they are and have, come from Him, for He is their
Lord and their God.

King and Lord. People willingly make presents to the
great ; they wish to honor them by so doing. In like man-
ner, the wise men brought gifts to the divine Child. Each
of them had brought the best his country produced. What
was the gift of the first of these wise men? Gold. A king
wears a golden crown. Therefore gold is the gift for a
king. The head of the Infant Jesus should be decorated
with the most beautiful crown of gold. Why? In what
capacity did the wise men present gold to the Infant Jesus?
They intended to honor him as a king.

THE WORSHIP OF GOD 261

God. What gift did the second of the wise men offer
to the Infant Jesus? Incense is placed in a censer, that
its sweet fragrance should ascend to God. Incense is
offered to God. By offering incense the wise men wor-
shiped the Infant Jesus as God. Hence by their gifts they
honored the Infant Jesus as King and as God.

To love above all. What do we show when we make a
present to some one? That we love him. What did the
wise men show to the Infant Jesus by their beautiful gifts?
That they loved Him. That Child was dearer to them
than their gold and silver, than their parents, than their
own children, than everything in the whole world. How
much did the wise men love the Infant Jesus? The wise
men loved the Infant Jesus above all things. They wor-
shiped the Infant Jesus by their great love.

To hope. The wise men would have liked to remain
with the Infant Jesus. But they had to return to their
own country. They wept when taking leave of the Infant
Jesus. They knew they would again see Him. Why did
the Infant Jesus come upon earth ? To redeem us from sin.
Where then again can men go? To heaven. The wise
men believed that the Infant Jesus would enable them to
go to heaven. Wnere, then, did the wise men expect to
see again the Infant Jesus? The wise men, therefore,
hoped in the Infant Jesus. By their hope they honored and
worshiped the Infant Jesus.

How, then, did the wise men honor the Infant Jesus? 1,
They believed in Him ; 2, they hoped in Him ; 3, they loved
Him above all things ; 4, they adored the Infant Jesus.
How did they consider the Infant Jesus? The wise men
considered and honored the Infant Jesus as King and God.

B. OUR ADORATION OF GOD.

IV. Faith. The first commandment is : "I am the Lord
thy God ; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me."
Which people adored strange gods besides God? The

262 FIRST COMMANDMENT

Israelites. The Israelites, therefore, believed in many
gods. That was a grievous sin. There is only one God.
God is a spirit. We cannot see Him. But we must believe
in Him. God Himself has said : " I am God, and there
is no God besides Me." What God says is true. He is
the eternal Truth. What do we then owe to God? We
are bound to believe in God. By this faith we honor and
worship God.

To azvaken our faith. Every child of God received this
faith in baptism. This faith is always in the child that
is baptized. But the child does not always think on it.
This faith, is, as it were, asleep in the child's soul. But
it needs to be awakened. That takes place when we say
it to ourselves, when we say it to God, that we firmly be-
lieve in Him. We can do it with these words : " My God,
I believe in Thee, the eternal Truth." You ought daily
to say that little prayer. You know another prayer in
which we express our belief in God. Name it. The
Apostles' Creed. How does it begin?

Hope. He who believes in God and keeps His com-
mandments, will go to heaven. God promised it. Suppose
a person commits a mortal sin after baptism ; can he yet
go to heaven, if he dies in that state? He would be cast
by God into hell, to burn forever in its fire. But God
does not wish the sinner to be lost. He has compassion
on him, and will willingly forgive him, if the sinner is
sorry for his sins and confesses them. God promised this.
God is infinitely merciful. What may he hope for, who
dies without sin ? To go to heaven. What may the great-
est sinner hope for, if he is sorry for his sins? He may
hope to go to heaven. Why? God promised it; God is
merciful. We must, therefore, hope in God.

To atcaken hope. He who hopes in God's mercy, honors
God. And that is what God demands of us. How should
we honor God on account of His mercy? We must hope
in God. Every child of God possesses this hope after his

LOVE OF GOD 263

baptism. But it sleeps in him, like faith. What must we
do to awaken this hope? We must awaken it, by saying:
" O my God, I hope in Thee, as the infinite Mercy."
Henceforth daily awaken your hope in that way.

Love. How to awaken it. What have you just been
told to awaken every day? Faith. What did you learn
some time ago that you should daily awaken in your heart?
Love. What do you say when you awaken in your heart
love for God? "O my God, I love Thee as the chief
(supreme) Good." With what do we love God? With
our heart, soul and mind. When we say these words,
our heart, soul and mind should be with God. How much
should we love God? With our whole heart, our whole
soul, our whole mind, and with all our strength ; in a
word, we must love God above all things. How do we
show that we love God? When, to please Him, we do
good and avoid evil. Why should we love God? Because
He is the chief (supreme) Good. He who loves God as
the chief and most beautiful Good, honors God. This God
demands of us. How should we honor God, because He
is the chief Good? We should love God above all things.
Why should we honor (worship) God? 1, Because He is
the eternal Truth; 2, because He is infinitely merciful; 3,
because He is the chief Good.

Divine worship in the Blessed Sacrament. How did the
wise men worship the divine Infant, when they entered
the stable? They prostrated themselves before Him and
adored Him. Where do we find the Infant Jesus? In
the church. He dwells in the tabernacle. The tabernacle
is His crib. We cannot see the Infant Jesus as the wise
men saw Him. He is concealed in the Sacred Host. The
wonderful Star is there also. It is the lamp constantly
burning before the tabernacle. It is like a fiery little
tongue saying to us : " Here Jesus dwells." Therefore
whenever we enter the church we come like the wise men,
into the presence of the Infant Jesus. How should we

264 FIRST COMMANDMENT

honor Jesus ? We should adore Him. Therefore on enter-
ing the church we at once look towards the tabernacle,
and genuflect before entering a pew. What do we say
when we take our place? " In the name of the Father, etc.

0 Jesus to Thee I live, to Thee I die, Thine I am in life
and in death. Amen. In the name of the Father," etc.
Thus we adore our Saviour. We should adore God alone.
To Him alone is due this act of worship. We adore in
the Blessed Sacrament Jesus as God.

Divine worship in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our
loving Saviour every day comes down from heaven upon
the altar. This takes place at the Consecration of the
Mass. The priest raises Him in the Sacred Host, that
we may see and adore Him. It is then that the altar boys
ring the bell, and the faithful, in profound adoration, say
in their heart : " O Jesus, my Lord and my God. O Sac-
rament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and
thanksgiving be forever Thine." The same happens when
the priest raises the chalice containing the precious blood
of our Lord. We should then say : " Eternal Father,

1 offer Thee the precious blood of Jesus Christ in satis-
faction for my sins and for the Holy Church."

The Offertory. You should not merely adore the Infant
Jesus, but should also, like the wise men, make an offering
to Him. He does not ask of you gold, or incense, or
myrrh. He wishes something more valuable. You should
during the Mass offer yourselves to the Infant Jesus.
What is the name of that part of the Mass when this
should be done? And how will you make that offering?
By saying : " O my Jesus, I give Thee my body and my
soul and my whole heart, and all that I am and all that I
have. Make me all Thine." Who gave you your body
and your soul, and your heart, and all you are and all you
have? To whom, then, do you belong? Who is your
Lord and Master? And our Saviour especially is our
Lord. And how did He become so? Therefore let us,

THE WORSHIP OF GOD 265

at the Offertory, give ourselves freely to our dear Saviour;
our heart, our body, our soul, our whole being. By doing
so we honor and worship Him as our Lord. He especially
desires our heart, our love, He who suffered and died to
gain our heart, our love. Will you not give Him your
heart? You have already been taught how to do it.

When the priest raises the host upon the little golden
plate, you should in your thoughts place your heart upon
that little plate, saying: "Dearest Infant Jesus, I offer
Thee my heart; deign to accept it and preserve it pure
from all sin." But not every heart is pleasing to Jesus.
What kind of heart pleases Him?

The Communion. Jesus loves to enter a pure heart.
During every Mass the Infant Jesus comes into the heart
of the priest. Before receiving Him into his heart the
priest strikes his breast three times, saying: " Lord, I am
not worthy," etc. This part of the Mass is called the Com-
munion. It comes shortly after the Consecration. You
can easily tell when the priest is at the Communion, for
the altar boy rings the bell each time the priest says :
" Lord, I am not worthy," etc. You should then do like
the priest, and strike your breast at each ringing of the
bell, saying: "Lord, I am not worthy," etc. Then add:
" Jesus, Jesus, come to me ; my heart longs for Thee ; I
desire to receive Thee. Make me good and pure ; keep
me from sin." And Jesus will gladly come spiritually into
your soul. (Questions for repetition appropriate to the
foregoing on the Consecration, etc.) Children should each
have a prayer book and bring it with them to church, and
during Mass they should make use of the prayers in it
for hearing Mass. You should pray not only in the church,
but also at home. What prayers should you say in the
morning? At the ringing of the Angelus? Before and
after meals? And at night? All these prayers make up
what we call the daily prayers. He who wilfully neglects
his daily prayers, especially for some time, cannot be ex-

266 FIRST COMMANDMENT

cused from sin. Some children hardly ever say a prayer;
others usually say theif night prayers, but never their
morning prayers, or any other. That shows they do not
love prayer.

Of whom do pious children think, when they say their
prayers? Of God. They pray devoutly, and their prayer
is pleasing to God. Other children say their prayers, but
usually think of something else than God, when they are
praying. Some even laugh, look around when they are
saying their prayers. In the morning they think of their
play or their breakfast when saying their morning prayers.
Even in church, whilst they are praying, they think of
almost everything else, except of God. Wilfully to think
of other things, to gaze around or to laugh during prayer
is sinful, for it is a want of respect for God. When
therefore you go to confession, accuse yourself of being
wilfully distracted during prayer in this way: "I accuse
myself of being wilfully distracted during prayer " ; then
add whether it is always, every day, or only a few times.
You pray well, if you try your best to think of God all
the time you are praying.

As to those who wilfully neglect their daily prayers, they
should confess : " I neglected my prayers " ; then say if
it was often, or only a few times; or even if it was for
weeks and months. To neglect all prayer for about two
months is surely a mortal sin, and must be confessed.

Table of sins against the first commandment : I neglected
my daily prayers. I did not pray devoutly.

5. The Worship of God by Sacrifice.

Object. I will tell you to-day how the first men wor-
shiped God.

I. Preparation. When we wish to worship God right
well, we go to the church. The first men had no churches,
no altars. When they wished to worship God, they built

SACRIFICE 267

an altar of stones. On it they placed wood, and on the
wood they laid ears of corn, apples, cherries and other
fruits, or a lamb, intending to give these things to God.
They set fire to the wood in order to burn everything on
it as an offering to God. This was a sacrifice. Whilst
those things were burning, they would kneel and pray thus :
" Thou art, O God, our supreme Lord and Master. All
that we are and all that we have comes from Thee. Thou
hast also given us life. We would willingly give Thee all
that we are and all that we have, and even our very life;
but Thou dost not wish it. We, therefore, give Thee the
finest things we have, our best fruits, our most beautiful
lamb. Deign favorably to accept these our gifts." And if
the smoke from the burning gifts rose beautifully upwards,
they believed God to have graciously accepted their sacri-
fice. I will also relate to you how the sons of Adam and
Eve worshiped by sacrifice.

II. Relation. Adam and Eve had two sons; Cain was
the first, and Abel the second. Cain was a farmer and
Abel, a shepherd. Abel was good, and Cain was wicked.
One day each offered a sacrifice to God. Abel offered the
finest lambs of his flock, and Cain offered fruits of the
earth. God was pleased with Abel and his sacrifice ; but
did not regard Cain and his sacrifice. Cain was very
angry, and looked very gloomy. The Lord spoke to Cain.
"Why art thou angry and dost look gloomy? If thou
actest right, thou shalt be rewarded ; but if thou dost evil,
punishment shall await thee. Repress thy evil inclinations,
otherwise they shall rule over thee." Cain did not heed
God's warning. One day he said to his brother : " Let
us go out into the field." When they had gone out, Cain
fell upon his brother Abel and killed him. God asked
Cain : " Where is Abel, thy brother? " Cain replied : " I
do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" God said to
him: " What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's
blood crieth to Me from the earth. Be thou, therefore,

268 FIRST COMMANDMENT

cursed upon the earth. When thou shalt till it, it shall
not yield to thee its fruit. A fugitive and a vagabond
shalt thou be upon the earth." And Cain went out from
the face of the Lord, and became a fugitive, and found
no rest.

Consideration — The sacrifices of Cain and Abel. How
were the two sons of Adam and Eve called? Who was
the elder son? Who was the younger? What was Cain?
What was Abel? The brothers were very different in
their hearts from each other. Wrhat kind of a heart had
Cain? What kind had Abel? Abel did what was right
before God. He was just. What did they one day offer
to God? For what purpose did they do this? To wor-
ship God as the supreme Lord of all things. They built
each an altar. What did they put first on the altar?
What did they place on the wood? What was Cain's
offering? What was Abel's? Each one offered the best
he had; Cain offered the finest fruits (products) of the
earth, and Abel, his finest lamb. Each of them set fire
to his sacrifice. Then both knelt down, and besought God
to accept their offerings. Abel's offering burnt beautifully ;
the flames and smoke ascended beautifully heavenward.
The smoke of Cain's sacrifice fell to the ground. Whose
sacrifice was pleasing to God? God regarded it with
pleasure. Whose sacrifice God did not regard? What
could Cain learn therefrom?

Abel. Let us see why God was pleased with Abel's
sacrifice. Each of the two brothers built a beautiful altar,
and offered thereon the best he had. Each knelt down
nicely and prayed to God to accept his sacrifice. Of whom
must we think when we pray? When we think of God in
our prayer, our soul is with God. We have devotion, and
the love of God is awakened in us. This was the case
with Abel when he was praying near his sacrifice. He
forgot everything else around him; he thought only of
God, and his heart was inflamed with the love of God.

SACRIFICE 269

Cain. It was entirely different with Cain. Whilst he
was praying, his thoughts were directed to his crops on
his farm (enumerate). These were his greatest joy. To
whom ought Cain to have directed his thoughts and his
soul during his prayer? What would then have been
awakened in his heart? What was wanting to his prayer?
Devotion and love of God.

The heart. In what did the two brothers appear to
have acted well alike in their sacrifice? In all that was
outward. In what were they entirely different? In what
was inward ; in their heart. Let us take a look into their
hearts. What did God see in Abel's heart? Love of God
and devotion. What was wanting in Cain's heart? There-
fore only Abel's sacrifice was pleasing to God. Even if
we perform very nicely all that is outward, make a fine
genuflection, join our hands in a devout manner, that is
not sufficient. What does God consider the most? The
heart. God looks upon the heart as the most essential.

Envy and anger. Cain would have God to take pleasure
in his sacrifice. What would he have been obliged to
change in his conduct to obtain God's pleasure? He should
have thought : " I must endeavor to have as good a heart
as Abel, so that I may have in prayer devotion and love
of God. I will henceforth think oftener on God, that God
may be pleased with my sacrifice." But unfortunately
Cain did not do this. What were his feelings towards
Abel, because God had been pleased with his sacrifice?
His heart was burning with envy and anger towards Abel.
His anger was very visible in his countenance, which ex-
pressed both envy and anger. Whose fault was it that
God did not love him as much as Abel? His own. It was
very unjust for Cain to be full of envy and anger against
Abel. God saw the envy and anger in Cain's heart, and
reproached him for his injustice towards Abel. What did
God say to Cain ? " Why art thou angry," etc. In which
case would Cain be rewarded by God? What would hap-

270 FIRST COMMANDMENT

pen to him if he did evil? Perhaps Cain had already
thought of putting Abel out of the way. How did God
admonish him for this? " Repress thy evil inclinations."

The crime. Cain did not heed God's admonition. What
did he say one day to Abel? What a crime did he commit
in the field on that day? So far had his envy and anger
led him as to commit murder.

The punishment. God knew what Cain had done. What
did He ask Cain? Cain should have acknowledged that
he had killed his brother, and said to God : " Dear Lord,
I am sorry for my terrible crime. Deign to forgive me."
Cain could then have hoped for God's forgiveness ; for
God is most merciful. He forgives even the most heinous
crimes. He would have forgiven Cain's crime, if Cain
had been sorry for it. But Cain was obdurate. What
answer did he give God? Then God reproached him with
his crime. What did He say to him? The blood of his
brother which he had shed seemed to have a voice crying
out to God in heaven : " Punish him ! Punish him ! "
What punishment did God lay on Cain? Cain should have
no more happiness on earth. What should the earth no
longer produce for him? Fruit. And he should nowhere
find peace, but flee like a fugitive and a vagabond from
place to place. And so it came to pass. Cain's heart
was always full of dread. A voice always said to him :
" Thou art a murderer, and shalt be cast into hell." Cain
was afraid of that voice. He ran hither and thither, and
would hide himself out of fear. That voice always cried out
to him : " Thou art a murderer." At times he seemed to
hear Abel saying to him : " O dear brother, let me go ;
I have done thee no harm." And Cain would then cry
out : " O my sin, my sin ; it is too great ; God will not
forgive me."

III. Application and Picture. The catechist shows
the children for some moments a picture of Cain and
Abel. Then he asks them to point out Cain and Abel ;

HONORING THE SAINTS 271

their respective altars in the background with their sac-
rifices. How did they build their altars? Which is
Cain's? Which Abel's? How do you distinguish them
from one another? How does the smoke of Abel's sac-
rifice ascend?

Our Sacrifice. We have also an altar in our church.
Every day a sacrifice is offered on it to God. The Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass. The Infant Jesus is offered in it.
You also should offer something to God. What? Our
heart. What did Cain and Abel do, whilst the sacrifices
were burning? They knelt down and prayed with joined
hands. They both knelt and joined their hands very
nicely. You should imitate them in this. In church you
should kneel straight, join your hands and look towards
the altar, and make the sign of the cross correctly whilst
pronouncing the words slowly and distinctly. God pays
attention to this. But that is not yet the chief thing.
What did God principally consider in the sacrifices of the
two brothers? Their hearts. What did God perceive in
Abel's heart? And therefore He was pleased with his
sacrifice. And why was He not pleased with Cain's?
His heart was bad, destitute of love and devotion. The
same takes place with your offering and prayers during Mass.
However beautifully you would act exteriorly, if your
heart is evil and full of sin, neither your offering nor
your prayers would please God. To enable your offering
and your prayers to please God, your heart must be good
and pure, and you must exert yourselves to have in your
heart during Mass devotion and love of God.

B.
6. Honoring the Saints.

Object. Last time you heard how we must honor and
worship God; who can repeat it? To-day I will tell how
we are allowed to honor the saints.

2-J2 FIRST COMMANDMENT

I. Development — All the Saints. This is now the
month of May. Every evening we have devotion in
church. How do we call it? The May devotion. How
beautiful is it then in the church ! Where does the priest
kneel during this devotion? At the Blessed Virgin's altar.
What special things do you see during May on her altar?
It is adorned with flowers, and there are many lighted
candles on her altar. We intend to honor the Blessed
Virgin with those flowers and candles. What is done
during the devotion? Hymns are sung. Can you men-
tion some of them? Not only are hymns sung, but also
prayers are recited. WThat prayers? The litany of the
Blessed Virgin. By these hymns and prayers we also
honor the Blessed Virgin. Let us again repeat how we
honor the Blessed Virgin. How is her altar adorned?
With flowers and candles. How do we honor her during
the devotion? With hymns and prayers.

But we sometimes place flowers and lighted candles be-
fore the pictures of saints. Tell me which pictures of
saints are thus honored in our church. Have you also
pious pictures at home? Which ones have you? and you?
Do you pray before them? In some Catholic countries
the pictures or statues of the Blessed Virgin and of the
saints, and crucifixes are placed along roads, near houses,
and people are seen on their knees praying before them.
Some have little lamps always lit before them. These pic-
tures, statues, etc., were placed there long ago by pious
people to honor the saints and to excite devotion in the
hearts of those who pass by them. We honor the saints
whenever we read or relate something about them. We
venerate them by singing hymns in their honor, by praying
to them, and also by adorning their images with flowers
and lighted candles.

Mary. Mary, the Mother of God, was honored already
when she was living on earth. One day when she was
kneeling and praying in her little room, the angel Gabriel

HONORING THE SAINTS 273

came to her. Who had sent that angel? How did he
address Mary ? " Hail, Mary, full of grace." It was
God who thus saluted her through His angel. That was
a great honor for her. God never saluted any one else
in so beautiful a manner. He wished to show her how
dear she was to Him. Why was Mary so dear to Him?
Because she was so pious. She did not commit even the
least sin. She even never was stained by what sin ? Orig-
inal sin. Her soul was as resplendently white and pure
as a lily, and even much more so. Mary is the most beau-
tiful, the most pious, the most holy among women and
virgins. How is she called on this account? The most
Blessed Virgin Mary. What message did God send to
Mary by the angel? That she would have a son, and that
the Son of God would be her Son. How do we call Mary
on this account? Mother of God. For what did God
choose Mary? To be the Mother of His Son. That was
a still greater honor for her. Thus did God honor Mary
whilst she was on earth. Where is Mary now? God
honors her still more in heaven. He placed a throne for
her in the highest heaven near His own throne. The Son
of God placed His Mother on that throne. He clothed
her in a magnificent garment and placed on her head a
crown of twelve bright stars. (Show a picture of Mary
crowned with twelve stars.) Who wears a crown on her
head? What is Mary, because she wears a crown? A
queen. Yes, God made her the Queen of heaven; she is
the Queen of the angels and the saints. God has honored
her, therefore, above every one else.

A good thing. God honors and loves the other saints
in heaven. He has adorned them with wonderful glory.
Some wear white garments, others red, and others violet.
Some carry palms in their hands, others carry lilies. All
are as bright as the sun, wear crowns and are seated on
thrones. Thus does God honor the saints in heaven. They
are His friends and favorites. He is pleased when we

274 FIRST COMMANDMENT

honor the saints ; He even wills that we should do so.
Therefore the Pope and the bishops teach : " It is a good
thing to venerate the saints." How do we call the Pope
together with the bishops? The Catholic Church. We,
therefore, say also: "The Catholic Church teaches that
it is a good thing to venerate the saints."

A useful thing. How do we venerate the saints?
Chiefly by praying to them. Which litany do we recite
in the May devotions? The leader calls Mary beautiful
names, such as, " Mother of God, Virgin of virgins."
What do all answer? Pray for us. In the month of
March the litany of St. Joseph is usually said. There is
also the litany of the Saints. The leader mentions (in-
vokes) the name of some one of the saints in heaven, such
as : " Holy Mary, Mother of God, St. Joseph, St. Peter,
all the apostles, all the angels, the Holy Innocents." When
you call your mother, she knows that you want something
from her. And when we call on Mary and the saints,
what do they know from this? That we want something
from them. And how do you answer the leader? To
whom should the saints pray for us? To God. There-
fore we say to the Blessed Virgin : " Pray for me to
Jesus, thy Son." Why do we not pray directly to God?
Sometimes you need something, such as a book, an article
of clothing, which you should ask from your father. But
you are afraid to ask your father, for he is displeased with
you. To whom do you make your wants known? To
mother. And mother asks father for you, and father pro-
cures it for you. In the same manner we act with God,
when we wish to obtain something from Him. We have
committed many sins, and are afraid God may not give
it to us ; and we go to our heavenly Mother, and beg her
to help us. How do we ask her ? " Holy Mary, pray for
me." Or we go to St. Joseph, and say : " St. Joseph,
pray for us." Or to some other saint, saying: "Pray
for me to God to grant me the favor — " And the saints

HONORING THE SAINTS 275

consent, and pray to God for us. And God is pleased to
grant their prayers, their requests for us, for He loves them
as His friends. He then helps us sooner, than if we prayed
directly to Him. Once I had lost my watch, and I could
not find it. I prayed to St. Antony very devoutly to help
me to find it. And I soon found it in the street all in
good order. Thus St. Antony helped me by his inter-
cession. And whom does not the Blessed Virgin help?
How many very sick persons have prayed to her to cure
them, and have got well ! But did Mary herself cure them?
No. Who cured them? God, for He alone can do so,
since He is almighty. What then had Mary to do with
their cure? She prayed God to cure them. She helped
to cure them by her prayers (intercession). In like man-
ner, the saints have helped many by their intercession. It
is, therefore, useful to honor and venerate the saints.

Imitation. He who thus honors the saints delights to
hear them spoken of and to read anecdotes about them.
He thus finds out always more and more how holy the
saints were. The same thing happens to him that once
happened to many children. They were often with a holy
boy, called Stanislaus. Stanislaus was fond of staying in
church. His favorite place there was before the tabernacle.
There he often knelt for hours, with his hands joined and
his eyes cast modestly down, and looked like an angel.
Every one liked Stanislaus. All the children sought his
company. When he was praying in church, every child
wished to kneel behind him ; every one wished to see how
piously and devoutly he prayed. All wished : " O if I
were only as pious as Stanislaus ! " They tried to imitate
him. These children soon became much better and more
pious, so that their parents were greatly astonished thereat.

The same will happen to you, if you read or hear much
about the lives of the saints, such as St. Aloysius and St.
Stanislaus. What will you then also wish for? To be-
come pious like these saints. The veneration of the saints

276 FIRST COMMANDMENT

would then be very useful and profitable to you. There-
fore the Church teaches : " It is useful to honor the saints."
What did we say a few moments ago about honoring the
saints ? Therefore the Church teaches : " It is good and
useful to honor the saints."

Mary. Which saint does God honor the most? Mary,
the most Blessed Virgin. Why? Because she is the
Mother of God. Mary is our Mother also. We are all
her children. She looks upon us from heaven and cares
for us. She can help us more than all the other saints in
heaven together. For she is the Mother of God. If she
intercedes for us with the heavenly Father or her divine
Son, we are sure of being heard. Mary is more willing
than the other saints in heaven to help us. She is our
Mother. It has never been heard that any one invoking
her, has not been heard.

II. Connection. To whom must Mary pray when she
wishes to help us? To God. Who is, then, far above
Mary and all the saints? Must God intercede with any
one when He wishes to help us? No, for He is almighty.
He depends on no one and can do all He wishes. How
do Mary and the saints help us? They help us by inter-
ceding for us with God. Therefore we only pray to them.
What do we say when we pray to the saints? Pray for
us. But we do not adore Alary and the saints. We may
adore only God. What would we consider Mary and the
saints to be, if we adored them? As God. But there is
only one God. And God said from Mount Sinai : " Thou
shalt not have strange gods before Me." Against which
commandment would we sin, if we adored the saints?
Against the first commandment.

III. Summary. What does the Church teach about
venerating the saints? The Catholic Church teaches that
it is good and useful to venerate the saints. Whom should
we venerate (honor) the most among the saints? The
Blessed Virgin Mary. Why do we venerate the Blessed

HONORING THE SAINTS 277

Virgin Mary in a special manner? We venerate the
Blessed Virgin Mary in a special manner, because she is
the Mother of God and our Mother also.

IV. Application, i. We celebrate feasts to honor the
Blessed Virgin. Can you mention one of Mary's feasts?
The Assumption, the Purification, or Candlemas-day.
Pious persons honor the Blessed Virgin daily. You also
should pray to Mary every morning and every evening.
Which of you prays to her morning and evening? You
should every morning and evening say three Hail Marys
in honor of her purity, that she may keep you pure. When
you are in danger, when you are tempted, say : " Mary,
my dear Mother, help me; protect me." If your father
or your mother is sick, if you are in great want or in
trouble, go to the church and kneel before the Blessed
Virgin's altar, and pray earnestly to Mary to help you.
She can obtain from God everything conducive to our
welfare. Never forget to say the Angelus morning, noon
and evening.

2. We celebrate feasts to honor other saints. Mention
some of them. The feasts of St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and
Paul, St. Aloysius. We celebrate a feast day, a Holyday
of obligation, to honor all the saints together. Name it.
All Saints on Nov. 1st.

3. You should pray daily also to St. Joseph, saying:
" St. Joseph, Protector of the Church, protect me against
temptation, make me good, and help me to lead a holy
life."

4. Mary and St. Joseph are our patrons. Besides them
every child has his own patron. The saint whose name
he bears. Who is your patron? Who is yours? A good
child prays daily to his patron. Say at least to him both

morning and evening: "My holy patron, St , pray

for me." There are three patrons to whom every one
should pray daily. Two of them, Mary and St. Joseph
are for all children. The third one is the saint after whom

278 SECOND COMMANDMENT

each one has been named. You should ask your parents
to relate to you something of the life of your patron.
You should strive to become as good and as pious as your
patron. You should at least know what he did to become
a saint; and then try to imitate him. You cannot give
him greater pleasure than by trying to be good and holy
like him.

SECOND COMMANDMENT.

A.

7. Reverence for the Name of God.

Object. I will teach you to-day how to pronounce the
name of God.

i. Preparation. Each of you has a name. What is
your name? By what name are you called? Charles.
The name Charles has been given you, that you may be
called by it. For yourself, for your own use, you need
no name. When you, Bernard, wish to say that you were
at church this morning, you do not say : " Bernard was
at church " ; but you say : " I was at church." How do
the other children call you? Whom do they mean when
they call for Bernard? Me. Your name Bernard means
yourself. Whom does he mean who says, President? The
President. Whom does he mean who says, God? The
name God means God Himself.

Object. I will teach you to-day how to pronounce the
name of God.

II. Relation. A certain prophet was permitted to take
a look into heaven. He saw God seated on His golden
throne; and there knelt around Him the angels and saints.
They bowed their heads, adored God and constantly sang
a wonderfully beautiful hymn. " Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy

REVERENCE FOR THE NAME OF GOD 279

Ghost." And when the Son of God was born at Beth-
lehem, the angels joyfully came down upon earth, praising
God and singing: "Glory be to God on high."

Consideration — God is holy. Where did the prophet
see God sitting in heaven? On a golden throne. God is
the Most High ; therefore He is seated on the throne.
Who are around Him? The angels and saints. What
beautiful hymn are they constantly singing? Why do they
continually sing, Holy, etc. ? In what position do they sing.
They kneel and bow their heads. They do this out of
reverence for God. What were the Israelites required to
do when they had to appear before God on Mount Sinai?
How had they to prepare themselves? Because God is
holy, and he who appears before God, must be holy.

The name of God is holy. When we speak with God,
we call Him by His name. What does the name God stand
for? For God Himself. In pronouncing His name we
think of how great, how holy, how beautiful, how mighty
God is. There is nothing higher, more mighty, or more
holy than God. Therefore the name of God is the most
holy of names. The name of God is the most holy word
we can think of. The first commandment obliges us to
worship and adore God.

Revere the name of God. What do we owe to the name
of God on this account? That we should show it reverence.
What do the angels in heaven sing to revere the name of
God ? " Glory be to the Father," etc. With what hymn
did the angels honor the name of God when the Redeemer
was born ? " Glory be to God on high." God wills that
men should also revere His name. Therefore He pro-
claimed from Mount Sinai the second commandment in
these words: " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain." There are several names that mean
God: Lord God, Lord, Creator, heavenly Father, Jesus
Christ, Saviour, Redeemer.

1. In prayer. We pronounce the name of God in all our

280 SECOND COMMANDMENT

prayers. Many begin with : "Omy God." What name
do we give to God in the Lord's Prayer? Father. In
the Hail Mary ? Lord ; Jesus. We revere God's name by
devoutly pronouncing it in prayer.

2. In our wants. Many pronounce the name of God
even when they are not saying their prayers. A child,
for instance, has just fallen into the water and is already
sinking ; his mother in great fear exclaims : " Good God,
help me ! " What will happen to that child, if no one
comes to help him out? He will drown. The child is in
great danger, in great need of help. What name did his
mother pronounce? When we call some one by his name,
we wish to obtain something from him. Why did the
child's mother in her great need pronounce (call upon)
the name of God? That God might help her. It is a
beautiful thing to pronounce and invoke the name of God
in our need. It pleases God. By doing so, we show that
we believe God is almighty and can help us. We thereby
honor His name. God wills that we should call upon Him
in our wants, for He says : " Call upon Me in Thy need,
and I will save thee."

People invoke even the names of the saints in their
wants. For instance, a fire suddenly breaks out in a house.
Some one of the family sees it, and exclaims: "Jesus,
Mary and Joseph, help me." A sick person in his pains
cries out : " Jesus, Mary and Joseph, deign to help me."
A child is troubled with evil temptations; when aware of
them, the child says : " Jesus, help me " ; or, " Mary, pray
for me." All these three persons were in need. Whom
did they invoke in their need? Why did they invoke
them? For help. What did they show to those holy
names? Honor. Hence we honor, or revere, the name of
God, when we invoke it in our wants, and also in prayer.

3. In vows. The name of God can be honored in
another way. A child is dangerously ill. His mother
greatly fears he will die. Therefore, she says: "Dear

REVERENCE FOR THE NAME OF GOD 281

Lord, if Thou restorest my child to health, I promise Thee
a pilgrimage to . . ., and to offer Thee ... I bind my-
self, under pain of sin, to do so." And God heard her
prayer, and her child got well again. What promise did the
child's mother make? To whom did she make it? And
now that her child is cured, what must she do? Make the
pilgrimage and the offering promised. A promise made
to God must be kept. How is such a promise called? A
vow. What name did the child's mother invoke? By her
vow she honored the name of God.

Breaking a vow. Now suppose that child's mother
would not keep her vow. Would she act right? God
helped her, because she invoked His name and made Him
a promise. Now she must keep her promise. If she does
not keep, but breaks her vow, it is just as wicked, as if
she had invoked God's name out of mockery. And instead
of honoring the name of God, she dishonored it. But
God forbids this in the second commandment. Recite the
second commandment. It is, therefore, a sin to break a
vow.

III. Summary. We honor the name of God 1, when
we pronounce it in prayer; 2, when we invoke it in our
needs; 3, when we make a vow. We dishonor the name
of God when we break a vow.

IV. Application. You have just learned how we may
honor the name of God. You can do it many times a day,
for instance, by repeating a short prayer, such as : " My
God, I believe in Thee; My God, I hope in Thee; My God,
I love Thee with all my heart. My Jesus, have mercy on
me; My Jesus, all for Thee; Jesus, help me; Mary, help
me." But you must pronounce the holy name of God with
devotion, otherwise you will not please God. We should
do so especially when we pray, for God wishes us to honor
and revere His name as the angels and saints do in heaven.
Our divine Saviour taught us in the Our Father to say :
" Hallowed be Thy name." This means : " Our Father,

282 SECOND COMMANDMENT

grant that I and all men may always honor and revere
Thy holy name as the angels and saints do in heaven."

B.
8. Taking God's Name in vain.

Object. I will teach you to-day, that we are not allowed
to take God's name in vain.

I. Relation. When Jesus was arrested on Mount of
Olives by His enemies, He was brought that very night
to the highest court of the Jews. Peter and John fol-
lowed Him from a distance. Peter went into the court
(front yard) of the high priest, to see what would happen
to Jesus. There one of the maid servants recognized him
and said to him : ' Thou art also one of the disciples of
Jesus." Peter said: " No, I am not; I do not know that
man." And then he swore. Soon one of the men servants
came to Peter, and said to him : " Yes, thou art one of
the disciples of Jesus." Peter swore again and wished
all kinds of evil to himself, if he were even acquainted
with that man. When Jesus later on was hanging on the
cross and suffered such terrible pains, the Jews mocked
Him, saying : " He helped others, and He cannot help
Himself. If Thou art the Son of God, come down from
the cross."

Consideration — Szvearing. WThere was Jesus led
after His arrest? Which two of His disciples followed
Him? Peter wished to see what would become of Jesus.
Where did he betake himself? The night was chilly. The
soldiers, the men and maid servants of the high priest had
lighted a fire in the front yard of the high priest. They
all stood around it warming themselves. Peter stood
among them. Wrho recognized him? What did she say
to him? ' Thou also art a disciple of Jesus." This was
really so. Peter feared lest the soldiers would do him

TAKING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN 283

harm, would at last arrest him as they had arrested Jesus.
What was his answer? "I do not know the man." But
the maid servant would not believe him. Suppose, Charles,
you went yesterday with your brother from school directly
to N. (the next town), far away from any orchard; and
some one points you out to the teacher as having yesterday
after school stolen fruit in an orchard near by. What
would you answer to your teacher? " No; I did not steal
fruit in that orchard ; I went with my brother directly after
school to N." How would you make the teacher believe
you? I would call my brother. Your brother would be
your witness; he could say (testify) that you were telling
the truth.

Peter would have wished he had a witness to testify that
he (Peter) did not know Jesus. But there was no one
around that he could call as a witness. Who knows all
things? God. Who, then, could have told whether Peter
knew Jesus? God. And now Peter called God as a wit-
ness. He who calls God as a witness of his telling the
truth, swears (takes an oath). And this was what Peter
did as an answer to the maid servant. Peter swore. In
swearing people say : " God is my witness, that I am tell-
ing the truth." " As true as there is a God in heaven,
what I say is true." Or : " God knows I am telling the
truth." Peter used an expression like these, when he
swore.

People often have to swear in court. For this, in Cath-
olic countries, there is in the court on a table a crucifix
between two lighted candles. He who swears, raises his
right hand, and says : " I swear by almighty God, that
I am telling (will tell) the truth. May God help me and
His Holy Gospel." In the United States, the Judge (no-
tary) reads the formula of the oath in the form of a
question : " Do you swear that you will tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth? So help you
God? " During this time the witness raises his right hand,

284 SECOND COMMANDMENT

says, " Yes," and then is expected to kiss the Bible. Swear-
ing (taking an oath) means: "O God, Thou knowest all
things ; Thou knowest that I am speaking the truth. Thou
art my witness." By these words we honor the name of
God. We are not allowed to swear to anything, unless we
are perfectly sure that it is true, so that God, who is Truth
itself, can testify that we are telling the truth.

Swearing falsely. Peter swore that he did not know
our Saviour. Could God have said to him : " That is
true ; you are telling the truth " ? No. Why not ? Peter
knew our Saviour. He had always been with him. In
swearing Peter did not tell the truth. He who swears
to what he knows is not true, swears falsely. How did
Peter swear? Peter swore falsely. He who swears
falsely, lies ; and he wishes God to say that he is telling
the truth ; he wishes God to help him to lie ! By swearing
to what is true we honor the name of God. But what does
swearing falsely do to the name of God? It dishonors,
it profanes the name of God. It is just like invoking the
name of God in mockery. To swear falsely is a mortal
sin. Swearing falsely is called perjury.

Moreover, a person may swear to something that is
true, and yet commit a sin by doing so. For instance, a
woman, speaking to her neighbor about the doings of her
six-year-old Johnny, says : " I cannot tell you how smart
my Johnny is ; he can count from one to one hundred, and
from one hundred backwards to one." But her neighbor
does not believe that. But Johnny's mother replies:
" What I say is as true as there is a God in heaven."
That woman has sworn. Why did she swear? Because
her neighbor would not believe that Johnny was so smart.
But Johnny's smartness is a matter of no importance what-
ever. Hence it matters not, if her neighbor will not be-
lieve it. God is too holy for any one to call Him to
witness things of no consequence. To swear is permitted
only in matters of real importance and when it is necessary

TAKING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN 285

to testify in court, or when the law requires it. When is
it not permitted? He who swears about trifles, without
necessity, without a good reason, commits a sin. How did
Johnny's mother swear? Unnecessarily. What did she
commit in doing so? To swear without necessity is not a
mortal sin in itself. Who commits a mortal sin by swear-
ing? Why? Who commits sin by swearing? First, he
who swears falsely, and secondly, he who swears without
necessity. Children should not swear at all.

Cursing. Peter committed also other sins in the court-
yard of the high priest. Who else, besides the maid
servant, recognized Peter? What did he say to Peter?
" Yes, thou art one of the disciples of Jesus." What did
Peter answer? As the servant would not believe him,
Peter grew angry. And what sin did he commit a second
time? And besides that, Peter also cursed. You have
probably heard people cursing; for instance, teamsters
cursing their horses or their mules; also persons getting
angry and quarreling with each other, cursing each other.
You have perhaps sometimes heard a man cursing him-
self, calling on God to damn not only other people, but
even his own soul ! Peter was angry ; he began to curse,
and to curse himself, if what he said about not knowing
Jesus, was not true! Cursing is sinful, and the sin is in
proportion to the evil wished; the greater the evil wished
in a curse, the greater also is the sin. Peter in cursing
used the name of God; he dishonored it; he profaned it.
He committed a very grievous sin by doing so. How must
we use, or pronounce, the name of God? With the great-
est reverence and respect. He who curses uses it to insult
and wish evil. He profanes the holy name of God. Some
people curse very often ; some even can hardly speak with-
out uttering a curse. We sometimes hear even little boys
curse; some little boys curse, because they think it is a
smart thing to curse. Good people on earth and the saints
and angels in heaven pronounce the name of God with the

286 SECOND COMMANDMENT

greatest reverence and respect. In hell the devils and the
damned are always cursing; cursing themselves, cursing
others, cursing God. Hence cursing is the language of
hell. And those persons, those children that curse are like
the devils and the damned in hell ; and if they do not
amend, they will go to hell after their death, to curse for
all eternity in the flames of hell ! How ungrateful are
those who curse almighty God ! They abuse their tongue
to profane the holy name of God, that tongue which God
gave them with which to praise Him. They vent their
stupid anger on the holy name of the best of fathers, of
their greatest Benefactor, of their Redeemer, who died to
save them. O dear children, do not ever use that abomina-
ble language of hell !

Pronounced with levity. Suppose a man going through
our town, would hear his name called out by everybody.
This indicates that no one wishes to have anything to do
with him. How will he feel about it? Angry. No one
likes to have people halloo his name everywhere. It would
make you angry or cause you to weep. And your name
is not a holy name. But what is the name of God? Not
only a holy name, but the most holy of names. And yet
how many persons there are who frequently, and that
daily, say : :< My God, O God, my Lord, O Lord, Jesus,"
as a mere common-place exclamation, just as if this holy
name were only a common, insignificant word ! Does this
show any respect, any reverence for God Himself to pro-
nounce His holy name with such levity? But as those
who act thus, do not intend thereby to offend or dishonor
God, they do not thereby commit a mortal sin, but only
a venial sin. In like manner, many, who are addicted to
cursing, curse without reflection, without meaning what
they say ; they do not commit a mortal sin thereby, but
they are obliged to do all they can to get rid of such an
evil habit.

Blasphemy. Whilst our divine Saviour was hanging on

TAKING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN 287

the cross many Jews sinned grievously. Jesus suffered
terrible pains; it was of His free-will that He suffered
them for the sins of mankind. But how did the Jews cry
out to Jesus ? They meant to say : " Thou hast said that
Thou art God; but Thou hast no power; Thou canst not
help Thyself." They profaned, mocked and made fun of
the name of God. They committed thereby the horrible
sin of blasphemy. This takes place continually in hell,
where the name of God is blasphemed day and night.
This grievous, horrible sin is the sin of the devils. Some-
times men blaspheme God, when some misfortune happens
to them, or when they get very sick. They charge God
with being unjust, cruel, with not hearing their prayers,
with not caring for them. How terrible!

II. Connection. Let us examine the ways in which
the name of God is dishonored, or profaned. Who pro-
nounce the name of God with levity? Those who utter
(pronounce) it without reflection. Who pronounce it in
anger ? Those who curse. Who profane or mock the name
of God? Those who blaspheme, those who commit per-
jury, those who break a vow. Which of these usually
commit only a venial sin thereby? Which of them sin
grievously? What do they all do to the name of God?
They dishonor it.

III. Summary. The second commandment is: "Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
Who sins against this commandment? 1, He who pro-
nounces the name of God with levity ; 2, he who abuses
it by cursing; 3, he who swears falsely or unnecessarily;
4, he who breaks a vow ; 5, he who blasphemes God.

IV. Application, i. Let us again examine which sins
Peter committed in the front yard of the high priest. What
did the maid servant ask Peter? What did Peter answer?
And what did he do besides? He swore that he did not
know Jesus. How did Peter swear? Wrhat did the man
servant say to Peter ? What did Peter answer ? And what

288 SECOND COMMANDMENT

else did he do again? And what else besides? Cursed
himself. How did Peter sin against the name of God in
speaking to the man servant? Now suppose Peter would
go to confession; how must he confess his sins? " I cursed
once, and swore falsely twice."

2. Johnny, on his way to school, stumbled, fell down
and hurt himself. He got angry and cried out, calling on
God to damn those who put that thing there, which he
stumbled against. When writing, he knocked his inkstand
and spilled ink over his paper; then came another curse
in his anger. How must he confess his sins? "Twice I
got angry and cursed." Robert tells that he got a present
from his uncle of ten dollars. Albert says : " I do not
believe it." " It is true, as true as there is a God in heaven;
may God strike me dead, if it is not true." How did Robert
sin? By unnecessary swearing. How must he confess his
sin ? "I swore once without necessity."

God sometimes immediately punishes those who profane
His name. One day the tongue of a terrible curser began
to swell as soon as he had uttered a terrible curse, so that
it hung out of his mouth, and he could no longer draw it
in, and thus he died. Dear children, never laugh, if you
hear any one cursing ; say then in your heart : " Dear
Lord, forgive him. Hallowed be Thy name. Blessed be
the holy name of God."

4. Some children have accustomed themselves to pro-
nounce the name of God with levity. These children
should from this moment make this resolution every morn-
ing : " O my God, I am resolved not to pronounce on
this day Thy holy name with levity. Help me to keep this
resolution." And try to think of this resolution sometimes
during the day. And in case you have again pronounced
the name of God with levity, say : " O my God, hallowed
be Thy name; blessed be Thy holy name."

How to confess sins against the second commandment;

SANCTIFICATION OF THE SUNDAY 289

I pronounced the name of God with levity. I cursed. —
I swore without necessity.

9. Third Commandment of God; First Command-
ment of the Church. Sanctification of the
Sunday and of the Holydays of obligation.

I. Preparation. In how many days did God create the
world? What did God do on the seventh day? And God
willed also that men also should rest on that day. The
seventh day is, then, a day of rest. The word sabbath
means, day of rest. Which is the first holy day in the
world? God willed that this day should belong to Him.
God is our Lord and Master. What was the Sabbath
called? The Lord's day. The day men should spend in
a holy manner. How? By worshiping God in a special
manner. Adam and Eve did this already in the earthly
paradise. But men gradually neglected to keep the Sab-
bath holy. Even the Israelites in Egypt often did not
observe it. Therefore, when God gave the ten command-
ments on Mount Sinai, He strictly commanded the Israel-
ites : " Remember, that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day."
That is : " Already in paradise I commanded that the Sab-
bath should be kept holy. Think on it. Do not forget
it."

The Sabbath, or day of rest, was for the Israelites Sat-
urday. But our divine Saviour did not wish that the
Christians should have their day of rest on Saturday. On
what day of the week did Jesus Christ rise from the dead?
On a Sunday. By His resurrection the Son of God sanc-
tified the Sunday. Therefore our Saviour wills that we
should have our day of rest on Sunday. Moreover, it was
also on a Sunday that the Holy Ghost came down upon
the apostles. On which Sunday? The Holy Ghost also
sanctified the Sunday. We should think of this on Sun-

290 THIRD COMMANDMENT

days. Sunday is thrice holy for us. God the Father, God
the Son and God the Holy Ghost sanctified it. How did
God the Father sanctify it? How did God the Son? How
did God the Holy Ghost? Therefore Sunday is the day
of God, of the Lord. In Catholic countries each one has
also a day, which he calls his day. Which day is it?
Each one's name day, the feast day of his patron. How
is it celebrated in the family? Sunday, the Lord's day,
is to be observed, celebrated, by all men. " Remember,"
etc.

Object. I will tell how we should keep Sunday holy.

II. Relation. Suppose this day was Sunday. How
glad you feel on Sundays. The whole week before you
rejoice when you think on Sunday. Why? Because there
is no school on Sunday. People do not need to work on
Sunday. On Sundays we wear our best clothes, and hear
the bells ringing, and go to church. People go to church
from every direction. Those who live the furthest away
are generally the first in church. Holy Mass begins.
There is a sermon, and all the faithful listen to it atten-
tively. All keep their eyes fixed on the priest at the altar
during Mass. Mass over, all go home, and the whole
family have dinner together. And usually there are sweet-
meats, or fruit, for the children. In the evening there
is divine service with Benediction. Is not the Sunday a
beautiful day? It is the day of the Lord.

Consideration — Abstaining from servile works. How
many working days in the week? What do people do on
those days? What does the farmer? The carpenter?
The merchant? How many days do people work in a
week ? This God has commanded. In giving the ten com-
mandments on Mount Sinai God said : " Six days shalt
thou labor, and shalt do all thy works. But on the seventh
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt do
no work on it, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor
thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy beast."

SANCTIFICATION OF THE SUNDAY 291

Therefore people rejoice about Sunday the whole week in
advance. They are then allowed to rest. What kind of
work is forbidden on Sundays? Farming, working at a
trade; hard work, manual labor, sewing, ironing, laundry
work and the like. These kinds of work are called servile
works. From what kinds of work must we abstain on
Sundays? The servile works profane the Sunday, and are
sinful. How do we profane the Sunday? Some kinds of
work are not forbidden on Sundays, such as, preparing the
meals, getting water, feeding the cattle, and the like. Also
we are allowed to read, write, study, draw, play musical
instruments, play.

Works of devotion; Mass and Sermon. We must serve
God on Sunday. Where is divine service held? In the
church. The church bells ring and call the faithful to
church. They come from every direction to church. All
are dressed in their best clothes. They carry prayer books
in their hands. Mass begins and all look towards the altar
to follow the priest in the different parts of the Mass.
After the Gospel is the sermon ; all listen to it attentively.
After the sermon the priest continues the Mass. Who
comes down on the altar at the Consecration? Our divine
Saviour is now in our midst; He prays on the altar with
us and for us to His heavenly Father. For this reason
the Church commands us to assist at holy Mass on Sun-
days. He who assists at Mass on Sundays, performs a
pious work, and sanctifies the Sunday. He who, through
his own fault, does not assist at (misses) Mass on a Sun-
day, commits a mortal sin. Those who cannot go to Mass
on Sunday, such as the sick, those who have to wait on
the sick, who live too far from church, who on account
of necessary work cannot come to church, are excused from
assisting at Mass. When are children bound to go to Mass
on Sundays? When they have reached the age of dis-
cretion, which is about the seventh year.

There are children who go, indeed, to Mass, but look

292 THIRD COMMANDMENT

around, talk and laugh during Mass. This is bad behavior ;
it is a sin. How can a person, a child commit sin during
Mass? By misbehaving. Where should we look devoutly
during Mass? Towards the altar, to be able to follow the
priest in the different parts of the Mass. How should
we honor our divine Saviour when He comes down on
the altar at the Consecration? We should adore Him.
What should you offer to our Saviour during Mass? Our
heart. In which part of the Mass? At the Offertory.
And in which part should you ask our Saviour to come
into your heart? At the Communion. He who does these
things well, assists devoutly at Mass. That is the principal
thing. This is what the Church commands : " Thou shalt
hear Mass devoutly on Sundays and Holydays of obliga-
tion."

Evening Service. Pious Christians assist also at the
evening service on Sundays. It consists of Vespers, or
of some special devotions of confraternities, sodalities, and
exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
There is no strict obligation to assist at the evening service,
but to neglect doing so is to deprive ourselves of many
special graces, and especially of the blessing of Jesus
Christ Himself. But it is a strict obligation to assist at
Mass on Sundays and Holydays of obligation ; and it is
a mortal sin to neglect this through our fault.

Holydays of obligation. Besides the Sundays, there
are six Holydays of obligation, which the Church com-
mands us to observe just like Sundays. What are we
commanded to do on Sundays? To hear Mass devoutly.
And what are we forbidden on Sundays? To perform
servile works without necessity. The six Holydays of
obligation usually fall on week days. They are: I,
Christmas, Dec. 25th, the day on which Jesus Christ
was born ; 2, the feast of the Circumcision of our Lord,
Jan. 1st.; 3, the Ascension of our divine Saviour into
heaven, the sixth Thursday after Easter Sunday; 4, the

SANCTIFICATION OF THE SUNDAY 293

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, on
Aug. 15th; 5, All Saints, Nov. 1st; and 6, the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dec. 8th. Who
can tell me what is the meaning of the Immaculate Con-
ception? It means that Mary alone of all the descendants
of our first parents was conceived immaculate, that is,
without the stain of original sin, because she was destined by
God to become the Mother of the Redeemer. What does
the Church command us to do on those six Holydays?
To hear Mass, just as on Sundays. What does she forbid
us to do on those six Holydays? To perform unnecessary
servile work. What kind of sin does he commit who neg-
lects, through his own fault, to hear Mass on any of those
days? A mortal sin. And what kind of sin does he com-
mit who performs unnecessary servile work for hours on
any of those days? A mortal sin. (On these six feasts
and other great feasts that come on a Sunday, such as,
Easter and Pentecost, the altars and the church are usu-
ally grandly adorned with lights, flowers, etc., and the
priest wears the finest vestments at Mass and the other
services.)

III. Summary. How must we keep the Sundays?
How must we keep the Holydays of obligation? Who
are dispensed from hearing Mass on Sundays and
Holydays of obligation? What kind of works are for-
bidden on those days? May necessary servile work
be performed on those days? How must children be-
have in church, especially during Mass? Is it a sin to
come in late during Mass on Sundays and Holydays of
obligation? What would you say of him who, through his
own fault, comes to Mass only at or after the Offertory?
What must he do who comes late to Mass, that is, after
the Offertory has commenced? He must, if possible, hear
another Mass, for the obligation of hearing Mass requires
us to hear a whole Mass, to be present at least at the three
principal parts of the Mass: the Offertory, the Consecra-

294 THIRD COMMANDMENT

tion and the Communion. (Insist firmly on this, on the
necessity of being already in church when the Mass be-
gins.) Do those children hear Mass who do not pay any
attention to the Mass, but spend the whole time of the
Mass in looking around, talking and laughing? What kind
of sin do they commit? (Impress deeply on the minds of
the children to behave well during Mass, to use their prayer
books and follow the priest especially when the children
are not with their parents during Mass.)

IV. Connection of the first three commandments with
the commandment of the love of God. Which are the two
greatest commandments? Why must we love God above
all things? What ought we to be, since God is so good
a father to us? Let us see how a child shows that he
loves his father. On whom does that child often think,
who really loves his father and mother. On whom should
a child love to think, who dearly loves his Father in heaven ?
With whom must a child like to speak, who dearly loves
his Father in heaven? What is the meaning of speaking
with God? When should we pray? How do we call the
prayers we should recite every day? How should we
pray ? Which commandment of God requires us to worship
God by love and prayer? Which is the first command-
ment of God? What does God see when we love to pray?
When does God see from our prayers, that we do not love
Him dearly? When we do not pray at all, or pray without
devotion. In which commandment of God is the com-
mandment of the love of God more fully explained?

The child that loves his father and mother, likes to pro-
nounce the names of father and mother. What name
should that child pronounce, who loves God? God is
holy; how then, should we pronounce His name? In
which two cases ought we to pronounce the name of God?
What do we then do to the name of God? What does
God see from our pronouncing His name with reverence
in prayer and in our wants? But what does He see, if

SANCTIFICATION OF THE SUNDAY 295

we pronounce His name without respect? Who dishonors
and profanes the name of God? Which commandment
forbids the profanation of the name of God? Which is
the second commandment? Therefore the second com-
mandment gives a fuller explanation of the commandment
of the love of God.

Where does a child, who loves his parents, like to be?
At home with his parents. We are children of God. In
whose house do we, therefore, like to be? On which day
especially should we like to go to God's house? What
should we do in God's house? Which divine service
should we attend? From which works should we abstain
on the Lord's day? What does God see when we thus
sanctify His day? Which commandment requires us to
keep the Lord's day holy? Which commandment, there-
fore, further explains the commandment of the love of
God?

V. Application, i. Let us again consider which sins
are committed on Sundays. Which kinds of work are
not permitted on Sundays? Servile works. For instance,
a tailor says on Sunday morning: "Those clothes must
be finished." Hence he worked the whole forenoon. At
noon he goes to a saloon. How did he keep the Sunday?
Why? Because he performed servile works and missed
Mass. How must he confess his sins? "I neglected to
hear Mass on Sunday ; and I worked all forenoon on Sun-
day." There was fine weather for a whole week. The
weather on Sunday was also fine. A farmer said Sunday
afternoon: "I will bring in the hay." His neighbor was
already bringing in his hay with his two servants during
Mass on Sunday morning. What kind of sin did the first
farmer commit? How many sins did the second commit?
And his servants also missed Mass and worked. Whose
fault was that? The farmer's. How should each servant
confess his sins?

Robert intends to go to Mass on Sunday ; but Antony

296 THIRD COMMANDMENT

says to him : " Let us go into the woods and get birds'
nests." At noon they return home from the woods.
What do you say about them? How must they confess
their sin in confession? And what must Antony confess
besides?

A certain boy usually missed Mass on Sunday once a
month. How must he confess his sins? Another boy
heard Mass twice a month. How often did he miss Mass?
How must he make his confession? A boy did not go
to Mass for two Sundays, because he was sick? Did he
commit any sin on account of it? Frank was not at Mass
last Sunday; he had not yet finished his breakfast when
the last bell rang. What do you say about this? Rose
did not hear Mass last Sunday, for she had to get some-
thing in the grocery. Johnny was not at Mass either, for
he could not find his shoe; everybody helped him to look
for it. Bertha and Louise were not at Mass either, be-
cause their dresses were torn. What do you say about
these cases?

Anna could not go to Mass, because she had to mind
the baby, in order to let her mother go. Did she commit
any sin? Fanny could not go to Mass, because she had
to go at once to the drug-store to get medicine for her
sick father. Did she commit any sin? Lena was not at
Mass on Sunday, because it was raining hard, and the
church was three miles distant, and the road was very bad.
Was that a sin for her? Andrew was in church. He
first looked till he had seen everybody. Then he said
foolish things to the boy next to him; he would at times
punch the boy at his left in the ribs; then he took out
his knife and cut the pew in several places. Then he
took out the marbles from his pocket, and counted them
several times over. One of them fell down and ran over
the floor; this made the other boys titter and laugh. He
said no prayers at all. What sins did he commit? How
must he confess them? I misbehaved in church, and

DUTIES OF CHILDREN 297

talked and laughed and disturbed others. And if it was
during Mass on Sunday, he also missed Mass: a mortal
sin.

2. Dear children, never miss Mass on Sundays and Holy-
days through your own fault. Mass is the most beautiful
thing on Sunday. A Sunday without holy Mass is not a
real Sunday, not a real Lord's day. He who devoutly
hears Mass on Sunday, feels happier during the week;
he feels that God loves and blesses him. And if during
your whole life you hear Mass devoutly every Sunday,
God will bless your whole life. He will protect you, and
you will be sure at the end of your life to go to heaven.
He who neglects to hear Mass on Sunday, will not pray
well to God during the week, and there is reason to fear
he will not go to heaven. When you are grown up, avoid
working on Sunday without necessity. On Sunday rest
and pray well, for Sunday is the Lord's day.

How to confess sins against the third commandment. I
neglected, through my own fault to hear Mass on Sun-
days and Holydays. — I misbehaved in church.

FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

A.

10. Duties of Children towards their Parents.

I. Preparation. Which are the two greatest com-
mandments? Which is the commandment of the love of
our neighbor? Who is our neighbor? Which persons are
the most nearly related to us? Our parents and our
brothers and sisters. Which is the fourth commandment
of God?

Object. I will teach you to-day that we must respect,
love and obey our parents.

II. Relation and consideration, i. We must respect
our parents.

298 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Oar invisible and our visible father. Look at a little
child. God created that child. God is that child's father.
You were once as small as that child. Who created you?
Who, then, is your father? Can you see God? WThat is
He then? Invisible. Where does He dwell? God is,
therefore, our invisible heavenly Father. When God gave
life to you little children, you were helpless. A little child,
an infant, can do nothing but cry and struggle. It needs
some one to care for it. Therefore God gave you a visible
father and a visible mother, your parents, to take care of
you.

Parents and superiors, God's representatives. After
your baptism God placed you in the arms of your mother,
saying: "Here is a dear little infant. I created it. It
is Mine. It has an innocent heart and a wonderfully beau-
tiful soul. The angels and saints in heaven rejoice over
that little child. And I Myself love it as the apple of My
eye. Take care of that child in My place ; see that it keeps
alive and grows strong. Feed it, clothe it, give it a home.
Bring it up, teach it to pray, to love Me, to obey and to
be pious. Preserve it from sin, so that it may one day
come to Me in heaven. It is destined to be a great saint
in heaven, and to shine there like a bright star. That is
its right." W7ho, then, is your kind, almighty, invisible
Father? Whom did God, your invisible Father, appoint
as His visible representatives in your regard? In whose
stead do your visible parents care for you? What, then,
are your parents? Our parents are God's visible repre-
sentatives towards us. (Parents, who die when the chil-
dren are yet young, are replaced by foster-parents,
stepfather, stepmother, adopted parents.)

Superiors. Parents are not always able to train, to edu-
cate the child themselves; they need the help of others,
such as the teacher in school, the priest, etc. These per-
sons are the child's superiors, each in his own place, and

DUTIES OF CHILDREN 299

represent or replace the child's parents, and are likewise
representatives of God.

Honor and respect due to the representatives of God.
God is our almighty Lord and Master. What do we owe
Him? Honor and respect. How do you show Him
honor and respect when you enter the church? When
you pronounce His name? On Sundays? Your parents
and superiors are God's representatives. W^hat, then, do
you owe to them? And when you show them honor
and respect, you honor and respect God Himself, whose
place they hold towards you. Therefore God says to
you : " Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may
be well with thee and that thou mayst live long upon
earth."

Example: Joseph of Egypt. Let us consider how
Joseph honored and respected his aged father. Joseph's
brothers were shepherds. What was his father also?
What high office had the king of Egypt given to Joseph?
Joseph was a great lord, and his father was only a shep-
herd. Nevertheless Joseph was not ashamed of his old
father. What did Joseph send to bring his father to
Egypt? Chariots. What did Joseph do, when he heard
his father was coming? He drove in his chariot to meet
him. Joseph paid such honor in Egypt only to the King,
for he was next to the King. All the people in Egypt
were obliged to honor and respect Joseph. Hence Joseph
went to meet his father with as much honor as he would
have gone out to meet the king himself. What did Joseph
do when he perceived his father? He came out of his
chariot, and, like a good son, went directly to his father
to welcome him and embrace him. Then he took him
with him in the royal chariot. Then leading him to the
king, he said : " This is my father." For Joseph knew :
" However high up I am in the world, my father is above
me." What was his father to Joseph? God's representa-

300 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

tive. What, then, did Joseph do to his father? He hon-
ored his father.

Therefore you also should honor your parents. Why?
Because they are God's representatives. What do you say
to them every morning and every night ? How should you
speak to them? Respectfully. You must not speak to
them as you would to your playmates, who are your equals.
How should you speak to your superiors?

2. We should love our parents.

Our parents love us. Because God is your Father, He
loves you as a father loves his children. With what do
we love? God has for you, His children, a father's heart
full of love. His heart, with which He loves you, is like
a fiery sun full of love. Now God wills that your parents
should in His stead, rear you for Him. They must have
love to do this properly. Therefore God let a spark of
love fall from His loving fatherly heart into the hearts of
your parents. Therefore, your parents love you as if with
divine love. How beautiful was it when you were yet an
infant. Your mother would herself put you to bed at
night, and sing and rock you to sleep, whilst sewing or
knitting something for you. In the morning your mother,
when you awoke, would take you out of your little bed,
kiss you, press you to her heart. Oh, how good does the
little child feel in its mother's arms, and near its mother's
heart! Oh, how beautiful it finds the world when mamma
is near! A mother's love watched near you, a mother's
love cared for you, a mother's love protected you. Mother
follows you everywhere, laughs and smiles when you laugh
and smile, weeps when you weep, relieves you of pain,
when you hurt yourself; warms your body in her arms, and
your soul in her heart. And when the child is sick, mother
sits and weeps and watches day and night near its little bed,
and leaves nothing undone to allay its pain, to effect its
cure. In a certain house the mother has a child that is
a cripple. Oh, poor, dear little child ! Perhaps others do

DUTIES OF CHILDREN 301

not like you ; but your mother loves you so much the more.
Therefore, the greater the marks of her affection, the
greater and the more ingenious is her care for that child.

The father also dearly loves his children. He works
hard from morning till night to earn a living for his
child, to enable the mother to procure all the child needs.
For his child he undergoes fatigue, exposes his health,
wears out his strength, and sometimes must put up with
humiliations and harsh treatment, or has to engage in dan-
gerous work. No one in this world so greatly benefits a
child as its parents. How do we call those who do us
good? What are our parents in our regard? Our bene-
factors. The greater the good a person does to us, the
greater benefactor he is to us. Who, in this world, does
us the most good ? Therefore our parents are our greatest
benefactors.

In God's stead. From whom have our parents the means
to do us good? In whose stead do they provide for our
wants? Through whose hands do we receive God's great-
est benefits? Through the hands of our parents.

We must also love our parents. What do we owe to
our parents for their great love and their many benefits?
We must love our parents. If we love our parents, we
love also Him, in whose stead they bestow benefits upon
us. Whom, then, do we love when we love our parents?

Example of Joseph of Egypt. How beautifully did not
Joseph of Egypt show how he loved his father! What
did he send to his father and his brothers when there was
a famine? Why? What was his first question when his
brothers came the second time to Egypt? Why? Joseph
had become a powerful and rich lord. But he had not
lost his childlike love for his father. Which were his
first words after making himself known to his brothers?
What does that prove? Afterwards he said to his
brothers : " Hasten to my father." And where were they
to bring his father? And for what? And what did Joseph

302 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

do when he again saw his father? He embraced and
kissed him amid a flood of tears. What does this prove?
Joseph cared for his father and his brothers. Which part
of the country did he give them? And what did Joseph
do when his father died? He wept over him. What do
you conclude from all this? How a grateful child should
love his parents.

You are not able to do as much for your parents, as
Joseph did for his father. But in how many things you
can help them! Get water for them, mind the baby and
the little ones, carry messages go out on errands, put
things in order. What can you not do for them, if they
are sick! Give them to drink, hand them their medicine,
their food, avoid making noise; remain near them, to at-
tend to their wants; pray for them. And when you are
bigger, how can you show that you love them ? Help them
in their work.

3. We must obey our parents.

The parents command. Where do children wish to go
after their death? There our heavenly Father dwells.
Which children will go to heaven? Only the good and
pious. But it is the duty of parents to see to it that their
children should be good and pious. That is why God
entrusts the children to them. Every mother wishes that
her children should be the best and the most pious. How
often does not a good mother kneel at night alongside
her baby's cradle, earnestly praying God to bless and sanc-
tify her child and protect it against all evil! "Bless, O
Lord, and protect my child against all that is evil." Or on
a Sunday afternoon the mother brings her baby to church
and kneeling before the tabernacle, beseeches our divine
Saviour to place her child in the wound in His Sacred
Heart, that it may be always good and free from sin.
Thence she goes before the altar of the Blessed Virgin,
and consecrates her child to the Mother of God, praying

DUTIES OF CHILDREN 303

Mary to protect her child, to keep it pure and be a mother
to it. At night before putting her child to sleep, she makes
it lisp a few prayers to Jesus and Mary, and then making
the sign of the cross on its forehead, she kisses it good
night, and does not leave till the child is asleep.

During the day the mother, tenderly holding her child
in her lap, speaks to it of God, of the Child Jesus, of His
birth and life, of His passion, etc., and teaches it the daily
prayers. She tells the child of the beautiful heaven and
its joys, what is to be done to go there.

Obedience. What must children do when their parents
command them to do something or forbid them to do
certain things? Children must obey their parents. Whose
place do the parents take with regard to their children?
For whom must parents bring up their children ? Whom
do children obey when they obey their parents? What do
children cause to their parents and to God when they obey?
Suppose a mother has seven or eight children as large as
you, or even larger, who are all obedient to her. They
are like a beautiful crown of flowers around her. They
all pray together with her. Such a mother is a thousand
times more beautiful than a blooming rosebush amid thorns.
God looks down graciously on such a mother and her
children. And how proud is that mother of her well
brought up and obedient children! What is the greatest
monarch to your mother in comparison with her obedient
child? The monarch may be more beautiful, but the
mother loves her obedient child best; the monarch is
richer; but her obedient child is far dearer to her than
the richest monarch. The mother knows only her child,
she sees him only, loves him only, for he is her obedient
child. And he who would tell you that he loves you more
than do your father and mother, believe him not. You
should, then, be glad when you have a chance to obey your
parents, and you should never wait till they repeat the com-

304 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

mancl. A good child obeys promptly. Sometimes it may
be hard to obey. But what will make it easy? To do it
for the love of God.

Consider the dear Child Jesus in the house of His parents
at Nazareth. It was all the same to Him, if they com-
manded Him to do something easy or something difficult.
Nothing was too much for Him. As soon as He received
a command, He thought : " My Father in heaven wills
this." And He would do it cheerfully. His parents saw
that nothing pleased Him more than to be told to do some-
thing. There were then other persons on earth who did
good, but the heavenly Father had no greater pleasure in
any of them, than in the quiet obedience of His Son. The
Son of God wished to teach obedience to children. He
wished to show them how beautiful obedience is in the
sight of God. Therefore you should not always wish to
do only what pleases you. You must, before all, do what
your parents command you. The child that does what his
parents and teachers command, does enough, for he does
what God wills. Hence all you do is beautiful and holy
in the sight of God. Not every child can be rich, beau-
tiful and smart. That is not necessary, in order to please
God. But every child can obey; and that is worth more
before God than to be rich and smart. No matter how
stupid and incapable a child is, he can do much, for " he
can obey." When you find it hard to obey consider:
" Jesus, my Saviour, was obedient ; for His sake I also
will obey." And the more you advance in age, the more
obedient you should be to your parents. It is a sad thing
when parents must say of their children : " The older
they grow, the more lazy and wicked they become." Our
end on earth is to grow better every moment.

Joseph's example. You have a beautiful example of an
obedient son in Joseph of Egypt. His brothers were usu-
ally away from home. Whom did their father send to
them? For what reason? This was no easy matter for

DUTIES OF CHILDREN 305

Joseph, for he had to walk fully sixty miles where there
were no roads and many wild beasts. Joseph knew also
how ill-disposed his brothers were towards him. What
did Joseph do? He obeyed. His father did not need to
repeat his command or to threaten or coax Joseph. He
always obeyed at once.

THE REWARD.

1. Joseph in his father's tent. Therefore his father
loved him more than his other sons. How did he show
this? How did Joseph get along with his father? Well.
What is the fourth commandment? What promise did
God add to it? "That it may be well with thee." What
did God promise to the children who obey their parents?
Why was it well with Joseph in his father's tent?

2. Joseph in Putiphar's house. Who bought Joseph in
Egypt? Who was with Joseph in Egypt? That is:
" God protected Him." What did God cause to happen
with everything Joseph did? " God blessed all that Joseph
did." How did his master feel towards Joseph? What
did he do to Joseph? What did God bestow on Joseph
in Putiphar's house? Protection and blessing. How was
it there with Joseph? Well. What promise was fulfilled
in him?

3. Joseph in prison. What happened to Joseph on ac-
count of Putiphar's wife? In prison people are usually
unhappy. Who was also with Joseph in the prison ? How
did God so arrange things that it was well with Joseph
even in the prison? How did the jailer show his love for
Joseph? What else did God bestow on Joseph in the
prison? His protection. The chief baker and the chief
butler of the King each had a dream. Who explained their
dreams? From whom does the explanation of dreams
come? Who enabled Joseph to explain their dreams?
Thus God blessed Joseph. What did God bestow on Joseph

3o6 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

in the prison? What promise was fulfilled in Joseph also
in the prison?

4. Joseph is exalted. Whose dreams did Joseph explain
later on? How was the king pleased with his explanation?
How did he reward Joseph? What did the king do before
all the people to honor Joseph? What did he order to
be proclaimed ? See how wonderful ; in the morning
Joseph was yet in jail, and now ! Now the whole country
obeys him. Who brought all this about? How did God
reward Joseph in Egypt for his obedience to his parents
and superiors? What promise was fulfilled in Joseph?
The same promise will be fulfilled also in all good chil-
dren. This does not mean that every good child will be
a king, or a king's prime-minister. What may all children
who obey their parents, expect in this life? God's pro-
tection and blessing. How long did Joseph live after the
death of his father? Was his life a long life? Who gives
men a long life? To which children did God promise a
long life? Why did God grant to Joseph a long life?
Nevertheless good children may also die young, because
God wishes to have them in heaven with Him. And where
is Joseph now? He is exceedingly happy there. What
did God give to Joseph in the next life? Everlasting hap-
piness. He does the same to all good children. What,
then, have good children the right to expect in the next
life? Everlasting happiness.

III. Connection — Jesus. With whom do good chil-
dren like most to be? Who was the most holy Child that
ever lived on earth? With whom did the Child Jesus like
to be? How did he always speak to His parents? What
did He do, when His parents wished for anything? And
what did He do, when they commanded Him something?
What did the Child show to His parents? Respect, love
and obedience. What was Jesus from all eternity? What
were Joseph and Mary? Men. To whom, then, did the
Son of God show respect, love and obedience? The Son

DUTIES OF CHILDREN 307

of God was obedient to His parents for thirty years. Why
did the Son of God wish to be subject? Obedience is
necessary for all men; no one can be saved without it.
Who sent the Son of God upon the earth? What was He
to do for us? Wrhat did Jesus show also to His heavenly
Father ? How did He pray in the Garden of Olives ? How
many times did He pray in that manner? Why did He
pray thus? What (condition) did He add each time to
His prayer? How was He disposed towards His heavenly
Father? And what did He do in the end? He was obe-
dient unto death.

Sem and Japhet. Which of Noe's sons honored their
father? On what occasion ? What did Noe say concerning
them? And what happened? Who imparts blessing to
children ? God.

Joseph. About whom have we related that God be-
stowed on him His protection and blessing? How did
God bless Joseph in his father's tent? In Putiphar's
house? In prison? With the king? Joseph had then a
happy life. Was his life long or short? And what did
God bestow on him in the next life? Everlasting happi-
ness.

IV. Summary. " Honor thy father and thy mother,
that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst live
long on earth." In the fourth commandment God requires
us to respect, love and obey our parents (and superiors),
because they are God's representatives in our regard, and
because our parents are our greatest benefactors. The
children who fulfil their duties towards their parents have
the right to expect in this life God's protection and bless-
ing, and everlasting happiness in the next.

V. Application, i. Dear children, engrave this resolu-
tion so deeply in your heart, that you shall never forget
it during your whole life : " I will respect, love and obey
my father and my mother, because they are God's repre-
sentatives toward me, and my greatest benefactors."

308 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Blessed Thomas More held the office of Chancellor, one
of the highest in England. Every morning he would go
to kiss his aged father and ask his blessing. His father
would then make the sign of the cross over him and say:
" May God almighty, the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost bless thee." When Thomas More would enter
a room where his father was, he would go directly to his*
father and salute him with a reverential bow. Thus should
children honor their parents. The honor you pay to your
parents God will never forget.

2. Love your parents tenderly, and love to be with them.
You cannot appreciate the happiness of a child who still
has his father and his mother. If you could realize this,
no one on earth would be so dear to you as your father
and mother. The most beautiful place in the world for
a child is the heart of his mother. The best place on
earth for him is also at the table of his father. Oh, how
poor, how greatly to be pitied the child who no longer has
his father and mother. Strive to cause much joy to your
parents. Therefore, be pious, and be fond of reciting those
prayers you learned at your mother's knee from her lips.
For the love of your mother you should never omit a
single day to recite them. Always behave properly; a
child that is ever modest and friendly, is like an angel.
All who see him, love him. God and the angels in heaven
look on that child with pleasure and joy. And people say
to one another : " How happy are the parents in having
so well behaved, so good and so pious a child ! " Such a
child is an honor and a joy to his parents.

3. I know one thing especially, which you can all do
for your parents ; a thing which you ought to do for them
every day. What is it? To pray for your parents. You
should never forget it. Every time you hear Mass, you
should pray for your parents. You should pray also at
home for them both morning and night. Have you prayed
already to-day for your parents? Pray that God may

THE SINS OF CHILDREN 309

bless and protect them and preserve them from misfor-
tune, sickness and every evil. You cannot during your life
ever repay them for all they have done for you. There-
fore pray to God to reward them for it all during their
life, and finally in heaven forever.

4. Never forget the admonitions of your father and
mother. Consider their teachings as something sacred.
They seek only your welfare. And no matter what others
may promise or offer you, heed them not, if your parents
forbid you. Strictly do what they tell you. Tell them:
" My dear father, my dear mother, I will willingly do as
you tell me." A child, however much he may pray and
work, if he does not obey his parents, is not a good child.
If you fulfil your duty towards your parents, " it shall
be well with you, and you shall live long upon earth."

B.

11. The Sins of Children against their parents.

I. Object. I will tell you to-day about a king's un-
grateful son, who endeavored to dethrone his father.

Relation. Absalom was his name ; he was the son of
King David. Absalom was very wicked. He ordered his
servants to kill his brother. David was so irritated by
this crime, that Absalom had to flee. He was allowed to
return only after three years. Absalom was large and
handsome. His hair was exceedingly beautiful and long.
He became proud and would no longer obey his father.
He was anxious to be the King. Therefore he at length
undertook to dethrone and kill his father. See now, how
he went to work to gain his end. He went around among
the people and spoke ill of his father, saying: " My
father does not care for you. If I were king, I would
care better for you, and help every one." By degrees the
people joined his party, and at last revolted against David,
and chose Absalom as their king. Now Absalom with a

310 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

large army marched against his father to capture and kill
him. David had to flee barefooted, in order to escape.
David wept, and all who were with him wept also. At
last a battle was fought between the faithful soldiers of
David and the big army of Absalom. Absalom's army was
defeated. Absalom had to flee on his mule. Passing
under an oak tree, his fine long hair got caught in one
of the branches and he could no longer loosen it, so that
the mule went on and left him hanging to the tree by his
hair, and dangling in the air. A soldier came and drove
three javelins through Absalom's bad heart. So he died.
The soldiers cast his dead body into a deep hole, and cov-
ered it with a big heap of stones. Absalom's grave can
yet be seen, and every one that passes it, stops, spits upon
it and throws a stone upon it. This means : " Here lies
one who deserved to be stoned to death." God says :
" Cursed be he who does not honor his father and mother."

Consideration — Unfriendly. What was the name of
that King's son of whom I have just spoken to you? Who
was his father? Why was Absalom obliged to flee from
his father's house? How did his father feel over it? How
many years after that he was allowed to return home?
Oh, if he had never come back home ! He gave no joy
to his father. Other children are glad to be with their
parents. Their faces brighten when they speak with them.
They feel happy to be able to help their parents. They
are satisfied with all that their parents say and do. They
are loving, friendly children. But Absalom was not pleased
with what his father said and did. When his father gave
him a command, Absalom looked cross, and murmured in-
teriorly. When his father was out of sight, Absalom
would laugh at him and ridicule him. How do we call
those children whose faces are bright and pleasant towards
their parents? Friendly children. How was Absalom to-
wards his father? Unfriendly.

Impertinent and stubborn. When his father admon-

THE SINS OF CHILDREN 311

ished him, Absalom acted like bad children towards their
parents. They say : " Shut up ; that is none of your busi-
ness ; I do as I please ; I am old enough ; I do not need
you." Or they wish their parents were dead. That is
impertinence. It is sinful. How did Absalom probably
behave towards his father? He was impertinent towards
him. What does an impertinent child deserve from his
parents? When the mother wishes to punish such a child,
he resists; and after that, stamping his foot, he says:
" No, I will not do it ; I would rather be killed than do
it." It is a sin to be stubborn towards one's parents.

Ez'il language. I have not related anything to you about
Absalom's stubbornness towards his father ; but what is
far worse. What was Absalom's father? What did Ab-
salom wish to be? Wrhat should then become of his
father? He should be dethroned and killed. How did
Absalom begin to execute his design? He went among
the people, saying : " My father does not care for you ;
if I were king, I would care better for you, I would help
you all." Thus did Absalom speak ill of his father. It
is a sin for us to speak ill of our parents. How did
Absalom sin against his father? Absalom spoke ill of his
father. How does a good child speak to others about his
parents? What duty did Absalom transgress by speaking
ill of his father? He did not honor him. And what effect
did his talk have among the people? It made them lose
their respect for the king.

Disobedience. Subjects must not merely respect their
sovereign. They owe him also obedience. But Absalom
wished to be king. Whom, then, should the people obey?
Whom should they no longer obey? Whom did Absalom
no longer wish to obey? And he often disobeyed him.
And bad children do the same. They disobey their parents.
Other children require to be commanded several times be-
fore they obey their parents, or they do what they are
commanded very carelessly. These children do not ex-

3i2 FOURTH COMMANDMENT

actly disobey their parents; but what do they do? They
obey badly. Whose place do parents hold towards their
children? Whose place does the sovereign hold towards
his subjects? Whom do children obey, when they obey
their parents? Whom do the subjects obey, when they
obey their sovereign? Whom do children honor, when
they honor their parents? Whom do children disobey,
when they disobey their parents? To whom do children
show disrespect, when they show disrespect to their parents ?
(The same questions concerning subjects.) Therefore it
is a sin for children to be disrespectful, impertinent and
stubborn towards their parents and to obey them only
partly or not at all. (Apply to subjects.)

To grieve. Absalom succeeded in causing very many
to revolt with him against his father, King David. When
Absalom arrived on his splendid chariot, the people as-
sembled, waved their hands and hats and shouted : " Hur-
rah for Absalom." People looked at him seated in his
chariot with his fine head of hair covering his shoulders
and breast, bowing to all around him. " How fine he
looks," some said. Others remarked : " What beautiful
hair he has!" "O would he were already our king!"
And Absalom looked so friendly, smiling to every one, so
anxious was he to be king. At last the people were so
full of enthusiasm, that they proclaimed him king. But
what was to be done with King David, Absalom's father?
He was to be captured and put to death. Absalom's
party, well armed, marched with him against King David ;
and David had to flee from his son, and this so fast, that
he was barefoot. How must David have then felt in his
heart? Sad and grieved. How do you know these were
his feelings? Because he wept. All with him saw him
weep; and they all wept with him. Woe to those children
who by their bad conduct cause their parents to weep for
grief over them !

Whose place do parents hold towards their children?

THE SINS OF CHILDREN 313

And the parents, in God's stead, supply all their children's
wants. What are parents on this account towards their
children? Their greatest benefactors. How do we feel
towards those who do us good? What should have been
Absalom's feelings towards his father? Our father and
mother should be what is dearest to us on earth. Hence
Absalom should have given joy to his father. But what
did he cause his father? Grief. Whom do we grieve
when we grieve our parents? Therefore it is a sin to
grieve our parents; a sin against the love we owe them.

Absalom's punishment. Absalom was severely pun-
ished for this by God. The soldiers of David fought
against the big army of Absalom. Absalom was defeated.
What did Absalom do to escape capture? What happened
to him in his flight? His hair got caught in the branch
of a tree and he was caught hanging and dangling in the
air. He had wished to dethrone his father, and to sit
high on his throne. And he was lifted high up; but not
on a throne, but like on a scaffold, for he there suffered
death. How did it happen? That was a frightful death.
Did not Absalom deserve it? That was a punishment
from God. What overtook Absalom for not honoring his
father? The punishment of God. What did the soldiers
do with Absalom's corpse? How do we bury our dead?
And what do we put over their graves? That is an honor
for the dead. How was Absalom's grave covered? That
was a disgrace for Absalom. What do people do to Ab-
salom's grave when they pass by it? They spit on it,
and throw a stone on it. That is a sign of contempt.
What happened to Absalom in this life, because he did
not honor his father? Disgrace before men. And what
must have happened to him in the next life from God
Himself? Everlasting punishment in hell. Such is the lot
of bad children. Already in this life God sends them all
kinds of misfortune; people will have nothing to do with
them and ridicule and despise them. And if they do not

3 H FOURTH COMMANDMENT

amend, they at last become reprobates in hell! What did
God say concerning them? "Cursed is he who does not
honor his father and mother." What must bad children
expect in this life? God's punishment and disgrace before
men. And in the next life? Eternal damnation.

II. Connection. You have already heard of a bad son,
who was cursed by his father. Who was it? Cham.
Why did his father curse him ? How did Cham sin against
his father? Cham had mocked his father. You have
also learned how some other sons grieved their father.
Who were they? The brothers of Joseph. How did they
grieve their father? How great was their father's grief?
But see now their punishment. What happened to them
the first time they went to Joseph in Egypt? Where did
Joseph order them to be put? And what happened to
Simeon? Thus God punished them through Joseph.
What did Juda offer to do when, at their second journey
into Egypt, Joseph wished to keep back Benjamin? Why?
You see from this that his brothers had mended their
ways. And what happened after this to Joseph's brothers?
And why did everything after this succeed with them, al-
though they had so greatly grieved their father? But why
did Absalom meet with such a terrible end on account of
his father?

III. Summary. Wicked children must therefore expect
in this life to receive punishment from God and disgrace
from men, and eternal damnation in the next. Children
sin against their parents, i, by unfriendliness and imper-
tinence; 2, by grieving their parents; 3, by obeying them
badly, and by disobedience.

IV. Application, i. Let us enumerate all the sins
Absalom committed against his father. How did Absalom
speak to the people against his father? How should he
confess that sin? "I spoke ill of my father." How
grieved in heart was David when he had to flee barefooted
from Absalom? How did Absalom sin thereby against

THE SINS OF CHILDREN 315

his father ? How should he confess this sin ? "I have
greatly grieved my father." How did Absalom sin against
his father by disobedience? How should he tell this sin?
" I have disobeyed my father." How must he tell all the
sins he committed against his father?

2. How did Cham sin against his father? He mocked
him. How did his father feel, when he was told of it?
How should Cham tell his sin? "I mocked my father."
How should Joseph's brothers tell the sins they committed
against their father ? " We have greatly grieved our
father."

3. Fred easily gets angry. His mother said : ' Fred,
get me some wood." Fred replied : " I will do so, when
I feel like it." His mother duly punished him for this.
But Fred got red in his face, made a fist, stamped the
floor with his foot, and said : " No, I will not do it now."
How did Fred sin against his mother? By disobeying her.
How else? He was impertinent and stubborn. How must
he confess these sins? "I disobeyed my mother. I was
impertinent and stubborn towards her."

Rose's mother is sick. She tells Rose : " Child, make
the fire." But Rose acts as if she had not heard her
mother. Her mother tells her again. Rose answers:
"Immediately;" and she plays with the cat. Now her
mother begins to scold her. Rose at last obeys. But how
did she obey her mother? How should she confess her
sin. " I did not obey my mother properly." The church
bell rings for Mass. Bertha's mother tells her : " Go to
church to hear Mass." But Bertha remains wandering
about outside of the house. Another time her mother
said : " Bertha, study your lesson." Bertha replies :
" There is plenty of time yet for that." How did Bertha
sin against her mother? She was disobedient to her.
How should she confess her faults? "I disobeyed my
mother twice."

Johnny was lazy and ill-mannered towards his mother.

3i6 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

When his father came home, he did not spare the rod,
and Johnny had besides to go to bed without his supper.
When leaving the room Johnny curses his father and
wishes he were dead. How did Johnny sin against his
father ? How must he confess his sins ? "I cursed my
father ; I wished for his death."

Do you always respect your parents? Are you never
unfriendly towards them, and do you not murmur against
them? Have you never caused your mother to weep on
account of your disobedience? Do you obey your parents
promptly? How beautiful would it be, if your mother
could thus pray to God : " O my God, I thank Thee for
having given me so good a child; he has always loved
me, and never grieved me."

How to confess sins against the fourth commandment.
I. I was impertinent and stubborn towards my parents and
superiors. 2. I grieved them by my bad conduct. 3. I
obeyed badly ; or, I disobeyed them.

FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

A.

12. Sins against the Life of the Body.

I. Preparation. Who is our neighbor? Every man.
Your relatives, all your schoolmates, all the people dwell-
ing in this place, in this country, all mankind are our
neighbor. Why are they all our neighbor? Because all
men are children of one Father in heaven. They were
all created by God the Father, redeemed by God the Son
and sanctified by God the Holy Ghost. God loves all
men. And what does God will us to do to all men?
Therefore He commanded us : " Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself." (Whom do we love, when we love
our neighbor?) How do we show that we love our
neighbor? Do we really love him, if we do him any harm?

SINS AGAINST LIFE OF THE BODY 317

No. Dear children, God has told us in the fifth and the
following commandments what we must avoid in order not
to injure or harm our neighbor.

Object. I will show you to-day that we must not injure
our neighbor in his body.

II. Development — Envy. You remember the history
of Joseph of Egypt. Who was Joseph's father? How
many sons had Jacob? Which son did Jacob love most?
Why did he love Joseph more than his other sons ? Joseph
was a good, pious son. How did Jacob show that he
loved Joseph more than his other sons? He gave Joseph
a fine coat of many colors, made from costly material.
It resembled the coats worn by the sons of kings. Whom
did Joseph resemble with this coat? The coats of Joseph's
brothers were not so beautiful, nor so costly. Jacob loved
his other sons also. But why did they not get so fine a
coat as Joseph? Joseph must have been very much pleased
with his coat. But who were not pleased on account of
it ? They thought : " Joseph is no better than we are ; if
we cannot get such fine coats, Joseph does not need or
deserve any either." They envied him his fine coat. He
who is jealous of what another has and cannot bear to
see him have it, is envious, is guilty of envy. What were
Joseph's brothers on account of his coat? They were
envious of Joseph. Envy was deep-seated in their hearts.
It burned therein like a little furnace. Their envy was
not so very dangerous, but it was evil, it was a venial
sin. But was it not foolish for them to be envious of
Joseph? Was it not their fault, if their father did not
love them as much as Joseph ? They should have resolved :
" Let us be as good and as pious as Joseph, and father
will love us as much as Joseph." That would have put
the fire of envy out of their hearts, and their hearts would
have become pure, and God would have been pleased with
them. But they made no such resolution, and the fire
of envy burned fiercer in their hearts.

3i8 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Hatred. Once whilst watching their flocks they did a
very wicked thing; but Joseph did not join in. This irri-
tated them. But matters grew worse. Joseph told his
father what his brothers had done. He did not do this
because he liked to see them punished, but because he
wished them to amend, to do better. He wished them no
harm. But his brothers did not amend. They got very
mad against Joseph. They would no longer go with him,
or hear anything about him, or even speak to him. And
whenever they said anything to him, they showed thereby
that they were very mad with him. How? Because they
never said anything kind to him. You see now that the
evil fire had grown fiercer in their hearts ; it was no longer
mere envy, but downright hatred. They knew very well
how sinful it was for them to envy and hate their brother.
But they did not care. If when you came home and would
find your house beginning to burn, you would be fright-
ened. And what would you do at once? If you wait
until the fire has grown large and has spread, you cannot
put it out, and the whole house will burn down. What
should Joseph's brothers have done with the fire of envy
and hatred in their hearts against their brother? They
should have put it out. But they did not do so.

Insult and mockery. The fire in the hearts of Joseph's
brothers continued to burn and spread. This was occa-
sioned by the dreams of Joseph. What were his dreams?
He related his dreams to them. Where were they with
him? And what were all doing together? They were
gathering and putting up their sheaves. What was re-
markable with Joseph's sheaf? It stood erect. And what
happened to his brothers' sheaves? They were all bowing
to that of Joseph. Come here, James, and make a bow.
Thus it is customary to bow before people in high posi-
tions ; also for servants before their masters. If the presi-
dent were to enter now, we should all stand up and bow
to him as a mark of respect for his high office. When

SINS AGAINST LIFE OF THE BODY 319

•Joseph related his dream, his brothers judged that he
meant to be their sovereign, or their master, and consid-
ered them as only his servants. What effect had this
dream on his brothers? It only increased their envy and
hatred of him. Henceforth they called him only, the
dreamer. " The dreamer said so and so, the dreamer wills
so and so, the dreamer did so and so." Do you remember
one occasion when they so expressed themselves? When
his father sent him to Sichem. What did they say, when
they saw him coming? They also probably called him,
" Father's pet," out of derision and mockery. Insult and
mockery are sharp painful thorns stuck into persons one
does not like. Children thus treated begin to weep. It
is, therefore, sinful to insult and mock any one. There-
fore Joseph's brothers sinned against Joseph.

You see how the fire in the hearts of Joseph's brothers
grew worse and worse. Envy, hatred, insult and mockery
spread on every side into great flames. It is no longer a
little envy; it is a great envy. It is no longer a dislike,
but a real hatred. It is no longer a little fun, but a serious
insult. The whole day is turned into a constant quarrel
and enmity against their brother. Joseph may do what
he will, he can no longer please his brothers. And oh,
where will all that lead to? You know how far it led
Cain. God warned Cain. God surely often warned Jo-
seph's brothers in their hearts. What did God say to Cain ?
" Why art thou angry, etc. Repress and rule thy evil in-
clinations." How must not God have spoken to Joseph's
brothers ? Just as if He said to them : " Put out of your
hearts that evil fire of envy and hatred. Crush it out."
But how could they do that? When a horse is at full
gallop, and there is a precipice ahead, it would seem that
nothing could save him and his rider; but the rider has
only to draw in the reins, and the horse stops at once!
Alan's will is strong. When he wills a thing earnestly,
he can do much; when he wills earnestly to crush out evil

320 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

feelings or thoughts, he can do it, for God will help him.
Hence Cain and Joseph's brothers could have crushed and
put out of their hearts the evil fire of envy and hatred.
And they would have been happy. But neither Cain nor
Joseph's brothers had the earnest will to do so. The envy
and hatred in their hearts grew stronger and stronger.
Already his brothers said to one another : " Would that
we should never more see Joseph! Would that he were
not here any more ! If only something would happen
to him ! " At last the thought came to them : " Let us
get rid of him ! " So you see how high rose the flames
of their hatred. They will soon break out from every side.

Anger. His brothers see him coming from a distance.
He was sent to them by his father. They cry out to one
another : " Look, there comes the dreamer ! The dreamer
is coming ! " And that evil fire now breaks out in their
eyes, in their faces, in their tongues and takes possession
of all their members. Their faces are as red as fire, their
eyes are fiery, their fists are clenched, and their bodies
tremble with rage. What is their feeling against Joseph?
A feeling of unrestrained anger. What does their anger
prompt them to say?

Striking. When Joseph arrived, they fell upon him,
struck him and threw him down, saying: "We have
caught you at last, you dreamer, you tell-tale. We are
going to drive all dreams out of you ! Take off that coat
quick." They pulled off his coat, which had so often ex-
cited their envy. They strike and beat him, causing him
great pain. To strike and ill-treat any one in that way
is sinful. Hence Joseph's brothers sinned by injuring the
body of their brother.

Wounding. He who is very angry does not care how
he strikes and beats the one he does not like, nor how
great an injury he does him, nor if he makes him bleed
or wounds him seriously. When you wound a person you
commit a greater sin than if you merely strike him. He

SINS AGAINST LIFE OF THE BODY 321

who wounds his neighbor commits a sin against his neigh-
bor's life.

Thoughts of murder. Where did they put Joseph after
pulling off his coat and ill-treating him? Into a pit.
What did they then do? Joseph had walked a very long
distance, and he was very hungry. But his brothers gave
him nothing to eat. You may imagine why. They would
have either killed him or left him to die of hunger in the
pit. What do we call a man who takes away the life of
another? A murderer. What did Joseph's brothers in-
tend to be? Murderers. They intended to murder their
own brother ! What a great crime ! So far had their
wickedness gone! How did they first feel against Joseph?
They envied him, because their father loved him more
than them. Their envy was followed by hatred, hatred by
anger, and anger by designs of murder. At first there
was in their hearts a few sparks of the fire of envy; then
hatred blew them into a flame, and anger spread it on all
sides, and caused it to break out. But they did not ac-
tually murder him. Which of the brothers kept them
from murdering him? What advice did he give them
when the merchants were passing by? To sell their brother.
Why? That their hands should not be stained with their
brother's blood. What did they do with Joseph? Sold
him as a slave.

Murder. But you know some one who actually mur-
dered his brother. Who is it? What did Cain become?
The murderer of his brother. God says in the fifth com-
mandment : " Thou shalt not kill." Cain sinned against
this commandment. It was a grievous, horrible sin. He
who robs a man of his life, robs him of all he has. A
man who is no longer alive, has no use for all that belonged
to him. Only He has the right to take a man's life, who
has given it to him. Who gives life to every man? Life
is like a spark from God Himself. Who has, then, the
right to take a man's life? God. Therefore the blood of

322 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

a murdered person has a voice, and every drop of his blood
has a tongue, crying heavenward : " Punish my murderer !
Punish my murderer ! " And God hears the voice of the
blood that has been shed. How did He punish Cain for
murdering his brother? This shows you what a horrible
sin it is to commit murder.

Suicide. In like manner, he who kills himself, com-
mits also a terrible sin. Which one of the apostles com-
mitted it? When Judas found out that Jesus was con-
demned to death, he was exceedingly sorry. His crime
seemed so dreadful that he thought he could no longer
live. Therefore he killed himself, committed suicide.
How? By his suicide Judas precipitated his soul into hell.
And after the last judgment where shall his body also be?
A man cannot commit a greater sin than this against his
body. Cain sinned against his body in some other way.
What effect had his envy and hatred on his body? His
face looked frightfully haggard and pale and his body ex-
ceedingly lean.

Endangered by levity. Children also are apt to sin in
various ways against their own life ; for instance, climbing
trees, etc., swimming in deep, dangerous places, playing
with fire-arms, trying to show their skill, their courage,
etc. How many children are daily seriously hurt, and even
killed by rashly exposing themselves to great dangers ! All
this is sinful ; it is a sin against the fifth commandment.

III. Connection. God did not forbid in the fifth com-
mandment only the sins against our own life, but also the
sins against the life of our neighbor. How did Joseph's
brothers first sin against their brother's life? You have
heard also of some one else who was envious of his
brother. That was Cain. Who was envious of the hap-
piness of our first parents? Who were envious of Jesus?
What sin was caused by Cain's envy? By the envy of
Joseph's brothers? By the envy of the Jews against Jesus?

What name did Joseph's brothers give him? When did

SINS AGAINST LIFE OF THE BODY 323

the Jews mock our divine Saviour? What other sin did
Joseph's brothers commit against him, when they pulled
off his coat? They pushed him about and beat him. When
did the Jews strike our Saviour? With what? With what
was the body of Jesus covered by the scourging? What
was done to our Saviour's head by the crown of thorns?
When did the executioners inflict the largest wounds on
Jesus? How many large wounds did Jesus receive when
He was nailed to the cross? Therefore Jesus was put
to death on the cross. Who were crucified with Jesus?
Wrhat crimes had they committed? What had Jesus done?
The two thieves had therefore deserved death. Wrho had
not deserved death? WTho were justly put to death? Who
was unjustly put to death? Of whose death were the
Jews guilty? What kind of sin would the death of Joseph
by his brothers have been? What children were mur-
dered? Who was murdered by his brother? Whom did
the murderers of all these injure? Their neighbor. How?
They sinned against the body of their neighbor. Whom
else did Cain injure besides Abel? Himself. Who in-
jured his own life? All these sinned against the fifth
commandment.

IV. Summary. What does God forbid by the fifth com-
mandment ? All sins against our neighbor's life and against
our own life. Against their neighbor's life all who unjustly
kill, wound or strike their neighbor. i\gainst one's own
life, whoever kills himself or rashly exposes his life to
danger.

V. Application, i. Suppose the brothers of Joseph
would confess their sins against him; how did they sin
at home against him? By envy and hatred. How at
Sichem? Insult, anger, pushed and beat him, wished to
kill him, sold him. " We have envied and hated our
brother, insulted, pushed and struck him; wished first to
kill him, and then to let him starve; and finally we sold
him." Enumerate the sins of the Jews against our divine

324 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Saviour. They envied Him, hated Him, mocked Him,
struck Him, wounded and killed Him. How should Cain
tell his sins against his brother? "I was angry with my
brother, and I beat him to death." How should he tell his
sin against his own life? "I injured my life (health) by
my envy."

2. Philip and Antony in playing bumped their heads to-
gether, and Philip besides stepped on Antony's foot, but
not on purpose. But Antony got mad and began to abuse
Philip with harsh names. Philip cried out: "If you do
not stop, I will tell father." Now Antony got fearfully
mad, knocked Philip down and beat him till his strength
gave way. How must Antony tell his sins? " I had a
quarrel with my companion, I called him harsh names and
badly beat him." Fred told the teacher that Frank had
struck him. The teacher punished Frank for it. But
Frank got mad against Fred, and said : " Wait, and I'll
give you something to think about ; you shall never again
tell on me." Afterwards, when he sees Fred, he thinks:
" If I could only kill him." So he picks up a stone, throws
it at Fred, hits him in the head and makes in it a large
bleeding gash. How should he tell his sins? "I struck
my schoolmate; I was long mad with him; I said: If
I could only kill him. Then I hit him in the head with
a stone and made a large bleeding gash in it."

3. Dear children, the first sin on earth was the envy of
the devil. Cain's first sin against Abel was envy. Envy
wras also the first sin of Joseph's brothers against him.
How unhappy did envy make our first parents ! Through
the devil's envy sin came into the world, and through sin
death. How unhappy Cain made himself by his envy !
How much evil was caused by the envy of Joseph's
brothers ! Therefore, dear children, take care not to be-
come envious of others. When one of your sisters gets
a finer dress than you, and envy endeavors to enter your
heart, say: "I will not be envious. Sweet Heart of

SEDUCTION 325

Mary, be my salvation." And at once reject every envious
thought. Thus you will suppress envy. If your big
brother gets a larger slice of bread (piece of cake) than
you, little one, the fire of envy at once tries to be enkindled
in your heart. At once throw it out. Rather say:
" Sweet Heart of Jesus, grant that I may ever love Thee
more and more.*' Your schoolmate is praised either for
knowing more or for being more diligent than you. Envy
threatens to force an entrance into your heart; at once
do all you can to keep it out, otherwise the same will hap-
pen to you as to Joseph's brothers. Hatred and anger will
take possession of your heart, and impel you to call harsh
and insulting names, and then to quarrel, to ill-treat and
strike your neighbor. Resolve to-day : " I will never hurt
my neighbor in his body; I will never call any one harsh
or insulting names." If you have hurt or pained any one,
show yourself afterwards very friendly to him, assist him
whenever you can, and thus atone for your fault.

4. And now, dear children, one thing more: Be not
cruel towards animals, towards living beings. Children
usually take delight in killing or tormenting what they see.
It is fun for them, but torture and pain for the animals.
Let these enjoy the short life God has given them. He
who torments or kills such beings, shows that his heart is
cruel and devoid of feeling for others ; such a one delights
also in seeing his companions punished or in suffering.

B.
13. Seduction, or leading astray.

I. Preparation. What sin stains the soul of a child
from its very birth? Original sin. His soul is dead (spir-
itually). Suppose a child dies in original sin. Where is
it that that child's soul cannot go? How is original sin
removed from the souls of children? By baptism. In
baptism the Holy Ghost enters the soul of the child, and

326 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

gives it spiritual life. And so long as the Holy Ghost re-
mains in that soul, it remains spiritually alive. Suppose
that child later on commits a mortal sin. Who then enters
its soul? The devil. Who leaves that soul? The Holy
Ghost. How is the soul after the Holy Ghost leaves it?
That soul can now no longer do anything to gain heaven.
Where would that soul go, if the child would die? What
life it would not obtain in heaven? Where does the soul
go that is in mortal sin? You see now what injury a
person does to the life of his soul by a mortal sin. In
like manner, we can do the same injury to the soul of our
neighbor. Last time you heard how injury is done to an-
other's life.

Object. To-day you shall learn how the life of another's
soul can be injured.

II. Development — The devil seduces our first parents.
How did our first parents live in the beginning? How
were they in the earthly paradise? What did God forbid
them? What punishment did God threaten them with, if
they would transgress His commandment? What did He
promise them, if they would observe it? For a time our
first parents obeyed God, and they were happy. But who
envied their happiness? Therefore he sought to ruin their
happiness. In which animal did the devil conceal himself ?
Where was the serpent ? Who came one day near the for-
bidden tree? Eve stopped in front of it and saw the ser-
pent on it. The devil did not at first show what he intended,
but showed himself very friendly to her. What did he
ask Eve ? He meant by this : " Is it true that God said
that to you? I can hardly believe that God forbade you
to eat of this fine fruit." Eve could have remarked from
these words that an evil spirit was speaking through the
serpent, for an angel would not have spoken in that way.
Angels are always pleased with what God wills. Eve
should, therefore, have gone away at once. But what did
she do? And what answer did she give to the serpent?

SEDUCTION 327

It was as if she had said : " Yes, so it is." Now the
devil became still more friendly towards her. What did
he say to her? "You shall not die." He meant by this:
" It is not true that you shall die. God is only frightening
you, to keep you from eating of that fruit, for He does
not wish you to be happy." What else did the devil say?
" If you eat of this fruit, your eyes shall be opened, and
you shall be like God ; but God does not wish that, and
therefore He said: You shall not eat of the fruit of this
tree." The nice words of the serpent already pleased Eve
more than the commandment of God. Wrhat did she now
examine more closely? And what did she see about the
fruit? What happens to many children happened to her
also. When you pass a confectionery or a fruit store and
look at the cakes, at the delicious fruit, your mouth waters,
and you would like to eat some ; you long for some. The
same happened to Eve. Looking at the fruit, she longed
for some ; and the longer she looked, the more she longed
to eat some. And the nearer she came to the tree, the
finer the fruit seemed to her, and her longing grew stronger
and stronger. She put out her hand, and what did she do?
To whom did she give some? and what did Adam do?

How the seducer acts. Who had resolved to induce our
first parents to eat of the forbidden fruit? Let us ex-
amine how he went to work. How did he induce Eve to
stop before the forbidden tree? How did he call Eve's
attention to himself? In answer to his question Eve told
him what punishment God had threatened, if they would
eat of the forbidden fruit. How did he succeed in re-
moving Eve's fear of the threatened punishment? The
devil had won half of the victory. And he no longer asked
her any questions. How did he excite in Eve a longing
for the forbidden fruit? How did Eve's longing grow
stronger? What finally happened? Eve yielded to the
temptor and ate of the forbidden fruit, and gave some to
Adam. Whose commandment did our first parents trans-

328 FIFTH COMMANDMENT

gress? What did they commit by so doing? Who induced
them to do so? The devil seduced our first parents.

The devil is a murderer of souls. How he rejoiced in
making our first parents unhappy! Now their souls be-
longed to him, and he went into them. Who was expelled
from their souls? In what state were their souls after
the Holy Ghost had left them? What do we call him who
kills a man's body? Murderer. He who kills another's
soul is also a murderer. Who killed the soul of Eve?
What, then, is the devil? The devil is a murderer of souls
from the beginning. The devil does all he can to murder
souls. " He goes around like a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour."

Every seducer is an accomplice of the devil. Who se-
duced Adam to sin? Eve. Whose accomplice (helper)
was Eve, when she seduced Adam to sin? She was the
devil's accomplice, and so is every one who leads others
into sin. The devil has many accomplices in the world.
Fred goes every Sunday to Mass. But Frank says to him :
" Steal a dollar from your mother, and we shall not go to
church to-day ; but we can buy cakes and candy and go to
the park, etc., and have a fine time." They carried out that
plan. What did Fred steal at home? Where did they
go during the Mass? WThat did he commit thereby?
And who induced him to commit those sins? The devil
led our first parents into sin. And what did Frank do?
Into what sins did he lead Fred?

Every seducer to mortal sin is a murderer of his neigh-
bor's soul. Wrhat happens to a soul that is seduced to
commit mortal sin? How frightful it is for a man to
plunge a dagger into his neighbor's heart and thus kill
him! It is equally dreadful to murder the soul of our
neighbor. What kind of murderer was Frank? Whose
accomplice was he ? Consider the value of a soul. Whose
image is it? How did our Saviour redeem it? There
hangs to each soul a drop of Christ's infinitely precious

SEDUCTION 329

blood. Oh, how excruciating sufferings had our dear Sav-
iour to undergo, in order to redeem our souls ! Do you
know what it is to be a seducer and murderer of souls?
What a terrible judgment will such a seducer undergo!
Our divine Saviour will say to him at the general judgment:
" Depart from Me, accursed seducer, into everlasting fire."
The seducer murders souls, which cost so much to our
Saviour to redeem. He who leads others into sin, is a
devil.

III. Connection. Who seduced Eve into sin? Who
tried to lead Joseph of Egypt into sin? What did Joseph
do? What should Eve have also done? What would, then,
not have happened? Eve was also guilty in being seduced
into sin. Whom did Eve seduce into sin? What should
Adam also have done? Whom would Eve not have se-
duced, if she had not first been seduced by the devil?
Who is the cause of the sin of both Eve and Adam?
Whom did Cham intend to lead into sin? To commit what
sin? Whom did Absalom seduce? To commit what sin?
Which of all these persons remained faithful, when others
tried to lead them into sin? Who were those that yielded
to seduction (fell into sin) ? Whom should you imitate
when some one tries to seduce you? What would your
soul be, if you allowed yourself to be led into a grievous
sin? How is he called who kills the body? How is he
called who seduces another into committing mortal sin?
Suppose a person is without sin, and is killed, where does
his soul go? Suppose a person who has been led into a
mortal sin, and dies in it, where does his soul go? Where
shall his body go later? A person, who has been led into
mortal sin, lives after that ; what can he still do concerning
his sin? His soul will then again become spiritually alive.
Which life can be regained? Which life cannot be re-
gained, if it is once lost?

IV. Summary. He injures his neighbor's soul, who
leads (seduces) him into sin. He who unjustly strikes,

33Q FIFTH COMMANDMENT

wounds or kills his neighbor's body. The fifth command-
ment forbids all the sins which may prove injurious to
the bodily or spiritual life of ourselves and of our neigh-
bor.

V. Application, i. Let us have another example of se-
duction. A mother calls out : " Johnny, come home."
But Johnny is now playing. Frank says : " Stay here,
Johnny, don't go." Johnny stays. Another time Frank
says to Johnny : " I know where there are fine straw-
berries. Let us go and get some." Johnny goes along.
They enter a neighbor's garden, and help themselves ; but
the owner sees them and comes after them ; Frank escapes,
but Johnny is caught and gets a beating. After this Frank
tells Johnny : " That is a mean man ; get even with him
by throwing stones into his windows." And Johnny breaks
that man's windows by throwing stones into them. How
should Frank tell his sins ? "I led my companion into
sin, once into disobedience, another time into stealing, and
then into breaking a neighbor's windows."

2. Dear children, beware of leading others into sin. He
who does so, acts like the devil. He must then think :
" I am a devil." Our divine Saviour says : " He who
leads others into sin, deserves to have a millstone hung
about his neck and to be thus thrown to the bottom of the
sea, that the world may get rid of him."

3. Beware of bad companions. Better no companion at
all, than a bad one. A bad companion, who leads one into
sin, is like a devil. He seeks to kill a soul. Seducers ap-
pear to be kind and friendly, as if they were innocent
lambs; but in their hearts they are wolves. When one of
them comes to you, and says " let us do so and so ; " and
you know that such a thing is sinful, leave him at once,
and never go with him again. Make this resolution :
" I will not, for the whole world, commit a sin and offend
God."

How to confess sins against the fifth commandment: I

IMPURITY 331

was envious ; I was angry ; I insulted and mocked others ;
I struck others; I led others into sin (mention the sin).

THE SIXTH AND NINTH COMMANDMENTS.

A.
14. Impurity.

I. Preparation. When God created the first man He
said : " Let us make man in our own image and likeness."
Relate what God then did. The bodies of our first parents
were beautiful; but far more beautiful were their souls,
which were adorned with a wonderfully beautiful garment.
What is that garment called? The pure white garment of
sanctifying grace. It imparted a dazzling splendor to their
souls, like that of the sun. This splendor of their souls
penetrated their bodies and made them very bright, and
this brightness served as a garment to their bodies. For
this reason their bodies needed no clothing to cover them.
How good and happy were Adam and Eve in paradise!

Did they always remain good and happy ? Wrhat loss did
Adam and Eve suffer in their souls through their sin?
The pure white garment of sanctifying grace. Their souls
did no longer shine like the sun, and the brightness of
their bodies vanished. And their eyes were opened, and
they saw on themselves what they had never before seen.
They saw that they were naked. And this made them
ashamed, and they blushed. Their bodies were covered
with a wonderful brightness before their sin; but were
covered with shame after their sin. To cover their shame
they made and put on aprons of fig-leaves. Thus they re-
mained partially covered until God clothed them with gar-
ments made from the skins of animals, for God does not
will that men should be without clothing. There are still
savages in certain parts of the world that go naked with the

332 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

exception of some clothing below the waist to cover what
decency requires not to remain uncovered. Natural mod-
esty induces every one to keep those parts of the body
covered. He who uncovers them unnecessarily is shame-
less, immodest.

Object. I will teach you to-day that a child should not
be immodest.

II. Relation. Noe had three sons, Sem, Cham and
Japhet. After the deluge Noe began to cultivate the
ground again. He planted a vineyard. But he did not
know that wine can make a person drunk. The first time
he drank wine, he drank too much of it. He got drunk
and lay down naked in his tent. Cham saw his father
there, and began to ridicule and mock him. He ran out
and told his brothers. But Sem and Japhet were better
behaved. They would not listen to all he said, but they
took a cloak and went backwards in their father's tent,
and, without looking at him, they covered him with the
cloak. When Noe awoke, they related to him what had
happened. Then Noe said : " A curse on Cham ; evil shall
happen to him ; but a blessing over Sem and Japhet, and
they shall prosper." And thus it happened. His father's
curse came upon wicked Cham, and Sem and Japhet met
with blessing and prosperity.

Consideration — Noe's drunkenness. What did Noe
plant after the deluge? What did he not know about
wine? What happened when he first drank wine? He
who is entirely drunk, does not know what he does. How
was he lying down in his tent? That part of his body
which requires to be always covered, was uncovered. Who
saw him in that state? Cham went out to tell it to his
brothers. These blushed hearing this, for they were much
better than Cham. They refused to speak about it with
Cham. What did they do at once? And how modestly
did they do so? What did they afterwards tell their
father ?

IMPURITY 333

Man's body should be holy. This is the will of God.
We should not gaze at any immodest part of man's body.
Who creates man's body? To whom does man's body
belong? The Holy Ghost has come into the hearts of those
who are baptized, and remains therein so long as they do
not commit mortal sin. What do we call the place where
God dwells? The house of God, a church. Our body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost. You see how holy God
has made your body. On the last day your body shall
rise from the grave. In what state will the bodies of
the just then be? More bright and resplendent than the
bodies of our first parents before their sin. And where
are our bodies destined to go? There they will shine as
the sun. Therefore, we are bound to keep our body
holy.

Sinning in the body through impurity. When a modest
child dresses or undresses, bathes or does anything nec-
essary, when it is alone or with others, a modest child
never looks at the parts of its body that should always
be covered as God directs. A modest child turns away
from the sight of even little children uncovered, and makes
them cover themselves. How should Cham have acted
when he saw his father in the tent? But what did he do?
( Immodest = impure. Immodesty = impurity. Modest,
modesty = pure, purity.) God says to us in the sixth
commandment, that we should not do anything impure.
Cham sinned against it by impure looks. But he did even
more ; for he could not keep to himself what he had seen,
but related it to his brothers. He sinned also by impure
talk or speech. Sem and Japhet heard the impure talk of
Cham. Now suppose they had remained standing with
Cham to hear him talk impurely and laugh at what he
said; what sin would they have committed? Wilfully lis-
tened to impure talk. That also is a sin.

He who has seen or heard anything impure, often re-
members it a long time. Although he may not think of

334 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

it all the time, it comes back to his mind from time to
time. When Cham went out of his father's tent, he was
still thinking of the impure things he had seen. To reflect
on things impure is a sin against the ninth commandment.
Cham by reflecting on impure things, sinned against the
ninth commandment. Those who reflect on such things,
will soon follow Eve's example. What happened to Eve
the longer she looked at the forbidden fruit? She longed
for it. He who reflects on what is impure, will easily
long for it, desire it. But impure desires are forbidden
by the ninth commandment, and are therefore sinful.
What did Eve do at last when her longing, her desire for
the forbidden fruit became stronger? She took and ate
some. Thus also act the impure. First, such a one hears
or sees something impure, then he thinks of it, and speaks
of it, takes pleasure therein, then gets a desire for it,
and touches what is impure on himself or others. He com-
mits an impure act, and that is very sinful, and forbidden
by the sixth commandment.

With pleasure or wUfully; not wilfully. Let us return
to Noe. What effect had the wine on him? How was
it that he drank too much? What would he have done,
if he had known that the wine was so strong? Hence
Noe did not wilfully get drunk. Therefore Noe's drunk-
enness was not sinful. How did the drunken Noe lie down
in his tent? He did not purposely or wilfully do what
was impure, for he was a good man. He did not know
what he was doing, and, besides, he was asleep. He there-
fore committed no sin. A child uncovers itself, lifts up
its dress, looks at itself, etc. It realizes that it is doing
something bad or impure, and takes pleasure in it. What
does that child commit? Why? And why did Noe not
commit a sin by doing as he did? Why was it no sin for
Sem and Japhet to hear what Cham told them about their
father? There is no sin of impurity committed unless it is
done wilfully, with pleasure. He only who wilfully, or

IMPURITY 335

with pleasure, thinks, sees, listens to or does what is im-
pure, is guilty of sin.

How to avoid sins of impurity. You must watch over
your eyes and your ears. You should restrain your
curiosity, and not wish to see all that is going on, to see
the shows and their pictures, or to hear everything that
is said, to read every novel or story book. Hence, if you
chance to see, hear or read something that is not pure or
modest, restrain your wish to look again, to hear more,
to read further. When you hear some one talking im-
purely, do not stay and laugh, but go away at once. In
like manner, if you happen to see anything impure, turn
your eyes away, and, if necessary, go to some other place.
Thus do good children act. Be careful not to expose your
person to others.

It happens not very seldom that when children have seen
or heard anything impure, the thoughts of these things
come back to them. If you then do not want such thoughts,
and try to drive them away, you do not commit any sin,
for they are not wilful. Sometimes after you drive them
away several times, they come back. Keep driving them
away every time, and try to think of other things. The
best would be to pray at once, as soon as you remark such
thoughts in your mind, by saying: "My Jesus, help me;
Mary, help me. Jesus and Mary, help me." If you do
this every time, you may be sure that those thoughts were
not wilful, and that you did not commit any sin. On the
contrary, you gained a victory over the temptation, and
deserved greater reward and glory in heaven. Endeavor
to be as pure as an angel; never touch or look at your
person or another's without real necessity, and never out
of pleasure. If other children expose themselves, or speak
of impure things, it may be necessary for you to report
them to the teacher or to their parents.

Impure, unbecoming. Not everything that is unbecom-
ing is also impure. It is unbecoming to call names, queer

336 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

and harsh names, funny names; but these names are not
impure. Impure talk is far worse. Moreover, some
games, especially of boys, have certain unbecoming features,
but are not impure. It would be better not to engage in
them, but they may mostly be engaged in without sin.

III. Connection. The worst sin against the sixth com-
mandment is the sin of action, committed in secret with
one's self or with others. How are sins of impurity com-
mitted with the eyes? With the ears? With the tongue?
What is the difference between impure words and unbe-
coming words? How is impurity in thought committed?
Into what sin of impurity do they fall who take pleasure
(indulge) in impure thoughts? Into impure desires, or
the wish to commit impurity? Impure desires and wilful
impure thoughts are forbidden by the ninth commandment.
When are impure thoughts not sinful? When does he
who sees or hears impure things, commit no sin? What
should we do with a companion who speaks or acts im-
purely? What should we do with those houses or shows
where impure things are to be seen? What must we then
avoid? Everything that leads to impurity.

IV. Summary. The sixth commandment forbids all
impure words and actions (including seeing, hearing, read-
ing) ; and also everything that leads to impurity. The
ninth commandment forbids impure thoughts and desires.

V. Application, i. Let us see which sins of impurity
Cham committed. How did he sin with his eyes? In
thought? With his tongue? How should he tell his sins?
" I saw something impure with pleasure ; I took pleasure
in thinking on it; I spoke about it to others." Albert
passing along heard some young fellows talking obscenely
(about impure things) ; he stopped and listened to them,
talked and laughed with them. What sins did he commit?
How should he confess them? "I took pleasure in lis-
tening to obscene language (impure talk) ; I spoke ob-
scenely (about impure things)."

CHASTITY 337

2. Dear children, God hates and detests every sin, but
more especially the sins of impurity. Therefore He so
severely punishes sins of impurity. The deluge. The
beautiful cities of Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed
by fire from heaven, because their inhabitants were very
impure ; where those cities were, there is now a large lake
of sulphurous, stinking water, wherein no fish can live ; it
is called the Dead Sea.

3. Therefore, be on your guard against impurity. When
you are with others, or are alone, when no person sees
you, He is present who sees and knows all things, our
very thoughts and desires, even in the darkest night, and
who will severely punish those who sin. Remember also
that your guardian angel is always with you and witnesses
all you do. Avoid bad company. And when bad thoughts
come to your mind, say at once : " Jesus and Mary, help
me! Keep me from sin."

How to confess sins against the sixth and ninth com-
mandments. I took wilful pleasure in impure thoughts ;
I looked with wilful pleasure on impure things (or pic-
tures) ; I read an impure book; I listened wilfully to im-
pure talk; I spoke of (or said, or sung) impure words;
I did an impure thing (by myself, or with others).

B.
15. Chastity, or Purity.

" Oh, how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory;
for the memory thereof is immortal : because it is known
both with God and with men. When it is present, they
imitate it; and they desire it, when it hath withdrawn
itself; and it triumpheth crowned forever, winning the re-
ward of undefiled conflicts." (Wisd. 4. 1, 2.)

I. Transition. The last time I spoke to you on im-
purity. In how many ways are sins of impurity com-

33.8 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

mitted? Impurity is abominable and detestable. To-day
you will hear how beautiful is the virtue of purity.

Object. I will tell you about a boy, who was modest
and pure and became thereby most happy.

II. Relation. His name was Stanislaus Kostka. Al-
ready in his childhood Stanislaus was very modest and
chaste (pure). When he heard any impure words, he
blushed very deeply, and his eyes were filled with tears,
and he would immediately go away. If he could not do
so, he would get so frightened and so horrified at the im-
pure language, that he would tremble all over, and some-
times even faint. He never defiled his pure soul with the
slightest impure sin. The very sight of his face shining
with innocence showed how pure and chaste he was. He
was therefore called by everybody an angel. Being so
pure and chaste, he would never go with impure children;
he never looked around curiously; he always kept his eyes
modestly cast down. Wherever he was, he remembered
that God was near him, and saw and knew all he thought
and did.

Prayer was his sweetest joy. Already as a little child,
he used to say in one of his prayers : " Dear Lord, I will
be all Thine." He daily heard one or more Masses with
real devotion. With a bright and joyful countenance,
joined hands and eyes cast down in church, he looked like
an angel. When praying he forgot everything around
him. Those who then saw him, would say : " The little
saint is praying." His favorite place in church was be-
fore the tabernacle. He would kneel there for hours
without leaning on or against anything. Many a time a
shining light, like that seen in pictures around the head
of a saint, would issue from his face. Stanislaus took
delight not only in being near our divine Saviour in church,
but especially in having Jesus in his heart. He knew :
" W7hen our dear Saviour is in my heart, the devil cannot
lead me into sin." Therefore he went every week to con-

CHASTITY 339

fession and Holy Communion. Stanislaus had also a
tender love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. He would say:
" God is my Father, and the Blessed Virgin Mary is my
Mother." He took delight in speaking of Mary. He
could never speak enough of her. When he would see
one of her pictures or statues, he would kneel down before
it, and say a prayer to his beloved Mother. He recited
daily the rosary in her honor. Mary rewarded him by
making him very pure and chaste.

When Stanislaus was not praying, he was either working
or studying. He was never idle. When tired of work-
ing or studying, he would join other children in innocent
games. He was never seen with a dissatisfied or angry
face. He always looked cheerful and contented, and
smiling. His eyes were shining with innocence and were
like two stars, through which the purity of his heart could
be seen. Those who had once seen him, could never for-
get him. Seldom had a more lovely and graceful boy
been seen. All were enchanted at his aspect and could
never look enough at him, and there arose in them the
thought : " Would that I were so innocent and pure as
he ! " Therefore, everybody liked him. Every child
wished to be in his company and play with him. When
Stanislaus was praying in church, each one would try to
kneel right behind him, for they wished to see how piously
and devoutly he prayed. Many imitated him, and when
these children returned home, their parents were astonished
to find them far better and more pious than they had been
before.

Even the angels and saints loved and honored Stanislaus.
Once a whole army of angels came to him, and one of
them gave him Holy Communion. When Stanislaus was
dangerously sick, St. Barbara came with two angels to
him, and one of them gave him Holy Communion. One
night when Stanislaus thought he was about to die, the
Blessed Virgin holding the Infant Jesus in her arms sud-

34Q SIXTH COMMANDMENT

denly stood before his bed. Mary laid the divine Infant
on his bed, so that Stanislaus could take Him in his arms
and press Him to his heart. Stanislaus did so, and was
immediately perfectly cured. He would afterwards often
think on this, and wish : " O would that I were now near
Jesus and Mary in heaven, and could see them again ! "

St. Stanislaus therefore wrote a letter to his dear Mother
Mary in heaven, in which he said : " My dearest Mother
Mary, obtain for me that I may die on the feast of thy
Assumption. I am longing to see thee and to tell thee
how I love thee." Five days before the Assumption he
placed that letter next to his heart and received Holy
Communion. The following day he fell sick, and said :
" I shall die in five days." He got worse, and he received
the last sacraments on the eve of the Assumption. When
the priest came with the Blessed Sacrament, as soon as
Stanislaus saw our Lord, he knelt on his bed; his eyes
shone brightly, and his face was like transfigured. All
present wept to see him so. He continued to pray as long
as he could. All at once his face shone with heavenly
joy. He beheld his dear Mother Mary surrounded with
a multitude of virgin saints. They had come to take Stanis-
laus to heaven with them. He died on the feast of the
Assumption, as he had prayed for.

Stanislaus was eighteen years old when he died. Quietly
with a pleasant smile he passed away. And after his
death, his face became more and more bright and pleasant.
He had the appearance of an angel. People now came
from all directions, in order to behold Stanislaus once more.
They kissed his feet, and spoke of how piously and inno-
cently Stanislaus had lived. After two years his body was
still incorrupt, and later on the odor of sweet-scented
violets issued from his grave. From near and from afar
people came to his parents to congratulate them on having
had so holy a son. His parents rejoiced greatly. And
what a sweet joy must Stanislaus have had, when he came

CHASTITY 341

in heaven to the feet of Jesus and His holy Mother ! There
he received a glorious crown from God.

I. STANISLAUS WAS CHASTE.

Consideration, i. A chaste generation. How was that
boy called about whom I have just spoken to you? What
kind of talk Stanislaus would not listen to already when
he was only a little child? What was he then? What
happened to him when impure language was used, and he
was not able to go away? So greatly did he abhor (detest)
impurity in others. Much less did he say or do anything
impure. From what did he always preserve his soul pure?
How could this be seen in him? What did people call
him on that account? Which of you have seen the pic-
ture of an angel? How beautiful are the angels! Modest
and chaste children are like angels God sends upon earth.
How many beautiful flowers there are in spring! And
what a fine bouquet you can make with them ! But much
more beautiful is the modest, chaste soul of a pure child !
Even the earthly paradise was not so beautiful.

Means of practising chastity. 1. Watchfulness. Stanis-
laus was very modest. With what children would he not
associate? His brother was rude and unrefined. Often
he wished to bring Stanislaus with him into bad company.
But Stanislaus preferred to be scolded and beaten than
to go with him. Once his brother even knocked him down
and kicked him around ; but Stanislaus would not go with
him. For into what would those evil companions have
led him, if he had associated with them? Stanislaus al-
ways watched over himself. How did he watch over his
eyes ?

2. The fear of God. And of whom did Stanislaus think
wherever he was? He was always careful to avoid the
slightest fault. For who knows and sees all things? Why
does God know all things? Therefore Stanislaus thought
of God everywhere. What does a child avoid, that reflects

342 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

that God is everywhere? Who constantly watches at your
side? Your guardian angel also sees constantly the face
of our Father in heaven. When therefore the devil sug-
gests anything impure to you, think at once : " God and
my guardian angel see me; I will not do anything to dis-
please them."

3. Prayer. Stanislaus was very fond of prayer. What
is he who is fond of prayer? What was Stanislaus? A
pious child does not become impure. But a child that does
not like to pray, does not long remain pure. God does
not love an impure child. But Stanislaus wished to be-
long entirely to God. How did he express this wish in
prayer? Stanislaus was always willing to pray. When
.should you pray at home? Morning and night. Ask your
mother, before you go to bed, to sprinkle you and your
bed with holy water. A child, when in bed, should join
its hands and recite an Our Father and a Hail Mary be-
fore falling asleep, and the devil will not be able to do it
any harm. What should you do, when the devil suggests
any evil to you, in order to lead you into sin? Pray.
To whom would you call for help, if a strong man
would try to do you harm ? " Father and mother, help
me ! " In like manner, when the devil suggests some
evil to you, in order to murder your soul, you should
say : " Jesus, help me ! Mary, help me ! Jesus, do not
forsake me ! Mary, my Mother, protect me ! " Where
should you go every morning to pray? And on whom
should you think, when you are praying? If you do
so, you will pray devoutly. What did St. Stanislaus do
every day about holy Mass? On whom only did he think
during Mass ? On what did he not then think ? He forgot
everything else during Mass. How did he kneel down in
church? What then can you learn from his behavior in
church? Whom did St. Stanislaus resemble when he was
in church? What did people therefore say about him?

4. Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Where is

CHASTITY 343

our divine Saviour in the church? Where should we
kneel to get very near to him? He who truly loves Him,
finds pleasure in His company. St. Stanislaus loved our
Saviour above all. Where then was his favorite place in
church ? Every morning he would go to church very early,
look towards the tabernacle and ask our Saviour's blessing.
What can you tell me about his prayer before the taber-
nacle? People could see what a great pleasure it was for
him to pray before the tabernacle. What was there re-
markable on his face? O how many children should be
ashamed of themselves before St. Stanislaus? They can
hardly stay still for a moment in church. They do not
wish to pray, and they soon grow tired of being in church.

5. Frequent reception of Holy Communion. It was
not enough for Stanislaus to be able to be near our divine
Saviour. His love for Jesus was much greater. He
wished to have Jesus in his heart also. How does Jesus
come into our hearts? How often did Stanislaus receive
Holy Communion? The devil can do no harm to him who
possesses Jesus. What does the devil try to lead us into?
Stanislaus knew that ; therefore he often received our
Saviour in Holy Communion.

6. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Whom did
Stanislaus love next to Jesus? His heart was all aglow
with love for her. How could this be seen from his con-
versations? How did he call her, when he spoke of her?
During the day he often prayed : " My Jesus and my dear
Mother Mary." What did he daily do to honor her?
How did he act when he came across a picture or statue
of Mary? How did Mary reward Stanislaus? Dear chil-
dren, if you wish to be pure and chaste and always to
overcome impure temptations, consecrate yourselves to the
Blessed Virgin, and say every morning and every night
three Hail Marys in honor of the immaculate purity of
the Blessed Virgin, and when tempted, say : " Jesus and
Mary, help me, protect me." (St. Alphonsus.}

344 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

7. Work And Study. St. Stanislaus prayed often dur-
ing the day. What did Stanislaus do, when he was not
praying? But work and study make one tired. There-
fore you cannot study all the time. What do you do in
the schoolyard during recess? What did Stanislaus do
when he was tired of working and studying? He was
very diligent and industrious. He who is always busy
had no time for evil thoughts. But alas! not all children
are diligent. How do you call such children as are not
diligent? Behind every lazy child there stands a devil to
suggest to him all kinds of evil and impure thoughts ; and
the devil does not rest, until he has led that child into sin.
Hence the saying : " Idleness is the devil's pillow and
the beginning of every vice."

II. CHASTITY MADE STANISLAUS EXCEEDINGLY HAPPY.

1. Oh, how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory.
Gracefulness and cheerfulness. Stanislaus always kept busy.
He was never out of humor or disagreeable. How was
he disposed? What can you say about his face? About
his eyes? What could be learnt therefrom? Parents de-
sire beautiful children, and children desire to be beautiful.
Chastity makes a child's face bright and cheerful, and the
appearance of innocence makes children very happy. A
chaste child is as light and as happy as a bird that sings.

2. The chaste are in honor with both God and men. So
long as they are on earth, they serve as models for imita-
tion. Chastity adorned Stanislaus so much, that people
had never seen a more graceful boy. What were the feel-
ings of those who saw him? How did they also wish to
be? The children were especially fond of him. How
could this be seen at play? How when kneeling in church?
What effect did his good conduct produce on his com-
panions? Who often wondered at this? You see from
this that an innocent and pure child is a source of pleas-
ure and joy to every one. He who sees such a child feels

CHASTITY 345

his heart soften, and he thus thinks of that child : " Thou
art like a fragrant flower, so nice, so beautiful, so pure.
And I feel inclined to lay my hands on thy head and to
pray God to preserve thee so pure, so beautiful, so grace-
ful."

3. The chaste are honored by the angels and saints!
How did the angels honor St. Stanislaus? How did St.
Barbara honor him? Stanislaus was very sick in a board-
ing house. And no one would call the priest for him.
Stanislaus thought he was going to die. Then he prayed
to St. Barbara, who helps people to die well. He said:
" St. Barbara, deign to help me, that I may not die without
receiving Holy Communion." And how did St. Barbara
help him? It was about midnight, when Stanislaus sat up
in bed, and shaking his sick nurse, whispered : " Kneel'
down ; St. Barbara with two angels are coming to bring
me Holy Communion." And so it was.

4. The chaste are in honor with Mary and with God.
The Blessed Virgin also honored St. Stanislaus. Mary
looks so lovingly on the children who are chaste, as a good
mother on her beloved children. And Mary prays to God
for them. God also looks as a good father on innocent
and pure children. You cannot imagine how greatly God
is pleased with them. Look at the heavens on a clear,
bright night. How many stars shine and twinkle there.
They would seem like angels' eyes looking down so kindly
and friendly upon us. What a pleasant sight! In like
manner, the innocent and chaste children shine just as
pleasantly and as lovely in the eyes of God. God, there-
fore, loves dearly the pure and chaste.

When the Son of God came upon earth, He chose as
His Mother the most pure and chaste Virgin Mary. The
disciple He most loved was the pure and chaste John,
whom He allowed to rest his head on His Sacred Heart.
Therefore Jesus so dearly loved innocent children He said:
" Suffer little children to come to Me, and forbid them not,

346 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." Because St. Stan-
islaus was pure and chaste the Infant Jesus also came to
him. When did this happen? Relate. What was he
allowed to do with the divine Infant? Stanislaus could
never forget this. Where did he, therefore, long to go?
For what? On what feast did St. Stanislaus wish to die?
Who was to come to take him to heaven? How did he
make known his wish to the Blessed Virgin? How many
days was it before the Assumption? And what happened
during the following night? What did Stanislaus say as
soon as he got sick? He grew always worse and worse,
and during the night preceding the Assumption he re-
ceived the last sacraments. How did he act when the
priest brought the Blessed Sacrament? What was the
appearance of his face? What were the feelings of all
who then saw him? His death came nearer and nearer.
What prayers were then said for him? And what did
Stanislaus do during those prayers? Whom did Stan-
islaus expect to come for him? How did the Blessed Vir-
gin fulfil his expectation? Who came with her? What
happened to his face when he beheld his heavenly Mother?
Then he conversed silently with her until he died. On
what feast did he die? Thus did Mary fulfil his prayer.
How beautiful and happy was the life of St. Stanislaus!
But his death is almost more beautiful. Oh, how happy it
is, indeed, to be innocent and chaste !

" And when the chaste generation hath withdrawn itself,
men desire it. Its memory is immortal." How old was
Stanislaus when he died? What was the appearance of
his face when he was dying? And after his death?
People from all directions to see him. How did they show
that they dearly loved him? Of what did they speak?
Thus it happens to the innocent. Long after their death
people think of them, speak well of them, praise them and
rejoice over them.

CHASTITY 347

Stanislaus was buried. What miracle took place in his
body when in the grave? People from near and from afar
went to the parents of St. Stanislaus. For what reason?
Why did they wish them happiness? Thus do chaste
children give joy to their parents even after their death.

" And the chaste generation triumpheth crowned for-
ever, winning the reward of undefiled conflicts."

Where did the soul of St. Stanislaus go when he died?
What must have been his feelings when he was admitted
to see Jesus and Mary? And how did God reward him
for his purity and chastity? When such a pure soul comes
before the throne of God, Oh, with what joy she is received
by our divine Saviour! And Mary places her among the
great multitude of the pure and chaste souls ; and she re-
ceives a crown more brilliant than that of the other saints,
and she accompanies the Saviour wherever He goes, and
sings a hymn which other saints cannot sing. How happy
must St. Stanislaus have felt in heaven for having so
courageously watched over himself and remained so pious
and so chaste.

III. Connection. How did people call St. Stanislaus?
The little saint, the angel. Whom did he resemble when
at prayer? Angels are innocent and pure. How was his
soul? And how are the souls of all chaste children? The
angels are pictured like beautiful, graceful youths. What
effect has the chastity of Stanislaus on his countenance?
All chaste children are beautiful and lovely. Because the
angels are innocent and pure, God takes delight in them.
Why did God take delight in Stanislaus? In which chil-
dren does God take delight. And who else took delight in
Stanislaus? And also in all chaste children?

In whom did Stanislaus take the greatest delight? In
whom do the angels? And likewise all chaste children.
With whom do the angels prefer to be? Where did
Stanislaus like so much to be ? And where do chaste chil-

348 SIXTH COMMANDMENT

dren like to go? What do the angels in heaven do near
God? They kneel before God's throne and adore Him.
What did St. Stanislaus take delight in doing? And be-
fore whom he loved so much to kneel? What do all
chaste children love to do? Whom did St. Stanislaus love
the most after God? To whom do chaste children love
to pray? Even the angels in heaven honor and revere
the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she is their Queen.

IV. Summary. " Oh, how beautiful is the chaste gen-
eration with glory ! " Chastity beautifies the bodies and
souls of children, and imparts happiness to them. Men
cannot forget chaste children. They are beloved by men,
by the angels and saints, by the Blessed Virgin and by
God Himself. During their life they serve as models to
others; their death is beautiful, and after their death
people long for them. In heaven they are crowned and
receive a special reward, because they struggled so faith-
fully during their life and remained so pure.

V. Application, i. Dear children, from the example
of St. Stanislaus you perceive how happy are the children
who are pure and chaste. You can all become happy also.
Listen and hear how good men encourage you : " Oh, how
beautiful are the chaste children with glory. They are
honored by God and by men." All are fond of them.
If you wish to be happy and be loved by all, be chaste
and pure. And what do the angels in heaven say to you?
" Oh, how beautiful are chaste children with glory ! " Shun
all evil companions and all curious looks. Be pure and
chaste, and you are already angels on earth, soon to be
angels in heaven. Never forget that you have always an
angel at your side in order to bring you to heaven. Pray
to him and follow his inspirations. And what does the
Blessed Virgin Mary, from far above the angels, say to
you : " Oh, how beautiful are chaste children with glory ! "
" Do you sincerely wish to be my children, love me dearly

CHASTITY 349

and pray earnestly to me. And I, your Mother, will help
you to remain pure and chaste, so that roses will bloom
on your cheeks and lilies in your hearts."

And what does our divine Saviour say to you ? " Oh,
how beautiful are chaste children with glory ! " He that
loves chastity has the King of heaven as his friend. Do
you not wish to be the favorites of the King of heaven
and allow Him to draw and press you to His heart? If
you do, take pleasure in going to Jesus in the church, and
pray to Him before His tabernacle, that He may help you
remain pure and chaste. And what does the Blessed
Trinity say to you? "Oh, how beautiful are chaste chil-
dren with glory ! " The Father says to you : ' I created
you in My image. Remain pure and chaste." The Son
says : " I redeemed you and gave My life for you. Re-
main pure and chaste." The Holy Ghost says : " I sanc-
tified you in baptism and made My dwelling in you.
Remain pure and chaste." Oh, how beautiful, therefore,
are chaste and pure children in the glory of their virtue !
Already on earth they are loved and honored by God, and
all good men. And when they go before God's throne in
their purity and chastity, they obtain honor and happiness
without end.

2. Therefore, dear children, when sin entices you, Oh,
do not follow it. Remain pure and innocent! The inno-
cence of your soul should be dearer to you than everything
in this world. It is your most precious treasure on earth
and your greatest honor. Stand up, all of you, look at
the crucifix, look at Jesus! See how He hangs on the
cross, He who shed His blood to the last drop for your
soul, that you may not be lost ! Look at Him well ! Let
each one say : " My dearest Saviour, I promise Thee, that
I will not for the whole world, commit a mortal sin through
impurity; that I prefer death to mortal sin."

35o SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.
16. Our Neighbor's Property.

I. Preparation. How many brothers and sisters have
you, Bertha ? One brother and one sister. What are their
names? Martin and Rose. Now your father gives you
and them clothes and books. To whom do the clothes and
books belong which your father gave you? To me. Yes,
they are your property. To whom belong those he gave
to Martin? To Martin. They are his property. To
whom belong those he gave to Rose? To Rose. They
are her property. Wherefrom did your father get all that
he has, his house, his farm ? He bought them ; he in-
herited them. And his horses and cows ? He raised them ;
he bought them. All these things belong to your father;
they are his property. Who are those that own a great
many things ? The rich. Who are those that own but few
things? The poor. The poor own something, however
little it may be. It is their property. Wherefrom have
all men their property? Everything in the world belongs
to God. Why? Whose property are all things in the
world? God's. Now, Martin, suppose you would take
away from Rose the things father gave her. What would
your father say ? " That is not right, you must give them
back to Rose. They belong to her, and not to you." Now,
Bertha, suppose you would take away from Martin the
things father gave him; what would father say again?
Now who is the Father of all men? Therefore God says
to each man : " Thou shalt not take away any one's prop-
erty " ; or briefly : " Thou shalt not steal."

Object. I will now speak about a boy who never took
away the property of another.

II. Relation — (Copied from Rev. Valentine Eschen-
lohr. St. Paschal Baylon, when still a boy, was hired
out to strangers by his very needy parents. His employers

OUR NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY 351

set him to keeping their flock of sheep. He took great
care that the sheep should not trespass on or injure the
property of others. Nevertheless it sometimes happened
that some lambs and sheep would go into the neighbors'
fields and there eat the seeds and the clover. As soon as
Paschal would notice it he drove his trespassing sheep out
of those fields, and then he would examine the amount of
the damage they had done, and then note it down in his
memorandum, which he had always with him. In the even-
ing he would go to the owner of the field and pay out
of his earnings for the damage done by his master's flock.
" You are too anxious," others used to say to him ; " if
you do this every time, you shall have to pay more than
you earn." " Oh," said Paschal, " I do not want any un-
just goods; I will rather restore my neighbor's property
during my life, than later on go to hell." In the sum-
mer months he always took a sickle along to help the
servants in cutting the wheat, etc. But he would take no
pay for that, saying : " I will thereby make up for the
damage I may unknowingly have done to these people."
Often the other shepherds wished him to go along with
them to get fruit ; but he never allowed himself to be per-
suaded to go along with them ; and he would never touch
or eat any of the stolen fruit. During the vintage a big
shepherd wished to compel him to go with him into a
vineyard to steal grapes. The shepherd was rough and
strong, and was greatly feared by the other shepherds.
But Paschal said : " I will not go with you, for that is
a sin." The rough shepherd got angry, and pulled Paschal
as far as the vineyard, and said : " Either come along
with me, or I will kill you." " You can kill me," replied
Paschal, " but you cannot compel me to take what does not
belong to me." When the impudent man returned, he
held the stolen grapes before Paschal's face, saying in
mockery : " They are sweet ; but you shall not get a single
one of them." " I do not want any," replied Paschal ;

352 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

" when I wish to eat grapes, I will buy them with my own
money." Another shepherd was not so good as Paschal;
he went along into the vineyard, stole and ate plenty of
grapes ; but they made him very sick. Paschal said to
him : " You now see that stolen things do not profit you."
The other shepherds, however much they said and tried,
could never persuade Paschal to transgress the seventh
commandment. To him his neighbor's property was
sacred.

Consideration — Injuring another's property. About
whom have I been speaking? Where did he go, when he
was yet a boy? What were his parents? W^hat kind of
work was given him? Paschal would take out his sheep
into meadows and fields, that they might feed on the grass.
About what was he very watchful? About his sheep not
feeding in the fields of strangers, and keeping them only
where they had a right to be, that is, in uncultivated fields,
lying between and near cultivated fields. Where did the
pilfering sheep sometimes trespass? What would they do
there? They would eat the seeds and the young and ten-
der clover, which tasted very good. If those fields had
belonged to Paschal, there would not have been anything
wrong in that. But whose property were they? They be-
longed to his neighbor, to others. The owners underwent
a loss of a part of their property in the seeds and clover
eaten by the sheep. They were injured in their property
by Paschal's sheep. It was Paschal's duty to watch over
his sheep. Who then was the cause of the damage caused
by the sheep? But Paschal did not will it; he did not wish
to see his sheep in cultivated fields. What would he do
when he saw them there? What would he do to remember
it? What had he always with him?

Examples. Children can also injure their neighbor's
property. How so? By running through planted fields
and gardens, injuring the plants, the trees; killing fowls;
marking and scratching walls, throwing stones and break-

OUR NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY 353

ing windows; in a word, by injuring the property of others.
Children sometimes tear or soil the books and hats and
other articles of clothing of their schoolmates. That is
damaging another's property, and is sinful. Paschal's
sheep had enough to eat where he brought them ; but when
the sheep saw young clover and other tender plants in
other fields, they would go there to eat some, because such
things tasted better. In like manner, there are children,
who, although they have enough to eat, will pilfer, wherever
they can, cakes, candy, fruit, jams, preserves, because they
taste nicer. These children imitate Paschal's sheep and the
other shepherds. How? Children that pilfer at home,
will also steal from strangers. Great thieves began by
pilfering, by stealing little things at home, in school. Great
thieves, when caught, are sent to the penitentiary for
months and years. And whenever they are let out, most
of them steal more than before.

Robbery, burglary and murder. Almost every day the
papers relate robberies that took place the day or the night
before in the street, or in dwellings, or in banks, or in
business places. People are publicly attacked and threat-
ened with death, if they do not give up their money, their
valuables ; their purses, etc., are sometimes publicly snatched
out of their hands, or their pockets; buildings are entered
into at night and all the money and jewelry in them car-
ried away ; often if the robbers and burglars meet with
opposition, they kill the owners. Bands of boys 11, 12,
13 or more years old, have in large cities turned robbers
and stolen thousands of dollars' worth of property by
night and by day, and even committed murder. All these
thieves and robbers began by pilfering little things at home.

When you find something, such as a knife, a pocket-
book, etc., you must give it to the owner, if you know to
whom it belongs. If the article you found is valuable,
you must try and find out the owner; for you are not al-
lowed to keep what does not belong to you. In that case

354 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

your parents will do it for you. To keep for yourself
what you find, although you know to whom it belongs, is
real stealing. It is also stealing to cheat others. If when
you buy something and get back too much change through
mistake, you must not keep what was given to you over
and above the right change, but give it back to the owner.
Some children when they are sent to buy something, keep
a part of the money given them by their parents, for candy,
etc., and tell their parents the article they bought cost more
than it really did. That is cheating your parents. It is
also cheating to take advantage of the wants of our neigh-
bor, to get a thing from him for much less than it is worth.
For instance, a man who is in great need of money for
his family, for his business, comes to you asking you to
buy his watch, which is worth over one hundred dollars;
he offers it to you for fifty dollars; you take advantage
of his wants and offer him only twenty-five dollars for it,
and at last the poor man gives it to you for twenty-five
dollars, for he is in very great need. You have cheated
him by this transaction out of twenty-five dollars. That
is sinful and cruel on your part.

Restitution and compensation. Let us return to Paschal.
His sheep had not done any great damage. To whom did
Paschal go in the evening each time that his sheep had
caused some damage? What did he do concerning the
damage? He paid the owners the amount of the damage
his sheep had caused; in other words he indemnified them
for the damage. Where did he take the money from in
order to do this? His neighbor then recovered what be-
longed to him, just as God wills it should be. God does
not forgive the sin of him who caused damage to his
neighbor by stealing, cheating, injuring his property, unless
he makes restitution for, or repairs the damage done by
him. What must we do to obtain God's forgiveness when
we have injured our neighbor in his property?

Although Paschal had committed no sin against his

OUR NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY 355

neighbor in his property, he made restitution for the damage
done. Who were displeased at this? What did they say
to him about it? What was Paschal's reply? Where do
unjustly acquired goods bring us to? He who has injured
his neighbor in his property and made no restitution or
compensation, shall forever burn in hell. (That is, if the
matter of the injustice or injury is grievous; for only a
grievous matter can induce a grievous obligation.) Which
did Paschal prefer, to make restitution, or to burn in hell ?
Wrhat did Paschal take along with him in summer? For
what? Did he ask or take pay for his work? What rea-
son did he give? He wished also to compensate the injury
he might have done to others without knowing it.

You see, children, from this, that you are bound to com-
pensate (make restitution for) the injury you have done
your neighbor. You cannot always or easily do it with
money. Why not ? But you can do it like Paschal. How ?
By helping him ; for instance, minding his children, going
on messages for him without remuneration.

Helping ; concealing stolen goods. To what sins did the
other shepherds try to lead Paschal? They were very
earnest in this. Did they gain their object? He would
not go with them. They also tried to make him eat of
the stolen fruit. But what did Paschal do? Why would
he not eat of such fruit? He who accepts stolen things,
is no better than the thief. What does he commit, who
accepts stolen things? What did a big shepherd try to
force Paschal to do during the vintage? The other shep-
herds were greatly afraid of that man. Why? What did
Paschal answer him? Why did he not go along with him?
How did that bad shepherd take Paschal's answer. He
wished to bring Paschal by force with him to steal grapes.
Where did he drag Paschal along? How did he threaten
him? But Paschal remained firm. What would he have
preferred to undergo rather than steal ? He was right ;
for a good child should always say : " I would rather die

356 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

than steal and commit sin." The impudent man tried an-
other way to overcome Paschal. What did he hold up
before Paschal's face, when he came back from stealing
grapes? The grapes must have looked very nice and de-
licious. What did the shepherd say in mockery to Paschal?
He expected that it would excite in him the desire to go
and steal grapes for himself. What effect did that have
on Paschal? Paschal paid no attention to the seducer, al-
though he naturally would have liked to eat such fine
grapes. But what kind of grapes he did not wish for?
Therefore, what answer did he give that shepherd? But
Paschal's companion was not so good. To what did he
allow himself to be seduced? What was the effect of eat-
ing those grapes? They made him sick. What did Pas-
chal then say to him? This shows that stolen things do
not profit, do not bring luck. The shepherds often again
tried to induce him to go along with them to steal. Did
they gain anything by doing so? Which commandment
forbids stealing? Which commandment Paschal did not
transgress? In what does he who breaks this command-
ment injure his neighbor? From whom have men their
property? Therefore his neighbor's property was sacred
to Paschal.

III. Connection. Let us examine and compare the dif-
ferent ways in which we can injure our neighbor in his
property. When a child wishes to pilfer at home, he waits
till his mother has gone out. Why? The child pilfers
in secret. Who is it that does not wish to be seen taking
other people's things? The thief. How does the thief
act? In secret. In like manner, did the child act, who
kept back a nickel or a dime for candy, for he did not
wish mother to know it. Also the child who got too much
change at the grocery, and kept it for himself, did this
secretly also. A burglar also enters houses and buildings
to steal in secret, especially when every one is asleep. The
robber steals things by force. He who takes advantage

OUR NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY 357

of others r.i bargains, in buying and selling, of their pov-
erty, ignorance or simplicity, is as bad as the robber. What
do all these persons commit? Sin. There is another kind
of sin against the seventh commandment. Which is it?
To cause damage wilfully to our neighbor's property. If
the damage is not caused wilfully, it is no sin. Why?
Was the damage done by Paschal's sheep to the property
of others, a sin for Paschal? What did he, nevertheless,
do about it? Made restitution or compensation. What
must they do who have injured their neighbor in his prop-
erty? They must make restitution, restore what they
have taken or its value. (If the stolen or damaged object
was valuable, the obligation of restitution binds under pain
of mortal sin; so that if the thief, etc., is able to make
restitution and does not do it, he cannot have any of his
sins forgiven. Hence to such a one St. Augustine says:
" Restitution or damnation.")

IV. Summary. The seventh commandment, " Thou
shalt not steal," forbids doing unjustly every kind of in-
jury to our neighbor in his property, such as by pilfering,
stealing, cheating, robbery, or keeping what belongs to an-
other (things found).

V. Application, i. Let us see once more what sins are
committed against the seventh commandment. Charles is
fond of pilfering. As soon as his mother is out of sight,
he looks everywhere for sweetmeats. From one place he
steals sugar, from another some cake, or some fruit. This
he does almost every day. How should he tell his sins?
" I stole sweetmeats almost every day." One day Mark's
mother left the key in the drawer. Mark opened it, and
took two dimes out of it. How must he tell his sin ? "I
stole two dimes" (or twenty cents). Another day when
making a purchase in a grocery, he saw some nickels on
the counter, and when the clerk's eyes were turned in
another direction, he took three nickels. Passing near a
fruit-stand he took a peach and an orange. He took a

358 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

knife from another boy. How must he confess his sins?
" I stole from a store three nickels, and a peach and an
orange from a stand and a knife from a boy." Johnny
entered the neighbor's orchard at least twenty times, and
stole plums, pears and other fruits each time. How should
he tell his sins? " I stole fruit at least twenty times from
a neighbor's orchard." John got five cents too much
change in a store, and more than thirty times he kept
five cents each time from the money his mother gave him
to pay for things he brought from different stores. How
must he tell his sins? " I kept five cents given me too
much in change, and more than thirty times I kept back
five cents from the money mother gave me to pay for things
bought." Frank found a purse on the sidewalk containing
five dollars. He knew to whom it belonged, for he had
seen a man drop it ; but he kept it ; he did the same with
a knife a schoolmate had left on his desk in school, and
with a silk handkerchief of the priest which he had found
on the steps outside of the church. How must he tell his
sins? "I found a pocket-book containing five dollars;
and I found also a knife and a silk handkerchief. I have
kept all these things, although I knew who had lost them."
Robert quarreled with a companion on Sunday, and threw
him into a gutter, and ruined thereby his fine new suit of
clothes. The next day at school he spoiled a schoolmate's
Bible History by tearing a good many leaves out of it.
How must he tell his sins? " I ruined a companion's fine
new suit of clothes, and spoiled a school book of one of
my schoolmates."

2. Dear children, beware of taking eatables and sweet-
meats and other little things at home, for you will thereby
acquire the habit of stealing. Never take even the smallest
thing belonging to your neighbor. Rather suffer hunger
than steal ; rather be always poor and needy and honest,
than become rich by stealing or cheating. A thief dis-
graces himself before God and men. Never destroy or

LYING AND FALSEHOOD 359

damage your neighbor's property. The devil is fond of
destroying things out of sheer malice. He who injures
his neighbor's property, has something devilish in him. If
you have stolen anything or done injury to your neighbor
in his property, be sure to make restitution or compensa-
tion. Otherwise, according to the amount of the injury
you have done, you shall have to burn for a time in purga-
tory or in hell forever!

How to confess sins against the seventh commandment.
I have pilfered or stolen eatables at home ; I have stolen
money at home (from my parents) ; I have stolen from
others ; I have cheated others ; I have kept things I found ;
I have injured or destroyed the property of others. When
the amount stolen or the damage done is great, it should
also be mentioned.

EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
17. Lying and Falsehood.

I. Preparation. In the earthly paradise God said to
Adam and Eve: "If you eat of the tree in the middle
of paradise, you shall die." But they ate of it. And what
happened to them later on? Therefore what God had said
was true. After their sin God promised them a Redeemer.
When did the promised Redeemer come? Therefore what
God had said was true. What God says is always true.
Whose Son from all eternity was the promised Redeemer?
The Redeemer also spoke to men. Wrhat did Jesus fore-
tell that Judas would do against Him? And what really
happened? Wrhat were the things that Jesus foretold?
True. What did Jesus foretell to Peter ? And what really
took place ? And all that Jesus said and taught was true ;
for Jesus is God. All that God says is true ; for God is
Truth itself.

Whose children are all men? According to what did

360 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

God create men? Whom do children resemble? Whom
should all men resemble? But God always tells the truth;
He is the Father of truth. How should all men speak
always? Men should, therefore, say nothing false or un-
true. Therefore God says in the eighth commandment :
" Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Object. I will show you from the conversation of the
devil with Eve, how wicked and ugly it is to bear false
witness.

II. Development.

i. Hypocrisy. How did the devil show himself to-
wards Eve, when she came near the forbidden tree?
Very friendly. But he had no good intentions towards
her. To what did he wish to seduce her? What effect
was that to produce on our first parents? To make them
unhappy. What kind of intention has he who seeks to
make another person unhappy? An evil intention. What
did the devil intend in his heart towards Adam and Eve?
But how did he outwardly show himself? Very friendly.
The devil represented himself better disposed towards Adam
and Eve than he really was. He who represents himself
better disposed towards another than he is really, is said
to dissemble, to play the hypocrite. Who is a hypocrite?
What was the devil when he spoke to Eve? WTicked men
often do likewise.

There is a beggar begging at a corner, or near a church.
When he sees a priest or a pious person coming his way,
he takes out his beads, makes the sign of the cross, and
makes out he is praying, and why? To make the priest,
etc., believe he is a pious, holy man. And what for? To
get an alms. He plays the hypocrite; he is a hypocrite.
Why? He represents himself, he tries to make people
believe that he is far better than he is really. How does
that beggar act? Through hypocrisy which is an ugly,
hateful sin. Who was the first hypocrite? The devil. A
hypocrite is false, deceitful like the devil. And so is a

LYING AND FALSEHOOD 361

false, deceitful child. How some mischievous, wicked
children, when they do wrong, try to appear innocent in
order to throw the blame on others who are innocent!

2. Lies. The devil, with all his hypocrisy, would prob-
ably not have succeeded in seducing Eve, if he had not also
used other means. He asked her a question. What was
it? What was Eve's answer? And what did the devil
then say to Eve? "By no means shall you die"; that is,
you shall certainly not die. Did not the devil know what
would happen, if our first parents would eat of the for-
bidden fruit? And yet what did he say? Therefore he
spoke to Eve differently from what he knew, differently
from the truth. What was the truth? Therefore the
devil said to Eve what was not true. He said not only:
" You shall not die," but added something else. What
did he add? "You shall be like God." The devil knew
very well that Adam and Eve could not become like God.
Therefore he again asserted what he knew was not true.
What do we call it, when a person says something which
he knows is not true? A lie. What did the devil do in
speaking to Eve? He tried to deceive her by telling lies.
Telling a lie is a sin. What sin did the devil commit?
Here is another example. Rose was kept in after school
for missing her lesson. She came home late. Her mother
asked her: "What kept you so late?" Rose answered:
" I was playing with some of the school girls." Did Rose
tell the truth? She knew very well that it was not true.
What sin did she commit?

What do you call those who tell lies? Liars. Who told
the first lie? Who was, then, the first liar? Lying comes
from the devil, and the devil is called " the father of lies."
Everything the devil said to Eve was a lie from the be-
ginning to the end. He can tell only lies, and seeks to
deceive every one by his lies.

Who cannot lie? What is everything that God says?
Why? Because He is Truth itself. Therefore God in-

362 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

tensely hates lies. Why is the devil called " the father of
lies " ? Since God can tell only what is true, how may
we call Him? The Father of truth.

Whose children are all men? Whom should they re-
semble? But God is Truth itself and says only what is
true. What should all men say, if they wish to resemble
God, their Father? Whom does the liar resemble? Every
lie he tells is as an ugly stain which the devil makes in
his soul. The more lies a man tells, the more he is like
the devil. Who is the father of the liar? Who is a child
of the devil? The liar. What a disgrace to have the
devil as one's father ! The devil hates God with a terrible
hatred. He is thoroughly wicked, and God's greatest
enemy. And since the liar is a child of the devil, and re-
sembles the devil, God hates the liar and all lying. And
therefore God so severely punishes lying; and this, even
in this life. A child, telling his first lie, blushes. And
when his lie is found out, he is ashamed. No one wishes
to have anything to do with a lying child. When he wishes
to say something, usually some one says to him : " Keep
still, you are a liar." People do not believe him any more,
who has been found out telling a lie. This is a punishment
God sends him. It is a great disgrace to be a liar, for
lying is the sin of the devil. The Roman emperor
Claudius had forbidden liars to be buried after their death ;
their bodies were to remain exposed in the fields either
to rot or to be devoured by wild beasts, and their houses
were to be torn down.

But God punishes lies in the next life. How many chil-
dren are now burning in purgatory to expiate their lies.
Some who lied in matters of importance, and thus did great
harm to their neighbor, are even burning forever in hell !
Dear children, never tell a lie, even if you could, by doing
so, acquire millions of dollars ! We must never tell a lie,
however small, were we able thereby to save all men from
death. For every lie is a sin, and we are never allowed

LYING AND FALSEHOOD 363

wilfully to commit the least sin, for we would offend God
thereby. He who is fond of telling lies, will also easily
steal and become a thief.

3. Slander. The liar is wicked. He would like that
others should be looked upon as wicked. Therefore he
tells lies on them. In this manner the devil, speaking to
Eve, acted against God. What punishment did God
threaten against our first parents, if they would eat of the
forbidden tree? What did the devil say about it? "By
no means." This meant : " It is not true ; you shall not
die." But who had said it to Adam and Eve? Did not
the devil then mean that God had told them a lie? Was
not that the same as calling God a liar? But God cannot
lie, and does not lie. Therefore the devil slandered God;
that is, he told a lie about Him. Calumny or slander is
telling a lie or lies about some one ; or falsely accusing
some one of a sin he did not commit. It is a sin. It is
the devil's sin. The slanderer is a child of the devil ; nay,
he is himself a devil, for only he who is very wicked can
accuse of something bad, wicked, sinful, him who is per-
fectly innocent. Have not some of you told lies on your
brothers and sisters, on your schoolmates? Have you not
sometimes accused others of the evil you yourselves
had committed? What kind of sin did you commit there-
by?

4. Detraction or backbiting. Who knows of a boy
mentioned in Bible History, who told his father of a sin
his brothers had really committed? Joseph of Egypt.
Why did Joseph tell his father about his brothers' sin?
He wished that their father should admonish them : " That
is a sin ; you must never do it again." Had he also an-
other reason? He wished that they should never do it
again, and that they should behave better. What were
Joseph's intentions in this? Good. For what purpose are
we allowed to tell the faults of our neighbor? Who have
the care of bringing up the children properly and of pre-

364 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

serving them from sin? Who have that care in the school.
To which person did Joseph make known the fault of his
brothers? To whom are you allowed and even obliged
to tell the faults of your brothers and sisters? And the
faults of your schoolmates? For what purpose? There-
fore you must tell the truth, when your parents ask you
concerning the behavior or misbehavior of your brothers
and sisters. In like manner, a school boy or a school girl
must tell the truth to the teacher, when the teacher inquires
about the behavior of their schoolmates.

Charles had stolen money from his parents. His parents
found it out; but no one else knew anything about it.
Charles is punished for it by his father. Whilst punish-
ing Charles, his father says very loud : " Oh, that I should
live to be disgraced by my boy, who has become a thief!
You ought to be put in jail, for thieves belong there, or
should be hanged. Are you going to steal again? I am
going to knock stealing out of you, you thief ! Shame on
you ! " But Charles cries aloud, and repeats several times :
" O pa, let me go, I will never do it again ! I will never
steal again in all my life." At last Charles' father stops
whipping him. But Frank, who lived next door, heard
the blows and all that Charles and his father had said.
Frank was so glad, for he was mad with Charles; Frank
was also a gossip (talker). And so he went around to
all other boys and related with great pleasure all he had
heard. Now to whom would Frank have been allowed to
tell the fault of Charles? And for what? That Charles
should amend. But there was no necessity for Frank do-
ing this. Why? What were his intentions concerning
Charles? What did Charles' fault concern strangers?
Why should other people know anything about it? There
was, then, no necessity for Frank to make known to stran-
gers that Charles had been guilty of stealing. Now when
Charles goes along, the other children cry out : " The thief
is coming ! " And no one will go with him. Many say

LYING AND FALSEHOOD 365

to him : " Get out of here, you thief." That is a great
disgrace for Charles.

Suppose Bertha had beautiful long hair; she would let
it hang down her back in fine tresses tied with a red rib-
bon. It enhanced her beauty. But one day Bertha was
asleep on a bench in the garden. A wicked man sneaked
in and suddenly cut off her hair. When Bertha re-entered
her house and looked into the mirror, she began to cry,
because her beautiful tresses were gone, and she looked
so changed, and almost ugly. Who caused such a change
in her ? How ? By cutting off her hair. Now let us go
back to Charles. He had previously been very much liked
by everybody. Other children had been fond of his com-
pany, for they looked upon him as a good, honest boy.
That was an honor for Charles. But how did they after-
wards look upon him ? How they blame and abuse him !
What do they now do when he comes near them? They
no longer have any regard for him. He has lost his
good name (reputation) with them. How must he feel
about it? What will he probably do at home on this ac-
count? Whose fault is it, if Charles has lost his good
name? Frank took away (cut away) his good name.
How? There was no need for Frank to make known the
fault of Charles to everybody, and thus rob him of his
good name by backbiting him. Detraction (backbiting) is
sinful. How did Frank sin against Charles? How would
Frank like it, if some one would publish his faults every-
where ? Remember : " What you do not wish to be done
to you, you should not do to your neighbor."

III. Connection. Johnny is the last in his class. He
says: "Two times two are three." Is that true? Does
he commit a sin by saying so? Why not? Rose, as we
have heard, who was kept in after school and came home
late, gave her mother as an excuse: "I was playing."
She, therefore, told a falsehood. What did Rose commit?
Why? When is a falsehood sinful? WTho is a liar, Johnny

366 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

or Rose? Who was the first liar? How did the devil
behave outwardly towards Eve? But what design had he
in his heart? Who was outwardly friendly towards his
brother? Cain. What design had he in his heart against
him? What do we call those who outwardly show them-
selves much better than they are in their heart? Hypo-
crites. What, then, was Cain? How did Herod act the
hypocrite in presence of the wise men? Relate. When
Jesus was arrested Judas kissed Him. How does a person
feel towards the one he kisses? And what are his in-
tentions towards those he loves? Good. But what did
Judas feel in his heart towards Jesus? But he acted as
if he loved Jesus and wished Him well. What, then, was
Judas? What were the brothers of Joseph when they
showed their father Joseph's bloody coat? WTho was the
first hypocrite? He pretended to be good. Of whom did
he speak evil? He therefore slandered God Himself.
How did Putiphar's wife slander Joseph? She accused
him to her husband of a crime he had not committed.
Whom did Joseph accuse of a fault which they really
had committed? To whom Joseph did not tell it? Why
did he tell it to his father? Why did he not tell it to
strangers? What would you say, if Joseph had told the
fault of his brothers to his father, in order to get them
punished? What sin would Joseph have committed, if he
had related the fault of his brothers to other persons? To
whom should children make known the faults of their
brothers and sisters? The faults of their schoolmates?
What should children do when their parents and teachers
question them about the faults of their companions ? What
would they commit, if they would then not tell the truth?
They would tell a lie.

IV. Summary. When does a person sin by lying, hy-
pocrisy, slander and detraction? Which is the eighth com-
mandment? What does it forbid? Lies and hypocrisy,
detraction and slander.

LYING AND FALSEHOOD 367

V. Application, i. Let us learn how the sins against
the eighth commandment should be told. Let us begin
with the sins of the devil. What sin did he commit when
he pretended to be so friendly towards Eve? Hypocrisy.
What sin did he commit when he said : " You shall not
die?" He told a lie. What sin, when he said: "You
shall be like God " ? Another lie. He also made believe
that God had lied to our first parents. Wrhat sin was that?
Slander. How should the devil tell his sins ? "I once
acted the hypocrite, told two lies, and slandered once."
James said to Henry : " Go and see in your neighbor's
stable a young calf with two heads." That was not true,
but it was said as a joke. What sin did James commit?
How must he tell that sin ? "I once told a lie in a joke "
(or a jocose lie). It is not allowed to tell jocose lies.
We should detest even the smallest lie. Michael, instead
of studying his lessons at home, was full of mischief. The
result was that he broke a pitcher. Afraid of being pun-
ished, he said to his mother : " The cat has knocked the
pitcher down and broken it." What sin did he commit by
saying that? He told a lie. How must he tell that sin?
" I told a lie to escape punishment." Bertha in church
pretends to be praying. She holds her hands joined be-
fore her face; but in reality she is talking to the girl next
to her. In what did she commit sin? How must she tell
it? "I once acted the hypocrite." Rose is envious of
Jane ; she says to the teacher : " Jane has stolen." But
that is not true. But the teacher believes it and punishes
Jane. What sin did Rose commit? How must she tell
it? "I slandered my schoolmate." What sin did Frank
commit in telling everybody that Charles had stolen? How
must he tell it ? "I have been guilty of backbiting."

2. Dear children, promise almighty God : " I will al-
ways tell the truth, and I will never tell a lie." If you
have done something deserving of punishment, you should
resolve in your mind : " No, I will not tell a lie about it,

368 TENTH COMMANDMENT

however great the punishment that may be given me."
It is better to tell the truth, and be punished by your
parents or your teachers, than to lie about it, and be pun-
ished by God for your lie. If you have committed a fault,
admit it openly and honorably : " Yes, I did it." A child
that acts thus, acts right, and is more easily forgiven, and
either will not be punished at all, or only slightly. A
child that committed a fault and lies about it, deserves a
double punishment. Never tell a lie, even when no one
can find it out. But God knows it. If any of you have
the bad habit of telling lies, you should resolve every morn-
ing (at prayer) ; " I will not tell a lie to-day. My dear
Saviour, help me." And whenever you catch yourself ly-
ing, say : " My God forgive me, and help me never again
to tell a lie." You may add also an Our Father and a
Hail Mary.

How to confess sins against the eighth commandment :
I told lies ; I acted the hypocrite ; I was guilty of back-
biting.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT.
18. Unjust Desires of our Neighbor's Property.

I. Preparation. Mention some things belonging to
you. What do you call the things that belong to you?
My property. Mention some things that belong to our
neighbor? Money, houses, stores, farms, cattle, etc. How
do you call those things ? Our neighbor's property. Which
is the seventh commandment? What does the seventh
commandment forbid?

Object. I will show you to-day that it is already a sin
to wish or to try to take our neighbor's property.

II. Relation. A certain boy entered a house to fetch
a boy to school. He could see no one in the room, but
he saw a basket of apples on the window-sill. ' What
fine apples," he thought; and drew near to them very

COVETOUS THOUGHTS 369

eagerly. He would very willingly have taken one. But,
said he aloud, " No ; that would not be right ; I am not
allowed to do so. Although nobody sees me, God sees
me, for He sees all things." The boy leaving the apples
alone was about to go away, when he heard a voice saying :
" Stop ! Remain here ! " He was frightened, hearing this,
and more so yet by seeing an old man coming to him.
The old man said to him : " Be not afraid ; you are a
good boy. Because you think of God, take as many apples
as you like. And remember as long as you live this say-
ing : ' Even when alone, never do anything wrong.' "

Consideration — The temptation. Where did that boy
go? What for? Did he see any person in the room?
What did he see on the window-sill? Beautiful rosy
apples that made his mouth water. The boy thought:
" Would that they would give me one ! " But it seemed
that no one was there to give him one. Then an evil
thought came to him. What was it? He approached the
basket; and the apples looked still more beautiful. Has
any one of you already seen such fine apples? How do
such apples appear the longer you look at them? What
happened to Eve the longer she looked at the forbidden
fruit? The more she desired it; the greater was her long-
ing for it. The same happened to that boy. How did he
look at the apples? Eagerly. And what did the devil
suggest to him ? Steal some. If those apples had belonged
to his father, would he have done right if he had taken
some? But to whom did they belong? What then was it
wrong for him to do? Which commandment forbids the
taking of another's property? The seventh commandment
makes it unlawful (forbids) to take another's property.
What does he commit who takes another's property? A
sin.

The Victory. The boy had not yet thought of that. All
at once he reflects : " Stop ; that would be stealing, a sin ;
and it would be wrong for me to do it." But the devil sug-

370 TENTH COMMANDMENT

gested : " But nobody sees you ! " But his guardian angel
suggests something else to him ; and the boy says it to him-
self half aloud. Who knows what he said? Then what
was the boy about to do? What words did he suddenly
hear spoken behind him? The boy thought there was no-
body in the room. Where had that old man (grandfather)
been ? Therefore the boy had not seen him. In the mean-
time the old man had watched to see what the boy would do.

The reward. How greatly must the boy have been
frightened when the old man addressed him! What espe-
cially frightened him? The thought that the old man
thought he had intended to steal. Tell me what the old
man said to him. Why did he call the boy a good child?
What thought kept the boy from stealing? How did the
old man reward him? How glad did the boy then feel?

III. Connection. That boy deserved the reward he
received. What did he deserve it for? How did it hap-
pen that he did not take any apples, although he eagerly
desired some? He thought that God forbade it. Who had
once a great longing for a forbidden fruit? Eve also re-
membered that God had forbidden her to eat of it. From
which of her words do we know that? But what did the
devil say to her? And what did the devil suggest to the
boy ? But how did the boy overcome his suggestion ? And
what was the boy about to do? But Eve was not so much
afraid. And what did she do? She remained, and con-
tinued to look at the fruit. And what effect did that have
on her? It increased her desire for the fruit, and made
her think: "How fine is that fruit; I will just take one,
even if it is forbidden." And what did she then do? The
evil deed followed the evil desire. Evil or bad desires
are therefore forbidden and sinful.

Did our first parents commit sin by eating of the fruits
of the other trees? Why not? Therefore they were al-
lowed also to desire them. What should we say about
that boy's desire, had he wished to take apples from his

COVETOUS THOUGHTS 371

father's tree? Why? If he had desired that some of his
neighbors would give him some of their apples, would
his desire have been good or bad? But if he had wished for
a chance to steal apples from his neighbor? Why? He
would have sinned against the tenth commandment :
" Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods." What do
you say about desires or the intention to get our neighbor's
goods by stealing, robbery, or cheating? When are desires
of our neighbor's goods sinful and forbidden? When are
they allowed and not sinful?

IV. Summary. The tenth commandment, "Thou shalt
not covet thy neighbor's goods," forbids all sinful desires
of our neighbor's goods. Summary of the last seven com-
mandments. What is forbidden by the tenth command-
ment ? To desire or try to take away any of our neighbor's
property. W'hich commandment forbids the unjust taking
away of our neighbor's property? Which commandment
forbids the taking away of our neighbor's honor? Which
commandment forbids the taking away of the life of our
neighbor's body and of his soul? What does he lack who
robs his neighbor of his good name, chastity, life, etc.?
He lacks love for his neighbor. What does he possess who
never injures his neighbor in his good name, life, chastity
and property? Who are our nearest neighbor? Our
parents, brothers and sisters. What do children owe to
their parents? What do children prove, who perform all
they owe to their parents? Which commandment pre-
scribes these duties to children? What do all the com-
mandments from the fourth to the tenth inclusive concern?
Our duties towards our neighbor. These commandments
tell us what the love of our neighbor requires us to do
and to avoid. Which commandment briefly commands us
to love our neighbor? In which commandment, therefore,
are the seven commandments included? In the command-
ment of the love of our neighbor.

V. Application, i. Let us hear something about a few

372 TENTH COMMANDMENT

other boys who coveted their neighbor's goods. Paul would
like to get cherries from his neighbor's cherry tree. But
the watchman is near, and therefore he is afraid to climb
the tree. What kind of desire has he? How must he tell
his sin? "I had a desire to steal my neighbor's fruit."
Frank would like to steal money from his mother. He
looked everywhere for the key of the money-drawer, but
could not find it. Did he commit a sin? How should
he tell it? "I intended to steal money from my mother."
Fred was looking at his neighbor's beautiful pears. He
said : " If I were only allowed to go in and get some."
What do you say about his desire? Henry looking at a
pile of fine apples in his neighbor's house, thought to him-
self : " If those apples were ours, I would eat my fill of
them." What do you say about his desire? Jane saw
Alary with a handsome new dress. She said : " Oh, if I
only had that dress!" What do you think of her desire?
John has a fine gold watch, a birthday present from his
rich uncle. He is proud of it and shows it to all his
companions ; and every one of them says in his heart : " I
wish I had that watch." But Henry says : " I wish I
had one like it." What do you think of these desires?

2. Dear children, the devil many a time comes to you,
and suggests some evil to you ; he does this especially when
you are alone. You should then remember the old man's
saying to the boy. What is that saying? Who is every-
where with you? When you commit a sin, you offend
God, and God will punish you for it. When the devil
tries to lead you into sin, imitate the boy I told you about.
What did the devil suggest to the boy ? " Only take one ;
no one sees you." W'hat did the boy then do ? You should
do the same. You may also say a prayer, or sing a hymn.

3. You should not even make such wishes as these:
" If I only had as fine a hat as N. ; if I only had as much
money as N. ; if I should only get as costly presents as N."
... Be good; obey your parents faithfully; be diligent;

COVETOUS THOUGHTS 373

be honest ; say well your daily prayers, be pure and chaste,
be patient and kind towards all, keep from grievous sin,
then God will love you, and everybody will love you. You
shall then be useful everywhere, and all will be well with
you on earth, and in heaven all your desires will be fully
satisfied.

How to confess sins against the tenth commandment: I
desired, intended, tried to steal.

PART III
THE SACRAMENTS

THE SACRAMENTS
1. The Sacraments in general.

1. Object. I will relate to you to-day what Jesus did, in
order to enable men to go to heaven.

2. Relation. In the beginning of the world there
flowed from the heart of God the Father a fountain of
graces. God caused those graces to flow into the hearts of
Adam and Eve. Grace surrounded the souls of our first
parents like a white garment and made them holy. It was
the white garment of sanctifying grace. By means of this
white garment Adam and Eve became children of God.
They lived good and happy in the earthly paradise, and
were never to die.

But Adam and Eve sinned. Then God closed the foun-
tain of grace in His heart, and grace ceased to flow into
the hearts of our first parents. Therefore Adam and Eve
lost the white garment of sanctifying grace ; and sin entered
their souls, and defiled their souls and made them horrible.
Now Adam and Eve were no longer children of God. And
because all men are children of Adam and Eve, they all
have lost the garment of santifying grace and inherited sin.
Heaven was closed against them, and remained so for four
thousand years.

Then God sent His Son from heaven upon the earth to
take away sin from us and to open again the fountain of
grace. To effect this the Son of God had to suffer more
than we can tell during His whole life. Already in the
stable of Bethlehem He began to suffer for us. Finally
our Saviour was arrested. The soldiers mocked Him, spit
upon Him, beat Him in the face with their fists. Then they

377

378 THE SACRAMENTS

scourged Him with whips so cruelly that they tore not only
His skin, but even His very flesh to the bones. Jesus wept
for pain, and His tears and blood flowed down together to
the ground. Then they placed on His sacred head a fright-
ful crown of long, sharp and stiff thorns, like nails, and beat
it with sticks to drive the thorns deep into His head; and
much blood ran down His face. Jesus suffered the most on
Mount Calvary. The executioners drove through His
hands and feet thick nails. And Jesus hung on the cross
by His hands and feet for three hours until His death.
Finally, a soldier, with his spear, pierced the side of Jesus
into His very heart, and from the wound there flowed out
all the blood that was left in Him. And when His precious
blood flowed out of His pierced hands, feet and side, the
fountain of grace was again opened.

Consideration, a. The flowing of grace. What was it
that flowed in the beginning of the world from the heart of
God the Father? Grace sanctifies, and, therefore, how is it
called? Santifying grace. Where did God cause His grace
to flow? What effects did it produce in the souls of our
first parents? This grace penetrated their souls through
and through and surrounded them as with a spotless white
garment. How is this garment called? The white gar-
ment of sanctifying grace.

b. The closed fountain of grace. This fountain of grace
did not flow continually. What happened to it when Adam
and Eve sinned? God the Father closed the fountain of
grace in His heart. W'here then did it cease flowing?
What did Adam and Eve lose in their souls? And what
entered their souls instead? What did their souls become
through sin? Whose children did they then cease to be?
What then happened to heaven ? Who inherited the sin of
Adam and Eve ? What garment is therefore wanting to the
soul of every man? W7here could no man enter? How
long did this last?

c. 'Jesus suffering for us. Whom did God send after this

GRACE 379

on earth to our help ? His Son. What had the Son of God
to do for us? When did He begin to suffer for us? What
did Jesus suffer for us? He suffered more than we can
tell for us during His whole life. Finally, He was arrested,
mocked, spit upon, cruelly scourged, crowned with thorns
and finally nailed to a cross. On what was our Saviour
laid at His crucifixion ? That was a hard bed indeed. And
hard it must have been for Jesus to lie on it, for His back
had been torn by the scourging. What was then done to
Jesus? What fearful pains He must have felt when those
dreadful nails were driven through His hands and feet into
the cross ! Blood flowed from His back, blood flowed over
His face. What caused the blood to flow over his face?
And blood flowed from His hands and feet. How long did
Jesus hang on the cross? Then His soul left His body;
our Saviour was dead. What fresh wound did a soldier
then inflict on His body? It was then that our Saviour shed
the last drop of His blood for us.

d. The fountain of grace opened again. At that moment
God the Father opened again the fountain of grace from
His heart, and grace again began to flow. Jesus had de-
served this by His bitter passion and death. Grace flowed
from the heart of God the Father into the heart of His
Son, and flowed from the heart of the Son together with
His blood. This blood flows with grace in seven streamlets
from the cross. These seven little streams are the seven
holy sacraments.

e. Grace is distributed in the seven sacraments by the
Holy Ghost. Our Saviour has commanded that grace
should be dispensed to men through the seven sacraments.
Therefore we say that our Saviour instituted seven sacra-
ments. From these seven sacraments the Holy Ghost
directs the blood of Jesus Christ into our soul. What did
I say is contained in the blood of Jesus? Grace. What,
then, does the Holy Ghost direct into our soul by means of
the seven sacraments? Grace. Who has deserved grace

380 THE SACRAMENTS

for us? Jesus Christ. He is God. What, then, is grace
called, as coming from God? Divine Grace. And this
grace again enables us to go to heaven.

3. Connection. Which of the three divine persons
closed the fountain of grace? God the Father. When?
When Adam and Eve sinned. Who opened again the foun-
tain of grace? God the Son. When? When He suffered
and died for us on the cross. Who distributes grace ? The
Holy Ghost? By what means? Through the seven sacra-
ments.

4. Summary. Who, then, has deserved grace for us?
Jesus Christ. By what means? By His passion and death.
Whence does grace flow? From the heart of Jesus. In
what is grace contained? In the blood of Jesus. In how
many streamlets does the blood of Jesus flow from the
cross? In seven little streams. Which are these seven
little streams ? The seven sacraments. Who instituted the
sacraments? Jesus Christ. Who distributes grace? The
Holy Ghost? By what means? By means of the seven
sacraments.

5. Application, i. Never forget what our Saviour did
for you. After the sin of our first parents the devil re-
joiced and prepared for each of you a little place in hell.
But the Son of God came down upon the earth to redeem
you. Do not forget how much this cost Him. He had to
suffer cruelly and die for you. Think on this when you
recite the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary that Jesus
sweat blood for us, that He was scourged for us, crowned
with thorns for us, carried His cross for us, and was nailed
to it and died on it for us. Let each one think that Jesus
suffered all this for him. 2. On Good Friday a large cross
with the image of Jesus on it is laid down before the altar
in the church. The faithful come to venerate it ; they kneel
down, pray to Jesus crucified for us, and kiss the wounds
of His hands, feet and side. They do this on Good Friday,
the day on which He died for us. Often the mother takes

BAPTISM 381

her little children with her to teach them this act of venera-
tion towards Jesus crucified. As you are now big enough,
you are able to go by yourselves to adore our Lord and
lovingly to kiss His sacred wounds. You should then say :
" O Lord Jesus Christ, I thank Thee for having deigned to
die for me. Do not, I beseech Thee, let Thy blood and
Thy suffering be lost for me."

2. Baptism.

Object. I will show you to-day, how a man becomes a
child of God.

1. Preparation. What do you call a child, whose father
and mother are dead? An orphan. Who is an orphan
here? Orphans usually get strangers as parents. What
are these parents called? Foster-parents. A certain king
once found an orphan in his travels. The orphan was
dirty, its clothes were torn, and it was crying bitterly. Out
of compassion the king took the orphan child along into his
palace. What was done first with that dirty child? What
did the washing remove from that child? The dirt. And
it could not keep its torn clothes. What kind of clothes
was given to it by the king? That child now looked like a
king's child, so nice it was. And the king was so pleased
with it, that he took it to be like his child. But the king
had a child of his own; that was his own real child. But
the king, as I said, took that orphan child as his own child.
What kind of child was the orphan child to the king? An
adopted child. What were the two children in relation to
the king? One was his real child, and the other was his
adopted child. Whose children were our first parents be-
fore their sin? God's children. After their sin? The
devil's. Wrhose children are all men so long as they are
stained with original sin? I will now tell you how men
become God's children by means of baptism.

2. Relation. When you were born your soul was de-

382 BAPTISM

filed by original sin. It was dirty and ugly. God would
not look at your soul and could have no love for you.

He who wishes to be cleansed from original sin, must be
baptized. For our Saviour said to His apostles : " Go into
the whole world, teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." Therefore your parents sought for you a god-
father and a godmother, and these took you to the church.
The priest came to meet you already at the door. Then
he took you to the baptistery; there he poured water on
your head, saying : " I baptize thee in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And
whilst the priest was pouring water on your head, a wonder-
ful thing took place in your soul. The Holy Ghost came
into your soul, washed away from it original sin, and puri-
fied and adorned your soul with the white garment of sancti-
fying grace. Now your soul was beautiful and bright, and
you became children of God. The angels, full of joy,
looked upon you, saying : " See how bright is the soul of
that child! She now wears the garment of the children
of God." Other angels said : " It is a pity that this child
is not in heaven with us." Others also said : " Do you
not see what God intends to do? Because this child has
become also a child of God, our good God wishes to take it
at once into heaven."

So beautiful was your soul after baptism ! It is true, that
this could not be seen from your body. But in order that
there might be some external mark of this, the priest, after
baptizing you, laid over you a white garment, saying:
" Take this white garment and bring it unstained to the
judgment-seat of God." You were then joyfully brought
home to your parents delighted at your being cleansed from
sin and being made children of God. The day of your
baptism was indeed beautiful !

Consideration, a. What baptism removes. With what
was your soul defiled when you were born? With original

BAPTISM 383

sin. What did the king order to be done to the orphan
child that was covered with dirt? What did the washing
remove? As your soul was denied with original sin when
you were born, your soul had to be washed. Who com-
manded it? To whom did He say it? With what words?
Therefore your parents procured godparents for you.
Whither did they take you? Who came to meet you at the
door of the Church? Where did he bring you to? And
tell me what did the priest do there? What words did he
say in doing so? Your head was washed by the water the
priest poured on it. But the child that is baptized has not
its body dirty, but where is it dirty ? The soul of the child
must be cleansed. Therefore the Holy Ghost descended
into your soul at baptism. And whilst the priest externally
washed your head, the Holy Ghost washed your soul in-
ternally. With what was your soul defiled. The Holy
Ghost washed it away. And now in what state is your
soul? Pure, cleansed.

Many grown up people are not yet baptized. With what
is their soul still defiled? With original sin. And prob-
ably such a grown up person has committed actual sins,
for instance, by lying, getting angry, detraction, etc. How
can his soul be cleansed from original sin? His actual sins
also are forgiven by baptism. Which sins does baptism
wash away? Original sin and all actual sins previously
committed. By baptism we are cleansed from every sin.

b. What baptism confers, or gives. 1. After the orphan
child was cleansed, it could no longer wear its torn clothes.
With what kind of clothes did the king present it? In
baptism your soul received from God the Holy Ghost a
beautiful white garment. To whom did God for the first
time give for their souls such a beautiful white garment?
And all men through their sin lost the beautiful white gar-
ment of sanctifying grace. Who has deserved this grace
again for us? By what means do we receive grace? By
the sacraments. Who dispenses, or imparts, grace?

384 BAPTISM

Wherefore the Holy Ghost brought in baptism grace into
your soul. And grace enveloped your soul like a beautiful
white garment. How is this garment called? What does
baptism impart to the soul? Baptism imparts to the soul
sanctifying grace. This garment makes the soul as beauti-
ful and as holy as an angel. It shines as bright as the sun.
Therefore God is delighted with it. Also that orphan child
in its new dress greatly pleased the king. How did the
king show his pleasure therein? He adopted the orphan
as his child. God does the same to you, when your soul
is adorned with sanctifying grace. God adopts you as His
children. What may we call Him, since we are His chil-
dren ? Father. Whose children do we become by baptism ?
By baptism we become children of God.

c. Where does God dwell? Our soul is destined to go
there after our death. With what must it then be adorned ?
With what it should not be defiled? Which souls are not
admitted into heaven? By what means is the soul cleansed
from original sin? Which sacrament is then necessary for
all men in order to go to heaven ? Which sacrament must,
therefore, be received first? Baptism is the first and most
necessary sacrament.

3. Connection. What does baptism remove from our
soul? What does baptism impart to our soul? Whose
children do we thereby become? How may we then call
God? Before baptism you have only one father. How
many fathers have you now? Name them. An earthly
father and a heavenly Father. Which is your real father?
Which Father has adopted you as His children? God the
Father has also a real Son. Of whom did God the Father
say : " This is My well-beloved Son." When ? And what
did Jesus say on the Mount of Olives when He began to
pray to God ? " Father." How then may you with Jesus
address God in heaven? In which prayer do you call God
Father? In the Our Father. What are those children to
each other who have one and the same father? Brothers

BAPTISM 385

and sisters. What is therefore Jesus to you? Our
Brother.

4. The summary may be expressed thus: The first and
most necessary sacrament is baptism, which cleanses us from
all sins and makes us children of God. With what words
did Jesus command baptism to be given?

5. Application, i. How happy were Adam and Eve as
long as they preserved the white garment of grace ! God
was pleased with them, and everything went on well with
them. But they ate the forbidden fruit. By this sin they
lost the white garment of grace and ceased to be children
of God. They were expelled from paradise. Weeping,
Adam and Eve looked back towards paradise, and they
could no more return to it. 2. It was not difficult to lose
the white garment of grace, for they had only to commit
one sin. But to regain it was very difficult. For this the
Son of God had to come upon the earth. You know how
painfully and bitterly He had to suffer and die for us.

But now we are again children of God. Have you ever
thought how rich and happy you are in being children of
God? How happy was that orphan child in becoming
the king's child ! But which is it happier to be, a king's
child or God's child? A child of God is far more
happy and rich than a king's child. But be careful to re-
main children of God and to preserve the white garment
of grace. How easily you could lose it. How did Adam
and Eve lose it? Yes, by only one mortal sin you could
lose it. Who caused Adam and Eve to lose it? The devil
will also try to lead you to sin. Often does he suggest to
you to do evil, to disobey, to get angry, to lie, to steal, to be
immodest and impure. Do not listen to him. Remember
the boy near the basket of apples. What saying did he re-
member? Remember it also. Who also saw Adam and
Eve sinning? Who saw Cain sinning, killing his brother?
Who sees you also? Pray to your guardian angel to help
you to keep out of ^in. 3. If you are thus on your guard

386 CONFIRMATION

against sin, and pray well every day, study diligently, obey
and help your parents at home, then the garment of your
soul will grow daily more beautiful and bright, and you will
always please God more and more. And when death comes,
your soul adorned with sanctifying grace shall take its flight
to heaven.

3. Confirmation.

Object. I will teach you to-day how we are strength-
ened by the Holy Ghost in the sacrament of Confirmation.

1. Preparation, i. Our divine Saviour taught all that
we must know and do to reach heaven. Why is it that our
Saviour can tell it to us best of all? Because He is God.
But what God says is true. Therefore we believe it. But
God wills that we should show our faith to men. Suppose
you knew a certain thing and wished that your teacher also
should know it. How would you act? Tell it to him.
Now you wish others to know what you believe about God.
What must you do? How can people find out what you
believe about God? I must tell them. When you tell
what you believe, then you make known your faith to others,
that is, you profess your faith. When, therefore, can
people say to you : " You profess your faith " ? I profess
my faith when I tell what I believe. In what prayer do
you say or profess what you believe about God ; for in-
stance, that God is the Creator of heaven and earth? In
the Apostles' Creed. Why is it thus called? Because it is
a profession of the faith preached by the apostles according
to the command of our divine Saviour. Is there not a
sign whereby we profess our faith?

2. It is not enough to profess our faith with our words,
we must so live as our faith directs. A certain child does
nothing but good. He prays, goes to church, is always
obedient. What kind of life does he lead? A good life.
Another child does much evil ; he curses, lies and steals.
What kind of life does he lead? A bad life. Who teaches

CONFIRMATION 387

us that we must lead a good life to go to heaven? He,
therefore, who does good, leads the life that faith directs
or prescribes, that is, a life in accordance with faith, or a
life of faith. When do you lead a life of faith?

3. Who first believed in our Saviour? But the apostles
did not always believe firmly. Wrhich of the apostles had
once to answer whether he knew Jesus? Who can relate
this? What did the maid servant ask him? What did
Peter answer? What was it that he did not prof ess ? His
faith. Why did he not profess his faith, and told the maid
servant a lie? Why did the apostles run away when Jesus
was arrested? Why had they locked the doors after the
resurrection of Jesus? What were the apostles when they
were so afraid? Timid.

Object. I will tell you to-day how the apostles were
strengthened by the Holy Ghost.

II. Relation. On the tenth day after the Ascension of
Jesus to heaven the apostles were assembled in Jerusalem
in the Supper-room praying. The doors were closed.
Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty
wind. And there appeared tongues as of fire over the
heads of the apostles. And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and they began to speak in various languages.
At the sound of that mighty wind people hastened from all
directions to the house where the apostles were. The
apostles at once opened the door and went out. And St.
Peter began to preach, saying : " Jesus, whom you cruci-
fied, is risen from the dead, and is seated at the right hand
of God." Many believed and were baptized. The chief
priests forbade St. Peter and the other apostles to preach
again about Jesus. But St. Peter preached again, and said
firmly : " Jesus commanded us to preach ; and we are bound
to obey God rather than men." And he preached again.
Then Peter and the other apostles were put into prison.
The judges ordered them to be scourged, and most severely
forbade them to preach any more about Jesus. But the

388 CONFIRMATION

apostles paid no attention to the prohibition, and rejoiced at
being thought worthy to suffer for Jesus. And when they
were released, they preached again, saying : " Jesus Christ
is truly the Son of God." And they lived faithfully accord-
ing to their faith. Wherefore all of them, except one, suf-
fered martyrdom for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Consideration — The Holy Ghost comes down upon the
apostles. Where were the apostles assembled on the tenth
day after the Ascension of Jesus? Who then came down
upon them? Relate what was then heard. What did the
people do on hearing it? In what manner did the Holy
Ghost come down upon the apostles? WThere did the fiery
tongues place themselves? That was the exterior. At the
same time the Holy Ghost entered interiorly the hearts of
the apostles, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.
Whom did the apostles receive on Pentecost? What did
the Holy Ghost bring along into the hearts of the apostles?
He brought His grace into the hearts of the apostles.

The apostles profess their faith. Relate what the apos-
tles did after receiving the Holy Ghost. What did St.
Peter preach about Jesus ? Who is Jesus, since by His own
power He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven?
The apostles believed it firmly and preached it to the people.
To whom had St. Peter previously said that he did not
know Jesus? What did he thereby fail to profess? His
faith. Now Peter firmly believes that Jesus is the Son of
God, and he tells the people so. What does he do in saying
that? He professes his faith. The other apostles did like-
wise. What then did they do? They professed their
faith.

They profess their faith with constancy. How did many
of the Jews show that they also believed what St. Peter
preached? They received baptism. This displeased the
chief priests. What did they then forbid the apostles?
But the apostles remained firm and were not afraid. And
what did St. Peter answer? What did the apostles con-

CONFIRMATION 389

tinue to do? How did the judges then punish the apostles
for disobeying them. But what was the effect of the pun-
ishment on the apostles? They rejoiced. The apostles
did not yield ; wherefore we say : They remained constant.
How do you know this? They continued to preach.
What, then, did they again profess? The apostles pro-
fessed their faith with constancy.

The apostles lived according to their faith. The apostles
professed their faith not only by preaching. St. Peter
never again told a lie. The apostles carefully kept them-
selves from every sin. They prayed much and obeyed our
divine Saviour in all things. What, for instance, had Jesus
commanded them ? To go into the whole world to preach,
baptize, etc. They did all this. What kind of life did they
lead? Who teaches that we must lead a good life? They,
therefore, live as faith directs or prescribes. In other
words, the apostles lived faithfully in accordance with holy
faith.

The Holy Ghost strengthened the apostles. The apostles
were quite different from what they had previously been.
They had no more fear. WThen did they cease fearing?
How could you easily find out that already on Pentecost the
apostles showed no more fear? They opened the door and
came out of the house. Who then enabled them to give up
all fear? What did He place in their souls? What effect
had it in their souls ? Who, then, made the apostles strong ?
The Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost strengthened the apos-
tles.

We also are strengthened in Confirmation by the Holy
Ghost. We may use the word confirm instead of
strengthen. You will be confirmed one day. Wrho will
come to confirm you? When you are confirmed, you re-
ceive the Holy Ghost into your soul. But you cannot see
Him. In Confirmation you shall be strengthened by the
Holy Ghost.

III. Connection. When were the apostles strengthened

390 CONFIRMATION

by the Holy Ghost? When will you be strengthened by
the Holy Ghost? You always wish to grow big and strong.
But you cannot at once become big and strong in body.
How do you grow thus ? By degrees. By what means do
you grown big and strong in body? How did the apostles
become strong at once? By what means will your soul be-
come strong at. once? What are soldiers for? Against
whom must they fight? What must they do rather than
run away? You also have an enemy, not of your body,
but of your soul ; he tries to kill your soul. Who is it ?
What must you do against the devil? What may you be
called, since you have to fight? What do the soldiers need
to fight and to protect themselves? What do you receive
in Confirmation from the Holy Ghost, that you may pro-
tect yourselves against the devil? What happens to your
soul in baptism? What beautiful garment does it receive?
Whose child are you when you have this garment? What
happens to your soul in Confirmation? And against whom
must you then fight? And what are you called on this
account? What then do you become through Confirma-
tion? What do you become through baptism?

IV. Summary. Which grace does the Christian receive
in the sacrament of Confirmation? He is strengthened by
the Holy Ghost, that he may profess his faith with con-
stancy and live up to it faithfully.

V. Application, i. Like the apostles, dear children,
you must also profess your faith with constancy. What
ought you to answer, when somebody asks you whether you
are a Catholic? You must never, out of fear or shame,
reply : '' I'm not a Catholic." What would you thereby
commit? Yes, for, like St. Peter, you would have denied
your faith.

2. In which prayer do we profess our Catholic faith?
In the Apostles' Creed. By what sign can we profess our
faith without saying a word? By the sign of the cross.
Usually we say something when we make the sign of the

THE HOLY EUCHARIST 391

cross. What do we then say? At the beginning of the
Gospel during Mass we make the sign of the cross differ-
ently. Who knows how it is then made? With the right
thumb on our forehead, then over our lips, and finally on
our breast. What does this manner of making the sign
of the cross mean? When I make it on my forehead, it
means : " I am not ashamed of the Gospel," that is, of my
faith. When I make it over my lips, it means : " I pro-
fess it with my words." And when I make it on my breast,
it means : " I bear it in my heart."

3. When do you make the usual or large sign of the
cross? Before and after prayer. What do you know
about a man that takes off his hat, and about a woman that
bows her head when passing before a church or a cross?
I know that they are Catholics. If they do the same when
meeting a priest?

4. The Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Object. I will relate to you to-day how our loving
Saviour gave to His apostles His flesh to eat and His blood
to drink.

I. The evening before His death Jesus was in the Sup-
per-room with His apostles in order to eat the paschal
lamb with them. It was the last time before His death
that He ate with them. The supper over, our Saviour
took bread in His sacred hands, and raised His eyes heaven-
ward to God, His Almighty Father, gave thanks, blessed
the bread, broke and gave to His disciples, saying : " Take
and eat, for this is My body, which shall be delivered for
you." With great devotion the apostles ate what Jesus
gave them.

Then, in like manner, Jesus took the chalice containing
wine ; again gave thanks, blessed it and gave it to His dis-
ciples, saying: "Drink ye all of this, for it is My blood
which shall be shed for you and for many unto the for-

392 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

giveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of Me." He
then passed the chalice to each apostle in turn, first to
Peter, then to John, then to James, and so on until all had
drunk out of it.

Consideration — The Last Supper. When did Jesus
eat with His apostles for the last time before His death?
Where? How is this meal called, since it took place in
the evening? What did Jesus do the day following for
us? That day was Good Friday. The Last Supper took
place the previous evening. That was Holy Thursday
evening. After the supper our Saviour looked very affec-
tionately on His apostles, for He wished to show them that
He loved them dearly.

The changing, or transubstantiation of the bread. What
did Jesus first take in His hands after the supper? It was
a fine, white thin loaf of wheaten bread. It was not to be
cut, but broken. Then Jesus looked up to His heavenly
Father and thanked Him. Then what did He do to the
bread? He made the sign of the cross over it. Wrho has
seen the priest making the sign of the cross over beads, a
cross or a medal? Then what do you call those articles?
Blessed beads, a blessed cross, or medal. What would you
call the bread over which Jesus made the sign of the cross?
What did Jesus then do with it? He broke it in twelve
parts, and gave one part to each of the twelve apostles. But
what words did Jesus pronounce when He gave it to His
apostles? Now just reflect, children. When Jesus pro-
nounced over the bread these words : " This is My body,"
a great wonder took place ; the bread was no bread any
more, but was turned into the living body of Jesus Him-
self. Therefore we say : The bread was changed into the
true living body of Jesus. (Repeat.) What did the
apostles then do with the living body of Jesus? The apos-
tles ate the real living body of Jesus. But in a living body
there is also its blood. Therefore, in the body into which

TRANSUBSTANTIATION 393

the bread had been changed and which the apostles ate,
there was also its blood.

What was on the table before Jesus said : " This is My
body " ? Bread. What was no more there after Jesus had
pronounced these words : " This is My body " ? No bread
any more. What was really there? What, then, had be-
come of the bread? Therefore we say: The bread was
changed into the true body of Jesus. With what words
was this change made? What words did Jesus speak in
changing the bread into His body? With the words:
" This is My body,'' Jesus changed bread into His true body.

The changing or transubstantiation of the wine. Jesus
took the chalice in His hands. What did the chalice con-
tain? Jesus did the same with the chalice as He had done
with the bread. What did He first do with the bread?
What did He first do also with the chalice? What kind
of wine was in the chalice ? Jesus then passed the chalice to
His apostles. What did He say in doing so? This is etc.
(as given above). Then a great wonder took place in the
chalice. The wine, by the words of Jesus, was changed
into the true blood of Jesus Christ. And it was His real
blood that Jesus gave His apostles to drink. Therefore,
the apostles drank the true blood of Jesus.

What did the chalice contain before Jesus said those
words? What was there in the chalice after He had said
those words? What, then, had happened to the wine?
How was it changed? By the words of Jesus, "This is
My blood," the wine was changed into the true blood of
Jesus. Into what did Jesus change bread and wine at the
Last Supper? At the Last Supper Jesus changed bread
and wine into His body and blood. How did He do this?

The body and blood of Jesus under the species of bread
and wine. You must not imagine that the living body of
Jesus, which the apostles ate, looked like our dear Lord
sitting at table among the apostles. Jesus with the apos-

394

THE HOLY EUCHARIST

ties looked like a man, had all the appearance of a man.
How did Jesus look when He was born? Like an infant.
How did He look when, at the age of twelve years, He was
among the doctors in the Temple? Like a twelve-year-old
boy. How did Jesus look when, at the age of thirty years,
He began to preach? Like a man of the same age. It was
the same when His body was nailed to the cross and hung
on it for three hours. The crucifix here shows us Jesus in
the appearance of a man. What is the difference between
the appearance of Jesus on Mount Calvary and on this
cross? On this cross Jesus is represented in wood; on
Calvary He was there with His body of flesh and blood.
Which of the two is the true body of Christ? The Christ
on this cross is only a picture or representation of Jesus, but
not His true living body.

The body of Jesus which the apostles ate at the Last
Supper, was the true living body of Jesus, but it had not
the appearance of a man, or of the little Infant Jesus. It
looked like bread, and tasted like bread. It looked no
bigger than the bread before it was changed, and no one
could see that it was alive in the appearance of bread. It
had the complete appearance of bread. Therefore the
apostles could not see with their eyes the body of Jesus,
nor could they taste Him when eating, for the body of
Jesus was concealed under the appearances of bread. But
the apostles believed that it was the real living body of
Jesus, for Jesus had said : " This is My body." And all
that Jesus says is true. In what appearance did the apos-
tles eat the body of Jesus? And what was contained in
this body of Jesus under the appearance of bread?

In like manner, the blood of Jesus, which the apostles
drank, did not resemble the blood in the body of Jesus.
What is the color of the blood in the body of a man? Is
it cold or warm? The blood of Jesus which the apostles
drank was not red, was not warm and did not taste like
blood. It looked and tasted like wine. What was the ap-

OUR SAVIOUR'S LOVE 395

pearance of the blood of Jesus in the chalice? It had all
the appearance of wine- Under what appearance did the
apostles drink the blood of Jesus? Under the appearance
of wine. Under which appearances was the true body of
Jesus, which the apostles ate, and the true blood of Jesus,
which the apostles drank? They were concealed under
the appearances of bread and wine.

Our Saviour's love. You have already seen how a
mother acts with her child when she wishes to show him
how much she loves him? She takes him in her arms and
presses him to her breast so tightly, that it would seem as
if she intended to press him into her heart, and she kisses
him, saying: "I love you so much that I could eat you
up." But the love of Jesus for His apostles was much
greater than a mother's love for her child. On Holy
Thursday our Saviour knew that on the following day He
would die. Hence He said : " Since I shall die to-mor-
row, I shall no longer be as man on earth with the apostles."
But our Saviour loved His apostles so much, that He
wished to be always with them. For this reason He
changed Himself into food and drink, that He might enter
the hearts of the apostles and be always with them. How
happy did the apostles become on this account ! For they
bore in their hearts our divine Saviour, who is all love.
And how full of love must their hearts have been !

The apostles received the pozver of consecrating. Jesus
wished, out of love for all men, to be in the hearts of all
of them, in order to remain with us. Therefore, He willed
that the apostles also should have the power of changing
bread and wine into His sacred body and blood. Where-
fore, after He had, at the Last Supper, changed bread and
wine into His body and blood, He said to them : " Do
this in remembrance of Me." What should the apostles do?
They should do what He had done, as He had done.
What had Jesus just done? He had changed bread and
wine into His body and blood, and distributed them as food.

396 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

He, therefore, gave His apostles the power to change, in
remembrance of Him, bread and wine into His body and
blood, when He said to them : " Do this in remembrance
of Me." What power, then, did Jesus give to His apostles
at the Last Supper?

This power has been transmitted to the bishops and
priests. Christ wished to enter the hearts of men under
the appearances of bread and wine until the end of the
world. For how long must, then, bread and wine continue
to be changed into our Saviour's body and blood ? But the
apostles themselves could not live until the end of the world,
and do that until then. Our Saviour, therefore, willed
that they should transmit that power to others. For this
reason the apostles laid hands on other pious men and
ordained them bishops and priests with the power of chang-
ing bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus, and
ordaining other men to do the same.

This power is exercised in holy Mass. Bishops and
priests exercise this power whenever they say Mass. The
bishops and priests, therefore, in holy Mass change bread
and wine into the true body and the true blood of Jesus
Christ. To whom, then, did the apostles transmit their
power? How did they do this? When do bishops and
priests exercise this power?

The Sacrament of the Altar. Where does the priest say
Mass? At the altar. Where, then, are bread and wine
changed into the true body and the true blood of Jesus?
At the altar. Therefore the body and the blood of Christ
under the appearances of bread and wine are called the
Sacrament of the Altar. (Repeat.)

The most holy Sacrament. What is contained in every
sacrament? Grace. Whence does grace flow? From the
heart of Jesus. In the Sacrament of the Altar we receive
not merely graces. Whom do we receive in the Sacrament
of the Altar? Jesus. He who receives Jesus, possesses
all graces. Therefore the Sacrament of the Altar is more

THE HOLY EUCHARIST 397

holy than the other sacraments. How, then, is it called?
The most holy Sacrament. Hofr is the little place on the
altar called, where our Saviour dwells in the most holy
Sacrament? The tabernacle.

The institution of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Who was the first to prepare the most holy Sacrament of
the Altar? Jesus. When? At the Last Supper. When
did He eat the Last Supper with His apostles? On the
eve of His sorrowful passion. It was then that He insti-
tuted the most holy Sacrament of the Altar. When did
Jesus institute the most holy Sacrament of the Altar? He
instituted it at the Last Supper on the eve of His passion.
How did He institute it? Jesus took bread, blessed, broke
and gave to His disciples, saying : " Take ye and eat, for
this is My body." Then He took the chalice with wine,
blessed and gave to His disciples, saying : " Drink ye all
of this, for this is My blood. Do this in remembrance
of Me."

II. Connection. What did our Saviour have in His
hands in order to change it into His body? From what
did God make the body of the first man? Into what did
God then change slime? Into what did Jesus change bread
and wine? How did God give life to the body He had
formed from the slime of the earth? How did Jesus
cause bread to become His living body? What was there
before God breathed a living soul into that body? What
was there after God had breathed a living soul into it?
What was there on the table before Jesus said : " This is
My body, this is My blood "? What was there after Jesus
had pronounced those words? What appearance had
Adam's body after the change? The appearance of a
living man made of flesh and blood. What appearance had
the body and blood of Jesus after the change? The ap-
pearances of bread and wine. There were no signs of life
therein.

III. Summary. The most holy Sacrament of the Altar

398 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

is the true body and the true blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
under the appearances of bread and wine. Our Saviour
instituted it at the Last Supper on the eve of His passion.
Jesus took bread, blessed, broke and gave to His disciples,
saying: "Take ye and eat, for this is My body." Then
He took the chalice with wine, blessed and gave to His dis-
ciples, saying : " Drink ye all of this, for this is My blood.
Do this in remembrance of Me." Jesus gave to His apos-
tles also the power to change bread and wine into His body
and blood, saying : " Do this in remembrance of Me."
The apostles transmitted this power to bishops and priests.
The bishops and priests exercise this power in the Mass.

IV. Application, i. You have learnt that our Saviour
is present on the altar under the appearances of bread and
wine. Where does He dwell? In the tabernacle. When
entering a church, we can see at once whether our Saviour
dwells in the tabernacle. How do we know it? When
the lamp before the altar is lit. Our Saviour dwells there,
because He loves us so much and wishes to be always near
us. In the tabernacle our Saviour constantly watches day
and night over us, prays for us and blesses us. Sometimes
during the day you see people kneeling, looking towards the
tabernacle and praying. Very often Jesus is all alone.
Should you not also sometimes visit our dear Saviour in
the church? For instance, during the day, after school,
or when you are passing by, you could easily go into the
church to visit our Lord for a few moments. On such
occasions kneel down, adore our Lord, and tell Him how
much you love Him, that you will try to behave well, and
ask Him for all that you need. This will please our
Saviour and bring you blessing and success. After doing
this, you may go out quietly to your work or your play.

2. I will now tell you an anecdote about our Lord show-
ing Himself in the Blessed Sacrament in His real figure
to a pious boy. Little Antony used to feel happy every
time he served Father Peter's Mass. One day Antony saw

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 399

during Mass how Father Peter was holding a little child in
his hands, and then putting the child into his mouth and
eating it. Antony got frightened and told it to his mother,
saying : " Dear mother, I have always liked to serve
Father Peter's Mass, but now I am afraid to do so. Shall
I continue to serve his Mass ? " His mother surprised said
to him: " My child, what are you thinking of? It should
be a great pleasure to serve the Mass of so holy a priest."
But Antony replied : ' Yes, dear mother, Father Peter has
until now been kind and good ; but guess what he is now
doing. Just think of it ; this morning during his Mass,
Father held in his hands a beautiful little child, then he put
that child into his mouth till it disappeared. Father has
such friendly eyes and such a nice face ; but I never knew
before that he ate little children. Could he not some time
do with me what he did to that little child? It is true that
little child made no resistance at all. Will you not, dear
mother, tell me not to serve Mass any more ? " But An-
tony's mother, weeping for joy, said to him: " Dear child,
continue to serve Father Peter's Mass. That little child
you saw him eating, was the dear little Infant Jesus. Later
on you will say: When I was yet an innocent child, I
served the Mass of a saint."

5. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Object. We shall hear how we can offer a sacrifice to
the good God.

I. Preparation — The sacrifices of Cain and Abel.
Which of you has already offered something to God?
What offering did you make to Him? Which two men
once offered sacrifice to God, as the Bible History relates?
Wrhat did they offer? Fruits of the earth and lambs. Re-
late how they offered these sacrifices. What did they do,
whilst their offerings were burning? They knelt and
prayed, saying : " Dear Lord, Thou hast created all things.

4oo THE HOLY EUCHARIST

All that we have comes from Thee. The lambs, the fruits
of the earth, our bodies, our souls, our very life are gifts of
Thine, dearest Lord. We would wish to offer them all to
Thee in return for Thy goodness ; and we would willingly
die for the love of Thee. But this we cannot do. There-
fore, we offer the best and the most beautiful of what we
have. Deign graciously to accept our offerings." (Re-
peat.) What did Cain offer in sacrifice? And what did
Abel offer?

Our offer or sacrifice is 'Jesus Christ. We also and all
men have received all we have from God. What ought we,
then, to do with all of it? What should we even offer to
God? Our very life. Yea, we have even, on account of
our sins, deserved death. To whom did God say in the be-
ginning that men deserved death on account of their sin?
What did God say?

Who died for our sins? Where did He die? There-
fore we say : Jesus sacrificed Himself for us on the cross.
What did Jesus sacrifice for us on the cross ? His life ;
Himself. Jesus Himself was the victim. To whom did
Jesus sacrifice Himself? To God, His heavenly Father.
And for whom did Jesus sacrifice Himself? For us; for
our sins. Upon what did Cain and Abel lay their sacri-
fices ? Which was the altar on which our Saviour sacrificed
Himself? On the altar of the cross.

The bloody Sacrifice. In sacrificing his lamb Abel killed
it. He let the blood flow out of it until it was dead. What
happened on the cross also to the blood of Jesus ? Whither
did the blood of Jesus flow? Where was the body of
Jesus? What became of Jesus, when all the blood had
flowed out of His body? The sacrifice was consummated.
Because the blood of Jesus flowed in His sacrifice on the
cross, His was a bloody sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus is
now offered daily. Do you know when this happens?

Object. I am going to tell you beautiful things about
holy Mass.

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 401

I.

Relation — The Relation is first given entire. Before
developing each of the principal parts, one of the respective
divisions of the Relation is to be repeated.

When the priest is about to say Mass, he puts on beauti-
ful vestments. Over all of them is the chasuble. On it is
the image of the cross. Thus dressed the priest, preceded
by the server, or servers, goes to the altar. In his hands he
carries a chalice covered with a cloth. On the middle of
the altar the priest spreads a fine white cloth, and places
the chalice upon it. Then the priest comes down the steps
of the altar and recites prayers alternately with the server.
The people in the church pray, and, if it is a high Mass,
the choir sings. The priest then again goes up to the altar
praying. He prays or sings first on the right side of the
altar, and then on the left. Finally, he comes to the middle
and uncovers the chalice, and the server rings the bell. On
the chalice is a gilt little plate holding a host. The priest
takes it with the host on it in his hands and raises it up
whilst saying : " O heavenly Father, almighty God, bless
and graciously accept this spotless offering. To Thee I
offer it for my sins, for the sins of all now present and for
the sins of all Christians, both living and dead." Then the
priest puts the host down on the white cloth. After this
the priest takes the chalice in his hand and pours into it
wine and a few drops of water. He next holds up the
chalice praying God also to bless and graciously accept the
offering in the chalice for the salvation of the whole world.
Finally, he places the chalice on the white cloth and cov-
ers it.

II.

After this the priest prays or sings for a short while,
and then everything becomes quiet and still in the church
and everybody looks towards the altar. The priest takes

402 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

the host in his hands, looks heavenward and blesses it.
Then bowing forward he pronounces over the host our
divine Saviour's words : " Take ye and eat, for this is My
body." By these words the bread is changed into the true
living body of Jesus. Out of reverence for our Saviour the
priest bends his right knee to the floor, adoring Jesus.
Rising he holds our Saviour up high, that the people in
church may see and adore Him. During this time the
server rings the bell three times. The priest then lays our
dear Lord on the white cloth, and makes another genu-
flexion.

After this the priest takes the chalice with the wine in
his hands ; then bowing forward he pronounces over the
chalice the words of our Saviour : " Take and drink ye
all of this, for this is My blood." There is now in the
chalice the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore the
priest again genuflects and adores the blood of Jesus.
Then he raises the chalice with the blood of Jesus upward,
so that the people may see and adore it. At the same time
the server again rings the bell three times. The priest
next lays the chalice down on the white cloth, covers it,
and then genuflects, adoring our Saviour.

III.

Having done this, the priest prays for some minutes, and
.finally takes the gilt little plate with the host on it in his
left hand, and with his right strikes his breast three times,
saying each time : " O Lord, I am not worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof ; but say only the word, and
my soul shall be healed." Each time the server rings the
bell. The priest then takes the sacred Host in his right
hand, and with it makes the sign of the cross over himself,
saying : " May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep
my soul unto life everlasting. Amen." Now the priest
places the sacred Host on his tongue and receives our Lord

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 403

Jesus Christ. He remains still for a while, adoring Jesus
in his heart.

After this the priest takes the chalice with the precious
blood of Jesus Christ in his right hand and with it makes
the sign of the cross over himself, saying : " May the
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep my soul unto life ever-
lasting. Amen." Then he most reverently drinks the
precious blood of Jesus Christ.

If there are in church persons who also wish to receive
our divine Saviour, they kneel at the communion railing,
and the priest takes the cup or ciborium containing the body
of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread,
in his left hand. Turning to those persons and holding
our dear Lord in his right hand over the ciborium, so that
all may see it, he says once : " Behold the Lamb of God ;
behold Him who takes away the sins of the world." Then
he repeats three times : " O Lord, I am not worthy," etc.
The people repeat the same words, each time striking their
breast. The priest then goes down to the communion rail-
ing, and gives to each one there our divine Saviour, making
the sign of the cross over him with the Sacred Host and
saying : " May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep
thy soul unto life everlasting. Amen." After this the
priest returns to the altar. Finally, after he has said or
sung some prayers the Mass is over.

I. THE OFFERTORY.

(Repeat I of Relation.) Jesus goes to sacrifice Himself
for us. What does the priest put on when he is about to
say Mass? Which vestment does he put over the others?
Wrhat is pictured on this vestment? A cross. Who car-
ried a wooden cross on His back? Therefore the priest
going to say Mass represents Jesus Christ going to sacrifice
Himself. What does the priest hold in his hands when
going to the altar? The altar is covered with a white
cloth, and looks like a table that is set. What does the

404 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

priest first unfold and lay on the altar? What does he
place on that fine little white cloth ?

What is done in the Mass before the Offertory. Where
does the priest go again ? What does he do below the altar
steps? Who prays with him? And what are the people
in the church doing? Where does the priest go when he
is through the prayers at the foot of the altar? On which
side of the altar does he first pray? Where does he pray
next? Where does he at last stand? There he prays a
moment. What does he then do? How do the people in
church know this? The server rings the bell.

The offering of the bread. What lays on the chalice?
And what is on the little plate? The host is made of the
finest wheat flour. Under the appearance of bread in the
host and under the appearance of wine our Saviour will
sacrifice Himself to His heavenly Father. Where did Jesus
first sacrifice Himself to His heavenly Father? In what
appearance did He sacrifice Himself to his heavenly Father
on the cross? But in the Mass our Saviour does not sac-
rifice Himself to His heavenly Father in His appearance as
man. Under what appearance does He sacrifice Himself
therein ?

The spotless Sacrifice. The priest takes in his hands the
little plate with the host. What prayer does he recite in
so doing? What does the priest call the host on the little
plate? "Spotless Offering." What does he ask the
heavenly Father to do to it? To bless it. What does the
bread then become? Blessed bread. This offering will
later on be changed into the true living body of Jesus. The
body of Jesus was perfectly pure and free from every sin.
Wherefore what does the priest call the offering which is
to be afterwards changed into the body of Jesus? Whom
does the priest ask to accept it graciously?

Why is the Sacrifice offered. In his prayer the priest
said why the heavenly Father should accept this spotless
Sacrifice. How did he express himself? "For my sins,

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 405

for the sins of all who are present, and for the sins of all
the faithful living and dead." First for what? Second,
and third? Where does the priest now place the host?

The offering of the wine. The priest then takes the
chalice in his hands. What does he pour into it? Wine.
The wine is to be afterwards changed into the precious
blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus sacrificed Himself on
the cross, a soldier opened His heart with a spear. What
flowed out of His heart ? Blood and water. Therefore the
priest puts into the chalice also a few drops of water. How
does the priest then raise the chalice? What prayer does
he say in doing so? He prays that God the Father in
heaven may bless and graciously accept that sacrifice.
What does the priest call the wine in the chalice? Sacri-
fice. To whom does the priest offer this Sacrifice ? What
does he ask God the Father to do to the wine ? What kind
of wine does it then become? Blessed wine. Into what
will it afterwards be changed ? Where does the priest then
place the chalice with the blessed wine?

Summary. Which are the gifts the priest offers to God?
For what does the priest offer them to the heavenly Father?
That He would bless them. Therefore this part of the
Mass is called the Offertory. It is the first principal part
of the Mass.

II. THE CONSECRATION.

(Repeat the second (II) part of the Relation.)

The consecration of the bread. Immediately after the
Offertory the priest prays or sings for a time. What sud-
denly takes place after this in the church? Where do all
then look ? What does the priest take in his hands ? The
host. Tell me what the priest does then? He raises his
eyes heavenward and blesses the host. In what position
does he place himself? What words does he pronounce
over the bread? Who was the first to pronounce those
words over bread? When was that? What happened

406 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

when our Lord said those words? The same thing takes
place also when the priest pronounces over the bread those
words of our Saviour. What takes place then? After
those words what does the priest hold in his hands ?

The adoration. Who on earth first carried our Saviour
in her arms? When was that? Who else came that night
to the Infant Jesus? How did the shepherds venerate the
Infant Jesus? Who came from heaven to venerate Him?
How did they joyfully sing, because the Infant Jesus had
come upon the earth?

Behold now at the consecration the same thing happens
as in the stable of Bethlehem. The same Saviour comes
from heaven upon the altar. And just as our Saviour in
the stable of Bethlehem was wrapped in swaddling clothes,
so does He in the Mass lie upon a fine white little cloth.
How did our Saviour appear in the stable of Bethlehem?
And what is His appearance during Mass ? We do not see
our Saviour; what do we see? Only the appearances of
bread. And just as the angels at Bethlehem sang a joyful
hymn when Jesus was born, now the altar boys ring the
bell, and angels come down from heaven invisibly and sur-
round the altar and adore our Saviour. What does the
priest do? He bends his knee to the floor and adores our
Saviour, and then raises our Saviour towards heaven.
And why? How are the people present reminded of this?
Where does the priest then place our Saviour? How does
the priest again venerate our Saviour?

The consecration of the wine. What does the priest
after this take in his hands? In what position does he now
place himself? What words does he pronounce over the
wine in the chalice? Who was the first to pronounce those
words over a chalice containing wine? What then hap-
pened to the wine? The wine was changed into the blood
of Jesus. The same thing takes place also when the priest
pronounces these words of our Saviour over the wine in the
chalice. What does the chalice contain after this?

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 407

The adoration of the precious blood of Jesus. How
does the priest venerate the precious blood of Jesus ? What
does he then do with the chalice ? What do the servers do
at the same time? Why? Where does the priest then
place the chalice containing the blood of Jesus? How does
he again venerate it?

Summary. What happened to the bread and wine when
the priest pronounced over them these words : " This is
My body, this is My blood " ? The bread was changed into
the true body of Jesus, and the wine into His true blood.
This part of the Mass is called the Consecration. It is the
second part of the Mass.

The Victim. Dear children, at the Consecration our di-
vine Saviour comes down from heaven to us on the altar.
In heaven He is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. His body is wonderfully beautiful and shines
as brightly as the sun, and His five wounds are like bloom-
ing roses. He can no longer suffer, no longer die. He is
glorified, and exceedingly happy. In this shining, glorified
body He comes at the consecration from heaven upon the
altar. But no one sees that brightness and splendor.
Why? What appearance does our Saviour take at the
Consecration? He does not move; He allows Himself to
be lifted, to be handled and treated just as the priest wills.
No one can see that He is alive ; He is as if dead. He is
like a victim. So great is our Saviour's love for us.

III. THE COMMUNION.

(Repeat part III of the Relation.)

I. The partaking of the body of Jesus. Which parts of
the Mass have you already learnt? After the Consecration
the priest prays for some time. Then he takes the gilt little
plate with the sacred Host in his left hand. What does
he do with his right hand? What does he say each time?
And what does the server do ? Why does he ring the bell ?

408 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Then the priest takes the sacred Host in his right hand,
and with it makes the sign of the cross over himself. What
does he say at the same time? Where does the priest place
the sacred Host? Why? That he may receive holy Com-
munion, that is, receive the body of our Saviour.

The soul's food. If the heavenly Father would ask the
priest: " WThat hast thou done with My Son?" The
priest would answer : " I have eaten Him as the food of
my soul, for Thou gavest Him to me." Our divine Saviour
under the appearance of bread has entered, like a food, into
the soul, the heart of the priest.

Why do the parents give their children bread to eat?
That they may grow and get strong. But our Saviour
under the appearance of bread is not food for the body.
For what is He the food? Our Saviour under the appear-
ance of bread is a food for the soul. This food should keep
the soul healthy and make it strong.

The adoration. Our divine Saviour is now in the priest's
heart. What do you call that little place in the church in
which our Saviour dwells? What may we now call the
heart of the priest, since our Lord dwells in it? The
ciborium in which our Saviour is kept, is holy. The chalice
which contains His precious blood is holy. The tabernacle
in which He dwells is holy. What is the heart of the
priest, when Jesus dwells therein? What do you do when
you pass in front of the tabernacle? People often kneel
before the tabernacle, wherein Jesus dwells. What do they
do there? What does the priest do after Jesus enters his
heart and remains therein?

The drinking of the precious blood. What does the
priest take in his hand after receiving our Lord's body?
What does he do over himself with the chalice ? What does
he say then ? What does he do with the blood of Jesus ?

The union. Now Jesus lives in the priest's heart. The
priest and our Saviour are one ; they are most intimately
united. This part of the Mass in which our Saviour most

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 409

intimately unites Himself with the priest, is called the Com-
munion. It is the third part of the Mass.

The Communion of the faithful. Often there are some
persons who also wish to receive our divine Saviour.
Where do they kneel? With what is the communion rail-
ing, or table, covered ? It is covered with a white cloth, like
a table prepared for a meal. The priest now takes the
ciborium in his left hand and turns towards the people.
There are sacred Hosts in the ciborium. These he changed
at the Consecration together with the large Host into the
living body of Jesus. The priest takes one of these Hosts
in his right hand and holds it over the ciborium, saying:
" Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away
the sins of the world." Then he says three times : " Lord,
I am not worthy," etc. What do the people do at the same
time? Then where does the priest go? What does he do
with the sacred Host over each of the communicants?
What does he say when doing so? Where does he place
the sacred Host? After this the priest places the ciborium
with the sacred Hosts in the tabernacle. The communi-
cants swallow the sacred Host and go to their places.

II. Summary. What is our Saviour for their soul?
Food for their soul. Who previously already had our
Saviour for the food of his soul? To whom does our
Saviour give Himself in holy Communion as the food of
their souls? In holy Communion our Saviour gives Him-
self to the priest and to the faithful as food of their souls.

The heart a tabernacle. Jesus lives in the hearts of all
who receive Him. The heart of each is like a tabernacle.
When they return from the Communion table devoutly with
joined hands and eyes cast down and our dear Saviour in
their hearts, we can say of each one : " Here Jesus dwells."

What does the priest do after holy Communion? He
says some prayers ; and when he has said them, and given
his blessing to the faithful, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass
is over.

4io THE HOLY EUCHARIST

III. Connection — The unbloody sacrifice of Jesus.
In what appearance does Jesus give Himself in holy Com-
munion as food of the soul? In which part of the Mass
did He assume (put on) that appearance? What was the
appearance of Jesus, when He sacrificed Himself for us on
the cross? Where was His body when His sacrifice was
accomplished? And where was His blood when His sac-
rifice was accomplished? In the sacrifice of the cross the
body and the blood of Jesus were separated.

What kind of appearance did the body of Jesus put on
at the Consecration? What kind of appearance did His
blood then put on? It seems, then, as if the body and the
blood of Jesus were separated from each other in the Mass.
And Jesus appears to us as if dead. Jesus sacrifices Him-
self in the Mass as He did in the sacrifice of the cross.
How do we call the sacrifice of the cross, because in it His
blood flowed? A bloody sacrifice. In the Mass Jesus dies
no more, there is no real shedding of blood. Therefore the
Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

IV. Summary. Who sacrifices Himself in the Mass?
What kind of sacrifice is the Mass? The Mass is the un-
bloody sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The
principal parts of the Mass are: i, the Offertory; 2,
the Consecration ; 3, the Communion. At the Offertory the
priest offers to God bread and wine, that God may bless
them. At the Consecration bread and wine are changed
into the true body and the true blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ. At the holy Communion our Saviour gives Him-
self to the priest and the faithful as the food of their souls.

Application, i. When our divine Saviour lived on
earth, He was very kind and friendly towards children.
He loved them dearly and was fond of their company. Now
suppose you were all alone at home engaged in some work,
and all at once the door opens, and in comes to you our
dear Saviour, our God. What would you do ? Would you

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS 411

not stop working, and go to meet our Saviour, kneel down
before Him and adore Him? What would you say to
Him? Would you not bid Him welcome, thank Him for
coming to you, and tell Him how much you love Him?

In the holy Mass the same kind, loving Saviour daily
comes at the Consecration from heaven in order to visit
you. Should you not, therefore, when the bell rings for
Mass, put everything aside and joyfully hasten to the
church? Will you not, in order to visit our Saviour at
Mass, rise daily half an hour earlier? It is not very nice
when we must force the children to go to Mass.

At the Consecration the little bell at the altar rings so
clearly. You hear its fine voice three times. You should
rejoice when you hear its sound. But each time you should
think on what your Lord and God says to you by means of
that bell : " It is I, your Lord and God, who now come to
you. Kneel down and adore Me." And all in church,
young and old, are already on their knees, bowing their
heads, beating their breast and adoring our divine Saviour.

2. Johnny was a pious little boy, five years old. One day
with his mother he visited the superioress of a convent.
The superioress was preparing hosts. As soon as little
Johnny saw the hosts, he became very serious. Then he
cautiously took one of the hosts in his hand and kissed it
so devoutly. Then the superioress said : " Johnny, our
Saviour is not yet in it." " Oh," replied Johnny, " I know
this quite well ; but to-morrow during Mass Jesus will come
into it, and he will find my kiss there." So you see that
Johnny already kissed that host devoutly, because it was to
be changed next day into the Saviour's body. How much
more devoutly must you, then, venerate at the Consecration
the Host, which is Jesus Himself !

4i2 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

6. Hearing Mass.

Object. To-day I will speak again about the Mass, and
will teach you how you must behave during Mass.

I. THE OFFERTORY.

Development — Oar Saviour's gift. What is repre-
sented on the vestment worn by the priest when he says
Mass? Who really carried a cross on his back? Our
Saviour then sacrificed Himself for us on the cross.
Where does the Saviour always renew this sacrifice for us ?
But here Jesus offers Himself through the hands of the
priest. Whose place does the priest take at the altar, in
order to offer up the sacrifice of the Mass? For whom
does our Saviour offer this sacrifice? For all Christians,
but especially for those who are present. When the priest
dressed in the vestments for Mass goes to the altar to say
Mass, our Saviour thus addresses you : " Now, My child,
I go to offer Myself for thee through the hands of the
priest." To whom does our Saviour offer Himself during
Mass through the hands of the priest? To His heavenly
Father. What does He offer? Himself. Which is then
our Saviour's offering? Our Saviour Himself. Under
what appearances? When does the offering or sacrifice
become our Saviour Flimself? At the Consecration. At
the Offertory it is only bread and wine. At the Offertory
the priest already speaks of the bread and wine, as if they
were the true body and the true blood of Jesus. What does
he call the offering? Spotless. Why a spotless offering?

The offering of Christians. But you also should offer
along during Mass. What do you need for this? An
offering. What did Cain offer? What was Abel's offer-
ing? Which lamb and which fruits did Cain and Abel
offer? The finest and the best. What could you offer to
God ? Money ; a candle. But at Mass God does not seek
money or candles as an offering. God desires something

HEARING MASS 413

of your own selves. This you have already learned (see
Part on the Commandments). What does He say to you?
" My child, give Me thy heart." You should, therefore,
offer Him your heart. You should offer Him your
thoughts, words and actions, all that you have, and all that
you are, your whole self.

The precious gift. But God is so great, so rich, so
powerful, so beautiful. Therefore, the offering we make
to God ought to be precious. What kind of offering, or
gift, should you make to God? But you are only poor,
sinful children. Your thoughts, words and actions, all that
you have, and all that you are, are not precious in the sight
of God. Now our loving Saviour comes and says to you :
" Take Me under the appearances of bread and wine, and
offer Me to the heavenly Father. I wish to be Myself your
offering." But there is nothing in the whole world so good
and so precious as this offering. Even the heavenly Father
has nothing better. Because this offering is His own only-
begotten and well-beloved Son under the appearances of
bread and wine. How much is this offering worth in the
sight of God? God is most pleased with this offering.

The offerings combined. Wherefore when the priest, at
the Offertory, offers to the heavenly Father His divine Son
under the appearances of bread and wine, that is also your
offering. Where has the priest placed the offering? Also
in what? Place there also all your thoughts, words and
actions, and all that you have and are, and especially your
heart. By doing so your offering and our Saviour's offer-
ing will be united into one offering. Now how much is
your offering worth in the sight of God? Wherefore,
when the priest at the Offertory, holds upward the little
gilt plate and the chalice to God Almighty, imagine you are
standing alongside the priest at the altar and are offering
in your hands with the priest the little gilt plate and the
chalice to the heavenly Father. At the same time you
should say : " My God, with the priest at the altar, I offer

4i4 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Thee all my thoughts, words and actions, all that I have,
all that I am, all that I do and suffer ; and especially I
offer Thee my heart. Deign graciously to accept this my
offering. I unite it with the unbloody sacrifice of Thy
Divine Son, which the priest offers Thee on the altar."
(Rehearse.)

The heavenly Father's pleasure in our offering. The
heavenly Father will consider, not so much you and your
offering, as the offering of His Son, whom you hold with
your own on the little gilt plate. And the heavenly Father
cannot but graciously and willingly accept your offering, as
He did the offering of the innocent Abel.

Application, i. In giving your heart to God, you give
Him little indeed. But since our Saviour deigns to join
Himself to your offering, your offering becomes very pre-
cious. Should you not then be fond of going to hear Mass ?
Would it be too much for you daily to rise half an hour
earlier than you do now, in order to go to Mass? Could
any one believe that there are Catholic children who talk
during Mass? Should you not always assist devoutly at
Mass?

2. When Cain and Abel made their offerings to God, they
both gave the best they had. Both of them knelt down,
with their hands joined in prayer. And yet God was
pleased with only one of the offerings. Which one was
that? And with which one was He not pleased? Why did
Abel's offering please God ? Because he had a good heart ;
because there was love and devotion in his heart. Why
did not Cain's offering please God? Because his heart was
wicked ; because there was no love, no devotion in it. What
did God consider in their offerings? God pays attention
to the heart ; a good heart is the chief thing in our offerings
to God.

You should then during Mass give your heart to our
Saviour that He may offer it to His heavenly Father. But
if your heart is worthless, because of the sins that fill it !

HEARING MASS 415

Would it not be a shame for our Saviour to offer such a
heart to His heavenly Father? Would it be right to bring
to Mass a heart that is envious, immodest, impure, dis-
obedient and angry, or that lies, curses, or steals? No!
Wre may offer to God only good thoughts, good words, and
good actions, that is, a good heart.

Wherefore when you pray thus at the Offertory : " My
God, I offer Thee all my thoughts, words and actions," you
should resolve to have no envious, impure, angry thought,
not to lie, curse, speak impurely, not to steal or do anything
immodest. When you pray : " I especially offer Thee my
heart," you must resolve : " I will do my best to have a
heart free from sin, and I will love God with my whole
heart." Only then is your prayer at the Offertory true :
" My God, I offer Thee all my thoughts . . . and especially
my heart."

II. THE CONSECRATION.

Object. Which principal part of the Mass follows the
Offertory? I will now tell you what you should do at the
Consecration.

The reception of the King. Who comes from heaven on
the altar at the Consecration ? Our Saviour is the King of
heaven and earth. When the king visits a place, he is re-
ceived solemnly by his subjects. The streets are decorated
with triumphal arches, flags, etc. Old and young in their
Sunday clothes, girls dressed in white, all go to meet him,
to show him their joy and affection. And when the king
makes his appearance, there is an outburst of cheers almost
without end.

Our Saviour's reception in Jerusalem. The Jews once
received Jesus in the same way. When, on Palm-Sunday,
Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king, children and grown per-
sons turned out in their fine clothes to meet Him. They
carried palm and olive branches in their hands and cheered
Him, repeating: " Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He

4i6 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest."

Our Saviour's reception in holy Mass. Which King
comes down upon the altar at the Consecration? It is the
King of kings, the greatest of lords, the very Son of God,
our Lord Jesus Christ. I. Therefore, when the priest
comes near the Consecration, he bows his head, saying three
times : " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts ; heaven and
earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest."
Then standing upright, he makes the sign of the cross, say-
ing : " Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest." 2. And when the choir sings the
same words, repeat also the same words in your heart. 3.
But when Jesus is about to come really upon the altar to
put on the appearance of bread, the choir and every one in
the church is silent. The priest bows forward and pro-
nounces in a whisper the words of consecration first over
the bread, then over the wine in the chalice, and bends his
knee to the floor to adore our Saviour, and then raises Him
heavenward. At this very moment the heavenly Father
looks down from heaven on the altar. There He sees the
most lovely, beautiful and holy of all things in the hands of
the priest. He sees His well-beloved, only-begotten Son
under the appearances of bread and wine offering Himself
to Him on the altar. No human eye has ever so joyfully
looked upon a human being, as the heavenly Father's eye
looks down upon His well-beloved Son offering Himself
in sacrifice under the appearances of bread and wine. 4.
In the meantime the server rings the little bell, and all in
church are kneeling, bowing their heads, striking their
breast and adoring. Whom are they adoring? Our Sav-
iour, the King of heaven and earth, our God. All this is
to tell us that our God is now with us, and to welcome Him
in our midst.

The adoration of the Sacred Host at the consecration.
What happens to the bread and wine at the Consecration?

HEARING MASS 417

The bread is changed into the true living body of Jesus.
Jesus, at the Consecration, comes down, for the love of us,
on the altar, in order to live for us under the appearance of
bread. If you offer all your thoughts, words, actions and
sufferings to please God, you also live for God. This is
what you resolved at the Offertory ; you should, therefore,
keep that resolution. Wherefore, at the elevation (raising
up) of the sacred Host, say: " O Jesus, my Lord and my
God, I wish to live for Thee." When saying this, strike
your breast (thus).

But we cannot see Jesus living under the appearance of
bread ; He does not move ; He allows Himself to be laid
down, lifted up and carried; He allows His priests to do
what they will with Him. He appears now as He did when
He sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. He is as if He
were dead. Also there is something in you which should
be as if it were dead. In your heart there is as an effect of
original sin, an inclination to evil. It tries to make you take
pleasure in evil thoughts, to listen to evil words, to look at
evil things, to speak and do evil. When this inclination to
evil seeks to induce you to look on others with envy, your
eyes should be as if blind and dead, so that you may not
look upon others with envy. When you feel inclined to tell
lies, let your tongue, for the love of God, be as if dead,
so that you may not tell lies. When you feel inclined to
steal, let your hands, for God's sake, be as if dead, so that
you may not be able to touch the property of (what belongs
to) others. In this way all that is evil will be rooted out of
your thoughts, words and actions. You shall then die for
Jesus. Hence say also at the elevation of the sacred Host :
" O Jesus, my Lord and my God, I wish to die for Thee."
If you try hard to do away with everything evil in you and
to do only what is good, for the love of God, you can then
truly say : " O Jesus, my Lord and my God, I am Thine,
both in life and in death." (Repeat.)

The adoration at the elevation of the chalice. At the

418 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

elevation of the chalice you may recite this prayer : " O
Jesus, may Thy blood purify me ! O Jesus, may Thy blood
sanctify me ! O Jesus, may Thy blood lead me to life ever-
lasting ! Amen."

What is the meaning of " O Jesus, may Thy blood
purify me"? From what should our Saviour's blood pur-
ify you? Where are your sins? Therefore the blood of
Jesus should wash away the sins in your soul. What is the
meaning of " O Jesus, may Thy blood sanctify me " ?
Where did Jesus shed His blood for us? What did Jesus
deserve for us by His blood? Grace. We pray that grace
may enter our soul. What does grace do to our soul?
Grace makes our soul holy. Therefore we pray, etc.?
Where does a holy soul go after death? How long does
the soul live in heaven? Forever. Jesus deserved life
everlasting for us by shedding all His blood. Therefore
we pray, etc. (Repeat.)

The priest extends his arms in prayer. After the Con-
secration the priest continues to pray devoutly. Have you
remarked how the priest then holds his arms? Extended.
Where did our Saviour extend His arms? On the cross.
Whom does the priest personate (represent) at the altar?
WThat does he do when he extends his arms?

Our Saviour prays with extended arms. It is just as if
our Saviour prayed with extended arms. Where is Jesus
represented with extended arms? On the cross. At every
procession the cross is carried in front. On the feast of
St. Mark, April 25, and on the three days before the Ascen-
sion, called Rogation days, or days of prayer, there are pro-
cessions with the singing of the Litany of the Saints, to
beseech God to bless the newly planted fields, that they may
produce good crops. Now suppose that instead of the
cross, our divine Saviour Himself would go at the head of
the procession and pray with extended arms for us and with
us to His heavenly Father. Would you not feel sure that
God the Father would grant our prayers?

HEARING MASS 419

Our Saviour prays for us and with us. At the Consecra-
tion our Saviour comes really on the altar and places Him-
self at our head and prays with extended arms with us and
for us. By doing this He reminds His Father how, when
He was hanging on the cross with extended arms, He sac-
rificed Himself for us and prayed for us. Our Saviour
knows all our wants. He knows when we wish to praise
God ; He knows when we wish to thank God for His ben-
efits; He knows also when we wish to ask God for some-
thing. And Jesus takes all our prayers into His heart, and
offers them with His prayer to the heavenly Father as an
offering.

Our Saviour's prayer is heard by His Father. You
surely have no fear of not being heard by the heavenly
Father. Because you know that His well-beloved Son
prays with you and for you. God the Father cannot refuse
to grant you what you pray for.

The prayers said during Mass are the most efficacious.
Therefore, all the prayers you say during Mass are worth
a great deal more than all your prayers at other times.
When you say at home your morning and night prayers,
when you pray for your parents, or to your guardian angel,
or to the Blessed Virgin Mary, those are only your prayers,
for you pray alone. But when you pray during holy Mass,
Jesus Christ unites His prayer and offering with your
prayer and offering. When you make your offering, Jesus
offers it with you; when you pray, Jesus prays with you;
when you sing, Jesus sings with you and offers all to His
heavenly Father. Therefore by your prayers during Mass
you obtain far more graces and blessings than when you
pray at other times.

We must also pray devoutly. But there is one thing
necessary in all this. You must pray devoutly during Mass,
in order that your prayer may please our Saviour, and that
He may let it enter His heart. On this condition holy Mass

420 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

becomes a real happy hour for you, and you will surely
receive all the good you pray for.

Application, i. You know who conies during Mass
upon the altar. It is our Saviour Himself who sacrifices
Himself and prays for us. Wherefore, if you wish to
obtain some favor from God, for instance, that your sick
father or mother should get well, or that some one may
help you in your poverty or distress, go to hear Mass, and
pray devoutly therein. And after the Consecration, be-
seech our Saviour to place your prayer in His sacred heart,
and offer it with His prayer and sacrifice to His heavenly
Father. Such a prayer will please the heavenly Father,
and He will surely grant it.

2. On some other occasion, you may wish to thank God
for the cure of your mother, or you wish God to help you
to be more obedient, to be less inclined to impatience, to
anger, etc. Go to hear Mass, and at the Offertory place
your request on the little gilt place, and beg our Saviour to
offer it with His offering to His heavenly Father. You
will thereby greatly please our Saviour and His heavenly
Father.

3. During Mass the smallest gift you offer to God has
infinite value. Suppose, you wish to offer a nickel to God
during Mass. That, surely, is not much. Now a rich man
comes to you and gives you $100,000, that you may offer
that sum to God. To that big sum you add your nickel and
make an offering of it all to God during Mass. The
heavenly Father is surely pleased with that offering.
But you ought to offer your heart to God during Mass.
But you are a poor sinful child, and your heart, in God's
estimation, is worth scarcely a nickel. But there is a gift,
an offering worth far more than $100,000. What gift is
that? Our divine Saviour Himself. Our Saviour gives
Himself to you in holy Mass as a gift which you are to
offer to God. That is what is represented by the $100,000.
And which is your nickel? Your heart. Now add your

HEARING MASS 421

nickel, that is, your heart, to the $100,000, that is, our
Saviour, and make out a gift, an offering, out of them, and
bring it during Mass to the heavenly Father. How much
is your offering worth in His estimation? What does it
cause Him?

4. Suppose you were to hear that a rich man was going
to distribute $100,000 among the people. How you would
hasten to him ! During every Mass our divine Saviour dis-
tributes a great deal more than $100,000. He gives more
than all the money in the world. He sacrifices Himself to
His heavenly Father, and distributes the immense graces
which He deserved for us on the cross. Then hasten to
church to hear Mass, in order to obtain as many graces as
possible, as you would to that rich man to get as much
money as possible.

5. I will now relate to you another anecdote. There was
once a pious farmer who went every day to Mass. He had
become accustomed to do so when he was a school-boy.
He continued to do so even when he was old. When work-
ing in the field he would hear the bell ringing for Mass, he
left everything lie and went to church. On a certain day
he was in the field when he heard the bell ringing for Mass.
The distance to the church was great, and he was already
tired from his work. On his way to church he thought by
himself : " I am already old and walking is hard for me.
From now I will go to hear Mass only when I am at home.
From the field I will not go to Mass in future. God will
surely not be displeased with me for this." As he was
thinking over this in his mind, he heard some one walking
behind him. He turned around to see who it was, and
what does he see? A bright angel. The angel said to him :
" Do not do that, I advise you, but go every day to hear
Mass, as you have been accustomed to do. Because at each
step you take on the way to church, a rose springs up from
your footstep. Therefore as many roses grow as you take
steps to go to church. See, here are the roses I culled

422 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

to-day." And the angel showed a large pile of roses.
The angel continued speaking: " If you go to Mass every
day until you die, I will place on your head in heaven a
splendid wreath of roses." After saying this, the angel dis-
appeared. You may imagine that the pious farmer con-
tinued fervently and cheerfully to go to Mass every day.

What the angel said to the farmer, is applicable to you
also. By devoutly hearing Mass you receive each time
many graces from God. Each of these graces is like a
blooming rose. If you wish to wear a wreath of such
roses, be sure to go daily to church and devoutly hear Mass.

III. THE COMMUNION.

Object. Which is the third principal part of the Mass?
What takes place at holy Communion? I will now tell you
how you should act at holy Communion.

Our Saviour gave His body and blood to the apostles as
the food of their soul. What did our Saviour at the Last
Supper give to His apostles to eat and drink ? Under what
appearances? What kind of food is our divine Saviour
under the appearances of bread and wine? Food of the
soul. Which are the words our Saviour said when He gave
this food of the soul to His apostles ?

You need food for your body. Your mother also gives
you to eat and drink. But that food is not for your soul.
What is it for? For the body. Why does your mother
give you to eat and drink ? To make me grow, to make me
strong and healthy. What would become of you, if you
would get no food? I would get sick and die.

You need food for your soul also. Your soul also can
get sick. How? When I commit a sin. And how could
your soul also die with regard to heaven? By committing
a mortal sin. To remain healthy, your soul also needs
food.

The food of your soul is our divine Saviour in holy Com-
munion. You know already which is the food of your soul.

HEARING MASS 423

You know that our Saviour said to the apostles : " Take
and eat, for this is My body." He says the same to you
also : ' Take ye and eat, for this is My body." Is not that
a precious food? It is a sweet heavenly bread. Your
mother rejoices when you greatly relish your food. In like
manner, our Saviour rejoices, when Christians relish the
food of their soul.

Through our divine Saviour your heart becomes in holy
Communion a house of God. Where does our Saviour en-
ter as our food? Into our heart. Therefore our living
Saviour lives in your heart. What do you call the place
where God dwells? The house of God, a church. What
is your heart when Jesus dwells in it? The house of God.

The house of God in your heart should be pure and holy.
The house in which God dwells, is holy. How should your
heart be as a place in which God dwells? Holy. From
what should it be cleansed? From sin. -

Transition. If your soul is not pure, you are not fit nor
worthy that our Saviour should enter it.

Object. I will now relate to you an anecdote of a
prominent man. That man did not believe himself worthy
that our Saviour should go to him.

Relation. The servant of a Roman officer at Caphar-
naum was very sick. He was already very near death.
The officer loved his servant and was anxious for his cure.
Therefore he sent some of his friends to Jesus to ask Him :
" Lord, be so good as to cure my servant." Jesus at once
went along with the messengers. When he got near the
officer's house, the officer himself came out, and said to
Jesus : " Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter
under my roof ; but say only one word, and my servant shall
be healed." Jesus replied to the officer : " Go, and as thou
hast believed, be it done to thee." At that very moment
the servant was cured.

Consideration — The sick servant of the officer.
Where did that man live, about whom I have been speak-

424 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

ing? Capharnaum is a town in the Jewish country. What
was that man? A Roman officer. He was, then, a promi-
nent man. What did I relate about his servant? The
officer was very sorry, and was very anxious that his serv-
ant should get well. The physicians in the city could do
nothing more for him.

The officer's confidence. The officer had heard that
Jesus had cured many sick persons. Therefore he hoped
that Jesus would cure his servant also. Whom did he send
to Jesus ? What did he wish them to say to Jesus ? Jesus
was immediately ready to go and cure the servant. How
do you know that?

The officer's humility. Jesus was already near the of-
ficer's house. The officer saw that Jesus Himself was com-
ing. He almost got frightened. The officer had not
expected that Jesus Himself would do him so great an
honor as to come to him. He thought in himself : " How
then can I be worthy to receive Jesus into my own house?
I am too mean to be so greatly honored, for I am such a
sinner. I do not deserve the honor." But the officer was
a prominent man ; he had many soldiers under him who
had to strictly obey his every command, and also servants
to wait on him. And yet he felt so little and so mean in
comparison with Jesus. He believed he was of no account
in comparison with the Saviour. In a word, the officer was
humble.

The officer's faith. The officer also believed that Jesus
could cure his servant without seeing him, and did not need
to come to his house to do so. He knew that Jesus had
only to say one word, and his servant would be healed.
What did the officer do, when he saw Jesus coming to his
house? What did he say to Jesus? Of what does the
officer consider himself not worthy? The word roof here
means house. He could have said, into my house, instead
of under my roof. Wrhy did he consider himself un-
worthy of receiving our Saviour into his house? What

HEARING MASS 425

made the officer believe that our Saviour could cure his
servant ?

The officer's reward. What did Jesus answer him?
What happened at that very moment? The servant was
cured. Why was our Saviour able to cure the servant by
a single word?

Our Saviour loves to give Himself in holy Communion to
us, if zee are humble. The almighty Saviour who would
go into the house of the officer of Capharnaum, wishes to
come to us also in holy Communion. Where does our
Saviour wish to dwell when He comes to us ? What should
our heart then be for our Saviour? But no human heart
is pure enough for our Saviour. Therefore no man is
worthy enough to receive Jesus into his heart. Every one,
even the greatest saint, must think : " How little and how
mean I am in comparison with our divine Saviour ! How
unfit I am to receive my Saviour into my heart ! " But
who can make our heart so pure and so beautiful, as to
make us worthy? Our Saviour Himself. He would need
only to do what sufficed to cure the officer's servant, that
is, to say only a word.

The priest humbles himself before holy Communion.
Wherefore when the priest saying Mass comes to the Com-
munion, in which our Saviour is to come to him, the priest
uses the very words of the Roman officer : " Lord, I am
not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof." By
the word roof, the priest means the house or dwelling of
his heart. What else did the officer say? The priest,
however, says : " But say only the word, and my soul shall
he healed." Repeat now all that the priest says before holy
Communion. This he says three times, striking his breast
each time. And you should do the same. (Repeat all.)
Then the priest receives our Saviour with great reverence.
And with the same reverence he drinks our Saviour's pre-
cious blood from the chalice.

The real or sacramental Communion. After Com-

426 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

munion our dear living Saviour dwells in the priest's heart
as God and man, with soul and body, flesh and blood. The
soul of the priest and the holy soul of Jesus are now, as it
were, one. The heart of the priest and the sacred heart of
our Saviour are now one, as it were. The holy heart of
Jesus now beats in the heart of the priest. The priest lives
no more, but it is Jesus that lives in him. And so it is also
with all Christians who receive our Saviour in holy Com-
munion.

Spiritual Communion. When you see the priest and
some of the faithful receiving Jesus in holy Communion,
you perhaps think : " Oh, could I also receive our Lord !
Oh, if He would also come into my heart in holy Com-
munion, how happy would I be " ! You have a desire, a
longing to receive Jesus. Jesus also longs to be received
by you in holy Communion. And if you are not able, or
not prepared to receive Him really in holy Communion, you
can, nevertheless, receive Him invisibly, spiritually by your
ardent desire and by asking Him to come spiritually into
your heart. But your heart should be free from sin. How
can you then make it free from sin? By praying Jesus to
purify your soul, saying: "O my Jesus, purify my heart
from every sin. I am sorry for them all ; forgive me my
sins." Then after saying, " O Lord, I am not worthy,"
etc., say : " O Jesus, I love Thee above all things, and I de-
sire to receive Thee into my heart ; but since I cannot now
receive Thee in reality (sacramentally), come at least spirit-
ually into my heart. I unite myself, as if Thou wert al-
ready there; permit me not to be separated from Thee."
You may make a spiritual Communion not only at the Com-
munion of the priest and the faithful during Mass, but also
any other time either in church, or at home, or elsewhere.
(Rehearse spiritual Communion.)

The smallest house of God. Our Lord, as you have
heard, chooses for His dwelling, the smallest house on
earth, that is, the heart of man. Although it is so little, it

HEARING MASS 427

draws the God of heaven and earth into it. Therefore,
children, keep your heart pure and devout, and Jesus will
choose it as His dwelling and never more leave it.

Connection — The Consecration is the most important
part of the Mass. What do the priest and the faithful
receive in holy Communion? Under what appearances?
When does the bread and wine become the body and blood
of Jesus? What were they at the Offertory? Blessed
bread and wine. What would they be, if the Communion
would immediately follow the Offertory? What would
they remain, if there were no Consecration after the Offer-
tory ? What would they still remain, at the Communion, if
the Communion would immediately follow the Offertory?
Which part is, then, the most important in the Mass, which
gives the real value to the Mass?

The Consecration is the soul of the Mass. There is a
similarity between the Mass and a man. What is the body
of a man without the soul ? What makes the body a living
body? Wrhat would the bread and wine in the Mass re-
main, if there was no consecration? What causes the
bread and wine to become in the Mass the living body and
blood of Jesus? Therefore, we call the Consecration the
soul or heart of the Mass. As the body without a soul is
dead, so the Mass would be dead without the Consecration.

Summary. At the Offertory we should offer to God our
thoughts, words and actions. Therefore we should resolve
to have only good thoughts, good words and good actions.
At the Consecration, or elevation we should adore our
Saviour, and place our prayer in His heart, so that our
heavenly Father may sooner grant it. At the Communion
we should receive our Saviour spiritually. It would be
well for every child, when they do not sing, to use a prayer-
book during Mass, or, at least, to say the beads. (Insist.)

Application, i. Ought you not to be glad to go to hear
Mass? Would it be too hard for you to get up half an
hour earlier in the morning in order to come to Mass? It

428 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

is hard to believe that there are children who talk in church
during Mass. 2. It would be well if you would say some-
times : " O Jesus, come to me, for I long for Thee. Thou
art my soul's best friend, I cannot live without Thee. O
Jesus, come to me, for I long for Thee."

7. The Worship of the Blessed Sacrament.

DEVELOPMENT.

The whole world is the house of God. Where is God?
He is here in the school, in the street, in the fields, in the
woods, where the sun rises, and where the sun sets. He
is present everywhere all over the world. The whole
world is the wonderfully beautiful house of God. Can we
see God? No, for God is invisible to our bodily eyes.
How, then, is God present everywhere? Invisibly present.

Heaven is the house of God. Where shall we see God?
In heaven God is visibly present. Heaven is the wonder-
fully beautiful palace of God. There He is seated on His
golden throne. Around Him are countless angels and
saints. They see God face to face; they see His wonder-
ful beauty. They never weary seeing Him. They are con-
tinually day and night adoring and praising Him, and lov-
ing Him, with all their might, and singing: " Holy, holy,
holy Lord God of hosts." Heaven is filled with their
beautiful chant.

The church is the house of God. God wishes to be
visibly with us, and to dwell visibly among us. What is it
that you need to live in? WThat does God need to live
among us? A house. Therefore God allows men on
earth to build Him a house of His own. How beautiful
is God? How rich? How powerful? How great?
What kind of a house should He have? A large and
beautiful house. Therefore men build God a house as large
and as beautiful as they can. God's house should be the
largest and the most beautiful in a place. Inside it is

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 429

beautifully painted, adorned with fine paintings, statues,
altars and stained glass windows. The altars should be
especially beautiful. Why? Because there the priest daily
says Mass and brings the Son of God down from heaven.
At Mass the priest wears beautiful and costly vestments,
for he therein serves and worships God. For God's serv-
ice we should always use what is best and most precious ;
and even the best and most costly thing in the world is not
good enough for the Lord of heaven and earth.

The tabernacle is the throne-room or hall of God in the
church. A king, a president has in his house a room that
is more beautiful than any other, where he gives receptions
to those who go to pay their respects to him. Who can
tell which is the heavenly King's throne-room in the church ?
It is the smallest throne-room in the world. But in this
small throne-room in the world is seated the greatest King
of the universe, the King of heaven and earth. (Describe
the tabernacle in your church — both the outside and the
inside.) The ciborium is the golden throne of the Lord
of heaven and earth. Its richly embroidered red silk cover
is the mantle of this greatest of monarchs. But where is
this almighty Lord and King? When the priest opens the
ciborium, he bends the knee to the floor, and why? Be-
cause in the ciborium is the King Himself. In the stable
of Bethlehem there lay a Child so little, so lovely, so beauti-
ful, enveloped in swaddling-clothes in the crib. And yet
this Child was the greatest Monarch in the world. But
here in the ciborium the same Monarch is still smaller.

The hidden King and God. Suppose you had come with
the shepherds, on the night when Jesus was born, to see
and adore the Infant Jesus ; and Jesus was asleep, and the
blessed Virgin had covered Him with her veil ; and you
could not have seen the Infant Jesus and His pretty face.
Would you have said the Infant Jesus was not under the
veil, because you could not see Him? Would you for that
reason have refused to believe that the Infant Jesus was

430 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

the Saviour of the world, the King of heaven and earth?
Would you have refused to adore Him, because the veil
concealed Him from your sight?

But in the ciborium the same divine Infant is really to
be found. But what appearance has He in the Blessed
Sacrament? What color has He under the appearance of
bread? He is there just as if He was covered with a
thick white veil, so that He cannot be seen. Does that
prevent you from believing, that the living Infant Jesus
is really in the ciborium? Did not our Saviour Himself
say that under the white appearance of bread He is wholly
present and alive? To whom did He say this? How did
He say this? Therefore under the white veil of the ap-
pearance of bread there is really concealed the same Infant
Jesus, who was enveloped in swaddling-clothes and laid
in the crib. The tabernacle in the church is like the stable
of Bethlehem and the house of Nazareth where Jesus lived ;
here we have the same living Saviour, who is seated on a
throne at the right of God the Father. The tabernacle
in God's house is heaven itself on earth.

The most humble adoration. In heaven God can be seen.
During divine service in church on Sunday afternoon or
evening our divine Saviour is exposed outside the taber-
nacle, so that all may see Him either in the ciborium or in
the monstrance. Around Him many candles are lit. The
priest and altar boys kneel on the lowest step of the altar.
In the body of the church all the faithful, both children
and grown people, are also kneeling, to adore their Saviour
and Redeemer, their Lord and God, their heavenly King.
And from His high throne, the Saviour looks on all pres-
ent, like a king on his subjects.

How grave and friendly is the house of God ! How
dear and lovely ! How joyfully and devoutly the people
sing ! How they pray from their inmost hearts ! And
why? Because God is there! Therefore the faithful
come from far and near into His presence, to adore, thank,

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 431

praise and beseech Him. At the end our Saviour gives
His blessing to all. Before this the priest bows low to our
Lord and incenses Him with the censer ; the smoke of in-
cense wafted up to the throne on which Jesus is placed,
denotes the prayers, love and adoration of the faithful
ascending to Jesus like the sweet-scented incense. The
priest then takes in his hands the monstrance in which
Jesus is exposed to view under the appearance of bread,
and with it makes the sign of the cross over all present in
the church. The faithful receive our Saviour's blessing
kneeling, bowing low, and striking their breast, adoring
their Lord and God.

This reminds us of the wise men before the Infant Jesus
at Bethlehem. How did they venerate the Infant Jesus?
They prostrated themselves and adored Him. They took
off their kingly crowns and bowed down to the ground
before the Infant Jesus. Although they were kings, they
knew that in presence of the divine Child, they were as a
mere nothing. What were the wise men, because they
made such little account of themselves before the Infant
Jesus? They were humble. And all men, even the
bishop, the Pope himself, kings and emperors, the most
noble persons on earth, are, in comparison with our Sav-
iour in the Blessed Sacrament, but mere servants. There-
fore, how should all men without exception act towards our
divine Saviour? In an humble manner. How do we
show ourselves humble towards Him? By kneeling and
bowing before Him. And, while doing this, what else
should we do? Adore Him. Therefore we must adore
our Saviour in deep humility. The real presence of our
Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament requires that we most
humbly adore Him. After benediction (the blessing of
Jesus) the Blessed Sacrament is replaced in the tabernacle.

Jesus dwells in the Blessed Sacrament. Here our Sav-
iour dwells among us. Here He has His own house among
the houses of the people. He lives in our midst as a

432 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

friendly neighbor, who came from afar off. And as in the
earthly paradise men could converse with God, so now we
can come near the tabernacle to converse with our loving
Saviour. He remains near us day and night, and will not
leave us ; so greatly does He love us.

The prayer of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. What
does our Saviour do in the Blessed Sacrament in the taber-
nacle? He looks with His all-seeing eye on all who are
in the church ; He looks at them, when they leave the
church ; He looks at all who remain at home ; He looks
also at the graveyard where so many crosses mark the
places where lie the dead. And our Saviour extends His
hands over all, and prays for them, for the living and the
dead, blessing all ; He never tires praying and blessing.
He watches over all. When all are asleep, our Saviour
watches, prays and blesses always. No one can pray so
well as our Saviour. He prays best of all, and that so
quietly.

The frequent znsit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Have you not some quiet evening entered the church and
seen a little red light glittering and trembling? That is
the light of the sanctuary lamp always burning before the
tabernacle. It is like the bright star that guided the
Magi on the way to Bethlehem, and stood still when they
reached the stable. What did the Magi learn from this?
That the Saviour, newly born, was in there. And when
you see that little glittering red light in the church, what
do you conclude ? Is it not that it is there that our Saviour
dwells, watches and prays? Does it not say to you with
its fiery little tongue : " Here in the Blessed Sacrament
your Lord and God, your best Friend is continually
present " ?

People love to go often to visit their good friends, and
this sometimes every day or even several times a day.
And are you not glad to go and see your uncle, your aunt,
etc., especially if they always give you something good?

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 433

Therefore, what should you do in reference to our Saviour,
who is your best friend? Visit Him often. That is what
that little lamp tells you, whose light you can see from
outside glittering and trembling on the windows of the
church. That light tells you : " Oh, come to your Saviour
in the Blessed Sacrament, and do not let Him remain al-
ways alone." And our Saviour Himself desires your com-
pany; for He waits day and night for you to come. He
says to each of you : " I am thy God. Oh, come to Me
and visit Me." Should you not rejoice to be permitted
to visit our Saviour? Nowhere are you more welcome
than in church. You should like it as much as your own
home. If you are long absent from home, how glad you
are to go back to your dear father and mother. In like
manner should you not be glad to be able to go to Jesus?

On which day should you always visit our dear Lord
in church? Every Sunday. Especially at holy Mass.
And at what other time? Which is the best time on week
days for doing so? You may visit our Lord during the
day, even when there is no divine service in church. Could
you not, when passing before a church, step in for a while
and pay a short visit to Jesus ? Could you not do the same
when you have free time for yourself? Our Saviour is
always there at home and always has time to listen to you.
If you enter the church during the day, you will often find
nobody in the church. You are then alone with Jesus.
How friendly and lovely does it not seem in church ! You
can then speak confidently to our Lord, and open your
heart to Him.

What then should urge you often to go into the church?
The real presence of our Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament,
which is in the church. Because Jesus is really there, we
should often visit Him.

The adoration full of the most intimate love. On enter-
ing the church, be sure to make a genuflexion. The genu-
flexion is the greeting we owe to our Saviour. In what

434 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

direction do you look when you genuflect? Towards the
tabernacle. Do not make the genuflexion like the old
people who can no longer bend down. How far should
your knee go down, when you genuflect to our Saviour?
Down to the floor (ground). You then go to kneel in
your place. It is not becoming to sit down before our
Saviour. This may be done only during the sermons and
instructions. It is much less becoming to talk, laugh, etc.,
in presence of the Blessed Sacrament. To do so is very
irreverent. The Lord is in His own house ; let the whole
world be silent before Him.

When you have knelt down in your place, make an act
of adoration, saying : " O Jesus, I believe that Thou art
really present here in thy church ; I adore Thee as my Lord
and my God, as my loving Saviour." Then you may con-
tinue, saying : " O my dear Saviour, I have come to visit
Thee, and to tell Thee how much I love Thee. How
happy I am in being now near Thee. How glad I would
be, if I could now receive Thee into my heart. How I long
to receive Thee ; but since I cannot now do so sacrament-
ally, come spiritually into my heart. O dear Infant Jesus,
deign to come now into my heart. I embrace Thee, as if
Thou wast already there ; I unite myself to Thee ; permit
me not to be separated from Thee." Then pray Jesus
to grant you certain graces you desire for yourself, your
parents, and all who are dear to you.

What holy boy was so fond of praying in church before
the tabernacle? St. Stanislaus. There was his favorite
place. How long would Stanislaus remain kneeling before
the tabernacle? In what direction was he always looking?
He never grew tired of adoring our Saviour in the Blessed
Sacrament. What did he then feel in his heart towards
our Saviour? How could people perceive exteriorly the
love St. Stanislaus bore in his heart towards our Saviour?
His face was resplendent with joy. In a word, St. Stanis-
laus adored our Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament with

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 435

the deepest love. You should also do the same, when you
visit our Saviour in the tabernacle. If you from your
inmost heart pray there to our Lord, your heart will beat
and your face will brighten, like the face and heart of St.
Stanislaus. How then will you adore our divine Saviour?
With the deepest love. Why should you do so? Because
our Saviour is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, and
His presence therein demands this of us. Prayer is the
most beautiful thing in the world. Nowhere can we pray
better than before the tabernacle, for therein is the eye of
God, the very heart of God. The Saviour looks at you,
and you look at the Saviour.

Summary. What does the presence of Jesus Christ in
the Blessed Sacrament demand of us? That we should
often visit Him and most profoundly, humbly and lovingly
adore Him.

Application — The feast of Corpus Christi; the feast
of the Blessed Sacrament. How is the feast of Corpus
Christi celebrated in Catholic countries? Once a year our
divine Saviour comes out of His dwelling in the tabernacle.
He allows Himself to be carried in procession through the
streets. A beautifully embroidered silk canopy represent-
ing heaven is carried above our Lord in the Blessed Sacra-
ment by the best and most prominent men of the place or
parish. The others accompany with lighted candles. Girls
dressed in white form a kind of wreath around our Sav-
iour. At the head of the procession is the cross; then
follow the children, the women, the men, then the altar
boys ; then little girls dressed in white each with a basket
of flowers to scatter them on the way before our Lord ;
then some altar boys with bells, others with censers to
incense the Blessed Sacrament; finally the canopy under
which the priest carries the monstrance, exposing our Sav-
iour in the sacred Host to view, having on each side of
him the deacon and the subdeacon, all clothed in the most
beautiful and costly vestments. The procession passes

436 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

through the streets and alongside the houses all covered
with beautiful arches and decorations. During the proces-
sion beautiful hymns are sung by the faithful. Along the
route of the procession several altars, or repositories, as
they are called, have been erected and grandly decorated.
When the Blessed Sacrament arrives at a repository, there
is a halt, and the priest places the monstrance containing
our Saviour on the repository, and all kneel down wherever
they are. The hymn and prayers for benediction are sung,
and then the priest gives benediction to all with the Blessed
Sacrament. After this the procession is resumed until the
next repository is reached, where the same ceremonies are
repeated. After leaving the last repository, the procession
returns to the church where benediction with the Blessed
Sacrament is given with the usual ceremonies. Then the
grand hymn of thanksgiving, the Te Deum is sung. When
this is over, the Blessed Sacrament is replaced by the priest
in the tabernacle. Such is the grand Corpus Christi pro-
cession, in which Catholics publicly manifest their lively
faith in and their deepest love for Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE, AND, AT THE
SAME TIME, AN INSTRUCTION FOR THE FIRST

CONFESSION.

8. The Institution of the Sacrament of Penance.

Preparation — God alone can forgive sins. i. Who
commands in your house? What must the children do,
when their parents command them something? Who com-
mands or makes laws in a country? What must the people
then do? Who commands in heaven and on earth? Al-
mighty God. When God commands, what must men do?
How many commandments has God given ?

2. When a child does not obey his father, it pains his

GOD FORGIVES SINS 437

father. The child then pains, offends his father. What
does a child do to God, when he disobeys God? And
what does the child then commit? How does a father feel
towards a disobedient child? Displeased, angry. How is
God disposed towards the sinner? What does a child de-
serve for disobeying his father? What does the sinner
deserve for disobeying God? What punishment does the
sinner deserve for a venial sin? And for a mortal sin?

3. Let us suppose that Charles has offended his father.
But Charles is sorry for it, and is anxious that his father
should again become pleased with him. What must
Charles then say to his father? But Charles goes to his
mother and says to her : ' Mother, please forgive me for
having offended my father." But his mother replies :
" You must not come to me for that, but you must go to
father." Why does Charles' mother send him to his father
to beg pardon for his fault? Because Charles offended
his father. His mother cannot forgive him for having
offended his father. Only he can forgive who has been
offended.

Whom do we offend when we commit sin? From whom
then must the sinner obtain forgiveness?

I. Object. I will now show you that God forgives sins.

Development. Who were the first to commit sin on
earth? What did they thereby do to God? How was God
disposed towards them on this account? God was angry
with them and punished them for it. What did they lose
in their soul by their sin? Whose children did they cease
to be ? Where could they no longer go ? Where were they
no longer to remain? Where would their soul have gone
after their death? But our first parents wished to obtain
the forgiveness of their sin. Who could alone forgive their
sin? What had they to say to God in order to obtain it?
And they really did this. They asked God to forgive them.
How must they have silently asked this of God? God then
had mercy on them. He promised them a Redeemer, and

438 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

forgave their sin. The heavenly Father really sent the
promised Redeemer. Who is it? Jesus Christ, the Son
of God.

II. Object. I will show you to-day that the Redeemer,
when on earth, forgave sins.

Relation. One day Jesus was teaching in a house at
Capharnaum. The house was full of people listening to
Him. Four men were carrying a paralytic in his bed ;
they laid him down before Jesus. They believed that
Jesus would cure him. When Jesus saw their faith, he
said to the paralytic : " Son, be of good heart ; thy sins
are forgiven thee." Our Saviour wished also to cure him.
Therefore He said to him : " Arise, take up thy bed, and
go home." The paralytic was cured by these words ; he
rose, took up his bed and went home.

Consideration — The sickness in soul and body.
Where was Jesus teaching on a certain day? A paralytic
lived in Capharnaum. A paralytic is a man who is very
sick, and can neither walk nor stand. No doctor could
cure that paralytic. This paralytic had got his sickness as
a punishment for his sins. His soul, on account of his
sins had become more sick than even his body. How then
was he sick? When the paralytic heard that Jesus was
in the city, he hoped that Jesus would cure him. How did
he come to Jesus? Where did those four men place him?

The contrition of the paralytic. When the paralytic was
lying down in front of Jesus and gazed on the sacred face
of Jesus, he at once thought of his many sins. He reflected
on how he had, by his sins, grievously offended God, and
this thought pained him in his heart more than his bodily
pains. He was very sorry for his sins.

The forgiveness of sins. Our Saviour knew why the
paralytic had got so sick. He saw also how sorry he was
for his sins, because they offended God. Our Saviour
consoled him. What did He say to him ? At that moment
the soul of the paralytic was purified of all its sins, and was

GOD FORGIVES SINS 439

clothed with a bright garment. Which garment do I mean ?
God and the angels were pleased with him. And whose
child did he become? And where would he be allowed to go
later on?

The remission of the eternal punishment. What would
have become of the paralytic, if he had died in his sins?
The devils had already been waiting a long time, to draw
his soul down into the abyss of hell, to bury it in the fire.
For how long? That would have been the eternal punish-
ment for his sins. The eternal punishment accompanies
mortal sin just as the shadow accompanies the child. A
child stands in the sunlight. What does he see alongside
of him? His shadow. He goes away; what accompanies
him? His shadow accompanies him wherever he goes.
But if he gets away from the sunlight, what leaves him?
His shadow. The same is the case with the eternal pun-
ishment of hell. So long as there is a mortal sin in the soul
of a child, the eternal punishment of hell stands alongside
of him, and it follows him, just like the shadow follows
the body. But when mortal sin is removed from the soul,
what is it that is also removed? The eternal punishment
of hell. What did our Lord forgive or remit to the para-
lytic besides his sins? The eternal punishment of hell.

The remission of the temporal punishment. But the par-
alytic's body also was sick. What did our Saviour say to
him about it? What did the paralytic do at once? Why
had God sent him his sickness? Sickness was, therefore,
a punishment for his sins. How long would his sickness
have naturally lasted? Until his death. That is, only for a
time. A punishment that lasts only for a time, is called a
temporal punishment. What kind of punishment was the
sickness of the paralytic? What kind of punishment did
our Lord remit to him, when He cured him of his sickness ?
The temporal punishment.

Summary. Tell me what did our Saviour remit to the
paralytic? 1, His sins; 2, the eternal punishment due to

440 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

his sins; 3, the temporal punishment of his sins. And
what gift did He bestow on his soul? Whose child did
he become? And where had he the right to go?

Application. How light and glad that man must have
felt when on his way home! Everything had been for-
given him. He was cured, and his soul was wonderfully
beautiful. There was peace and happiness in his soul.
And he was resolved : " I will nevermore in my life com-
mit sin."

Transition. In like manner, our Saviour forgave the
sins of many others, when He was still on earth. But He
willed that, after His Ascension until the end of the world,
men should be able to have their sins forgiven.

III. Object. I will now tell you how this is done.

Preparation. I have told you how Charles had to ask
his father to forgive him, that his father might again be
pleased with him. Why could not his mother forgive him
his disobedience? Who has the right to forgive? Now
suppose Charles' father says to his mother : " Charles has
greatly offended me this day. I have remarked that he is
sorry for it. If he comes to you and says that he is sorry
for it, you may, in my place, forgive him." What power
or commission had Charles' father given his mother? May
not his mother in that case forgive him? Yes. Why?
Because she received the power to do so from his father.
In whose place then does his mother forgive him? His
father could have empowered Charles' grandfather or
grandmother to forgive him. Who then could also have
forgiven him? His father, and every one whom his father
would have empowered to do so. Who can alone forgive
sins ? God.

Object. I will now relate to you how our Saviour gave
the apostles the power also to forgive sins.

Relation. On the evening of the day of the resurrec-
tion of Jesus, His apostles were assembled together in a
room in Jerusalem. For fear of the Jews they had locked

POWER TO FORGIVE SINS 441

the doors. Suddenly Jesus stood in their midst and said:
" Peace be to you. It is I ; fear not." The apostles were
glad to see our Lord. Jesus again said : " Peace be
to you. As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you."
When He had said this He breathed on them, and said to
them : " Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you
shall forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you
shall retain, they are retained." And then He disappeared.

Consideration — Our Saviour imparts to the apostles
the power of forgiving sins. Where were the apostles
assembled in the evening? On what day was it? On the
day of His resurrection. Who stood suddenly among
them? What did our Saviour say to them? The apostles
were glad to see our Lord. What did Jesus say the second
time to the apostles ? And what did He add ? " As the
Father hath sent Me," etc. For what had our Saviour
been sent into the world? To redeem men from sin. He
did this. How? By dying on the cross. What did He
merit on the cross for us ? Grace. Through grace our sins
can be forgiven.

Our Saviour willed that men should obtain the forgive-
ness of their sins through the apostles. Therefore He
breathed on them, and what did He say to them? Whom
did Jesus breathe into the apostles ? What words did Jesus
add? "Whose sins (the sins of those men whom) you
shall forgive," etc.

What does Charles' father empower his mother to do,
if Charles comes to her and tells her he is sorry for hav-
ing disobeyed father? What power did his father give to
his mother? In whose place, then, does his mother for-
give him? In this case the mother's forgiveness is just
as good as if his father had himself forgiven him. When
our Saviour said to the apostles : " Whose sins you shall
forgive, they are forgiven them " ; He gave them a power,
that is, the power to forgive sins in His place. Where-
fore, when the apostles said to some one : " Your sins are

442 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

forgiven you," they were as truly forgiven, as if our Sav-
iour Himself had said it to him.

What did Jesus say to the paralytic, when He forgave
him his sins? And what happened, when Jesus had said
this? The apostles could do the very same thing, after
Jesus had said to them : ' Whose sins," etc. By these
words He gave the apostles the power to forgive sins. In
whose place did the apostles forgive sins? The apostles
forgave sins in the place of God.

Our Saviour empowered the apostles to retain sins. Our
Saviour did not merely say to the apostles, " whose sins you
shall forgive shall be forgiven them," but he also added :
" And whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."

Now suppose that Bertha and her brother Francis have
each badly burnt one of their hands. The physician wishes
to put a poultice on their hands, which at first will cause
them pain. Bertha submits and her hand soon gets healed.
But Francis, feeling pain, tears off the plaster from his
hand. The doctor puts it on again. But Francis at once
pulls it off again. Then the doctor says to him : " You
can keep your sore hand " ; and then the doctor departs.
Whose hand has the doctor rid of its soreness? Bertha's.
And to whose hand did he leave its soreness?

The same applies to sins. When the apostles said to
some one : " Thy sins are retained," what was the effect
of these words? Therefore to retain sins means not to
take them away, not to forgive them. What power did
our Saviour give His apostles, when He said : " Whose
sins you shall retain, they are retained"? When the apos-
tles retained the sins of some one, his sins were not for-
given. What the apostles would not forgive, God would
not forgive either.

When did Jesus give to His apostles the power of for-
giving and retaining men's sins? After His resurrection.
How did He give them that power? He breathed on them
and said, etc. When our Saviour did and said this, He

POWER TO FORGIVE SINS 443

instituted the sacrament of penance. On what day was
that?

Priests also can forgive sins. What power did our
Saviour give His apostles at the Last Supper? To whom
was this power transmitted? When do bishops and priests
exercise this power? In like manner the power of for-
giving and retaining men's sins has been transmitted from
the apostles to bishops and priests. But they cannot do
this in their own name. But in whose place have they
this power? In which sacrament do they exercise this
power? What, then, is the sacrament of penance? It is
a sacrament in which the priest in the place of God forgives
sins.

All sins can be forgiven. You have already received a
sacrament in which a sin was forgiven you. Which sacra-
ment is it? Which sin was forgiven in the sacrament of
baptism? What other sins besides does baptism forgive a
grown person? But if, after baptism, a person commits
a mortal sin, that person cannot have it forgiven by baptism,
for baptism can be administered not more than once. And
yet a man's mortal sins committed after baptism must be
forgiven to enable him to keep out of hell. Wherefore our
Saviour instituted another sacrament to forgive the sins
committed after baptism. Which sacrament is it? What
sins are forgiven by the sacrament of penance? The sins
committed after baptism.

Who was it that believed his sins were so great, that God
would not forgive him? Cain. Judas also believed that
his sin was so great that God would not forgive him. But
that is not true. Our Saviour forgave the sins of the par-
alytic, of St. Peter, of the robber and murderer on the
cross. Cain and Judas could also have obtained the for-
giveness of theirs. God is goodness itself, and is willing
to forgive. He forgives all sins, even the most grievous.
Which sins are forgiven in the sacrament of baptism?
Which sins can be forgiven in the sacrament of penance?

444 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

In the sacrament of penance the eternal punishment is
remitted. What punishment does mortal sin draw upon
the sinner? The endless punishment of hell. What pun-
ishment does venial sin draw upon the sinner? A tem-
poral punishment either in this world or in purgatory.
What did our Saviour remit to the paralytic together with
his sins? In like manner, in the sacrament of penance the
endless punishment of hell is remitted together with the
sins.

In the sacrament of penance at least a part of the tem-
poral punishment is remitted with the sins. What punish-
ment still remained to the paralytic after our Saviour had
remitted his sins and their endless punishment? The
temporal punishment. What did our Saviour do also with
the temporal punishment due to the paralytic? He remitted
it also. In like manner, in the sacrament of penance the
temporal punishment is remitted, but not always all of it.
But a part of the temporal punishment is always remitted
in the sacrament of penance.

In the sacrament of penance there is imparted grace and
the childship of God. W'hat was imparted to the soul of
the paralytic when Jesus forgave his sins? The garment
of sanctifying grace. Whose child did he then become?
And where could he later on go? The same thing happens
to the sinner in the sacrament of penance. In it sanctify-
ing grace is imparted to his soul, he becomes a child of
God, and has the right to go to heaven. What is remitted
to the sinner in the sacrament of penance? i, 2, 3. What
does he receive in his soul? What does he become?
Where has he the right to go after his death?

We must be sorry for our sins. But not all receive these
great graces in the sacrament of penance. The priest has
not only the power to remit sins, but also the power to
retain them. Why did our Saviour remit the sins of the
paralytic? Because he was sorry for them. What would
our Saviour have done, if the paralytic had not been sorry

NECESSITY OF CONFESSION 445

for his sins? He would not have remitted them, but He
would have retained them. The priest acts in like manner
in the sacrament of penance. Whose sins does he retain?
Whose sins does he forgive? Only the sins of those who
are sorry for them.

We must confess our sins. The priest must know our
sins before he can forgive them. He cannot see the heart
of the sinner. Therefore what must we do, that the priest
may know our sins? We must tell them, confess them.
To whom must we confess our sins ? And where must we
confess them? Thus did our Lord command when He
instituted the sacrament of penance. What must we do to
have our sins forgiven in the sacrament of penance? We
must confess our sins. Wrhy must we confess our sins
in order to obtain their forgiveness? Because Jesus com-
manded this, when He instituted the sacrament of penance.

Summary. What must the sinner do to obtain the for-
giveness of his sins from the priest? He must be sorry
for them and confess them. In which sacrament does the
priest forgive sins? In whose place does he do this?
What, then, is the sacrament of penance? It is the sacra-
ment in which the priest, holding God's place, forgives sins,
if the sinner is truly sorry for them and sincerely confesses
them and has the will to make satisfaction for them.
(N. B. This will be explained later on.) When did Christ
confer the power to forgive sins? After His resurrection
when He breathed on His apostles, and said : " Receive ye
the Holy Ghost. Whose sins," etc. Can all sins be for-
given? Yes, all sins committed after baptism can be for-
given. Why must we confess our sins to obtain their
forgiveness? Because Christ so ordered it when He in-
stituted the sacrament of penance.

Application, i. Suppose that you would now make
your first confession. You enter the church. There are
two confessionals. In one the priest sits, and in the other
St. Peter. Now which of them can better forgive sins?

446 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

The one can do it as well as the other. Now suppose there
was a third confessional, in which Jesus Christ Himself is
seated. Which of the three can best forgive sins? Why
can Jesus Christ forgive sins? Because He is God. Why
can the apostles forgive sins? Why can bishops do so?
Why can priests do so? Because Jesus gave them the
power. When did Christ breathe on them to give them this
power? What is the Holy Ghost? What is Christ also?
Who forgives sins through the apostles, the bishops and
priests? Who then can alone forgive sins?

2. Can your father or mother forgive sins? Can an
angel forgive sins? Why can they not do so? From
whom has the priest the power to forgive sins? From
whom has the bishop that power? From whom have all
the bishops that power? From whom have the apostles?
Which sacrament do they administer in forgiving sins?

3. How badly off would men be, if Christ had not in-
stituted the sacrament of penance? Nearly all men fall
into sin after their baptism, and how many of them would
be cast into hell ! Also all of you have already committed
sin. Perhaps there is one among you who has already
committed a mortal sin. How you should then thank God
for instituting the sacrament of penance, by which your
sins can be forgiven. Say with me : ' My dear Jesus, I
thank Thee from my heart for having instituted the sacra-
ment of penance for us poor sinners." Rejoice at the
thought that vou shall soon be admitted to go to confession.

9. The Examination of Conscience.

1. Preparation — Conscience. Which commandment
did God give to our first parents? Did they keep this
commandment? What did they commit by breaking it?
After this they were afraid of God. How do you know
this? And how do you know it also from the words of
Adam? The hearts of the first men beat out of fear. A

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 447

voice in their heart said to them : " Alas ! what have you
done? You disobeyed God." This voice in their hearts
was their conscience.

When Cain had killed his brother, he also heard a voice.
What did that voice say to him? You are a murderer.
What voice was that? In like manner, every man has a
conscience that tells, or reproaches him, when he has done
evil. You conscience, like that of Cain, tells you when
you have committed any evil. How does it speak to you?
This happens every time you do anything bad. If you
would go to confession on the same day, you would remem-
ber that sin very easily. But some days later your con-
science could not so easily tell you your sin immediately.
Why? You would have forgotten it. And how would it
be, if you had committed many sins, and had to confess only
a long time after? Children know their catechism well at
home after studying it. But when they have to recite it
the next day in school, many do not know it any more.
What must you do to remember it? Reflect a little on it.

Object. I will now tell you what you have to do to
remember your sins.

2. Development — Reflect. What reproaches you every
time you commit a sin ? The conscience. Whom must you
ask when you wish to know again your sins? Conscience.
But it may happen that your conscience will not immedi-
ately tell you all your sins. Why? Because we have for-
gotten them. What must you do to remember the cate-
chism lesson which you have forgotten? Try to call it to
mind. What must you do to cause your conscience to tell
you your sins again? Call them to mind, or reflect. But
perhaps your conscience will not be able to tell you your
sins again. For it no longer knows them all. Who could
tell a child many of the sins he committed at home? Father
and mother. Who, then, can help a child to find out his
sins? But his parents could not tell them all to him. Why
not? Who could tell a child many of the sins he com-

448 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

mitted in school? But not all. Why not? Because he
does not know all.

The Holy Ghost has to help. Who knows all things?
Who knows also all the sins, which a child's conscience
reproached him with? God. Who can then tell a child
all the sins he committed? God has, then, to help you to
find out all your sins. Now what must we do, if we wish
to have something from God? Pray. Wherefore, if you
wish God to help you to find out your sins, you must pray
to God. And, indeed, you must pray to the Holy Ghost
to enlighten you, that you may find out all your sins. For
this repeat this little prayer : " O God the Holy Ghost,
deign to give me light, love and sorrow, that I may find out
and detest my sins, in order to confess them sincerely. O
Blessed Virgin Mary, help me to make a good confession.
My dear Guardian Angel, help me to call to mind all my
sins." (Rehearse.)

Seeking stains on one's dress. For what do we pray the
Holy Ghost to help us? To find out our sins. Now sup-
pose that Bertha wore her fine white dress for the first
time in the Corpus Christi procession. In the afternoon
she played with other children, and ran against a wagon ;
her fine dress was torn and covered with black spots. She
saw it at once, and began to cry, saying : " Oh, my beauti-
ful white dress ! " But soon she forgot all about it, for
she was too busy playing, and her dress got a few more
black spots. After this she became reckless, and no longer
cared if her dress became all covered with black spots.
But when she came home, her mother saw the big black
spot and the hole in the dress. Her mother said : " Oh,
what a big black spot on your dress ! How did that hap-
pen ? " Bertha knew it yet.

Making light. Now her mother wishes to see if there
is anything else the matter with the dress. But it was al-
ready dark. What does she do? She lights a lamp, and
sees more black spots. She asks Bertha : " Where do all

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 449

those other spots come from ? " But Bertha did not know
about all of them.

The serious examination. Now Bertha's mother exam-
ined the dress all over, carefully and minutely, till she
found every spot on the dress. How did Bertha's mother
examine the dress?

The stained garment of the soul. We have all received
in baptism a much more beautiful dress for our soul than
Bertha's fine white dress. Which dress, or garment, do I
mean ? The white garment of sanctifying grace. Oh, how
beautiful was your soul in that splendid garment! The
angels gazed at it with love and amazement. And the
heavenly Father Himself, full of joy over it, said to the
angels : " See, that is My beloved child, in whom I am
well pleased."

What happens to the soul's splendid garment through
mortal sin? And at once the soul's splendor is gone, and
its garment is torn. And every time another mortal sin is
committed, a fresh stain is added and a fresh hole is made.
And thus is the soul's garment entirely soiled and torn.
The soul has lost its splendor and it has become dark and
gloomy.

The invocation of the Holy Ghost in order to obtain light
for the mind. Now you have to find out your sins in the
dark and gloomy soul. What must it first become, that you
may see everything clearly? It must become light. What
did Bertha's mother do in order to be able to see in the dark
room? But we cannot make light in our soul in the usual
way. Wherefore we pray to the Holy Ghost to enlighten
our soul, saying : " O Holy Ghost, deign to enlighten me
that I may find out all my sins."

Enlightening our mind. After praying for light to the
Holy Ghost, He will give us light to see into our soul and
find out our sins. What then can we see? The spots and
holes in the garment of our soul.

Serious reflection. W'hich spot did Bertha's mother first

450 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

notice on her dress? In like manner, we find out the big-
gest spots more easily in our soul. How had Bertha's
mother to examine her dress to find out all the spots in her
dress? Seriously and carefully. We must seriously and
carefully seek the spots in our soul, and we shall then know
all our sins.

The examination of conscience. What told you immedi-
ately each time that the garment of your soul was torn or
soiled? Conscience. Whom should we then ask which
sins have caused all those spots and rents (holes) in the
garment of our soul ? Our conscience. But our conscience
cannot immediately tell us. What must we do to enable
our conscience to tell us the sins we have committed? We
must reflect over our sins, examine our conscience, and
this carefully and seriously. Our conscience will then tell
us. This is called the examination of conscience. What
is the examination of conscience? To examine our con-
science means to reflect earnestly on what sins we have
committed. Who has to help us to examine our conscience ?
In what way is He to help us?

What should we do to obtain the help of the Holy Ghost ?
Invoke Him, when we are beginning the examination of our
conscience. How then should we begin the examination of
our conscience? By invoking the Holy Ghost. What is it
that we cannot do without the light of His grace? With-
out the light of His grace we cannot rightly know our sins.

The heart must be moved to be rightly sorry for sin.
The paralytic first properly acknowledged his sins, when
Jesus cast on him His gracious look. This kind, sorrow-
ful look of Jesus deeply penetrated the soul of the paralytic.
He then felt how hateful and ugly sin is, and how greatly
it offends God. Thus his heart was entirely moved. It
seemed to him as if a sharp instrument had deeply pierced
his heart and made a deep wound in it. Oh, how it burnt
him and pained him! What did he then feel in his heart?
Sorrow, grief and contrition. For what? What did our

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 451

Saviour then do, since He saw him so sorry for his
sins?

If you wish to obtain the forgiveness of your sins, it is
not enough for you to know your sins, but you must also,
like the paralytic, reflect how grievously you have offended
God, and how ugly your sin has made your soul. What
will you then feel in your heart for your sins? Contrition.
That you may feel it, you need the help of the Holy Ghost.
Therefore say to Him : " O Holy Ghost, deign to move
my heart, that I may be duly sorry for my sins."

The heart moved to make a sincere confession. When
a child has real contrition for his sins, he is fit to make his
confession. But many children are greatly afraid of con-
fession. They need the help of the Holy Ghost that con-
fession may not be too difficult for them. Therefore they
should pray : " O Holy Ghost, move my heart that I may
sincerely confess my sins."

The heart should be moved to amend. If a child wishes
God to forgive his sins, he must do one thing more. He
must, like the paralytic, be resolved nevermore to commit
sin, and to become better and more devout, and to amend.
For this he needs again the help of the Holy Ghost. There-
fore he should say : " O Holy Ghost, move my heart, that
I really amend my life." For which things do we need
help of the Holy Ghost? 1 . . ., 2 . . ., 3 . . ., 4 . . .
What is it that we cannot do without the grace of the
Holy Ghost? I, Know our sins; 2, be duly sorry for
them ; 3, confess them sincerely ; and 4, amend our life, that
is, do better in the future. If we would fail in these mat-
ters, we could not have our sins forgiven, and our soul
would remain sick or spiritually dead. And where is a
soul denied by a mortal sin unable to go? To heaven.
Such a soul cannot obtain salvation.

3. Summary. We should begin the examination of our
conscience by invoking the Holy Ghost, for without His
grace we can neither know our sins, nor be sorry for them,

452 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

nor confess them properly as is necessary for our salva-
tion. How should we invoke the Holy Ghost ? " Come,
O Holy Ghost, enlighten my mind, that I may know my
sins well, move my heart, that I may be duly sorry for
them, sincerely confess them, and really amend my life."
To examine our conscience means to reflect on what sins
we have committed.

4. Application. You should from now daily recite an
Our Father to the Holy Ghost, that He may teach you how
to make a good confession. Do this after your night
prayers. You can say each time : " I will now say one
Our Father to the Holy Ghost, that He may help me to
make a good confession."

What should you do daily? When is the best time to
do it? What should you say each time before the Our
Father? Begin this very evening. I will, in a few days,
ask you whether you have done it.'

10. A practical Examination of Conscience.

Preparation. After invoking the Holy Ghost you
should begin by reflecting on your sins. Wherefrom have
you learned about the sins that we can commit ? From the
commandments of God. From which other command-
ments, or precepts? And you have learned also about
seven other sins. Which are they? The seven capital sins.
In how many ways are sins committed? In thought, word
and deed, and omission.

I.

Object. Let us enumerate the sins which we have
learned against the commandments of God.

1.. Which is the first commandment of God? Of what
are we reminded by the first commandment? Of prayer.
Which sins can we commit with regard to prayer? He
sins, first, who does not say or omits to pray every day, for

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 453

it is an omission of what we are bound to do. Secondly,
he sins who does not pray devoutly.

2. Which is the second commandment of God? Of what
are we reminded by the second commandment? Of the
name of God. Which sins in word can be committed with
regard to the name of God? He sins against the holy
name of God, first, who pronounces it without respect ;
secondly, he who curses; thirdly, he who swears without
necessity.

3. Which is the third commandment of God? Of what
are we reminded by the third commandment? Of Sunday.
What good action are we obliged to perform on Sunday?
What kind of sin can be committed by omitting the good
action commanded on Sunday ? Wrhen we by our own fault
omit to hear Mass. What sins can be committed in the
church? By irreverence in church.

4. WThich is the fourth commandment of God? On what
do we think with regard to the fourth commandment? Of
parents and superiors. How can sins be committed against
parents and superiors? First, he who behaves disrespect-
fully or insolently towards them. Secondly, he who pains
or angers them. Thirdly, he who obeys them badly or dis-
obeys them.

5. Which is the fifth commandment of God? Of what
are we reminded by the fifth commandment? Of our
neighbor. How can we sin against the body of our neigh-
bor? First, in words by insulting or mocking him. Sec-
ondly, in actions by striking him. How can we sin against
the soul of our neighbor? By leading him to sin.

6 and 9. Which is the sixth commandment of God? Of
what are we reminded by the sixth commandment? Of the
vice of impurity. How are sins committed through im-
purity? He commits such a sin who wilfully thinks on
impure things ; also he who talks of impure things, and
he who wilfully looks on impure things, or listens to im-
pure talk, or who does impure actions.

454 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

7 and 10. Which is the seventh commandment of God?
Of what are we reminded by the seventh commandment?
Of what belongs to our neighbor. How are sins com-
mitted in reference to our neighbor's goods ? In actions ;
by pilfering; stealing money at home; stealing things be-
longing to others; keeping articles found; injuring or de-
stroying the goods of others. Also in thought, by the
intention or attempt to steal.

8. Which is the eighth commandment of God? Of what
does the eighth commandment remind us? Of lying. In
what can sins be committed against the eighth command-
ment? In words by telling lies, by detraction, by slander.
In works by hypocrisy.

Let us now enumerate the sins against the command-
ments (precepts) of the Church. Wre have already enu-
merated the sins against the first commandment of the
Church in the third commandment of God. The second
commandment of the Church requires us to keep the days
of abstinence. Which are they? How can we sin against
this commandment of the Church? By wilfully and without
necessity eating meat on Fridays and other abstinence days.
He who is over seven years of age and does not go to confes-
sion at least once a year, sins against the third command-
ment of the Church. (Attention may be called also to the
Easter Communion in as far as the Decree Qiiam singular i
of Pope Pius X renders it obligatory on children who have
attained the use of reason.)

Which are the capital sins? How can we sin thereby?
I, By being proud; 2, covetous; 3, envious, rejoicing at the
misfortunes of our neighbor ; 4, excess in eating and drink-
ing; 5, anger; 6, sloth. Nothing more to be said about
impurity. Why ?

II.

(N. B. All that is here included in brackets may, if nec-
essary, be omitted. — This whole division II is not abso-

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 455

lutely necessary. But if it can be given to the children,
the time and care devoted to it will surely produce good
fruit. Here the children are individually furnished with
practical directions how to make a full confession. This
will overcome the tendency for making mechanical confes-
sions. It is a difficult matter for children, even of the
highest classes to find out the mean or average number.
In their first confession only highly talented and conscien-
tious children are able to do it correctly. The object of
this practical training is to correct this quasi abuse.

(The first commandment should be circumstantially
treated and also take up some time in the confessional. If
the daily prayers are summarily treated, the children have
no clear perception of what they should confess. More-
over, the omission of the daily prayers is not always sinful.
Nevertheless they are made prominent in all the lists of
sins given for the examination of conscience. The reason
for this is that the conscience may be impressed with the
usefulness and advantages of regular prayer, because every-
thing depends on fervent prayer. This object cannot be
obtained by requiring merely a summary examination of con-
science on the daily prayers. Although, in reality, the young
children who are admitted to make their first confession, do
not easily fall into a mortal sin, they must be taught, how-
ever, in which cases certain sins are mortal, so that they
may confess them as mortal sins in such cases. To judge
about the grievousness of the penitent's sin belongs to the
confessor.)

Not every child, of course, commits all the sins we have
enumerated.

Object. I will now show how each child should act, in
order to find out his sins.

Development. If you wish to know how you look, you
have only to look into a mirror. And if you have spots
or stains in your face, you will see them. When you wish
to see how your soul looks, you have only to examine the

456 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

list of sins contained in the commandments of God and of
the Church, and the seven capital sins, and to examine one
after the other.

i. You must begin with the first commandment of God
and ask your conscience: Did I always say my daily
prayers? Which are the daily prayers? When your con-
science answers, yes, you know that for this question your
soul has no stain ; and then you have nothing to say about
this in confession. But if your conscience says, no, then
you know that you did not always say your daily prayers.
Next you must ask: How many times I did not say my
morning prayers every week? If you have not said your
morning prayers in a week, how many times have you
omitted them?

We say the morning prayers in school on every school
day, that is, every day in the week except Saturday and Sun-
day. Therefore, how many times every week have you
omitted your morning prayers? How many times in a
month? Eight times. But perhaps your conscience tells
you: I omitted my morning prayers on two Saturdays.
Then you must continue to reflect and ask yourself: Did I
omit my morning prayers twice a month all the time since
I knew I had to say morning prayers? If you think that
there was one month in which you omitted them three times,
and again another month, in which you omitted them only
once, you should not say in your confession : I omitted the
morning prayers twice in one month, three times in an-
other month, and once in another month. That would
make your confession too long. But you should prepare
yourself to make your confession in this way: I omitted
my morning prayers once or twice every month.

There is also the time of vacation, when there is no
school. Some children often forget to say their morning
prayers during vacation. You should then reflect how
many times a week during vacation you did not say your
morning prayers. When your conscience tells you: I

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 457

have omitted my morning prayers in one week twice, in
another four or five times, and in the last weeks of vacation,
I did not say any. You must then prepare yourself to con-
fess in this way : During vacation I omitted my morning
prayers every week from two to five times, and some weeks
I did not say any.

What then have you to observe concerning your morning
prayers in confession? First, during the time when there
was school. During that time I omitted my morning
prayers one to three times a month. Secondly, during
vacation I omitted my morning prayers every week from
three to five times, and some weeks I did not say them at
all.

You say your night prayers at home. In many families
the mother says night prayers with the children. The
children can easily remember if there were any evenings
when their mother did not say night prayers with them, and
then if, in such cases they said their night prayers alone.
If your mother sometimes did not say night prayers with
you, and you did not then say your night prayers alone,
you should reflect how often did that happen in a month.
If you find out that in one month you omitted them twice,
and three times in another month, how must you be pre-
pared to confess this? I omitted my night prayers about
two or three times a month.

But where the mother very seldom or never says night
prayers with the children, it can easily happen that the chil-
dren forget to say their night prayers almost every even-
ing. When your conscience tells you that you almost never
said your night prayers, you must prepare to say in con-
fession : I almost never said my night prayers. But if
your conscience tells you that you never said night prayers,
you must prepare to say in confession : I never said my
night prayers.

Which other prayers, besides morning and night prayers,
belong to the daily prayers? The Angelus and the prayers

458 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

before and after meals. How often is the Angelus said
every day? Three times. In the morning it is always
said in school. When the Angelus bell rings in the morn-
ing, you are asleep and do not hear it. But on Saturdays
and Sundays and during vacation you are not in the school.
Where then should you recite the Angelus? In many fam-
ilies the children recite the Angelus with their morning
prayers. But you omitted your prayers one morning.
Which prayer did you also omit? You then omit the
Angelus also when you omit your morning prayers. In
other families, in which the children do not say the Angelus
with their morning prayers, they probably always omit the
Angelus, since they are asleep when the Angelus bell rings.

At noon and in the evening you usually hear the Angelus
bell ring. Which of you are then obliged to go home to
say the Angelus aloud with the other members of the
family ? Those children always recite the Angelus. Those
children who do not go home to recite the Angelus, should
examine how many times a week they did not say the
Angelus.

And when it is not customary in a family to recite the
Angelus, those children know well that they have scarcely
ever said the Angelus. What must those children be pre-
pared to confess? I daily twice omitted saying the An-
gelus. And how often on Saturdays and Sundays and
during vacation?

You should also pray before and after your meals. The
same happens in this as in the Angelus. In those families
in which before and after meals all rise and say together
the prayers before and after meals, the children always say
those prayers. And in those families that do not pray in
common before and after meals, the children always omit
them. And what must those children tell about those
prayers in confession?

Summary. On what prayers should you examine your
conscience for the Sundays in vacation? On the morning

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 459

prayers and the Angelus in the morning. Which children
can know of themselves, if they have almost always said
the Angelus at noon and in the evening, and the prayers
at meals and the night prayers? Those children belonging
to the families that recite these prayers in common. And
which children easily know that they have not said the
Angelus at noon and in the evening, the prayers at meals
and the night prayers? Those children belonging to the
families that scarcely ever say these prayers in common.
Such children can easily find out the sins they committed
by omitting the prayers at meals, the Angelus and the night
prayers. What does their conscience tell them about this?
I have almost always omitted the Angelus, the prayers at
meals and night prayers.

But it is not enough to recite prayers, for we can pray
and yet commit a sin at prayer. Who knows how this is
done? Children who are fond of prayer, usually pray de-
voutly. But it may sometimes happen that they think on
other things while they are saying their prayers. They
should, in this case, prepare to confess this, saying: I have
sometimes prayed without attention. The children who are
not fond of prayer, usually pray without attention. How
should they prepare to confess this? I have often prayed
without attention.

Application. Resolve from this moment nevermore to
omit your prayers, and always to pray with attention. You
surely all wish to go to heaven. But he who wishes to go
to heaven, must pray well, for in heaven prayer is con-
tinual. He who does not pray, shall never go to heaven.

2. The second commandment is: Thou shalt not take
the name of the Lord thy God in vain. In examining your
conscience on the second commandment you must ask your-
self : Have I used the name of God, or of holy things
without reverence? Some children are accustomed to use
the word God, Lord, Jesus Christ, etc., without due respect ;
sometimes they do so ten, or twenty times a day.

460 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

Children should ask their conscience: Have I the habit
of using with levity, irreverently, the name of God, etc.?
If your conscience answers, yes, you must reflect and try
to find out about how many times you do this every day.
Suppose your conscience tells you, ten times a day. How
many fresh stains are there every day on your soul?
What, then, must you prepare to say in confession? I
have the habit of pronouncing irreverently (with levity)
the holy name about ten times every day. Some children
have not this bad habit. Nevertheless, they should ask
their conscience : How often do I daily pronounce the
holy name with levity? If their conscience tells them, once
or twice a day, what must they prepare to confess? If
your conscience says, Not every day ; then ask further :
How many times a week? Suppose your conscience re-
plies : Three times a week, what should you prepare to
confess ?

But cursing is far worse than pronouncing the holy name
irreverently. Children, who hear cursing at home, easily
acquire the habit of cursing. In examining your conscience
ask yourself if there is much cursing done at home. And
then ask your conscience: Have I already the habit of
cursing? If your conscience says, yes, then ask yourself:
How many times do I curse every day ? Suppose your con-
science answers: About three or four times. How many
fresh stains are there every day on your soul ? What must
you then prepare to confess?

Where there is no cursing or only a little cursing at
home, the children do not easily curse. But it might hap-
pen that such children cursed a few times. Now what must
such a child ask his conscience? Have I cursed? If his
conscience says, no, that child's conscience has no stain of
cursing on it. But perhaps he remembers having cursed
during his life once or twice. How must he prepare to
confess it?

On what other sin against the second commandment must

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 461

children examine their conscience? Unnecessary swearing.
Children do not so easily fall into this sin. Nevertheless,
you should ask yourself if you did not swear once or twice,
when perhaps a companion would not believe what you
said. And if you then swore, you must prepare to confess
it.

Summary. On which three sins against the second com-
mandment must you examine your conscience? How can
a child know beforehand if he often pronounced the holy
name with levity and often cursed?

Application. Be careful to find out whether you have
the habit of pronouncing the holy name with levity or of
cursing. Perhaps you have, and do not know it. And if
you catch yourself pronouncing again the holy name with
levity, or even cursing, say in your heart : " O dear Lord,
forgive me. Hallowed be Thy name." And each time
resolve : " I will never curse any more."

3. Which is the next commandment? The third.
Which sins are committed against the third commandment?
Feast days or Holydays of obligation must be kept like the
Sundays. What must you now ask your conscience?
Have I through my own fault missed Mass on Sundays
and Holydays? Have I behaved irreverently in church?

The children who always say their morning and night
prayers, and especially who are fond of praying, like also
to go to church. The children whose parents always send
them to Mass, will not easily miss Mass through their own
fault. Nevertheless, they should ask themselves, if perhaps
it happened once or twice that they missed Mass. The
children, who are not fond of prayer, and whose parents do
not send them to Mass, more easily miss Mass. How often
does that child miss Mass in a month, who never goes to
Mass? Four times.

Therefore ask yourselves : Have I missed Mass every
month? If your conscience answers, yes, ask again : How
many times every month? And then you must prepare to

462 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

confess the number of times you missed Mass every month.
But if your conscience tells you that you did not miss Mass
every month, you must try and find out about how many
times in a year. Remember the number of times for your
confession.

But even those can commit sin who go to Mass. How?
Those children who bring along their prayer-book and read
the Mass prayers in it, or who look at and follow the priest
at the altar, behave reverently. Yet they ought to ask
themselves, if they did not now and then talk or look
around during Mass ; and if they did, they should remember
how many times, that they may confess it. Those children
who bring no prayer-book to church, or who do not use it
during Mass, are usually irreverent in church. Also the
same can be said of those children who try to be always
near each other in church, for they do this in order to cut
up or misbehave. These children must ask themselves:
How often have I (daily) misbehaved in church? Did I
disturb others thereby? If your conscience tells you that
you did so (daily) five or ten times, or almost all the time,
you must remember to confess: I have (daily) misbe-
haved in church five, ten times, or nearly all the time, and
I sometimes also disturbed others.

Summary. Which children easily know that they never
or almost never missed Mass? Which children also easily
know that they have often missed Mass? Which children
know that they seldom misbehaved in church? Which
children know that they often or nearly always misbehave
in church?

Application. Resolve from now to behave as piously
and devoutly in church as St. Stanislaus.

4. Which is the next commandment? How do children
sin against their parents and superiors? What must you
now ask your conscience? The conscience of many chil-
dren tells them, yes, to every question. These children
must further ask themselves, how many times every day,

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 463

and if not every day, how many times every week, and they
should prepare to confess the number of times they have
committed each sin.

The conscience of some children does not say, yes, to each
of the three questions. There are many children who are
not impertinent towards their parents. They have no
stains of this sin on their soul, and therefore have no sin
of this kind to confess. Most of the sins of children
against their parents and superiors are not mortal sins.
But if a child has been very impertinent and stubborn
towards them, or greatly grieved or angered them, or been
very disobedient towards them, his sin is much greater.
That is a circumstance which makes the sin, not a venial
sin, but a mortal sin. Such a child must, therefore, ask
himself how many times he was very impertinent and stub-
born, very disobedient, and prepare to confess it : I have
been very impertinent, stubborn, disobedient ; and say how
many times.

Application. What holy Child was never disobedient
to his parents ? Try to imitate the Child Jesus, and always
obey your parents promptly and cheerfully.

5. Which is the next commandment? By which sins is
the fifth commandment transgressed (broken) ? What
questions should you ask yourselves about this command-
ment? It often happens that brothers and sisters scold,
quarrel with and mock one another. This happens daily
among unendurable children. It is also sinful to scold,
quarrel with and mock other children. You must, then,
ask your conscience : How often have I scolded, insulted,
quarreled with and mocked other children? If you did not
do it every day, then ask yourself : How often did I do
it every week? Then remember the number of times, that
you may tell it in confession.

Wicked children also insult and mock their parents,
teachers, old people and even the priest. How do we also
call the teachers, the priest? Superiors. What must such

464 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

wicked children examine themselves about? Have I in-
sulted and mocked my parents, my superiors, old people
every month, or how many times?

If you have struck or beaten your brothers, your sisters
or other children, you should ask yourself : How often
have I struck my brothers, my sisters, other children, every
day, every week, or every month?

Which is the third sin against the fifth commandment?
Into which sins can wicked children lead other children?
To missing Mass, disobedience, impurity, stealing and lying.
When a child leads another child to disobey, to tell lies, to
steal little things, that is a venial sin. But when a child
leads another to miss Mass on Sundays, to a sin of im-
purity, or to steal something valuable, it is a thing that
makes the sin greater. How do we call such a thing? A
circumstance. In such a case the child that led another
into the sin, commits not a venial sin, but a mortal sin.
What kind of sin did he commit, who led that child into
that sin?

You should now ask yourself : Have I led another child
into sin? If your conscience tells you that you have led
another child into a mortal sin, you must also remember
into what kind of sin you led that child. If you led him
only into venial sins, you need only ask yourself how often
you did it every week, or every month, and be prepared to
confess it.

Summary. On which three sins against the fifth com-
mandment should you examine your conscience? What
must you ask yourself besides about those sins? And why
should you ask yourself this? Because those sins are no
longer venial, but mortal sins. How do we call that which
makes a sin greater or worse?

Application. How beautiful it is, if children are
patient and kind with one another, and are like guardian
angels to one another !

6 and 9. We now come to the sixth and ninth command-

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 465

merits. Which are the sins against the sixth and ninth
commandments? Which word expresses what is a sin
against these commandments? When is it sinful to think,
see, hear, speak and do what is in any way impure? How
should you ask your conscience concerning the sixth com-
mandment? The conscience of some children will always
answer, no. The soul of these children is not stained
by any sin against the sixth commandment, and they have
nothing to confess about this matter.

The conscience of some other children tells them, yes,
concerning thoughts, looks, words and listening. These
children must ask themselves : How often every day, or
every week did I think on impure things, or look at, or
listen to, or speak of impure things? The number of
times your conscience answers, must be told in confession.
You should ask yourself: Did I do anything impure?
If your conscience answers, yes, you must ask yourself :
Did I do it alone, or with some one else, and how many
times did I do it every day, or every week, or in all? You
must be prepared to say in confession : I did something
impure alone, or I did something impure with another ; and
tell how many times.

Summary. About which sins against the sixth com-
mandment should you ask yourself? What must you ask
also concerning impure actions?

Application. Hate and shun impurity. Oh, how beau-
tiful is the virtue of purity in children ! They are hon-
ored by God and by men.

7 and 10. Which is the next commandment? Let us add
to it the tenth also. Which are the sins against the seventh
and tenth commandments? What must you ask your con-
science concerning the seventh commandment? Pilfering
is the sin of children. Some children pilfer every day, or
whenever they get a chance to do so. What must they ask
themselves? How often did I take little things every day?
The number of times should be told in confession. Some

466 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

children finding nothing to pilfer at home, steal money at
home, in order to buy sweetmeats and trifles ; some even
pilfer, or steal money from other people. If what they
stole at home or from others is valuable, their sin is
greater. Such children must ask their conscience: Did I
steal money at home? Have I stolen anything from other
people? If their conscience says, yes, they should ask
themselves : How often did I steal money at home, and
how much was it? How often did I steal from other
people, and what did I steal? The number of times must
be told in confession.

You must not keep stolen things. What should be done
with them? You must also make restitution, that is, re-
store what you have stolen. When must we also make
restitution ? When we have found something that was lost.
You should ask yourself, whether you have still what you
stole or found. If your conscience says, yes, you must
tell it in confession.

Which are the other sins against the seventh command-
ment ? Hence you should ask yourself : Did I not cause
any damage to others? If your conscience says, yes, you
should ask yourself: What damage did I cause, and how
often did I cause it? If the damage is but trifling, you
need only tell in confession : I caused a little damage to
others ; and tell how often you did so. But if you caused
a great damage to others, you must tell in confession what
the damage was, and how often you did it. What else must
you do concerning the damage you caused? If you have
not repaired the damage, or paid the worth of what you
damaged, you must tell it in confession.

There is one sin more to be confessed. W7hich sin is it?
I desired, or intended or attempted to steal. You must ask
your conscience about that sin, and if it says, yes, you must
confess it. *

Summary. About which sins against the seventh and
tenth commandments must you ask your conscience? You

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 467

must find out also the number of each sin. As to stealing,
finding, causing damage you should find out two things
more. What, how often, and whether I made restitu-
tion. Moreover, ask: Did I wish, intend or attempt to
steal ?

Application. Dear children do not accustom yourselves
to pilfer, for those who never do so at home, will not do
so either from their neighbor. Consider your neighbor's
goods as sacred, after the example of St. Paschal.

8. Which is the next commandment ? Which are the sins
forbidden by the eighth commandment? What should you
ask yourself about this commandment? Some children
have accustomed themselves to tell lies. They can hardly
speak without telling a lie. And when their parents or their
teachers ask them : Why did you not go to church ; why
did you not learn your lesson ; why did you not do that
work ? They say : " I had pains in the stomach ; I had
headache ; I had toothache ; I had no time ; my mother was
sick," etc. And all these excuses are lies. You should
then ask your conscience: Have I the habit of telling lies?
How many lies do I tell every day or every week, or every
month? You must tell in confession what your conscience
answers you.

Which are the other sins against the eighth command-
ment? Hypocrisy, detraction or backbiting, and slander.
You should then ask your conscience : How many times
a week, or a month, have I played the hypocrite? How
often have I been guilty of backbiting my neighbor ? How
often have I slandered my neighbor? You must tell in
confession the number of times you committed each of these
sins.

Summary. About which sins against the eighth com-
mandment must you examine your conscience? What else
should you ask your conscience about lying?

Application. Never tell a lie! You are children of
God. Liars are children of the devil !

468 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

The Commandments of the Church. Which are the
commandments of the Church ? We need not now take the
first commandment of the Church, for we have done so to-
gether with the third commandment of God. Which is the
second commandment of the Church ? To keep the days of
abstinence. Which day is especially a day on which flesh-
meat is forbidden? Friday. How many Fridays in a
week? in a month? How often in a month can this com-
mandment be broken ? You should ask your conscience :
Did I eat meat on Fridays and other forbidden days? If
your conscience says, no, your conscience is not stained with
that sin, and you have nothing to confess about it. But
if your conscience says, yes, you must ask further : How
many times did I eat meat on forbidden days? And then
you have to tell in confession : I ate meat on forbidden
days (number of) times. (N. B. He who eats meat twice
or three times on a forbidden day, commits a sin each time.)

Application. Why is meat forbidden on Fridays?
To remind us of the suffering and death of our Saviour
Jesus Christ. For His sake we should deny ourselves some
satisfaction.

The Seven Capital Sins. Which are the capital sins?
What should you ask your conscience about these sins?
If your conscience tells you that you were guilty of pride
or covetousness, you should ask yourself : How many
times a week have I been proud, have I been covetous or
miserly? You must then tell it in your confession.

Envy is a sin easily committed by children. They are
usually jealous of the fine dresses, of the fine playthings,
etc., of other children. Brothers and sisters are usually jeal-
ous of one another for getting more sweetmeats, or for be-
ing better liked, or more smart. If your conscience tells
you that you were envious or jealous of others, you should
ask: How often every day, or every week, was I jealous
or envious of others? You should tell it then in confes-
sion. Jealous children are apt to be glad when others have

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 469

to suffer some loss, or undergo some punishment. This
also is a matter for examination and confession.

Intemperance in eating and drinking is not very common
among children. You should, however, ask : Have I
sometimes eaten too much? If so, how often? Did it
make me sick?

Anger is a sin very common among children. You must
ask yourself : How often did I get angry every day, or
every week, or every month ? How often did I make others
angry? You must tell all in confession.

Some children are slothful, or lazy in studying, others
are so at work ; and others do not wish to study or to work.
Ask yourself: How often was I lazy every day, or every
week, and tell it in confession.

If any of you committed some sin, which we have not
enumerated, you should tell it in your confession.

Summary. Which commandments should you examine
by turns to find out the sins you committed? The com-
mandments of God and of the Church. And which sins
should you also examine? The seven capital sins.

III.

The table of sins. Where do you look to find out the
spots in your face? How does the soul become stained?
Where are the sins enumerated, which children commit in
thoughts, words and actions? We have placed them to-
gether in a long list. You must examine this list in order
to find out your sins. And whom must you ask what sins
you have committed in thought, word, action and omission?
In which way can you examine your conscience? We can
examine our conscience by going through the command-
ments of God and of His Church and the seven capital sins,
and asking ourselves how we have done wrong in thought,
word, action and omission. And then look at yourself
through the list of sins, as you would look at yourself in a
looking-glass (mirror), to find out whether you have com-

470 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

mitted any of those sins, whether your soul is stained by
any of them. The list of sins is like a mirror which shows
us the stains of sins in our soul. And why should you
look for your sins in that mirror? Therefore, it is called
a list, or table, or mirror of sins.

What do you look for in the list of sins? For our sins.
What must you also seek concerning each kind of your sins ?
Their number. The number is not put down on that list.
How do you find their number? By examining ourselves.
It is well, and I like it, if every child tries to find out the
number of his sins. Concerning venial sins the number
is not so important. But with regard to mortal sins, each
of you must carefully try to find out their number.

Circumstance. With regard to some sins, such as steal-
ing and sins against your parents, it is not always enough
to know their number. There are sometimes some things
about these sins that make them much wors*e. What is it
that makes a sin more grievous? The circumstance.
There is sometimes such a circumstance about these sins.
On what must you, then, examine yourself concerning those
sins? On their circumstances. Why? Because such cir-
cumstances make them mortal sins. What must you first
examine concerning your sins? Their number. Of which
sins is it well to know their number? And what should
you next examine concerning your sins? Their circum-
stances.

Summary. Should you examine into the number and
circumstances of your sins? Yes, at least of the mortal
sins. In what way can you examine your conscience? By
going through the list of sins forbidden by the command-
ments of God and the Church, and through the capital sins,
and asking ourselves how we have sinned in thought, word,
action and omission.

Application. You surely desire to have a heart free
from sin and your soul clothed with the white garment of
grace. Therefore, take great care to make your examina-

CONTRITION 471

tion of conscience well. Some children are too light-
minded in everything they do. All they care for is to get
through with it. If such a child is not very earnest in
making his examination of conscience, he can easily forget
or pass over a mortal sin through his own fault. And then
God would not forgive his sins. Therefore all the children,
especially the light-minded, should resolve to be very ear-
nest in examining their conscience. Therefore at your
night prayers, when you come to the Our Father in honor
of the Holy Ghost for a good confession, reflect : I will
now say this Our Father to the Holy Ghost, that Fie may
help me to examine my conscience carefully.

11. Idea of Contrition.

1. Preparation — Sorrozv. You have all experienced
sorrow. What things have given you pain, made you
sorry ? How do we know that children are in pain, or feel
very sorry? When they weep. Children weep when
scolded, when their parents punish them. What do they
then feel? Sorrow, pain, grief. They then feel no head-
ache, no pain in their arms, in their feet. Who knows
where they feel pain or sorrow? In their heart, in their
soul. At the death of their parents, children feel pain or
grief in their soul, and this especially when they see them
laid out in their coffin.

Horror. Surely none of you would like to remain alone
all night in a room, where a corpse is laid out. And why?
You are afraid; it disgusts you; it makes you shudder.
Three days after a person's death his corpse begins to cor-
rupt and to emit a disagreeable odor. Would you dare to
lie in bed alongside such a corpse? That would disgust
you, horrify you, and make you shudder still more. Yes,
as soon as a corpse begins to corrupt, no one cares any more
to look at it. Hence it disgusts us even to look at it.

Have you already heard people saying of some man :

472 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

" That man is really disgusting " ? Of what kind of men
is this said? Of one who is extremely harsh with his
parents, who is a drunkard, and quarrelsome. People are
disgusted with those wdio do very wicked things.

Object. I will now relate to you what filled the apostle
Peter with sorrow and disgust.

Relation. On the night when Jesus was arrested all
His apostles abandoned Him and fled. Only Peter and
John followed Jesus into the court-yard of the highpriest.
In the middle of the yard there was a fire where the high-
priest's men and maid-servants warmed themselves, for it
was chilly. Peter sat down among them to see what would
be done to Jesus. A maid-servant asked him : ' You
were with Jesus of Nazareth ? " Peter got frightened and
said : " No ; I do not know Him." The cock now crowed
for the first time. A few moments later another maid-serv-
ant said to him : " You also were one of the disciples of
Jesus." Peter swore and said : " No, I am not ; I do not
know that man." About an hour later one of the men-
servants said to Peter : " Yes, you are one of the disciples
of Jesus." Peter again swore and cursed himself, saying
he did not know the man. Whilst he was yet protesting,
the cock crowed the second time. At that very moment,
Jesus was led out of the court and passed in front of Peter.
Jesus turned towards Peter and cast on him a very sad and
sorrowful look. This look of Jesus was like a sword that
pierced Peter through the heart and filled it with great sor-
row. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. And the
longer he reflected on his sin, the more ungrateful and
wicked he appeared to himself. And he was filled with
hatred and horror of himself.

Consideration — Peter's sin. How did the apostles be-
have when Jesus was arrested? Which apostles followed
Him? Jesus was dragged all the way by the soldiers and
servants into the house of the highpriest. Where did the
servants and soldiers remain? The night was chilly.

CONTRITION 473

What had they done on account of this? Relate what
happened in the court-yard, whilst Jesus was in the high-
priest's house? How often did IJeter deny Jesus? What
did he reply to the first maid-servant? What sin did he
commit thereby? Told a lie. What did he say to the
second maid-servant? How many sins did he commit
thereby? Mention them. He lied and swore falsely.
What did he say to the man-servant? How many sins
did he commit by his third denial? Mention them. He
lied, swore falsely and cursed himself. How many sins
in all did he commit in the court-yard? Which of these
sins are the most grievous? False swearing and cursing
one's self.

The grievousness of Peters sins. What did Peter do to
our Saviour by his sins? Our Saviour loved Peter very
much, and bestowed many favors upon him. He had made
Peter one of His apostles, and kept him with Him for three
years. At the Last Supper He had given Himself as food
to Peter. How it must have pained our Saviour deeply,
when Peter said : " I do not know the man." Our Sav-
iour showed this when He was led out in front of Peter.
How did our Saviour show how deeply He was pained?
He turned to Peter and looked at him. Oh, how painful and
sad was that look! By this painful look Jesus meant to
say: "O Peter, what hast thou done to Me? Did I de-
serve this of thee ? "

Peter's sorrozv. This look of our Saviour was a look of
grace for Peter. Peter saw at once how ungrateful he had
been towards the Saviour, and how fearfully he had of-
fended Him by his denial. How did Peter feel our Sav-
iour's look penetrating into his heart? Like the thrust of
a sword, for it went through his heart, to its inmost depth.
What does a man feel when he is cut with a knife? What
kind of pain does that cause? And when the dagger goes
as far as the heart? An exceedingly great pain, so much
so, as to make one feel as if he were dying.

474 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

What did Peter feel when our Saviour's look went
through his heart like a dagger, a sword? Pain. And
how great was the pain that went through his heart to its
inmost depth? An exceedingly great pain, a deathly pain.
He felt as if some one had plunged a dagger into his heart
and made a great wound in it. Oh, how the wound in his
soul made him sorry! He felt as if he could die of pain
and grief. Now he could no longer remain in the court-
yard. What did he do, as he was going out? He wept.
Behold the grown-up man, Peter, weeping and crying with
sorrow and grief, outside the court-yard like a child. He
weeps the whole night, and can find no consolation. Tears
roll continuously down his cheeks. Oh, how bitter were his
tears ! Therefore we say : " Peter wept bitterly." And
this thought was always in his mind : " Oh, what have I
done ? I have offended my Saviour. He loved me so much ;
He was always so kind to me. I should have loved Him
with my whole heart ; and I said : " I do not know Him.
Oh, how it pains me for having done so, and how sorry I
am for it. I could weep my eyes out for having done it.
Oh, had I rather died than deny Him. Oh, how wicked
have I been ! O God, how could I do such a wicked thing !
How ungrateful have I been! I should be unmercifully
beaten for being so wicked. I do not deserve that the
Saviour should look at me. I deserve to fall dead on the
spot and to be cast into the very bottom of hell ! "

Peter's disgust. How had our Saviour always treated
Peter? How did Peter treat our Saviour? Ungratefully
and wickedly. What do you feel in the presence of a wicked
man? Disgust. Peter considers himself a very wicked
man. And what did he consider that he did not deserve
our Saviour should do to him ? What did Peter think that
men should do to him on account of his denial ? He even
thinks he deserves even worse than that. What should
have been done to him on the spot, as he thinks? What
were Peter's feelings about himself, because he had so

CONTRITION 475

wickedly and ungratefully offended our Saviour? Disgust.
What did Peter feel, if we judge by his weeping? Sorrow.
Where did Peter feel disgust and sorrow? In his heart,
in his soul. Why did he feel in his soul disgust and sor-
row ? Because he had denied the Saviour, offended Him ;
because he had sinned ; he was sorry for his sins. He who
has sorrow and disgust for his sins, has contrition. What
had Peter conceived for his sins? Contrition.

Contrition, the most necessary part of the sacrament of
penance. Because Peter was sorry for his sins, our Sav-
iour forgave him his sins". Who else had his sins forgiven
by our Saviour? Why did Jesus forgive the sins of the
paralytic? To whom did God first forgive their sin?
What did Adam and Eve feel on account of their sin?
God requires the same of all men. He who wishes God
to forgive his sins, must be sorry for them. A confession
without sorrow (contrition) is like an empty nutshell.
What is an empty nutshell worth? Nothing. In like man-
ner, a confession without contrition is worth nothing. God
does not forgive the sins of him who has no contrition for
them. Contrition is the most necessary part of the sacra-
ment of penance.

For a true contrition ive need God's grace. Peter at
once was sorry for his sins. When did he begin to be sorry
for his sins? When our Saviour looked at him. What
kind of look did Jesus cast on him? This look of grace
excited contrition in Peter's heart. On whom did Jesus
cast also a similar look of grace? On the paralytic. What
did it excite in the heart of the paralytic? Contrition.
The same has to happen to every one who has sinned. No
one can excite true contrition in himself. Indeed, it is not
so very easy to have true contrition. No matter how hard
you may try, you could never succeed by yourself in hav-
ing true contrition. It is necessary that God should cast a
look of grace into your heart, to enable you to have true
contrition for your sins. True contrition is found only

476 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

there where God has cast a look of grace. And where there
is no true contrition, there is no forgiveness of sins.

What must we do to obtain the grace of God ? To whom
should we especially pray for this? To the Holy Ghost.
How should you pray to Him to obtain true contrition for
your sins? And the Holy Ghost will help you to awaken
in your heart true contrition. The Holy Ghost helps us to
awaken true contrition.

Summary. What does he feel in his heart, who has true
contrition? Sorrow and disgust. For what? For the sins
he has committed. Therefore contrition is a sorrow in the
soul and a disgust for past sins. Contrition is the second
part of the sacrament of penance. It is the most necessary
part of the sacrament of penance. God does not forgive
those who have no contrition for their sins. To awaken a
true contrition we need the grace of God.

Application, i. What must you have in your heart, if
you wish God to forgive your sins? You have often told
lies like Peter. Have you bitterly bewailed your lies as he
bewailed his? Some of you have also cursed as Peter did
in the court-yard. Has your soul ever felt contrition for
it? Some have sworn without necessity or falsely. Had
they any disgust for their sin? There is no forgiveness
without contrition. Could God forgive you without it?

2. Our Saviour looked at Peter. Peter went out and
wept bitterly. Our Saviour's look of grace excited contri-
tion in his heart. You must make earnest efforts to have
true contrition. For this pray to God : " Excite, O Lord,
contrition in my heart by a look of Thy grace." I told you
to recite every night an Our Father. For what? From
now recite the Our Father, in order that the Holy Ghost
may help you to have a true contrition for your sins.

12. The Qualities of Contrition.

Object. You shall hear which is the greatest evil on
earth.

QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 477

Preparation. What did the apostles do after they had
received the Holy Ghost on Pentecost? They preached
about Jesus. What did the chief priests do concerning the
preaching of the apostles? They said to the apostles:
" You must not preach any more about Jesus, otherwise
you shall be put into prison." To be put into prison would
have been an evil for the apostles. But what would the
apostles have committed, if they had not preached ? Why ?
To commit a sin would have also been an evil for them.
The apostles were obliged to choose between two evils.
What did the apostles do? Which evil did they consider
to be the greater? What happened then to the apostles?
They were cast into prison. When the apostles were set
free from the prison, what did the highpriests say to them ?
" If you again preach about Jesus, you shall be scourged."
Scourging would have been a greater evil for the apostles
than imprisonment. What would the apostles have com-
mitted, if they had stopped preaching? The apostles had
now again to choose between two evils. Which evil did
they now consider to be the greater? Sin. After being
scourged the apostles were threatened with death, if they
would again preach about Jesus. What did they allow to be
done to them rather than cease preaching and committing
sin? What did they fear more than martyrdom? Sin.
Because sin is a greater evil than martyrdom. What do we
do to God, when we sin? We offend Him. How does God
feel towards the sinner? By mortal sin we make God our
enemy. Oh, what a great evil it is to have God for our
enemy ! What does our soul lose by mortal sin ? Our soul
becomes poor, poorer than the poorest beggar. What pun-
ishment does mortal sin deserve? How long do the tor-
ments of hell last? Which is the greatest evil, to be im-
prisoned, scourged, put to death in great torments, or to
have God as our enemy, to be poorer in our soul than the
poorest beggar, and to burn forever in hell? And how do
we draw upon us these three dreadful evils? By mortal sin.

478 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

Because by mortal sin we offend God, lose divine grace, and
deserve hell, sin is the greatest of evils.

What a frightful misfortune it is for us, if we commit a
mortal sin ! Can such a sin be forgiven ? Oh, yes. What
then is the most necessary for us to obtain the forgiveness
of our sins? Contrition.

Object. I will show you, from the example of St. Peter,
what contrition ought to be.

Development. Peter had committed several sins.
Were all these equally grievous? Which were the most
grievous ? What did Peter feel about all his sins ? He had
contrition for all of them. How deep in his soul was his
contrition ? To the inmost depth of his soul. Why was St.
Peter so sorry for his sins? Peter was so sorry for his
sins, because he had offended our Saviour. What had the
soul of Peter lost by his sins? Peter's soul had lost sancti-
fying grace by his sins.

How could God have immediately punished Peter for his
sins? WThat punishment in the next life did Peter deserve
for his sins? To lose grace, to die and to deserve hell are
also a great misfortune. Peter could also have been sorry
for his sins, because by them he had lost grace, deserved
death and hell. But Peter had not thought of these, for his
contrition was so great. What would Peter in his contri-
tion have preferred to his having sinned? Death. What
kind of evil did he consider sin to be? What did he feel
concerning sin ? Horror. How much horror had Peter for
sin? He hated sin as the greatest of evils. And what did
Peter wish concerning his sins? He wished: "Oh, if I
only had not done this ! "

The hope of forgiveness. Peter had often witnessed
how our Saviour had willingly forgiven others their grievous
sins. Give an example. The paralytic. How did Peter
for this reason pray in his heart to our Saviour ? And what

QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 479

did he expect Jesus would do? Peter expected that Jesus
would forgive him. Hence we can say : Peter hoped that
our Saviour would forgive him his sins. Our Saviour did,
indeed, forgive him. (Repeat.)

Tell me which apostle had committed a more grievous sin
than Peter. But Judas was also sorry for his terrible sin.
Yes, he was frightfully sorry for it. It burnt like a red
hot iron in his breast. Our Saviour would also have for-
given him. Jesus is so good ; He came upon earth to redeem
men from sin. He forgives all who repent of their sins.
What should Judas have expected from our Saviour? He
should have hoped for pardon from Jesus. Yes, Judas
should have gone to kneel down under the cross and be-
sought Jesus to forgive him, and Jesus would have forgiven
him. But Judas was afraid and thought his sin was too
great for our Saviour to forgive him. What was wanting
to the sorrow of Judas? The hope of forgiveness. There-
fore our Saviour did not forgive him. Both apostles, Peter
and Judas, were sorry for their sins. What did Peter in-
clude in his sorrow? The hope of being forgiven. And
what did Jesus do to him on that account? What was
wanting to the sorrow of Judas? And what did Jesus not
do on that account? When does God forgive sin? When
does he not forgive the sins of those who are sorry for
them ?

Summary. What must be united with sorrow (contri-
tion) ? The hope of pardon must necessarily be united with
contrition.

ii.

Object. I will now tell you how Bertha repented of her
sins.

i. Development — Exteriorly, interiorly. Bertha, by
her disobedience greatly offended her mother. Her mother
is very angry with Bertha for it. But Bertha is indifferent.
But because it is Christmas eve, Bertha is afraid that she

480 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

will not get a Christmas gift. Therefore she says to her
mother : " Oh, dear mother, had I only not disobeyed you ;
I am so sorry for having done so! Please forgive me."
But her mother did not forgive her.

Consideration — Exteriorly. Bertha says she is sorry
for having offended her mother. What does he feel in his
heart about his sins, who is really sorry for them? Sorrow
and hatred (horror). But Bertha feels no sorrow and
no hatred. How do you know that ? She is very indiffer-
ent. Her sorrow, therefore, does not penetrate to her heart.
Where is her sorrow for her disobedience? Only in her
tongue. Her sorrow is only in her mouth. Her mother
sees that. Her mother sees that Bertha talks in that way,
for fear of not getting a Christmas gift. Will her mother
forgive her? Why not?

Connection — Contrition must be interior. Where are
our sins? Where the sins are, there also must be the con-
trition. Therefore Peter was sorry for his sins not merely
with his tongue. How was he sorry for his sins ? He was
sorry for his sins not only in words, but especially in his
heart. His contrition penetrated to the inmost depth of
his heart. How much did he detest his sins? Peter de-
tested his sins in his heart as the greatest of evils.

Sincere. What did Peter wish concerning his sins?
" Oh, had I only not done that ! " What does Bertha say,
when asking her mother's forgiveness? " Oh, dear mother,
had I only not disobeyed you ; I am so sorry for having done
so." What cares Bertha for having offended her mother?
She merely says she is sorry, but does not mean it. Does
she really feel sorry in her heart? He who says something
with his lips, but does not mean it in his heart, is not sincere.
Peter wished he had not offended our Saviour ; he said this
with his lips, but meant it much more in his heart. There-
fore Peter sincerely wished that he had not offended our
Saviour. Which three things have you now learnt about
Peter's contrition?

QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 481

Our contrition is interior, if we are sorry in our heart for
our sins, if we detest them in our heart as the greatest evil,
and if we sincerely wish we had not committed them.
What should we say about Peter's contrition? His contri-
tion was good ; therefore our Saviour forgave Peter his
sins. How is Bertha sorry for her sin? With her lips.
What kind of sorrow is it? Her sorrow is not good.
Therefore her mother did not forgive her. If Bertha's con-
trition in confession is of the same kind, God will not for-
give her. What kind of sorrow must she have to obtain
God's forgiveness?

Summary. When is contrition interior? Our contri-
tion is interior if we are sorry for our sins not merely with
our lips, but also from our heart, and detest them as the
greatest of evils, and sincerely wish we had not committed
them.

2. Object. I will now tell you all about Frank's contri-
tion.

Relation — Not universal; universal. Frank had not
studied his lesson well in school, and Fred got ahead of
him in class. Being angry with Fred for this, Frank tore
out many leaves from Fred's book, cut up his book and
expressed the wish : " I wish that Fred would get very
sick." WThen he went to confession, he was sorry for both
his mortal and venial sins, except that he was still angry
with Fred, and was not sorry for having caused him so
much damage.

Consideration — Mortal sin. The room for laying out
corpses. In what did Frank offend Fred? That was
surely a mortal sin. Why is such a sin called mortal ? Be-
cause such a sin is like a death-thrust into the soul of the
sinner, which kills the soul spiritually, takes its life for
heaven away. Every time a man commits a mortal sin,
his soul receives a death-thrust. How many death-thrusts
in the soul of him who has committed three mortal sins?
Of him who committed two? Of him who committed one?

482 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

The room in which corpses are laid out is called a mortuary
room. What does the heart of a man become, who has
committed mortal sin? A mortuary room.

Venial sin, not a mortuary room. The soul does not re-
ceive mortal wounds from venial sins, but only slight
wounds. What happens to the soul of him who commits
only venial sins? Hence the heart of such a one is not a
mortuary room. The Holy Ghost does not leave his soul.
But what happens when a mortal sin is committed?

We must be sorry for every mortal sin. If a sinner
wishes the Holy Ghost to return to his soul, all his death-
thrusts of mortal sin must be healed, and this all together.
If the soul has received three death-thrusts, the soul can-
not regain life, if all three are not healed at once ; the soul
would remain dead if only one, or only two were healed.
What is required for the Holy Ghost to enter again the
soul that has received many death-thrusts, and for the soul
to get alive again for heaven? All the soul's death-thrusts
must be healed. The death-thrusts are healed by contri-
tion. But Frank had no contrition for one of his mortal
sins. What was not healed in his soul? But if one death-
thrust is not healed, none of them are healed, and the soul
remains dead ; and the Holy Ghost does not enter it, and all
the sins, even those for which the sinner was sorry, all re-
main in the soul.

There is no obligation to have contrition for venial sins
— unless no mortal sins are confessed. Suppose a person
has committed both mortal and venial sins. Which kind
must he be sorry for, that his soul may recover life? All
his mortal sins. What kind of wounds do venial sins in-
flict on the soul ? Slight wounds. Who does not leave the
soul on account of venial sins ? He can dwell in a soul that
is stained only by venial sins. Venial sins only would not
prevent the Holy Ghost from entering a soul. It is not nec-
essary to be sorry for every venial sin that the soul may
recover the life of grace.

QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 483

// is well to be sorry for venial sins also. What do venial
sins cause in the soul ? Therefore it is well to be sorry for
all of them. This will make the soul much more healthy
and pure, and more pleasing to God. (Necessity of being
sorry for at least one kind of venial sins confessed, if no
mortal sins are confessed or included.)

Connection — Universal. Mention the sins Peter com-
mitted. How many mortal sins was Peter sorry for? But
what about Frank's sorrow ? He had no contrition for one
of his mortal sins. Plow many sins were forgiven to Peter?
How many to Frank? None. Why? When are all mor-
tal sins forgiven?

What do you know about Peter's contrition for his venial
sins? Peter was sorry for all his venial sins also. What
happened to him concerning his venial sins? Frank was
also sorry for his venial sins. Were they forgiven him?
Why not? Were any of his mortal sins forgiven? Were
any of his venial sins? Did he obtain forgiveness for any
of his sins? When is no sin forgiven? When contrition
for a mortal sin is wanting. When are all mortal sins for-
given? When we have contrition for every one of them.

In which case are all sins committed, both mortal and
venial, forgiven? When we are sorry for all of them, our
contrition is universal. True contrition should be univer-
sal. Which kind of sins must we be sorry for? All of
our mortal sins.

Summary. When is our contrition universal? Our
contrition is universal, when we are sorry for all our sins,
or, at least, for all our mortal sins.

3. Object. I will now tell you how Rudolf was sorry
for his sins.

Relation — Natural, supernatural. Rudolf had climbed
a neighbor's cherry tree to steal cherries. But seeing the
gardener coming, he quickly jumped down and broke his
leg. Rudolf had to remain long in bed and suffered very
much. He wept a good deal. When he got well, the other

484 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

children made fun of him and called him a thief. He
would get mad and weep every time. He would keep away
from other children as much as possible.

Consideration — Temporal injury. What did Rudolf
commit in stealing, or trying to steal cherries? A sin.
What happened to him, when he jumped down from the
tree? He broke his leg. His playmates could go out to
play, but he could not. What injury did his broken leg
cause him? He had to stay in bed and suffer much. What
must he have thought during that time about his stealing?
" Oh, would that I had not done it." How did he feel about
it? He felt sorry. Why was he sorry? Because he had
to stay in bed and suffer much; because it had injured
him. How long did that injury last? Until his leg was
healed. Therefore Rudolf's stealing caused him temporal
injury. Why was Rudolf sorry for his theft, for stealing?
He was sorry because it caused him temporal injury.

Disgrace. What did the other children call Rudolf for
stealing? Thief. Every time he was called thief, he got
very angry. And why? Because he was ashamed. What
was it for Rudolf to be called a thief? A disgrace. This
disgrace pained him deeply. How did he show that this
disgrace pained him ? What thought would then come into
his mind? " Oh, would that I had not done it." How did
he feel about his theft? Sorry. He repented of his theft,
because it disgraced him. And for what else did he repent
of his theft? Because it had caused him temporal injury.

Natural contrition. It was quite natural for Rudolf to
be sorry for his theft because it caused him temporal injury
and disgrace. Therefore we call his contrition a natural
contrition.

Connection — Supernatural contrition. Why was St.
Peter sorry for his sins? For which other reasons could
he have been sorry? Because he had lost sanctifying grace
and deserved hell. He who is sorry for his sins because
he offended God, lost grace and deserved hell has super-

QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 485

natural contrition. When is our contrition supernatural?
Our contrition is supernatural, when we are sorry for (re-
pent of) our sins, because we have offended God, lost grace
and deserved hell.

Contrition must be supernatural. Whom do we offend
by our sins? Who is to forgive our sins? Of whom
should we think in our contrition? How is the contrition
called which makes us think of God? True contrition
makes us think of God, and is therefore supernatural.

Natural sorrow or contrition is of no use. What kind of
contrition did Rudolf have? What did it make him think
of? Of whom should he have thought? If he had thought
of God, what kind of contrition would he have had? A
supernatural contrition. And what would God have done
about his sins? But because Rudolf had only a natural
sorrow for his sin, God did not forgive him. What profit
did he get from his natural sorrow? His natural sorrow
did not at all profit him. W7hat is it that makes our sorrow
supernatural and deserving of God's forgiveness? To
think of God in our contrition. Would it, then, not be
sufficient for us to repent of our sins on account of the
temporal injury or disgrace they caused us? To repent of
our sins, because they caused us temporal injury or dis-
grace, is only natural sorrow, which does not profit us.

Summary of the whole. What is contrition? Con-
trition is a sorrow of the soul and a horror of our past
sins. Which are the qualities of contrition? It must be,
first, interior ; second, universal ; third, supernatural.
When is our contrition interior ? Our contrition is interior,
when we repent of our sins not only with our lips, but
from our heart and detest them as the greatest evil, and
sincerely wish we had not committed them. When is our
contrition universal? Our contrition is universal, when we
repent of all our sins, or at least of all our mortal sins.
When is our contrition supernatural? Our contrition is
supernatural, when we repent of our sins, because we have

486 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

offended God, lost His grace and deserved hell. Would it
not be sufficient, if we repented of our sins on account of the
temporal injury they caused us? He who repents of his
sins merely on account of the temporal injury and disgrace
they caused him, has only a natural sorrow, which does
not profit him. With what must contrition be accom-
panied? Hope of forgiveness must accompany our contri-
tion.

Application — i. Peter. Peter's contrition for his sins
lasted all his life. Every night when he heard a cock crow,
he would begin again to weep. His many tears made fur-
rows in his face.

2. Magdalen. Mary Magdalen bitterly repented of her
sins, as we read in Bible History (Gospel). She had been
a wicked sinner. She once heard that our Saviour had
been invited to dine with a pharisee. She entered the
Pharisee's house, cast herself at our Saviour's feet, and be-
gan to weep bitterly over her sins. Her tears ran over
the feet of Jesus. She wiped His feet with her hair and
repeatedly kissed them. Jesus said to her : " Thy sins
are forgiven thee."

3. You have all sinned. What must you feel concerning
your sins, that God may forgive you? Have you already
been sorry for your sins ? It is well, if a child is so sorry
for his sins, that he weeps over them, like Peter and
Magdalen. But it is not necessary for you to weep over
your sins. Where must you feel sorry for your sins? In
our heart. The chief thing is to be sorry in your heart
for your sins. Have you not already said : " O my God,
I am sorry for having cursed, told lies, been disobedient,"
without being at all sorry in your heart? What did such a
sorrow profit you?

PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT 487

13. The Purpose of Amendment, or the Resolution

to sin no more.

Connection. It is not enough to be sorry for our sins,
we must also resolve never to sin any more.

I. THE WORTHLESS RESOLUTION.

Object. I will now tell you how John resolved not to
sin any more.

Relation. John was a bad boy. He was disobedient
and impudent towards his parents, and was addicted to
cursing and lying. He often stole money out of the
drawer, until his father caught him at it. His father then
reproached him with all the evil things he knew about him;
and then he brought him before the crucifix, saying:
" Look at our divine Saviour who suffered so much for the
sins of men. And now you have again so grievously of-
fended Him. You have even stolen and become a thief.
Do you not see that you deserve to be punished ? " Then
his father punished him severely with a rod. John began
to cry aloud, and said : " Oh, I am so sorry for being so
wicked. I will never do it again. I will surely never steal
any more." Then his father stopped punishing him, and
locked the money drawer, and took the key out. John,
who was still crying, watched his father to see where he
would hide the key. For what did he watch his father?

Consideration — The earnest or firm will. What sins
had John committed? What was John doing when his
father found him out? Where did his father bring him?
What did he say to him? What did John get for the evil
he had done? What did John cry out, when he was get-
ting punished ? John said that he was sorry from his heart.
What else did he say? He also said: "I will never do
it again ; I will never steal any more." Therefore we say :
John was resolved never to do anything bad, and especially

488 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

never to steal any more. (Repeat.) That was a resolu-
tion, a purpose of amendment, of doing better. At what
was John looking when he was still crying? What did he
do that for? What did he really intend to do again?
Therefore when he said : I will never do it again, he really
intended to do it again; we say; he did not mean what he
said. What do you say about John saying : " I will not
steal any more " ? John did not mean it.

Summary. What does John say that he resolved?
What do you say about this? John did not mean what he
said.

II.

Object. If you wish that God should forgive your
sins, you must be sincerely resolved not to sin again ; you
must mean it. This I will show by the example of St. Peter.

Development. Where did Jesus go on the night before
His death? What did He do there? Wrhat did our Sav-
iour urge Peter, James and John to do? What did they
do instead? If Peter, instead of falling asleep, had prayed,
he would not have committed such grievous sins that night.
What sins did he commit? What did Peter feel in his
heart afterwards concerning his sins? And what did he
wish? "Oh, would that I had not done it." He thought
how well it would have been for him, if he had obeyed our
Saviour, and watched and prayed. And he said to himself :
" From now I will pray more fervently. Not for the whole
world will I again deny our Saviour. Before all men I
will profess that I am His disciple, even if I had to be
arrested and put to death for it." What was Peter resolved
to do?

Peter was resolved to amend his life. How will Peter
repair his neglect of prayer? He is resolved to pray fer-
vently. How does he intend to atone for (repair) his
denial of our Saviour? He will profess before everybody

PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT 489

that he is our Saviour's disciple. Peter, therefore, is re-
solved henceforth to do better. How then will his life
be with regard to the past? Better. What kind of a life
is Peter resolved henceforth to lead? A better life. We
may also say : Peter is resolved to amend his life ; or Peter
intends to lead henceforth a better life. This is his resolu-
tion, his firm purpose of amendment.

Peter resolved never to sin any more. Peter also said
what he intended not to do any more. What? To deny
our Saviour, to tell lies, to curse and swear. What had
Peter committed by doing those things? Sins. What is
he resolved never more to do? He is resolved nevermore
to sin. Or we may say : Peter has the firm purpose of
never committing any more sins. That is a resolution.

The resolution. Therefore Peter is resolved to do a
certain thing, and also nevermore to do certain things.
Tell what. Peter is resolved to amend his life, and never
to sin again. And what is this called? A resolution.

Connection — Firm, earnest, sincere. What was John's
resolution? Did he mean it? No, he did not mean it; he
was not sincere. How do you know that? What is Peter
resolved to undergo rather than sin again? How was Peter
disposed when he made that resolution? He meant it.

The good resolution. Therefore we say : Peter's resolu-
tion was good. But who did not mean what he said he
resolved to do? Was John's resolution good? No. What
did Peter resolve to do? What did John resolve to do?
Both resolutions sounded alike, and yet they were really
very unlike. Why was John's resolution bad? Because
he did not mean it. Why was Peter's resolution good?
Because he really meant to amend his life and nevermore to
sin. A good resolution is an earnest, or sincere, will, or a
firm purpose to amend our life and nevermore to sin.

Peter's resolution was united to contrition. What did
John say he felt about his sins? And what did he say he

490 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

was resolved to do? And what did he intend to do again?
If a man says he detests something and yet means to do
it again, we can easily see that he really does not detest it.
On the contrary, he finds pleasure in it. And, therefore,
he is not truly sorry for it. What did Peter feel about
his sins? And what did he say he was resolved to do?
What would he rather undergo than sin again? Peter
really detested sin. How do you know that Peter really
detested sin ? Peter joined the firm purpose of amendment
with his contrition.

The firm purpose of amendment, or the resolution never
to sin any more, must be joined to contrition. Wherefore
Peter's contrition was good, and our Saviour forgave him
his sins. But what did John mean to do again? What,
then, was not joined to his sorrow? A good resolution.
Therefore John's sorrow was worthless. How can you
know if your contrition is good? If I have a good resolu-
tion along with it.

Summary. What must necessarily accompany (or be
joined to) contrition? A good resolution must always ac-
company contrition. What is a good resolution? The
sincere will, or firm purpose, to amend one's life and to
sin no more.

Application. Dear children, remember that a good res-
olution, that is, a firm purpose of amendment, must accom-
pany our contrition. He who has cursed must resolve :
" I will not curse again." He who missed Mass on Sun-
days through his own fault, must resolve : " I will never
stay away from Mass any more." He who disobeyed his
parents, must say to himself : " I will henceforth be obe-
dient, even if I find it hard." He who was impure in speech,
or even in action, must be resolved : " I will never do so
again for the whole world ; no, not even to save my life."
And if some one would promise you plenty of money, or
would threaten to beat or even kill you, as was done to St.
Paschal, in order to make you sin, you should tell the se-

PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT 491

ducer, as St. Paschal did : " You can beat and even kill
me, but I will not commit sin."

in.

Object. I will now tell you what qualities the good
resolution must have.

Development — When is the good resolution interior ?
Who had a good resolution? Why was Peter's resolution
good? Because he meant it. He not only said: " I will
not deny our Saviour again," but he really willed in his
heart never to do it again. How did he show this after-
wards? Why was John's resolution bad? Because he did
not mean it. John said, indeed: "I will never do it
again " ; but what was wanting to him ? How did we call
the contrition which comes from the lips only? How
should we call John's resolution, which came from his lips
only? Peter also said with his lips: "I will never again
deny our Saviour." But where did his resolution come
from? How do we call contrition when it comes from the
heart? How shall we call the resolution that comes from
the heart? Interior. When is our resolution interior?

The resolution must be interior. I have told you about
contrition that God does not consider what we say with
our lips so much as what we mean in our heart. What
value before God has the contrition that comes from the
lips? None at all. In like manner, the resolution that
comes only from the lips has no value before God.
Where must our contrition be, if we wish that God should
forgive our sins? In the heart. In other words? In-
terior. The resolution also must be interior in order to
be good. Where then should we have our resolution? In
our heart, in our interior. Hence the resolution must be
interior like the contrition.

Peter's resolution was supernatural. Why did Peter re-
solve never to sin again? How did we call Peter's con-
trition because he was sorry for having offended our di-

492 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

vine Saviour? Supernatural. How can we also call his
resolution, because he intended to avoid sin and never
again offend our Savior? Supernatural. In like manner,
if we resolve not to sin any more in order not to lose the
grace of God, in order not to be cast into hell, our resolu-
tion is also supernatural. When is our resolution super-
natural ?

The resolution must be supernatural. Whom do we
offend when we sin? Why, then, should we be resolved
to avoid sin? What kind of resolution is that? What
must our contrition be? What must our resolution be?
Supernatural.

When is the resolution universal? How many sins
should we be sorry for? For all sins, both for the mortal
and the venial. For which sins especially should we be
sorry? Of what kind, then, is our sorrow? Universal.
Our resolution should likewise be universal. Which sins
must we at least be resolved to avoid? Of what kind, then,
is our sorrow? Universal.

The resolution must be universal. What would happen
if we were not sorry for one of our mortal sins? Sup-
pose a child would not be resolved to avoid a certain one
of his mortal sins. What would he, then, do to God?
Therefore God would not forgive him ; and why not ?
What kind of resolution should we have? Our resolution
must be universal, like our contrition. What is the kind of
resolution we should have?

The proximate occasion. We must be resolved to avoid
something more than our sins. You can learn this from
Joseph, when he lived in Putiphar's house. Who was try-
ing to seduce him (to lead him into sin) ? What did
Joseph say to her? But that bad woman went again after
him. What did she even do on a certain day? In Puti-
phar's house Joseph was well treated, and his master liked
him very much. But Joseph preferred being cast into
prison, than to live in that place where he was in danger

PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT 493

to commit sin. What did he do when that bad woman
took hold of his cloak to lead him into sin? He let go
his cloak and ran away.

In like manner, you must not go into or stay in a house
where sin is committed. Because there you would see and
hear wicked things, and you would soon do the same. Nor
should you go with bad companions. Place a nice sound
apple alongside a rotten apple, and what will happen?
The sound apple will soon get rotten. How does this hap-
pen? The sound apple gets infected by the rotten one.
He who goes with bad companions, soon becomes bad
himself, and soon tells lies, curses, steals and talks bad,
and does bad things just as they do. And why? Because
he has constant occasion to see, hear and do evil things.
For him the occasion of committing sin is always very
near or proximate. Therefore such places and such com-
panions are called a near or proximate occasion of sin.
What was Putiphar's house with regard to Joseph? Give
me an example of another proximate occasion of sin.
What resolution must you make, if you have been in wicked
places or with wicked companions? " I will never again
go into that house ; I will never again go with those bad
companions " ; in other words : " I will avoid that house
and those evil companions." Otherwise what could easily
happen to you? What are such houses, such bad com-
panions to you? Proximate occasions of sin. What must
you then resolve to avoid?

Summary. Which are the qualities of a good resolu-
tion? Like contrition, our resolution should be 1, interior,
2, universal, and 3, supernatural. When is our resolution
interior? When is it universal? When is it supernatural?
Our resolution must accompany our contrition. What
must we be resolved to avoid? The good resolution is
the third part of the sacrament of penance.

Application. Reflect a little, that you may know it"
any of your companions have already led you to curse, to

494 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

say or do bad things, to steal, or if you often go to a
house or place where you hear and see evil things. If
such is the case, you must resolve to avoid that house,
that place, those companions. It will, perhaps, be difficult
for you to keep away from such companions, whom you
liked to be with, or to stay from that house or place, where
you enjoyed yourself. But God and your soul should be
dearer to you than such companions or such places. Prom-
ise this to God, saying with me : " O my God, I detest
all my sins, and I am resolved never more to offend Thee,
my most beloved Lord, and carefully to avoid all occasions
of sin."

14. The awaking of Contrition and the good

Resolution.

Connection. Whose help do you need to awake in you
a true contrition? What should you do to obtain the help
of the Holy Ghost? What should you say to Him for this?

Object. I will show you how to awake a true contri-
tion.

I. MOTIVES OF LOVE.

I. Think on God the Father. That you may, with
the grace of the Holy Ghost, awake true contrition in
your heart, think on God the Father, and listen to what
He says to each of you. He says : " First, I created
you, otherwise you would not exist (be in this world).
I gave you a healthy body. If you have been sick, I made
you well again. I give you every day food and drink (to
eat and drink), clothing and a home, and all the good things
you have. If it were not for Me, you would have died
long ago. Secondly, and how well I cared for your soul !
In holy baptism I clothed you with sanctifying grace and
made you My child. I gave an angel to guard and protect
you in body and soul. And lastly, I gave you what is

MOTIVES OF CONTRITION 495

dearest to Me, My only-begotten Son. Thirdly, what did
I demand of you for all this? All I demanded of you
was to love Me very much. Therefore I said to you :
My child, give Me your heart. Fourthly, but what have
you done ? You committed sin. How often did you offend
Me, your good Father ! You prayed so carelessly, pro-
nounced My name so irreverently, and behaved so badly
in church. You disobeyed your parents. You have been
so immodest, so impure. O how ungrateful you have
been towards Me, your greatest Benefactor ! Fifthly,
come back to Me, you poor, stray sheep and say to Me
with a sorrowful heart: O dear Father, I am so sorry
for having offended Thee. Deign to forgive me ! And
I will forgive you again, and take away your sins and
bury them in the bottom of the sea ; I will wash them
away, and never more think on them. I will again make
you My dear child, embrace you and press you to My
heart. O allow yourself to be moved ! "

Beg pardon of God the Father, saying with me : " O
dear Father, how good art Thou to me, Thy poor, sinful
child ! I should have loved Thee with all my heart ; but
I have so grievously offended Thee by my anger, my sloth,
my disobedience and my other sins. O how ungrateful
have I been ! How could I so shamefully commit sin ?
Would that I had rather died than offend Thee ! Deign
to forgive me. O dear Father, never will I again offend
Thee. I will never miss Mass through my fault. Never
again will I quarrel with others or strike them. Never
will I again tell lies or steal. Never will I again disobey
my parents. Never more will I speak or act immodestly.
Henceforth I will willingly say my prayers, obey my
parents, behave well in church. I will not, for the whole
world, offend Thee again. I am resolved rather to die
than to commit sin. I am sorry for all my sins from my
inmost heart, because I have offended Thee, my most loving
Father. Forgive me. I hate and detest all my sins, and I

496 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

am resolved never more to offend Thee, the best of
fathers."

2. Think on God the Son. Now look up to our dear
Saviour hanging on the cross. He looks at you with so
much love and sorrow, as He once did on St. Peter ; and
He says to each of you :

" My child, I have redeemed you. For you I came down
from heaven and became man. For you I was born in a
stable at Bethlehem, and laid on straw in a manger. For
you I underwent for thirty-three years heat and cold, hun-
ger and thirst ; and at last for you I was nailed to the cross.
Look at Me well. Look at My head. It is cruelly
wounded and pierced by sharp thorns. O how fearfully
it pains Me, and all this on account of your angry and
envious thoughts. But I suffer all for your sake, that you
may not be lost. Look at My eyes. They wept bloody
tears on account of their great pains. O how fearfully
they suffer ! And this on account of your immodest and
envious looks. But I bear all this willingly for your sake,
that you may not be lost. Look at My mouth. My lips
are blue, My tongue is all afire, it cleaves to My palate,
and for pain it can no longer talk. And all this on account
of your lies, your cursing, your unchaste talk. But I suffer
it all for your sake, that you may not be lost. Look at
My hands, with which I did so much good for men, cured
so many sick and blessed so many children. See how they
are pierced with thick nails and attached to the cross ! O
how frightfully they pain Me, because you use your hands
to do immodest things, to steal, to strike others. But I
willingly bear all this for your sake, that you may not be
lost. Look at My feet, pierced and torn by the nails, and
bruised and almost broken. O how frightfully do they
pain Me, because you go to forbidden places with evil
companions. But I willingly bear all this for your sake,
that you may not be lost. Look at My whole body. It
is all covered with wounds from head to foot, and with

MOTIVES OF CONTRITION 497

My back all sore and bruised leaning against the hard
cross, hanging on the cross by four nails. O what hor-
rible pains must I bear in My whole body, because your
body has been the instrument of your many sins. But I
willingly bear all this for your sake, that you may not be
lost.

And how have you repaid My excessive love? Instead
of loving Me in return, you continued to sin and to shame-
fully offend Me, your Redeemer, your best Friend. Child,
have you a single spark of love for Me in your heart?
If you had, by chance, mortally wounded your mother,
you would fall on your knees and cry out weeping aloud :
O mother, dear mother, forgive your unfortunate child !
And you could not stop weeping, and mingling your tears
with her blood. And after piercing My heart with your
sins, the heart of your divine Redeemer, of your best
Friend, should not your heart melt with sorrow, pain and
love? Should you not weep out both your eyes? Or
would you say : I am not the cause of Thy death, for it
was the Jews that caused it. But have you never com-
mitted any sin? Did I not have to suffer for your sins?
Oh, come now to Me, beg My forgiveness, and tell Me that
you are heartily sorry for your sins, and that you will
love Me, your best Friend, from your heart. See, My
arms are opened to receive you and press you to My heart,
and to forgive all your sins."

Beseech God the Son to forgive you ; and say with me :
O my Jesus, Thou didst endure too much for me, a poor
sinful child. It pains even my sinful heart so much.
Thou didst suffer all to save me. Oh, deign to help me
now to be sorry from my inmost heart for having so un-
gratefully repaid Thy excessive love. By my pride I
helped to press those sharp thorns into Thy sacred head.
By my thefts I caused Thy burning thirst, and by my
immodesty I helped to scourge Thee so frightfully. By
my sloth, I made Thy cross so heavy. O Lord, I embrace

498 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

Thy sacred body on the cross, I kiss Thy wounds a thou-
sand times and bedew Thy feet with my hot tears. O
Jesus, how sorry I am for having so greatly offended Thee.
O dearest Saviour, do not let Thy blood be wasted on me.

0 crucified Jesus, have mercy on me, and forgive me my
sins. O Jesus, be merciful unto me. O Jesus, pardon me
my sins. O Jesus, show me mercy. Oh, how could I be
so ungrateful ! Would that I had died rather than ever
have offended my beloved Saviour !

O my Saviour, I beg Thee a thousand times pardon.
Henceforth, I will never again offend Thee. I will not,
for the whole world offend Thee by committing sin.
Rather to die than sin again. O my God, I am sorry for
all the sins of my whole life from my inmost heart, be-
cause I offended Thee, my most amiable Redeemer. I
hate and detest them all, because they displease Thee.
(Repeat in part.)

3. Think on God the Holy Ghost. Now think on the
Holy Ghost, and listen to what He says to you. ' I have
sanctified you. In holy baptism I entered your heart and
made your body My holy temple, and have dwelt therein
from that time. I brought to your soul the white garment
of sanctifying grace. In this precious heavenly garment
your soul was My wonderfully beautiful image. The
heavenly Father looked upon you with pleasure, and said
to the angels: See, that is My beloved child, in whom I
am well pleased. In order to make My image in your soul
still more beautiful, I bestowed daily new graces upon
you. Like a painter, I have worked and painted on My
image in your soul for years since your baptism. And
how glad I felt when I saw it becoming more and more
beautiful. And what did I demand from you for all this?
Only that you should not defile My image, and that you
should keep the garment of sanctifying grace. Therefore

1 daily spoke to your heart, urging you to do good, and
warning you against evil. But how have you repaid My

MOTIVES OF CONTRITION 499

love? You committed venial sins and defiled the white
garment of your soul with many, many little stains. Oh,
how you would feel ashamed before the angels and saints,
if you could see the stains on your soul's white garment!

Or you have even committed mortal sins! Oh, unfor-
tunate child, what have you done? You have torn your
soul's white garment, lost sanctifying grace, cast Me out
of your heart, and destroyed My image in your soul. So
long had I worked on it, and now it is all useless. Oh,
how it pains Me ! Heaven weeps over you ; the angels
weep over you ; the divine Saviour even shed blood over
you ; and yet you alone will not weep."

Beseech the Holy Ghost to forgive you. Therefore say
with me:

" O my dear Lord, how good art Thou towards me, a
poor sinful child ! I should have loved Thee with my whole
heart, and now I have so grievously offended Thee. Deign
to forgive me. O dear Lord, never again shall it happen
that I again offend Thee. I will not even for the whole
world commit another sin. I would rather die. O my
God, I am sorry for all the sins of my whole life, etc.

4. Think on the infinite Good. O what beautiful
and good things the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost
have given you, have done for you ! But God is still more
beautiful and good than all that. Oh, could I but tell you
how beautiful and good, how rich and powerful God is !
He is more beautiful than the sun, more gentle than the
moon, more bright than the stars, more splendid than the
angels and saints. He is above all monarchs and rulers,
more mighty than all the angels and saints. He is far
more loving than your brothers and sisters, than your
parents. He is the highest, the best, the most lovely Good.
And you have offended the highest, the best, the most
lovely Good. Oh, what have you done?

How bad you feel when you have offended your father
or your mother! But how much should it pain you for

500 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

having offended God, the highest, the best, the most lovely
Good! Should it not break your heart? Beg pardon of
God, the highest and greatest Good, and say with me:

" O my God, I am heartily sorry for all the sins of my
whole life, because I have offended Thee, the highest and
most lovely Good. Oh, had I rather died than offended
Thee. My dear Lord, forgive me; be merciful unto me.
I hate and detest all my sins ; I am firmly resolved never
again to offend Thee, my most amiable Good, and to avoid
carefully the occasions of sin. I will rather die than of-
fend Thee again."

II. MOTIVES OF FEAR.

I. Think on heaven. He who offends God, the high-
est (chief) Good, by a mortal sin, cannot go to enjoy Him
in heaven, because he lost heaven by his sin. Oh, if you
only knew how beautiful heaven is! St. Paul once had a
little glimpse of heaven. Being asked what he had seen
there, he replied : " No man can think or guess, nor can
any one say how beautiful heaven is ; no man has ever seen
anything so beautiful." The angels and saints are around
the throne of God, seeing His unspeakable beauty and
filled with His love. They never get tired or weary see-
ing and loving Him. All their desires are fulfilled. And
in their love and gratitude they pray and sing full of
joy and happiness. " Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts."
And near God's throne on a brilliant seat is Mary, the
Mother of God, the Queen of heaven, wearing a crown
of twelve bright stars. And among the saints parents see
their children, children see their parents, their relatives,
their companions, all as bright as the sun, and in perfect
joy and happiness. In heaven there is no sorrow, no com-
plaint, no weeping, no pain, no sickness, no death, no quar-
rels, no bitter feelings, no separation, but peace, love, life
everlasting and endless bliss. And by committing mortal
sin you have lost that beautiful heaven ! Oh, how miserable

MOTIVES OF CONTRITION 501

you have made yourself ! Should you grieve and weep
over such a misfortune?

2. Think on purgatory. On account of your sins you
have already deserved that God should punish you al-
ready in this life. The punishments your parents inflict
on you are nothing in comparison with the punishments
of God. God sends all sickness ; He permits those who
sin to be wounded, crippled, or to meet with sudden or
violent deaths. And if you had died in your venial sins,
where would you have gone? You would be in the flames
of purgatory. Your soul would be undergoing pains and
torments to expiate those sins.

No one can tell how fearfully the souls must suffer in
purgatory. Sometimes we see a picture of purgatory. In
it we see the poor souls burning in those flames and rais-
ing their hands to God, begging for mercy, praying to be
freed from their punishment and taken up to heaven. But
they must remain in purgatory until they have been per-
fectly purified from every stain of sin, and fit to enter
heaven. The pains of purgatory are much greater than
all the pains that are endured on earth ! Now if you were
to die in your venial sins, and without any mortal sin, you
would have to suffer in purgatory for days and months,
till you are fit to enter heaven.

You see now how you have injured your soul even by
your venial sins. Therefore beg pardon of God, and say
with me :

" O my God, how many sins have I already committed
during my life? Although I am still so young and so
small, I have already deserved great punishments. Often
I prayed carelessly, got angry with my companions, dis-
obeyed my parents, told lies, etc. O my God, deign to
forgive all the sins I have committed during my whole
life, and remit the punishments I have deserved thereby.
Be merciful unto me, a sinner. Henceforth I will keep
Thy commandments more faithfully, punctually obey my

502 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

parents and superiors, be kind towards my brothers and
sisters and my companions ; no more will I again steal,
tell lies, or do or say anything immodest. I would rather
die than sin again. O my God, I am sorry," etc.

2. Think on hell. When a soul defiled by mortal sin
leaves her body, she beholds before her Jesus, our most
amiable Saviour, our greatest Benefactor, our best Friend,
our chief and most lovely God. Jesus is there to judge
her. The soul knows her sinful state and her mortal sins.
And yet she cannot believe that Jesus will cast her away.
Hence she hastens towards Jesus. But Jesus repels her,
says : Depart from Me. During your life on earth, you
did not wish for Me, and now I will not have you. " De-
part from Me." Almost dead from fear the soul looks
terrified at our Saviour. She then advances towards Him,
falls on her knees, joins her hands in supplication and says :
" O kind, good Shepherd, pardon Thy stray sheep and
receive me again. O my most loving Redeemer, Thou
hast so greatly suffered for me, do not let Thy blood be
shed for me in vain. Forgive Thy disobedient, unhappy
child, and receive me again." But Jesus again repels her,
saying : " Away from Me ; I am no longer your Re-
deemer ; you are no longer My child. Depart from Me ! "
But the poor soul knows not what to do now. She sees
the Blessed Virgin, and hastens to her, and says, weeping:
" O dear Mother Alary, thou art my Mother. Beseech
thy divine Son to forgive thy unhappy child and to re-
ceive me again." The wretched soul strives again to
approach our Saviour ; but He says : " Away from Me
and from My Mother. My Mother is no longer your
Mother ; My angel is no longer your angel ; My saints are
no longer your saints. You no longer have any part with
Me. Depart from Me."

" Depart, accursed, from Me. You served the devil, and
not Me. Be now accursed in body and soul ! Accursed be
your eyes for yielding to sinful looks. Accursed be your

MOTIVES OF CONTRITION 503

ears, for listening to detraction and backbiting! Accursed
be your lips for uttering lies, etc. Accursed be your hands
for stealing. Accursed be your feet for going with evil
companions. Accursed be your heart for entertaining en-
vious and impure thoughts and desires.

" Depart from Me, you accursed, into fire ; into that fiery
dungeon, where the floor is of fire, the walls are of fire,
where the ceiling and roof are of fire, where the air is of
fire, the breath is of fire ; where the food and drink are
of fire, and the tears are of fire. All the members of
your body shall be of fire; you shall be like a red hot coal
in the furnace of hell ! " How horrible are the torments !
And for how long? For an hour, a day, a week, a month?

" No," our Saviour says : " Depart from Me, you ac-
cursed, into everlasting fire. You shall dwell forever in
those frightful flames, forever weeping, forever burning,
if you die with a mortal sin on your conscience." But
is there no one in hell, to console the damned ? Our divine
Saviour says:

" Depart from Me, you accursed, into the everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. You served
the devil during life ; you shall be his companion in the
fire of hell for all eternity. He shall be your tormenter
forever. You shall have there numberless companions who
will add to your sufferings at every moment." In hell,
as our Saviour says, there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth, and the worm dieth not. That the worm of con-
science shall always torment the damned. It will con-
stantly reproach them with their sins, and tell them how
easily they could have been saved, if they had only tried
seriously, if they had kept from bad company, if they had
obeyed their parents, if they had followed the admonitions
of the priest, if they had made a good confession, if they
had prayed to Jesus and Mary when they were tempted
to commit sin. Their conscience will constantly tell them
how easily they could have been saved and enjoy forever

504 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

the delights of heaven, if they had imitated the good ex-
ample of some of their companions now in heavenly bliss,
sharing the very happiness of God, their Father. But now
it is too late for the damned ; the time for penance, for
forgiveness is over, for out of hell there is no redemption !

But for you children, it is not yet too late; you can still
obtain forgiveness by making a good confession and keep-
ing henceforth your good resolutions. Ask God's forgive-
ness, and say with me:

" O Jesus, I have deserved hell ; be merciful unto me.

0 Jesus, let not Thy blood be lost for me. O Jesus, for-
give me my sins. I hate and detest all my sins. Rather
let me die than ever sin again. I will never miss Mass
by my own fault ; I will pray with attention ; I will never
again curse, never again disobey my parents and superiors,
never think or speak of, or do immodest or impure things ;

1 will never again tell lies, steal or get angry ; I will always
behave well in church, and be obedient. O my God, I am
heartily sorry for all my sins, because I have offended Thee
the highest and most lovely God, and because I have justly
deserved Thy punishments both in this life and in the next.
I detest my sins ; I am resolved never more to offend Thee,
my most amiable God, and carefully to avoid the occasions

sin.

15. Confession.

Object. I will now tell you how our sins are forgiven.

Preparation. You have already heard that Jesus for-
gave sins. To whom did Jesus give the power also to
forgive sins? When did Jesus give this power to the
apostles? To whom did the apostles transmit this power?
The priest must know the sins, in order to forgive them.
They must be made known to him. What must we do
to make our sins known to the priest? We must tell or
confess them to him. In confession we tell our sins to the
priest, that he may know and forgive them. Where do

CONFESSION 505

we make our confession? In the confessional. And
what does the priest then do? He forgives our sins, or
absolves us from our sins by giving us absolution.

Object. I will now show you how to make a good con-
fession from the example of two boys.

Relation. Antony and Albert were two bad boys.
They had committed many sins together. Antony had five
times caused Albert to go into the woods on Sundays in-
stead of going to Mass. Another time there was a circus.
Antony said to Albert : " I have ten cents ; now try to
get some more at home, so that we may go together to
the circus and have a fine time." Albert managed to steal
at home two dollars. They both went to the circus in-
stead of going to school. After going to the circus, they
felt hungry and entered a restaurant and, although they
knew it was Friday they ordered and ate meat. Antony
also had a bad picture, and often showed it to Albert, and
they talked and laughed about it. And Antony once com-
mitted an act of impurity when he was alone. Both com-
mitted also many venial sins. Now both of them went to
confession.

Albert was the first to enter the confessional. He con-
fessed his sins in the order of the ten commandments.
When he came to the third he said : " I missed Mass five
Sundays through my own fault ; and I ate meat on a Friday
knowingly." When he came to the sixth commandment
he said : " I looked with another boy at an indecent pic-
ture from three to five times a week." At the seventh
commandment he said : " I took once two dollars from
my parents." He was very near crying aloud when he
told these sins. The priest then asked him : " How did
you come to steal so much money from your parents ? "
Albert replied : " Another boy led me to do it." Then
the confessor asked him further : " What did you do with
that money? " Albert replied : " We spent it in the circus
and for a lunch and other things."

5o6 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

The confessor then asked him : " Did that other boy
lead you into other sins?" Albert answered: 'He led
me into staying away from Mass, and into looking at an
indecent picture and speaking of indecent things." Then
the confessor said to him : " Consider how you have
grievously offended God by these sins. If God had pun-
ished you for them by a sudden death, where would you
now be? O how unhappy you have made yourself by your
sins ! " Albert began to cry. But the confessor en-
couraged him : " Do not be discouraged ; God will will-
ingly forgive you all these sins, and all will be right again
with you, if you are firmly resolved never again to offend
God grievously. Moreover, you must no more associate
with the boy that led you into these sins. Do you promise
me that?" Albert replied: "Yes, I promise you. I will
never again go with him." The confessor then said to
him : " For your penance you shall say three Our Fathers
and three Hail Mary every day for three days." The con-
fession then gave him absolution.

Antony next entered the confessional. He was greatly
afraid. The devil whispered in his ear : " What will the
confessor think of you? If you tell all, you must be fear-
fully ashamed of yourself." Antony began to tell his sins
according to the commandments. At the third he said :
" I missed Mass five times on Sundays through my fault."
When he came to the fifth, and was to confess that he had
led another boy into sin, his heart began to beat through
fear. But he said : " I have led another boy into grievous
sin five to seven times a week." But he said the word
grievous so low that the confessor might not understand
it. When he came to the sixth commandment, he said :
" I looked with another boy at an indecent picture from
three to five times a week." But when he was about to
say : I have done an indecent thing alone, he got ashamed,
and did not confess it. About the seventh commandment
he confessed : " I stole money at home." With regard to

CONFESSION 507

the commandments of the Church he said : " I ate meat
on a Friday, but I did not know it was Friday."

When Antony got through, he was in great fear. A
voice in his heart said to him all the time : " You have
made a bad confession." Therefore he could hardly pay
attention to what the confessor was saying to him. He
almost failed to understand the penance the confessor gave
him. On the way home all the boys who had gone to con-
fession, felt so glad and so happy, for their heart was light.
Albert said : ' When I get home I will weigh myself to
see how much lighter I have become." Antony alone was
not cheerful. He went home gloomy and peevish.

On the following day the priest said at school : " Dear
children, you are now happy ; your souls are entirely pure,
and you are again holy children of God." At these words
Antony first blushed deeply, and then turned deathly pale,
for a voice constantly said to him : " But you are not a
child of God. You made a bad confession." And from
that time Antony could not feel really happy again. When
the other children were at play, he was standing in some
corner with a gloomy face. And when he sometimes
played with them, he never found much pleasure in it.
Sometimes he suddenly stopped playing in the middle of a
game, for his conscience had whispered to him : " You
have made a bad confession." At last he said to himself :
" I can no longer stand feeling so uneasy and so unhappy.
In my next confession I will tell all." And he meant to
do it. But when he was in the confessional, the devil again
inspired him with a great fear, and he again concealed his
sin. And he did the same in the following confessions.
He now felt really miserable. He found no pleasure in
praying ; he could hardly learn anything more ; he had no
more rest. He was almost always alone, and seldom went
with his schoolmates. They could not explain why he was
so different from what he had been before. This lasted
for many years. When he was twenty-one years old, the

508 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

news spread all over: Antony is dead. How do you
think he died? He had hung himself in a barn.

Consideration. The sins of Antony and Albert.
Which was the worse boy? Why?

i. Into what sins was Albert led by Antony? To miss-
ing Mass for five Sundays ; to looking at an indecent pic-
ture, and to indecent conversation ; to steal money at home.
How had Albert to confess those sins? How had Antony
to confess them? As to the seventh commandment there
was a difference : what was it ?

2. What grievous sin had Antony committed alone? An
act of impurity. How should he have confessed the sin
of eating meat on Friday? How was Antony to confess
the sins he led Albert into?

The good Confession — Entire. Which of the two boys
entered the confessional first? Albert made his confession
in the same order as you have learned in the examination
of conscience. With what sins did he begin his confession?
With the sins against the first commandment. Albert had
only venial sins to confess against the first and second com-
mandments. I did not mention them to you. Which sins
did he commit against the third commandment? How did
he confess them? Did he join to the third commandment
the sin he committed against the second commandment of
the Church? Which sin was that? How did he confess
it? His confession concerning the third commandment
was therefore good. What kind of sins did he commit
against the fifth commandment? How did he confess the
sins he had committed against the sixth commandment?
Which sin had he committed against the seventh command-
ment? What kind of sin was that? Why? Because his
parents were very poor. If he had taken only twenty cents
from them, what kind of sin would it have been ? A venial
sin. What makes a theft a mortal sin? The value of the
thing stolen, and also the poverty of the person from whom
it is stolen. What do you call the thing which changes a

CONFESSION 509

venial into a mortal sin? A circumstance. How did Al-
bert confess his sin against the seventh commandment?
Was his confession of that sin good? Albert confessed also
the sins he had committed against the other commandments.

It is zvell to confess venial sins also. What happens to
our soul when we commit a venial sin? Venial sin does
not kill the soul, nor does it cause the Holy Ghost to leave
the soul. Therefore we are not bound to confess our
venial sins, and also there are other means of obtaining
the pardon of them. But what effect do venial sins pro-
duce in our soul? Therefore it is well to confess them.
But what happens to our soul, if we commit a mortal sin ?
Mortal sin kills our soul and causes the Holy Ghost to
depart from it. Therefore we must confess at least all our
mortal sins. Albert confessed all his mortal and all his
venial sins.

What did Albert add to each sin he confessed? The
number of times he had committed it. What did he add
to the sin he confessed concerning the seventh command-
ment? The circumstance. How did Albert confess? He
first told each sin he had committed ; then he told the num-
ber of times he had committed each one ; and lastly the
necessary circumstance. He who confesses in this manner
confesses well ; and his confession is entire, that is, com-
plete. (Questions on this point.) When is our confession
entire or complete?

In confessing his sins against the sixth commandment
Albert did not give a fixed (or determinate) number. But
how did he express the number? Why did he say from
three to five times a week? Because he did not know the
exact number of times. What must we do, when we do
not know the exact number of our sins? We must tell
about the number we commit every day, or every week,
or every month. But, children, be careful not to tell the
number that may chance to present itself to your mind, but
you must first think over it and try to find out the number

510 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

as near as you can, and then confess that number which
you really believe to be as near right as possible.

Sincere. When the confessor thinks that the penitent
was not able to tell a sin correctly enough, he asks ques-
tions about it. What questions did the confessor ask Al-
bert? What did Albert answer to each question?

Mention no one by name. How could Albert have said
instead of: "Another boy led me into sin?" If he had
said : " Antony N. led me into sin " ; he would have told
the boy's name ; but that would have been very wrong,
for in our confession we are not allowed to give the name
of the person with whom we sin, or who led us into sin.
We would be guilty of detraction, if we did so. Therefore,
we must never mention any one by name in our confession.

What other questions did the confessor ask Albert about
the boy who had led him into sin? Did Albert answer
truly? Albert told all he knew, with discretion and hu-
mility. How did we call Peter's contrition, because he
said with his lips just what he felt in his heart? What
should we call Albert's answers? What must we do, when
the confessor asks us questions? When the confessor asks
us questions (questions us) we must answer sincerely and
humbly.

Contrite. How did Albert feel when he confessed his
grievous sins? He felt like weeping. Why? Because he
was contrite, that is, he felt sorry for his sins. Where
did he feel this sorrow ? In his heart ; in his soul. Be-
cause Albert felt sorry for his sins when he confessed them,
we say that his confession was contrite. (Repeat.) Our
confession must be contrite.

Confession defined. How must we confess our sins?
What kind of acknowledgment or telling of sins is con-
fession? Confession is a contrite acknowledgment of one's
sins. To whom is this acknowledgment of sins made?
To the priest. For what purpose? That he may absolve
us from our sins ; or to obtain the absolution of sins from

CONFESSION 511

him. Therefore we say : Confession is a contrite ac-
knowledgment or telling of past sins to the priest, in order
to obtain the absolution of them.

The Admonition. Before absolving a penitent, the priest
usually gives him some admonition, or some advice, en-
couragement, or some direction. What admonition did the
priest give Albert? What did Albert do? How did the
priest console or encourage him? What effect did this
produce on Albert? It encouraged him.

The Penance. What did Albert promise? You can
easily imagine how attentively Albert listened to the con-
fessor's admonition. What did the confessor tell Albert
to say? These prayers are called the penance. (Repeat.)

The Absolution. Albert's sins were not yet forgiven.
The principal thing was yet wanting. What was it? The
absolution. Now the priest gave him absolution. By it
all Albert's sins were forgiven. And he left the confes-
sional.

3. The bad Confession — Fear. How did Antony
feel before his confession? Why was he so much afraid?
What did the devil whisper to him? In the beginning
Antony told all his sins right. What sins against the third
commandment did he confess? How did he confess them?
He also told his sins right against the fourth command-
ment. What sins had he committed against the fifth com-
mandment? They were grievous sins. When he was
about to confess them, he felt still more afraid ; and the
devil again whispered to him : " You cannot tell that."

Not clearly. What did Antony say? "I led another
boy into grievous sins." But he pronounced the word
grievous so low, in order that the confessor should not
understand him. In the confessional we must not talk
aloud, lest those who are outside should understand. Now
if, when you are outside the confessional waiting for your
turn to make your confession, and you would chance to
hear what another said in confession, or what the priest

512 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

said to him, you must never mention to any one what you
overheard. It would be sinful for you to do so. That no
one outside the confessional should hear what the penitent
or the priest says in confession, it is necessary to speak
there in a whisper or very low tone of voice (softly).
But the penitent must not speak too low or too softly,
otherwise the priest will not understand what he says.
Therefore when you make your confession, you must speak
so that those who are outside cannot understand you, and
so that the priest may hear and understand everything
you confess ; then your confession is clear. When is the
confession clear? How did Antony confess the word
grievous? Why? How did this make Antony's confes-
sion bad? Because it was not clear. When a person wil-
fully, purposely tells his sins indistinctly (that is, not
clearly), so that the confessor cannot understand him, his
confession is bad, is worthless. Therefore, no sins can be
forgiven in such a confession. Moreover, such a person
adds another very grievous sin to his other sins, that is a
bad or sacrilegious confession. If such a one has ten
mortal sins on his conscience when he enters the confes-
sional, how many mortal sins has he on his conscience when
he leaves the confessional?

Concealing. What sins had Antony committed against
the sixth commandment? How should he have confessed
them? But how did he confess them? Which sins did
he confess correctly? Which did he conceal? (Repeat.)
Which sins had he committed against the seventh com-
mandment? Which sin had Antony committed against
the second commandment of the Church? How did he
confess it? What kind of a sin had he committed? What
did he say to excuse it? Was that true? He therefore
told a lie ! Therefore he concealed his sin, for he knew
it was Friday, and yet he said he had not eaten it wil-
fully ; and gave as his reason that He did not know then
it was a Friday. His confession was not sincere ; there-

CONFESSION 513

fore it was a bad, a sacrilegious confession. His excuse
was no real excuse, for it was a lie. His confession was
not sincere. Our confession is sincere, when we tell our
sins just as we know they are before God, without con-
cealing or excusing what is really a grievous sin.

Application. Suppose you are making your confession,
saying: "I took little things every day." And the priest
asks you : " Did you take any money from your parents ? "
You should say right away : " No, I did not." But you
must reflect a little, and then sincerely and humbly tell
the priest what you remember about it. Children who are
in the habit of telling lies, must be very careful at con-
fession. The devil is glad when he sees such children
going to confession. He thinks : " These are my children.
I will go into the confessional with them and prevent them
from making a sincere confession." Such children should,
before going to confession, pray devoutly to the Holy Ghost
to help them to make a sincere confession.

4. Benefits of a good confession. In the first place,
a good confession gives joy to God. To whom do we
confess our sins? In whose place does the confessor hear
confessions? To whom, then, do you really make your
confession? But God already knows our sins, because He
knows all things. God knew the sin of Adam and Eve.
And yet what did He ask them? God knew also the
grievous sin of Cain. And yet what did He ask him?
Why did God ask Adam and Cain what they had done?
Because He wished that they should confess their sin. So
you see God wishes the confession of sins. When you
confess your sins, you do what God wishes you to do. And
what does your confession give to God? Pleasure. Sec-
ondly, the angels also are pleased when a child makes a
sincere confession. They rejoice in heaven every time a
sinner makes a sincere confession of his sins. Thirdly, the
guardian angel is full of joy when the child he guards sin-
cerely confesses his mortal sins. He then thinks : " How

5 H THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

glad I am now to see the child I care for, become again a
child of God." But more than all our divine Saviour re-
joices, when a child sincerely confesses his mortal sins.
He then says : " Oh, I am so glad of it ; for I died for that
child. I redeemed that child with My sufferings, and shed
all My blood to save him. He belonged to Me, but his
grievous sins tore him away from Me and gave him to
the devil. How happy I am because he is again Mine."

The other boys had also gone to confession with Albert.
How did they feel on their way home ? Joy ! They were
greatly pleased. Albert also felt light-hearted. What did
he say? And he found it easier to pray, to obey and be-
come fond of study.

5. The bad effects of a bad Confession — An uneasy
life. But it was quite different with Antony. What did
he feel in his heart? Fear and anxiety. This began al-
ready in the confessional immediately after he had told his
sins. What did a voice in his heart say to him? Whose
voice was it? How do you see his fear (dread) while the
confessor was admonishing him? How did he show it also
when the priest was giving him his penance? How did
he behave on his way home? WThy could he not be cheer-
ful? On the following day, when the priest came into
the school, Antony showed again his fear and anxiety.
What did the priest say to the children? What happened
then to Antony? Antony could no longer feel easy, for
his conscience always kept on reproaching him.

Cain. What is the name of the man mentioned in Bible
History, whose conscience always kept reproaching him
with his crime? What did his conscience say to him?
Cain wandered about the country from place to place to
escape hearing the reproaches of his conscience. But
wherever he went, he heard that voice saying : " You are
a murderer." What is it that he could find nowhere?

Antony also heard everywhere the voice of his con-
science. Therefore he could never again be cheerful.

CONFESSION 515

What did he do when the other boys were playing? Why
did he sometimes suddenly stop playing in the middle of a
game? What did that voice say to him when he rose in
the morning, and when he retired to rest at night? What
is it that he could not find anywhere? What kind of life
did he live in his sins? A restless life. What did this
cause him ? To feel as if he no longer could stand it.
What did he then resolve to do? To make a good, sincere
confession. Did he try to fulfil this resolution? What
then happened to him at confession? And then what did
he do? He again concealed his sins, and made another
bad confession. He did the same thing every time he
went to confession afterwards.

A miserable death. What was said about him, when he
became twenty-one years old? How did he die? What
kind of sin did he commit by hanging himself?

Where do they go who die without sin on their con-
science? To heaven. Such a death is a happy death.
But where does he go, who has one or more mortal sins
on his conscience when he dies? To hell. That is the
greatest misfortune. Therefore we call Antony's death an
unhappy or a bad death. What was the cause of Antony's
unhappy death? His want of sincerity in confession.

The shame on the last day. The sins which Antony
concealed in his confessions will one day be published to
all mankind. On the day of the general judgment all the
sins of the damned will be visible as horrible spots on the
faces of the damned so that all men and all angels may
see and know them. Then everybody will say : ' Look
at so and so, how ugly and hideous he looks. Look at
so and so; see how awful he looks for concealing his sins
in confession ! " What a shame will it then be for the
sinner, for him who concealed his sins in confession, when
God, the angels and the saints will know and read his sins
marked on his face !

How did Antony live after his bad confession? How

516 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

did he die? What shall happen to him on the last day?
He shall be put to shame before the whole world ! How
will he then feel? He would wish the earth to open and
swallow him up, that all men might not see his sins!

Heaven grieves over him. What should he have done to
prevent all this misery and shame? WThen Antony entered
the confessional, the heavenly Father had His arms al-
ready extended to press him to His fatherly heart. His
guardian angel was standing alongside of Antony, think-
ing: "If he only confesses all his sins well!" Even the
Blessed Virgin and his holy patron were ready to cele-
brate a joyful feast on his account. But, alas ! Antony's
confession was not sincere. Hence the heavenly Father
had to repel him with horror. His guardian angel weeping
left his side, and the Blessed Virgin and his holy patron
grieved over him.

Hell exults over him. But there was one who greatly
rejoiced over him. Who could that be? Yes; not only
one devil, all in hell rejoiced at the insincere confession
of Antony. Therefore the devil had whispered to him in
the confessional: "You cannot tell that, otherwise," etc.
The devil frequently does that. When a child fears com-
mitting a sin, the devil whispers to him : " You need
not be ashamed ; do it. That is not so very bad. That is
nothing." But when the child goes to confession, the devil
comes again ; but he speaks quite differently. " What !
you cannot tell that. You would have to be terribly
ashamed before the priest, if you would tell it." But that
is not true ; the devil lies.

The confessor is kind. The priest in the confessional
is like a good mother, a very kind father. Suppose a child
has done something very bad. He goes to his mother or
to his kind father, full of sorrow, and sincerely acknowl-
edges the wicked thing he has done. Will his father treat
him harshly? Will he be very severe towards him? Oh,
no; God has given the father a kind heart to forgive a

CONFESSION 517

child that sincerely tells his fault and is heartily sorry for
it.

God has also given the priest in the confessional a good,
kind heart for the penitent. When a child tells all his sins
sincerely, the priest rejoices over it, for he sees then that
the child is in earnest and wishes to do right. He treats
the penitent in a friendly and kind manner, as a good
father does his child. Therefore we address the priest in
the confessional by the name of " Father." The confessor
will not scold a sincere child ; on the contrary, he will feel
only too happy to absolve him and to love and honor him
as a good child of God.

The confessor is discreet. A child needs never be afraid
that the confessor will tell others anything of the child's
confession. The confessor will never say a word about
it. He quickly forgets what is told him in confession.
And even if he should remember, he dare not say a word
about it. God has strictly commanded him to keep silent
on what is confessed to him. A man who does not repeat
what he hears, is called discreet? Why is the confessor
discreet?

The seal of confession. When a person writes an im-
portant letter, he not only closes it, but he carefully seals
it, that no one may be able to read it, except him to whom
it is addressed. In like manner, the priest is most strictly
obliged to keep his mouth sealed about all that he hears
in confession. He to whom the sealed letter is addressed,
is the only one who has the right to break the seal to open
the letter. But no priest is ever allowed to break the seal
of confession. A confessor must rather undergo any suf-
fering, any hardship, and even death itself, than ever to
reveal what he heard in confession.

Why should no one be ashamed to tell his sins sincerely
in confession to the priest? The confessor is so kind; the
confessor is discreet. Antony should have thought of that.
What would have been the result, when he was making

5.i8 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

his confession? In his after life? He would not have
lived in sin and worry. At his death? He would not
have died an unhappy death. What would he then avoid
on the last day?

Which is better, to conceal your sins in confession out
of shame, or to tell your sins sincerely to a kind and dis-
creet priest? What misfortune follows during life an in-
sincere confession? At death? On the last day? What
then should a child consider, when he feels ashamed to tell
some sin or other in confession? He should consider that
it is far better to confess his sins to a discreet priest, than
to live worrying in his sins, to die a bad death, and to be
disgraced on the last day before the whole world.

Dear children, if you have had the misfortune to commit
some grievous sin, for instance, against the sixth or the
seventh commandment, and you are very much afraid or
ashamed to tell it to the priest in confession, you should
pray fervently before going to confession to the Holy
Ghost, to the Blessed Virgin and to your guardian angel
for grace and courage to tell it sincerely in confession.
Pray to the Holy Ghost : " O Holy Ghost, give me the
grace and courage to tell all my sins in confession sincerely,
especially this sin (mention it) ; do not permit that I should
conceal it." Then say three times the Glory be to the
Father, etc., in honor of the Holy Ghost. After this say:
" O Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother also, refuge
of sinners; I am a sinful child and have not the courage
to confess this sin (mention it). O dear Mother, help me
to confess it sincerely, so that I may not offend Jesus still
more and lose my soul. O Mary, help me." Then say
the Hail Mary three times. Then say : " O my good
guardian angel, my protector, do not forsake me now.
The devil is doing all he can to keep me from telling all
my sins in confession, in order to drag me into hell. God
has appointed thee to help me. Now I am in great need
of thy help. Help me to make a good confession and to

CONFESSION 519

tell this sin (mention it) to the priest." Then say one
Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory be to the Father,
etc., in honor of your guardian angel. And if when you
are in the confessional you lose courage, say to the priest :
" Father, I committed a sin (or some sins) which I have
not the courage to confess sincerely ; please help me to do
so." Then the priest will kindly ask you some questions
to find out what sin you have not the courage to confess,
in order to help you to tell it. Remember that the priest
is only too glad to help you to make a good confession.
But be sure to give a true answer to every question. If
you do so, how happy you will feel ! It will be like a big
load taken off your heart, for your sins shall be forgiven.
(Ask questions and rehearse the prayers. All this is very
important.)

Summary. What is confession? Confession is the con-
trite acknowledgment of past sins to a priest, to obtain
the absolution of our sins from him. Which are the quali-
ties of confession? Confession must be complete (entire),
sincere and distinct (clear). When is the confession com-
plete? When we confess at least all our mortal sins, to-
gether with their number and their necessary circumstances.
If we do not know their exact number, what must we do?
We must tell it as near as we can. If a sin is habitual,
we may confess it by saying about how often we committed
it every day, or every week, or every month. Are we
obliged to confess our venial sins? Although we are not
obliged to confess our venial sins, it is well and profitable
to do so. When is our confession sincere? When we
confess our sins just as we know them before God, without
concealing or excusing them. What should we consider,
when we feel ashamed or afraid to confess some grievous
sin ? We should consider : " It is a thousand times better
to confess them to a discreet priest, than to lead a restless
and worried life, to die an unhappy death, and to be dis-
graced on the last day before the whole world." When

520 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

is our confession distinct? Our confession is distinct when
we tell our sins, so that the priest can understand all we
say to him.

Application. There was over five hundred years ago a
very cruel king in Bohemia. He wished to find out what
sins the queen told the priest in confession. He sent for
her confessor, who was a real saint. His name was John
Nepomucene. The king said to him : " I want you to
tell me what the queen said to you in confession." But
John answered not a word. The king then cried out: " If
you do not tell me, you will find out what I will do to you."
But the holy priest paid no attention to what the king said.
Then the king ordered his body to be burned with torches.
But the priest remained steadfast and would not tell even
a word of the queen's confession. Then the bad king con-
demned the holy priest to death. He was cast into the
river with a big stone tied to him, and he was drowned.
He had preferred to suffer death rather than reveal what
he had heard in confession. A number of other priests
have died, others have suffered imprisonment rather than
break the seal of confession. And every priest is bound
to suffer every kind of torment, and even death, rather
than reveal a penitent's confession. Therefore, you can
safely tell all your sins to the priest in confession.

Here is a beautiful picture. Look at it. What do you
see? A lamb. What is around the lamb? Thorns. The
lamb got entangled in these thorns and can no longer get
loose from them. What would happen to it? It would
die. Who is kneeling beside the lamb? A man. What
has He in His hand? A staff. A shepherd's staff. The
man is a shepherd. What is He doing? He is loosening
the lamb from the thorns. Here is another picture.
Where has the Shepherd put the lamb ? On His shoulders.
After freeing the lamb from the thorns, the Shepherd, full
of joy, placed the lamb on His shoulders to bring it home.

Who is this Good Shepherd? It is Jesus. Who is that

SATISFACTION 521

stray lamb? It is a child that got entangled into his sins.
That child cannot free himself from his sins. And what
would then happen to him? He would die in his sins and
be condemned to hell. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
comes to his help. In confession He frees the sinner from
the thorns of his sins ; and then He takes him again as
His child, and brings him back to the heavenly Father.

Dear children, you are going to confession. Are you
going to confess like Antony, or like Albert? Are you
going to give joy in your confession to the devil or to
your guardian angel? From this day say a prayer daily
to the Holy Ghost, to the Blessed Virgin, to your guardian
angel till the day of your confession, that you may make a
good confession.

16. Satisfaction.

Object. Have we done all that was necessary, when
our confession is over? Need we do anything more? Let
us see.

I. DEVELOPMENT.

i. Atoning for the temporal punishment due to sin
— Expiating or paying up. Charles stole ten dollars from
his neighbor. When his father found that out, he said :
" Wait, boy, you shall pay me for that. I will soon cure
you of stealing." What would you say, if Charles' father
would give him only one blow of the rod? That will not
do; that is not enough. One stroke of the rod is not suffi-
cient for so great a sin. What did Charles deserve for
it ? A severe punishment ; a rigorous penance. But he
received severe punishment from his father. It was only
when Charles had enough, that his father ceased punishing
him. And why? Because the punishment had its effect,
and therefore, it was enough. Charles had sufficiently
atoned for his theft. Why was Charles punished? To
expiate (atone for) his sin.

522 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

All men have deserved punishment. Who committed
the first grievous sin on earth ? How did God punish Adam
and Eve for it? They were driven out of paradise, con-
demned to work hard, to sweat, to suffer cold ; Eve would
have much to suffer from her children ; and both were to
die. How long did those punishments last? Until their
death. These punishments were not everlasting, but only
for a time, only temporal.

Temporal punishments. Where are these punishments
expiated? Where should Adam and Eve have gone after
their death to be punished? Because all men are children
of Adam and Eve, all men should have gone there also
after their death. By what sin does a man deserve the
punishment of hell every time he commits it? How long
will the pains of hell last? Forever. What are they,
therefore, called? Eternal punishment.

Our divine Saviour atoned for the eternal punishment we
deserved. God created men not for hell, but for heaven.
Therefore the Son of God said to His heavenly Father:
"Do not cast men into hell; I will atone (suffer punish-
ment) for them." How did the Son of God atone for us?
In His passion and death our Saviour underwent such
great sufferings, as if He had been burnt in hell for us.
In this manner He atoned for the eternal punishment we
deserved. And what did He deserve for us at the same
time? Grace. Where is grace contained? In which sac-
raments are our sins forgiven? What must we do to ob-
tain the forgiveness of our sins in the sacrament of pen-
ance? Be sorry for them and confess them. What is
forgiven us together with our mortal sins? The eternal
punishment is remitted to us together with our mortal sins.
This is the case in every good confession.

We must also do penance ourselves for a time. It would
not be right, if we had nothing to suffer for our sins, since
our innocent Saviour suffered so much for us. Therefore
God wills that we also should do some penance for our

SATISFACTION '523

sins. For this reason He sends to men sickness, poverty,
misfortune, storms, death, and sends them for a long time to
purgatory. How do we call the punishments that we have
to undergo on earth and in purgatory? Temporal punish-
ments.

Some have to atone more, others less. Who will receive
more temporal punishment, he who has committed few sins,
or he who has committed many sins? He who has com-
mitted mortal sins, or he who has committed only venial
sins?

The paralytic atoned for all his temporal punishment
on- account of his great contrition. He had committed
many grievous sins. What punishment had he to suffer?
He was sick for thirty-eight years. But he was very sorry
for his sins. Therefore our Saviour not only remitted his
sins and their everlasting punishment in hell, but also com-
pletely cured him. Which punishment did he thereby re-
mit? The temporal punishment.

God remits to us also at least a part of the temporal
punishment. If we are as sorry for our sins as we can
possibly be, God remits to us in the sacrament of penance
all the temporal punishment due to us. But to those who
are not so sorry as that, God remits in the sacrament of
penance only a part of the temporal punishment. This is
usually the case at confession. Which punishment does
God not always remit with our sins? Which punishment
does He always remit with our sins? God always remits
the eternal punishment together with our sins, but not al-
ways all the temporal punishment. The rest of the tem-
poral punishment we must atone for ourselves.

For this purpose the confessor imposes a penance. How
did Charles' father make him expiate his theft? He pun-
ished him. At confession the confessor punishes us in
God's place for our sins, by giying us a penance. For
instance, he says to us : " For your penance say five times
the Our Father and five times the Hail Mary " ; or, " say

524 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

the Litany of the Blessed Virgin " ; or, " say the rosary or
beads."

Which punishment for sin do we atone for by fulfilling
the penance the confessor gives us? The temporal punish-
ment. By this penance we satisfy for our sins. How did
Charles' father punish him ? Until he had enough ; until
he had atoned (satisfied) for his theft. We also atone
for our sins, till we have done enough. That is why the
confessor imposes a penance upon us. If by our penance
we atone for as much punishment as we deserve, we have
done enough, and satisfied God. By doing the penance the
priest gives us in confession, we satisfy God.

II. THE AMENDMENT OF LIFE.

We shall see what the punishment was for besides, which
Charles received for his theft. If his father had not pun-
ished him, Charles would most probably have stolen again,
and would get accustomed to steal and become a regular
thief. But what did he think every time he felt tempted
to steal? And what would such a thought do to him? It
would keep him from yielding to the temptation and steal-
ing again. What help did those blows afford him?
Helped to keep him from stealing; helped him to become
a better boy ; helped him to amend his life. What did his
father say to him when punishing him? Why did his
father punish him? To amend his life.

God wills that, after our confession, we should be more
on our guard against committing sin, for instance, against
stealing, disobeying, telling lies, cursing, etc. Therefore
the confessor, in God's place, imposes a penance on the
penitent; and the confessor gives such a penance as will
help him to become better. For instance, to a child who
curses, the confessor may say : " For your penance you
shall say every time you curse again: Our Father, who
art in heaven ; hallowed be Thy name." Now suppose
such a child curses again soon after his confession. What

SATISFACTION 525

must he then do ? His conscience tells him right away :
" You have cursed again, you must do your penance, and
say with devotion : Our Father, who art in heaven ; hal-
lowed be Thy name." The child does this, and afterwards
takes more care to keep from cursing. Perhaps he curses
again the next day. What does his conscience tell him?
What does he do? After this he takes still better care
to keep from cursing. His penance is always before him,
when he feels tempted to curse. And then in a short time
he is able to get rid of his bad habit of cursing, and he
amends his life. So you see that that child, by means of
his penance atones for the temporal punishment due for
his sins, and succeeds in amending his life.

The salutary penance. You have a sore finger, and you
put on it a poultice. Why do you do that? A bad habit,
such as cursing or telling lies is like a disease or a sore
on the soul. And the medicine or the poultice that is to
heal it, is the penance imposed by the confessor. What
is the use of that penance for the soul's sickness or sore?
It is intended to cure it. Therefore we call it salutary
penance, that is, a penance that cures. In confession we
ask the confessor for such a penance.

Definition of Satisfaction. What do you give to God,
when you perform the penance the confessor has given
you? Satisfaction. Therefore we say: Satisfaction is
the performance oi the penance imposed by the confessor.
(Repeat.) Satisfaction is the fifth part of the sacrament
of penance.

III. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PENANCE.

Not to perform the penance. You should willingly re-
cite the penance given you by the confessor. As soon as
he tells it to you, you should think : " God sends me this
penance ; I will willingly perform as a punishment for my
sins." But if you would immediately think in the con-
fessional : " That penance is too big ; I will not say it " ;

526 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

you would commit a mortal sin and cause your confession
to be bad. What are the effects of a bad confession?

Punctually to perform the penance. I. You must per-
form the penance exactly as the confessor told you. If
he told you : " Say five Our Fathers kneeling," you must
say them kneeling, and not standing or sitting down. If
he says : " Say five Our Fathers before the cross," you
say them there and nowhere else. 2. Suppose the con-
fessor says : " Say three Our Fathers and three Hail
Marys " ; how many times must you say those prayers ?
Only once. When the priest does not tell you the num-
ber of times, it means that you should say them only once.
3. If the confessor tells you : " Say three Our Fathers
and three Hail Marys for three days." What does he
mean? He means that I should say three Our Fathers
and three Hail Marys on the day of my confession; the
same on the next also, and the same also on the second
day after my confession. But a child may say : " I al-
ways say all my penance at once after my confession, be-
cause, if I did not, I might forget it." But this is not
what the confessor wishes you to do. He wishes you in
this case to say some of it every day for a number of days,
partly in order not to give you too long a penance to say
at once, and partly in order to make you think longer of
your confession and of the good resolutions you made.
Nevertheless, it would not be a mortal sin, if you said the
penance all at once after your confession.

The forgotten Penance. Suppose a child receives the
penance of saying three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys
for three days. He thinks : " That is not much ; I will
willingly say those prayers." Therefore after leaving the
confessional he says three Our Fathers and three Hail
Marys for the first day. But he is light-minded and for-
gets to say his penance the two following days. Is his
confession bad? No, he confessed sincerely, and intended
to do the penance; but on account of his levity he may

SATISFACTION 527

have committed a venial sin ; and he surely lost many graces
by his forget fulness. If he later on remembers the pen-
ance, he should say it, and in his next confession he should
tell the priest : " I forgot twice to say my penance."

Rigorous penances of ancient times. Now-a-days the
confessor does not usually impose big penances, but only
light ones. In olden times the penances imposed in con-
fession were very much heavier. Those who swore
through levity, had to fast for seven days, eating only
dry bread, and drinking only water. Therefore we call it
a seven-days' fast on bread and water. For talking in
church the penance was a ten-days' fast on bread and
water. For disrespect of parents, it was a forty-days' fast
on bread and water. For a sin of impurity, a fast on
bread and water for forty to one hundred days.

Now think how long some of you would have to fast,
if the confessor would now impose similar penances for
grievous sins ! How long would you have to fast merely
for talking in church ! Make it out when you go home.
If this were now practised, some children would have to
fast all their life on bread and water !

Formerly the penance given by the confessor sufficed to
atone for all the temporal punishment due for sin. In
those times those who conscientiously performed those
rigorous penances, surely atoned for all the temporal pun-
ishment due for their sins. Such persons satisfied God
entirely by these penances. Where did such persons go
immediately after their death?

God still demands now from lis as much penance as
formerly. And now compare with such penances the
light penances the confessor imposes on you. Do you be-
lieve that by such light penances you can satisfy for all
the temporal punishments you owe for your sins? Or do
you believe that now-a-days God is not so strict as
formerly? God demands now as much temporal punish-
ment as formerly for light-minded swearing, for disrespect

528 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

to parents, etc., because these sins are now just as great as
formerly. Hence you shall have to undergo the temporal
punishments your sins deserve. You can satisfy for them
by performing some penance of your own accord.

The temporal punishments due for sins must be atoned
for either on earth on in purgatory. Suppose you were to
die, before satisfying for all of them. Where would you
be obliged to satisfy for them? In the fire of purgatory
until they would all be atoned for. We must satisfy for
the temporal punishment due to our sins either during life
on earth, or in purgatory after our death.

Summary. What is meant by due satisfaction in the
sacrament of penance? The performance of the penance
imposed by the confessor. Why does the confessor impose
a penance? The confessor imposes a penance, first, to
satisfy for the temporal punishment due for sin, and sec-
ondly, to amend our life. Does God remit all punishment
when He remits sins? He always remits the eternal pun-
ishment with the sins, but not always the temporal. Which
is the temporal punishment of sin? It is the punishment
which we must undergo either on earth or in purgatory for
our sins.

Application. Dear children, none of you would like
to atone for your sins in purgatory. We can escape pur-
gatory, if we do some little penances of our own for our
sins. I will tell you how you can do it. For instance,
a boy has cursed ; " for cursing," he says, " I will say :
Hallowed be Thy name " ; or, " Glory be to the Father,"
etc. A girl came a little late to Mass on Sunday. She
performs for this the penance of going once or twice extra
to Mass on a week day. A boy was playing; his mother
called him home ; but he disobeyed her. A good penance
for him would be not to go out into the street for one day ;
or only for an hour. A child has taken little things at
home; a good penance would be for each time to do with-
out sugar in his coffee, or without butter on his bread.

A PRACTICAL CONFESSION 529

Another ate a piece of meat on a Friday ; let him do
without fruit, without cake, or eat what he does not like.
Another told lies ; let him say an Our Father, or a Hail
Mary for each lie. Another talked in church ; let him say an
Our Father kneeling. A child has a sore, has toothache,
etc., let him say : " I will bear it all as a penance for my
sins, especially for. . . ." Dear children, punish your-
selves, that God may not need to punish you. Who will
impose penances in himself for his sins? I will ask you
another time, who did so.

17. A practical Confession.

Preparation. We shall soon get through the instruc-
tions on the sacrament of penance. I have but one point
more to explain. The day is near when you will all be
glad; that day you have longed for. Which day is that?
The day on which you will be admitted to make your first
confession. The day of your first confession is for you
a day of great joy.

After baptism your soul was wonderfully beautiful.
You were perfectly free from sin and adorned with the
white garment of sanctifying grace. You were children
of God, and were allowed to call Him Father. Many,
perhaps all of you have always remained until now chil-
dren of God. Perhaps not one of you has committed a
mortal sin, and your soul is still adorned with the garment
of sanctifying grace, which you received in baptism. May
God be a thousand times thanked for this. How happy
you are now for this.

But all of you have committed venial sins. Some of
you have perhaps committed a great many of them, such
as, praying without attention, pronouncing with levity the
holy name of God, being irreverent in church, disobedient
to your parents, telling lies, etc. Each of your venial sins
made a little stain on your soul's white garment of sancti-

530 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

fying grace, and it is no longer quite as beautiful as when
you received it in baptism. On account of these stains you
must feel ashamed before God and His angels and saints.
And so long as even only one stain remains, you are not
fit to enter heaven.

Perhaps some one among you has even committed a
mortal sin, perhaps through immodesty. O poor child,
how unhappy you have made yourself by that sin. You
have fearfully stained and torn the garment of your soul.
You are no longer a child of God. If you were to die
thus, God would have to cast you into hell.

But, O joy, O happiness, all that can still be repaired.
He who is no longer a child of God, can again become one,
and then his heart will again be pure from sin, and he will
receive a brand new garment of sanctifying grace. And
those who have only little stains in their soul, can remove
them all, and their garment of grace will again be as white
as fresh fallen snow, and as bright as the sun. Who can
tell how this will happen? By making a good confession.
So you see how everything depends on how you make your
confession.

I.

Object. I will now tell you how a good boy made his
confession. From this you will learn how to make yours.

i. Relation. The boy's name was Charles. He wished
to make a very good confession, and yet he was somewhat
afraid lest he should not do everything properly. There-
fore he resolved : ' I will pray fervently to God to help
me." On the evening previous to his confession he took
his prayer book (or catechism) and went into the church.
The altar lamp before the tabernacle was shining in so
friendly a way, like the evening star. Have you ever
noticed how its little flame trembles and flares? It is like
a little tongue silently, quietly saying to us : " Come here,
my child ; come here, for here dwells our loving, sweet

A PRACTICAL CONFESSION 531

Jesus, who is so fond of children." Charles knelt down
right in front of the altar. He began to pray : " O my
dearest Jesus, to-morrow I am to make my first confession.
Oh, deign to help me to do it right. O Mary, ever Virgin,
Mother of Jesus and my Mother also, pray for me. My
holy guardian angel, assist me." Then he invoked the
Holy Ghost : " Come, Holy Ghost," etc. Charles now
opened his prayer book (catechism), and said the prayer
before the examination of conscience.

After this he began to examine his conscience carefully.
He reflected on all his life as far back as he could remem-
ber, and asked himself : " What sins have I committed
against the first commandment ? " After finding out all he
could remember, he examined what sins he had committed
against the second commandment. Thus he went through
the commandments of God, the commandments of the
Church, and the seven capital sins. He found out sins al-
most against every commandment, and also the number of
times he had committed them. He thought over them and
their number so carefully that he should remember them
well. He was not in a hurry, but took his time. And
why?

After this Charles excited contrition in his heart for his
sins. He thought of God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Ghost, or God the Chief Good, whom he had
offended by his sins, and asked forgiveness of God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. He thought
also of purgatory, of the pains of hell which he, perhaps,
had deserved on account of his sins. And again besought
God for forgiveness. He was sorry from his heart for his
sins, and resolved never to sin again. He resolved espe-
cially to combat his favorite fault, anger. He also re-
solved never again to associate with the bad companions,
who had already led him into sin a few times. Then he
slowly recited from his heart the act of contrition : " O
my God, I am heartily sorry," etc.

532 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

The next day was the day appointed for his confession.
In the morning Charles went to Mass and prayed very de-
voutly. When the time for the children's confession came,
he was already in church repeating his preparation of the
previous evening. (A few questions on this.) He con-
tinued doing so, and making acts of contrition kneeling
around the confessional, silently waiting for his turn to
make his confession, and reading from his prayer book the
prayer before confession.

2. When his turn came, Charles entered the confessional
and knelt down. The confessor gave him his blessing, and
Charles made the sign of the cross, saying: "Bless me,
Father, for I have sinned." Then he recited the Confiteor
until " through my fault." After this he sincerely confessed
his sins and the number of each as far as he could remem-
ber, in the same order as he had made the examination of
his conscience ; then he said : I am heartily sorry for all
these sins and for all that I do not remember ; I ask pardon
of God for them, and penance of you, Father, and abso-
lution if you judge me worthy. Then he finished the Con-
fiteor. After this the confessor asked Charles a few ques-
tions, and Charles sincerely answered them. The priest
then spoke a few words of admonition to Charles and gave
him a penance. Charles listened very attentively to what
the priest said to him, and humbly received his penance.
Then whilst the priest was giving him absolution, Charles
renewed the act of contrition, and made the sign of the
cross, whilst the priest was saying : " I absolve thee from
thy sins, in the name of the Father," etc. Charles then left
the confessional.

3. After Charles had returned to his place, he knelt down
and began to pray thus within himself: " O how happy I
feel now ! I am again a child of God. O my good God,
I thank Thee a thousand times for this." Then he opened
his prayer book and slowly read the prayer after confes-
sion. Then he said the prayers the confessor had imposed

A PRACTICAL CONFESSION 533

on him for his penance, and, of his own accord, recited
the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and other prayers. More-
over, he made this resolution : " Henceforth I will fight
against my favorite sin, anger, and be on my guard against
it." He then went home.

II. CONSIDERATION. WHAT WE SHOULD DO ON THE EVE OF

CONFESSION.

We must first pray. What is the name of the boy I have
spoken about ? Charles wished to go to confession. What
did he feel a little before making it? He wished to do it
well. How did he begin? He began by praying. What
must we know before confession? But we have usually
forgotten most of our sins. What must we do to remem-
ber them? Examine our conscience. Who is to help us
in doing so? What should we do to obtain the assistance
of the Holy Ghost? What was Charles going to do to
obtain it?

We should go into the church. Therefore Charles went
into the Church the evening before. What did he take
along? The altar lamp was shining in so friendly a manner
before the tabernacle. What did that lamp's trembling
flame invite him to do? Where did Charles kneel?

To whom should we pray. How did Charles begin his
prayer? To whom, then, did he pray first? To Jesus.
To whom did he pray next? To Mary and his guardian
angel. Whom did he finally invoke in a special manner?
The Holy Ghost. How did he pray to Him? You may
also use your prayer book (or catechism) for this. (If
the catechism in use contains instructions and prayers for
confession, tell the children to open their catechism and go
through said prayers with them, the examination of con-
science, etc. Children should have and use prayer-books
in church from the time they can read a little. Where this
is not done, children will hardly use a prayer-book later
on, and that is why so many grown up boys and girls are

534 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

seen at Mass, holy Communion without prayer books, star-
ing distractedly all over the church, and making very care-
less confessions.)

4. Examination of conscience. What did Charles do
after praying? He began to examine his conscience.
How should we examine our conscience? With what com-
mandment did Charles begin to examine his conscience?
What did he ask himself concerning the first command-
ment? "Have I omitted my morning prayers?" etc.
After each question which he answered by yes, he asked
himself : " How many times did I do that ? " And he
tried earnestly to find out the number of times as near as
he could ; if he could not find out the exact number, he
tried to find out about how many times it was. Then con-
cerning some of his sins, such as sins against the sixth and
seventh commandments, he examined whether there had
not been some circumstance which would change a venial
sin into a mortal sin. Charles examined his conscience
not for the past week or two, but as it was his first confes-
sion, he examined it concerning the sins of his whole life
as far as he could remember. And as this will be your
first confession, you must do the same. You must examine
your whole life as far as you can remember, and try to
find out all the sins you have ever committed, their number,
and those that special circumstances caused sins venial in
themselves to become mortal sins.

5. Contrition. It must be sincere. Contrition is the
most necessary part of the sacrament of penance. What
had Charles to feel in his heart, in order that God should
forgive him? Of whom did he think in order to excite
himself to contrition? Of God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Ghost ; of God, the highest and Chief Good.
And what did he pray for? For forgiveness. Of what
else did he think? Of purgatory and hell. What did he
again do? And what did he resolve to do? What prayer
did he then say? The act of contrition, as given in the

A PRACTICAL CONFESSION 535

catechism. But that was not enough. What other prayer
did he say ? The act of contrition in his prayer book after
the examination of conscience. Where did Charles then
go? (Repeat.)

6. You may examine your conscience also at home. If
you have a room at home in which you can be alone for
some time, you may examine your conscience at home also.

7. W'hat you should do before confession on the day of
your confession. A good confession is a great grace for
which we should earnestly pray God. Where did Charles
go in the morning for that purpose? He put on his best
clothes to go to confession, and took his prayer book along.
He did not tarry in the street on his way. He was already
in church half an hour before the time. To whom did he
pray first? And then what did he do? He repeated to
himself the sins, their number and circumstances which
he was to confess, that he might not omit anything in con-
fession. What did he do next? He made a sincere act of
contrition and the good resolution. This should never be
forgotten before going to confession. Then he read slowly
in his prayer book the prayers before confession. You
must all do the same. If after this you have to wait some
time before your turn comes to enter the confessional, you
must not remain idle, looking around, talking and laugh-
ing ; you should then review in your mind what you have
to confess, and say some prayers, that you may make a
good confession.

2. What takes place in the confessional — The
priest's blessing. What did Charles do when his turn came
to make his confession? He entered the confessional, and
knelt down. His guardian angel accompanied him with
joy. Then he said to the priest : Bless me, Father, for I
have sinned. When the priest was blessing him, Charles
made the sign of the cross very devoutly. Then he re-
cited the Confiteor until, " through my fault." To whom
did Charles confess his sins? Whose place does the con-

536 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

fessor take in the confessional? To whom do we really
tell our sins in confession? God sees our heart, and knows
well whether we are going to tell our sins sincerely.
Charles thought of this when he was saying the Confiteor.

The Confession. After saying the first part of the Con-
fiteor, Charles told the priest that this was his first confes-
sion. He then began by confessing the sins he had
committed against the first commandment, and the number
of each. He continued to tell his sins and their number in
the order of the commandments, etc.

In what direction should you tell your sins? In the
direction of the little grate, where the priest has his ear
that he may easily hear what you are confessing. (As to
those children who are very small, and the grate is too
high for them, they should make their confession standing,
otherwise they cannot hear what the priest may ask or tell
them, and the priest cannot either understand them.) In
telling your sins speak slowly, distinctly and softly so that
the priest may understand you, and that those who are out-
side may not hear what you are confessing. Those out-
side who happen to overhear what the priest or the penitent
says in the confessional, must never speak about it to any
one. If you happen to forget some sin in the course of
your confession, go on and tell the rest without worrying
over it; if you remember it when you are through with
the other sins, tell it at the end. What did Charles say at
the end of his confession? You must say the same, but
with attention and slowly.

How often did Charles make an act of contrition for his
confession? Three times. When? Twice before it and
once at the end of his confession. If you happened to for-
get making an act of contrition before your confession,
you must at least make it before the priest gives you abso-
lution. Contrition is more important than anything else in
confessing your sins. To omit making an act of contri-
tion before absolution, renders the confession null and

A PRACTICAL CONFESSION 537

void (worthless). How do you say that little act of con-
trition at the end of confession before the priest questions
you and gives you a penance and absolution ? "I am
heartily sorry for all these sins," etc. (see I. 2). By
these words you express your contrition for all your sins,
not only for those you have actually confessed, but also for
all those which you have forgotten.

The Confessor's Questions and the Penitent's Answers.
After Charles had finished the prayer at the end of his
confession, the confessor asked him some questions. The
confessor will perhaps ask you also some questions. If
you do not understand what the priest asks you, say to the
priest : ' Please, Father, I do not understand what you
ask me." The confessor will ask you again. How did
Charles answer the confessor's questions? Sincerely. Do
not, before answering, try to find out some excuse for your
sins. God knows them ; you cannot deceive Him. You
must tell the truth in your answers ; that is, you must be
sincere, and tell your sins just as they are. Therefore
answer the priest sincerely and humbly.

The Admonition. The confessor also admonished
Charles. What did Charles do, when the confessor was
admonishing him? He listened to him very attentively.
The confessor will also give you a short admonition. He
may perhaps tell you not to go any more with certain com-
panions, or to certain places ; or he will tell you to do certain
things. You must after your confession do exactly what
he has said to you in his admonition. Like Charles, you
must listen very attentively to all that he says, so that you
may well remember it, and do it faithfully.

The penance. The confessor also told Charles a certain
thing he should remember and do after his confession.
What was that? The penance. The confessor will also
give you a penance. You must, therefore, pay great atten-
tion, that you may understand it, and remember and do it
after your confession. What must you pay attention to in

538 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

confession? To what the confessor asks, and to what he
tells us. How must you answer his questions?

You must understand the penance given you. When you
have understood the penance, answer : " Yes, Father " ; or
say : " Thank you, Father." But if you did not under-
stand the penance, do not say : " Yes, Father " ; but say :
" Please, Father, I did not understand the penance." Be
sure not to go out of the confessional till you understand
the penance. Sometimes the confessor may ask you before
he gives you the penance: "Have you anything else (or
any more sins) to confess? " If you do not remember any-
thing else, say : " No, Father." But if you remember
some other sin or sins, tell it (them) right away.

The Absolution. It is not yet all over. There remains
the principal thing to be done. The penitent is not yet
rid of his sins. How are our sins taken away or forgiven ?
How did the priest give absolution to Charles? What did
Charles do when receiving it? You must do the same.

The Effects of the Absolution. Have you ever reflected
on what happens at that solemn moment when the priest
gives absolution to a penitent? The Holy Ghost comes
into the penitent's soul, washes away all his sins, and his
soul becomes what it would have been, had he committed
no sin. His soul puts on again the garment of sanctifying
grace, and becomes pleasing to God. He becomes again a
child of God, and God loves him again, as before; and if
he dies in that state, God will admit him into heaven.
Such is the great benefit of the priest's absolution. No
angel can do what the priest does by giving absolution to
a penitent sinner.

Leaving the Confessional. Now the confession is all
over, and the penitent leaves the confessional. (Repeat in
order what takes place in the confessional.)

3. A hearty thanksgiving. Where did Charles kneel,
when he came out of the confessional? What did he then
do? He first prayed in silence in his own words. What

A PRACTICAL CONFESSION 539

did he say in his heart? What does a beggar say when he
receives alms? What do you say when your father gives
you something good? In confession God bestows on you
an immense benefit ; He forgives your sins, and again
makes your soul pure and beautiful. What should you say
to God after your confession? Why did Charles then say:
" O my good God, I thank Thee a thousand times for
this " ? This thanksgiving of Charles was rather short.
Therefore he opened his prayer book and read therein
slowly and attentively the prayers after confession. You
should do the same.

Performing the Penance. What prayer did Charles say
after his thanksgiving? He performed his penance exactly
as the confes:or had imposed it on him. You should do
the same. You should, whenever it is possible, perform
your penance immediately after thanking God. In what
case you need not perform the penance immediately after
thanking God for forgiving you your sins? But suppose
when you come to your place after leaving the confessional,
you remark that you do not know any more what penance
the priest gave you. What must you then do? Return to
the confessional and tell the priest you forgot what penance
he gave you. But if the priest has already left the con-
fessional, you must say in your next confession : " I did
not say my penance the last time, because I forgot what it
was."

Voluntary penance. When Charles had performed the
penance the confessor had given him, he thought it was
too little. What other penance did he perform of his own
accord for his sins? What special resolution did he also
make? You should likewise impose on yourself some little
penance of your own choice for your sins? What volun-
tary penance could you do? Why should you do that?

Going home. What did Charles do, when he had finished
his voluntary penance? You also should go directly home
after finishing your penance. Do not wait for the other

540 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

children, but go home in silence. People should be aware
that you have been to confession, and you should reflect
that God now looks upon you with complacency.

Do not speak about your confession. It would be wrong
to tell one another what the confessor said to you in con-
fession.

The amendment of life. The day after your confession
you should all go to Mass, in order to thank God for the
great grace He bestowed upon you. Remember that not
everything is over, when you have made your confession.
On the contrary, you must now earnestly begin a new life.
You should start on the very day of your confession. You
should so behave at home that your brothers should never
hear you say a wrong word again. You should always
think : " Now I will try to be a better child." You should
especially try to overcome your favorite (predominant)
fault. What would you say of a child that promised in
confession to do better, and yet commits again all his
former faults immediately after confession? What kind of
resolution did such a child make? He did not mean it!
He made it with his lips, but not from his heart. How can
you know when a child meant what he promised? Which
is the surest sign of a good confession? If we amend our
life after confession. " Go and sin no more." Repeat
now in proper order what you have to do after confession.

Summary. What is the most necessary thing to obtain
forgiveness of our sins? Contrition. When should we
excite in us contrition for our sins when we go to confes-
sion? We should do so before confession, or at least be-
fore receiving absolution. How should you begin your
confession? How should you conclude it? What should
you then do? Listen to and sincerely answer the ques-
tions of the confessor. What should you do next? Pay
great attention to the confessor's admonition and to the
penance he gives. When should you perform the penance ?
Immediately after our thanksgiving, if it is possible.

EXTREME UNCTION 541

Which is the surest sign of a good confession? If we
really amend our life after confession.

Application. The catechist should make a confession,
so that the children may learn practically how to tell their
sins, with their number and necessary circumstances. Ap-
point one of the most talented to repeat the confession you
have made ; but be careful to direct him not to tell his own
sins.

18. Extreme Unction.

Preparation. When our divine Saviour lived on earth,
He did good to all men. Whom did he love in a special
manner? Children, the poor and the sick. How did He
show His love for the sick ? What did people say of Him
on this account ? " He has done all things well ; He gives
sight to the blind," etc. The blind, the deaf, etc., were
sick in their body. How can we get sick in our soul? By
committing sin. How can sin be removed from the soul?
Then the soul recovers health. Our Saviour cured also
the souls of men. Can you name some whose souls He
cured? How did He do so? How well they were after-
wards, and how joyful and happy they felt! Our Saviour
when on earth cured many others that were sick in soul
and in body. Jesus cares even now for the sick. He in-
stituted a special sacrament for those who are very sick,
to benefit them in both body and soul. It is the sacrament
of extreme unction.

Object. I will now tell you how the sacrament of ex-
treme unction benefits in both body and soul those who are
very sick.

Relation. There was once a boy thirteen years old
who was very sick. The physician was sent for ; but all
his medicines did him no good. He grew worse. The sick
boy suffered great pains. He sometimes cried out : " I
suffer so much ; I believe I am going to die." But when
saying this, he began to think of his sins. This thought

542 EXTREME UNCTION

made him very much afraid, for after death comes judg-
ment ; and he thought : " What will then happen to me ? "
The devil also tormented him. He tried to lead the sick
boy into sin, that he might prevent him from going to
heaven. He tried to make him murmur and complain
against God, for letting him get sick. He inspired him with
wicked thoughts ; he said to him : " You shall come to hell
with me, because God will not forgive you."

The sick boy continued to complain, and cried out:
" Oh, how afraid I am and worried in soul ! O dear Lord,
do not abandon me ; forgive me." His mother said to him :
" We are going to send for the priest, and he will prepare
you for death." The boy consented. The priest soon
came with the Blessed Sacrament, preceded by altar boys
carrying lighted candles. The sick boy then made his con-
fession, and was absolved from his sins. Then he received
our Lord in holy Communion. Then the priest took a
small silver vase containing blessed oil in his left hand, and
dipped the thumb of his right hand into the oil and made
the sign of the cross with it first on the boy's closed eyes,
then on his ears, his nostrils, his lips, his hands and feet,
praying, at the same time, God to forgive him the sins he
had committed in his life with his eyes, his ears, his smell,
his taste, his tongue, his hands and his feet. Soon after
the priest left the house. And now, how wonderful! the
sick boy became quiet and patient ; he no longer complained.
But he said : " Oh, how glad I feel now ! I feel so light
and so well in my heart. I am not afraid now to die. If
it is God's will, I am content to suffer longer, or to die."
But this was not all. His bodily pains began to diminish.
Each day the sick boy's health improved, and in a short
time he was perfectly well again. He lived many years
since then ; and when he reached the age of seventy-two
years, he got sick again, and shortly after again receiving
extreme unction, he died calmly. Such was God's holy
will.

EXTREME UNCTION 543

Consideration — Sickness. The boy of whom I have
been speaking, was very sick. Who is called to help or
cure the sick? The doctor was sent for. What did he
prescribe? Did the medicines help? He grew worse.

Bodily pains. What pains did the sick boy suffer in his
body? He could not sleep, breathed with difficulty, had a
high fever, etc. What complaints did he make? The sick
usually make the same complaints. What does sickness
cause the body? Pains.

Worry of the soul. The sick boy thought he would die.
What thoughts did the fear of death bring to his mind?
What does the thought of death make the sick feel?
Worry. What happens when a person dies? Where
would his soul go if he is in the state of sin? He thinks
of that. And what does his thought bring to his mind?
Dear children, how painful is death to those who have com-
mitted mortal sin ! They are very much afraid. They
dread the judgment of God. They do not know what will
happen to them. They fear they will be condemned to the
endless torments of hell.

The temptations of the devil. What else torments the
sick boy's soul? The devil will not let sick people suffer
in patience, or think on God or love God. He tries to bring
them to hell with him. He wishes to keep them out of
heaven, because he himself cannot enter it. When a per-
son is very sick and seems likely to die, the devil thinks :
" Now is my chance. If that person dies with a mortal
sin on his conscience, he belongs to me, and I will take him
to hell with me." To what does the devil wish to tempt
the sick? He tempts them to impatience, so that they may
murmur against God, saying : " Why did God let me get
sick?" The devil also tries to make the sick angry, so as
to scold and curse others. The devil tries also to make
them commit other sins, to bring bad thoughts to their
mind. He tells the sick person : " God will not forgive
you your sins ; you shall surely go to hell." In this way

544 EXTREME UNCTION

the devil acted towards that sick boy. He tried to make
him commit sin ; to make him murmur against God ; to
make him believe : " God will not forgive me my sins."
What did the sick boy then feel in his soul? A great fear
and worry. How did he complain ? " O how I feel wor-
ried in my mind! O dear Lord, help me, and do not
abandon me."

The last sacraments. What did his mother ask him?
He was glad to have the priest called. What did the priest
bring with him? How could people know that the priest
was bringing our Lord ! What was the first thing the sick
boy had to do? Confess his sins. What effect did this
have on his soul? What did the Holy Ghost bring to his
soul in the sacrament of penance? What did the sick boy
receive next? Our divine Saviour in holy Communion.
He who has Jesus in his soul, possesses all graces. From
whom do all graces come?

Extreme unction. What did the priest take in his left
hand? The oil had been blessed by the bishop. It is then
a holy oil. What did the priest then do with the thumb of
his right hand? What did he anoint with the oil? How
did he anoint the sick boy's eyes, etc. ? And what prayer did
the priest say at each anointing? He besought God to re-
mit to the sick boy all the sins he had committed by the
sense he was anointing. (Repeat all.)

What sins are committed with the eyes? With the ears?
With the mouth? etc. The priest anointed the sick boy's
five senses; sight, hearing, smell, taste (and speech), feel-
ing (tactus). With what did he anoint each sense? And
when the priest was anointing his eyes, what happened in
his soul? The Holy Ghost came into his soul with His
grace, and remitted the sins he had committed by his sight.
(Same question and answer for each of the other senses.)
Whence does grace flow into our soul? From the cross in
seven streamlets, which are the seven sacraments. The
sick boy received one of the seven sacraments; it is called

EXTREME UNCTION 545

extreme unction, or the last anointing. The first anointing
with holy oil takes place in baptism ; the second in con-
firmation. (Then in the sacrament of Order.) And the
last in the sacrament instituted for those who are very
sick and in danger of dying.

The grace of God for the benefit of the soul. After re-
ceiving extreme unction, the sick boy becomes quiet at once.
His soul is now better. What does he say? "Oh, how I
feel better ! I have nothing more to fear, nothing more to
worry about." What did he receive from the sacrament
of extreme unction? The grace he received in extreme
unction has cured his soul. The sacrament of extreme
unction benefited the sick boy's soul. The same happens
to all the sick who receive extreme unction with due dis-
positions. They receive in it the grace of God for the
benefit of their soul.

The grace of God for the benefit of the body. Besides
benefiting the sick person's soul, extreme umction often
benefits the body also. That sick boy after receiving it,
did not feel so much the pains of his body. How did he
get along every day? And what did he at last get? Well.
When did he begin to grow better? Hence extreme unc-
tion benefited his body also. What do the sick receive for
their body in the sacrament of extreme unction? The
grace of God for the benefit of their body. Which was the
first benefit of extreme unction for the sick boy? Which
was the second? What then do the sick receive in the sac-
rament of extreme unction ? The sick receive in the sacra-
ment of extreme unction the grace of God for the benefit
of their soul and of their body.

The second administration. This boy lived to be an old
man till what age? Then he got sick again. And then
which sacrament did he again receive? He became again
easy and quiet in his soul. He did not either complain
about his bodily pains. But what happened to him this
time? He did not get well, for so God willed it, for He

546 EXTREME UNCTION

wills that old people should die. Often it is better for
the young, who get sick, to die than to get well. They go
more easily to heaven. Extreme unction does not benefit
the bodies of these.

Connection. How many times did that sick boy receive
extreme unction ? How many times did it benefit his soul ?
Why did it fail the second time to benefit his body ? What
effect extreme unction does not always produce? When
does it benefit the body ? What did extreme unction benefit
each time?

Which sacraments did that sick boy receive before receiv-
ing extreme unction? Which did he receive first? What
effect did the sacrament of penance produce in him?
What was it that the Blessed Sacrament brought to his
soul? Our divine Saviour and many graces. What effect
did extreme unction produce in his soul? Many more
graces. How many times did the sick receive graces for
his soul? What effect did it produce the first time in his
body ?

Summary. What do the sick receive in the sacrament
of extreme unction? How is extreme unction adminis-
tered?

Application, i. You see now, children, how good our
Saviour is towards those who are very sick, and how He
cares for them. For them He instituted a special sacra-
ment. How often doctors and other persons have said :
" There is no hope for that sick person ; he cannot get
well." But after receiving extreme unction so many very
sick persons have got well again. 2. Mostly all who are
very sick, are afraid to die. But extreme unction enables
them to think quietly on death, to think much on God, to
whom they are soon to go. 3. Suppose you now see a
priest going to prepare a sick person for death. What
should you do? Adore inwardly Jesus, whom the priest
carries, and pray for the sick person, that he may worthily
receive the last sacraments and be prepared to die well.

HOLY ORDER 547

19. Holy Order.

Preparation. Last time I spoke about a very sick boy
who received extreme unction. Who administered extreme
unction to him? Why did they not call some other man
to do this? Because only a priest can do it. The priest
receives power of administering the sacraments when he
is ordained priest by the bishop.

Object. I will tell you to-day what powers the priest
receives when he is ordained priest.

Relation. He who wishes to become a priest, must
first study for many years. After this the bishop ordains
him during Mass. The bishop lays both his hands on the
head of him who is being ordained and prays that the Holy
Ghost may come down upon him. Then the bishop anoints
his hands with holy oil, to consecrate them to God. After
this the bishop makes him touch the chalice and the little
gilt plate with a host on it. Next the new priest says Mass
aloud with the bishop. At the consecration he pronounces
with the bishop these words of Christ over the bread:
" This is My body " ; and over the wine : " This is My
blood." After holy Communion the bishop again holds
both hands over the new priest's head, saying: 'Receive
the Holy Ghost ; whose sins you shall forgive, they are
forgiven them ; whose sins you shall retain, they are re-
tained." Thus is a priest ordained, and receives all the
powers of a priest and all the graces contained in the sac-
rament of Holy Order, and soon says his first Mass.

Consideration — How our divine Saviour during Mass
ordained the apostles priests [and bishops]. He who
wishes to become a priest, has to prepare himself for many
years. In what manner? Then he is ordained priest.
By whom? The highest and holiest priest on earth was
Jesus Christ. The priest has to offer sacrifice. Which
was the sacrifice Jesus Christ offered? Where is this sac-
rifice offered in our times? Under what appearances does

548 HOLY ORDER

Jesus sacrifice Himself during Mass? Through whose
hands? When did Jesus sacrifice Himself for the first
time to His heavenly Father under the appearances of
bread and wine? That was the first Sacrifice of the Mass
on earth. But Jesus willed that the apostles also should
offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What did He say to
the apostles for this purpose ? " Do ye this for a remem-
brance of Me." By these words He ordained them priests.
What power did He give them, when He said this? He
said this during the first Mass. When did Jesus ordain the
apostles priests? Jesus ordained the apostles priests dur-
ing the first holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Our Saviour did not need many words to ordain priests.
He has only to say it, and they are real priests. Just as
He did in creating the world. He said only : " Let it be,"
and the earth and the heavens were there. When Jesus
said to the apostles : " Do this for a remembrance of Me,"
they became priests.

The apostles also ordained priests. Our Saviour willed
that the Sacrifice of the Mass should be offered until the
end of the world. But the apostles could not do this so
long, for they did not live so long. Therefore Jesus gave
them the power of ordaining other priests and bishops.
Therefore the apostles prayed over other men and imposed
hands upon them, in order to ordain them bishops and
priests. To some they gave all their power, and these be-
came bishops, to others they gave only a part of their
power, but the most beautiful (that of sacrifice). These
became priests. These bishops ordained others as bishops
and priests. The same happens also now.

How the bishop ordains priests. When did our Saviour
ordain the apostles priests and bishops? What sacrifice
did our Saviour offer at the Last Supper ? Where does the
same thing now take place? Therefore bishops ordain
priests during Mass. The bishop begins the Mass. After
some time, he stops, and those who are to be ordained

HOLY ORDER 549

priests, kneel down. The bishop then begins the cere-
monies of the ordination. What does he do first? The
bishop lays both hands on the head of each one that is to
be ordained, and prays over him, and beseeches the Holy
Ghost to come down upon him. And whilst the bishop lays
his hands over the one who is to be ordained, the bishop's
power is communicated to him and the Holy Ghost in-
teriorly descends upon him with His grace ; and in this
manner he is made a priest of God. Which sacrament does
he thus receive?

The power of offering sacrifice. The most beautiful of
the priest's powers is that of offering the holy Sacrifice
of the Mass. The newly ordained priest has that power.
The sacrament of Holy Order is conferred on him for this
purpose. To offer the Sacrifice of the Mass, the priest
needs a consecrated gilt chalice and paten (small gilt plate)
with a host and wine. After anointing and consecrating
the hands of the new priest with holy oil, the bishop makes
him touch the chalice, paten and host with his hands, to
impart to him the power of offering the holy Sacrifice of
the Mass. After this the bishop continues the Mass. And
what does the new priest do together with the bishop? He
says Mass aloud together with the bishop. Which is the
most essential part of the Mass? What takes place at
the consecration? Which are the words of the consecra-
tion? The new priest pronounces these words aloud with
the bishop over the bread and the wine that are on the altar.
He now, together with the bishop, for the first time
changes bread and wine into the true body and blood of
our divine Saviour. After this he continues to say Mass
together with the bishop until the third principal part of
the Mass. Which is the third principal part of the Mass?
What does the bishop then do? The new priest also re-
ceives our Saviour in holy Communion from the hand of
the bishop.

The power of administering the sacraments. After the

55o HOLY ORDER

Communion the bishop again lays his hands on the head of
the new priest. What does he say whilst he is doing this?
" Receive the Holy Ghost ; " etc. Who first spoke these
words? To whom? What power did these words impart
to the apostles? The power to forgive sins. This power
is imparted by the sacrament of Holy Order to the newly
ordained priest. The sacrament of Holy Order imparts
the power to forgive sins. In which sacrament does the
priest forgive sins? Which sacrament can the newly
ordained priest administer? In which other sacrament
does the priest forgive sins ? In the sacrament of baptism.
There is another sacrament in which the priest can forgive
sins; which is it? The sacrament of extreme unction.
The newly ordained priest can administer all these sacra-
ments. What other power, already mentioned, does the
priest receive in the sacrament of Holy Order ? The power
of offering the holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Which are the two great powers conferred on the priest
by the sacrament of Holy Order? These two powers are
called the priestly power. The priestly power is the grace
conferred by the sacrament of Holy Order. Moreover,
when the bishop anoints and consecrates the hands of the
new priests, he confers on him the power of blessing per-
sons and things, for he says : " Whatever these hands will
bless, shall be blessed." Not long after his ordination the
new priest celebrates his first Mass. Who has assisted at
a priest's first Mass?

The special grace. The priesthood is a holy and difficult
office. What must the priest do in church ? In the school ?
In the houses of his parishioners? He has to go into the
houses of the rich and of the poor. He must love them
all alike. He must pray for all. He says Mass for all on
Sundays and feast days. He is like a good father, a good
shepherd. To enable him to perform his duty well, the
Holy Ghost entered his heart at his ordination. And what
did the Holy Ghost bring to him? He brought to him the

MARRIAGE 551

special grace to discharge well the duties of the priest-
hood.

Summary. In the sacrament of Holy Order the priestly-
power is conferred together with the special grace to dis-
charge properly the duties of the priesthood.

Application. A certain saint said: If I would meet a
priest and an angel at the same time, I would greet the
priest first, for the dignity and the power of the priest are
greater than those of the angel. What powers has the
priest, which the angel has not? Whom does the priest
represent in administering the sacraments and in saying
Mass? He is the representative of God, and therefore
greater than an angel. Therefore also yon ought to greet
the priest before any one else. Priests like to greet chil-
dren. You should revere the priest, love him and pray for
him.

20. Marriage.

Object. I will relate to you the marriage of Adam and
Eve. Who was the first man on earth ? Adam had no
one to speak to. What did God say on this account? " It
is not good for man to be alone," etc. What did God,
therefore, send to Adam? What did He do whilst Adam
was sleeping? What did God do when Adam awoke?
Therefore Adam rejoiced very much ; he said : ' This is
bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." What name did
he give her? Woman. Now Adam and Eve knelt down
before God, and God married them. Adam was the bride-
groom and Eve the bride. Adam and Eve joined hands,
and God blessed them. They were now husband and wife.
Thus Adam and Eve had their wedding. Our divine Sav-
iour made marriage a sacrament.

Object. We shall learn to-day what graces husband
and wife receive in this sacrament. .

Relation. When a man and a woman wish to get
married, they go together into the church. They are usu-

552 MARRIAGE

ally accompanied by their parents, relatives and friends.
They have all put on their best clothes. They come before
the altar. When the priest comes, he stands before them,
and the man and woman kneel down. The priest first asks
the man : " N. wilt thou take N. here present for thy
lawful wife according to the rite of our holy Mother the
Church?" The man answers: " I will." The priest then
asks the woman : " N. wilt thou take N. here present for
thy lawful husband according to the rite of our holy
Mother the Church?" She answers: "I will." They
join their right hands and the priest says : " I join you in
marriage in the name of the Father, and of the Son and
of the Holy Ghost. Amen." He makes the sign of the
cross over them, and sprinkles them with holy water. Now
they are married ; they are husband and wife and belong
to each other. After this the priest says Mass for them.
During Mass they go twice to the altar to receive special
blessings from the priest, and at the Communion they re-
ceive holy Communion together. After Mass they have a
little wedding feast. From that time they live together,
and God gives them children. The father has to work
and care for the mother; the mother cares for the father
at home and does all he requires. And both the father and
the mother care for the children. Father and mother re-
main together until death separates them. And from the
day of the marriage, if they are good, God is with them and
helps them with His grace in all things.

Consideration — The marriage. You have all seen a
marriage. Who are invited to it? How are all dressed?
Who are the best dressed? What does the bride wear?
What does the bridegroom wear? Where is the marriage
ceremony performed? Where does the bridal party place
themselves? Where does the priest stand? Who kneels
down during the ceremony? What does the priest ask of
the bridegroom? What does he answer? What does the
priest ask of the bride? What does she answer? What

DUTIES OF THE MARRIED 553

is done next? What does the priest do while the bride-
groom and the bride have joined their right hands?
(Blessing of the ring, etc.). Then the priest says Mass
for the newly married. What do they do twice during the
Mass? For what? When do they receive holy Com-
munion? Why do they go to Communion? That our
divine Saviour may be always with them and help them
with His grace. Where does the marriage feast take place?
Henceforth they live together and God gives them chil-
dren. Thus were your father and mother married, and
God has given them you and your brothers and sisters.

Duties of the husband. Who supports the wife after the
marriage? The husband has to do it. How does he sup-
port her and the children? By his work or business. He
must earn the money necessary for this, and also use his
earnings for this. He received in the sacrament of mar-
riage special grace from the Holy Ghost to do this properly.

Duties of the wife. The wife must care for her hus-
band's wants at home ; and she must also follow his direc-
tions, and obey him, for he is the head of the family. God
said that already in Paradise. The Holy Ghost gave her
special grace for all this in the sacrament of marriage.

Duties of the married. The father must support and
care for the mother, and the mother must care for and
attend to the wants of the father. And the father and the
mother must care together for their children. How do
they care for the bodies of their children? How do
they care for the souls of their children ? They must have
them baptized ; when they begin to speak, they must teach
them to pray, to be good, to be obedient. And if the chil-
dren are disobedient, are bad? The parents must correct
and punish their faults. In a word, they must train, bring
up, educate their children. Which are the duties of father
and mother towards their children? To care for their
wants, to educate them. The sacrament of marriage,
which they received, imparted to them the special grace

554 MARRIAGE

to do this properly. They must do all they can, and grace
will enable them to succeed in this duty.

The family circle. Father and mother can give great
pleasure to the children. For instance, in the long winter
evenings after supper, after the mother has put the baby
to sleep, and all the other children are assembled with their
father and mother around a bright fire ; sometimes the chil-
dren are playing together, or studying the next day's les-
sons ; or the father or the mother relates stories ; or one
of the children reads something interesting out of a good
book, and the others listen ; or all join in singing together
some pious hymn. Then at the appointed time all kneel
together before a little altar, on which is a statue or picture
of the Blessed Virgin and a crucifix between two lighted
candles, and night prayers are said in common by the father
and mother and the children. After this the children bid
their father and mother good night, and then retire to rest
each in his own little bed. The blessing of God is with
such a family.

Until death. The duties of the married are difficult.
The mother has much to endure from the children. What
punishment did God pronounce over Eve after her sin?
Your mother has much trouble with you. Her children
are sometimes disobedient or quarreling; some are cry-
ing; sometimes they are sick, and cannot sleep. The
mother can have no rest, cannot get a chance to sleep;
she often cannot help weeping over her troubles, saying:
" Oh, what a heap of trouble and worry the children cause
me ! " It is much worse, if the father gets sick. Can the
mother then say : "I am going away, I cannot stand this
any longer " ? No ; she must stay, and now, more than
ever, must she care for the children and for their sick
father.

The father has also many cares on account of the chil-
dren. His hours of work are often long and hard. When
he comes home, he is very tired, and, nevertheless, he often

DUTIES OF THE MARRIED 555

has to do some work at home also. If the mother is sick,
he must care for her and do a good part of her work.
Sometimes he cannot get work, and then he knows not
where he can get means to support the family. He can
never say : " I am going away, and I will leave the mother
and the children to care for themselves." No, he cannot ;
for now more than ever he must stay with the mother and
the children and care for them and work to support them.
The father and the mother must remain together until
death separates them. That is a sacred duty of the state
of marriage.

Which are the duties of the father towards the mother?
Which are the duties of the mother towards the father?
Which are the duties of the father and the mother towards
the children? How long must married persons remain
(live) together? How long then must married persons
fulfil the duties of the marriage state? Until death. What
did they receive for this in the sacrament of marriage?
A special grace from the Holy Ghost to enable them to
perform those duties until death separates them.

Summary. Married people receive in the sacrament of
marriage a special grace to perform properly the duties
of the state of marriage until death.

Application. Father and mother have duties towards
each other and towards the children. Which are the duties
of the children towards their parents?

How beautiful it is to see love and harmony reign in
a family, between father, mother and children ! To see
how they help and care for one another. This was seen
in the Holy Family at Nazareth. Have you seen a pic-
ture of the Holy Family at Nazareth? How many per-
sons are represented in it?

St. Joseph is the father. What is he doing? He is
working to care for and support the family. So does your
father for you. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother.
What is she doing? Doing the house-work. Your mother

556 MARRIAGE

also does the same. What is the Child Jesus doing? He
is helping St. Joseph. He also helped Mary, His Mother.
He always obeyed immediately and cheerfully. What did
His obedience cause to Mary and Joseph? Much pleasure.
How can you also give pleasure to your parents? Are
you very willing to help them ? Strive always to imitate the
Child Jesus.

THE END

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