THE

Pulpit Orator
CONTAINING SEVEN ELABORATE SKELETON SERMONS,
OR,

homiletic, dogmatical, liturgical symbolical,

AND MORAL SKETCHES,

FOR EVERY SUNDAY OF THE YEAR.
ALSO ELABORATE SKELETON SERMONS

FOR THE CHIEF FESTIVALS AND OTHER OCCASIONS.

BY THE REV. JOHN EVANGELIST ZOLLNER.
TRANSLA TED FROM THE GERMAN. WITH PERMISSION OF
THE AUTHOR. AND ADAPTED BY

THE REV. AUGUSTINE WIRTH, O. S. B.

WITH PREFACE BY THE REV. A. A. LAMBING.
Fifteenth Revised Edition

VOL. I.
From

the

First Sunday of Advent to the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

jfrebericfe ÿwstet & (£o„
Printers to the Holy Apostolic See and the Sacred Congregation of Rites
RATISBON

ROME

NEW YORK

CINCINNATI

Copyright, 1904.

B. STEINBACK,
Of the firm of Er. Pustet & Co

CONTENTS.
Μ
H—*▼

PREFACES............................................... ····.······.·
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
1. Homiletic Sketch.—Concerning the things against which the
Apostle warns us, and the Things which he exhorts us to do . 17
2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Coming of Christ at the Judgment . · 22
8. Dogmatical Sketch.—The General Judgment.......................... . ·
28
4. Liturgical Sketch—The Ecclesiastical Year. .·.....
35
5. Symbolical Sketch.—The Last Judgment.........
39
6. Moral Sketch.—The Sanctification of Advent....................................... 44
7. Moral Sketch.—Many Christians try to dissuade themselves from
the Fear of Judgment .··········.···
49
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

1. Homiletic Sketch.—Christian Unity....................................
55
2. Homiletic Sketch.—What does Jesus say of himself and what of
John?................................................................................................................ 60
8. Dogmatical Sketch.—Christ prefigured as the Redeemer in the
Old Testament.................................................................................................66
4. Liturgical Sketch.—TheSignificanceof Advent..................................... 71
5. Symbolical Sketch.—How we are to prepare for our Redeemer a
Dwelling in our Heart.........................................................................
77
6. Moral Sketch.—Rules of Conductinregard tohuman Praise. .
82
7. Moral Sketch.—Impenitence............................................... ····. 88
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVEMT.

1. Homiletic Sketch.—The Picture of a true Christian .....
94
2. Homiletic Sketch.—What does St. John say of himself, of his
Baptism and of Christ?.................................................................... 101
8. Dogm vtical Sketch.—Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the World,
foretold in the Old Testament.................................................... 108
4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Ecclesiastical Celebration of Advent . 113
6. Symbolical Sketch.—Many act in Confession as if they were
Prophets, or Elias, or even Christ......................................................... 118
6. Moral Sketch.—Conscience............................................................... . 123
7. Moral Sketch.—Whjr we should always speak the Truth ... 129

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
1. Homiletic Sketch.—What we are, and how we are to behave to­
wards ourselves and others.......................................................................... 135
2. Homiletic Sketch.—How we are to prepare ourselves for Christmas 141
8. Dogmatical Sketch.—Jesus Christ is truly God
····.. 147

η

CONTENTS.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.—Continued.
4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Ordinance» of the Church for Advent . 159
5. Symbolical Sketch.—How we are to prepare the Way for Christ 157
6. Moral Sketch.- The small Number of true Penitents..................... 164
7. Moral Sketch.—We have many Preachers of Penance, but few
169
Penitents.........................................

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.
1. Homiletic Sketch.—Man’s condition before the Coming of
Christ, and what he has become through Christ......................
2. Homiletic Sketch.—Simeon, Anna, and the Holy Family . . .
8. Dogmatical Sketch—The Necessity of Faith...............................
4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Crib in Christian Houses and Hearts .
5. Symbolical Sketch.—Christmas-Trees and Christmas-Gifta . . .
6. Moral Sketch.—The Obduracy of the Sinner....................................
7. Moral Sketch.—Anna a beautiful Pattern for our Imitation . .

176

182
188
193
198
203
208

M
SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND EPIPHANY.
1 Homiletic Sketch.—Signs by which a childlike Mind is known . 214
2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Return of the Holy Family into their
own country ,·····.·■■·■······· 220
8. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Qualities of Faith............................... 225
A Liturgical Sketch.—The three Kings’ Blessing.......................... 231
δ. Liturgic-Symbolical Sketch.—The Blessing of Houses on the Eve
of the Epiphany...................................................................
236
<
6. Moral Sketch.—The particular Providence of God....
7. Moral Sketch.—Children, love your Parents ......

—ri

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
•47- ·'* ·ςχΕΛΎ
she; ·;£;
·*
- * · ·* ■ -·
• · ·*···

. ....

·

1. Homiletic Sketch.—What the Apostle admonishes us to do
2. Homiletic Sketch.—Jesus, Mary and Joseph.........................
J. Dogmatical Sketch.—The legislative Power of the Church.
4 Liturfical Sketch.—On Pilgrimages.................................
K Symbolical Sketch.—What we need on our Journey to the heavenly
Jerusalem.................................................................................
6. Moral Sketch.—Parents must not allow their Children to keep bad
Company.................................................................................... · «
7. Moral Sketch.—The obedience of Children to their Parenta . <

255
262

274
279

a
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
1. Homiletic Sketch.—Three Virtues which we are to practice .
2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Marriage Feast in Cana.................... .
8. Dogmatical Sketch.—Christian Marriage a Sacrament . . . •
4. Liturgical Sketch.—The Ceremonies of Matrimony .... .
5. Symbolical Sketch.—Trials in the married State.................... .
6. Moral Sketch.—The Necessity of a Divine Vocation for the married
State...................................................................................................
7. Moral Sketch.—What those must observe who intend to enter the
married State ..··········»·····<

284
289

300
306
312
317

324
832

CONTENTS.

vii

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

1. Homiletic Sketch.—Three Lessons on the Love of our Neighbor. 837
2. Homiletic Sketch.—The Cleansing of a Leper and the Healing of
the Centurion’s Servant.................................................................... . 343
8. Dogmatical Sketch.—The Confession of Faith ....... 350
4. Liturgical Sketch.—The External Worship of God.......................... 855
6. Symbolical Sketch.—Leprosy, a Figure of Sin..................................... 359
6. Moral Sketch.—You should know for what you pray, and should
earnestly desire it....................................................................
366
7. Moral Sketch.—Who avoids Jesus? Who follows Him? .... 869
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
Homiletic Sketch.—The Love of our Neighbor ...... 874
Homiletic Sketch.—The Tempest at Sea . .......................................... 379
Dogmatical Sketch —The Unity of the Church ....... 385
Liturgical Sketch.—Sunday.....................................................................390
Symbolical Sketch.—The Boat on the Lake of Genesareth a
Symbol of the Catholic Church............................................................... 395
6. Moral Sketch.—Confidence in God.......................................................... 401
7. Moral Sketch.—What we need on our Voyage through Life, in
order to reach the Port of Eternity in Safety.................................... 407

1.
2.
8.
4.
5.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

Homiletic Sketch.—Charity the Bond of Perfection.......................... 413
Homiletic Sketch.—The Parable of the Wheat and the Cockle . 419
Dogmatical Sketch.—The Sanctity of the Church............................... 425
Liturgical Sketch.—How the Primitive Christians celebrated
Sunday............................................................................................................... 430
5. Symbolical Sketch.—Sin, a Sleep............................................................... 434
6. Moral Sketch.—Why God suffers the Wicked among the Good
440
7. Moral Sketch —Lukewarmness
446
1.
2.
8.
4.

GENERAL INDEX

See Volume VI., Page 473

'■* · -.va

*

PREFACE.
/^\ÜR Lord Jesus Christ having· come upon earth that man might
'J have life and might have it more abundantly, established his
Church which should last till the end of time, in order that the
fruits of the Incarnation and Redemption might be extended to
mankind in all ages. He called the twelve Apostles, and having
empowered them to rule the Church, to offer the adorable Sacri­
fice of the Mass and to forgive sins, he commissioned and com­
manded them to preach the Gospel to every creature, it being
his will that all should come to the knowledge of God. “It
pleased God,” as the Apostle says, “by the foolishness of our
preaching, to save them that believe.”—I. Cor. 1:21. “For God
so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son; that whoso­
ever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life ever­
lasting.”— John 3:16. But <rhow shall they believe him of whom
they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a
preacher?—Rom. 10: 14. In another place our divine Redeemer
defines the power, the scope, and the subject-matter of the
preacher of the Gospel when he says to his Apostles : “All power
is given to me in heaven and on earth. Going, therefore, teach
ye all nations ... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you.”—Matt. 28: 18, 19. They were, more­
over, to preach like their divine Master, “as one having power,
and not as the Scribes and Pharisees.”—Matt. 7: 29.
St. Paul, in his second Epistle to Timothy, further enlarges on
the character of Apostolic preaching and the gravity of the com­
mission which the Christian minister has received, when he ad­
dressed this solemn admonition to his favorite disciple—an ad­
monition which the priest of God can not reflect upon too seri­
ously: “I charge thee before God and Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the living and the dead by his coming and his kingdom :
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.”—4 : 1, 2.
The most essential quality of preaching is to teach; and although
the subject-matter must ever be the same, the manner of the

X

Preface.

speaker and the style of his discourse, while always suited to the
dignity of the word of God, must yet adapt themselves to the
:ircumstances and the mental grasp of those whom he addresses.
Phis, while a simple dictate of reason, has always been the prac­
tice of the Apostles, and of the most successful preachers of
every age, and it is, besides, enjoined as a duty by the Council
of Trent. St. Paul, who must ever be regarded as the highest
model for Christian preachers, did not hesitate to descend to
simplicity of language, as he assures the haughty Corinthians:
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not in loftiness of
speech or of wisdom ... And my speech and my preaching was
not in the persuasive words of human wisdom.”—I. Cor. 2: 1-4.
But yet he knew how to adapt his discourse to the capacity of
the most learned and spiritual, when circumstances called for it,
as he states in the same chapter: “Howbeit, we speak wisdom
among the perfect.”—Ibid. v. à. Not that the graces of diction
and oratory are to be disregarded, for St. Augustine admonishes
the preacher of the divine word that he must study to render his
audience well disposed and attentive before he can hope to suc­
ceed in teaching them, much less in administering a merited re­
buke. But the beauties of language and action are only means
to a higher end; and the Christian minister, whatever his talents
and ability, is never permitted to speak with a view of merely
entertaining his audience, or of eliciting applause. His mission
is to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified.
There are, it is true, circumstances that seem to demand what
are commonly called set sermons, in which all the elegances of
language and oratory are called into play, and in which the
principal object of the speaker would appear to be the entertain­
ment of his hearers; but these occasions are rare, and such dis­
courses are to be attempted by those only who are qualified to
deliver them becomingly; and even then the good of the hearers
must ever be the aim of the preacher. The greatest good is not
as a general rule effected by the most celebrated preachers.
These may be necessary to sustain the dignity of the profession;
but the real harvest of souls is commonly reaped by those who
employ simplicity of style and language; and these qualities,
provided they are accompanied with that unction which flows
from a spirit of prayer, will never fail to please and edify the

Preface,

xi

most learned. Lacordaire himself was enchanted with the simple
discourses of the poor Curé of Ars, and he never thought more
humbly of his abilities, that had so frequently enraptured the
most refined circles of the French capital, than when he gazed
on the emaciated form and drank in the simple words of the man
who had barely the ability necessary for admittance into the
ranks of the clergy.
We are not, however, to infer from this that the preacher of the
Gospel should speak without care or preparation. On the contrary?
nothing demands greater attention. The Christian preacher is the
messenger of the Most High; he is divinely commissioned to de­
clare those truths, and to explain that law upon which an eter­
nity of happiness or misery depends ; and this to souls created
in the image of the living God, and redeemed with the precious
blood and cruel death of Jesus Christ. So sacred is this duty that
St. Charles Borromeo bids him speak with the same reverential
fear as if he beheld Jesus Christ as his judge seated upon a throne
at the further end of the church, awaiting the conclusion of his
discourse to call him to account for the manner in which he de­
livered it. Witness the care bestowed upon their discourses by
the Fathers of the Church, some of whom would not invite any
one to their table, the better to devote that time to preparing
themselves for breaking the bread of the word to the little ones
of Christ. The consequence is, that they have handed down
master-pieces of sacred eloquence that will elicit the admiration
of the world to the end of time. Their homilies will ever be a
mine of wealth for the pulpit orator, and he can hardly hope to
attain to any degree of perfection, unless he makes them the
subject of his constant study.
But times change, and the human mind changes with them.
Christians in every succeeding age find themselves placed in
different circumstances, and assailed by other enemies ; and new
weapons must be used to repel them, and new arguments em­
ployed to lead the faithful in the path of duty. Hence it is that
while the homilies of the Fathers can always be studied with
profit, the circumstances in which the minister of the Gospel is
now placed are so different from theirs that he is seldom or
never permitted to adopt their discourses and deliver them as
his own. Indeed, no speaker can so far identify himself with

xH

Preface.

another as to be able to employ his precise words with profit^
or even with safety, much less the words of those of a far distant
and different age, and of such colossal minds as the Fathers of
the Church. And the same may be said of the master-pieces of
pulpit oratory that have been translated from the French and
other modern languages. They are not at all suited to the wants
and circumstances of our people, and still less, perhaps, to our
abilities. What, for example, have our people in common with
those of the French court, before whom the most celebrated of
these discourses were preached? Yet the train of thought, the
line of argument, the illustrations, and the proofs of another, may
frequently be employed with profit. Such recourse to foreign
sources is often necessary in the peculiar circumstances in
which pastors of souls, especially in this country, are placed.
It may be said above board and without fear of contradiction,
that far too little attention is devoted to the study of the English
language and sacred eloquence in almost all, if not all, the eccle­
siastical seminaries of this country. Students are commonly
hurried through their short course, under professors whose train­
ing has not always been such as to fit them for the position they
hold; and with the minimum of attainments they are ordained to
the sacred ministry—for the want of priests is our great want—
and are sent out on the mission, either in cities where their du­
ties are so arduous and their leisure so broken up as to prevent
them from continuing to cultivate their minds; or into the country
where their attention must be devoted to extensive districts, and
where their opportunities of study are few, and their chances of
consultation rare. In addition to this, their training has not ge­
nerally been such as to instil into their minds the advantages of
system, and the means of securing it. The consequence is that
the meagre love of study acquired in the seminary is soon lost;
too little attention is paid to the preparation of sermons ; the
word of God is not treated with the respect due to it, and preach­
ing is neither so pleasing to the priest nor so profitable to the
people as it should be. But I confess I accept with considerable
reservation the statements of those who complain of want of
time ; it is more commonly want of system.
It must be admitted, however, that there are times in which the
most learned and industrious stand in need of assistance. This

Preface,

xiii

they can not derive from the sermon-books within their reach;
for these, having but one discourse for each Sunday or feast, do
not afford sufficient variety, and can not, at best, be used more
than once in a long period of years. Or, if skeletons, they are so
meagre as to afford only a brief outline, leaving all the labor of
thought to the preacher. Besides, both the priest and the people
need variety ; the former, because he is not always in a mood to
preach on the particular subject he may find in such books; the
latter, because monotony is distasteful, and much more, because it is
necessary for them to receive instruction on the whole teachings
of the Church, and admonitions, as circumstances may require,
on the duties of their state of life.
In these circumstances, no book could be more acceptable to
both priest and people than the one which is now presented to
them. It will be useful to the young and inexperienced among
the reverend clergy, because it will supply them with all that is
necessary ; while it will be no less advantageous to those of
more advanced age and mature experience, by affording them a
means of preventing repetion in their discourses—a fault which
it is difficult for those to avoid whose duties require them to
address the same congregation on the same portions of Scrip­
ture for several consecutive years.
To every Sunday are assigned seven discourses on the Epistle
and Gospel which the Church has set apart for it; and while
these are so diversified as to afford, at least, one that can not fail
to suit the mood of the preacher, there is not one but will convey
wholesome instruction and salutary admonition to the minds
of the hearers. [For each of the chief festivals and other solemn
occasions from one to six discourses are given in VoL VI.]
Ranging through the wide field of dogma, moral, liturgy, and
symbol, supplying such a fund of instruction as is rarely met with
in any work and certainly not in any in our language, these
volumes can not fail to be acceptable to the zealous laborer in the
vineyard of God. And the manner in which the whole is arranged
is no lesshappy. The theme, the text, the exordium, the division, the
proofs from Scripture, the extracts from the Fathers, the illus­
trations, and the peroration containing the practical conclusion,
are so disposed as to be taken in at a glance. And while all is

xiv

?r, ·. k-A.·» .-*·;*

~

Prefack.

systematic, judicious, instructive, and solid, the illustrations are
in many cases so ingenious and striking, and so different from
what is commonly heard by our people, that they can not fail to
arrest the attention of the audience, and engrave deeply on the
memor)' the lessons they accompany.
The part of the translator has been faithfully performed ; for,
while preserving the spirit of the original, and rendering it with
all its force and lucidity, he has clothed his volumes in such a
clear and popular style as to make the work eminently suited
to the needs ot our people. In the style of the type, the quality
of the paper, and the general execution of the mechanical part
of the work, the printer has also contributed materially to the
value of “The Pulpit Orator,’’and the pleasure of the reader
in its perusal. Nothing, in fact, seems wanting. And while the
sacred orator should not as a rule adopt the precise language of
another, and can not adopt that of the sermons generally found
in our language, the discourses given in this work are so fully
developed as materially to assist him in the delivery, and the
form itself may be adopted with advantage, especially by the
younger members of the reverend clergy, whose experience
may not yet have been such as to supply them with a ready flow
of language.
The many encomiums pronounced upon the original, and also
upon this translation, by distinguished prelates and others ca­
pable of appreciating its merits, are the strongest guarantee of
its worth; and the pastor of souls who will make use of it in his
discourses to his people, will readily be convinced of its advan­
tages to himself and to them, and will thank the translator for
the pains he has taken to supply the American clergy with a
work so eminently useful. And the translator, on his part, will
feel himself amply rewarded if he can be of service to those who,
like himself, are engaged in promoting the honor and glory of
God in the salvation of souls redeemed with the precious blood
of Jesus Christ

A. A, Lambing.

OX

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

T SPEAKS well for “The Pulpit Orator” that the entire edi­

I

tion of one thousand copies is exhausted, not a single copy
being left. It plainly shows that it has been highly appreciated
by the English-speaking clergy, from whom it has elicited the
highest encomiums. It affords me great pleasure to be able to
announce to them that many have urged upon me to republish
the work, which it is also pleasing to me to know is doing much
good. It has been to me a labour of love; and I would most
urgently recommend it to all young priests in particular, as a
Vade mecum, withthe assurance that if they will use it for several
years as a text-book for their sermons they will be Pulpit Orators,
that is to say, they will be able to speak with ease on any sub­
ject on any occasion. That it may continue to do a great deal
of good for the honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls
is the prayer of

The Translator.

NINTH EDITION.
The present edition is the result of a careful revision. The
numerous references to Sacred Scripture have been verified and,
when necessary, corrected in accordance with the Douay and
Rheims English versions of the Old and New Testaments. —

Henry S. Butterfield,

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Epistle. Rom. 13: 11-14. Brethren: Knowing the time,
that is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our
salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is
passed, and the day is at hand. Let us, therefore, cast off
the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light; let us
walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness,
not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy;
but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
CONCERNING THE THINGS AGAINST WHICH THE APOSTLE
WARNS US, AND THE THINGS WHICH HE EXHORTS US TO DO.

In your prayer-books you find an epistle or lesson and also
a gospel for every Sunday and Holiday of the Ecclesiastical
Year. The epistles or lessons, as well as the gospels, are
selections from the Holy Scriptures. The former are gene­
rally taken from the Epistles of the Apostles, and are
therefore called epistles or letters. They are also called
lessons, or “readings,” because they were read during the
divine offices, a custom which is observed even to this day.
The gospels are selections from one of the four Gospels
written by the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The epistles contain the word of God as well as the gospels,
because, like these, they are portions of the Sacred Scriptures.
Both gospels and epistles were selected because of their ap­
propriateness to the holy season or feast of the Ecclesiastical
Year which is being celebrated. They throw light thereon
and serve to awaken in us holy thoughts corresponding to
the occasion.
I propose briefly to explain to you this morning the words
of St. Paul which I have just read. They are very appropriate
to this day, it being the first of the Ecclesiastical Year, as also

I

2

ι8

First Sunday of Advent.

to the holy season of Advent upon which we are entering·.
The Apostle solemnly admonishes us in regard to those
things we are to avoid and to do, especially during this
holy season. Let us then consider
I. Those things against which the Apostle warns us; and
II. What he exhorts us to do.

Part L
The Apostle cautions us:
1. Against sleep,
2. Against the works of darkness in general,
3. Against certain works of darkness.
I. Knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise
from sleep. St. Paul addresses these words to the Christians
in Rome. He intends to say: “You lived long enough, when
you were still Pagans and Jews, in ignorance and forgetfulness
of salvation ; it is time now for you to awake from your sleep
of death, to renounce sin, and zealously to work out your
salvation.” This exhortation and earnest invitation concerns us
also, for there are not a few among us who are sleeping.
Who are they? Those who, on account of business and too
great anxiety for temporal things, do not find time to fulfil
their religious duties, viz., to say their daily prayers, or to
assist at mass, etc., on Sundays and Holidays. Those who
neglect the duties of their state of life—careless fathers, care­
less mothers, who do not keep their children and servants
from evil, who are indifferent about their respective duties;
those who, continuing to live in the state of sin, will do
nothing meritorious for heaven. Oh, that all these would
rise from their spiritual sleep! Woe to those who continue
to sleep ! they will share the fate of the unprofitable servant
mentioned in the gospel.—Matt. 25 : 26. Oh, that in this time
of Advent, “when our salvation is nearer,” and we are to
prepare ourselves for the approaching birthday of Jesus Christ,
we all would without further delay take in hand the business
of our salvation!
2. Let us cast off the works of darkness. All sins are works
of darkness ; sins in thought and desire, in words and works.
Why does St. Paul call sins works of darkness? Because
every sin is the work of the devil, who is the spirit of darkness.
“He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth
from the beginning.”—I. John 3: 8. Consider what you do
when you sin : you do what the devil did from the beginning
and still does. Is not this base? Sins are called works of

i. Homiletic Sketch.

19

darkness, because sin is usually committed in secret, in darkness.
"They loved darkness, rather than the light; for their works
were evil.”—John 3: 19. Sin is something so base that even
the greatest reprobate feels ashamed of it; for this reason
he sins in secret and tries to hide his wicked actions from
the eyes of men, or to palliate them. If people could look
into your heart, would you entertain those proud, unchaste,
envious, and uncharitable thoughts and desires? If God were to
allow you to commit theft, fornication, adultery, etc., publicly,
would even one among you commit these vices? Sins are
called works of darkness, because sin leads to everlasting
darkness, viz. : to damnation. "But the fearful, and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers and whoremongers,
and sorcerers and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have
their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death.”—Apoc. 21: 8. Who can think of
this darkness, and not tremble and abandon his life of sin?

3. St. Paul warns us against certain works of darkness,
namely, against rioting and drunkenness, against chambering
and impurities, against contention and envy. These vices were
prevalent among the Gentiles, but, after becoming Christians,
they were exhorted by the Apostle to guard against them
with all possible care. Christianity makes it a stern duty
for us to live soberly and chastely, to have patience with one
another, and to love one another. Let us, during the holy sea­
son of Advent, cast off all works of darkness, and especially
intemperance in drinking, impurity, contention, and enmity,
and practice the opposite virtues : temperance, chastity, peace,
and concord.

Part Π.
The Apostle exhorts us :

1. To put on the armor of light,
2. To walk honestly,
3. To put on Christ.
i. Let us put on the armor of light. The Apostle under­
stands by this armor of light the virtues which we are to
practice. He calls them armor or weapons, because they can
be acquired and employed only in combat, in struggles. To
live piously is no easy task. Three powerful enemies are
to be overcome: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Down
stream the ship goes of herself; to make her go up stream
requires a propeller. What combat and self-denial does it
not cost to overcome all temptations to ambition, impurity,

20

First Sunday of Advent.

anger, and envy I How many impediments do we not meet
with in the performance of the duties of religion and our state
of life! It requires an effort on our part to say even the
Lord’s Prayer devoutly. The words of Jesus are absolutely
true: “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent bear it away.”—Matt. n : 12. We must not, however,
on that account lose courage; if only our will be good and
we do what in us lies God will enable us to bear our crosses,
overcome difficulties, and surmount every obstacle to virtue For
God will support us by his grace, and strengthened by this, we
may confidently say: “ I can do all things in him who strengthens
me.”—Phil. 4: 13. He calls Christian virtues armor of light,
because they are an ornament to the Christian who practices
them. The virtuous are not only praised by all good men,
but even the wicked cannot help admiring them. What
veneration throughout the whole Christian world do not the
saints enjoy on account of the heroic virtues which they
practiced during life. A man may be poor and of low ex­
traction, yet if he live piously and virtuously, every one who
knows him will feel in his heart more esteem for him than
for people who are rich and of noble extraction, but who lack
virtue. “That seed of men shall be honored which feareth
God.”—Ecclus. 10: 23. The virtues of modesty and chastity,
are practicularly attractive. “ 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.”— Wis. 4: 1, 2.
In the full splendor of their glory they will appear in heaven.
“Then shall the just shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their
Father.”—Matt. 13: 43. The least of the saints will enjoy
more honor than did Solomon, to whom, on account of his
wisdom and splendor, not only his own subjects, but also all
the adjacent nations paid homage. And should not we be
willing to put on the armor of light, which prepares for us
here and hereafter so great an honor and felicity?
2. Let us walk honestly, as in the day. He who walks in
broad daylight takes care not to offend against good manners
and decorum; he clothes himself decently, for nobody goes
about undressed in the daytime. As children of light, we should
comport ourselves honestly, decently, and modestly in word
and deed, and carefully avoid all that is contrary to Christian
decorum. And we should do so:

(a.) On account of God, who sees us everywhere, and who
will one day call us to an account for our most secret actions.
Guard, therefore, against hypocrisy and deceit; you may sometimes deceive men, but God never. What confusion for
the hypocrite when his mask is torn off on the day of judg-

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I
I
I
I
I

i. Homiletic Sketch.

21

ment, and he is confounded before the whole world I They
will then say: “Ye mountains, fall upon us! ye hills, cover
us!”—Luke 23: 30. Let us frequently think of this, and en
deavor to walk honestly and decently, not only before men,
but also before God.
(Æ.) On account of men. It is our duty to give good ex­
ample. "So let your light shine before men that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
heaven.”—Liait. 5: 16. All Christians are bound to do this,
but particularly parents, masters and mistresses, in their con­
duct towards their children and servants. To give good example
is for them not only a general duty of religion, but a parti­
cular duty of their state. Woe to them, if they act dis­
honestly and indecently, if they deport themselves in an
unchristian-like manner. “Woe to the world because of scan­
dals; for it must needs be that scandals come, but nevertheless
woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.”—Matt. 18: 7.
3. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. What is it to put
on Jesus Christ? It is to adopt the thoughts of Jesus, to imitate
his actions, to think, speak, and act as Christ did. How did
Jesus think? He hated sin, he despised the things of this
world, he loved all men, even his enemies, and his food was
to do the will of his heavenly Father. How did Jesus speak?
Only in such a manner as the honor of his Father and the
salvation of men required. He never spoke an idle, vain, un­
necessary word. How did Jesus act? According to the will
of his Father. His most inveterate enemies cannot discover
in him the shadow of sin; he was the most perfect example
of all virtues, and he went about doing good.
Now examine yourselves. Have you put on Jesus Christ?
Do you think as he did? Are your words always gOod, useful,
and edifying? Are your actions in perfect conformity with
his? Ah, what a humiliating testimony must you give of
yourselves, probably, in this self-examination! Perhaps you are
the very opposite of Christ. But know that you can rea­
sonably hope for salvation only when you put on Jesus
Christ; for the Apostle says: “Whom God foreknew (to be
saved) he also predestined to be made conformable to the
image of his Son.”—Rom. 8: 29. “Put off the old man, who
is corrupted according to the desire of error; and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who,
according to God, is created in justice and holiness of truth.”
—Ephes. 4: 22-24.
PERORATION.

In the year of our Lord 386, Augustine, a captive in the
bonds of sin and error, was weeping bitterly and sighing for the

First Sunday of Advent.
liberty of the children of God He heard a voice repeatedly
calling out to him: “Take and read” He opened at random
the Bible that was lying before him, and found the passage
in the epistle for this day: “Let us walk honestly as in
the day; not in rioting or drunkenness, not in chambering
and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on
the Lord Jesus Christ ” He was at once a changed man ; he
renounced his errors and sins, became a saint and one of
the most renowned teachers and doctors of the Church. May
the epistle of this day produce the same effect in us all,
may we all rise from our spiritual lethargy, cast off the
works of darkness, walk in all decency and in the fear of
the Lord as in the day, and put on our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Gospel. Luke 2i : 25-33. At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in
the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of
the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves, men
withering away for fear, and expectation of rvhat shall come upon
the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved: and
then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great
power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass,
lookup and lift up your heads: because your redemption is at
hand. And he spoke to them a similitude. See the fig-tree, and
all the trees: when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know
that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see these things
come to pass, know’ that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen
[ say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all things
be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE COMING OF CHRIST AT THE JUDGMENT.

The Church reminds us to-day, the first Sunday of Advent, of
a threefold coming of Christ upon earth, a past, present, and
future. His first coming took place about nineteen hundred years
ago, when he became man. His second coming is always taking

2.

Homiletic Sketch,

«3

place and will continue to do so until the end of the world, as
long· as infidels and sinners are truly converted; for to them he
comes with his grace and makes his dwelling in their hearts. This
spiritual coming of Christ into our hearts should take place du­
ring this holy season of Advent. It is so intended by the Church.
His third coming will take place at the end of the world, when
he will come to judge the living and the dead. The gospel to­
day speaks of this third coming of Christ at the last judgment,
and let us accordingly make it the subject of our meditation.
Jesus prophesies.
I. The events before his final coming,
II. His coming itself, and
III Fulfils the truth of his prophecy*

Part I.
1. fesus prophesies the events which will take place before his
final coming. Great events cast their shadows before them. God
frequently announces them and sends warnings by certain
signs. So with the destruction of Jerusalem and the overthrow
of the Jewish nation. Forms appeared in the heavens representing
powerful armies marching towards Jerusalem. The temple, during
the service one evening, was enveloped all at once in a sheet of
light, a mighty wind arose, and a voice was heard saying: “Let
us depart hence.” A certain man, supposed to be insane, ran
hither and thither, crying out continually: “Woe to Jerusalem!
woe to the temple!” And lastly: “Woe to Jerusalem! woe to
the temple! and woe to myself!” and then, struck by a missile
which was thrown by the Romans, he fell dead. God will also
cause more terrific prodigies and stranger phenomena to precede
the last judgment, in order to induce the good to prepare them­
selves the better for the coming of the divine Judge, and to move
the wicked to do penance.
2. What will these signs be ? “ There shall be signs in the sun
and in the moon, and in the stars.” For Christ has said: “The sun
shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light; the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be mo­
ved.”—Matt. 24: 29. St.John, having seen these signs in avision,
says: “The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole
moon became as blood, and the stars from heaven fell upon the
earth, as the fig-tree casteth its green figs when shaken by a
great wind.”—Afoc.b'. 12, 13. All the heavenly bodies will leave
their accustomed orbits, and clash one against another, produ­
cing a confusion and destruction, of which two trains rushing
against each other can give but a faint idea.

i4

First Sunday of Advent.

3. JTÆy do these signs take place? St. Jerome answers this
question. We shall be punished by everything, because we have
sinned in everything, that what is written may be fulfilled: “The
whole world shall fight with him against the un wise.”— li 7sd. 5:21.
Men abuse the sun, moon, and stars, sinning day and night; there­
fore God will make use of these heavenly bodies, profaned by
the vices and crimes of men, to punish impenitent sinners. The
sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her friendly light,
and not a star will be seen in the firmament. How will men feel
when they remember their sins, the mute witnesses of which
were the sun, moon, and stars? Oh, Christians, abuse not the
light of day and the darkness of night by the commission of sin.
Whilst all the heavenly bodies are disturbed and about to be dis­
solved, the earth will also be drawn into sympathy. It will shake
and tremble, not as it does now, here and there, but over its en­
tire surface, in a most dreadful manner. Whole cities will be laid
in ruins, and people without number will be buried beneath them;
rivers will leave their accustomed channels and overflow their
banks, while the ocean, foaming with fury and swelling high
above the tops of the mountains, will burst from its bed and roll
over kingdoms and empires, carrying numberless corpses with it;
fire will fall from heaven, and will meet other fire rushing from
the bowels of the earth, and everything within its reach will be
devoured and consumed. Winds will break down whole forests
like a reed, and the strongest buildings will fall to the ground;
hunger and pestilence will rage on the whole earth and snatch
away millions of men. Yes, the unfettered elements, inflamed by
the wrath of God, will spread ruin and desolation over the whole
world; for, as Christ says: “There shall be then great tribulation,
such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until
now, neither shall be ; and unless those days had been shortened,
no flesh should be saved.”—Matt. 24: 22.
Who can think of these frightful events without fear and tremb­
ling? “But,” you will say, “ these events are far off yet ; we shall
never live to see them; why should we be in fear of them?”
Whether they are far off or near, nobody knows ; but suppose
they occur after a thousand y ears, we shall all live to witness them.
“But shall we not die—die after a few years?” Well, when we do
die the end of the world will be at hand for us. The sun, moon,
and stars will no longer be in the heavens for us; the earth, with
all it has and gives, will perish for us. Our body is placed in the
grave, our soul appears before the tribunal of God. Oh, ponder
well this truth, and act accordingly. Let us not love this world
inordinately, nor for fleeting pleasures offend our Lord and God,
and lose on account of temporal things those which are eternal.
The occurrences immediately before the coming of Christ will
also take place at the death of every man. The wicked, when

2. Homiletic Sketch.

25

these things come to pass before the last judgment, will be sei­
zed with fear, terror, and anguish; for these eventswill announce
not only their temporal, but also their eternal perdition ; but the
just, filled with sweet hope, will lift up their heads—for only a
short combat—then eternal triumph and victory. The same may
be said of death. How do the wicked die? Antiochus (Z. Mach.
6: 8--16)? Voltaire? “The death of the wicked is very evil.”—
Ps. 33: 22. How do the good die? “With him that feareth the
Lord, it shall go well in the latter end, and in the day of his death
he shall be blessed.”—Ecclus. 1:13. And St. Paul says: “I have
a desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ.”—Phil. 1: 23.

Part Π.
JESUS FORETELLS HIS ADVENT.

Then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud -with great
power and majesty.
i. They shall see the Son of Man coming. This Son of Man
is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made man. He will be our Judge,
for “God hath given him authority to do judgment, because he
is the Son of Man.”—John 5:27. Judgment is the last act of the
work of the Redemption, because by it the elect will be sepa­
rated from the reprobate, and united for ever in heaven with
Jesus, their head; therefore, as the Incarnation is the beginning,
so the last judgment will be the end of the Redemption, and
for this reason Jesus, the Son of Man, the Author and Finisher
of our Faith, will be our Judge.

(λ.) This is a consoling truth for the just. The more unknown,
the more exalted, and the more rigorous a judge is, with so much
the more fear do people appear before him. But if he is our
friend, perhaps a blood relation, and known for his clemency, we
have confidence, and we cheerfully commit our cause into his
hands. Now, if Jesus were only God, he would be to us, in soni'i
sense, a sort of stranger, standing infinitely above us, and his di­
vine justice and holiness would overawe us. But he is not only
God, he is also man, and as man, he is like us in everything, sin
alone excepted, and withal full of mercy and compassion. With
what confidence, then, will the just appear before his tribunal!
Even the sins which they committed cannot shake their con­
fidence, for they have done penance, and they know that a con­
trite and humble heart he will not despise.—Ps. 50: 19.
(/5.) A terrifying truth for impenitent sinners. Looking at Jesus,
the Son of Man, they will be reminded, on the one hand, of the
sacrifices which he made for them from the crib at Bethlehem
till he exclaimed on the cross at Calvary, “It is consummated;’’

First Sunday of Advent.

I

of the love and mercy which he showed them ; of the graces and
means of salvation which he offered them ; on the other hand,
they will be reminded of their unbelief, impiety, and ingratitude,
their continued impenitent lite, their abuse of numberless graces,
and their resistance to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost. They
will appear before a Judge whose enemies they had been during
their whole life, whose sacred Blood they had trampled under
foot, and whom by their sins they had crucified anew What
anguish, what despair, must seize them when they look upon
Jesus, the Son of Man! Let us endeavor during life to have
Jesus for our friend, that we may not fear him on the day of
judgment.
2. They shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great
fewer and majesty. What a difference between the first and se­
cond coming of Jesus! The first time he came in poverty and
lowliness, a weak child, unknown to the world ; he came to live
and work for men, to redeem and save them. The second time,
he will come in a cloud, the sign of his divine dignity, by which
he led the children of Israel through the desert, and in which
he ascended into heaven; he will come with great power and
majesty, surrounded by angels and saints, displaying his divine
perfections, especially his Omnipotence, from which no one, not
even the mightiest potentate, can screen himself, his Omniscience
that searches the reins and the hearts, and his Justice, before
which there is no regard of persons.
All men will see him coming. For we must all appear before
the judgment-seat of Christ, ‘‘that every one may receive the
proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether
it be good or evil.”—Π. Cor. 5: 10. How will Jesus receive me?
—and you? On which side will he place us? to the right or to
the left? which of the two sentences shall we hear — “ Come,” or
“Depart?” These are serious questions, deciding our lot for all
eternity. Think of them, especially at the beginning of the
new Ecclesiastical Year, and resolve to live through it and the
remaining years of your life in such a manner that you may have
no reason to tremble when the time for the decision shall come.

JESUS CONFIRMS THE TRUTH OF HIS PROPHECY.

I. By the parable of the fig-tree. God, after the deluge, prom­
ised Noe when he offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving, “that he
would no more curse the earth for the sake of man, and that
seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night
and day, should not cease.”—Gen. 8: 21, 22. The meaning of

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

27

this parable is: As certain as it is that when the fig-tree or any
other tree, brings forth fruit the summer is nigh, so certain is it
that when these things come to pass the end of the world and
the last judgment will be at hand. If, therefore, we should live
till the sun, moon, and stars begin to disappear from heaven, and
darkness cover the earth, day and night, we could, supported by
the prophecy of Jesus, say with certainty: Now the world ap­
proaches its end, Jesus, the Judge of the living and the dead, is
coming.
Many of our so called scientists would perhaps call us super­
stitious and endeavor to explain all these signs by natural means,
but we should be deceived if we believed them. Let this be a
warning to you not to be led astray by Free-thinkers and in­
fidels.
2. By these words: a Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not
pass away, till all things be fulfilled” What generation is this
that shall not pass away till the end of the world? This gene­
ration is the Jews. All other ancient peoples, the Assyrians,
Medes, Persians, Greeks, Romans, have either disappeared alto­
gether, or have been so amalgamated with other nations as
to leave no trace of their existence. The Jews are the only
exception. Although scattered to the four winds for the last
eighteen hundred years, they have not lost their peculiarities.
They still have their own peculiar features, their religion, and
manner of living. This wonderful existence and preservation of
the Jews is evidence of the truth of the prophecy of Jesus,
and will remain so, till the prophecy is fulfilled. Admire herein
the wisdom of God, which makes use of unbelievers and obsti­
nate sinners to convince us of the Divinity of Christ and the
truth of his doctrine.
3. By the assertion, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away.” The meaning is: My words are un­
changeable truth; all things which I have prophesied concer­
ning the events which will precede my coming will most cer­
tainly be fulfilled, and to the very minutest circumstance. But
besides foretelling the end of the world, our Blessed Lord pro­
phesied also the overthrow of the Jews and the destruction of
Jerusalem with its temple. The latter prophecy has been ful­
filled to the very letter, and this is a proof that the former will
be, for Christ, the infallible Truth, is the Author of one and the
other. Heaven and earth shall pass away. By these words it
is not to be understood that the earth will be entirely destroyed,
but that it will cease to be the abode of sinful man, and will
be purified, changed, and renewed by the omnipotence of God.
Hence St. Jerome says: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, not
by destruction, but by a process of metamorphosis or trans­
mutation.” When this temporal existence has come to a close,

28

First Sunday of Advent.

and eternity begins for all that is created, all the evils which sin
has caused in the creation will be taken away, and the whole
universe will return into that glorious state of integrity and
goodness in which it came forth from the hand of God; there
will be a new heaven and a new earth.
PERORATION.

Consider seriously the important truths contained in the gospel
of this Sunday, and live according to them. Terrible events will
precede the coming of the Divine Judge; think of them with a
salutary fear, so much the more, as they will all, in a certain
sense, take place at your death. Jesus Christ will, as Judge,
demand an account of the use of the grace of Redemption which
his first coming brought you. Let us make good use of this grace
now, that when the day of reckoning comes we may be able to
endure the judgment. Let us to day, the first of the Ecclesi­
astical Year, make the resolution to dedicate this year to God
that it may become for us a year of salvation. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

They shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power
and majesty.—Luke 21: 27.
The gospel of this day transports us in spirit to the end of
time, and exhibits to our view that great day which is to decide
our doom fcr all eternity, when Christ will appear upon earth
the second time, to judge the living and the dead. All men
that ever lived, or live now, or shall live to the end of time, will
hear the voice of the Son of God, and come forth from their
graves; after their resurrection, they will be gathered together
before his tribunal, to be judged publicly in the face of heaven
and earth. Every one will then receive what he has deserved
during his lifetime. “I saw the dead, great and small, standing
before the throne, and they were judged according to their
works.”—Apoc. 20:12,13. This is the last or general judgment.

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

29

because after this, there will be no other, and because it extends
to all men, without exception. Of this judgment I shall speak to
you to-day, and prove that it will take place:
I. From the belief of alt nations^
II. From reason.

Part I.
That there will be a general judgment at the end of time has
ever been the belief of all nations, Jews, Christians, and Heathens
1. It was the belief of the Jews. The patriarchs who lived be­
fore the deluge believed and preached this truth to the wicked
for their warning. In the Catholic Epistle of St. Jude (1 : 15), we
read that Henoch, the seventh patriarch from Adam, who “ walked
with God” {Gen. 5: 24), and who, without dying a natural death,
was taken from the earth, prophesied the last judgment, saying:
“Behold, the Lord cometh with thousands of his saints, to ex­
ecute judgment upon all, and to reprove the ungodly of all the
works of their impiety, whereby they have done impiously, and
of all the hard things which impious sinners have spoken against
God.” “How,” you may ask, “did Henoch know that there
would be a general judgment?” Because Jared, his father, had
told him. And how did Jared know it? Again, from his father,
Malaleel, and thus we come back to Adam, the progenitor of the
human race. But how did Adam come to the knowledge of the
general judgment? Evidently not of himself; God revealed it
to him, with the other truths of faith.

Numberless passages in the Old Testament prove that the be­
lief in a general judgment always existed among the Jews. David
and the prophets speak of it, not only in general, but in parti­
cular, naming even the place where it will be held {Joel 3 : 2-12),
the circumstances that will accompany it {Is. 66: 15-18), and the
events preceding it.— Joel 2: 30, 31. And if you ask the Jews
that live among us, and who still adhere to the faith of their
fathers, they will answer you: “We believe that Jehovah will hold
a judgment at the end of the world, and render to all men, the
good and the bad, according to their works.”

2. Il is the belief of Christians. Christ taught it in the clearest
terms: “The Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father
with his angels, and then will he render to every man according
to his works.”—Matt. 16: 27. Other passages {Matt. 25: 31, etc.,
Mark 14: 62, Luke 21: 27, etc, John 12: 48). Christ, moreover,
gives us a clear idea of this truth in the parable of the wheat
and cockle. He applies it to the last judgment, saying: “He
that soweth good seed, is the Son of Man; the field is the

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First Sunday of Advent,

world ; the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; the cockle
are the children of the wicked one, and the enemy that sowed
them is the devil; but the harvest is the end of the world, and
the reapers are the angels. Even as cockle, therefore, is gathered
up, and burnt with fire, so shall it be at the end of the world.
The Son of Man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out
of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity; and
shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth Then shall the just shine as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father.”—Matt. 13: 37-43.
The Apostles always and everywhere preached the doctrine
of the last judgment. St. Peter says: “He commanded us to
preach to the people, and to testify that is he who hath been
appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead.”—
Acts 10: 42. St. Paul preached to the Athenians : “God hath ap­
pointed a day wherein he will judge the world in equity, by the
man whom he hath appointed, giving faith to all, by raising him
up from the dead.”—Acts 17: 31. I deem it superfluous to quote
any more passages, but will only remark, that for the last eigh­
teen hundred years, there never has been a Catholic Christian,
nor even a heretic, who dared to deny a future judgment.
3. It was the belief of the Pagans. What more shall I say ? We
find that even among pagan nations belief in a future judg­
ment was universal. According to the belief of the ancient
Egyptians, the disembodied soul descends to the lower regions
and must appear before the throne of the god Osiris to be judged.
If the soul is not pure, she is condemned to pass through different
bodies of animals, till after the lapse of a long era of three thou­
sand years she can return into a human body, and rise again.
The pure soul enjoys a blessed rest until the resurrection. When
the era of three thousand years is passed, the souls, after rising
in their human bodies, are for ever admitted into the society of
the gods, but those who are found to be bad must again pass
through the bodies of animals, in punishment, and if after this
they continue bad, they will never obtain the immortality of the
blessed. Thus we see that the Egyptians believed, not only in
judgment immediately after death, but also in a resurrection from
the dead, and in a general judgment, which was to be decisive
for all eternity.
We find the same belief among the Persians. Their doctrine
is this: The evil spirits come immediately after death to claim
the soul; if the soul be good she is protected by the good spirits;
but if bad, she is abandoned to the evil ones. The combat lasts
three days and three nights, during which prayers are uninter­
ruptedly said for the departed soul. On the fourth day the souls,
good and bad, come to a bridge, which leads into the other

3· Dogmatical Sketch.

31

world. Here the god Ormuzd holds judgment over them; those
that are found pure are permitted to be led by the heavenly
spirits into the mansions of the blessed, over a high, narrow way;
but the bad are cast into the darkness of hell. There they are
tortured till they have done penance for their sins, or their rela­
tives on earth have satisfied for them by prayer and good works.
But if their crime is so great that it cannot be atoned for, they
must remain in the place of torment till the day of the general re­
surrection. At the end of the world, and after the resurrection, all
souls must pass through fire to be purified, and when Sosiostch,
born of a virgin (viz., the Messias, Redeemer), has held judgment,
the pure will be admitted into the mansions of bliss, but the sin­
ners must suffer for three days and three nights torments more
intolerable than if they lasted for nine thousand years. After
wards there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
The ancient Germans cherished the same belief. The souls of
those who fell in battle were admitted into the palace of the god
Odin, Walhalla, where they enjoyed pleasures similar to those they
had upon earth, such as eating, drinking, hunting, and wars. The
other good souls, and those who died of old age or sickness, were
admitted into the palace of the goddess Hel, in which there was
misery of every kind; the bad were cast into the Nastrand, hell.
But the state of the soul in these three places was not an eter­
nal one, but lasted only till the end of the world, when the
final judgment took place; after that the good were admitted into
heaven, and the bad were cast into hell.
Thus you see that the Pagans knew and believed, although
confounded with some errors, the principal truths of divine reve­
lation, as for instance, the particular judgment after death, the
general resurrection of the dead at the end of the world, and the
last judgment. If we ask whence they derived this knowledge
and belief, we must answer: From a primeval revelation of God.
God himself revealed these truths to men at the beginning of
the world; the revelation was transmitted to all nations of
the earth, from generation to generation, and preserved in a
confused manner even after they fell into idolatry, and thus it
comes that we find among the Pagans the belief in a general
judgment.
If therefore there are men calling themselves Christians who
do not believe in the immortality of the soul, and consequently
in judgment either after death or at the end of the world, they
are in opposition to the Jews, Christians, Pagans, and the whole
human race, and stand many degrees lower than the nations that
are sunk in idolatry. And yet they call this foolish unbelief pro­
gress. Happily, in the eyes of all who think and feel in a Chri­
stian-like manner, it is sheer folly. But reason also demands
that there should be a general judgment.

First Sunday of Advent.

Part Π.
Reason tells us that God in a manner owes it,
1. To himselfy
t. To Jesus Christ, his Son,
3. To men,
to hold a general judgment at the end of the world.

1. He owes it to himself There are many things upon earth,
which in our short-sightedness we cannot comprehend, nor recon­
cile with God’s wisdom, justice and goodness. To mention only
one thing, the present affliction of the Catholic Church in Europe
and elsewhere. We see our Holy Father deprived of his patri­
mony, reviled, persecuted, a prisoner in his palace, while many
bishops and hundreds of priests are either in prison or in exile ;
Catholic congregations are groaning under the necessity, imposed
upon them by godless men, of living and dying deprived of the
pastors of their souls, and consequently of the consolations of
religion. How can God permit this? We see men without faith
or religion, full of vanity and malice, living luxurious lives and
possessing everything their heart can desire, while good, faith­
ful Christians languish in contempt and misery and all their
efforts for justice and truth come to naught. How can God
permit this? We see men who do nothing but evil in the
world live on to old age; men, on the contrary, who are invalu­
able to Church and State, die in the prime of life. How can God
ordain this? Truly if the day that will solve these and a thou­
sand other riddles were never to come, the wisdom, justice and
goodness of God must always remain for us an insolvable enigrr a.
But that day will come. It is the day of general judgment. On
that day those things that we cannot now comprehend will be
made manifest. We shall see that in all events, the greatest as well
as the smallest, the wise and the just Providence of God was ruling
and ordaining all; that everything should be so, and not other­
wise, and that all evils, even the greatest sins and crimes of men,
tended to the good of the elect. On the last day God will not
only call men to an account, but he will also give an account as
it were of himself, and of everything which he ordained and per­
mitted from the beginning of the world. Then heaven and earth
and hell will be bound to confess that the wisdom of God
“reacheth from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things
sweetly.”— Wisd. 8: 1.
2. To his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the true Son of
God, to him is due the same honor as to God the Father {John
5: 23); all creatures in heaven, upon earth, and under the earth

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

33

ought to show him the most profound veneration and adoration
But has it been done, and is it done? Ah, no; he came unto his
own, and his own received him not.— John Z: //. You know how
the Jews treated him in the days of his sojourn upon earth; they
did not believe in him, they hated and persecuted him; they
reviled, mocked, and calumniated him, and at last nailed him to
the cross. Afterwards the world became Christian, but how
many remained enemies of Christ and persevered in unbelief?
Who can count the millions of unbelievers who to this very
day trample the cross of Christ under their feet? What do
we witness among Christians? Ah, many have become heathens
again ; yes, worse than heathens ever were. They do not believe
in Christ, they deny his Divinity, and revile him as an impostor.
They hate him so intensely that if he walked visibly on earth,
they would crucify him as formerly the Jews did; hence, their
hatred of Christianity, and especially of the Catholic Church.

Will it always remain so? Will our Divine Saviour never re­
ceive the homage due to him as God-Man? Will the time never
come when the Father shall glorify his Son?—John 12: 28. Yes,
it will come on the day of general judgment. Then Christ will
appear, not as a weak child, but in power and majesty. He will
appear, not in the form of a servant, but in the splendor of his
Divine dignity; Jews and Pagans, the just and the unjust, angels
and devils, will confess with Peter: “Thou art Christ, the Son
of the living God!” Ah, what terror, anguish, and despair for
sinners and unbelievers, when they shall see him whom they
now revile and blaspheme. Yes, the general judgment day will
be one of perfect triumph for Jesus Christ. The Father will
glorify his Son before heaven and earth; the elect and the repro
bate will pay him homage, the former full of joy and beatitude,
the latter full of anguish and despair. Yes, the great day of the
last judgment must come that God may glorify his Son.
3. To men. The pious frequently share in this world the lot of
their Divine Lord; they are frequently despised, persecuted, and
abused. Examples: The Apostles, Martyrs, and faithful Catholics
of our time. They themselves do not wish to be anything in this
world, they are humble and seek to practice virtue in secret.
How many austerities, exterior and interior, do they not impose
upon themselves, how many good works do they not perform
of which the world hears nothing!
The wicked, on the contrary, are highly esteemed, they are
decorated with badges of honor, monuments are erected to them,
some are almost deified. Many of them well understand how
to hide their wickedness, to cover their pernicious plans, intri·

3

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gues, and crimes, with the mantle of virtue, carrying with them
to the grave the name of honest men, though in reality they
were steeped in iniquity.
Is virtue to be for ever suppressed ? Is it to be hidden ever­
more? Is vice to be ever in honor? It cannot be. Is it com­
patible with the holiness and justice of God ? Impossible. God
owes it to sinners, as well as to the just, to show them to the
whole world in their true light, as they really are. This will
be done on the general judgment day. Everything will be made
manifest. “Nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor
hid that shall not be known.”—Matt, io: 26. The whole world
will see what every one thought and desired during life, what
they said and did; all things, even the most secret thoughts and
actions, with all their circumstances, will be brought to light.
What joy, what consolation, what glory for the good I What dis­
grace, confusion, and terror for the wicked 1 But, O Lord, it is
just, for this is due to thy friends and servants; it is due also to
sinners, thy enemies.
PERORATION.

The belief in a general judgment rests upon a solid basis. Jews,
Christians, and Pagans give testimony to this important truth.
God himself, the Eternal Truth, has revealed it to man, and has
written it in his heart so deeply that it has never been obliterated.
A general judgment must take place, for God, in a certain sense,
owes it to himself to justify his conduct and his wisdom before
the whole world; he owes it to his Son, that he may receive the
honor and glory due to him; he owes it to all men, the good and
the bad, that all may publicly receive what they deserve. Let
us not only believe in a general judgment, but live in such a
manner that we may look forward to it with holy joy, hoping to
obtain our place among the elect. Amen.

4. Liturgical Sketch.

35

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

4. LITIMCAL SKETCH.
THE ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR.

They shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great
power and majesty.—Luke 21: 27.

With this Sunday the time of Advent begins. Advent means
a coming, namely, the coming of Jesus into the world. This
coming is twofold; one was accomplished when Christ became
man and appeared in the world ; the other will take place at the
end of time, when Christ shall come as Judge. The Church to­
day presents this twofold coming of Christ to our view: the first
coming, by this time of Advent, which she appointed as a prepa­
ration for the feast of the Nativity of our Lord; and the second
by the gospel, which treats of the end of the world and the last
judgment. We ought to consider seriously the second coming of
Christ at the last judgment, that we may profit by his first co­
ming, which he accomplished for our Redemption. The Ecclesi­
astical Year also begins on this Sunday. That you may know what
the Ecclesiastical Year is, and how you ought to employ it for
your salvation, I shall answer to-day the two following questions;
I. What is the Ecclesiastical Year?
II. What are its divisions?

Part L
The Ecclesiastical Year is,

1. The space of one year,
2. In which the Church represents to us the mysteries of Re­
demption, by means of holy seasons andfestivals) and,
3. The fruits of which she applies to us.

i. The space of one year. The Civil Year begins with the
first day of January, but the Ecclesiastical with the first Sun­
day of Advent. Why this difference? The Civil Year accom­
modates itself to the course of nature, and begins on the first
day of January, because from this point of time the four sea­
sons of the year, together with Civil affairs, can best be regu­
lated and computed. But the Ecclesiastical Year, which is oc­
cupied with the affair of our eternal salvation, begins with Ad·

36

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Advent,

vent, because this is the beginning of our Redemption. The first
day of Advent was the day immediately after the fall of our first
parents, when God promised them a Redeemer. Gen. 3: 15.
Since the Ecclesiastical Year represents the work of our Re­
demption it must begin with the season during which the Redeemer
was promised to mankind, namely with Advent. But our Holy
Mother the Church cannot commence Advent on the first day of
January, because, according to an ancient tradition, the birth­
day of Christ falls on the 25th day of December, and there
must be a preparation for that day, just as there was for the coming of our Redeemer in the four thousand years of the Old
Testament. In memory of these four thousand years Advent
embraces four weeks, after which the feast of the Nativity of
our Lord is solemnized.
2. During the year the Church represents the mysteries of Redemp­
tion, by means ofholy seasons andfestiva Is. The Jewshad holy seasons
and feasts throught the year, by which they were reminded of
special graces and benefits of God, as well as of their duties to­
wards him. We need not therefore wonder that we Christians
also have holy seasons and festivals. The Church earnestly
desires us to keep constantly before our minds all that Christ has
done for our Redemption. For this purpose she every year causes
the principal mysteries of Redemption to pass in review before
our minds, perpetually proclaiming to us: Behold, your divine
Saviour has done all this to redeem and save you.
Thus the Ecclesiastical Year, with its holy seasons and feasts,
is an impressive, ever-returning representation of the work of
our Redemption by Christ, an open book, as it were, in which
every one, even the unlearned, can read all the mysteries by
which our Redemption has been accomplished. As the Church
represents these mysteries every year anew, they can never pass
into oblivion.
3. The fruits of which she applies to us. The holy seasons and
feasts are not only a commemoration of what Jesus did and suf­
fered for us, but they are also seasons of grace, which are in­
tended for our salvation just as much as are the mysteries on
which they are based. The Incarnation and Nativity of our Sa­
viour were replete with graces for man. So were his sufferings,
his Circumcision, his Epiphany, his fasting and death, his Resur­
rection, Ascension, and the sending of the Holy Ghost. These
mysteries are also replete with graces for man to-day. The reason
is, because the Church renews continually the sacrifice by which
Jesus Christ accomplished our Redemption. For, as every action
ofphrist referred to his sacrifice on the cross, so the holy seasons
and feasts, by which the Church represents to us every year the
events of the history of the Redemption, are in union with the

4· Liturgical Sketch.

37

holy sacrifice of the mass, and derive from it their value. If we
had not the sacrifice of the mass, the holy seasons and feasts
of the Ecclesiastical Year would, indeed, be nothing· else than
empty commemorations of the mysteries of our Redemption, and
consequently dry channels, because they would not be connected
with the source from which grace flows into them.
But if we wish the Ecclesiastical Year, with its holy seasons
and feasts, to be full of grace and salutary for us, we must do
our part. Divine grace is the working of God in our souls. But
God will not act in spite of our free will. It is our duty to coo­
perate. AVhen Jesus Christ came into the world his birth brought
grace immediately only to the pious shepherds and the sages
from the East; the citizens of Bethlehem, Herod, and the highpriests were left empty-handed. Jesus died on the cross; his
sacrifice was a source of grace for his disciples and the penitent
thief; for the unrepenting Jews his blood flowed in vain. At
Pentecost only his disciples and the few who believed in him
received the Holy Ghost ; all others who persevered in unbelief
remained vessels of divine wrath. It is the same to-day; the holy
seasonsand feasts of the Ecclesiastical Year bring grace and sal­
vation to us if we celebrate them with well-prepared hearts.
Therefore every holy season and feast is an admonition to us
to cleanse our hearts from sin, to make good resolutions, and
with renewed zeal to labor for our salvation.

Part H.
The Ecclesiastical Year is divided into three cycles of holy
seasons and feasts:

1. Christmast
2. Easier, and
3. Pentecost.

i. The Christmas Cycle. This represents the time of the Old
Testament, from the first promise of the Redeemer until his co­
ming into the world. Its principal sentiment is this: “God so
loved the world, as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting”—
John 3 : 16. The principal feasts of this cycle are Christmas, on
which day Christ appeared to the Jews, and the Epiphany, on
which he appeared to the Gentiles. Advent is the preparation
for Christmas ; during Advent, then, we should make the sad state
of mankind under the Old Law, the longing of all the just for
the Redeemer, and the mercy of God in giving a Redeemer to
the sinful human race, the subjects of our pious meditations. At

JS

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the same time we must not neglect to cleanse our souls from sin,
and lead lives of penan ce, to which we are exhorted in the gos­
pels of the second, third, and fourth Sundays of Advent.
In the subsequent festivity, which extends to Septuagesima
Sunday, we ought to meditate on the life of Jesus up to his thir­
tieth year, especially on his hidden life, his humility, self-denial,
obedience, and fervor in prayer, and endeavor to imitate him in
these virtues.

2. The Easter Cycle represents to us the bitter passion and
death of Jesus, his Resurrection and Ascension, and reminds us
of the words of the Apostle : “Jesus was delivered up for our
sins, and rose again for our justification.”—Rom. 4: 25. The prin­
cipal feast of this cycle is Easter, with Holy Week; for at this
time Christ accomplished the work of our Redemption. Easter
is in the Ecclesiastical Year what the consecration is in the mass.
Without the consecration, which is essential to the holy sacri­
fice, everything that precedes it would be without a definite
object; without it there would be no communion, and consequently
everything that follows would be valueless and meaningless. In
like manner, all holy seasons and feasts of the whole Ecclesi­
astical Year depend on Easter, and from it they derive their value.
Without Easter, the Nativity of Christ would profit nothing;
without Easter we should have no Pentecost, no feasts of Mary
or of the saints. “Easter is the feast of feasts, the celebration
of celebrations, surpassing in splendor and solemnity all other
feasts, not only human and civil, but also all the other feasts of
our Lord, just as the sun outshines all other luminous bodies.”—
Greg. Naz.
The preparatory celebration begins with Septuagesima Sun­
day, and lasts nine weeks; the subsequent celebration embraces
the six Sundays after Easter. The exercises during this cycle
are: Meditation on the passion of our Lord, interior and exterior
mortification, reception of the Sacraments of Penance and the
Blessed Eucharist, and spiritual resurrection, according to the
admonition of St. Paul : “ Christ, our pasch, is sacrificed; therefore
let us feast, not with the old leaven, not with the leaven of malice
and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth.”—I. Cor. 5: 7, 8.

3. The Pentecost Cycle represents the time from the first Pent­
ecost Sunday at Jerusalem till the end of time, and is the ful­
filment of the promise of Jesus: “And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you
for ever, the spirit of truth.”—John 14: 16. The principal feast
of this cycle is Pentecost, on which the Holy Ghost descended
upon the Apostles and the first believers, and made his permanent

■

4. Liturgical Sketch.

39

abode in the Church, to teach her all truth, and to guide and
protect her all days, even to the consummation of the world. The
preparatory celebration embraces the ten days from the Ascen­
sion of Christ to Pentecost; the subsequent celebration continues
to the end of the Ecclesiastical Year, viz., to the first Sunday of
Advent. According to the example of the Apostles, we must
prepare ourselves for Pentecost by interior recollection and fer­
vent prayer. We must also cleanse our souls from all sins, that
the Holy Ghost may come and dwell in us with his sevenfold
gifts and graces. After Pentecost we must guard against every
sin, that the Holy Ghost may remain with us and communicate
his graces to us.
PERORATION.

These are the three periods or holy seasons into which the
Ecclesiastical Year is divided. The Church brings before our
minds every year in these cycles the whole history of our Re­
demption, exhorting us continually to have Jesus, the Author
and Finisher of our Redemption, always before our eyes, to
study closely the work of our Redemption, and in grateful love
to make an offering of ourselves to him. Therefore, on this day
firmly resolve to spend the Ecclesiastical Year as becomes
Christians. Ponder well the mysteries which the Church in her
holy seasons and festivals represents to your minds; make the
corresponding holy exercises, and labor daily for your salvation,
that Christ may be formed in you more and more, and that you
may say with the Apostle: “I live, now not I, but Christ liveth
in me.”—Gal. 2: 20. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
THE LAST JUDGMENT.

They shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power
and majesty.—Luke 21: 27.
Among all civilized nations now-a-days juries are established
to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused according to
the evidence. There is a presiding officer who conducts the case;

40

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witnesses, who give evidence; a state attorney, who endeavors
to sustain the accusation ; lawyers, who try to weaken it ; jurymen,
who, after hearing the accusation, the evidence, and the defence,
bring in their verdict of guilty or not guilty, and lastly, the judge,
who, if the accused has been found guilty, determines the pu­
nishment according to law. The whole transaction is public;
and whoever wishes may assist at it from beginning to end.
Nobody wishes to be brought before the court; for even if
innocent, it would not be desirable to be indicted. But how re­
pugnant soever it may be to us, before one court we must all
without exception appear. This court is the last and general
judgment, of which the gospel of this day speaks. All of us, who
are now assembled here in this church, must appear before that
grand jury, and the whole world will hear what good or evil we
have done secretly or publicly during life. May God grant that
the trial which is to determine our fate for eternity may have a
favorable issue. It will if we have—

I. Witnesses who will testify in our favort
II. A competent counsel,
III. Well-disposed judges.

Part I.
I. Witnesses who testify in our favor. If a person be cited be­
fore a court to answer a charge, his good or bad character
will generally have great weight in influencing both judge and
jury. If his character be good, a favorable impression is at once
made ; but if bad, the presumption of his guilt is forthwith esta­
blished. Then comes the evidence of the several witnesses. Ac­
cording to this the jury must of course give their verdict. If
the witnesses side with the accused, and assert his innocence,
a verdict of “not guilty” will be brought in. But if, on the cont­
rary, the evidence go against the accused, he may look for a
verdict of “guilty.” Somewhat similar to this will be the trial of
each individual on the day of judgment.
(λ.) First of all, our character will be taken into consideration.
Who will give testimony to this? Our temporal and spiritual
superiors; but especially the pastors of our souls, who preached
to us, heard our confessions, and administered to us the graces
of religion. Every parish priest must give the Divine Judge
an account of his parishioners during the time he had the care
of their souls. Now, if the testimony be : Such a one frequented
the saloons more than the church, confessed and communicated
scarcely once a year, was a drunkard, a gambler, a blasphemer,
a bad father, a faithless husband ; or, such a cne was vain,
worldly-minded, fond of dress, looked oftener into the mirror

5. Symbolical Sketch.

41

than into her conscience, kept bad company, brought shame and
disgrace on her family; if your character be such, what can you
expect? Do you think that Jesus, your Judge, and Mary, his
holy Mother, your guardian angel and your patron saint, will
look upon you with friendly eyes? No, no, no. But if you have
a good character, you will be consoled on that day, and may
confidently hope that your case will have a favorable issue.
(3.) Witnesses will appear for and against you. I shall mention
only two; their sole ambition was your salvation; they took a
great interest in you, and kept a loving watch over you. One
was your angel guardian, whom God selected for you whilst
you were yet in your mother’s womb ; the other your patron
saint, whom the Church gave you at your baptism. If that last
great trial should take place now, what would your guardian
angel and patron saint say abont you? Perhaps they would
testify against you, and say: Ah! he caused us great grief and
trouble, and yet we accomplished nothing. The guardian angel
would perhaps say: I inspired him with good thoughts, warned
him against levity, exhorted him to virtue, but all to no purpose;
he despised my inspirations, gave himself up to dissipation, and
I was obliged to witness the most abominable deeds day and
night. The patron saint will say: I gave him the best example,
and obtained for him many graces from God, but all in vain; his
wicked conduct caused me affliction and disgraced my name.
God forbid that our angel guardian and patron saint should
give such evidence against us ! But how calm and tranquil shall
we be at that last grand trial, and with what consolation we shall
look forward to the final decision, if our guardian angel and
patron saint can say only good things of us; if before God
and man they testify that we honored and revered them ; that
we listened to their inspirations; that we walked in the fear of
God; or, if we made a false step, that we at once and earnestly
did penance. If we wish that trial to have a favorable termin­
ation let it be our most important and only care to deserve a
good character, and to obtain witnesses who will give evidence
in our favor.

Part II.
A competent counsel or attorney. At every trial the accusation
against a person, as determined at the preliminary proceedings,
will first be stated ; then the witnesses for and against will be heard,
after which the state attorney tries to establish the guilt of the
accused, and finally demands that he be declared guilty by the
jury. No matter how favorable the testimony given by the
witnesses, the state attorney presses the accusation and endea­
vors to obtain a verdict of “ guilty.” He is, indeed, one whom
every defendant has reason to fear.

4>

First Sunday

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Advent.

The defendant, however, must not be treated unjustly ; there­
fore the law ordains that he may choose counsel for himself or
that one be appointed for him by the court. This counsel
also plays an important part at every trial ; if he take a warm
interest in his client and defend his case skillfully, he may suc­
ceed in convincing the jury of his innocence. Many a man owes
his acquittal to his counsel. But if the counsel be incompetent,
the case is half lost, and it would be almost a miracle if the accu­
sed were acquitted.
What has been said, is applicable to the general judgment.
There we shall all be accused, no matter how we may have lived.
Every one will be accused with regard to his thoughts, words,
and actions upon earth. Then the state attorney will make his
appearance as accuser, and move that the sentence of “guilty”
be pronounced upon us. And who will this state attorney be?
He will not be like the state attorneys in our courts who are men
and mortals like ourselves, who have a sense of justice and are
swayed by feelings of compassion. No, not such as these, but man’s
zealous enemy, the devil. This evil spirit, our worst enemy from
the beginning, will exert himself to depict our lives in such
a way that we shall seem fit only for hell. He will bring all our
sins, great and small, to light, magnify them, and represent them
to be greater and more deserving of punishment than they really
are. Not content with this, he will misrepresent our virtues and
good works, and stamp them as sins. He will feign anxiety
only for justice and truth, and pretend that he would cheerfully
grant us heaven if his love of justice did not compel him to
demand and insist upon our condemnation.
Against such an accuser, a competent defender is surely ne­
cessary. But who is this to be? A good consience. St. John
says: “If our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence
towards God.”—I. John 3:21. Yes, if we have a good conscience,
we shall confound the devil with all his accusations. If he cast
up sins which we have not committed, conscience will say: “Wit­
ness, all ye men and angels, and thou, too, O omniscient God,
whether these sins rest on me.” If he lay to our charge sins which
we have really committed, but for which we have done penance
conscience will again say: “Look at me, all ye, and see whethei
I am still contaminated with the sins of which he accuses me ;
they have been confessed and satisfied for ; I am pure !” If he
find fault with our virtues and good works, conscience will reply:
“See, here it is written, in all my exercises of virtue and in all
my good works I had a good intention, and always prayed with
heart and lips; I did all for the love of God, all for his greater
glory.” Yes, truly, if we have a good conscience, we need not
fear the day of judgment; a good conscience is the best defender,
one that will win our case and compel our judge to acquit us.

j. Symbolical Sketch.

43

But, if a good conscience is a good defender, a bad conscience
is inversely an equally bad one. A bad conscience, instead of
defending, will accuse the sinner, reproach him for not having
listened to its voice, and for having remained obdurate to all
admonitions and warnings. He will fare worse than Baltassar,
who, seeing the mysterious hand that wrote his sentence on
the wall was so terrified that the “joints of his loins were loo­
sed, and his knees struck one against the other.”—Dan. 5: 0.
He will cry out with Cain: “My iniquity is greater than that
I may deserve pardon.”—Gen. 4: 13. Let us, then, be soli­
citous for a good conscience, and if at present it be contaminated
with sin, let us cleanse it by the baptism of penance, and keep
it undefiled, that at the last day it may defend us and procure
our acquittal.

Part III.
Well-disposedjudges. We may look upon the jury as so many
judges, for they judge, and pronounce the sentence of “guilty”
or “ not guilty,” as the case may require. The judge is a man
versed in the law ; he applies it and determines the punishment
provided by it. We might think that it is of little moment how
judge and jury may be disposed towards the accused, be­
cause they are obliged to decide according to their conscience
and the law. This is very true, but man is man, and it cannot
be denied that the opinion and feelings of the judge towards
the accused may exercise a great influence upon his judg­
ment. It is possible also that the jury, if they be particularly
favorable to the accused, will not pronounce him guilty ; for a
sympathetic heart exercises a great influence upon the judg­
ment. Even the judge, if he be well-disposed towards the accu­
sed, may diminish the punishment as much as possible, thus
using the latitude which the law allows him. If judge and jury
be ill-disposed towards him, he may fare badiy ; their aversion
may be the cause of his being declared guilty and of his being
punished to the full extent of the law.
Can this be said of that last great trial? Yes, to a certain ex­
tent, for here there are also judges on whose sentiments towards
us will depend our doom. Our judge will be Jesus Christ, “for the
Father hath given all judgment to the Son.”—John 5: 22. Our
judges will be the Apostles, as Jesus himself declares: “Amen I
say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration,
when the Son of Man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also
shall sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”—
Matt. 19: 28. If these judges, Jesus and the Apostles, be well
disposed towards us, we shall fare well; we shall be acquitted.
Who would believe that those who enjoy the love and friendship

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of Jesus and of his Apostles can be condemned? But can we
hope for this friendship and love? Yes, if we have endeavored
to lead good, virtuous, Christian lives, for Jesus himself says:
“You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you.”—
John 15:14. He will receive us most graciously on the last day,
especially if during life we perform works of mercy. “Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”—Matt. 5: 7. Com­
pare Matt. 25: 34, etc. But he who transgresses the command­
ments of God, lives in sin without doing penance, and treats his
fellow-men unjustly, incurs the displeasure of Jesus and his
Apostles, and may expect on the day of judgment the sentence
of condemnation. “According to thy hardness, and impenitent
heart, thou treasures! up to thyself wrath, against the day of
wrath, and revelation of the just judgment of God.”—Rom. 2: 5.
PERORATION.

Have always before your mind the last day and the general
judgment, and live in such a way that you need not fear it. Be
intent on gaining witnesses that will speak in your favor.
Lead a good, virtuous life, and do what your pastors tell you
from the pulpit and in the confessional. Preserve a good cons­
cience, and if you should be so unhappy as to defile it by
grievous sin, hasten without delay to cleanse it by a good con­
fession. Be faithful servants and followers of Christ, love him
above all things, and perform as many works of mercy as you
can; then you may look forward to the day of the general
judgment without fear, for it will be for you the day, not only of
your acquittal, but of your glory and complete triumph before
the whole world. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
THE SANCTIFICATION OF ADVENT.

Noto is the hour for us to rise from sleep.—Rom. 13: 11.

In about four weeks we shall solemnize Christmas. It is the
first feast of our Lord occurring in the Ecclesiastical Year. The
holy season of Advent, Avhich begins to-day, is appointed as a
time of preparation for the worthy celebration of the Christmas

6. Moral Sketch.

45

festival. The Church admonishes us to begin this preparation at
once, addressing us in the words of St. Paul : Now is the hour
for us to rise from sleep. Some of us have, perhaps, passed the
last Ecclesiastical Year in the sleep of sin; to-day, the beginning
of a new year, it is for us to rise from this dangerous and pernici­
ous sleep, and earnestly begin the work of our salvation. How
this can and must be done I shall explain to you to day, show­
ing you that we must sanctify Advent—
I. By pious meditations,
II. By good works.

Part L
During Advent we ought to consider,

1. The sad aspect of everything before Christ,
2. The great longing of the better-disposedfor the promised Re­
deemer.
I. In Advent the days are short, and become shorter every day
till Christmas. All nature, even in our temperate zones, is dreary
and benumbed, lying, as it were, in the slumber of death: every­
thing around us looks desolate, clouds flit across the sky, and
the birds have gone to the South. This is a figure of the time
before Christ.
In the course of time men lost the knowledge of God more
and more, and fell into the most horrible idolatry. They
deified men and beasts, and adored them; they made for them­
selves images of wood, metal, and stones, and worshiped them
as gods. And what was their notion of their deities ? They did
not consider them omnipotent, holy or good, but beings who,
subject like men to a blind fate, gave themselves up to the basest
vices, who neither could nor would help men, nay, frequently
brought evil and destruction upon them. Of many virtues, such
as humility, love of enemies, mercy, self-denial, and mortification,
they had no conception; the greatest vices and crimes, such as
suicide, revenge, and impurity, they held to be, in many cases,
not only allowable, but even considered them as virtues; and a
great part of the worship of their gods consisted in deeds of
murder and lust.
Things were a little better with the Jews, but among them
also many errors prevailed, and their divine worship had dege­
nerated into empty forms, and resembled a nut without a kernel.
Their thoughts were bent upon earthly things : pride, ambition,
hyprocrisy, uncharitableness, intolerance, and many other vices

<6

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were prevalent everywhere. Such was the state of affairs before
Christ. The words of the Prophet applied both to Jews and
Gentiles: “There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there
is no knowledge of God in the land. Cursing and lying, and kil­
ling, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath
touched blood.” In time, things grew worse; and if Christ
had not appeared and checked the evil, unbelief and debau­
chery would have entirely destroyed the feeble germs of good,
and would have made the world a hideous den of fiends in human
shape. Consider this terrible degeneracy of mankind, and how
unhappy you would be but for the Redeemer; be thankful to
him for arresting this boundless evil and renewing the face of
the earth. Vow to him obedience, fidelity and love.
2. God had promised men a Redeemer, who would take away
the evil that rested upon them, and bring them grace and sal­
vation. He made this promise to our first parents when he cursed
the serpent, saying, “I will put enmities between thee and the
woman, between thy seed and her seed ; she shall crush thy head,
and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”—Gen. 3: 15. God fre­
quently repeated this promise by the mouth of his prophets, and
in the course of time he announced more clearly who that Re­
deemer should be, and what graces men should receive through
him. Thus he says by the Prophet Isaias: “Say to the faint­
hearted: Take courage and fear not; behold, God himself will
come, and will save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped ; then shall
the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall
be free.”—Is. 35: 4--6.
These prophecies were known, not only among the Jews, but
in a great measure also among the Gentiles. Jews and Gentiles,
at least the better-disposed, longed ardently for the promised
Redeemer, and said with the prophet: “Drop down dew, ye
heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth
be opened and bud forth a Saviour.” This longing increased
with time, when one century after another went by without sa­
tisfying it, and spiritual misery became greater.
We are to represent to ourselves during Advent this longing
and desire of mankind for the Redeemer, and excite in ourselv es
likewise a fervent desire for his coming. Jesus has, indeed, al­
ready come, but it will profit us nothing if he does not come into
our hearts. If we wish him to ccme, we must manifest a desire
for him He who has not this desire, does not do what is required
of him in order to share in the grace of Redemption ; he does
not bring forth fruits worthy of penance, and is, therefore, in the
same situation as if Christ had not yet become man and appeared
upon earth. There are many Christians who closely resemble

6. Moral Sketch.

47

the carnal Jews. If Jesus would bring at Christmas a few hun­
dred dollars, or give them the prospect of a lucrative office, or a
life of pleasure, they would desire his advent most earnestly, but
they understand naught of the supernatural and spiritual good
which he offers them; therefore they have no longing desire for
him. Oh, may none of us be of the number of those Christians
who are dead to Christianity! Oh, may we all have a fervent
desire for our divine Saviour, and by good works prepare our­
selves for his coming!

Part Π.
We are to sanctify Advent by exercises
1. Of penance,
2. Of prayer, and
3. Of works of mercy to the poor.

I. Advent is a time of Penance. The first Advent of four thou­
sand years was a time of penance. For this reason God exhorted
the people so often to do penance.—Isaias 1: 16; Jerem. 25: 5.
John the Baptist preached penance: “Do penance, for the king­
dom of God is at hand.” Jesus himself declared: “Unless you
do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” The Church exhorts
us to do penance, and for this reason she forbids the solemnizing
of marriage during Advent, and uses the violet color, the color
of penance, at the divine offices. As we are all sinners, and from
our childhood have frequently offended God, penance is absolu­
tely necessary for us; by penance we prepare for our Saviour
the way into our hearts. Let us see, then, wherein consists the
penance which we are to perform during Advent.
(a.) In the cleansing of our consciencefrom sin by a good confession.
AU who have heretofore lived in the state of sin should now at
least do penance. Oh, that all, especially those who know them­
selves to be guilty of mortal sins, would worthily receive the
Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Eucharist during this
holy time of Advent!
(£.) In interior and exterior mortifications. Interior mortifications
are : The curbing of our passions, the extirpation of our inordinate
inclinations, especially of vanity, pride, worldly-mindedness, ava­
rice, uncharitableness,anger, and self-love. Exterior mortifications
are: The diminution of meat and drink, the guarding of the sen­
ses, especially the eyes, the ears, and the tongue, and abs­
taining from worldly enjoyments. We must practice these in­
terior and exterior mortifications, partly to prevent future sins,
partly to satisfy for the temporal punishment due to sins already
committed.

48

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2. Advent is not only a time of penance, but also ofprayer ; for
penance and prayer go together, and are inseparable ; there never
was a true penitent who was not zealous in prayer ; there never
was a saint who was not given to prayer. Examples: David, who,
as he says himself, “labored in groanings, and every night wat­
ered his couch with tears.”—Ps. 6: 7. Paul, who shut himself up
in Damascus, and spent three days and three nights in prayer,
neither eating nor drinking.—Acts 9: 9, etc. Mary Magdalen, who
retired into a cavern near Marseilles, in ancient Gaul, where she
devoted thirty years—till the end of her life—to exercises of de­
votion. The Church wishes us also to practice prayer, especially
during Advent. Instead of the Ite, missa est, that is “You may go,
mass is over,” which the priest says, turned toward the people
at the end of mass, he now says, turned towards the altar, Bene­
dicamus Domino^ that is “ Let us bless the Lord,” by which the
Church intimates her wish that we should follow the custom of
the early Christians who on penitential days did not leave the
house of God immediately after the services, but remained for
some time in prayer.
Pray, then, during Advent with greater zeal and fervor than
heretofore. If you have been careless in saying your morning and
evening prayers, resolve to be punctual in saying them hence­
forth. Go to church on Sundays and holidays and, if possible,
on week-days. Say the Angelus three times a day, morning,
noon, and evening, because the principal mystery of Advent,
the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, is commemorated in
this prayer. As often as possible spend some time in spiritual
reading.
3. Advent is a time of penance, and therefore a proper time
for works of mercy, for they are exercises of penance. Christ
became man and appeared upon earth a poor, helpless child ; he
lived for thirty-three years in poverty and suffering, and at last
died on the cross. He made all these sacrifices to atone for our
sins, to reconcile us with God, and to restore us to his friendship.
What love on the part of our Redeemer 1 Should not his love and
mercy induce us to be charitable towards our neighbor, and to per­
form works of mercy? If God sees that we are charitable and mer­
ciful towards the poor and needy, assisting them in their necessities
he will show us mercy and pardon our sins. Hence the Archangel
Raphael said to Tobias: “Prayer is good with fasting and alms,
more than to lay up treasures of gold ; for alms delivereth from
death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh
to find mercy and life everlasting.”—Tob. 12: 8, 9. Redeem your
sins by alms and works of mercy to the poor. If you deprive
yourselves during Advent of certain dainties which are not nec­
essary, and refrain from worldly enjoyments, you can save more
or less, and these savings should be given to the poor.

T. Moral

Sketch.

49

PERORATION,

Sanctify Advent, then, as becomes good Christians. Consider
how pitiable would be our condition if Jesus Christ had not
become man and redeemed us; thank him for the great sacrifice
which he made for our Redemption. Make use of the pious ex­
ercises which the Church prescribes and recommends. Receive
the holy Sacraments of Penance and of the Blessed Eucharist;·
mortify yourselves interiorly and exteriorly, to atone for your
sins, to prevent a relapse, and to make progress in virtue. Pray
fervently, and perform as many works of mercy as you can. If
you sanctify Advent in such a manner, it will become to you
a time of grace and salvation. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
MANY CHRISTIANS TRY TO DISSUADE THEMSELVES FROM THE
FEAR OF JUDGMENT.

They shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power
and majesty.—Luke 21 : 27.
In reading for us twice a year the gospel on the last judg­
ment, namely, on the first Sunday of Advent and on the last
Sunday after Pentecost, the beginning and the end of the Eccle­
siastical year, our Holy Mother the Church has, beyond doubt,
the intention of frequently calling to our mind the advice in
Ecclesiasticus: “In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou
shalt never sin.”—7 : 40. For this reason pastors of souls fre­
quently speak of this judgment, describe its severity, show its con­
sequences, and direct our attention to the saints, who, though
their conscience reproached them with nothing, trembled at the
thought of appearing before the tribunal of the omniscient God,
there to give an account of even every idle word. And how do
many Christians act when they hear of judgment? They remain
cold and indifferent, never thinking of changing their worldly,
sinful life. And why this indifference? We shall to-day investi­
gate the cause. Many Christians try to dissuade themselves from
the fear of judgment by saying,
4

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I. We are not so bad as you would make us th ink,
II. The judgment is not so rigorous as you describe it to be.

Part L

1. There are some who think themselves better than they really
are. Their conscience does not reproach them with great crimes,
such as rape, theft, murder, fornication, adultery, etc.; hence they
believe that they are good, and have no reason to fear judgment.
But how they deceive themselves I “Man seeth those things that
appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.”—I. Kings 16:7. Ex­
terior righteousness is, indeed, good and necessary for salvation,
but it is not sufficient. The most necessary requisite for holiness
is a well-disposed mind, with a heart that hates and detests evil,
and sincerely loves God above all things. Where this interior
righteousness is wanting, the outward is a dry, shriveled nut
without a kernel ; it is tinsel brass, without value. Only consider
the Scribes and the Pharisees. AVas not their outward conduct
blameless, even praiseworthy? They prayed much, fasted austere­
ly, gave alms, and were zealous for the law. But how does Christ,
who knew their hearts, judge them? He asserts that with a justice
such as that of the Scribes and Pharisees we can never enter into
the kingdom of heaven. And why not? Because the Scribes and
Pharisees were devoted only to outward justice, whilst they nou
rished in their hearts the basest passions, such as pride, ambition,
hatred, envy. Wherefore our Lord compares them to “whited
sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within
are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness”—Matt. 23 : 27.
How many a Christian resembles these Scribes and Pharisees!
Outwardly his conduct is without fault, without blemish, but how
does he look inwardly? How full of wicked, revengeful thoughts,
impure desires, vain wishes, ambitious projects? How uncha­
ritable to his fellow-men, especially to those who are of no use
to him; what stratagemsand tricks he makes use of to undermine
their happiness! How inclined to disregard his conscience and the
commandments of God when there is a question of the gratification
of his passions! If such a Christian thinks himself righteous, and
has no fear of the judgment of God, he woefully deceives him­
self. 0 Lord, preserve us from such a justice, which deserves
the sentence of damnation!
2. There are Christians who know that they are faulty, but they
believe that their good works will cancel their sins and justify them
before the tribunal of God. They say their prayers, go regularly
to church, get masses said, and give alms. They expect by these
pious exercises so to propitiate Almighty God that, notwithstan­
ding many secret sins, as well as open ones, of injustice, back
biting, etc., he will somehow grant them the grace to die peni·

7- Moral Sketch.

51

tent, and thus to gain the reward promised the faithful, viz.,
eternal life. But such persons sadly deceive themselves. As laud­
able as good works are, without radical penance and amend
ment of life they have no value before God. Christ himself teaches
us this truth in the parable of the vine and the branches.—
John 15 : 4, 5. He who lives in the state of sin, and therefore is
not united with Christ by sanctifying grace, can do nothing merit­
orious for heaven, no more than a branch cut off from the vine
can bear fruit. If you had the virtues of the greatest saints, and
performed works good in themselves without number, yet if you
lived in a state of sin, you could not stand before the judg­
ment seat of God. Nay, if you should appear before God with
numberless good works, but defiled with only one mortal sin, all
your good works would profit you nothing; on account of that
one mortal sin you would be damned for ever. Consider this
important truth, and be not so foolish as to lull your conscience
to sleep by the thought that God, on account of your good works,
will overlook your sins. There is no one now in hell who has
not done some good, and many a great deal of good, in their
lifetime. Nothing defiled can enter heaven; even the least fault
must be atoned for, either here, or hereafter in purgatory, be­
fore the gate of heaven is opened. Be diligent, therefore, in per­
forming good works, but above all, see that your heart is not
contaminated with mortal sin.
3. Lastly, there are some who avoid, evil, and perform some good
works, but they will nevertheless be rejected. And why ? Because in
avoiding evil and in doing good, they have not God and his holy
will in view, but themselves, their own temporal advantage or
disadvantage. Whatever is not done from veneration, love, and
obedience to God, has no value for heaven. Are you astonished
at this assertion ? Suppose, to use a familiar argument, that a la­
borer works the whole day, not in your field, but in another man’s,
and in the evening comes to you and demands his wages; what
would you say? would you not say, Go and ask him to pay you
in whose field you have worked? Of course such a laborer could
not compel you to pay him He did not work for you ; you have
nothing to do with him or his work. In the same way God cannot
be expected to reward us for work not done for him nor accor­
ding to his will.
Therefore Christ says of those who, like hypocrites, give alms,
pray, and fast in order to be seen by men, that they have already
received their reward.—Matt. 6 : 2—8. Some abstain from im­
purity, theft, and other vices, but why? Their motive is ambition,
that nobody may be able to say anything against them. Some
perform good works and pious exercises, especially works of
Christian charity, that thay may be praised by men. Some are
very active in their avocation ; they work with zeal and diligence

5a

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and save money, Why? That they may be rich and respected some
day. They do not think of God; for the love of him they move
neither hand nor foot. Their motives in doing this or that good,
or in avoiding this or that evil, are natural and temporal. How
they deceive themselves if they imagine that they will one day
be rewarded for these actions. They resemble the man who was
continually drawing water and pouring it into a sieve. It would
not hold, and he could never fill it. From this you see how illadvised those are who dissuade themselves from the fear of judg­
ment, because they will not think themselves as bad as they
really are. Ah, if even truly pious Christians tremble at the
thought of the judgment of God, how is it possible for those who
are anything but pious to look forward to that judgment without
fear? But some will say, the judgment will not be so rigorous as
it is generally described. Let us see what really is the case.

Part H.
You may hear careless Christians say: The last judgment will
not be half so severe as it is represented to be, for God is good, and
will not demand a rigorous account. Doubtless, for many it
would be well if it were so, and for their sakes it is a pity that
their doctrine is flatly contradicted by Holy Writ and tradi­
tion. What will God do with you when you stand before his
tribunal ? Will he, perhaps, say: Behold, you are a sinner, and
not fit for heaven, first go and confess your sins and be absolved,
then I shall judge you. Alas', there will be no confessional at the
last judgment; God will judge you as you are when you arrive
there; whether you be good or bad, he will render to you accor­
ding to your works—Rom. 2: 6. Tell me: Can God reward the
wicked as he does the good? If he can, he is neither holy nor just;
not holy, because good and evil would then be all the same to
him; not just, because justice never confers the same reward on
good and evil. But it is sheer blasphemy to think thus of God.
But you will say: I do not mean this; I grant the holiness and
justice of God, but I give his goodness and mercy also their due. 1
trust in them; and on account of them I hope that God will not
reject me on the day of judgment. You mean to say in other
words that as long as you live upon earth, however great a
sinner you may be, you hope and trust in the mercy of God. It is
true, the mercy of God is infinite and eternal, but for you the
application of that mercy must be restricted to time. Your hope
and confidence are vain as soon as you extend them beyond the
veil of time to the judgment-seat of God. God’s justice alone will
sit on the judgment-seat, and do its part unswervingly. As God
shall then find you, he will judge you; if you are good, he will
admit you into heaven; but if wicked, he will condemn you tohelh

7. Moral Sketch.

53

But you will say: It is not in respect to sins of malice and great
crimes that I think of God as a gracious judge ; but only with regard
to the weakness and frailties to which all men are more or less sub­
ject. God, our heavenly Father, will surely not condemn us on
account offrailties. Now listen to what I have to say: True, sins
of malice are heavier in the scales than sins of frailty, but you
must know that sins of frailty also lead to damnation. Was it not
a sin of weakness which Heli committed in rearing· his children
so badly? and it is the opinion of all that Heli was damned. Was
it not a sin of weakness which Peter committed when he denied
his Master? If he had died without doing penance for it, who
doubts that he would have perished eternally? Was it not a sin
of weakness in Pilate to condemn Jesus to death? Whither did
this sin of weakness conduct Pilate? Into hell. And what do
you call sins of weakness or human frailties ? Perhaps your most
abominable debaucheries, your ever-returning drunkenness, your
appropriation of the goods of others, your curses and blasphemies.
If you approach the judgment-seat of God with such frailties you
will surely be damned.
2. But another will say: If God will demand so exact an account,
no one will be saved. Most people live as we do. God would be obli­
ged- then to damn all if he were to damn us, and heaven would be a
void. To the first I would reply: It is not true that most Christi­
ans live as you do, who speak thus. There are now, as at all
times, many who live in the fear and love of God, who never
commit a mortal sin; and many more by far who rise again after
their fall and do penance. Heaven is for these, and it must be
immense to contain so great a number. To the second I reply:
God is just, and will remain just, and will reward the good and
punish the wicked, no matter how great the number of the latter
may be. God will damn millions of men as well as one, if they
deserve damnation. Do you not know that God destroyed the
whole human race by the deluge, eight souls alone excepted ?
And if these eight souls had not been just, they, too, would have
perished. Do you not know that all the inhabitants of Sodom and
Gomorrha perished by a rain of fire and brimstone, Lot only with
his wife and two daughters excepted?
Let no sinner console himself with the thought : Others are no
better than I, God will not condemn me. It is probable that the peo­
ple of Noe’s time, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha,
comforted themselves in this manner, but that did not save them,
and will save no sinner. Be not therefore of the crowd who live
in sin and vice, but foolishly expect to be of the number of the
few who walk in the fear of the Lord and in the way of his com­
mandments, for “many are called, but few are chosen.”
3. But some will say: It is certain that Jesus Christ will be our
Judge, for we say in the Apostles' Creed ; From theneg he shall come

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A?judge the living and the dead. Jesus is all love and mercy, he came
to save, not to condemn sinners. He graciously received Mary Mag­
dalen, that public sinner, and forgave all her sins. He gra­
ciously received the adulteress and condemned her not ; he even par­
doned the thief and murderer on the cross. To this I must reply
that such confidence is in contradiction with faith; it is not
confidence, but presumption. Jesus is merciful, it is true, but he
is merciful only to repentant sinners; he is good to those who
are good, or who strive to be good. If Mary Magdalen, and the
adulteress, and the thief on the cross, had not been truly penitent,
Jesus would have no more forgiven them their sins than he did
those of the obdurate Scribes and Pharisees, or those of the other
thief on the cross. Does not Christ say: “Unless you do penance
you shall all likewise perish?”—Luke 13 : 3. Do you not know
that he frequently cried out: “Woe to the Pharisees !” and threat­
ened them with eternal damnation? Moreover, it is certain that
the mercy of God rules with a loving sway in this world, but
that for those who abuse it, this mercy will in the other world
give place to justice.

Peroration.
Consider all this earnestly, and be not deceived by men who
make God like Heli, who was all mercy and indulgence, and had
hands only to reward, but none to punish. God’s judgment is
strict, so strict that we must give an account of every idle word.
—Matt. 12:36. “If the just man shall scarcely be saved, where
shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”—I. Peter 4: 18. Be
not satisfied with an apparent justice, which may suffice before
the world, but will not avail before God. Avoid every sin, even
the smallest, and if you have sinned, reconcile yourselves with
God by true, genuine penance. Make good use of the graces
which Jesus procured for you at his first coming for your salvation,
that you may look forward to his second coming with joy and a
well-grounded hope of his being a gracious Judge. Amen.

Secoî.d Sunday of Advent.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Epistle. Romans 15: 4-13. Brethren: What things soever were
written, were written for our learning ; that through patience and
the comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now the
God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind one
towards another, according to Jesus Christ: that with one mind,
and with one mouth, you may glorify God and the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive one another, as Christ
also hath received you unto the honor of God. For I say that
Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of
God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. But that
the Gentiles are to glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles,
and will sing to thy name. And again he saith : Rejoice, ye Gen­
tiles, and magnify him, all ye peoples. And again Isaias saith:
There shall be a root of Jesse; and he that shall xdse up to rule
the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope. Now, the God of
hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may
abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Ghost.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH
CHRISTIAN UNITY.

Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind
one towards another.—Rom. 15:5.

In the epistle of this day St. Paul exhorts the faithful to unity,
mutual forbearance, and love. This admonition was so much the
more necessary as the Christians lately converted from Judaism
frequently behaved intolerantly and uncharitably towards those
converted from Paganism. As the chosen people of God the
Jews considered themselves better than the Gentiles ; and so those
who had embraced Christianity thought they should have prefe­
rence over the Gentiles who had become Christians. St. Paul
proves to them from the Sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament,
that God, through his Son Jesus Christ, called not only the Jews,
but also the Gentiles, to the same grace and salvation ; that there
was consequently no difference between Christians converted
from Judaism and those converted from Paganism. All have the

5ί>

Second Sunday of Advent.

same rights the same graces, the same duties, and must there­
fore live in peace and unity with one another Hence the
Apostle speaks of Christian unity, and shows that it consists
I. In unity of faith,
IL In community of worship,
III. In mutual love.

Part L
I. In unity of faith.
1. The Apostle says: What things soever were written, were
written for our learning, that through patience and the comfort of
the Scriptures we might have hope. Christian unity, then, accor­
ding to St. Paul, consists, first of all, in believing that all things
written in the Sacred Scriptures are written for our instruction,
and that we should therefore receive and hold with a believing
heart all that God has revealed. In matters of faith there must be
no division, no schism, among Christians. We have a beautiful
example of the unity of faith in the primitive Christians at Jeru­
salem. It is said of them: “They were persevering in the doc­
trine of the Apostles.” Acts 2: 42. And again: “The multitude of
believers had but one heart and one soul.”—Acts 4:32.
2. The Apostles always insisted upon unity of faith, and se­
verely denounced innovations and schisms. Hence, St. Paul
writes: “Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there
be no schisms among you”—I. Cor. 1: 10. And again : “If any
one preach to you a gospel besides that which you have received,
let him be anathema.”—Gal. 1:9. In like manner St. John: “If
any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him
not into the house, nor say to him: God speed you.”—II. John
i : 10.
3. The Church enjoins this unity of faith upon all her members
as an imperative duty. He who rejects but one truth which she
proposes to our belief, for instance, the doctrine of the infallibi­
lity of the Pope, is regarded by her as a Catholic no longer, and
is excluded from her communion The Church can do this, and
must do it, for Jesus, her divine Founder, has emphatically said:
“If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen
and publican.”—Matt. 18: 17.
Preserve, therefore, unity of faith; submit yourselves to the
Church interiorly and exteriorly, with heart and lips, for she is
the pillar and ground of truth; what she teaches is the word of
God, and in matters of faith she can no more err than the Holy
Ghost, under whose guidance she will be to the end of time.

i. Homiletic Sketch.

57

Consider what terrible consequences would befall you if you
should refuse her obedience in matters of faith and morals. You
would cease to be Catholics and be deprived of all the means
of grace; no priest could absolve you, and your eternal damna­
tion would be certain. Consider this well, and preserve unity of
faith.
II. In community of 'worship.

In the epistle of this day the Apostle admonishes us to this
community of worship in these words : “Now, the God of pati­
ence and of comfort grant you to be of one mind one towards
another, according to Jesus Christ: that with one mind and with
one mouth you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.” The first Christian congregation at Jerusalem did
this, for we read: “They were persevering in the doctrine of the
apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread,
and in prayers, and continuing daily with one accord in the
temple and breaking bread from house to house, they took their
meat with gladness and simplicity of heart. Praising God, and
having favor with all the people.”—Acts 2 : 42—47.
This Christian unity, so far as it consists in a common worship,
manifests itself :
1. In private devotion; that is, in the devotions which every one
performs for himself. He who prays approaches God; so also do
all the faithful throughout the world who like him are united with
God by prayer. God is the centre of unity for all; here they are
all of one heart and one mind, provided they pray with true de­
votion, no matter how vastly they may differ in regard to their
nationality, manner of living or customs. Very touching are the
words of the holy Count Eleazar to his wife, who complained
that in his absence she so seldom received news of his health. He
answered: “You wish to hear of me often: visit Jesus in the
Blessed Eucharist, and enter into his Sacred Heart, for you know
that there is my abode, and rest assured that you will always
find me there.” Here you have a means, as easy as it is sure, of
uniting yourselves as often as you wish, not only with your re­
lations and with those whose welfare you have especially at heart,
but with all the faithful throughout the whole world; only pray
devoutly, for by prayer the faithful draw near to God, their hea­
venly Father.
2. In family devotion. If all the members of a family, parents,
children, and servants, assemble and say their morning and
evening prayers in common, there will be true Christian unity
among them ; for they are as one in God and his worship, and
consequently united with one another; they will enjoy peace of
heart, live in concord with one another, and their prayers will

58

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have more efficacy, for where a few are assembled in Christ’s
name, he is always in their midst. But how is it in those homes
wherein family devotion is neglected, in which, morning and
evening, neither father nor mother prays with the children, and,
what is worse, perhaps does not say a prayer at all? Ah! Chris­
tian unity is sadly wanting there, just so surely as family devo­
tion is neglected. There is no religious harmony in such fami­
lies; faith with them is either weak or already dead; the fire of
divine love is extinguished. The spirit of the world, with all its
consequences—forgetfulness of God, sin and vice—prevails.
And because there is no peace with God, there is no peace either
with one’s self or with others ; consequently ill-humor, disunion,
quarrels, contention, and strife prevail.
Fathers and mothers, cultivate earnestly this family devotion,
and allow none of your children or servants to absent themselves
therefrom without sufficient cause, for by it Christian unity is
maintained, and it is accompanied by peace, blessing, and
prosperity.

3. In the Church services. By this common worship in church
Christian unity is especially preserved and strengthened. In the
church, at public worship, the assembled faithful appear as mem­
bers of one family ; all hear the same divine word in the public
instructions, all participate in the same divine sacrifice, all adore
the same God and Saviour, all partake at the table of the Lord
of the same food, all become one with God, and brethren of one
another. By a fervent participation in public worship each edi­
fies and encourages the other to piety, thus mutually aiding each
other to aspire after heavenly things. This is the most effectual
means for preserving and strengthening Christian unity. Happy
the congregation which attends church with zeal and devotion,
for with them is the true Christian life, and, consequently, Christian
unity. On the contrary, unhappy are the congregations whose
members, instead of going to church on Sundays and holidays,
either remain idly at home, go in search of pleasures, or do ser­
vile work as on week-days; in them Christian life is dead, and if
there be any unity at all, it is based upon temporal interests and
natural inclinations, and is no longer Christian unity.
Make the resolution again to-day never to miss mass on any
Sunday or holiday if you be in good health, and not prevented
by anything serious. Make those under your charge also assist
regularly at the services of the Church and see that they behave
devoutly and reverently. It was at the peril of their lives that
the primitive Christians in times of persecution assisted at the
divine mysteries on Sundays and holidays, and many of them
obtained the crown of martyrdom by so doing. May their ex­
ample be an incentive to you!

Homiletic Sketch.

59

III. In mutual love.
The Apostle has this mutual love in view when he says. Receive
one anothery as Christ also hath receivedyou unto the honor of God.
1. Jesus Christ is the great pattern of love, as he is of all the vir­
tues ; every page of the gospel gives testimony of his love for men.
What love did he not show to the poor whom he fed, to the sick
whom he healed, and to the needy whom he invited to come to
him : “Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will
refresh you.”—Matt. 11 : 28. How he loved the poor, to whom he
preached the gospel; the weak whom he strengthened and com­
forted; the sinner, to whom he showed grace ! How sincerely he
loved even his bitterest persecutors and enemies, for whom he
prayed even in his dying hour ! And what truly divine love did
he not manifest for all men, for whose redemption he shed his
precious blood on the cross! Thus Christ can truly say to us:
“A new commandment I give unto you that you love one ano­
ther, as I have loved you.”—John 13 : 34.

2. Should not the example of our divine Saviour be an encour­
agement to us to love one another? If you hate, envy, revile,
slander, calumniate, or persecute one another, what kind of
Christians are you? What kind of Christians should we be if, in­
stead of being solicitous about the welfare of our neighbor and
sympathizing with him in all his misfortunes and trials, we were to
take advantage of him in his difficulties, refuse to relieve him in
his wants, and let the hungry beggar totter from our door?
Consider, then, seriously, what your love for your neighbor
has been heretofore. What were your feelings towards him?
How did you speak of him? How did you behave in your inter­
course with him? If you find you have committed faults against
fraternal charity, amend your lives, for without a true love for
our neighbor there is, and can be, no true love of God; and with­
out the love of God there is no salvation. At the same time, mu­
tual love is the most necessary bond for the preservation of
Christian unity. Where love exists, hearts are united, peace and
concord reign; but where love is wanting, self-love, hard heart­
edness, aversion, hatred, and enmity hold s-way. Why so much
discord, hatred, quarrels, and contention in our days? Because
true fraternal charity is a rare virtue among men.
PERORATION.

Be careful, then, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace.—Eph. 4:3. Keep unity of faith. AU the sacred truths

·Ι·

Second Sunday

of

Advent.

the Catholic Church proposes to our belief must be to you the
divine truth, which you must be ready not only to assert and de­
fend on all proper occasions, but to lay down your very life
for it if necessary. Fulfil your duty by attending the church
services; practice diligently private and family devotions, and
never neglect to hear mass on Sundays and holidays. Cherish
good will towards one another, and show your love towards
your neighbor, according to the example of Christ, in word and
deed. If you do this, there will be peace and concord and the
blessing of the apostle will descend upon you : “The God of
hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing; that you may
abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Ghost.”—Ram.
15 : 13. Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Gospel. Matt. 11:2—10. At that time, when John had
heard in prison the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples,
he said to him: Art thou he that art to come, or do we look for
another? And Jesus making answer said to them: Go and relate
to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again,
the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he
that shall not be scandalized in me. And when they went their
way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:
What went you out into the desert to see ? a reed shaken with
the wind? But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft
garments? Behold, they that are clothed in soft garments are in
the houses of kings. But what went you out to see? a prophet?
yea, I tell you and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom
it is written: Behold, I send my Angel before thy face, who
*hall prepare thy way before thee.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
WHAT DOES JESUS SAY OF HIMSELF, AND WHAT OF JOHN?

According to the account given in this day’s gospel, we find
John the Baptist in prison. How came this holy man there ? You
all know. He had said to the adulterous Herod : “It is not lawful
for thee to have thy brother’s wife.”—Matt. 14: 4. The incestu-

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

όι

ous prince became angry, apprehended John, and cast him into
prison. Truth begets hatred, and hatred persecution and in­
justice of every description. This has always been the case, and
is so still. Even when in prison, with death inevitably before
him, John was solicitous for the salvation of his disciples; for
this ieason sending two of them to Jesus, he said to him: “Art
thou he that art to come (the promised Messias), or do we look for
another?” John himself did not doubt the divinity of Christ, nor
his dignity as Messias, but his disciples were not yet assured on
this point. He therefore sent them to Jesus, not for his own, but
for their sakes, in order that Christ might teach them and streng­
then their faith. The contents of the gospel for this day may be
divided into two questions, which we shall answer for ourselves:
I. What does Jesus say of himself?
II. What does he say of John ?

Part I.
What does festis say of himself?

i. Go and relate to John ivhat you have heard and seen. We
might naturally expect that Christ would have replied directly
to the question of the disciples of John : “Art thou he that art to
come,” and have said: “Yes, I am the Christ, the Son of God, and
the Redeemer of the world.” But he did not answer directly in this
form, and for a very good reason. The disciples of John had al­
ready heard of the wonders of Jesus; now they witnessed them
with their own eyes, because Jesus, in their presence, healed all
manner of sicknesses and bodily infirmities. To these miracles
Jesus appeals: they should give testimony of his divine dignity
and mission.
Our Lord gives us here an important lesson. Many now-a-days
say: “We are also Catholics.” Do they speak the truth? They
do not while their lives are in contradiction to their words. If
they were Catholics, they would believe what the Catholic Church
teaches, they would respect temporal and spiritual authority. But
do they? No; they believe what pleases them, they hold that the
Pope is, at least, superfluous, and inimical to nations; they make
light of bishops and priests, neglect nearly all the duties of re­
ligion, such as the hearing of the word of God, prayer, fasting, and
the reception of the sacraments. And yet they call themselves
Catholics. The Lord preserve us from such 1 My brethren, be not
deceived. We must prove by works that we are Catholics; empty
words have no value before God. “Not every one that saith to
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven.”—Matt. 7: 21.

’ Z'

bi

Second Sunday of Advent.

2. Jesus now enumerates his works, in these words: The blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead
rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Isaias had
already prophesied : “God himself will come and save you. Then
shall the eyes of the blind be opened; and the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart; and
the tongue of the dumb shall be free.”—Is. 35 : 4—6. Jesus ap­
peals to this prophecy, and thereby proves that he is truly the
Son of God and the Redeemer of the world, foretold by the
Prophet Isaias. He says, as it were: “I perform the very same
wonders which, according to the prophet, God himself, when
he should come to redeem man, was to perform; therefore I
must be God, and the Redeemer of the world.” These miracles
in themselves were incontrovertible proofs of the divinity of
Jesus; through them God the Father gave testimony that Jesus
spoke the truth, when he declared himself to be his Son and the
Redeemer of the world. And Jesus, working all miracles in his own
name, also proved in a palpable manner that he possessed divine
power, and that, consequently, he was God. From this we see:
(a.) The obstinancy of the Jews, who notwithstanding these
supernatural acts of Jesus, did not believe in him. They certainly
had no excuse before God for their unbelief. The same may be
said of the unbelievers of our time. Their incredulity proceeds
from an evil heart, and is therefore to be condemned. Do not
permit yourselves to become through them wavering and stag­
gering in your faith.
(b.) The goodness of Jesus. All the miracles which Jesus wrought
were not only proofs of his divinity, but also of his goodness and
mercy. He fed the hungry, healed every kind of infirmity, and
even raised the dead to life. What benefits! Let us imitate Jesus
as much and as nearly as we can, and let us cheerfully perform
works of Christian mercy. These works make us conformable
to Jesus, and have the promise of live everlasting.
(c.) The magnitude of the grace of our Redemption. If we inter­
pret these miracles in a spiritual sense, the whole human race
was blind, had lost almost all knowledge of God, and was sunk
in the most degrading and abominable idolatry; Jesus enlighten­
ed it by his doctrine. Mankind was lame, incapable of rising
from the misery of sin and walking in the way of justice; Jesus
redeemed it, and acquired for it the grace to do good. It was
leprous, full of sins and vices ; Christ cleansed it by his precious
blood. It was deaf to the voice of conscience, and the requirements
of the divine law; he caused it to listen again to the word of
God. It was dead, deprived of supernatural life and sanctifying

a. Homiletic Sketch.

63

grace, he raised it again to the life of grace. By the power of
Christ and the commission he gave it, the Church, which he
established, continues to work these miracles.

3. Lastly, Christ says of himself: The poor have the gospel
preached to them : and blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me.
(a.) AVhy does he say: The poor have the gospel preached to
them? Did he preach only to the poor? No, he preached also
to the rich and great of the world, to the Jewish high priests,
Scribes and Pharisees, and expressly commanded his Apostles
to go into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every crea­
ture.—Mark 16 : 15. But it was the poor people in the lower
walks of life that were most docile to his holy teaching, and clung
to him lovingly ; wherefore he addressed himself particularly to
them and constantly worked amongst them. It has always been
so, and is so still. Three hundred years had elapsed before an
emperor was converted. The rich and the great have little liking
for the Christian religion; it is, forsooth, too stern, too rigorous,
too austere for them ; to the poor it affords consolation, because
it proposes to them eternal salvation as a recompense for their
privations and sufferings in this life. Christ, however, had also
adherents among the rich and great, such as Joseph of Arimathea, Nathaniel, Gamaliel, and others. Thus there are to-day rich
nobles and princes who are counted among the most zealous Ca­
tholics. But these rich and noble people are poor in spirit; they
do not place their affections upon the goods of this world, but
make use of their riches and position for the glory of God and
the salvation of their fellow-men. Whether we be rich or poor,
we must be poor in spirit, otherwise we shall hear the gospel, not
to our salvation, but to our condemnation.

(b.) Blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me; that is,
“Blessed is he who is not scandalized at my poverty, my humi­
liation and persecution, my passion and death, my doctrine,
which surpasses human reason, my commandments, which are so
much in opposition to human passions—but who firmly believes
in me, and serves me faithfully.” Christ had reason to speak thus,
for his poverty and humility, sufferings and death, precepts and
doctrines, were to the heathen foolishness, and to the Jews a
stumbling-block. They refused to believe him. But neither Jews
nor heathen had any cause to be scandalized by Christ or his
doctrine ; they should have paid attention to the prophecies, to
the sanctity of his life, and to his miracles, especially to his re­
surrection ; they should then have recognized him as the Son of
God and the Redeemer of the world ; and his humiliation and
lowliness would have caused them to admire his infinite mercy and

I
64

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goodness, and to love him the more. Alas I there are not a few
among us who are scandalized, if not by the person, at least
by the doctrine of Jesus—the proud, the avaricious, the envious,
the unchaste, and all who hate self-denial and the mortification of
the flesh. To them the doctrine of Christ is too austere ; therefore
they either reject it altogether or interpret it in such a way as to
harmonize with their passions and inclinations. What blindness I
We shall be judged, not according to the maxims of the world
and the flesh, but according to the doctrine of Christ.

Part IL
What does Christ say of John ?

When the disciples of John had gone away, Christ began to
speak to the multitudes, and to praise the virtues of John. He
did this to remove the suspicion that John’s belief in him as
the Messias had wavered, or that his imprisonment was a deser­
ved punishment from God. Let us also labor to guard our neigh­
bor against the suspicions of others, and defend his honor.
Christ’s commendations of John were spoken in his absence. How
base would it be for us to praise our neighbor to his face, and
defame and despise him in his absence. And yet this in fre­
quently done.

i. Let us now hear what Christ says of John: What went you
out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? In these
words Jesus praised the fortitude of John. He served God all his
life with equal fidelity, preached the word of God to all without
regard to persons, to the rich and the poor, the great and the
lowly, with the same openness—was not afraid to say to a king,
“It is not lawful for thee,” and finally died for justice and truth.
What fortitude 1
We also must show fortitude in avoiding evil and doinggood, and
in the performance of the duties of our religion and state of life.
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith; do manfully, and be streng­
thened.”—I. Cor. 16: 13. But how many of us are weak reeds,
that bend to every wind; we make good resolutions, but do not
carry them out them; we promise God and the priest in confes­
sion never again to commit this sin, to avoid that occasion of sin,
but the promise is not kept? Is this fortitude? A temptation as­
sails us and allures us to evil; we yield and consent? Is this for­
titude? We act from human respect and fear, from temporal
motives, against our better convictions, and transgress the com­
mandments of God. Is this fortitude ? This inconstancy, this
weakness, displeases God very much, and draws down severe
punishment, as we see exemplified in the Israelites. Let us
amend.

2. Homiletic Sketch.
2. But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft gar­
ments? Behold, they that are clothed in soft garments are in the
houses of kings. Jesus here praises the mortified life of John.
John was an angel in human flesh; and yet he lived as the most
rigorous penitent His place of habitation from his childhood
was the desert, his clothing consisted of coarse material, of ca­
mels’ hair, with a leathern girdle around his waist; his food was
locusts and wild honey, and his cry was: “Do penance, for the
kingdom of God is at hand.” How admirable is this austerity
in a man who never committed a sin ! And we, who from
childhood’s days to this hour have so often and so griev­
ously offended God, shun every mortification, deny ourselves
nothing, and complain of every inconvenience! Do you call
this doing penance ? In the time of Christ effeminacy and pride
in dress could not yet have been very prevalent because he
says : “They that are clothed in soft garments are in the houses
of kings.” Now-a-days it is otherwise. You need not go to the
courts of kings to find people that are effeminately and richly
dressed ; in the city and in the country, even in the huts of
the poor, they are found. Indeed, nearly all classes dress beyond
their means and rank in life; the poorest maid servant dresses
like the daughters of the wealthy, and many a simple woman
appears in an attire which would be elegant enough for a lady
of the most ample fortune.
Why all this extravagance in dress? Certainly, it is not for the
purpose of pleasing God. When it oversteps the proper limits of
our means and condition in life it is at best but a vain and silly
display. Nor, alas, does it stop even here in many cases. How
many dress to attract attention, to entice, to tempt. Are their
thoughts only as a child’s thoughts, while parading themselves
and their finery for such purposes? To how many sins does not
this rage for fine clothes lead? Take to heart the words of St.
Gregory : “The love of luxury and fine clothes is sinful; for if it
were not culpable our Lord would not have mentioned it as a
cause of the damnation of the rich man, saying: ‘The rich man
was clothed in purple and fine linen, and after his death he was
buried in hell.’ ” Think of the shroud you will one day wear, and
avoid effeminacy and pride in dress.
3 But what went you out to see? a prophet? Yea, I tell you, and
more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written? Behold,
I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before
thee
Jesus praises in these words the dignity of the person and
office of John. John was more than a prophet, since, unlike the
prophets of the Old Law, who only in spirit saw and foretold
Christ, he pointed directly to him as present, immediately pre­
pared the way for him, and baptized him. The greatness of the

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Second Sunday of Advent.

Baptist appears also from this, that the prophets of old foretold
John’s coming and announced him as the forerunner of the Lord.
—Malach. 3 : 1. John is called an angel, not an angel by nature,
but because he walked undefiled and holy, as an angel, and espe­
cially because, like an angel, he was sent to minister to those who
should receive the inheritance of salvation.—Heb 1:14.
You should be as John was, like the angels. Strive for purity
of morals; shun every mortal sin more than death; do not commit
even a venial sin thoughtlessly, much less with premeditation.
Be ye also angels to your fellow men, especially to your chil­
dren and domestics, leading them by word and example to virtue
and the fear of God.
PERORATION.

Take to heart the lessons which the gospel of this day incul­
cates, and observe them. Like our Saviour, let your works give
testimony that you are in truth what you ought to be, good Chri­
stians. The work reflects credit upon the workman. Take John
for an example, and with diligence and zeal practice those virtues
which Jesus praises in him, his fortitude, his austerity, and his
zeal for souls, that with him you also may deserve the praise of
Jesus Christ. Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
CHRIST PREFIGURED AS THE REDEEMER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Art thou he that art to come, or do we look for another?—Matt.

11:3

We need not ask: “Art thou he that art to come, or do we look
for another;” we know with certainty that Jesus Christ, and no
other, is our Lord and Redeemer. Suppose a king were to an­
nounce to his subjects that after a certain time he would send
his son to them, furnishing them in the meantime with his son’s
portrait; they would certainly know him when he did come,
and would say: “Yes, this is the king’s son, for the portrait which
his father sent is true to life.”

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

67

Now, the heavenly Father, before he sent his divine Son
as Redeemer of the world, gave us a portrait by which to recog­
nize him, representing his person in every feature, beyond the
skill of the painter’s brush to delineate. This portrait of Christ
we have in his types. We find in the Old Testament many per­
sons and things that refer to the Redeemer and represent him in
his life and actions. Of these types and figures I shall speak to
you to-day:
I. The personal,
II. The real types.

Part L
Personal types of Christ: Adam, Abel) Melchisedech, Abraham
and Isaac.

1. In Adam, the first man, we find a type of Christ. Adam is a
progenitor of the human race according to the flesh; Jesus accor­
ding to the spirit ; for he has aroused us from the sleep of sin and
eternal death to a life of grace. While Adam slept, God took a
rib from his side and out of it formed Eve, to be his companion,
and the mother of a great posterity. When Christ slept on the
cross the sleep of death, the Church came forth from his sacred
side, and by the conversion of Jews and Gentiles brought forth
countless multitudes of children. Adam by his disobedience
brought ruin and perdition upon all men ; Christ, on the contrary,
by his obedience brought grace and salvation to all mankind.
Thus Adam is a type of Christ ; wherefore St. Paul calls Adam
“a figure of him that was to come” {Rom. 5: 14), and Jesus “the
second man.”—I. Cor. 15: 47.

2. Another figure of Christ is Abel. He was a shepherd; Jesus
is the Good Shepherd.—John 10: 11. Abel offered a sacrifice,
with which God was pleased, whilst he rejected Cain’s offering;
Jesus also offered a sacrifice, i. e., himself. God was pleased with
this sacrifice and rejected those of the Old Law.—Malach. 1: 10,
11. Abel was innocent; out of hatred and envy Cain, his brother,
slew him. Jesus was also innocent; the Jews, his brothers, accor­
ding to the flesh, out of hatred and envy delivered him to death.
God cursed Cain; he was made a fugitive and vagabond upon the
earth. God set a mark upon Cain, that no one should kill him.
The curse of God also visited the Jews, those murderers of Jesus;
as fugitives they wander over the earth since their execrable
deicide. They cannot be extirpated until the end of the world,
because God desires that they should live.

68

Second Sunday of Advent.

3. Another figure is Melchisedech. The word “Melchisedech’'
signifies king of justice, and Salem, the place of which he was
king, means peace. His father and mother, his beginning and end
are unknown; he was not only a king but also a priest, and he
offered bread and wine. In all these relations Christ is prefigured.
Jesus is the King of Justice, because he brought justice into the
world; he is the Prince of Peace, because he established peace
between God and man. According to his divinity he is without
beginning and without end; he is the High-Priest for ever ac­
cording to the order of Melchisedech, offering himself daily to
his heavenly Father, in the sacrifice of the mass, under the
appearances of bread and wine.—Hebr. 6. 20, and 7 : 1—3.
4. Another figure of Christ is Abraham. At the command of
God he left his own country, and went into Chanaan; he was
ready in obedience to God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac; he
prayed for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha; his descendants
were multiplied as the stars of heaven, and because of his
obedience a blessing came upon all the nations of the earth. Jesus
also left heaven, his own country, to come upon earth to fulfil the
will of his Father. He was obedient even to the death of the
cross, he is also a mediator with his heavenly Father for us poor
sinners; and on account of his obedience all the nations of the
earth are blessed, and numberless are his descendants, the
faithful Christians.

5. Lastly, a figure of Christ is Isaac, Abraham’s son.

He
ascended Mount Moria, there to be sacrificed ; he carried upon his
own shoulders the wood on which he was to be slaughtered;
arrived on the mountain, he allowed himself to be laid upon the
altar without offering any resistance. So also Jesus, without a
murmur of dissent, ascended Mount Calvary, carrying on his own
shoulders the cross on which he was to die. He permitted him­
self to be led unresisting to the slaughter.
Here we have a few holy men in whom Christ is prefigured.
All the remarkable persons in the Old Law bore some resem­
blance to Jesus Christ, and if we put those things together in
which they resembled him, we shall have a perfect image of
Christ. As the saints of the Old Law were types and figures of
Christ, so should we be; we should strive to impress, feature by
feature, his image on our hearts. Our salvation depends on this:
“For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made
conformable to the image of his Son.”—Rom. 8: 29. Make
frequently a comparison between Jesus Christ and yourselves,
and ask: Do I resemble Christ in sentiments? Have I no inordi­
nate love for temporal things? Do I detest what is bad? Do I
always seek first the kingdom of God and his justice ? Do I
I

3.

Dogmatical Sketch.

69

resemble Jesus in my life ? Am I free from every sin, at least from
every mortal sin ? Do I lead a mortified life ? Do I carry with
patience the cross which God puts upon me? You call yourselves
Christians, that is, followers and imitators of Christ; show by
your lives that you are Christians, and strive to become daily
more conformable to him.

Part

Π.

Jesus was prefigured in the Old Law, not only by persons, but
also by things. Of these latter I shall mention only three : the
Paschal Lamb, the Manna, and the Brazen Serpent.
Shortly before their departure from Egypt, God told the
Israelites, through Moses, that every head of a family was to take
a lamb without blemish from his flock, and prepare it for a meal.
The lamb was to be roasted and eaten by them, but so that
no bone was broken, and with the blood of the lamb they
were to sprinkle their door-posts, for the angel of the Lord
would go around by night and kill every firstborn in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast, but he would spare them on account
of the blood on their doors. This judgment of God was executed.
Whilst every first-born of the Egyptians died in one night, all
the children of Israel were saved. As a memorial of this favor,
the Jews every year celebrated the feast of the Paschal Lamb in
the same manner as their forefathers in Egypt on this memor­
able occasion. Exod. 12.
This Paschal Lamb is a very distinct figure of Christ. It was to
be without blemish; Jesus also is free from every stain. No bone
of the Paschal lamb was to be broken; the legs of the crucified
Saviour were not broken, as were the legs of those crucified with
him. The blood of the lamb, which was put upon the door-posts,
was the cause why the Angel of death spared the Israelites; we
owe it to the precious blood of Jesus that we are freed from eter­
nal death. The Apostle refers to the Pashal lamb when he ex­
horts us: “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste,
as you are unleavened. For Christ our Pasch is sacrificed.”—
I. Cor. 5 : 7.
1.

2. The Manna which during forty years God rained daily from
heaven in the desert for the Israelites is also a figure of Christ,
as he says himself: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat
manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die.”
— John 6:48-50. The mysterious bread of which Jesus here
speaks is the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, which serves
for our food and nutriment on our journey through the desert of

Second Sunday in Advent.
this life, preserving us from the death of sin and procuring for
us life everlasting.

3. A striking figure of Christ is the brazen serpent. In punish­
ment of their sins, God sent serpents among the Israelites in the
desert, from whose bites many died As they quickly repented of
their sins and prayed for mercy, God commanded Moses to make
a brazen serpent, and to set it upon a post, that those who had
been bitten might look upon it and be healed. Moses lifted up
the brazen serpent on an elevated place, and all who looked upon
it with faith and confidence were cured.
Christ says that this brazen serpent prefigured himself. “As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of
Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him may not pe­
rish, but may have live everlasting.”—John 3 : 14, 15. Men had
been mortally bitten by the infernal serpent ; Christ was lifted
up on the cross, and whosoever looks upon him with a believing
and contrite heart will be healed of the wounds of his soul and
be saved from eternal death. The brazen serpent had the form
of a venomous serpent, and yet it healed the poisonous bites;
Christ hung on the cross in the form of sinful flesh, yet he healed
our wounds, which sin had inflicted.
Besides these types and figures, I could mention many more,
say, the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea; the water
issuing from the rock; the ark, and the sacrifices. Jesus Christ
is the end of all the ordinances and institutions of the Old Law ;
everything finds its last end and fulfilment in him and his Church.
PERORATION.

This figurative character of the Old Law indicates that its
whole purpose was to prepare the world to receive and acknow­
ledge Christ as the promised Messias. And not only was every
act of his life foreshadowed in those types and figures scattered
through Jewish history, as well as in the Mosaic ordinances, but we
also discover therein types plainly referring to the chief dogmas
of his holy religion. This figurative character of the Old Law
is equally conclusive as to the greater personal graces given to
Christians in the New Law, as compared with those dispensed
of old to the chosen people. All that the Jewish Church
could offer to her children was merely a shadow and a figure,
which had value and significance only in so far as it referred to
the promised Redeemer. How much more favored are we Catho­
lics! We have the holy sacrifice of the mass, which not only
reminds us of the sacrifice of the cross, but also applies to us its
merits and graces; we have the sacraments, by which we are really
freed from sin, and are sanctified; we see Jesus, our Saviour,

Liturgical Sketch.

71

no longer in figures, but we possess him in the Most HolySacrament of the Altar, really and substantially present, and are
permitted to unite ourselves with him most intimately in holy
communion. Let us show ourselves grateful for these great graces,
and let us avail ourselves of them during this holy season of
Advent, for our reconciliation with God and for our eternal
salvation. Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ADVENT.

The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them.—
Matt. 11:5.

When the sun rises, the dawn fades away and disappears.
St. John the Baptist, who had fulfilled his vocation as forerunner
of our Lord, disappeared when the Sun of Justice rose in the
noonday splendor of his public life. He worked the greatest
miracles to convince the Jews of his divine mission ; the blind see,
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead
rise again. John retires from the scene of his labor, is langu­
ishing in prison, and ere long will end his wonderful career as a
martyr. Thus, after four thousand years, Jesus Christ, the expec­
tation of nations, has arrived. The time of Advent, which we
celebrate, reminds us of this great and wonderful mystery of the
love and mercy of God. The four thousand years which elapsed
from the creation of man to the birth of Christ may be considered
as one long Advent, or preparation for the coming of the
Messias; the four weeks devoted by Holy Church to the prepa­
ration for the Christmas festival is our Advent. These two
Advents and their significance I shall endeavor to explain by
answering the two following questions:

I. What is the Advent before Christ?
II. What is the Advent after Christ?

s

Second Sunday

of

Advent.

Part I.
The Advent before Christ represents to us,
1. The great misery into which mankind was plunged because
of sin.

2. The mercy of God, who had compassion on sinful man and
promised him a Redeemer.

3. The longing of mankind for the promised Redeemer.
i. Our first parents had sinned. Terrible were the consequences
of their sin both for themselves and their posterity; the loss of
grace, of original justice and innocence, of the right and title to
the kingdom of heaven; whilst ignorance, concupiscence and
tribulations of ever}· kind were rife. “As by one man sin entered
into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all
men, in whom all have sinned.”—Rom. 5:12. And the worst of it
was that man could not by any effort of his own free himself from
sin and its consequences. Left to himself, nothing remained for
him but to live and die in sin. How enormous the evil which sin
brought upon the whole human race !
Original sin unfortunately was the mother of numberless other
sins, and the result was that the corruption of morals increased
from day to day. As early as the time of Noe man had be­
come so wicked that God repented of having created him, and
decreed to destroy him from the face of the earth. — Gen. 6: 6, 7.
The corruption became still greater after the deluge; mankind
lost all knowledge of the true God and was sunk in the depths
of idolatry. “They were,” as the Apostle says, “filled with all
iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, covetousness, wickedness,
full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers,
detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inven­
tors of evil things, disobedient to parents, foolish dissolute, with­
out affection, without fidelity, without mercy.”—Rom. i. 29-31.This
was the state of the ancient world. With the exception of the
Jewish peoDle, who preserved the knowledge and the worship of
the true God, all the nations around were plunged in idolatry
and lay buried in the mire of viciousness and moral turpitude.
2. Who could remedy this? God alone. And he did remedy it. As
a good father sacrifices everything to lead an erring son back
to the right path, so God in his infinite mercy and goodness made
use of every means to save sinful man. He chose for himself a nation
in which the true faith and the hope of the coming Redeemer

4> Liturgical Sketch.

73

shoul·* always be preserved, namely, the Israelites. To guard
them against evil ways, he gave them an all-embracing law, a
divine worship, rich in ceremonies; he instituted a priesthood
which preached to them the law and offered sacrifices for them,
and from time to time he sent them prophets to exhort them to do
penance. As often as they sinned the judgments of God fell
upon them, and were not removed till they were converted.

Nor were the Gentiles entirely abandoned by God. He spoke
to them by the voice of conscience.—Rom. 2: 14-16. He sent
them pious men and prophets and gave them opportunities to
know him, especially through his chosen people, with whom in
various ways they came in contact, as during the Assyrian and
Babylonian captivity. The promise of a Redeemer was one of
the principal means which God made use of to draw the people
to himself. He had promised a Redeemer to our first parents.—
Gen. 3: 15. He repeated this promise to Abraham {Gen. 12: 2, 3);
to Isaac and Jacob {Gen. 22: 18); and to all the children of Israel
by the prophets. Hence the belief in the coming Redeemer was
propagated not only among the Jews, but also among the Gen­
tiles.
3. Think of a poor, forsaken, sick man, who, suffering great
pain, lies day and night on his couch ; will he not sigh for relief?
And if he hear of a physician who can help him, will he not
long for him, and so much the more the longer he delays to
come? This was the condition of the people in the Old Law;
they knew and felt their misery, and were sure that a Redeemer
would come. What was more natural than that they should
long for him ? The prophet only lends words to this longing
desire when he exclaims : “Drop down dews, ye heavens, from
above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened,
and bud forth a Saviour.”—Is. 45: 8. The whole religion of the
Jews nourished this longing for the Redeemer. When they cele­
brated their feasts, they thought of the Messias, whom these
same feasts foreshadowed ; when they went up into the temple,
they said to themselves: When will the Messias come to glorify
this temple by his presence? When they offered sacrifices, they
turned their mind to the contemplation of the Messias, who
would offer himself for the expiation of their sins.
We meet with this longing for the promised Redeemer also
among the Gentiles. The sages from the East furnish a proof of
this. How quickly they set out on their journey when they saw
the miraculous star ! They regarded no inconvenience on their
long journey, no expense, no dangers; their only solicitude was to
see the new-born king of the Jews; and when they had found
him, they were full of veneration, gratitude, and love; they fell

74

Second Sunday of Advent.

o < their knees and offered the most precious thing's they had—
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This was the Advent before Christ,
a space of four thousand years of misery, yet mitigated by the
mercies of God, who promised a Redeemer to man and prepared
him for his coming; a time of the most fervent longing of the
sinful human race for the promised Redeemer. Think of this sad
Advent; give thanks to God that he has sent you a Redeemer,
and make good use of the grace of Redemption.

Part Π.
The Christian Advent is that time of about four weeks which
the Church has appointed for the worthy preparation for Christ­
mas. This preparation consists chiefly,

In belief in Jesus,
2. In the love of him.
1.

I. Belief in Jesus is the first requisite for salvation, for without
faith we have no communion with Christ, and therefore cannot
become partakers of the fruit of Redemption. “As Moses lifted
up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up: that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may
have life everlasting.”—John 3: 14, 15. As no one could be
healed of the bite of the poisonous serpents, unless he looked with
confidence upon the brazen serpent, so no one who does not be­
lieve in Christ crucified can obtain the life of grace and eternal
salvation. Therefore the Church in the decress of the Council
of Trent (6 Sess. c. 7) calls faith the beginning of salvation, and
the foundation and root of all justification, and declares that
without it no one has ever been justified.

(λ.) Give thanks to God with a grateful heart during this holy
season of Advent for having called you from your infancy to
the holy Catholic Church, which alone is in possession of the
true faith, and renew your promise to preserve this faith till your
last breath as the most precious gift of heaven. As there are
so many unbelievers and free-thinkers in our days, who revile,
calumniate, and strive to bring contempt on the Church, her in­
stitutions, and her priests, be on your guard not to be seduced
by them. Avoid all intimate intercourse with them and do not
soil your hands with their papers and writings.
(Æ.) Be zealous for your holy faith, and strive, as much as pos­
sible, to preserve and strengthen it in others. If you know that
one or other of your neighbors keeps a newspaper hostile to the
Church, instruct him with regard to the sin he commits and the

4- Liturgical Sketch.

75

danger to which he exposes his own salvation and that of those
belonging to his household. If you meet with men who attack
and reject the truths of our holy faith, tell them that they are the
truths taught by the Catholic Church, which Christ himself estab­
lished, which he glorified by numberles miracles, and for which
millions of the most enlightened and pious men have sacrificed
their life’s blood. You, fathers and mothers of families, do all
you can so that your children and those under your charge may
not be seduced to unbelief by their intercourse with men without
faith, or by reading their irreligious writings.

(i.) Pray for the conversion of unbelievers and heretics, that
God may enlighten them and bring them into the pale of the
Church.

2. In order to become partakers of the fruit of Redemption,
we must not only believe in Jesus, but we must also love him.
Without love faith profiteth nothing. “If I should have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing.”—I. Cor. 13 : 2. “If any man love not our Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be anathema.”—I. Cor. 16: 22. “In Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but
faith, that worketh by charity.”—Gal. 5: 6.
(0.) This love of Jesus requires above all things that we keep
our souls from mortal sin. Mortal sin is a total separation from
God, a rebellion against him, a new crucifixion of Christ; how
could love exist with it? What, then, must all those do during
Advent who are in a state of mortal sin, in order to prepare
themselves for Christmas? They must make a good confession,
for confession in the means for the remision of sins and for the
recovery of divine grace and love. Oh! that all who have hitherto
lived in sin would during this holy season reconcile themselves
to God by a good confession.
(Æ.) Love requires, moreover, that we extirpate all inordinate
inclinations. When the Philistines set the ark of God by their
god Dagon, he fell down and broke into pieces. “Behold Dagon,
lay upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord.”
—I. Kings 5: 3. etc. Jesus is a jealous God, he permits no
idols; we must give him our whole heart. “Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with thy whole heart.” We must therefore suffer
no inordinate inclinations in our heart. Examine yourselves and
see whether you have any inordinate inclination for a certain per­
son, for money, for honors and dignities, or for anything else. If
you have, extirpate it, that Christ with his grace may come into
your heart.

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Advent.

(r) Lastly, love requires that we have a desire for Jesus and
aspire to union with him. If we love a person sincerely, we
wish to see him and to converse with him, and we deem our­
selves happy to meet him. We shall have the same wishes and
sentiments if we love Jesus with our whole heart. Pray there­
fore very fervently during- Advent, since prayer is the easiest
means of uniting yourselves with Jesus. Visit as often as you can
the Blessed Sacrament, for there he is really and truly present,
and you give him the greatest joy if you visit him devoutly. And
I exhort you, in particular, to receive Jesus in holy communion,
for by it you will unite yourselves with him most intimately and
become partakers of his divine nature.
peroration.

You now know the significance of that long and gloomy Ad­
vent of four thousand years before Christ, as also the meaning
and object of our own brief Advent. As the people in the Old
Law were obliged to prepare themselves for the Advent of the
promised Redeemer by belief in him that was to come, in order
to participate in the fruit of Redemption, so we must prepare
ourselves during Advent for the feast of Christmas, that Jesus
may come into our hearts and communicate his graces to us.
This he will do, if we believe in him and love him above all
things. Show then that you are good Catholics, who firmly believe
all that the Church teaches, and who are prepared to sacrifice
everything, rather than become disloyal to the Catholic Faith.
Do all you can to help others to gain this inestimable treasure of
the faith, and to preserve it in them. Let your faith become
active by charity, for it is charity that gives value to faith and
leads to salvation. Show your love for Jesus by cleansing your
heart from sin and all inordinate inclinations, and by a zealous
exercise of prayer and devotion. This is the true preparation for
Christmas that will bring you grace and salvation. Amen.

5- Symbolical Sketch.

77

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
HOW WE ARE TO PREPARE FOR OUR REDEEMER A DWELLING
IN OUR HEART.

Behold, I send my Angel before thy face) who shall prepare thy
way before thee.—Matt. 41: 10.
In the Fourth Book of King's, we read of a pious, charitable
woman of Sunam who, after the prophet Eliseus had several
times on his journeys put up at her house, said to her hus­
band: “I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often
passeth by us. Let us therefore make him a little chamber, and
put a little bed in it for him, and a table, and a stool and a candle­
stick, that when he cometh to us he may abide there.” IV. Kings
4: 8. etc. She did as she had said, and the prophet henceforth
stopped regularly at her house and requited the hospitality shown
him by obtaining of God a son for her and by raising him to life
after he had died of sunstroke.
Two weeks hence we shall again solemnize the holy feast of
Christmas. A greater and nobler guest than Eliseus, our di­
vine Saviour himself, will visit us and enrich us with his graces.
Let us follow the example of the Sunamitess so that Jesus maycome
and abide with us. The chamber that we must give him is our
heart, for he himself says: “My son, give me thy heart.” But in
order to prepare our heart for his dwelling, we must, like the
Sunamitess, place therein:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

A stool)
A table)
A candlestick)
A bed.

Part I.
A stool.
In every sitting-room there must be chairs for people to sit upon.
We must also have a chair in our heart for Jesus to rest on. And
what is this chair? Interior recollection) peace of heart. What did
Jesus do when he was called to raise the dead daughter of Jairus
to life? He turned out the minstrels and the crowd making a

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Advent.

rout, and then went to where the dead girl lay and recalled her
to life.—Matt. 9: 23-25. Those who live in constant dissipation
can never be interiorly recollected, nor turn their thoughts to
God and to the affair of their salvation : such persons need not
hope that Jesus will visit them and abide with them, for there is
no chair in their heart for him to sit upon. Our image cannot be
reflected upon a sheet of water agitated by winds and storms,
but only upon a clear, calm surface; in like manner Jesus visits
only those hearts that are pure and peaceful. For this reason
souls that truly love God have always endeavored to be interi­
orly recollected. Many Christians, solicitous for their eternal
salvation, left the world entirely and retired into solitudes, that
they might be more recollected and tranquil. Turbo, a great officer
of state, resolved, at an advanced age, to spend the remainder
of his life exclusively in the contemplation of divine things.
Hence he lived in retirement for seven years. When his end
approached he composed his own epitaph. Did it read thus?
Here lies Turbo, who for more than fifty years gloriously conduc­
ted the affairs of the empire. No. It read: Here lies Turbo, who
indeed reached an old age, but lived only seven years. Behold, this
man considered that he had lived only those years which were
spent in interior recollection and in solicitude for his salvation.
And he was right.

2. If you were to life seventy or eighty years, but always full of
worldly cares and not solicitous about your eternal destiny, they
would be years lost, for Jesus dwelt not in your heart. How
necessary therefore that in your solicitude for the temporal you
forget not what is eternal. Count not the years of your life, but
the years of your conversion. Be often recollected, especially in
the morning before you go to your daily occupation, and in the
evening, when the day’s work is done. On these occasions call
to mind the last good resolutions you have made. During your
work frequently raise your heart and thoughts to God; ask his
protection and blessing, and promise him a return of love. De­
vote some time, on Sundays and holidays especially, to this interior
recollection: reflect on the necessity of saving your soul and
make good resolutions to attend with greater zeal and fervor to
this one thing necessary. This is the chair which you must place
for Jesus in your heart.

Part IL
A table.

i. You must also place in your heart a table, at which Jesus
may sit and dine. But what shall we put on the table ? Oh, that

5. Symbolical Sketch.

79

food which he calls his favorite dish, as he himself says: “My meat
is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work.”
— John 4: 34. The fulfilment of the will of God, or obedience to
God, his heavenly Father, is his favorite food. This was his food
all the days of his life upon earth. To do the will of his Father
he became man; he lived in poverty, lowliness, contempt and
persecution; he taught, and he worked miracles; he suffered and
died on the cross. To do the will of his Father he was subject
to Mary, his Mother, to Joseph, his foster-father, to the Jewish
law, even to the Roman Emperor and to Pilate, the governor.
2. The fulfilment of the will of God, therefore, is the table
which we must place in our hearts and never remove. Jesus de­
mands this, for he bids us say every day: “Thy will be done on
earth, as it is in heaven.” When therefore you know a thing to
be the will of God, do it, and be not deterred from doing it by
any obstacle or difficulty. If it be hard to give up familiarity with a
certain person, to restore ill-gotten goods, to forgive those who
offend you, to abandon a bad habit, say to yourself: “It is the
will of God that I do this, and do it I will.” If it be difficult for
you to be patient at your work, to bear afflictions and sickness
with resignation, to overcome all temptations, say again to your­
self : “It is the will of God that I do this, and I will do it.” If it
come hard to you to practice the virtues of humility, meekness,
chastity, and obedience, say to yourself again : “It is the will of
God that I practice these virtues, and I will practice them.” With
this spirit all the saints were animated. The will of God was
their first and only thought, the soul of all their actions. St. Am­
brose says: “The soldier does not settle the route of his march
himself; he does not go where he wishes to go himself; he does
not put himself where he would like to be put; God forbid; but
he receives orders from his general and executes them punctu­
ally. In like manner, we must go the way and occupy the post
which God has appointed for us; we must willingly submit to his
commandments and teachings; in other words, we must faith­
fully and punctually do his will. That Jesus may come into our
hearts, let us not omit to put a table there for him; that is, let us
in all things do the will of God.

Part HL
A candlestick.
As in every room for guests there is a candlestick, so must
there be one in our heart if we would attract the divine guest
Jesus. Within him in whose heart a candlestick is missing there is

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darkness: and Jesus dwells not in darkness; he is the light of the
world. What kind of a candlestick is it that we require?
1. The word of God, of which David says: “Thy w rd is a lamp
to my feet, and a light to my paths.”—Ps. 118: 105. Without
this light there is darkness in the heart. What darkness prevails
to this very day among the pagans to whom the word of God has
not yet been preached ! They have scarcely any knowledge of
God, but are plunged in the most degrading idolatry. Even among
Christians who neglect to hear the word of God, and do not read
religious books, there is great darkness in matters of religion.
They have scarcely the most necessary knowledge of the Chri­
stian doctrine, wherefore they are in danger of losing the faith.
In many cases they act contrary to their duties as Christians, and
transgress the commandments of God and of his Church without
any scruple, because they are so ignorant in religious matters
How necessary it is, therefore, that you put a candlestick in your
heart, if you wish Jesus to visit you and to abide with you. Listen
attentively to the word of God, which is preached to you on
Sundays and holidays, often read a spiritual book in which
the truths of our holy religion are explained, love to converse
on spiritual subjects, in order to acquire the necessary know­
ledge of religion, and see that your children attend Sunday-school.

2. The examination of conscience. What the woman in the gospel
did, who lighted a candle and searched in every corner for the
groat she had lost, we ought to do daily. We should diligently
search every nook and corner of our conscience and the inner­
most recesses of the heart, in order to find out what is wrong and
faulty, and then amend it. He that does not examine his consci­
ence carefully and diligently, will never arrive at a knowledge
of himself, and consequently will never thorougly amend his life ;
for faults that are not known are not amended. Hence the saints
and spiritual writers attach the greatest importance to the exa­
mination of conscience. St. Augustine says “Put yourself in
spirit before the tribunal, place yourself as the accused before
yourself, hold rigorous judgment over yourself, that the judgment
of the Lord may be milder and more gracious.” Even the
heathen philosopher Pythagores advised his pupils to ask them­
selves twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, these three
questions: What have I done? How have I done it? Have I done
everything which 1 should have done? Never omit before you go to
bed to make a short examination of conscience. Ask yourselves:
What have I thought, spoken, and done? Of what faults have I
been guilty? What good, which I should have done, have I
neglected ? How have I performed my daily tasks, my exercises

5. Symbolical Sketch.

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of devotion, and other good works? With zeal and fervor? With
patience? With a good intention? Have I kept the particular re­
solution, which I made in the morning? Repent of the faults
you have committed during the day, ask pardon of God, and
promise amendment.

Part IV.
A bed.

In a room set apart for a guest, who is to a remain with us over
night, there must a bed. Without a bed the most beautiful
apartment would not be a guest’s room, and no one would wish
to spend a night in it. We must also prepare a bed for Jesus in
our heart, that he may come and dwell there. But what must
we do to prepare such a bed for him? We must—

Every evening, before we go to rest, say our night prayers.
Horses, when the harness is removed and they are fed, lie down
to sleep. These poor animals have no understanding, no know­
ledge of God; hence they experience no necessity to look up to
their Creator and Preserver, no obligation to give him thanks
before they go to rest. Christians must not act in like manner.
We know whence we are, and why we are on earth, we know
our Maker and Master, and are taught that to him we owe all
that we are and have. We also know that every day we live is
a pure gift of God, and that every night we need his protection
against the dangers that menace both body and soul. How
wrongly therefore do those Christians act who go to rest at
night without recollecting themselves and settling their account
with God ? Is not this acting the part of a brute ? Do not imitate
such conduct; on the contrary, say at least a short prayer, give
thanks to God for his benefits during the day, ask pardon for
your sins, and recommend yourself to the protection of God, of
Mary and of the angels and saints.
1.

2. Behave in bed during the night piously and modestly. The bed,
I must say, is a terrible place; for sleep, to which we there
consign ourselves, is a brother of death, because it vividly reminds
us of death, and not unfrequently passes into death. How many
have gone to bed and begun the night in sleep, but ended it in
death ! Therefore it is almost certain that we shall, and perhaps
soon, die in the bed in which we sleep every night. With this
thought present to the mind, who would not behave modestly in
bed? who would defy God and commit sin, perhaps very abomi­
nable sin? No, you should, if anywhere at all, be pious in bed,
and so comport yourself therein, that on your death-bed you may

!

6

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not have to reproach yourself. Sprinkle yourself with holy
water before going to bed; make the sign of the cross and
kiss the medal you wear; occupy yourself in bed till you fall
asleep with pious thoughts and short ejaculatory prayers. If you
awake during the night and find it impossible to sleep for some
time, turn to wholesome meditation and exercises of devotion;
pray particularly for the poor souls in purgatory, who also find
no rest, that God may give them eternal rest.
PERORATION.

Now you know how you are to prepare your heart for the
abode of Jesus. Do what the pious Sunamitess did in preparing
a room in her house for the prophet. You are better off than
that woman, for the preparation which you have to make in your
heart does not cost anything. You need only a good will. Put
a chair there, that is, cultivate interior recollection. Do not forget
the table ; aim at nothing so much as to do the will of God in all
things. Put a candlestick there ; love to listen to the word of God,
read spiritual books, and examine your conscience every even­
ing. Put up a good bed\ never neglect your night prayers, and
behave yourself always piously and modestly in bed. Behold,
this is the true preparation of our heart, and if it be thus pre­
pared, our dear Saviour will come and make his abode with
us, and will one day receive us into the mansions of bliss.
Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
RULES OF CONDUCT IN REGARD TO HUMAN PRAISE.

And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes
concerning John.—Matt. 11:7.

What our Lord did, according to the gospel of this day, occurs
frequently, nay, daily, in human life; as he praised his forerunner,
St. John, so we praise others, and others perhaps praise us. But
frequently that is done which Jesus did not, namely, many mistakes
are made by violating humility, prudence, modesty, or truth. We
praise others and allow ourselves to be praised—frequently

b.

Moral Sketch.

8j

without cause ; we deceive ourselves and others, burdening our
conscience with many sins. This is sufficient reason for us to
consider the example of Christ, in order to learn from him how
to act in bestowing or receiving praise. I shall therefore speak
to-day on the rules of conduct in regard to human praise, and
explain to you what we must observe

I. When we praise others,
II When others praise us.

Part I.
i. When we praise others, the praise must be deserved. The
example of Christ teaches us this. The eulogistic things which he
said of John were not groundless flatteries, but were based upon
truth, and therefore merited praise. John was not wavering as
a reed, but strong ; he was not effeminate, as people in the pala­
ces of kings, but led an austere, mortified life; he was more than
a prophet, because he pointed out the Saviour as already pres­
ent, and prepared the hearts of the people for his kingdom. He,
therefore, whom we praise must be really praiseworthy, and must
possess the good qualities which we laud in him. Unmerited
praise is, to a sensible, upright man, an offense, rather than
praise. For instance, if you praise a man for his learning, tact in
business, corporal beauty, or for any other quality which he either
has not at all, or only in a slight degree, what must he think of
you? He must consider you either a fool, a flatterer, or a clown
who wishes to ridicule him, and he will turn from you in con­
tempt. If he be vain and foolish enough to accept your false
praise as good coin, you pluck out his eyes, as it were ; you blind
him, make him proud ; and this is sinful.

(λ.) But it is a still greater mistake to praise in another quali­
ties and actions which deserve no praise. And yet how frequently
this is done! Miserable flatterers and corrupt, immoral men know
how to give a beautiful color to the basest actions, and to represent
them as honorable. Thus they call inordinate ambition, a com­
mendable desire of esteem; avarice, prudent economy; impurity,
natural amiability and friendship; unbelief and free-thinking,
progress and enlightenment ; hatred and persecution of the Church,
zeal for human liberty. In like manner, they praise their comrades
for their dexterity in fighting, their facility in making money,
their superiority in drinking, and their artifices in seducing in­
nocence. To praise in such a manner is to harden others in evil,
and to deliver their souls to the devil. Woe to those who praise
thus! They will have to render a terrible account, and the pun­
ishment threatened to seducers and to those who give scandal

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awaits them. Do not extend praise to any one who does noi
deserve it, and be it far from you to praise what is bad.
2. When we praise others, we must not do it at the expense of their
fellow men.

(a.) The example of Jesus teaches us this also. He praised
John, and even said of him that he was more than a prophet, but
in this praise he did not disparage the honor of others; he did
not say that Isaias, Jeremias, and the other prophets were not to
be esteemed as prophets; he called his forerunner greater than
they, because he had the happiness of seeing him, the Christ,
and of even baptizing him.
(3.) It you praise any one, it must not be done at the expense 0/
his fellow-men. In praising a man you must not do so in such a
manner as to disparage others. If you have reason to praise
James, do so, but let Philip alone. The meanest liar and calumni­
ator is the man who calumniates by insinuation. Such a one will
praise James; not that he cares for James, but because by so
doing he can injure James’ neighbor. Tell me, would it be reason­
able and right for a painter to paint your house very beautifully,
and your neighbor’s very badly, and then tell you that it was
not necessary for him to do so in order to show the contrast?
And yet many do this very thing when they praise others. Such
persons, will say, for instance, of a dealer who is in open and fair
competition with perhaps only one other: Ah, I know he is hon­
est, that his word may be relied on; he selects his goods carefully
and keeps only the best, and does not take sly advantage of
his customers. They will praise to exaggeration the skill of
some physician. If the names of two girls come up, they will
studiously avoid whispering a syllable about one, while the other
will be loudly praised for her modesty, affability, and good sense.
Praises thus bestowed are as contemptible in the eyes of decent
people as they are sinful in the sight of God. Those who so
praise care little for the golden rule: “As you would that men
should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.”—Luke
6: 31.

3. If we praise others, it must be done with precaution and
prudence.
(a.) Herein we should also imitate the example of Jesus. He did
not praise John in his presence, nor in the presence of his dis­
ciples, but only after they had gone away. Why did he do this?
To avoid the suspicion of flattering his forerunner, and giving

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an occasion of vanity to the disciples of John, on account of their
great master.
(<5.) Generally speaking, you should praise no one to his face.
Humble, modest, and sensible Christians dislike nothing so much
as to be compelled to listen to their own praise. You sting them,
as it were, with needles. But if you praise people who are in­
clined to vanity and ambition, which is the case with most people,
you lay snares for their salvation and lead them to pride, to over­
rating themselves, and to the contempt of others. It requires
a good stomach to digest mushrooms, and more than ordinary
humility is required to bear human praise without danger. We
must consider this well, and, as a rule, praise no one to his face.

(ί.) I say, as a rule, for sometimes it is permissible, even com­
mendable and useful to praise others in their presence. Thus,
parents may and should praise their children, and superiors
their subjects, for their good conduct, to encourage them to be
good and fulfil their duties in future. But this must be done very
cautiously, and not immoderately, nor for every trifle, lest they
overestimate themselves and become vain. Particular precaution
is necessary in praising children. The praise that is given them
must always be moderate, and of such a nature as to keep them
from vanity and self-conceit.

Part Π.
I.

We should, not be indifferent to the firaise of men.

(a.) Jesus was not indifferent to it. We know that when his
enemies reviled him as a blasphemer, as a man who had a devil,
he rejected these imputations and defended himself. We also know
that he received the praises which the people offered him, and
reprehended those who blamed him for so doing. Thus he
reprimanded the Scribes and Pharisees, who complained that
the children cried out: “Hosanna to the Son of David,” and said
to them : “Have you never read : Out of the mouths of infants and
sucklings, thou hast perfected praise ?”—Matt. 21: 16. True, Christ
did not seek human praise for himself, but only for the honor of
his heavenly Father: “I seek not my own glory; there is one that
seeketh and judgeth.”—John 8: 50.

(3.) We do no wrong when we require others to speak well of
us. He who would be entirely indifferent to praise and blame,
would show a proud disposition. Such indifference can and must
only exist when there is a question of fulfilling our duties of

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religion and outstation of life, and of doing the will of God. As the
willof God is above everything else, we must not allow ourselves
to be deterred from fulfilling it when we are reviled, calumniated,
or persecuted by others. In all other cases it is right for us to
require that men think and speak well of us.
2. We must not, however, inordinately crave for human praise.
(a.) Human praise is often of short duration, for those who to­
day laud our name to the skies may to morrow blame us and
drag us into contempt. We see this exemplified in Jesus. The
Jews on Palm Sunday saluted him as the Messias, and cried out,
“Hosanna to the Son of David,” and five days after, on Good
Friday, the same people cried out furiously: “Away with him,
crucify him, crucify him.”—John 19: 15. Human favor and
praise are as changeable as the weather; why then desire it
inordinately ?

(£.) Human praise is of value only when it is merited, that is,
when God is satisfied with us, and we may expect praise from
him. What did it profit Herod that his flatterers praised and dei­
fied him, when, on account of his vices, he was an object of disgust
in the eyes of God and was rejected by him for ever? And
what will all the world’s praises and prizes, the world’s adulation
and homage, profit a few years hence the great men of our
day—men, who in their might and their pride trample underfoot
all laws, human and divine? Nothing, yea, less than nothing. All
power is from God, and of that very power, now placed in their
hands and so fearfully abused for the gratification of their passi­
ons, even of that, too, shall they render an account. God will
judge and condemn them. What does it -profit you if people
think and speak well of you, and every one praises you, when
your conscience tells you that God hates and despises you ? Be
ashamed of yourself and humble yourself before God and man,
when you receive praise which you do not deserve.
(£.) Human praise is very dangerous for us if we desire it vehe­
mently. We rob God of the honor which is due to him alone, we
lose all the merits which we ought to gain by our good works,
and we expose ourselves, for the sake of men, to the danger of
incurring God’s displeasure by acting against the duties of religion
and our state of life. Let us desire human praise only so far as it
is subservient to the honor of God and to a faithful pursuit of our
avocation. Let us frequently pray with David: “Not to us, O
Lord, not to us; but to thy name give glory.”—Ps. 113: 9.

We must not, when men praise us, yield to vain imaginations
and become proud.

6. Moral Sketch.

87

(a.) If we are what people take us to be, and if we deserve the
praise they give us, we have, nevertheless, no reason to allow vain
thoughts to arise within us. And why? Because we owe all the
good that we have and do, not to ourselves, but to God: “What
hast thou that thou hast not received ? And if thou hast received,
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”—I,
Cor. 4: 7. We all must confess with the same Apostle: “By the
grace of God I am what I am."—I. Cor. 15: 10. A beggar bor­
rows garments of silk and gold, puts them on, and is proud of the
praise which he receives in his splendid attire. How foolish 1 We
are equally foolish if we inordinately value human praise, and
nourish proud thoughts in our heart. If we have anything praise­
worthy, let us give God the honor, from whom every good gift
comes.

(Æ.) Moreover, we can never say that we really deserve praise,
for even if we possess the good qualities for which we are praised,
we are, or at least have been, contaminated with various faults
and sins, which are far from being praiseworthy. If any one
praise us we must think: If you only knew that I have been, and
still am, a sinner, inclined to every evil, you would certainly not
praise me. As often as we are praised, let us think of the sins
of our past life, for then we shall disregard the praise and the
applause of the world, and preserve the virtue of humility, which
is so necessary.
PERORATION. '

Remember the rules which I have laid down for your obser­
vance in regard to human praise. Praise him only who really
deserves it; do not, whilst you praise one, disparage another; be
prudent in your praises, that you may not harm your neighbor
more than you benefit him. Be not indifferent to human praise
and blame, and while living in such a manner as to deserve praise
do not desire it inordinately, much less permit vanity and pride
to reign in your heart. Your principal desire should be to deserve
praise in the sight of God, and to hear one day the words of
Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many
things; enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”—Matt. 25: 21. Amen.

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SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
IMPENITENCE.

The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead rise again.—Matt, n: 5.

Happy the times to which it was given to see the Saviour of
the world? Happy the blind, lame, and deaf, who had the grace
tc be healed by him! Oh, that we could say of all the spiritually
blind, lame, and deaf of our day, that they had been healed by Christ!
Who are they who are spiritually blind, lame, and deaf? Sinners
in general, but especially those whose hearts are hardened
in wickedness, and who live in obduracy. There are many
sermons preached during the year, at times on deep, earnest and
terrifying truths, then on more consoling ones; the speaker entreats,
instructs, promises, and threatens, he places heaven and hell
before people’s eyes ; but the spiritually blind will not open their
eyes, the lame will move neither hand nor foot, the deaf will
not give ear to the inviting grace. How long will they persevere
in their obduracy? Alas, it is to be feared, till their end, till
their damnation. This is the subject on which I intend to address
you to-day. I shall preach on impenitence, and show—
I. How terrible and dangerous it is,
II. By what marks it is known.

Part I.
Not only are those impenitent who knowingly persevere in sin,
but also all those who live in sin without thinking of penance
and amendment of life. Such are all habitual sinners. And under
this head must be classed persons who are passively sinning, say,
those who do not restore ill-gotten goods, who do not repair the
injury done to a neighbor in person, property, or reputation, who
keep up enmities, who do not break off dangerous intimacies nor
forego familiarities with persons of the opposite sex. All these
are living in an impenitence which is terrible even to think of, as
I shall show by passages and examples from the Sacred Scriptures.

7.

i.

Moral Sketch.

Passages from the Sacred Scriptures.

(«.) “The wicked man, when he is come into the depth of sin,
contemneth; but ignominy and reproach follow him.”—Prov. 18:3.
He that heaps sin upon sin, despising graces and admonitions to
repentance, hardening his heart in malice, becomes incurably
sick and his end is ignominy and eternal damnation. “I will
bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and perpetual shame,
which shall never be forgotten.”—Jer. 23: 40. What a terrible
threat and to how many sinners does it not apply? “All the men
that have tempted me now ten times and have not obeyed my
voice, shall not see the land for which I swore to their fathers.”
—Num. 14: 22, 23. As God has appointed for every man his
allotted years of life, so he has decreed the number of sins which
he will forgive him, and when that measure is full he will for­
give no more, but will depart from the sinner, whose fate is then
sealed. Eusebius of Caesarea says: “God waits for a certain
number of sins, and then he abandons the sinner.” The danger
of impenitence increases with every new sin, for it is to be feared
that each sin is the one which fills up the number and measure
of his crimes, after which perdition follows. Oh, that every un­
fortunate sinner would say to himself : If I sin again, the measure
of my sins may be filled, and I shall be lost for ever. But does
not God give to every one, as long as he lives, the grace to be
saved? Yes; he always gives him ordinary and sufficient, but not
extraordinary graces. The ordinary graces of themselves would
be sufficient for penance and conversion. But the deeply-fallen
and impenitent sinner does not make use of the ever-present,
sufficient grace, and consequently it will never become effica­
cious whilst God, on account of his continued impenitence,
abandons him; he perseveres in sin, and is lost.

(£.) “We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed: let
us forsake her, and let us go every man to his own land.”—Jer.
51:9. God treats the sinner as a physician does his patient. First,
he uses mild means, ordinary graces, interior inspirations and
gentle admonitions, promising him pardon and heaven. If these
means produce no effect, he resorts to severer measures; he
rouses his concience, which reproaches him bitterly; he sends
him as it were another Nathan, who upbraids him for his sins; he
leads him to a confessor, who, with earnest representations re­
fuses him absolution ; he visitshim with sufferings and afflictions.
Woe to him, if even these powerful medicines do not heal his
sick soul 1 When the physician sees that the sick man’s life can
not be saved, he no longer prescribes or forbids anything, but
allows him to eat and drink what he pleases, and to do as he
pleases. God, the divine Physician of our soul, does the same. He

1

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leaves the impenitent person to himself; his conscience becomes
silent, his faith disappears, his fear of God decreases, he is cheer­
ful even in his life of sin, but he sleeps on the brink of an awful
precipice. What a terrible state! Unless Jesus perforin a greater
miracle than when he raised Lazarus to life, who had been al­
ready four days in the grave, such an impenitent sinner will
surely be a child of perdition.

(2.) Examples from the Sacred Scriptures:
(a.) Pharaoh in Egypt.—Exodus 7. This king sees the most pal­
pable acts of divine omnipotence ; he sees the rood of Moses
changed into a serpent, water into blood, a terrible hailstorm de­
vastating the fields, grasshoppers and others insects devouring
every green thing, a dense darkness covering the earth, all tne
first-born males dying in one night; he confesses publicly that
these are wonders and judgments of God, and yet he falls back
into his old obstinacy. At last the measure of his sin is full, he
finds his death with his whole army in the depth of the Red Sea.
A father of the Church exclaims: “What obstinacy and obduracy!
God changes water into blood, but he can not change the
heart of this impious king!”
(£.) Joram, son of Josaphat, King of Judea. This wicked prince
ordered his six brothers and other nobles of his kingdom to be
slain, fell into idolatry, persuaded his people the worship idols,
and committed many other crimes. In his wonderful mercy God
still sought to save him. He commanded the prophet Elias, whom
he had already taken up from the earth in a fiery chariot, to
write a letter to the king and exhort him earnestly to do pen­
ance. Elias wrote the letter and sent it to the king. In this letter
the prophet upbraided him for his crimes and announced to him
that, unless he be converted, God would visit him, his family, and
his people with great plagues, and chastise him with a sickness
so terrible that his entrails would fall out. One would think that
this letter, with such terrible threats, composed by a saint, who
was no longer among mortals, would have made a salutary im­
pression upon him, and would have brought him to penance.
But no, he remained impenitent to his last hour. The threatened
punishments came upon him, but he was not converted; he died,
as he had lived, in sin. In this obstinate sinner we see how truly
Jesus speaks when he says that the sinner who will not hear
Moses and the Prophets, that is, the priests and pastors of souls,
would not be converted, but would remain impenitent, if one
arose again from the dead and preached penance to him.—Luke

16: 31.

■

7.

Moral Sketch,

Qi

(r.) Judas, the traitor. This man, an Apostle, one of the twelve,
who had accompanied his Lord during the whole course of his
ministry, who had witnessed all his wonderful works, who had been
acquainted with all the mysteries of God, who had partaken even
of the Sacrament of the New Law, the body and blood of Jesus
Christ, and had received power to consecrate the same in the
sacrifice of the mass, persevered in his wicked course, remained
a servant of mammon, and to gratify his avarice, betrayed and
sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver! Jesus gave him to un­
derstand that he knew what he was about to do, and told him
that it were better for him if he had never been bom. He washed
the feet of Judas, he allowed himself to be kissed by him, and
called him his friend, but all this did not soften the hard heart
of the traitor. The unhappy man remained perverse to the end,
finally despaired, and hanged himself! So dangerous, so terrible,
is the state of obdurate sinners. God wishes to save them by
his graces and benefits, by threats and punishments ; but they
themselves do not wish to be saved. They persevere in their im­
penitence. And what will be their end? Abandonment by God,
eternal damnation. Are there, perhaps, some among us who are
in this dangerous and terrible state of obduracy ? Let us answer
this question by ascertaining the marks of impenitence.

Part

Π.

A man’s obduracy in sin is apparent, either by his making light
of the ordinary means of grace provided by God for his conver­
sion and sanctification, or by his making a perverse use of those
means. That each one may be the better able to look closely into
his own heart, I shall briefly pass a few of these means in review.
If we be neither making light of any of them, nor neglecting
them, nor abusing them, it is well with us. If, on the contrary, we
discover that we have been holding any or all of them in slight
account, or still worse, abusing them, our eternal salvation is in
peril Of these means I shall now mention only five:
i.

2
3.
4.
5.

The word of God,
The holy sacraments,
Inspirations of grace,
Meditation on the four last things,
Prayer.

i. The word of God. There is and can be no doubt that the word
of God is one of the chief means of grace, since, as history proves,
numberless sinners have been converted by it. The Ninivites, to
whom Jonas preached the word of God, did penance in sackcloth
and ashes.— Jon. 3. Numberless pagans were converted to the

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Second Sunday of Advent.

Christian faith by the preaching of the Apostles and their suc­
cessors. St. Jerome says: “The preaching of the word of God is
a plough which looses the soil of the soul, roots up the thorns of
vices, and softens the hardness of the heart.” But with many
sinners the word of God remains without a salutary effect. They
are enemies of the word of God, they never go to hear a sermon,
but mock those Christians who frequent the church for that pur­
pose. Instead of hearing the word of God on Sunday, they sit
idling at home, or go to saloons and drink, or only come to church
when the sermon is over. Others hear a sermon now and then,
but without the least intention of practicing what they hear.
Now, I ask, do not such Christians bear on their foreheads a visi­
ble mark of impenitence? Can you expect a sinner who is not
benefited at all by the word of God, this most effectual means
of grace, to have nevertheless the desire to be reconciled with God
by true penance? Certainly not; therefore Christ says of them
that they are not of God, because they do not hear the word of
God.—John 8: 47.
2. The holy Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Eucharist.
These, without doubt, are the most important and effectual means
of grace, for whosoever receives them worthily is purified and
sanctified. He who makes a good confession, no matter how
great a sinner he may be, is justified, becomes a child of God
and an heir of heaven. What a grace 1 In holy communion
Jesus himself comes to us, and imparts his graces to us, whereby
we are enabled even in this world to lead a heavenly life. On a
little reflection one is apt to ask with wonder how it is that a
Christian can neglect these sacraments. They are his spiritual
strength, his life, the foundation of his hopes. Yet it must be said
that these very means of grace, confession and communion
bring only perdition to many. And why? Because they either do
not receive these sacraments at all or receive them unworthily.
Some allow the whole year to pass, even Easter-time, without con­
fession and communion. Others and their number is still greater
receive the holy sacraments at times, but unworthily, because
they do not comply with the conditions which are necessary
for a worthy reception of them. And, unhappily, some go on
doing this for many years without a scruple. If once in a while
their conscience force them to listen to its warning, the fear ex­
cited is only momentary. They turn from the unwelcome thought
and shrink from the difficulties of a true and thorough repentance
And do I say too much if I call such Christians impenitent? Sure­
ly, that man is on the direct road to an impenitent death-bed,
who obstinately shuts his ears to all divine invitations, to God’s
threats as well as promises, and persistently refuses to make use

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93

of the most necessary means of salvation, or, what is even still
worse abuses those means to the greater outrage of the Almighty.

3. Interior inspirations and impulses to do good. God works upon
man interiorly and invisibly to save him from perdition. If he be
about to sin, he warns him, places before his eyes the wickedness
of his designs, and threatens him with his displeasure and punish­
ment; after the sin, and as long as he lives in sin, God arouses in
him feelings of remorse from time to time, excites in him anguish
and fear, and reminds him of the terrible fate that awaits him.
These interior graces are for every sinner a powerful impulse to
do penance; nay, it is certain that without them a conversion is
never effected. Now, if a sinner despise all these interior inspi­
rations and impulses to repentance, and continue his sinful life
from year to year, without ever thinking of a return from his evil
ways, is not this a manifest sign of impenitence?

4. Meditation on the four last things. How effectual a means to
keep our souls from sin is meditation on the four last things, as the
Holy Ghost tells us in these words: “In all thy works remember
thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.”—Ecclus. 7: 40. How could
a Christian who has faith continue to sin, if he seriously reflect
that everything does not end with death; that death may come at
any moment, that judgment follows, in which we must give an
account of every idle word; if he reflect that there is a hell,
in which the impenitent sinner will suffer unspeakable and eter­
nal torments, and a heaven with inexpressible and everlasting
joys, but from which sin excludes him ? St. John Climachus relates
that there lived in the monastery on Mount Horeb a brother,
who, after a lukewarm and irregular life, became sick and fell
into a stupor. He recovered, however, lived twelve years longer
in a very secluded way, practicing great austerities. After this he
fell sick again; the brothers came to his death-bed and asked him
to give them some wholesome advice before his departure. He
spoke only these few words. “Pardon me, brothers; no one who
thinks of death and judgment, hell and heaven, will ever be able
to sin.” Now, if some sinners do not remember their last end,
but banish the thought of if from their minds, and do not like to
hear sermons on death, judgment, and hell, what must we think
of them? What can we think but that they are hardened in
wickedness, and are of the number of the impenitent?
5. Prayer. This is the most necessary means for conversion. Not
a single sinner has ever been converted without prayer. Prayer
is the most effectual means for conversion, for by prayer the sinner
obtains graces, frequently very extraordinary ones. As long as
a sinner prays, there is hope that he will be converted. But if he

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gives up prayer entirely, or prays only with reluctances and with­
out devotion, his condition is a deplorable one, and unless God
works a miracle, he will die, as he lives, in impenitence.
PERORATION.

I have now shown you how terrible and dangerous is the state
of impenitence or obduracy in sin, and have given you the marks
by which it is known. Oh, that there were none in this parish
who could be numbered among the impenitent, none having the
signs of impenitence I The spiritual condition of such sinners is
indeed a fearful tiling to contemplate. And only to think that
there may be some such among us! Prove yourselves. He who
has heretofore lived in sin, let him renounce it in this holy sea­
son of Advent, with the full determination to be converted to
God with all his heart. Oh, that what Christ says in the gospel of
this day might be effected in a spiritual manner in the case of all
sinners: “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, and the dead rise again.” Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Epistle. Phil. 4: 4-7. Brethren: Rejoice in the Lord always,
again I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men. The
Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous; but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your petitions be made
known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all un­
derstanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our
Lord.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE PICTURE OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN.

Who art thou"?—John 1:19.
The question which the Jewish priests and Levites put to John:
“Who art thou?” is for us all of the greatest importance; for on
the answer depends nothing more or less than our eternal

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Homiletic Sketch.

95

salvation. If we can each say in truth: I am a good Christian, I
believe all that the Catholic Church teaches, and all that she
commands, then we have a well grounded hope of eternal life;
but if we must confess that we are anything but good Christians,
we have reason to fear that eternal damnation will be our
inheritance. In order not to deceive ourselves in answering this
question, let us turn our attention to the lesson of this Sunday;
for in it the Apostle draws a beautiful picture of the true
Christian, the outlines of which are:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Continual joy in the Lord,
Gentleness towards all men,
Filial confidence in God,
Preservation of the jeace of God,

Part

L

Continualjoy in the Lord.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” In these
words, the Apostle exhorts us,
To rejoice,
2. To rejoice in the Lord,
3. To rejoice in the Lord always.
1.

Rejoice in the Lord. This is strange. The wordly-minded
man finds nothing joyful in Christianity; to be a Christian, and,
therefore, to live according to the principles and precepts of the
gospel, he thinks has nothing but sadness in its train and banishes
all joy from the heart. But this is an error as great as to say that
a light does not illuminate, but causes darkness ; that a fire does not
cause heat, but cold. Christianity produces true joy. Oh, how much
reason have not we Christians to rejoice? What does faith teach
us? It teaches us that God is charity, that he is infinitely merciful,
and that his Providence does all things well; that Christ is our
Redeemer, and that unspeakable felicity is awaiting us in heaven.
If we were not Christians, we should know little or nothing of all
these truths. How miserable and unhappy should we feel? Christi­
anity furnishes us with the necessary means for our reconciliation
with God, for our purification, sanctification, and justification.
If we were not Christians, we should have no mass, no sanctify­
ing grace, no peace of heart, for we should have no sacraments,
and consequently we could not obtain the forgiveness of our
sins. Would not our lot be most wretched? should we not be
driven almost to despair0 Certainly; the Apostle is therefore
right when he exclaims tous: “Rejoice!” for only the Christian
religion, by its doctrines and means of salvation, makes it possible
2.

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for us to rejoice in a world which is truly called a valley of
tears.

.

-

2. Rejoice in the Lord. The Apostle does not invite to sensual
joys, as banquets, plays, dances, and similar amusements; for
although a Christian is allowed to enjoy such pleasures moderate­
ly, they are not to be highly prized, because they are passing
and fleeting, and, if they last long, cause fatigue and disgust;
besides, they are apt to be abused. Much less does he speak of
sinful joys; for these are unworthy of a man and a Christian; they
leave a sting in the conscience, and make man unhappy for time
and eternity. Oh, that no Christian would drink out of the chalice
of sinful joys! for he drinks only deadly poison. The Apostle
exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord. Wherein does this joy consist ?
In the consciousness that we are united with Jesus by his
grace and love. He who can say to himself : I am in the state of
grace, Jesus loves me, and I love him, he is my Saviour and my
All, and my exceeding great reward in heaven ; such a person
rejoices in the Lord, a joy in comparison to which all worldly joys
are a mere nothing. Witnesses for this are the saints. St. Jerome
says: “The Lord is my witness that in the intoxication of bliss
it frequently appears to me as if I were in the midst of the choirs
of angels.” St. Bernard says: “I am a great deal more joyful
now than I was in the world.” St. John Berchmans was always
so cheerful that he was called the merry saint. He used to say
that he did not know what melancholy was. Have always a good
conscience, and you will have joy in the Lord, which even here
below will render you happier than all earthly enjoyments ever
could.

2. Rejoice in the Lord always. How is it possible to rejoice
always, since our life upon earth is a warfare so full of bitternes?
Do we not meet with numberless crosses and afflictions ? Is there
not much misery in the world ? Have we not continually to struggle
against the enemies of our salvation ? Do we not always live in
uncertainty as to whether God has forgiven us, or whether we
shall persevere unto the end and obtain the palm of victory?
This is all very true, but a good Christian has, nevertheless,
continual joy. He rejoices in tribulations and afflictions, for faith
tells him: “That which is at present momentary and light of our
tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal
weight of glory.”—II. Cor. 4: 17. He rejoices, though his cons­
cience tells him that he has sinned; for, although he has no
certainty that he has obtained forgiveness, hope sustains him, be­
cause he knows that God does not reject a repentant sinner.
He rejoices in all struggles and in all the uncertainty of salvation,
for he knows he has the necessary means, of which he has only

i. Homiletic Sketch.

97

to make use, in order to overcome all temptations and persevere
in the grace of God. What a difference between a worldling and
a true Christian! 1 he joys of the former are fleeting, few, and al­
ways bring restlessness, remorse of conscience, and misery of
every kind in their train: the joys of the latter are lasting in all
the changes and circumstances of life, for they have their founda­
tion in religion, that inexhaustible fountain of joy and consolation,
nay, in God himself, the Eternal and Unchangeable. If you de­
sire to rejoice always strive to be always good Christians.

Part IL
Gentleness towards all men.
Let your modesty be known to all men: the Lord is nigh,

1. The word “modesty” signifies here gentleness, goodness,
mildness of temper, kindness in your conversation with others ;
in a word gentleness towards our neighbor. A Christian must be
gentle and kind towards all men, patient with the erring, for­
bearing with the faulty, indulgent with the weak, compassionate
and merciful toward the poor, forgiving towards those who
offend him, meek towards the irascible; in a word, he must have
Christian, fraternal love, of which St. Paul says: Charity is patient,
is kind, charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not
puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked
to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth
with the truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things.”—I. Cor. 13 : 4-7. This gentleness or
love is the second outline in the picture of a true Christian.
Do you find this outline in yourself? Have you compassion on
the poor and do you assist them as much as lies in your power ?
Do you bear in your heart no aversion towards rhose who offend
you, and do you forgive injuries and offenses against you? Do
you envy no one, do you wish well to everybody ? Are you
kind and friendly to your domestics and acquaintances? Think
seriously and earnestly on these and similar questions. Re­
member that those who are lacking in gentleness towards their
fellow-men are not true Christians, are not conformable to
Jesus, and therefore, unless they be truly and thoroughly con­
verted, cannot be saved.
These words can be understood in a
double sense: as referring to the omnipresence of God, or to the
nearness of the judgment that awaits us. In the former a? well
2. The Lord is nigh.

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as in the latter sense, they ought to be to us a motive of gentleness
towards all men. The Lord is nigh; he sees that which we do or
omit, he hears our words, he penetrates into the depths of our
heart. If we are ashamed to do in the presence of man what is
evil, how dare we sin before the eyes of God? How can we be un­
charitable to our neighbor, how can we treat him harshly and
hard heartedly, when we know that charity is God’s principal
commandment, and that he is charity itself? The Lord is nigh.
He, as it were, stands as judge before our door; we shall soon
die and appear before his tribunal, and we are taught by the in­
fallible word of God that a judgment without mercy shall be
passed upon him who shows no mercy.—James 2 : 13; Matt. 25: 24.
Parable of the unmerciful servant.—Matt. 18 : 28, etc. Should not
the thought of the last judgment be sufficient to deter us from all
uncharitableness towards our neighbor, and induce us to be kind

and gentle ?

Filial confidence in God.

I. Be nothing solicitous, hut in everything by frayer and suff Iz ca­
tion with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God. St.
Paul cautions us against unnecessary care and anxiety, and
exhorts us to put our confidence in God. The Christian is to work
and attend to his business with care and circumspection, he is to
make use of lawful means to guard himself against damage
and loss, and to make an honest living. But that is sufficient;
he need not trouble himself further ; he may safely leave the rest
to God. Herein the Christian is distinguished from the worldling.
For while the Christian, after doing what in him lies, casts all
his care upon the Lord, the worldling is full of unrest and
anxiety: he thinks and acts as if there were no God, or as if we
could not rely upon him, or as if everything depended on himself
and not on God. This is not acting like a Christian, but like a
heathen. And there are many who call themselves Christians
who have these heathenish sentiments. Your maxim must be:
Do all that you can, and then calmly and confidently beg God’s
help for what you are unable to accomplish ; do your part, and
God will do his.

2. If we have trouble, if we be visited by sufferings and afflic­
tions, let us, according to the admonition of St. Paul, turn to God
by prayer and supplication. Prayer is the means to avert all
evil, to obtain all good. “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I
will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”—Ps. 49: 15. “All
things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall

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99

receive.”—Matt. 21: 22. Numberless examples in Holy Scripture
and in the history of all times corroborate the truth of these
divine utterances. Let us, therefore, prove ourselves true
Christians, and in all our necessities have recourse to God in
prayer.

3. Why does the Apostle say that we should make known our
petitions to God, with thanksgiving? The expression sounds
strange at first. People are generally supposed to be thankful
after their petitions have been acceded to. But the Apostle
exhorts us to be thankful beforehand; even in making our
petitions, to do so giving thanks. And the reason of the advice
is not far to seek. For, first, even if we be in suffering and
affliction from which we petition to be delivered, we must not
cease on that account to be grateful to God for all that he has
done for us in the past. Many, when the hand of affliction is
upon them, forget what good things they have received at God’s
hands and still enjoy; they forget former gifts and benefits; they
no longer have words of thanks for God, but only of complaint.
This is not just, it is not Christian. We must remember the former
graces and good gifts of God, even in the time of tribulation,
and give due thanks to him for them. Secondly, because even
sufferings and afflictions are themselves graces, for which we
owe thanks to God. If God place a cross upon our shoulders, it
is only for our good. He wishes to draw us to himself, to guard us
against sin, and give us opportunities for repentance and for the
increase of our merit. Should we not return thanks to him for
these blessings? Thirdly, because thanksgiving in suffering and
affliction makes us hope that our prayer will most certainly be
heard. When God sees that we willingly accept from his hands
not only prosperity but also adversity, and that we return thanks
to him for the one as well as for the other, he is especially
pleased with us, and inclined to hear our prayers. The true
Christian, therefore, gives thanks to God for everything, saying
with Job: “If we have received good things at the hands of
God, why should we not receive evil?”—Job 2: 10.

PART IV.
Preservation of -peace with God.
i. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Man has no peace so long
as he lives in sin, for thus saith the Lord: “There is no peace to
the wicked.” How could the unhappy sinner enjoy peace, since
he is the adversary and enemy of God? His conscience gives him
no peace. The peace of God is the inheritance of true Christians,

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who either walk in innocence, or who by a worthy penance are
reconciled with God. “Much peace have they who love the law.”
—Ps. 118: 165.
2. The peace of God surpasseth all understanding. Peace is so

great a good, so full of bliss and sweetness, that he who has it
not can never conceive any adequate idea thereof. The endeavor
to explain it in words to such a one were fruitless Those who
possess it, those who have enjoyed its blessedness, know it as a
foretaste of heaven. Can anything be imagined sweeter and
more consoling than to be able to say: I am a child of God, God
loves me, and I have the good and firm hope of being with him
for ever in heaven? How did you feel after your general con­
fession? Did you not say: A heavy load is taken from my heart,
I would not exchange the joy I feel for all the pleasures of the
world? Behold, this is the peace of God. Happy the Christian
who possesses this peace. O sinful soul! if you would but burst
the bonds of sin and attain the liberty of the children of God,
that you also might know this peace of God !

3. The peace of God keeps our hearts and minds in Christ fesus;
that is, the happiness which this peace gives keeps our hearts
and minds from all contamination, and in union with Christ.
Christians who have the peace of God close their hearts to the
world, to sin and temptations: they find pleasure only in God,
and love him above all things; they also carefully guard their
eyes, ears, hands, and tongue against every evil, and make use
of them only for the service of God, for the fulfilment of their
duties, and the welfare of their fellow men. Oh, that this peace
might be with us all; this blessed peace which preserves our
interior and exterior from all sin and in the most intimate com­
munion with God.
PERORATION.

Let every one of us ask himself the question: “Who art thou?”
St. Paul in the lesson for this day has drawn the picture of a
true Christian ; let us study it in all its outlines, and compare our­
selves with it, that we may know whether we are true Christians.
If we are not, how long shall we wait, how many graces and
opportunities shall we suffer to pass without profiting by them?
The longer we live for the world, the longer we abide in sin, the
fainter grows the hope of our ever becoming true Christians.
Now is the time ; perhaps after another year, perhaps to-morrow,
it will be too late. The holy season of Advent draws to its close;
let us not delay to purify and renew ourselves, that we may
become what, with the grace of God, we can and will become,
true Christians. Amen.

a. Homiletic Sketch.

IO1

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
Gospel. John i. 19-28. At that time, the Jews sent from
Jerusalem priests and Levites to John, to ask him: Who art thou?
And he confessed, and did not deny : and he confessed: I am not
the Christ. And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias?
And he said : I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered:
No. The said therefore unto him : Who art thou, that we may
give an answer to them that sent us? what sayest thou of thyself?
He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make
straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. And
they that were sent, were of the Pharisees. And they asked him,
and said to him: AVhy then dost thou baptize, if thou be not
Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? John answered them, saying:
I baptize with water ; but there hath stood one in the midst of you,
whom you know not. The same is he that shall come after me,
who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not
worthy to loose. These things were done in Bethania beyond
the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
WHAT DOES ST. JOHN SAY OF HIMSELF, OF HIS BAPTISM, AND
OF CHRIST?

At the time when John commenced to preach and to baptize,
the belief was general among the Jewish people that the pro­
mised Messias had either already made his appearance, or that
his advent was nigh. The belief was based especially on the
prophecies of the patriarch Jacob {Gen. 49: 10), and of theprophet
Daniel (9: 23-27), both of whom foretold the time when the
Redeemer should appear. John was highly estemed by the Jews;
the miracles before and after his birth, his life in the desert, the
extraordinary austerity of his penance, his eloquent sermons,
and his baptism of penance, led many to suppose that he was
Christ, the Redeemer of the world. Therefore the Sanhedrim,
or high council, at Jerusalem, sent a solemn embassy of priests and
Levites to him, to request that he would give them his own state­
ment as to who he was and the object of his mission. The high
council, it is true, had anything but a good purpose in so doing;
ambitious and proud as its members were, they could not endure
that John should stand in such high honor and esteem with the
people. The embassy therefore had actually in view only to

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bring John into discredit and to alienate the affections of the
people from him. That the entire contents of this gospel may
become plain to us, I shall answer the two following questions:

I. What does John say of himself ?
IL Whai does he say of his baptism, and of Christi

Part I.
1. Who art thou? This was the first question that the embassy
asked him. They did not ask him directly: “Art thou Christ?"
but their question had this meaning. And he confessed, and did
not deny; and he confessed: I am not the Christ." Hereby John
confessed without any restriction that it would be a great error
to suppose him to be Christ, for he was not.
(#.) We must frequently, especially in the holy season of Ad­
vent, ask ourselves this question: “Who art thou?" I am a human
being, having an immortal soul and a mortal body. For which do
I care the more ? Perhaps for the body. Oh, how foolish, since
this body will soon sink into the grave and moulder away ! I am
a Catholic. Do I adhere to the Church with filial love? Do I
believe as a Catholic? Do I live as a Catholic? Do I side with
the enemies of the Church? Do I read newspapers and books
hostile to the Church? Are you the father of a family, a mother, a
child, or a servant? Ask ourselves: Do I fulfil the duties of
my state of life? I am a sinner. If I die in my sins what will
become of me ? I must, I will do penance, and make a good con­
fession during this holy season of Advent.
(3.) John says briefly and emphatically: “I am not the Christ,"
Let us admire this love of truth, and admiring, imitate. Let us
never offend against truth from vanity, to appear more than we
really are, or from self-interest, to gain an advantage or to avert
some danger, nor in jest, to amuse ourselves and others; for a lie
is always a lie, always sinful and base, especially because it
establishes an affinity between us and the devil, who is the father
of lies. “A lie is a foul blot in a man."—Ecclus. 20: 26. Parents,
teach your children the baseness and sinfulness of lying, and
punish them severely as often as you find them violating the truth.

2. And they asked him: What then ? Art thou Elias ? And he
said: lam not. Art thou the Prophet? And he answered: No.

(a.) How could the deputation ask John whether he was Elias
when this prophet nine hundred years before had been taken up
from earth to heaven in a fiery chariot? The Jews did not un­
derstand the prophecy of Malachias: “Behold, I will send you

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103

Elias the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord,” (4: 5); they looked for the reappearance of
Elias at the first coming of Christ, whereas it will take place
only at his second coming, that is, at the general judgment. John
might have given an affirmative answer to the question: “Art thou
Elias?” without violating the truth, for although he was not Elias in
person, he was in spirit; he lived as austerely and labored as
zealousy ; wherefore Christ calls him Elias. In like manner he
declared that he was not the prophet, that prophet whom Moses
had promised to the Jews.—Deut. 18: 5. This prophet, foretold
by Moses, was Christ himself ; but the Jews understood by this
prophet an ordinary one, perhaps the prophet Jeremias, who,
according to their belief, was to appear, together with Elias, at
the time of the coming of the Messias, to prepare the way of the
Lord. John had much less reason to answer negatively the
question: “Art thou the prophet?” because Jesus placed him above
the prophets, and said: “He is more than a prophet.”
(Æ.) We have also a beautiful example of humility in John. He
desires, first, not to be considered more than he really is, for he
says: “I am not the Christ.” Secondly, he does not wish to be
considered what he is not, for he says: “I am not the prophet.”
Examine yourself and see whether you have these three degrees
of humility. We must not desire to be more, nor give ourselves
the appearance of being more, than we really are ; this is the first
and lowest degree of humility. “Ah, how many of us have not even
this degree! For is not our boasting, and especially our love of
fine clothes beyond our means and station of life, evidence
enough that we desire to appear more than we really are ? Do
not the hypocrites and the sanctimonious wish to be thought
better than they are in reality ? And much smaller is the number
of Christians who wish not to appear what they really are; that is,
who conceal their good qualities and virtues and whatever may be
praiseworthy in them. It is only too certain that most people
rejoice when their good works are made known to others, and
they are praised for them; nay, they sound their own praises
when an opportunity presents itself. And lastly, where will you
find those Christians who wish to appear less than they are,
and who receive and bear humiliations, slights, neglect, and
contempt with patience, much less with joy? Is not ill-humor
aroused in our heart at the least insult offered to our self-conceit?
do we not complain of it as a great wrong? Oh, let us amend, let
us become truly humble, as John was, that we may be worthy to
enter with him into the kingdom of heaven.

3. When John had given a negative answer to all the questions
of the embassy they pressed him to answer in the affirmative.

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They said: *Who art thou? What sayest thou of thyself?” fie
answered with a passage from the prophet Isaias, which reads: “I
am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the
way of the Lord.”—Zr. 40: 3. He meant to say; “I am this voice
of one crying in the wilderness. God has sent me to announce the
coming of the Messias, and to exhort you to prepare yourselves
by a total change of life and worthy fruits of penance for his
arrival. I am the forerunner of the Lord, and am commissioned
by God to preach penance.” From this we may learn two im­
portant truths.

(λ.) If we be called upon by our spiritual or temporal superiors
to give testimony of ourselves or of others, it is our duty to speak
the truth. Every mental reservation, every untruth, every
variation from the whole truth, is so much the more sinful, as the
authorities may thereby be led to pronounce an unjust sentence,
the evil consequences of which we should have to answer for.
If we should be required to confirm our evidence with an
oath and should nevertheless knowingly tell an untruth, we
should commit the horrible crime of perjury. If you be obliged
to give testimony before lawful authorities, be conscientious,
consider neither advantage nor disadvantage, be not governed
by human considerations, but speak the truth as before God.
(Æ.) John declares that, as the forerunner of the Lord, he was
commissioned to preach penance. The Church continues this
preaching of penance at all times; for penance, as a virtue, is
necessary for the just and the unjust, and, as a Sacrament, for all
sinners, in order to share in the grace of Redemption. You should,
especially during Advent, prepare yourselves by true penance
for the approaching feast of Christmas ; therefore daily make an
act of contrition for the sins of your past life, and perform some
penitential works; watch over your interior, and bridle your in­
ordinate inclinations, but especially make, and make it to-day, a
resolution to avoid some fault of which you have heretofore been
frequently guilty, for instance, cursing, swearing, blasphemy,
slander, etc.

Part II.
What does John say of his baptism and of Christ?
I. Those sent to John were, as the Evangelist significantly
remarks, Pharisees. The Pharisees were a sect full of conceit,
setting up the most extravagant pretensions to justice and
holiness. They assumed authority to explain the law, put their
own fanciful interpretations on its different passages, and for
their interpretations they stickled with an obstinacy commea-

d

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surate with their pride. Thus it came that the law of Moses was
practically set aside, and in its stead was propounded an
agglomeration of human ordinances. They therefore asked him:
IVhy then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor
the prophet? Baptism was not unknown among the Jews; they
baptized the heathens who became Jews, although the Jews
themselves were not baptized. It was, however, a common belief
that the right to baptize the Jews also was reserved to the future
Messias, and to the prophets immediately preceding him. When
John had declared that he was neither Christ, nor Elias, nor the
prophet, the ambassadors thought that by baptizing he had
assumed a right which did not belong to him. Hence their ques­
tion: “Why, then, dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor
Elias, nor the prophet?” John justifies himself in these words:
“1 baptize with water,” that is, every one can baptize as I do,
for it is only a ceremony, a figurative action which signifies that
the heart is to be cleansed from every stain of sin, as the body
is cleansed by water. And now he avails himself of the oppor­
tunity of speaking of the baptism of Christ: “He that shall come
after me shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and with fire”
(Matt. 3 : 11); in other words: “Whereas my baptism is only an
empty sign, and signifies, but does not effect, the cleansing from
sin, the baptism of Christ is with the Holy Ghost, and has the
power, like fire, to cleanse the soul from sin, to sanctify and
inflame her with divine love.” We had the happiness of receiving
the Sacrament of Baptism a few hours after our birth. That was
our spiritual regeneration; we were freed from original sin,
sanctified, justified, and made children of God and heirs of heaven.
What a grace I Let us frequently think of this grace, return
thanks to God for it, and renew our baptismal vows, especially
on the days we receive holy communion. Parents, show your
children frequently their baptismal garment and candle, explain
to them what graces they received at their baptism, and exhort
them to guard their baptismal innocence as the apple of their
eye.

2. There hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not.
John could say this in truth. Christ had already appeared and
commenced his public life. The Jews had the long-expected
Messias in their midst, but knew him not. This would have been
pardonable were it not that afterwards, when he taught and
worked miracles and gave them daily the example of a most
holy life, they would not know him; this was their sin, for which
they could offer no excuse. “There hath stood one in the midst
of you, whom you know not.” Does not this reproach apply
to us also, as well as to the Pharisees? He stands now in the
midst of you by his doctrine, his commandments, his example,

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nay, he is himself present with you in the Most Holy Sacrament
And how many Christians are there who know him not ? How many
who do not believe what he teaches by the mouth of his Church,
who do not obey his commands, and neither adore nor receive
him in the Most Holy Sacrament! Alas, Jesus Christ, although
in our midst, has now-a days become a stranger to states and
nations, where his name is mentioned no more, where his
Gospel no longer forms the basis of legislation, and where pagan­
ism and infidelity become more and more prevalent. Christ has
become a stranger in the family life, from which the Christian
spirit has departed, and made place for the spirit of the times.
Christ has become a stranger in the hearts of many Christians,
who allow themselves to be ruled by their passions, and whose
thoughts and desires are occupied with the things of this world.
Hence the great curse of our time, the general unrest and dis­
satisfaction, the sea of vices and crimes, which with the resistless
force of a flood have inundated the land And there will certainly
be no change, times will be no better, till men again know him
who stands in the midst of them, till they again, in the spirit of
faith and charity, subject themselves to Christ and to his Church.

3. The same is he that shall come after me, who is -preferred be­
fore -me; the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. In
these words John testifies to the fundamental truths of our holy
faith, namely, that Jesus Christ is the promised Redeemer, true
God and true man. The promised Redeemer, when he says: “The
same is he that shall come after me,” that is: This is he whose
way I prepare, and who shall come after me and accomplish the
work of Redemption. True man, when he says: “Who shall
come after,” for John was older than Jesus, who, six months after
John was conceived, assumed human nature in the chaste womb
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. True God, when he says: “Who is
preferred before me,” whereby he testifies to his eternal
generation from the Father, and consequently to his divinity;
wherefore he added: “The latchet of whose shoe I am not
worthy to loose.”

(a.) John, by divine inspiration, knows Jesus as the God-Man
and as the Redeemer, and preaches this consoling mystery to the
embassy of the high council. But they pay little attention to it;
they are content to know that John is not the Messias, and care
little about the Messias himself whom John announces to them as
then living. If John had spoken of the coming king as one who
would free them from the hateful yoke of the Romans, who
would make them rich and powerful, I doubt not that they would
have listened with pleasure and esteemed themselves happy to
serve such a king. It was ever thus, and always will be with

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worldy-minded people. If only wealth can be acquired, ambition
gratified, or their immediate plans furthered, they spare neither
labor nor pains. But for the salvation of their souls they will not
move a finger. They sacrifice many days and weeks to pleasures
and amusements, while an exercise of devotion or divine worship
appears too long if they must be present only for half an hour.
They listen to worldly and even sinful discourses with great
pleasure, but during a sermon on Sunday they are distracted,
they yawn, and go to sleep. To a horse-race, a pigeon-shooting
match or some other degrading diversion, they can walk miles,
but a walk of a mile or two to church is too much. Does this parish
count among its members such worldly-minded Christians?
(Æ.) St. John humbles himself profoundly when he comes to
speak of Jesus. I believe it was easy for him to do this, for
although he was an Elias, and more than a prophet, in com­
parison with Jesus, the Son of God, he looked upon himself as
nothing. What is man, what are the angels, compared with God?
I therefore recommend you frequently to say, with St. Francis,
“Who art thou, O Lord, and who am I?” If you contemplate God
in his infinite perfections, and then consider your poverty and
sinfulness, you will find no difficulty in humbling yourselves be­
fore him, and in saying within yourselves: “My God, thou art
everything, and I am nothing.”
PERORATION.

The gospel concludes with these words : These things were
done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
This Bethania, beyond the Jordan, which must not be confounded
with the other Bethania near Jerusalem, the place of residence
of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary Magdalene, was the spot where
Josue had led the chosen people of Israel into the Promised Land
across the Jordan, and where Jesus went into the Jordan to be
baptized by John. Bethania was a place sanctified by these two
important events, and its special mention in the text serves as
an admonition to us that now, in this holy season, we must
descend spiritually into the river Jordan, and by worthy fruits
of penance purify our hearts from all stains of sin so that we
may be made worthy to enter with Jesus, whose type Josue
was, into heaven the true Promised Land. Amen.

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THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
JESUS CHRIST THE REDEEMER OF THE WORLD, FORETOLD IN
THE OLD TESTAMENT.

There hath stood one in the midst of y ou, whom you know not.—
John 1:26.
“There hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know
not.” John could truly say this to the Jews; for Jesus was
already thirty years old, and about to begin his public life. Up
to this time it could not be imputed to the Jews as a sin that they
did not know their Messias and believe in him ; for he had not
yet revealed himself to them. But after he had made his appear­
ance in public, and by his eminently holy life, heavenly
doctrine, and numberless miracles, had proved himself to be
the promised Redeemer, their unbelief was no longer excusable.
—John i : 29. They had but to apply the prophecies concerning
the future Redeemer to Jesus, and they were bound to say:
Yes, Jesus is truly the Messias promised by God; for we see
that in him all things that were prophesied concerning the
Messias are being fulfilled. Let us reflect to-day on these
prophecies. Hear what the prophets have foretold —
I. Concerning the coming of the Redeemer;
II. Concerning his life, stifferings and death;
III. Concerning the events after his death.

Part I.
I. The prophets foretold the coming of the Redeemer not only in
general, but they also mentioned the time and place, as well as
other circumstances of his advent. The patriarch Jacob, who lived
over seventeen hundred years before Christ, foretold the time
when Christ, the Redeemer, should come. Blessing his son Juda
he said : “The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a
ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be
the expectation of nations.”—Gen. 49: so. According to this
prophecy, the Redeemer would come only when a king of the
tribe of Juda was no longer reigning over the Jews. This
prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, for when he was born the Jews

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had no longer a king from the tribe of Juda, but were under the
dominion of Augustus Cæsar, the Roman Emperor.

2. The prophet Daniel, who lived more than five hundred years
before Christ, specified still more accurately the advent of the
Messias. One day, whilst at prayer, the Archangel Gabriel ap­
peared and revealed to him that from the time when Jerusalem
should be built up again to the time of Christ there should elapse
sixty-nine weeks (of years), that is 483 years; in the middle of
the seventieth week, that is, after four hundred and eighty-six
years and a half, Christ should be slain, and that after the lapse of
the seventy weeks (of years), that is, after 490 years, the Jews
should be rejected and their city and temple be destroyed.—Dan.
9: 24-27. This prophecy again we see fulfilled in Jesus to the very
letter. From the time when Artaxerxes Longimanus allowed the
captive Jews to rebuild Jerusalem until the time when Christ
began to preach and to exercise his office as Messias, exactly sixtynine weeks (of years), or 483 years, elapsed ; in the middle of the
seventieth week, that is, after about three years and a half of his
public life, Jesus died on the cross; consequently after the lapse
of seventy weeks (of years), or after 490 years, Jerusalem and
the temple were destroyed, and the Jews were scattered over the
whole world.

3. But the prophets foretold not only the time, but also the
place of the birth of the Redeemer. Thus Micheas says (5: 2):
“And thou, Bethlehem, Ephrata, art a little one among the thou­
sands of Juda; out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to
be the ruler in Israel ; and his going forth is from the beginning,
from the days of eternity.” The prophet does not speak of a
temporal king, since he ascribes to him eternity, consequently
divinity, but of the Messias, who shall be God himself. The Jews
also understood this prophecy to refer to Christ, the Redeemer.
—Matt. 2: 4-6. Jesus was conceived at Nazareth, but in con­
sequence of an edict from Augustus Cæsar, Mary and Joseph
were obliged to repair to Bethlehem, to have their names enrolled
there, and thus, by the wonderful Providence of God, the pro­
phecy of Micheas was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
4. The prophets also foretold other circumstances concerning
the coming of the Messias. They explicitly declared that he
should be a descendant of David {Is. 11 : 1); that he should be
born of a virgin {Is. 7: 13, 14); that at his birth kings should come
from the East, bringing presents, and adore him {Is. 60: 1-7: Ps.
71: 10); that on his account the children of Bethlehem and vici­
nity should be killed, wherefore there should be much lamentation
and mourning {Jer. 31: 15): that he should go into Egypt, whence
God, his Father, would bring him back again.—Osee 11: 1. We

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know from the gospel that all these prophecies were fulfilled in
Jesus Christ.

Part II.
The prophets also foretold the life, sufferings, and death of the
promised Redeemer.
1. According to the prophecies the Redeemer was to have a
precursor, who would raise his voice in the desert and preach
penance.—Is. 40: 3, 4; Mai. 3: 4. Jesus had such a forerunner.
The prophet Isaias describes the office of Jesus, saying of him
that he would preach truth and justice, not breaking the
bruised reed, nor quenching the smoking flax {Is. 42: 1-4); that
he would heal the contrite of heart, and preach release to cap
tives, and deliverance to them that are shut up.—Is. 61:1. Almost
every page of Bible history teaches us that Jesus did all this.
The prophets foretold of him that he would perform many
miracles: Thus Isaias says: “God himself will come and will save
you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of
the deaf shall be unstopped, then shall the lame man leap as a
hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free.”—Is. 35: 4-6.
2. The prophets likewise foretold the sufferings and death of

the Redeemer, not only in general, but in their most minute cir­
cumstances. The Saviour shall be valued at thirty pieces of
silver, and be betrayed.—Zach. 11: 12; Ps. 40: 10. He shall be
despised, mocked, struck, and spit upon {Is. 50: 6); he shall
be a worm, and no man; the reproach of men and the outcast of
the people.—Ps. 21:7. He shall be wounded so terribly that he
shall be thought a leper, and as one stricken by God and afflict­
ed.—Is. 53: 4-8. He shall be reputed with the wicked ; they shall
give him vinegar and gall to drink, and pierce his hands and
feet.—Is. 53: 12; Ps. 68: 22, and 21: 17. He shall be laughed to
scorn, and people will say: “He hoped in the Lord; let him
deliver him, let him save him, seeing he delighted in him.”—Ps.
21: 8, 9. They shall part his garments amongst them; and upon
his vesture they shall casts lots {Ps. 21: 19); and in his dereliction
he shall exclaim: “O God, my God, look upon me; why hast thou
forsaken me?—Ps. 21: 2. Christ shall be slain; and the people
that deny him shall not be his.—Dan. 9: 26. Who is not aston­
ished at these prophecies? In reading them we almost read the
history of Christ’s passion, as recorded by the four Evangelists.
And yet these prophets lived hundreds, some even thousands, of
years before Christ.

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

Ill

Part ΙΠ.
The prophecies have reference also to the events after the (hath
of Christy especially to his Resurrection and Ascension, to the
descent of the Holy Ghost, to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
rejection of the Jews ; and lastly, to the conversion of the Gentiles,
and the propagation and perpetuity of the Church.
1. David foretold the Resurrection of the Messias in these
words: “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; nor wilt thou give
thy holy one to see corruption.”—Ps. 15: 10. The Psalmist here
introduces the Messias as speaking, and says that his soul shall
not remain in limbo, nor his body corrupt in the grave; therefore
that he shall rise again.
David also foretold his Ascension, saying; “Thou hast ascended
on high (into heaven); thou hast led captivity captive (thou
leadest with thee the souls of the saints who were captives
in limbo); thou hast received gifts in men.”—Ps. 67: 19.
The prophet Joel foretold the Descent of the Holy Ghost with
his divine gifts, saying: “And it shall come to pass after this
that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions. Moreover, upon my
servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit.”
— Joel 2: 28, 29. A proof that the prophet here speaks of the
descent of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost is the passage in Ads
2: it), and following.

2. The prophets foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
rejection of the Jews. We read in Daniel (9: 26, 27): “Christ shall
be slain; and the people that deny him shall not be his. And a
people with their leader that shall come, shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be waste; and after
the end of the war the appointed desolation; and he shall con­
firm the covenant with many in one week (the seventieth) ; and
in the half of the week the victim and the sacrifice shall fail: and
there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation, and the
desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and to the
end.” Here Daniel prophecies the fate of Jerusalem and of the
Jewish people—that Jerusalem with its temple should be destroyed
by a strange people, and that this devastation should last for ever,
that the Jews should be no longer the chosen people of God, but
that they should be rejected by him whom they had rejected.
History attests that this prophecy was fulfilled. Thirty-seven
years after the death of Christ, the Romans, under Titus, entered
the city of Jerusalem, and completely destroyed both city and

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temple and they have not been rebuilt to this day, for the
attempt of Julian the Apostate to restore the temple was brought
to naught by visible miracles. The Jews could not remain in
their own country, they ceased be to be a nation, and are now
scattered over the face of the earth.

3. The prophets also foretold the conversion of the Gentiles, the
propagation and perpetuity of the Church. Of the conversion of the
Gentiles David says: “All the ends of the earth shall remember,
and shall be converted to the Lord; and all the kindreds of the
Gentiles shall adore in his sight; for the kingdom is the Lord’s;
and he shall have dominion over the nations.”—Ps. 21: 28, 29.
Isaias, David, and Daniel foretold the propagation and perpetuity
of the Church : “And in the last days the mountain of the Lord
shall be prepared on the top of the mountains, and it shall be
exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it.”—Is.
2: 2. “All kings of the earth shall adore him (the Messias), all
nations shall serve him.”—Ps 71: 11. After speaking of the four
great empires of the world, the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and
Roman, the prophet Daniel says of the kingdom of Christ, the
Church: “In the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will
set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom
shall not be delivered up to another people; and it shall break
in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms; and itself shall
stand for ever.”—Dan. 2: 44.
History tells us how literally these prophecies were fulfilled.
In spite of all persecutions, the Church has spread over the whole
earth, and to-day there is not a people on the globe among whom
there are no Christians. The existence of the Church for the last
eighteen hundred years, and the promise of Christ “that the gates
of hell shall not prevail against her” {Matt. 16: 18), are sureties
that she will exist until the end of time.
PERORATION.

As yon see, all that the prophets foretold of the promised
Messias has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. If we put these pro­
phecies together we shall have a compendium of the life of Christ,
nay, a complete history of the Church. From this it evidently
follows that the Redeemer, whom God promised to our first parents
and many times subsequently announced, is no other than our
divine Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let usreturn thanks to God for having
given us unmistakable evidence of the truth of our faith, not
only in the gospel, but also in the Sacred Scripture of the Old
Testament. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and God, without
whom there is no salvation, “for there is no other name under
heaven given to men, whereby we can be saved.”—Acts 4: 12.

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Adhere to this principal and fundamental truth of our holy re­
ligion all the days of your life. But do also what is required in
order to obtain salvation through Christ. “Put off ... . the old
man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error. And be
renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man,
who, according to God, is created in justice and holiness of
truth.”—Eph. 4: 22-25. Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE ECCLESIASTICAL CELEBRATION OF ADVENT.

John confessed: lam not the Christ.—f-ohn 1: 20.
St. John having been asked by the deputies of the high council,
“Who art thou ?” most emphatically declared that he was not Christ
but only his forerunner: he then directed them to Christ, telling
them that he was already walking visibly among them, but that
they did not know him. The long Advent of the Old Testament
lasting four thousand years, is at an end. Jesus Christ will now
appear and accomplish the work of Redemption. The holy sea­
son of Advent reminds us of this consoling truth. It embraces
four weeks, or at least four Sundays, in memory of the four
thousand years which elapsed between the promise and the
coming of the Redeemer. Our Advent is of very ancient date,
for according to St Gregory the Great it was celebrated in Rome
in the sixth century. In the seventh century it was celebrated
in all Christian countries, with fasting and other devotions of
piety. Let us briefly consider how the Church in our time
celebrates Advent—
/.
II.

In the Sunday masses.
In the Rorate, or Mass of the Angels.

Part I.
Advent, like every other holy season, is celebrated in a par­
ticular manner in the divine offices, especially in the Sunday
masses, the ceremonies of which I shall explain.

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Advent.

1. Mass on the four Sundays of Advent is celebrated in
violet vestments. Violet is the color of penance, and therefore
signifies that Advent is a time of penance. As man in the Old
Law was obliged to do penance for his sins, that by belief in the
coming Redeemer he might be saved from perdition, so penance
is also necessary for us if we wish to become partakers of the
grace of Redemption. The words of Christ are as true to-day as
of old: “Except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.”
—Luke 13: 5.
You must therefore employ the season of Advent in doing
penance for your sins. If you be so unfortunate as to be in the
state of sin, do penance without delay,in order to recover sancti­
fying grace, which you have forfeited. I sincerely hope that
there is not one in this parish who will celebrate the approaching
feast of Christmas in the state of sin. Make daily an act of sincere
contrition for the sins of your past life, and perform works of
penance, such as prayer, fasting, alms, in order to satisfy the
justice of God and to expiate the temporal punishments due to
sins already forgiven. The violet color of the vestments reminds
you of this duty.
2. Mass is said in Advent at altars which generally have a
violetfrontal. This also has its signification. In the Old Law
mankind had not the happiness of seeing the Redeemer, for he
had not yet appeared upon earth. There were no altars upon
which the holy sacrifice was offered; the chosen people of God
were obliged to content themselves with oblations symbolical
of the sacrifice of Christ. On account of this, the good and pious
mourned and lamented, longing ardently for Christ and his
sacrifice. Of this desire and longing, of this want of something
invisible, the altars concealed with a violet frontal are a symbol.
They are at the same time an earnest exhortation to us during
this holy season of Advent to excite in ourselves a fervent desire
for Jesus, and to beg of him to come with his grace into our
hearts, and to abide there as in a tabernacle.

3. At mass on Sundays in Advent, according to the law of the
Church, the organ should not be used. See Caer. Episc. Ed. typ.
1886. F. Pustet. Plain chant or other solemn vocal music should
be employed, because Advent is a time of penance, and joyful,
festive music is not in accordance with its spirit. As the Jews in
their captivity in Babylon laid aside their musical instruments,
and in mournful lamentations sighed to heaven for liberty, so
the organ during Advent should be silent, to represent the mourn·
ing of the ancient world over its spiritual bondage, and its sorrow­
ful longing for the Redeemer. The third Sunday of Advent,
however, forms an exception; the organ is heard again, because

4· Liturgical Sketch.

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15

the Church expresses her joy that half of the time of expec­
tation Is already passed, and the day of the coming of our Lord
and Redeemer is drawing nigh.
4. In the mass for the Sundays of Advent we have no Gloria,
The Gloria is the song of praise which the angels chanted at the
birth of Christ. As however the birth of Christ is not solemnized,
but only expected, the Gloria is not sung in Advent. At the
end of the mass the priest does not say, Ite missa est, but Be­
nedicamus Domino. The Ite mtssa est, “Go, you are dismissed,”
expresses the dismissal of the faithful assisting at mass; they
may go home, for mass is over. The Benedicamus Domino,
“Let us bless the Lord,” is, on the contrary, an admonition for
the people to remain in church for some time yet, and to prolong
their prayers, for Advent is a time of penance in which we must
devote ourselves to prayer with more zeal and fervor than at
other times. Since the patriarchs and prophets were often on
their knees, and in fervent prayers sighed that the heavens might
be opened and the earth bud forth a Saviour, it is but just that
in Advent, especially on Sundays, we should prolong our de­
votions, and adore Jesus in The Most Holy Sacrament. These
are the rules which the Church prescribes for the masses on
Sundays during Advent. They represent Advent to us as a
time of penance, and call upon us to prepare ourselves by
wholesome exercises of penance for the proper celebration of
Christmas.
PART Π.

The Rorate Mass, or Mass of the Angels, is really an Advent
mass [a local usage], because it is said only in Advent. It is
called the Rorate Mass, because the Introit begins with the
words: Rorate coeli desuper—“Drop down dew, ye heavens.”
It is also called the Mass of the Angels because the gospel as­
signed to it narrates how the Archangel Gabriel brought the
Blessed Virgin Mary the message that she should conceive of
the Holy Ghost.
Let us consider when and how this mass is celebrated and
the purport of it.
1. It is said early in the morntng, before the rising of the sun.
It is still night when the bells ring out and give the first signal to
the faithful, addressing to them, as it were, the words of the
Apostle: “Brethren, know that it is now the hour for us to rise
from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first
believed.”—Rom. 13: 11. The faithful assemble in the church,
where the mass is to be said. Whilst the world outside is veiled
in darkness, the church, especially the altar, is lighted up with
many candles—a symbol rich in meaning. What does the

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mysterious obscurity outside signify but the darkness of idolatry,
of sin, and of spiritual misery, in which man, after separating
himself from God, lay buried? while the burning lights in the
church remind us of Jesus Christ, the light of the world: “The
Orient from on high hath visited us, to enlighten them that sit in
darkness, and in the shadow of death.”—Luke i: 78, 79. The
Rorate Mass, however, is not said at midnight, but in the morning,
shortly before the break of day, for the reason that it refers to
Mary, the spiritual dawn, which immediately preceded Jesus
Christ, the Sun of Justice.
The Rorate Mass has a joyfill celebration with solemn chant and
the accompaniment of the organ. This is beautifully significant,
first, because this Mass represents the mystery of the Incarnation
of Christ as a mystery which must fill every Christian heart
with joy; secondly, because it announces the mystery of the
Incarnation near at hand, referring to Gabriel, who approaches
Mary, and brings her the message that she has been selected by
God to become the Mother of his Son.
After mass the Angelus is said alternately by priest and people.
This prayer commemorates the mystery of the Incarnation, and
is very appropriate for the Rorate Mass, because in it the
mystery of the Incarnation is also celebrated. But as the whole
of Advent is instituted in memory of the Incarnation, you should
during this time say the Angelus three times a day with par­
ticular devotion.

2. The whole of the Proper of this mass refers to the mystery
of the Incarnation in the chaste womb of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
(a.) The Introit has reference to this mystery: Drop down dew,
ye heavens, and let the clouds rain the just ; let the earth be opened,
and bud forth a Saviour.—Isaias 45: 8. These words express
the mournful sighing of the people in the Old Law for the prom­
ised Redeemer, and form the principal idea of Advent. This
longing for the coming of the Redeemer must also animate us;
for if Jesus is to come into our hearts with his grace we must have
a longing for him. To him who has no desire to possess Jesus,
our Christmas will be as little of a festival of grace as the first
Christmas at Bethlehem was to Herod, to the high-priest, the
Scribes, and the Pharisees. The Incarnation of Christ is also the
prevailing sentiment in the three prayers of the Rorate Mass.

(3.) The epistle contains the prophecy of Isaias as to the con­
ception and birth of Christ. By the command of God, the
prophet had called upon Achaz, King of Judea, to ask for a
sign from heaven, that his faith might thereby be strengthened,

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But Achaz, perverse as he was, rejected this invitation, and
told the prophet that he would ask for no sign. The prophet
reprimanded him, and told him that God himself would give a
wonderful sign, which he recalled to him in these words:
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name
shall be called Emmanuel.”—Js. 7:14. The virgin of whom the
prophet here speaks is the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the
Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us, whom she was to conceive and
bring forth, is Jesus Christ.
3. The fulfilment of this prophecy is narrated in the gospel. It
is the same gospel which is read on the feast of the Annunciation
of Mary, and treats of the mystery of the Incarnation. At the
very moment when Mary said to the angel: “Behold the handmaid
of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word,” the greatest
miracle of the love and mercy of God was performed. The
Son of God assumed human nature in the chaste womb of the
Virgin Mary. This gospel forms the boundary line between the
Old and the New Testaments; with it the time of expectation is
concluded, and the fulfilment of grace begins. For this reason
the Church celebrates the Rorate Mass early in the morning,
before dawn, for the night is passed, and day is at hand.
PERORATION.

Reflect on the great and solemn mysteries which the Church
presents to you, in the masses celebrated on the Sundays of
Advent, and especially in the Rorate Masses, and labor with
renewed zeal that you may employ this holy season of Advent for
the salvation of your soul. Contemplate the great misery into
which the human race had fallen; reflect upon the mercies of God,
who in the very beginning promised, and after four thousand
years sent, a Redeemer. Consider also what you would be
without a Redeemer, and what you are, or rather still may
be through him. Practice these holy exercises which are ne­
cessary in order to worthily prepare for Christmas and to
participate in the graces of that festival. Amen.

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THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
MANY ACT IN CONFESSION AS IF THEY WERE PROPHET S, OR ELIAS.
OR EVEN CHRIST.

And he confessed, and did not deny ; and he confessed.—John i : 20.

I do not know which to admire more in John, his love of truth
or his humility. “He confessed and did not deny ; and he confessed :
I am not the Christ.” This is the truth. The other two questions
as to whether he was Elias or a prophet he answers in the nega­
tive: this is both truth and humility. He calls himself “the voice
of one crying in the wilderness. This is also truth and humi­
lity. He conceals all his prerogatives, and humbles himself most
profoundly when he comes to speak of Jesus Christ; this is
humility. Oh, that we all would be as truthful and humble as St.
John, especially where truth and humility are of paramount im­
portance, namely, in confession. But it is just in confession that
many are destitute of these two principal virtues, the love of
truth and humility, for they conduct themselves as if they were—
I. Prophets, or
II Elias, or
III. Christ himself

Part L
Some act in confession as if they "mere prophets.
I. The prophets foretold future things, but often so obscurely that
their prophecies could not be understood until they were fulfilled.
In the New Testament we have the Apocalypse, or Revelation
of St. John, which refers to the future of the Church, but it is
so obscure and mysterious that during these eighteen hundred
years it has not been satisfactorily explained, and very likely will
not be until the end of the world, when all that is obscure will
be made clear.

Now, if a penitent confesses so unintelligibly, so mysteriously
and so indirectly, that the confessor knows not what sins are

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confessed to him, that penitent behaves as a prophet. And manysuch prophets come into the confessional. They say, for instance,
“I have had wicked thoughts,” but they do not say what kind of
wicked thoughts, or whether they consented to them; or, “I have
had evil desires,” and mean by these evil desires, abominable
sins against purity ; or they say : “Like others, I am subject to
human frailty,” and this frailty is the vice of impurity; or, “I
sinned against the second, third, sixth, or eighth commandment.”
Is not this the language of a prophet? Have the prophets ever
spoken so obscurely as these and similar penitents? I have all
due respect for the prophets, but in the confessional you must
not imitate them; you must state things clearly, that is, you must
mention every sin intelligibly and distinctly; otherwise the
confessor can form no opinion as to the state of your soul and
you expose yourselves to the danger of making a bad confession.
2. The prophets were obliged by the command of God to reprove
and denounce the sins of others, and represent to them the great­
ness and culpability of their misdeeds, viz., the sins of a king or
a whole people. Examples: I. Kings 2: 27, etc.; I. Kings 15: 18,
etc. ; II. Kings 12: 7, etc.; III. Kings, 14: 6, etc. Many penitents
resemble the prophets also in this, that they do not confess their
own sins, but the sins of others; for instance, the sins of their
husband, of their wife, or of their neighbor. Many throw the blame
on others, as Adam did on Eve, and Eve on the serpent. They
throw the blame on the husband, on the wife, on companions, on
seducers, and try in this manner to veil their true character, and
to represent themselves as either entirely, or at least partly
innocent. This is also wrong. You must confess your own sins,
and not the sins of others; what others have done does not
concern you; for this reason you say at the beginning of your
confession: “I accuse myself,” and not, “I accuse my husband,
my wife, my neighbor.” Neither are you to excuse or vindicate
yourself before your confessor, when you know in your inmost
heart that you are culpable before God. Accuse yourself as you
find yourself guilty, after a good and sufficient examination of
conscience, and take care lest self-love blind you,

Part Π.
Some act in confession as if they were Elias.
I. We read of Elias, the greatest of the prophets, that he went up
by a whirlwind into heaven.—IV. Kings 2: 11. Those Christians who
wish to do the whole business of confession, as it were, flying,
are like this prophet. How do they act at their examination of
conscience ? They think hastily of their sins and are satisfied with

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the knowledge of those that lie on the surface; to penetrate into
the nooks and corners of their hearts, and into the most secret
recesses of their souls, is for them too laborious a task ; in a few
minutes they have finished their examination of conscience,
whereas a considerable time was necessary. Such a careless
examination of conscience may very easily lead to an unworthy
and invalid confession. If they are obliged to wait for a short time
till their turn comes, they get weary, and even impatient, instead
of making use of the time for salutary exercises of humility con­
trition and good resolutions. In the confessional they want
everything done quickly, as it were in a whirlwind; the confessor
is to ask them no questions, they do not wish to be instructed,
admonished or reprehended ; he is expected, after hearing their
sins, to impose a light penance, pronounce absolution, and allow
them to depart. If a confessor do his duty, if he try to perfect
their very incomplete confession, if he ask the necessary questions,
if he direct the attention of the penitents to the disordered state
of their conscience and to the danger of their salvation, and
prescribe the necessary remedies, they say: “Oh, how tedious
this confessor is! he detained me ever so long; I’ll never go to
him again if I can help it.” Dear Christians, in your confessions
be not as Elias, who went up in a whirlwind to heaven. Take your
time, so that you may do this important work properly, and give
the confessor time to do his duty to you, that you may not confess
unto damnation, but unto salvation.

2. It is said of Elias that a fiery chariot and fiery horses came,
and that he went zip by a whirlwind into heaven.—IV. Kings 2:11.
It was not necessary for Elias to exert himself very much in his
ascent to heaven; all that was to be done was to sit in the
chariot drawn by fiery horses; thus without any labor he went
up into heaven. If a Christian takes things easily at his con­
fessions, if he makes little or no preparation for them, and
therefore examines his conscience only in a superficial manner,
does not consider the atrocity and evil consequences of his sins,
nor endeavor to excite himself to a hearty contrition, nor care
for an entire accusation of them, but leaves all this to his con­
fessor, he conducts himself as did Elias; he sits at his own
confession, as it were, in a chariot, and wishes to be drawn by
his confessor, as by horses. This, indeed, would be very easy
and comfortable, but it is not right. The confessor may and will
assist you if he thinks it necessary, if he sees that something is
wanting in your confession, but the penitent must do all that he
can in order to make a good confession. If he does not do so, he
certainly exposes himself to the danger of making a sacrilegious
confession. Those who are not solicitous either about a good
examination of conscience or a full accusation of all their sins

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must not forget this, but bear in mind that the confessor will
question them only when he apprehends that something may be
wanting for the integrity of the Sacrament. But if the confessor,
thinking that you have already confessed everything, does not
question you, or if with all his questions he does not reach the
sins you may have committed, what then ? If you yourself make
no effort to know and understand the grievousness of your sins,
and to be sorry for them accordingly, do you imagine that the
confessor can make you so ? He may, indeed, try to do it, but
his success will be very doubtful. And what if there should be
a great number of penitents crowding around the confessional?
Can he spend all his time with you? At your confession, do not
sit like Elias in his chariot, but exert yourself. It is only by
your own exertions that a good confession will come.
The Sacred Scripture relates that at his going up into heaven
Elias left his mantle on earth. It fell from him when he was taken
up by a whirlwind into heaven.—IV. Kings 2: 13. Many penitents
leave in the confessional, not themselves, but their mantle. And
who are they who do this ? All those who observe only outwardly
what belongs to confession, but inwardly are not changed and
converted. They confess, but without true contrition and a firm
purpose of amendment ; they do not think of abandoning their
bad habits, of avoiding the occasions of sin, of restoring ill-gotten
goods, of forgiving injuries and offenses. They fancy that once
they have confessed their sins and received absolution it is all
right. If you ask such a penitent: How it is with your former
confessions, is everything in order ? he will answer, Oh, it is all
right; I always confessed all my sins, and received absolution.
What a delusion? If you leave only the mantle and not yourself
in the confessional, that is, if you only observe outward appear­
ances at confession, you are not truly converted; if you take the
old man of sin with you out of the confessional, your confession
will be worthless, it will be to you a chariot that will land you,
not in heaven, but in hell. Let us leave in the confessional not
only the mantle but also ourselves, the old man, and let us go
away from it converted and renewed in spirit.

Part

TIT.

Some act in their confessions as if they were Christ.

1. Jesus is omniscient. “He knew what was in man.” — John 2:25.
“Now we know that thou knowest all things, and that thou needest not that any man ask thee.”—John 16: 30. Some Christians
act in the confessional as if they knew everything that is requi­
site for salvation. If the confessor instruct them on the duties of

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their holy religion and state of life they take it amiss, and
not unfrequently tell him so to his face: “I know all this: I need
no instruction on this point.” Thus they act as if they were
Christ, the omniscient Son of God. But is this right? Certainly
not. They may be very wise and prudent in worldly affairs, but
in the affair of salvation they are often very ignorant. The priest
perceives this from their confession, and for this reason he finds
himself obliged to give the necessary instruction. Moreover, it
betrays pride of heart for a penitent not to be willing to receive
instruction, and pride is always reprehensible, and especially in
the confessional, where only humility finds grace. Away, then,
with this assumed omniscience in the confessional ; there is only
room for a docile person.
2. Christ said to the Jews: “Which of you shall convince me
of sin ?”—John 8: 46. He who was without a shadow of sin could
truly ask this question. “For it was fitting that we should have
such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sin­
ners, and made higher than the heavens.”—Heb. 7: 26. Who
would believe it ? Many act in the confessional as if they were
Christ. They say plainly: I am a good Christian ; no one can say
anything evil of me. Or they endeavor, at least, to appear innocent.
I have not any great sins to tell, they say, and then they mention
this or that which is either no sin at all or only an insignificant
fault; or they mention sins and add that they did not commit
them; or they enumerate their virtues and good works. Oh, how
differently they would act if they were more humble and not so
blinded. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.”—I. John 1:8. If any one after a careful
examination finds that he has committed no grievous sin since
his last confession, let him look at the sinfulness of his past life,
and he will find matter enough to confess and repent of. Many
are offended when the confessor calls their attention to their
sins and the grievousness of them, and think that he sees sins
where there are none, and that he magnifies molehills into mount­
ains. Of the two, who can better judge what sin is, and how grievous
it is,—the penitent, who is frequently biased by self-love and
the maxims of the world, or the confessor, who, calmly consider­
ing everything, judges according to the law of God ?
PERORATION.

Let St. John, who without a moment’s hesitation emphatically
denied that he was either Christ, Elias, or a prophet, ever be
your pattern in the confessional. Say to yourself: When I go to
confession, I shall be neither Christ, nor Elias, nor a prophet;
I shall be no prophet; I shall confess my own sins candidly and

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sincerely, and not the sins of others. I will not be Elias; I will
not rush through the important business of confession, but will
employ the necessary time for the completion of so great an act
by examining my conscience diligently and carefully, by con­
fessing my sins as accurately as possible, and by exciting myself
to true contrition and a firm purpose of amendment, and I will
be spiritually changed and renewed. I will arise and leave the
confestional a new man. I will not be Christ, but will return
thanks to my confessor when he instructs me in what is needful
for my salvation. If you act thus at your confession you will
make it well, and obtain of God the forgiveness of your sins.
Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
CONSCIENCE.

lam the voice of one crying in the vcilderness.— John 1: 23.
The heart of the sinner, especially of the habitual sinner, is
like a wilderness. In a wilderness you look in vain for fertile
fields, grassy meadows, or lofty trees; you cannot even discover
a spring at which to quench your burning thirst; everything is
dry and barren—an immeasurable, sandy plain. Such is the heart
of the sinner. You find there no holy thoughts, no pious aspira­
tions, no good resolutions, no elevation of mind, no love of God.
The life of grace is perfectly dormant, and produces no virtue,
no good and meritorious works.

John was the voice of one cryingin the wilderness, upbraiding
the multitudes that flocked to him, and exhorting them, in forcible
words, to do penance and amend their lives. In like manner,
a voice cries out in the heart of the sinner, that spiritual wilder­
ness, placing his injustice and ingratitude towards God vividly
before his eyes, and exhorting him to return from those evil
ways that are leading him to destruction. This voice is our
conscience, that mysterious monitor within us, which tells us what
is right and what is wrong, which urges us to good and to avoid
evil, which rewards and punishes, according as we obey or
disobey its admonitions. I shall speak to-day about conscience—

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I. As our guide, if we obey it;
IL As our tormentor, if we disobey it.

Part L
Conscience is our guide, if we obey it; and it is—
A judicious,
2. A brave and courageous guide.
1.

I. (λ) Conscience holds the place of God. God himself has in*
scribed it in indelible characters on our heart (Rom. 2: 14-16),
that in his name it may tell us what is his holy will, what we
must do, what avoid. When the children of Israel went out of
Egypt through the desert, God gave them a pillar of light for a
guide. During the day it was like a common cloud, but at night
it resembled a pillar of fire. This pillar or cloud went before
them on their way through the desert, by day and by night,
showing them the way they were to take, »o that they could not
go astray. This was their guide for forty years, until they entered
the land of Chanaan —Exodus 13: 21, 22. Our conscience is such
a pillar or cloud, which always goes before us, to point out the
right way; if we come to a spot where the road branches, one
path leading to the right, the other to the left, it tells us which
to take, that we may not got go astray; it never abondons us,
but remains our faithful guide until we have finished our earthly
pilgrimage. And as the Israelites, no one excepted, had the pillar
or cloud for their guide, and had only to open their eyes to see
it before them day and night, so all men, whether pagans or
Christians, sinners or just, learned or unlearned, have a con­
science, and all who listen to it receive information and advice
regarding everything pertaining to duty.

(3.) How grateful should we be to God for having given us in our
conscience so faithful and trusty a guide? Let us always obey it.
If in times of doubt or temptation it tells you: This is right, this
is the will of God, do it. If it tells you: This is wrong, this dis­
pleases God, do it not. Do not suffer yourselves to be misguided
by your passions or the wicked maxims of the world. If they tell
you that this gain which you seek by illicit means is not sinful,
since others do not think it wrong; that the aversion which you
entertain in your heart for a certain person is not reprehensible—
for who could like such a person ? that these unchaste desires and
actions are only human frailties with which God who knows our
weak nature will be indulgent; that this cursing and blasphem­
ing does not signify much, because it is done in the heat of
passion: if they tell you that familiarity with that person is not

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irregular, because you are going to marry her; that you are
allowed to read that newspaper, although inimical to the Church,
because others more learned than you read it—do not believe
them, for through them God, the eternal Truth, does not speak,
but the devil, that liar from the beginning, who only seeks to
lead you into error and sin, and finally to eternal perdition. Never
act contrary to your conscience, for if you do you sin, because
you do not obey God. If ever you be in doubt as to whether or
not that which your conscience tells you is the voice of God,
inquire in the confessional; there you will receive the right
answer.

2. Conscience is a courageous guide.
(a.) It resembles St. John the Baptist who candidly told the
truth to ab that came to him in the desert. He spoke thus to the
Pharisees and Sadducees: “Ye offspring of vipers, who hath
showed y ou to flee from the wrath to come? The axe is laid to
the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that bringeth not
forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire.”—Luke
3:7-9. He upbraided even King Herod on account of his immoral
life, and full of holy zeal said to him : “It is not lawful for thee
to have thy brother’s wife.”—Mark 6: 18. In like manner con­
science knows no fear, has no human respect, cannot be bribed,
flatters not, hides nothing, palliates and diminishes nothing,
explains nothing away, but tells the plain truth to every one. If
you be about to do something that is good, it encourages you,
and after you have done it, it praises you, but if you be on the
point of doing something wrong, it warns you against it, and as
soon as you have accomplished it, it rebukes you and says: You
have sinned, you have offended God, and deserve punishment. “In
this office,” says St. Chrysostom, “conscience is indefatigable,
so that how often soever it may have warned and admonished
already, it still warns and admonishes, and will never cease to
do so till we draw our last breath.”

(Æ.) What a blessing to have such a true and courageous guide
on our journey through life. Your best friends may deceive you,
for, from inordinate love for you, they may sanction that which
deserves censure; they may overlook your faults, even consider­
able ones, and even praise them as virtues. But your conscience
will never do this. No matter who you are, or under wrhat
circumstances you may live, it tells you the plain, unvarnished
truth. It is the only true friend you have, who has the courage,
as often as is needful to tell you the bitter truth, in order to
guard you against danger and misfortune. Look upon conscience
as your best friend and be guided by it. Frequently enter into

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yourself and listen, that you may ever hear its voice, for in
the tumult of the world the spiritual ear is often deafened, so
that we do not hear what our conscience says. If you always
obey its voice it will give you, in life and in death, true consol­
ation ; on the contrary, if you do not heed its inspirations, but
harden your heart, it will be your tormentor.

Part Π.
If we do not obey the voice of conscience it will be our tor­
mentor in life as well as in death.
I. In life. King Assuerus was one day dining with Esther, his
virtuous queen. Aman, his prime minister, who was the only one
invited, was also present. Dinner being over the queen suddenly
petitioned the king to save her life and the lives of her people.
“For,” said she, “we are given up, I and my people, to be
destroyed, to be slain, to perish.” The king, incensed, asked:
“Who is this, and of what power, that he should do these things?”
Esther said. “It is this Aman that is our adversary and our most
wicked enemy.” Aman, hearing this, was forthwith astonished,
and not being able to bear the countenance of the angry king,
fell like a stone upon the couch. The accusation of Esther had
crushed him.—Esther η.

(a.) Conscience causes the sinner a similar torment when it
upbraids him for his wicked deeds. What have you done? it
cries out to him: into what a miserable state have you fallen?
You have offended God, lost his grace, and if you die in this state
whither will you go ? I ask you, sinner, has your conscience never
reproached you thus? After a wicked action, did you not become
uneasy, sad, and melancholy? Did you not feel miserable? Were
you not ashamed of yourself? Did you not tremble at the thought
of judgment and eternity ?

(£.) What increases the torments of the sinner is the circum­
stance that his conscience upbraids him secretly. If one be
afflicted and sad, one seeks and finds relief and comfort in
revealing one’s secret sorrow to sympathizing friends. Not so he
who has a bad conscience; he is tormented, and yet he must not
and can not make his torments known Others may perhaps have
a good opinion of him; but his conscience takes occasion there­
from to torment him the more, for it says to him : “People think
well of you, but you are a contemptible wretch, a hypocrite; do
you think that you can deceive God as you deceive man?” If an
adulterous husband is treated by his virtuous wife with affection
and kindness, not having any suspicion of his base infidelity ;

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if a son or a daughter, who in secret is addicted to debaucheries,
enjoys the special love of parents, sisters, and brothers, and
is even praised for presumed good conduct—does not a sword
of sorrow and remorse pierce their guilty heart? Are they
not bound to say within themselves: “If they only knew
what I have done, with what pain and disgust would they turn
from me.”

(c.) The worst of it is that you can not get rid of this tormentor.
Surius, in the life of St. Medard, relates an incident of a thief who
stole an ox belonging to the Saint. The ox had a bell attached
to his neck, by the sound of which the thief might easily have
been betrayed ; he therefore stopped it up with grass, and drove
the ox home without being discovered. But the animal was
scarcely in the stable when the bell began to ring of itself, as if
it would call all the neighbors together in order to reveal the theft.
Struck with fear and terror, the thief ran back into the stable, to
stop up the bell again, but could not to so, for it continued to
ring the louder. He tore the bell from the neck of the ox,
took out the tongue, and hid it in a box. But even there the
bell ceased not to ring, so that the thief at last, full of anguish,
confessed his evil deed to the Saint, after having returned the
ox. Conscience is like this bell, for it gives the sinner no rest
until he is converted. He may do what he will to silence his
conscience, but he can not do it. Let him turn his thoughts to
temporal things, let him enjoy all possible pleasures, give himself
up to dissipation, let him travel all over the world, let him pray,
fast, distribute all his goods to the poor, the bell of his conscience
will still ring and give him no rest, no peace, till he removes the
cause, till he is converted. In the conscience of the sinner there
is a continual tempest; conflicting waves of remorse and tempta­
tion, anguish and despair, rise and strike against one another
perpetually. He feels like David, who says: “There is no peace
to my bones, because of my sins.” Cain was not forthwith destroyed
for the murder of his brother, but should have been moved to
repentance by finding no rest upon earth. Even Judas was
visited with stings of conscience before he took his life. Joseph’s
brothers were truly converted by the afflictions caused by their
own guilt. Remorse of conscience is intended to convert sinners.
2. In death. If one have a violent toothache, there is a remedy
perhaps which will take away the pain, or at least give relief for
some time. Thus a sinner can, as long as he is in good health
deaden his remorse of conscience, or entirely get rid of it for the
time being. He may seek diversions and distractions, and then
the voice of conscience is weakened, and consequently scarcely
heard; it may even be silenced altogether by a riotous and

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dissipated life. But the case is different in death, when the sinner
can no longer divert his mind by means of pleasures or the grati­
fication of his passions. Then conscience arises as his tormentor,
which no earthly tyrant can equal in cruelty; then will begin for
him a state similar to that of the damned. His conscience will now
cause the years of his life to pass in review before his mind and
show him all the trespasses of his childhood, the indulgence of the
heated passions of his youth, the follies and injustices of his mature
and declining years, all the sins of his eyes, ears, hands, feet, and
of all the faculties of his soul, the violations of the commandments
from the first to the last; it will show him the numberless oppor­
tunities he had for doing good, of which he either made no use
or which he abused. His conscience will lead him into eternity
and present to him the Divine Judge, before whom even the just
tremble; will turn his eyes towards heaven, for which he never
cared, and which will now be closed against him, and will open
for him the fiery jaws of hell, which shall henceforth be his
habitation for ever. Oh, what terror, what anguish, must seize
the dying sinner! Who can describe his agony and despair?
Callat ofHerbois, a man without religion or fear of God, per­
petrated during the first French Revolution the most atrocious
crimes, and among others he ordered, in the year 1793, at Lyons,
sixteen hundred persons to die by the hand of the executioner or
at the cannon’s mouth. The judgment of God overtook this
inhuman monster. In the year 1795 he was banished to Cayenne.
After his arrival there he was hated and shunned by every one,
and called a murderer and a destroyer of religion. In his misery
he sometimes cried out: “I am punished; this total abandonment
to which I am condemned is a hell to me.” In the meantime
he was seized and consumed by a violent fever. He cried
out: “My God, my God, dare I hope to obtain the forgiveness
of my crimes? Send me a comforter, send me somebody to release
me from this terrible fire that consumes my entrails. My God,
give rest to my heart.” His last moments were so terrible that
he was obliged to be removed to a distant house ; a priest was
sent for but meanwhile the unhappy wretch died, June 7th, 1797,
with his eyes half-opened, and his countenance terribly distorted,
streams of blood flowing from his mouth. Negroes buried him
in a shallow grave, and his flesh became the food of wild beasts.
Thus conscience is in life, and still more in death, a tormentor to
all who do not obey its voice Who would not avoid sin, or when
he has sinned, immediately do penance, in order to escape this
tormentor and obtain rest for his soul ?

Peroration.
I conclude with the admonition of Jesus: “Be at agreement

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with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him;
lest, perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison,”
—Matt. 5: 25. Conscience is your adversary if you do not hear
its voice, but it resists and torments you only for your good, to
deter you from sin, and to lead you to penance in order to save
your soul. Make at once an agreement with your adversary,
your conscience, and silence it by a speedy and total conversion,
that it may not deliver you to the judge to be condemned as an
impenitent sinner. Listen to the voice of your conscience, which
always, but especially in this holy season of Advent, cries out to
you: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
WHY WE SHOULD ALWAYS SPEAK THE TRUTH.

And he confessed, and did not deny.— John 1: 20.
We see to-day the ambassadors of the high council of Jeru­
salem standing before John and asking him the question: “Who
art thou?” If John had answered: “I am Christ,” he would have
been guilty of a falsehood: yet we have reason to think that he
would have found many adherents among the Jews, for many
believed him to be the promised Messias. This belief was not with­
out foundation ; for the time was at hand when, according to the
prophets, Christ should appear, and John possessed so many
extraordinary prerogatives that it was easy to mistake him for
the Messias. But he answers negatively and declares briefly
and distinctly: “I am not the Christ.” In like manner he answers
the other two questions as to whether he was Elias or another
prophet, although in a certain sense he could have answered
these questions in the affirmative, without violating truth ; but
open and sincere as he was he would not make use of any
duplicity. When the ambassadors importuned him to declare
who he was, he styled himself the forerunner of Christ, and such
he really was according to the prophecy of Isaias: “I am the
voice of one crying in the wilderness; make straight the way
of the Lord.”
John appears to us here as a man who values truth above all
things, and who would not be guilty of the smallest lie or slight­
est insincerity. Let us learn from him to speak the truth always,

I

9

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Z The will of God:
II. The love of our neighbor:
III. Our own welfare, impose this duty upon us.

Part L
The will of God.

i. Veracity is a natural gift which man receives from God his
Creator. Every one who preserves this inborn gift is frank,
sincere, and truthful. Take for example a babe: it is cheerful,
and laughs when it feels well, but cries when in pain or when
it wants something; its exterior behavior is the true mirror or
index of its interior feelings. Consider an older child that has
already arrived at the age of discretion, and is yet uncorrupted.
It speaks as it feels and thinks, it tells the truth whether advan­
tage or disadvantage results therefrom. Deceit, dissimulation,
and lies are strangers to it. Consider people of maturer years,
who, like innocent children, still possess the innate gift of vera­
city; they also are without guile, and a lie never proceeds from
their lips. St. Thomas Aquinas was one day walking with one
of his companions. Suddenly the latter exclaimed: “Look, there
flies an ox.” Thomas looked up to see the flying ox; whereupon
his companion laughed and asked the Saint whether he thought
it possible for an ox to fly. He replied quite seriously : “I would
rather have thought it possible for an ox to fly than for a Christian
to lie.”
What do you do when you tell a lie? You sin against the will
of God, because you act unnaturally. No one doubts that he who
drinks immoderately, or destroys one of the members of his body,
or takes his own life, commits a sin, for he injures the natural
gifts which he has received from the Creator. For the same
reason, those persons sin who violate truth, because they do not
esteem, but injure, the innate gift of veracity. Whenever, there­
fore, you feel tempted to tell a lie, say to yourself : I act un­
naturally by telling a lie.
God is the model according to which we should conform
ourselves as much as possible. “Be ye therefore perfect, as alsc
your heavenly Father is perfect.”—Matt. 5: 48. Now, God is the
eternal, infallible Truth, and falsehood is incompatible with his
essence; he is a declared enemy to every lie. “God is not as a man,
that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that he should be
changed. Hath he said, then, and will he not do ? Hath he spoken,
and will he not fulfil?”—Numb. 23: 19. It is our duty to imitate
God in his veracity, and therefore always to speak the truth; for
falsity and untruth destroy in us his image and likeness, and render
us like the devil, of whom Christ himself says that he is “a liar,

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and the father of lies.”—John 8: 44. The reproach, therefore,
“You are of your father, the devil,” which Christ uttered
against the Scribes and Pharisees, applies equally to those who
are addicted to telling lies.
What a detestable vice, therefore, is lying, since it is directly
opposed to the veracity of God, which we ought to imitate ; and
besides, lying makes us children of the devil. Who would not
guard against this vice, and cultivate the virtue of truth­
fulness?
2. God expressly commands us to speak the truth always. In the
eighth commandment he forbids us to bear false witness, and
enjoins us to speak the truth always. The same is to be said
of all the passages of Sacred Scripture in which lying is for­
bidden and denounced as sinful and detestable, for example:
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord; but they that deal
faithfully please him.”—Prov. 12: 22. “You shall not lie, neither
shall any man deceive his neighbor.”—Levit. 19: 11. “The mouth
that belieth, killeth the soul.”—Wisd. 1: 11. “A thief is better
than a man that is always lying, but both of them shall inherit
destruction.”—Ecclus. 20: 27. “The manners of lying men are
without honor.”—Ecclus. 20: 28. “A lie is a foul blot in a man.”
— Ibid. 26. From the punishment which God inflicts upon liars
even in this world, we may conclude how abominable to him is
the sin of lying. Giezi, servant of Eliseus, had been guilty of a
lie; the leprosy ofNaaman came upon him and his posterity, and
remained till they had all died out.—IV. Kings 5: 25-27. Ananias
and Saphira fell dead at the feet of St. Peter in punishment for
an apparently insignificant lie.—Acts 5 : 2 etc. Since God punishes
lying so severely, we can not but infer that lying is most hateful
in his sight.
Pious Christians always guard against untruths. The millions
of those who during persecutions preferred to suffer most cruel
tortures and most painful deaths rather than deny their faith
and save their lives by telling an untruth, may serve as exam­
ples. How much do those early Christians put to shame many of
us who on account of every trifle, or for mere pastime, tell
falsehoods.

Part II.
The love of our neighbor.

*
i. The love of our neighbor requires that we do unto others as
we wish them to do unto us. Therefore Christ says: “All things,
therefore, whatsoever you would that men should do to you do you
also to them.”—Matt. ·μ i2. We require them to be sincere and to

Mr-

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tell us the truth. If we find that some one has deceived us, we
feel offended When we, therefore, tell a lie to our neighbor, we
act against the principle of fraternal love laid down by Christ,
and commit a sin.
2. Again, charity, nay, even justice, requires that we give to
every one what belongs to him, and that we injure no one. But
what do we do when we tell a lie? We injure our neighbor. The
same applies not only to injurious, but also to jocose lies.

(α.) I need not say much concerning injurious lying, for the
very term implies an injury inflicted. To such injurious lies be­
long all calumnies. What injury does not this kind of sin
occasion? Example: Joseph of Egypt, whom the lying tongue of
Putiphar’s wife cast into prison. Susanna, who would have been
stoned to death as an adulteress had not Daniel brought to light
the base lies of the two aged sinners. St. Emmeran, who, in con­
sequence of base calumny, was most cruelly martyred. What
injury such sins cause in our days. How many lose their honor,
good name, and the confidence of their neighbors, and are in­
jured in their business, owingto calumniators. He who disseminates
such injurious lies cannot obtain forgiveness, unless he repair the
injury as far as possible.

’.*V

(i.)Nor is it any excuse for alie because it is told to avert a danger
from somebody, or to render him some service. Not only is such a
lie a sin against God; it is even a sin against our neighbor. The
only genuine love of our neighbor is that which arises from our
love of God. The former is based upon the latter, and can not
be separated from it. Love of God is the entire motive and
reason for loving our neighbor. It were sheer folly then to say
that the act of sinning against God, lying, could proceed from a
love of our neighbor. Take away all love of God, and no true
love of our neighbor will be left. In lessening the former by sin,
you also lessen the latter. And in this way it may be truly said
that in lying for your neighbor’s sake you are actually sinning
against the love of your neighbor.
But it not unfrequently happens that when we undertake to
serve our neighbor by telling lies, it is with his knowledge, if not
at his suggestion and instigation. He is thus made a partner
with us in the sin, and therefore we injure him as regards
his soul, and consequently sin against the love of our neigh­
bor, which strictly forbids us to do an injury to his soul. This
particularly concerns those who through a mistaken affection
for another permit themselves to bear false witness, or even to
take a false oath, in order to save him from punishment or to
gain his lawsuit: it also concerns those mothers, brothers,

RSKE^

· ^!··Β*3β^·^ύβ^'^ηβΠΛ·Η··9ΒΒΐ^^^^

λ.

7. Moral Sketch.

133

sisters, and servants, who encourage a child, brother, sister, or
servant to lie. They who do this render themselves guilty of the
sins of others, and those in whose favor they lie will return them
little thanks for it in eternity.
(i.) The lie of necessity, so-called, is committed in order to
extricate some one from a predicament. This also is against the
love of our neighbor, which, though it does not command us
always to reveal the truth to others, permits us in no case to tell
a lie to deceive others. If duty does not require us to make known
the truth, we may keep silence. In some cases we may even give
an evasive answer. St. Thomas of Canterbury found himself, on
account of his constancy in defending the rights of the Church,
reduced to the necessity of fleeing from the direful revenge of
Henry II. Disguised in the garb of a poor monk, and sitting
upon a horse without bridle or saddle, he was met in his
flight by a number of armed men sent by the king; they asked
him whether he was the Archbishop of Canterbury. He smiled and
said: “Judge for yourselves whether these are the garments of an
Archbishop !” By this evasive answer he escaped from the
hands of his enemies. You are allowed to give such evasive
answers, when you are asked about things which you wish to
keep secret: you are, however, never allowed to tell a lie, be­
cause it is always detestable and sinful. May parents remember
this, and never excuse in their children the so-called lie of
necessity !
[di] A jocose lie consists in telling an untruth for pastime, for
the entertainment of one’s self or others. If the lie be palpable,
it is simply mere sport, but no lie, because it is not joined with
deception. Such jests, however, although they cannot be con­
sidered as lies, are not to be commended. They belong to that
class of idle words of which Jesus says that we must render an
account on the Day of Judgment. Jocose lies, properly so called,
are also against the love of our neighbor, because we thereby
deceive him, and deception is never allowed; or because we
disedify others, lead them to levity, and thus, more or less,
endanger their salvation; this certainly offends against the love
of our neighbor. Guard yourselves, therefore, against jocose
lies, for they are frequently not without sin, but deserve, unless
repented of, the punishment of purgatory.

Part III.
Our own welfare,

i. Our temporal welfare. Nothing makes a man more amiable
than open, frank behavior, sincerity, and love of truth. Every-

*

j
i
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body who knows such a person honors and esteems him; every
one puts confidence in him. We say, this is a truthful man, a
Nathanael, in whom there is no guile; he neither deceives nor
simulates, you can depend upon him, his word is as good as his
bond and seal. His business is flourishing, every one deals with
him, because it is well known that he deceives nobody If he be
an artisan, a day laborer, or a servant, he finds employment
everywhere; every one helps him in need, for one can depend on
his word.

Just the reverse is the case with men who are known to be
liars. People say, this man is a liar, you can not trust him, you
must always watch him, or he will lie and deceive you. No one
esteems such a man, and every one tries to have as little as
possible to do with him. A liar injures his own honor, his busi­
ness, and his temporal welfare. If, therefore, you are concerned
about your temporal well-being, love the truth, hate and detest
lies and falsehoods.
2. Our eternal salvation. God sees his image in a sincere,
truthful heart; therefore be inclined to it with a particular love,
“Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle ? Or who shall rest in
thy holy hill? He that walketh without blemish, and worketh
justice; he that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used
deceit in his tongue.”—Ps. 14: 1-3. How friendly and condes­
cending was Christ to the open, straightforward Nathanael :
“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and he saith of him: Behold
an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.”— John 1 : 47.

On the other hand, God hates no one so much as a liar, for
he sees in his heart the likeness of his arch enemy, the devil,
the fatheroflies. “Thou hatest all workers of iniquity, all that
speak a lie; the bloody and deceitful man the Lord will abhor.”
—Ps. 5: 7. How severely Jesus reprimanded the false, hypo­
critical Pharisees. Many times he pronounced woe against them,
and threatened them with eternal perdition.—Matt. 23: 13, etc.,
Luke 11:42^. The liar incurs God’s displeasure and punish­
ment. If, by a lie, considerable injury or loss is caused to indivi­
duals, to a family, a community, a church, or to society in general,
it is a mortal sin, and will be punished with eternal damnation.
Lies which cause little or no damage are venial sins, and must
be atoned for in purgatory. Many seem to think those falsehoods
from which no harm ensues are not sinful; this is an error, for
every lie is at least a venial sin. Whosoever, therefore, for
whatever cause, deviates from the truth commits a sin, and, if he
does not do penance for it here, will be punished hereafter.

i. Homiletic Sketch,

135

Then fore the liar not only injures his temporal prospects, but also
risks his eternal salvation.
.

PERORATION.

I conclude with the admonition of St. Paul: “Wherefore,
putting away lying, speak ye the truth, every man with his neigh­
bor, for we are members one of another.”—Ephes. 4: 25. Yes,
the will of God, love of our neighbor, and our temporal and
eternal welfare require that we put away lying, and in all cases
speak the truth. Be sincere and truthful, like John. Affirm what
is to be affirmed, deny what is to be denied, that you may find
grace before Jesus Christ, who is “the faithful and true witness.”
—Apoc. 3: 14. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Epistle. I. Cor. 4: 1-5. Brethren : Let a man so account of us
as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries
of God. Here now it is required among the dispensers, that a
man be found faithful. But to me it is a very small thing to be
judged by you, or by man’s day: but neither do I judge my own
self. For I am not conscious to myself of anything, yet am I not
hereby justified; but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore,
judge not before the time, until the Lord come, who both will
bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the hearts : and then shall every man
have praise from God.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
WHAT WE ARE, AND HOW WE ARE TO BEHAVE TOWARDS
OURSELVES AND OTHERS.

The contents of the epistle of this day, properly speaking,
refer to the Apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests,
They are the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the graces
of God ; that is, they are called by Christ himself and commissi­
oned to announce to men his divine doctrine, and to administer

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to them the means of salvation. Like the good servant and
steward, they must be faithful ; this is their first and principal
duty: in all their labors they must have in view, not themselves,
their honor and temporal interests, but God’s honor, their own
salvation, and that of others. They are, whilst conscientiously
fulfilling their duties, to walk in humility and the fear of God,
and, regardless of the frowns or smiles of the world, in the dis­
charge of their ecclesiastical functions so to comport themselves
that before the judgment seat of God they may be found good
and faithful servants. What is said here of the Apostles and
their successors, applies equally to all Christians. With this
understanding let us make a short meditation on to-day’s epistle.
We may divide it into four points, for it tells us—

I.
II.
III.
IV.

What we are;
What are our special duties*,
How we are to behave towards ourselves, and
Towards others.

Part L
What are we ?
Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the
dispensers of the mysteries of God.

i. The Apostle says with justice : Let a man so account of tes as
of the ministers of Christ. W e entered into the service of Christ at
our baptism; there we renounced the devil with all his works
and all his pomps, and promised to adhere to Jesus Christ, and
to serve him as long as we live. And have we not every reason
to serve him, for is he not a good Master? The burden which he
imposes upon us, as he himself says, is light: “My yoke is sweet,
and my burden light.”—Matt. 11:30. And St John says: “His
commandments are not heavy.”—L John 5:3. What appears
arduous becomes light by grace. And for this easy service he
does not promise us an earthly and perishable reward, but
heaven, with all its unfathomable, everlasting joys. “Be glad
and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.”—Matt. 5:12.
Oh, who would not serve God with joy ? And yet there are so
many Christians who do not serve him. They are the slaves of
their passions; of pride, covetousness, impurity, and of the devil:
for “he that committeth sin is of the devil.”—I. John 3: 8. How
unhappy are such Christians both in this world and in the next;
here they have no peace of mind, only remorse of conscience,
shame and misery of every description ; and hereafter endless
torments. O sinners ! be not so blind as to serve the devil; enter
the service of Christ, especially during Advent, this holy season

i. Homiletic Sketch.

137

of penance. Christian parents, say frequently to your children
and to those under your charge : UI and my house shall serve the
Lord.”

2. And the dispensers of the mysteries of God. These mysteries
are the Christian doctrine and all the means of grace. Not
only priests, but also every Christian, in his own way, is to dis­
pense these mysteries.
(a.) To himself. Be zealous in hearing the word of God, which
is preached to you every Sunday and holiday ; love to read
spiritual books; sanctify Sundays and holidays by assisting at
mass and vespers; say daily your morning and evening prayers,
and go frequently to confession and communion. By doing so
you will dispense the mysteries of God to yourself.
(3.) Toothers. Be solicitous for the salvation of others; teach
them, admonish them, warn them, give them good example, and
pray for them. You can do a great deal of good and save many
a soul. For parents, it is a duty of their state to be dispensers
of the mysteries of God to those of their household. St Augustine
says: uAs we priests and pastors of souls must speak to you in
our churches, so you, parents, must speak in your houses, that
you may be able to give an account of your children.”

Part IL
What are our particular duties ?
Here now it is required among the dispensers, that a man be
found faithful. Faithfulness is the chief duty of a servant and
a steward. Since we are ministers of Christ and dispensers or
stewards of the mysteries of God, we owe faithfulness to Christ.
Wherein does this consist?
i. In not appropriating to ourselves the property of God. A faith­
ful servant is conscientious, does not touch the property of his
master, nor appropriate to himself the least thing that is not his
own ; he is, so to say, honest to a penny. Now, all that we possess
and call our own is the property of God. All naturalgifts, as our
body with its senses, our soul with her faculties, are the property
of God, because they come from him. All supernatural gifts, as
virtue, sanctifying grace, the holy sacraments, the merits ol
Christ, are God’s property. Fidelity requires that we ascribe all
that we have and use to the unmerited grace of God. We must
not pride ourselves on anything that we possess, but confess with
the Apostle; “By the grace of God, lam what I am.”—I. Cor. 15:10.

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If, therefore, you should pride yourself on your land or houses,
understanding· or skill, beauty of body, or virtue and piety, you
would not be faithful to Christ, because you would appropriate
to yourself what is his. Be humble, and in all things give the
glory to God.
2. In laboring diligently in the service of Christ, Every faithful·
servant does this; he works continually and diligently, as if he
were laboring for himself. It is true, our Lord derives no ad­
vantage from our serving him faithfully ; he does not need our
service; but we need it, because thereon depends our salvation.
No master is satisfied with a servant who does things in a slipshod
fashion, carelessly, and only partially, who idles away his time,
and takes a whole day to do what could be done in an hour. In
like manner, Jesus is not satisfied with us if we are indolent in
his service. “Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord de­
ceitfully (carelessly).—Jer. 48: 10. The parable of the unprofit­
able servant.—Matt. 25: 24-30. We are so lukewarm in the
service of Christ! We neglect so much good, which we could
and should do, or do it so imperfectly ; we pray with so many
distractions, have so little fervor in receiving the sacraments, so
little patience in our daily labor. How necessary, therefore, is
the renewal of our fervor in the service of Christi
3. In serving God with perseverance. A faithful servant does
not run off before the expiration of his term, as it is to be feared
so many male and female servants do in our day ; no, he serves
his master till the stipulated time has expired Our term in the
service of Christ extends not to one year only, but to our whole
lifetime. In the calendar of Christ there is no holiday marked,
all days are week-days or working-days. You must never rest,
never feast, but always work, always serve. Many a one will
think this a long, hard service. A long service ? How? Is not the
rest which follows infinitely longer? does is not last for ever ? A
hard service? To serve Christ—is it not to reign? And is not the
reward for this service the everlasting, inexpressible felicity of
heaven? How much you trouble yourselves all your lifetime
about temporal things, which are so insignificant, changeable,
and perishable; and will you not exert yourselves to gain heaven?

Part HI.
How we are to behave towards ourselves.

But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by
man's day: but neither do I judge myself. For I am not conscious
to myself oj anything, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that

i. Homiletic Sketch.

139

judgeth me is the Lord, In other words : I shall serve God with
all fidelity, and in doing this I am quite indifferent as to how
people judge me; neither do I judge myself, lest self-love deceive
me into thinking myself just. For although I do not know that
I am guilty of any infidelity, yet I am not on that account justified;
God, the Omniscient, alone can judge. St. Paul gives us here a
double lesson, which teaches us how we are to behave towards
ourselves.
1. We must say and do what we conscientiously think right,
without regard to frowns or smiles, without regard to the judg­
ment and opinion of persons. Whether the world praise or cen­
sure us, we must not act contrary to the will of God. If we do
wrong in the sight of God it will profit us nothing, even if the
whole world should praise and applaud us; for wrong is wrong,
and will always remain so, even if it should be commended as
the greatest virtue. Many a one, who in the eyes of the world
is great and renowned, is in the sight of God a depraved, worth­
less man, and will burn for ever in the abyss of hell. On the
contrary, many whom the world despises, reviles, calumniates,
and persecutes, are great in the eyes of God, and shall one day
shine like the sun in his kingdom. Examples: Herod on the
throne, St. John in prison. Times have not changed in this
respect ; it is so to-day. Let us be constant in doing our duty,
and never for the sake of the world become faithless to our
religion and to the duties of our state. He who accomodates
himself to the world shall perish with the world. “If I yet
pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”—Gal.
i: io. Our maxim ought to be: “Trust in God and do what is
right.”

2. We must not confide too much in our own justice, but leave to
God the judgment thereof. It is Catholic doctrine that, without a
special revelation, no one can feel certain that he is just, and
in the state of grace. If our conscience do not reproach us we
may be tranquil and confidently hope with moral certainty that
we are of the number of the just; but perfect and absolute cer­
tainty of it we have not. For no one has the positive assurance
that he has never commited a mortal sin, or that he has made
sufficient satisfaction for his past sins, and received forgiveness
of them. This uncertainty, however, must not make us despondent
or uneasy, but should guard us against presumption, keep alive
in us zeal for virtue, and preserve us in humility. He who
loves God, guarding himself even against small faults and con­
scientiously fulfilling his duties, may confidently hope that he is
just and will be saved. “If our heart do not reprehend us, we
have confidence towards God.—I. John 3: 21.

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Part IV.
Row we are to behave towards others.
Therefore, judge not before the time, until the Lord come, whs
both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the hearts : and then shall every man have
fraise from God. If we can not form a true opinion of ourselves
though we look into our own heart, much less can we judge
others justly. We must, therefore, leave the judgment of others
to God, who on the Day of Judgment will manifest everything
and render to every one according to his works.

(a.) Are we never allowed to judge our neighbor? Yes, we are.
We may and must judge those actions of men which are open
and manifest. If a person prays devoutly, maintains good dis­
cipline in his household, gives alms cheerfully—these are good
works, which we must recognize and judge as such. But if it
be generally known that a person lives unchastely, gets drunk
frequently, scoffs at holy persons and holy things, reviles the
Church and her ministers, these are manifestly bad actions, of
which we evidently can not form a good opinion. We must never
call good evil, nor evil good. We are not, therefore, forbidden
to judge exterior actions, for thereby we violate neither truth,
justice, nor charity.

(3.) The Apostle forbids us to judge of what is unknown to us
in our neighbor, as his intentions, his motives, and his interior;
for here no reliable opinion can be formed, because we lack the
necessary knowledge. We can judge of the exterior action, but
not of the interior motive, whether and how far it is good or bad
before God. If we should form a judgment as to the interior merit
or demerit of an action, we should judge rashly and usurp God’s
rights. And because appearances frequently deceive, we must be
very prudent in our judgments, and always think well of our
neighbor until we are fully convinced that we have good reason
to think otherwise. Therefore, judge not rashly nor uncharit­
ably, nor with exaggerated severity.
PERORATION.

The epistle of this day contains, as you perceive, very impor­
tant lessons. Observe them. Serve your Lord and Redeemer
with unchangeable fidelity, and avail yourself of the means of
grace for the salvation of your soul Never accommodate yourself
to the maxims and judgments of the world, for it is steeped

■

a.

Homiletic Sketch.

in wickedness. Live in such a manner that God may be
pleased with you, and be not deterred from his service by the
praise or censure of the world. Do not trust too much in your
own justice, nor pride yourself on the good you do: be humble
and labor incessantly for your justification and sanctification.
Do not meddle with the affairs of others, and beware of judging
them rashly and uncharitably; leave judgment to God, the Judge
of the living and the dead, who will render to every one accord­
ing to his works. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

Gospel. Luke 3: 1-6. In the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and
Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch
of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch
of Abilina, under the high-priests Annas and Caiphas: the word
of the Lord came to John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And
he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the bap­
tism of penance for the remission of sins: as it is written in the
book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying
in the wilderness : Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight
his paths. Every valley shall be filled : and every mountain and
hill shall he brought low: and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough ways plain. And all flesh shall see the
salvation of God.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
J

HOW WE ARE TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR CHRISTMAS.

St. Luke the Evangelist mentions exactly the time when
St. John the Baptist was called to prepare the Jews for the com­
ing of our divine Saviour; he names Tiberius, the Roman emperor,
Pilate the governor, the princes in the land of Judea, and the two
high-priests Annas and Caiphas. Why so ? To indicate that,
according to the predictions of the prophets, especially of Jacob
the patriarch, the time for the coming of the Messias was at hand;
for the Jews had no longer a ruler of their own, but were under

·——
—

Prepare ye the way of the Lord.—Luke 3: 4.

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Advent.

the dominion of the Roman emperor, who ruled the land through
a governor, who appointed and deposed the high priests. Jesus,
whom John announced, was already in his twenty-eighth year;
he, therefore, made his appearance at the time when according
to the prophets the Redeemer was to come.
John preached the baptism of penance for the remission of sin;
that is, all those who were earnestly resolved to do penance were
baptized by him with water to signify that true repentance cleanses
from all stains of sin, as water cleanses from all exterior defile­
ment. Like the Jews, we must also prepare for the coming of
Jesus, that he may bring us grace and salvation. The gospel of
to-day tells us how we are to do this, in these words:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Every valley shall le filled;
Every mountain and hill shall be brought law;
The crooked shall be made straight, and
The rough ways plain.

Part L
Every valley shall be tilled.
By valleys which are to be filled, we understand worldly
mindedness and timidity.
I.

Worldly-mindedness. In what does it consist}

(a.) In too great a solicitude for temporal goods, instead of
those which are eternal, and a resulting carelessnes in regard to
things pertaining to our eternal salvation. People of this
description study only how to acquire money and property, to be
honored and esteemed by men, and to enjoy the good things of this
world, while they neglect their soul entirely, and seldom or never
think of eternity. They spend their lives in earthly cares, in
diversions and distractions, forgetful of their salvation, and if
ever a wholesome thought arise in their heart, they banish it as
an intruder that comes to disturb their peace. This worldlymindedness is now-a days prevalent in town and country, and
among all classes of persons.
(3.) It is diametrically opposed to the spirit of Christianity. “I
will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that
he may abide with you for ever; the Spirit of Truth, whom the
world can not receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth
him.”—John 14: 15-16. “You can not serve God and mammon.”
—Matt. 6: 24. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice.”
Matt. 6: 33. “Love not the world, nor the things which are in

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

143

the world; if any man love the world, the charity of the Father is
notinhim.”—I. John 2·. 15. Jesus sought nothing-earthly, no honor,
no money, no convenience, no pleasure; his whole ambition was
to do the will of his Father. St. Paul says: “God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world
is crucified to me, and I to the world.”—Gal. 6:14. The Venerable
Vincent Carafa, of the Society of Jesus, used to say that if he
had a wish upon earth, it would be to have a little cell, a piece
of bread, and a spiritual book, in order to occupy himself with
God and his salvation, far away from the world and its turmoil.
You also must cultivate this disposition. According to the
Apostle (Z Cor. 7'. 31): “You must use this world as if you used it
not;” that is, you must look upon everything that the world offers
as a secondary thing, and use is only so far as it is subordinate
to, or at least does not hinder you from obtaining, your final end.
If you notice in your heart an inordinate inclination to any
earthly thing, root it out.
2. Timidity.

The timid man views everything he has to do for his salvation
through a glass which magnifies molehills into mountains. He
knows he ought to keep the commandments, fulfil the duties of
his state, practice the Christian virtues; but he says: I can not.
He knows he ought to avoid the proximate occasions of sin, bridle
his passions, fight against and subdue self-love, give up bad
habits: but he says: I can not. He knows he ought to become
reconciled with his enemy, restore ill-gotten goods, set his con­
science in order by a general confession; but he says: I can not.
Timdity is the cause of his leading a worldly and sinful life. He
resembles the rich youth who, when Jesus told him to sell all he
had and give it to the poor and follow him, became disheartened
and “went away sad”.—Matt. 19: 21, 22.
We must fill the valley of timidity; for, although with our
natural strength we are not able to secure our salvation, yet we
can, with the aid of divine grace, walk in that way, narrow though
it be. “I can do all things in him who strengthened me.”—Phil.
4: 13. The Saints were weak and inclined to evil, like ourselves;
they had the same obstacles and temptations to overcome as we
have—perhaps greater; but with the grace of God they sur­
mounted all, and secured their eternal destiny. They were com­
posed of the same flesh and blood as we, but they had a stronger
will, more faith and courage than we have. If we have but the
good will, and ask God for his grace, we shall live holily and be
happy in heaven. Away, then, with all timidity and cowardice;
let us put our hands to the plough with courage and confidence,
and we shall experience to our joy and comfort that God does

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not require of us too great a sacrifice, nor permit us to be tempted
above our strength.

Part IL
Every mountain and hill shall be brought low.
By mountains and hills that shall be brought low we are to
understand pride, self-conceit, ambition, and all cognate vices.

1. These vices do not permit faith, the first requisite for sal­
vation, to thrive. We have a proof of this in the Scribes and
Pharisees, who did not believe in Jesus, though he proved his
divinity and dignity as the Messias by the sanctity of his life and
the number of his miracles. Their unbounded pride caused them to
act contrary to their better knowledge, and to continue in un­
belief. And who are those now-a-days who are the enemies of
the Church? The proud, who are captivated by themselves, and
who, forsooth, know everything better than the Church, which is
governed and directed by the Holy Ghost, and which has an
experience of eighteen hundred years and more. Humility is
required for faith, for faith is a grace which God gives only to the
humble.—James 4: 6. Therefore Jesus says: “The poor (that
is, the humble) have the Gospel preached to them.”—Matt. 11:5.

2. The proud man disdains to hear of penance and conversion,
thinks himself already just, and feels not the necessity of doing
penance. If any one try to convince him of the necessity of
conversion, he is offended and rejects with indignation all
admonitions, like the Scribes and Pharisees, who reviled, blas­
phemed, and hated Jesus, because he reproached them for their
vices and exhorted them to do penance. Proud Christians act in
like manner. If the priest in the pulpit or confessional touch
sharply upon their sins, they boil over with wrath and indignation,
call him a man devoid of good manners, a blind zealot, a disturber
of the peace, and instead of amending their lives become more
hardened. Justly, therefore, a spiritual writer says: “The proud
man is incorrigible; he never errs or makes a mistake; therefore
he is angry and spurns every correction.” He is like a man, who
has an ulcer, which you dare not touch even with the tip of your
finger, or he will scream.

How necessary then it is that the mountains of pride be brought
low and that you become profoundly humble 1 Only humble souls
are accessible to divine grace ; they alone do what is necessary
for salvation. God is well pleased with them, and gives them the
grace to work out their salvation.

a. Homiletic Sketch.

»45

Part HL
The crooked shall be made straight.

1. The crooked that shall be made straight is, duplicity, hypo­
crisy, dissimulation. Many who are infected with these vices
appear outwardly as if they were the best and most sincere people
in the world; but their heart is corrupted, and whoever trusts
them will be deceived. These are the people who make golden
promises, but do not fulfil them; who abuse the confidence placed
in them and deceive every one who has anything to do with
them; who make pretensions to religion and virtue, who praise
their neighbor to his face, but ridicule and slander him in his
absence; who simulate great joy at the good fortune of others,
but really are vexed and envious thereat, rejoicing secretly when
a misfortune befalls them. Duplicity is a universal vice, and with
justice an old poet says: “If duplicity would burn like fire, wood
would not be half so dear as it is.”
2. And yet it is certain that there is scarcely a vice that stands
in more direct contradiction to Christian virtue than this vice of
duplicity. After the love of God, our chief law is the love of our
neighbor.—John 13: 15. But wherein does it consist ? In wishing
well to all, sharing their prosperity and misfortune, and doing
good to them wherever and whenever we can. Thus St. Paul
describes the love of our neighbor.—I. Cor. 13: 4-6. Now, dupli­
city is in direct opposition to this love, wherefore Christ threatens
it with eternal woe.—Matt. 23: 13-29. As we read in the gospels,
our Saviour showed himself always full of love and compassion
towards the greatest sinners, but we do not find a single
example of his mercy shown to hypocrites and deceivers. He
left them to perish.

Part IV.
The rough mays shall be made plain.
I. Uneven, rough ways symbolize men who easily get into a
passion, are of a morose nature, and have frequent contentions
with their neighbor, and in the heat of their passion say and do
many things which they afterwards regret.
We must put aside this rough, boisterous, and irritable dis­
position, and earnestly strive to become conformable to our meek
jesus. What meekness did he not show—

10

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Advent.

(a.) Towards his disciples, who sometimes gave him great trouble
on account of their indocility and other faults;

(à) Towards the people, who so continuously, and often at the
most inopportune times, sought his help and annoyed him with
their importunity;
(f.) Towards Judas, his betrayer, whose feet he washed, and
whom he did not rebuke or expose, but still treated with the
greatest kindness;

(</.) Towards his enemies, even his murderers, for whom he
prayed on the cross.
2. Jesus requires us to be meek. “Learn of me, because I am
meek and humble of heart.”—Matt. n: 29. He reproved his dis­
ciples with severity for their boisterous, revengeful anger, when
on a certain occasion they asked him to call down fire
from heaven upon a city of the Samaritans. <{You know not of
what spirit you are. The Son of Man came not to destroy souls,
but to save.”—Luke 9: 54-56. He also declared to the Jews that
every one who is angry with his brother (without a just cause
and without Christian love), shall be guilty of the judgment.
According to the example and teaching of Jesus, we must over­
come all irritable, passionate, and boisterous motions, and study
meekness interiorly and exteriorly. To this end we must every
morning make a firm resolution not to give way to anger during
the day; and as often as we feel emotions of anger arise in our
heart we must renew our resolution and ask Jesus for the gift of
meekness; and lastly, we must impose some small penance on
ourselves as often as we fail to keep our resolution. Only by
continual practice and repeated contests will it be possible for
us with the grace of God to become meek.
PERORATION,

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Fill the valleys of worldlymindedness and timidity, labor with courage and confidence to
secure your salvation : seek the things that are above, and serve
God with fervor and constancy. Bring low the mountains and
hills of pride and ambition, and become humble of heart; for it is
only the humble who please God and receive his grace here and
eternal life hereafter. Make straight what is crooked by putting
away all duplicity and hypocrisy, and cherish kind feelings
towards every one. Make the rough ways plain by curbing the
passion of anger, and “put ye on, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty,

1

•

*·.

: _

,

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

147

patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if
any have a complaint against another; even as the Lord hath
forgiven you, so you also.”—Col. 3: 12, 13. Herein consists the
true preparation for the feast of Christmas, when Jesus will come
with his grace into our hearts. Amen.
M

1

Î

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT,

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
»!

JESUS CHRIST IS TRULY GOD.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.—Luke 3: 4.

I

I.

The time when the promised Redeemer should appear upon
earth had at length arrived. John had already, by the command
of God, come forth from the desert to prepare the way for the
Saviour. Hi preached the baptism of penance unto the remission
of sins, which required all to do penance and be converted to the
Lord from their hearts: only by so doing could the coming of
the Redeemer bring them salvation. But who is this Redeemer?
It is Jesus Christ, whom John represented to the Jews to be not
only man, but also true God, proclaiming Christ’s eternity
and declaring himself unworthy to loose the latchet of his shoe.
— John 1:2’]. But the majority of the Jews would not believe
Jesus Christ to be the Son of God ; they looked upon him as an
impostor, rejected, persecuted, and finally crucified him. In our
days there are many, even among those calling themselves
Christians, who deny the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and call him
merely the Wise Man of Nazareth. To strengthen your faith in the
Divinity of Christ, and help you to defendit against Free-thinkers
and unbelievers, I shall answer the following question: How do
we know that Jesus Christ is truly God? We know this—

I. From the testimony of Jesus Christ himsetf;
II. From the testimony of Jews and Christians,

Part I.
I

Jesus Christ gave testimony that he is true God, and confirmed
his testimony by his miracles and death.

I. “I and the Father are one.”—John 10: 30. If Christ is one
with his Father, that is, if he has with him one and the same

I

Fourth Sunday

of

Advent.

divine nature, he must necessarily be God. The Jews under*
stood these words of Christ in this sense, wherefore they called
him a blasphemer.—John 10: 33. “Amen, amen I say unto you:
what things soever the Father doth, these the Son also doth in
like manner.”—John 5:19. “For as the Father raised up the dead
and giveth life, so the Son also giveth life to whom he will, that
all men may honor the Son, as they honor the Father.”—
John 5: 21-23. Here Christ affirms that he is true God,
because whatsoever the Father does, he does also ; as the
Father raises the dead to life, so does he ; therefore, the same
divine honor is likewise due to him as to the Father. When Peter
said to Jesus: “Thou art the Son of the living God,” Christ called
him blessed, and declared that he had received this knowledge,
not of himself, but by divine inspiration.—Matt, ιό: 13, et seq. In
like manner he confirmed the faith of Thomas, who fell down
before him and exclaimed: “My Lord and my God.”.— John
2<y. 28. Thus Jesus himself gives testimony of his Divinity in the
most emphatic manner. Does his testimony deserve credit? It
does most assuredly, for to doubt it would be to say that Christ
was either a lunatic, or as the Jews had it, a blasphemer.
Who can, without shuddering, think this of Christ? He was, as
even the Jews and infidels admit, the greatest man that ever
lived, and his life was so holy that his bitterest enemies could not
convict him of sin. His testimony, therefore, is most credible.
2. Jesus confirmed his testimony by miracles. He changed
water into wine {John 2); calmed the winds and the waves by a
simple word {Matt. 8); fed five thousand people with five loaves
and two fishes {Matt. 14) ; healed the sick of all kinds of diseases
{Matt. 15: 30, 31); cast out devils {Matt. 8); raised the dead
to life, and finally, raised himself from the dead. That these mi­
racles surpass the powers of nature no one can deny; therefore
they are works of divine omnipotence. There is, moreover, not
the least doubt that Jesus really performed the miracles related
of him in the gospel. He performed them publicly in the presence
of friends and enemies ; he appeals to these miracles, and no one
dares to contradict him; the high council at Jerusalem even pub­
licly acknowledges the wonders of Jesus in these words: “\Vhat
do we, for this man doth many miracles?” — John 11 : 47. What
do these miracles prove? The Divinity of Jesus Christ; for every
true miracle is a work of God, therefore, a testimony of God. God
himself gives testimony by the miracles which men perform that
he speaks the truth, for he can never work a miracle in confir­
mation of an untruth. Suppose somebody were to say : “I am
Michael the Archangel,” and to prove his assertion were to raise
a dead man to life, we should be bound to believe him, and to
say: “God has confirmed your word by a miracle; we can

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149

doubt no longer.’1 Now, since Jesus Christ has confirmed his testi­
mony as to his being the eternal Sor. of God, one by nature with
the Father, by stupendous and undeniable miracles, can any one
in his senses dispute the truth of that testimony ? Indeed, to deny
that the miracles of Christ conclusively prove his Divinity would
be to blaspheme the Creator. It would be equivalent to alleging
that the Creator himself has woefully deceived his own creatures.
For if, after all these miracles, Christ be not God, then to the
Creator himself must be imputed the crime of which countless
multitudes of men have been guilty for the last eighteen hundred
years, namely, that of adoring as God one who is not such—the
debasing and degrading crime of idolatry.

As Christ performed all miracles in his own name and by his
own power he proves thereby his Divinity, because God alone
can perform miracles. All those, too, which the Apostles and the
faithful of all times wrought, are evidences of the Divinity of
Christ, because they were all performed in the name of Jesus.—
Acts 3 : i-16.
Lastly, Jesus sealed his testimony by his death on the cross.
When the high-priest adjured him to say whether he was Christ,
the Son of God, he solemnly affirmed and confessed, in the face
of death, that he was the Redeemer and God himself, and that
he would come again to judge the living and the dead.—Matt.
26: 63, 64. Hearing this testimony, the high-priest rent his gar­
ment to express his indignation, and all who were present de­
clared Jesus to be a blasphemer guilty of death. Now I ask: If
Christ were not God, would he, knowing that the penalty was
death, have told so base a lie as to declare himself God? Would
he not rather, if he had before falsely declared himself to be
God, have retracted in order to escape death ? Certainly ; the terror
of death, the fear of judgment, the love of life—all would have
compelled him to negative the question of the high-priest, if he
could have done so with truth. But as after his assertion that
he was the Son of God, he quietly and composedly faced suffer­
ings and death, it would be the greatest folly to doubt, even for
a moment, his Divinity. Moreover, whilst he was hanging on the
cross, wonders followed upon wonders. The sun was darkened,
the earth trembled, the veil of the temple was rent in twain, the
graves were opened, and the dead arose; all attesting heaven’s
wrath and indignation at the lawful deed, the unexampled crime
of the Jewish people, deicide. How could God, if Christ had
falsely declared himself to be his divine Son, have wrought these
miracles? And lastly, if Jesus were not the Son of God, how
could God have visited the Jews with the terrible punishments
which Christ predicted would fall upon them? Jesus Christ,
therefore, is true God ; his own testimony, which he confirmed

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by numberless miracles and sealed with his death, compels us t©
believe it.

Part IL
It is also evident from the testimony of both Jews and Christiani
that Christ is true God.
The Jews.
The prophets of the Jewish people frequently call Christ, the
promised Redeemer, God. David said of him : “Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever. . . . Thou hast loved justice, and hatedstiniquity: therefore, God, thy God (the Father), hath annointed
thee with the oil of gladness.”—Ps. 44: 7,8. Isaias says: “A
CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us; and the govern­
ment is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonder­
ful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come,
the Prince of Peace.”—Is. 9:6, 7. Again, “God himself will come,
and will save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped ; then shall the lame
man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free.”
—35· 4, 5· Jeremias: “In those days shall Juda be saved, and
Israel shall dwell confidently; and this is the name that they shall
call him: The Lord our Just One.”—23 : 6. By the word “Lord”
we understand “Jehovah,” for this is the word used in the original
Hebrew, a name given exclusively to God. Lastly, John the
Baptist : “Behold the Lamb of God ; behold him who taketh away
the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said: After me there
cometh a man who is preferred before me, because he was before
me . . . And I saw, and I gave testimony, that this is the Son of
God."—John 1: 29-34.

The Christians.
{ai) The Afostles most emphatically give testimony of the
Divinity of Christ. They call him ilGodi' St. John, who wrote
his whole gospel in defense of the Divinity of his Master
against the heresy of Ebion and Cerinthus, almost startles us in
the very first line with those sublime words: “In the beginning
was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.” St. Paul ascribes divine perfections to Jesus, saying ;
“For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible ... all things were created by him, and in
him; and he is before all (/. e., before all creatures from eternity),
and by him all things consist.”—Col. 1: 16, 17. Lastly, the Apost­
les claim for Jesus that divine adoration which is due to God

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alone. St. Paul says: “In the name of Jesus every knee should
bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christis
in the glory of God the Father.”—Phil. 2: 10, 11.
(bi} The Church. The Catholic Church from the very beginning
has held the belief that Jesus Christ is true God as the principal
and fundamental doctrine of Christianity, and defended it against
all the attacks of infidels and heretics at the beginning of the
fourth century, when the impious Arius denied the Divinity of
Christ, all Christendom arose in holy indignation against him,
and condemned his heresy in the Council of Nice, A. D. 325.
The Gentiles testify that the Christians from the beginning be­
lieved in the Divinity of Christ. “Thus Pliny, governor of Bythynia, in a letter to the Emperor Trajan, towards the close of
the first century, says: “The Christians assemble on certain days,
in the morning, to offer to Christ as God a song of praise.” The
pagan Lucian ridicules the Christians because they adore a
crucified man as God.
Millions of Christians have shed their hearts’ blood for their
faith in the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and God has by numberless
miracles glorified this faith, not only in the Apostolic, but also
in subsequent ages. In the year 484 Hunneric, king of the Van­
dals, attempted to obtrude upon the Christians in Lipasa, a city in
Africa, an Arian bishop who denied the Divinity of Christ.
Because they would not acknowledge the heretical bishop, the
king became so enraged that he ordered their right hands to be
cut off and their tongues to be torn out by the roots; but behold,
those whose tongues had been torn out spoke after the mutilation
as fluently as before. A deaf and dumb man, who before could
only stammer a few inarticulate, unintelligible words, received
the gift of speech and praised God with a loud voice. The truth
of this miracle is corroborated by the most trustworthy witnesses.
Thus a pagan philosopher, Æneas, who in the year 533 had met
many of those Christians at Constantinople, says: “I have seen
them with these eyes, and have heard them speak, and I was
astonished that their voices could be so perfect and that they
could articulate so distinctly. And because I did not believe my
ears, I took my eyes as witnesses; I made them open their mouth
for me, and I saw that their tongues were torn out by the root.
What astonished me most was that they could live.” Even the
Emperor Justinian mentions this wonder in one of his imperial
edicts and confesses that he himself saw and heard two of these
Christians speak without tongues.

I

k

152

Fourth Sunday of Advent.

PERORATION.

Jesus Christ is true God. Cling to this fundamental truth of
our holy religion and never allow yourselves to waver in your
faith on account of the words and writings of infidels. Behold
the apostles and the millions of martyrs, who, for their belief in
Jesus Christ as the Son of God, sacrificed all they had in the
world, even life itself ; promise God that in this faith you will live
and die. It is the first and most necessary requisite for salvation:
“He that believeth in the Son hath life everlasting, but he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abideth on him.”—John 3: 36. Observe always what Jesus has
taught by word and example, and lead a pure, pious life, for thi>
is the best means of preserving the faith and of becoming strong
in it, as Jesus himself says: “If any man will do the will of him
(that sent me) he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself.”—John 7: 17.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH FOR ADVENT.

All flesh shall see the salvation of God.—Lzike 3: 6.
Among the persons mentioned in this day’s gospel we find
both Jews and Gentiles. The Roman Emperor Tiberius, and Pon
tius Pilate, his governor, were pagans; the Princes Herod, Philip.
Lysanias, and the high-priests Annas and Caiphas professed, al
least nominally, the Jewish religion. Many commentators on
the Sacred Scriptures see indicated in this circumstance the con­
soling truth that Jesus Christ came not only for the redemption
of the Jews, but also for that of the Gentiles. God wills the
salvation of all mankind ; therefore Jesus Christ is the Redeemer
of all. But in order to become sharers in the fruits of the Re­
demption, it is necessary to do penance ; therefore John appeared
among the Jews immediately before the coming of the Redeemer
and exhorted them to penance. It is in this spirit that the Church
has ordained a similar preparation for the advent or coming of

4· Liturgical Sketch.

>53

Christ, and set apart the four weeks preceding Christmas as a
time of penance ; for she is aware that without penance and
conversion we, Christians though we be, can no more obtain grace
and salvation than could the impenitent Jews. Only by bringing
forth fruit worthy of penance shall we see the salvation of God.
To encourage us to do penance, the Church has made several
ordinances for Advent, of which I shall speak to you to day.
They are—

I.
II.
III.
IK

The prohibition to celebrate marriages solemnly;
Fast days;
Ember-week ;
The Vigil of Christmas Day.

Part I.
The prohibition to celebrate marriages solemnly.
The laws of the Church forbid us to celebrate marriages solemnly
during the season of Advent, as well as in Lent. By solemn
marriages we understand such as are celebrated with worldly
pomp, public entertainments, music and dancing, and with the
nuptial mass and its blessing. The prohibition to solemnize such
marriages existed even in the primitive Church, and was inculcated
anew at the Council of Trent—Sess. 24, cap. 10. Besides solemn
marriages, worldly enjoyments, banquets, and balls are prohibited.
The reason is apparent. Advent is a time of penance, which worldly
amusements and pleasures illbefit. How could weindulgeinsensual
and frivolous enjoyments at a time when we are to consider
the great misery which sin has brought upon us, and prepare
ourselves by wholesome exercises of penance for Christmas? It
is, therefore, highly reprehensible for Christians to continue these
worldly pleasures and diversions and to frequent places of
amusement during Advent the same as they would at any other
time. They thereby prove and give others to understand that
they comprehend very little of the mysteries of Advent, and not
unfrequently give scandal.
The season of Advent should be to you not a time of levity or
of sensual enjoyments, but of solitude, interior recollection, and
penance. Avoid all distraction and enjoyments which are not
suitable for this holy season, and deny yourselves sometimes even
a lawful pleasure, in order to atone for your sins and to prepare
yourselves the better for the holy feast of our Lord’s Nativity.

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Part Π.
Fast days.

Advent is a time of penance; for this reason, the Church from
the beginning prescribed a fast for this season. The synod of
Macon, in the year 582, commands the faithful to fast from St.
Martin’s feast till the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, three
times a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Pope
Leo IV. (847—855) and Nicholas I. (858—867) call Advent a time
when all the faithful must fast. Many ascetic Orders still keep
this fast partially or entirely. Pope Benedict XIV. thus alludes to
it: “The Regular Orders now fast and abstain during Advent.”
The only traces left us of this ancient practice of fasting during
Advent are the Ember days, (in some places the other Fridays;
in some the other Wednesdays and Fridays) and Christmas Eve.
The Church has, however, introduced many things in her divine
office to remind us that this season is not one of feasting and
festivities, but rather of prayer and penance. We are reminded
of this at every turn. Marriage is forbidden to be celebrated
solemnly, and both the mass and the divine office are shorn of
many of their expressions of joy. In the office of this season the
soul-stirring Te Deum is omitted, and in the mass there is no
Gloria in Excelsis, no Ite, missa est. The organ is silent, the
color of the vestments is the penitential one, violet; the ferial
prayers are said on bended knees, and many other things are
done to keep before our minds the nature of the season.
This fast in Advent reminds us of the sin of our first parents,
who by eating the forbidden fruit brought ruin upon the whole
human race. To avert the terrible consequences of this sin, and
to render ourselves worthy of the grace of Redemption, we
ought to mortify our sensual desires, especially the cravings of
the appetite.

Part IIL
Ember-iaeek.
You know that each quarter of the year has a week that is called
Ember-week. The third week in Advent is one of these weeks.
Why is this? Advent is a holy season, during which we should
meditate in a special manner on the mystery of the Incarnation
of Christ, and consider the infinite love of God, who in his mercy
sent his only-begotten Son into the world to redeem us. More­
over, we should do penance for our sins, and strive to offer some
atonement to the divine justice for the offenses we have committed
against it ; we should devote ourselves to fervent prayer, and

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155

ask of God the graces which we need for our salvation. All these
exercises so appropriate to Advent are prescribed for each of the
Ember-weeks. It is the wish of the Church that during Emberweek we occupy ourselves with pious meditations on religious
truths, especially the mystery of the Incarnation ; that we '.fast on
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and perform penitential
works ; and that on all days, but especially on the Sunday of the
Ember-week, we excite ourselves to greater fervor than at other
times of the year. Thus the Church during Ember-week gives us
the best means for the sanctification of Advent.
She does the same during the week in her celebration of the
liturgy. On Wednesday she endeavors to awaken in us especially
a longing for the Redeemer. The Introit of the mass reads;
“Drop down dew, ye heavens, and let the clouds rain the just
one ; let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour.” In the
collect we pray our divine Redeemer to come, and not delay,
that we may be raised and comforted. On Friday the Church
wishes to remind us of the salvation which the Redeemer is about
to bring, in order to awaken in us a greater longing for him.
With this view that portion of the gospel was selected for the
mass which relates that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, and
that John, still in his mother’s womb, was, by divine interposition,
made aware of the presence of Jesus, leaped for joy thereat, and
received the grace of sanctification. On Saturday the Church
admonishes us to prepare the way for the Saviour by penance,
wherefore she cries out to us in the words of Isaias the prophet:
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”
The object of Ember-week, then, is to awaken in us a desire for
the Redeemer and a spirit of penance, that we may prepare our­
selves properly for the feast of Christmas and become partakers
of the grace of Redemption.

Part IV.
The Vigil of Christmas Day.

The primitive Christians celebrated the days before great feasts
by fasting and watching, that is, remaining in prayer and me­
ditation either all night or at least a portion of the night, or by
devotional exercises either in the church or at home. They did
this to prepare themselves the better for the feast on the following
day. From these watchings the days preceding the feasts came to
be known as Vigils, or night watchings. At present we have only
a few Vigils proper, and among them is the Vigil of Christmas Day
or Christmas Eve. St. Augustine long ago mentioned this Eve as
a fast day. When at a later period many of the Vigils, or nightly
assemblies, were abolished on account of abuses, the Church

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excepted and retained the Vigil of Christinas Day, that the hour
at which Jesus Christ came into the world might not pass without
prayer and thanksgiving
Christmas Eve is a fast day, as are some other Vigils. This
Vigil naturally directs our mind to the great mystery of the fol­
lowing day, reminding us that the birth of our Redeemer is very
near at hand. The Introit of the mass consists of the words of
Moses to the children of Israel when he prepared them for the
legislation on Mount Sinai: “To-day you shall know that the
Lord will come to redeem you, and to-morrow you shall see his
glory.” In the prayer we are reminded of the merciful coming
of Christ, and because of this mercy encouraged to look forward
to his second advent with confidence. The lesson treats of the
Incarnation of Jesus and of the inexhaustible fountain of grace
which this mystery opens for us. In the gospel an angel informs
Joseph in a dream that the fruit conceived by Mary was of the
Holy Ghost, and that he should call the Son whom she would
bring forth, Jesus, because he would redeem his people from
their sins.—Matt. 1: 18-21.
On Christmas Eve you should vividly represent to your mind
the great and ever-memorable day which sealed the Old Law and
began the New; that day on which Mary and Joseph, after having
looked in vain for a lodging at Bethlehem, sought refuge in a
stable, there to spend the night; that day on which the Fathers
of the Old Law intoned canticles of joy and thanksgiving in
limbo, because after thousands of years the hour had at length
arrived when the Expected of Nations should be born; that day
on which the heavenly choirs mingled their songs of jubilee
with those on earth, when the angels prepared to descend in
dazzling array upon the plains of Bethlehem to adore the new­
born Saviour and bring the happy tidings of his birth to the pious
shepherds, It is indeed a day of grace, a day which should be
spent in holy recollection and devotion.
In some Catholic Almanacs you will find inserted on this day
the names of Adam and Eve, our first parents. How significant!
To-day Adam, to-morrow Christ; to-day Adam, the progenitor
of the old human-race; to-morrow Christ, the progenitor of the
new; to day Adam, who by his disobedience brought death and
ruin upon the whole human family; to-morrow Christ, who by his
obedience redeemed the whole human race from the bonds of sin
and death, and obtained for it grace and salvation.
Thus Adam and Christ stand in close proximity, and remind
us of the words of the Apostle: “As by the offense of one, unto
all men to condemnation ; so also by the justice of one, unto all
men to justification of life. For as by the disobedience of one
man, many were made sinners, so also by the obedience of one,
many shall be made just.”—Rom. 5: 18, 19.

5· Symbolical Sketch.

τ57

PERORATION.

You know now the ordinances of the Church for Advent.
Observe them. The days of Advent are not days of worldly
distraction, but of holy recollection; not of sensual enjoyments,
but of interior and exterior mortifications. During this time lead
as far as possible a secluded life, and devote your leisure hours
to prayer. Keep not only the prescribed fast days, but practice
also voluntary penitential works, in order to atone for your sins.
Show your love and gratitude to Christ by good works, especially
works of mercy to the poor. Above all, I would advise you in
Advent, or during the Christmas holidays, to receive the Sacra­
ments of Penance and the holy Eucharist. By a good confession you
should free your soul and conscience from every stain of sin, and
prepare the way for your Saviour; and by a worthy communion
you should receive him really into your heart and become par­
takers of all the graces of the great fesfival of Jesus Christ’s
Nativity. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
HOW WE ARE TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR CHRIST.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord.—Luke 3: 4.

In olden times there were but few ways or roads, and those few
were often in a bad condition. When a prince undertook a journey
to visit his subjects, it was customary to repair the roads by
grading the elevations and filling up the valleys, thus making
the crooked and rough ways, so far as possible, straight and
plain. Soon, not a temporal but a heavenly king, Jesus Christ,
our Lord and God, will visit us; for in a few days we shall cele­
brate the feast of his Nativity. But that he may come with his
grace into our hearts we must prepare the way for him. Hence
the admonition in the g'ospel of this day: “Prepare ye the
way of the Lord.” But how are we to prepare the way for Christ?
The answer is contained in this same gospel: Every valley shall
be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain. Let us
make a short meditation on this.

·:

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Part L
Every valley shall be filled.
By this is meant deep hollows, pits, which must be filled up,
that a road may be made over them. This is exemplified in the
construction of railroads. Between us and Christ there are, as it
were, various valleys that must be filled, in order that we may
prepare a way for him into our hearts. What are these valleys ?
I shall mention only three.
1. The valley of unbelief. Alas! this is a deep gorge, a horrible
pit, which must necessarily be filled if Christ is to come to us.
Where there is unbelief, Christ is far away ; there no grace is to
be found, only sin and eternal ruin. “He that believeth not shall
be condemned.”—Mark 16: 16. Example : The incredulous Jews,
of whom Jesus says: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they
would not have sinned : but now they have no excuse for their
sin.”—John 15: 22.
You, brethren, are happily not called upon to fill this valley
ot unbelief, for you all believe what our divine Saviour has
taught and what the holy Catholic Church proposes to our faith.
But there are two things of which you must not lose sight. First,
there are many infidels and Free-thinkers abroad, who endeavor
by word and writings to tear the faith from your hearts. Be not
led astray by them. Shun their company, and do not read their
books or newspapers. Secondly, live according to the precepts
of faith; for it is only a living faith that leads to Christ and to
eternal salvation. “If I should have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”—I.
Cor. 13: 2.
2. The valley of distrust. Many Christians are always doubting
whether God has pardoned their sins and whether they will be
saved. If they pray when in any difficulty, and their petitions are
not immediately answered, they lose courage, and say; It is use­
less to pray; God does not hear me. This is a want of confidence
in God, a valley that must be filled if Christ is to come to us. A
man feels offended when he sees himself distrusted: how much
more must God feel offended when we have so little trust in him?
To mistrust God is to questi jn his omnipotence, goodness, and
veracity. Therefore St. James says: “He that wavereth is like a
wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind;
therefore, let not that man think that he shall receive anything
of the Lord.”—James 1: 6, 7. Example: Moses and the Israelites

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5. Symbolical Sketch

159

in the desert, on account of their distrust in God, were punished
by him.
Be firm in your confidence in God. You may surely hope to be
saved if you do what is required of you. It is impossible for any
one who has a good will and bravely cooperates with the grace
of God to be lost. Even in our temporal affairs God will not
forsake us; even these he will so order that nothing shall be
wanting which is needful or useful for our salvation. “We know
that to them that love God all things work together unto good.”
Rom. 8: 28, and “He that trusteth in the Lord shall be healed.”
—Prov. 28: 25.
3. The valley of the love of the world. Those who love the world
have no love for God; their whole aim and study is to obtain
temporal goods, honors, dignities, riches, and the gratification of
their passions. They care little or nothing for their soul or for
heavenly goods; they are active, vigilant, and busy in temporal
things, but not in the service of God; they neglect the duties of
religion, and transgress the laws of God and of his Church.
How can he be pleased with them, how can he visit them with
his grace? “Love not the world, nor those things which are in
the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father
is notin him.”—I. John 2: 15.

This valley must be filled. Love God above all things, and
manifest this love by preferring him and his holy will above
everything earthly, and by avoiding all that is displeasing to him.
Seek and desire what is temporal only in so far as it is necessary
for this present life, and as a means of doing good and obtaining
life everlasting. Take the words of St. Paul for your rule of con­
duct: “It remaineth (now) that they also who have wives, be as
if they had none : and they that weep, as though they wept
not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that
buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world,
as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth
away?’—I. Cor. 1: 29-31.

Part Π.
Every mountain and hili shall be brought love.
Mountains and hills, especially if they be steep, are not very
well adapted for roads ; they must be either graded or tunneled.
There are also, so to speak, mountains and hills in the heart of
man, which must be brought low, in order that Christ may enter.
Such mountains and hills are—

Fourth Sunday

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Advent

i. Pride. This is an inordinate esteem of one’s self. Many
boast of their knowledge and skill, their riches, fine clothes,
beauty, virtue, and piety. This is pride. Many on every occasion
speak of what is to their credit, esteeming themselves above others
and looking down on them. This is pride. Many humble them­
selves apparently, call themselves frail, sinful men, but only in
order to be praised. This is pride.

We must lower the mountains and hills of pride, otherwise
Christ will not come to us. “Unless you be converted, and be­
come as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.”— Matt. 18:3. It is very laborious and tedious to level
hills and mountains; in like manner the extirpation of pride is
difficult, for it is an inheritance received from mother Eve, and
a vice deeply rooted in the human heart. The first thing neces­
sary is to ascertain its existence. To this end let us frequently
ask ourselves: Do I always seek God’s honor ? Do I not feel hurt
when I am slighted or despised? Do I not love to speak of what
is to my credit ? Do I not desire the praise of men ? Do I not think
myself better than others? Let us, moreover, avail ourselves of
the proper means for acquiring the virtue of humility, such as
the consideration of the terrible consequences of pride, the
necessity of humility, the examples of Christ and the saints, and
our own misery and frailty.
2. Avarice. Gold and silver are dug out of the hills and
mountains, and frequently become mountains again in the heart
of man, for the avaricious heap up gold and silver in vast quan­
tities, and yet never have enough. They resemble a man with
the dropsy, whose thirst only becomes greater the morè he
drinks. Jesus does not climb over such mountains of avarice ;
whenever he meets with one in his way, he turns aside and walks
on the level ground. How could he, who calls the poor in spirit
blessed, and denounces the rich, and who, although rich,
chose poverty for his portion, and lived and died poor,—how, I
ask, could he come to a man whose god is Mammon, and who,
in order to acquire riches, frequently violates justice and charity,
neglects the duties of religion, and labors, not for heaven, but
for earth? Let such a one meditate on Dives and Lazarus.—Luke
16 Mountains and hills are leveled by removing rocks, grading
down the unnecessary earth, and filling up the hollows with it.
In like manner, the mountains and hills of avarice must be
brought low; give of your superabundance to the poor. Thus
the Apostle wills it: “In this present time let your abundance
supply their want, that their abundance also may supply your
want, and that there may be an equality, as it is written : He
that had much, had nothing over; and he that had little, had

5- Symbolical Sketch.
no want.”—II. Cor. 8: 14, 15. Works of mercy obtain for ns God’s
grace and mercy. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy.”—Matt. 5: 7.

Part ΙΠ.
The crooked shall be made straight.
People do not like roundabout roads and whenever they
can they avoid them by taking short cuts which bring them
sooner to their journey’s end. Our divine Saviour also does not
like crookedness; on the straight road he comes to us or not at
all. What are these crooked ways which we must make straight?
They are the crookedness of insincerity—
1. Towards God. To this crookedness belong all actions which
tend not towards God, but towards something else, to which,
therefore, a good intention is wanting. You work, not because
God wills it, but for the sake of your temporal progress, you
attend church frequently, not to worship God, but to be con­
sidered a good Christian ; you give alms, not because it is the
will of God, but to receive human praise ; you guard against im­
purity and drunkenness, not because God forbids these vices, but
because they render a man contemptible and lead to disgrace and
penury. The Scribes and Pharisees followed these crooked ways
in performing their good works; wherefore Christ says of them:
“They have received their reward.”—Matt. 6: 2. Do not take
these crooked paths, but follow the straight road, and heed the
advice of the Apostle : “Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart,
as to the Lord, and not to men.”—Col. 3: 23. Form the good
intention every morning of doing all things for the honor and
glory of God, and renew this intention from time to time during
the day, not only with your lips, but also by the upraising of
your heart and mind to your Father in heaven.
2. Insincerity towards our neighbor. That man has crooked ways

in his heart who does not cherish a kindly feeling towards his
neighbor, who dissimulates, deceives and cheats him in business
transactions, or assumes the appearance of piety in order
to impose on him more easily. To such a one the words of the
royal Psalmist apply: “Thou hatest all workers of iniquity,
thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie.”—Ps. 5: 7. Alasl how
many tread these crooked paths! Let us, brethren, go the
straight way of sincerity and honesty, saying with David: “I
know, my God, that thou provest hearts and lovest simplicity.”
—I. Parai. 29:17.
1

11

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3. Insincerity towards onds self. It seems paradoxical to say
that one could be insincere towards one’s self. But it is frequently
the case, and this insincerity is one of the crooked ways that
must be made straight before Christ will come into our souls.
And how are people insincere towards themselves? Brethren, if
you think a pious, God-fearing life consists only in external exer­
cises, without troubling yourself about your interior, or without
watching and subduing your inordinate desires and inclinations;
if you think that it is enough for salvation to avoid evil, and that
you may neglect the good, especially the duties of your state
of life; if you believe that God, on account of your ordinarily
good life, will be indulgent as regards this or that sin,—in so
many points you are insincere towards yourselves, for you have
been taught and know better. These are so many crooked ways
that must be made straight before your Saviour can come into
your hearts. Reflect whether you have not heretofore followed
these crooked ways, and if you have, make straight what is
crooked and regulate your life according to the precepts of the
gospel.

Part IV.
The rough ways shall be made plain.

It is not easy to proceed on rough, stony roads; some are alto
gether impassable, and if these are to be gone over they must be
first made plain by removing the ruggedness, breaking the
stones, and making the uneven surface even. Every one enjoys
traveling on a good, smooth road, and such a road Christ also
demands for his coming into our souls. Many Christians are, like
these rough ways I have spoken of, rough in their conduct—

i. Towards God. These are they who are not satisfied with the
dispensations of divine Providence, but impatiently murmur and
complain, for instance, of bad weather, of the bitterness of their
lot, of sickness, or some temporal mischance. This is very wrong;
it is encroaching on the prerogatives of God, who alone has the
right to ordain and to do as he pleases ; it is murmuring against his
Providence, which governs and guides all things, good as well
as evil, according to his wisdom; it is a repining that one can not
get to heaven by some other way than the one which Jesus
pointed out by word and example—the way of the cross. Make
plain what is rough; submit cheerfully and unconditionally to the
dispensations and ordinances of God, according to the example
of Job and the saints, repeating fervently on each trying
occasion: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

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2. Towards our neighbor. Boisterous, irritable natures are rough.
When things do not turn out as they wish, they are enraged; a
contradiction puts them in a passion; when they do not succeed
with their work they begin to curse and blaspheme ; when cor­
rected, they are indignant and offended, and complain of being
wronged.
Towards superiors, if they are not treated with the
greatest consideration, they are rude; with their equals they get
into contentions and difficulties; to their inferiors they hardly
ever speak a friendly word. It is hard to live with such people,
“it is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome
and passionate woman.”—Prov. 21: 19.
What is rough must be made plain. “ Let all bitterness, and
anger, and indignation and clamor, and blasphemy, be put away
from you, with all malice; and be ye kind to one another, merci­
ful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in
Christ.”—Ephes. 4: 31, 32. But this requires effort. Therefore,
daily resolutions, frequent prayer, and continual practice are nec­
essary.
PERORATION.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord. ’ ’ Fill the valleys of unbelief
and distrust, stand firm in the Catholic faith and in confidence in
God in every situation of life. Bring low the mountains and hills
of pride and avarice, make straight what is crooked: do all for
the honor of God ; be kind to every one, regulate your life
according to the precepts of the divine law, make plain what is
rough, submff to the will of God, and be patient and meek
towards your fellow-men, especially towards your inferiors.
Blessed will you be if you thus prepare the way of the Lord,
for you shall see the salvation of God. Amen.

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FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
THE SMALL NUMBER OF TRUE PENITENTS.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.—
Luke 3: 4.
The preaching· of penance by St. John the Baptist on the banka
of the river J rdan made a deep impression upon his hearers.
Filled with consternation they came to him and asked what they
should do in order to escape the judgments of God. What a
consolation it would be to us pastors of souls, if Christians would
come to us with such fervor to hear the word of God, and mani­
fest such anxiety to do penance for their sinsl Truly this would
greatly lighten the difficult office of preaching. This consolation,
however, is rarely accorded us. Many will not even hear us, and
the majority of those who do listen, give slight heed and have
no intention of putting what they hear into practice. A hundred
sermons will scarcely convert a single sinner. Of vices and sins
we hear every day; there is an excess of them reported in the
daily newspapers, but how seldom we hear of a wicked person
being truly converted! The majority of sinners remain sinners,
and are converted neither in life nor in death. Yes, the number
of true penitents is very small—

I. When in health ;
II. In the time of sickness.

Part I.
The number of true penitents is small when they are in health
To convince ourselves of this truth we need only consider—

1. The effects of true repentance, and
2. Whether these effects are visible in our penitents.

I. True repentance changes—
(a.) The mind and disposition of a man. His ideas of God, of the
world, of virtue and sin, are quite different from those he had
while in the state of sin. As a sinner, he cared little about God,

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thought of him but seldom, and only accidentally; benefits and
punishments made upon him either only a momentary impression
or none at all. As a penitent he turns his eyes to God, reflects
with a heart full of emotion and gratitude upon the benefits and
graces he has received, and with terror upon the danger to which
his salvation had been exposed; he never ceases to give thanks
to God, who delivered him from this danger and received him so
mercifully. When a sinner he valued and loved only what the
world has to offer, honors, riches, and pleasures; as a penitent
these things are to him mere playthings; his soul alone and
eternal goods possess real value in his eyes. As a sinner he did
not perceive the greatness and baseness of his iniquities;
Christian virtues were a matter of indifference to him, or were
even distasteful. As a penitent he is ashamed of his sins, is sorry
for them, and rejoices in what is good and pleasing to God.

(6.) The inclinations of a man. I do not say that true repen­
tance extirpates every inclination to sin, for a predominant
inclination to evil remains even in the heart of the just man
in consequence of original sin. But true repentance exterminates
all voluntary desires for sin, makes us hate what we sinfully
loved before conversion, and love those things which we then
sinfully shunned or bated. This interior change is an absolutely
necessary requisite for repentance. Penitents who still love
what they loved as sinners, for instance, their sinful familiarity,
or hate what they they hated as sinners, such as prayer, hearing
the word of God, and mortification, are not penitents, but hypo­
crites.

(i.) It changes our life. It may happen that even true repentance
is followed by a relapse into the old sin, for human weakness is
so great, and the enemies of our salvation so powerful and
numerous, that even Christians who are truly converted may in
an unfortunate moment again sin grievously. Nevertheless, it
remains a truth, that the repentance which is followed by a
relapse, is either no true repentance, or only a very doubtful one.
If Mary Magdalene, Zacheus and Paul, after having given fair
promises of repentance, had continued their sinful life, we should
say: These persons were not earnest in their repentance, else
they would have changed their lives. In fact, where there is true
repentance, a radical change of life is discernible, and, even if
relapses do follow, they will be rare, and by and by will cease
altogether.

2. By the effects you may judge of the repentance of the majority
of Christians and of your own.

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(a). Where are the penitents in whom we find these three great
changes, viz., a change in the disposition of mind, in the
inclinations, and an amendment of life? How many can you show
me who have changed their views of God, the world, virtue
and vice ? How many can you point out who allow no inordinate
desire to dwell in their hearts ? How many can you name, who
manifesta thorough change of life? If we see that the majority
of Christians, after confession, are as lukewarm in the service
of God as before, that they seek their former occasions of sin,
continue their dangerous familiarity with persons of the oppo­
site sex, and relapse into their former sins of drunkenness,
neglecting mass, bad company, etc., what can any one think
of their repentance but that it was a mere mockery of God,
and that by a sacrilegious reception of the sacraments they
brought upon themselves, not the blessing, but the curse and
wrath of the Almighty?
(£.) And now tell me how matters stand with you. Have
you begun to change the disposition of your mind? Do you hate
and detest sin above everything, and from the bottom of your
heart? Do you entertain no inordinate inclination in your heart?
Are you zealous in the performance of your duties? Do you not
relapse into your former sins? Do you avail yourself of the
means of grace for repentance and the amendment of your life?
Alas! I fear there are but few among us who can answer these
aud similar questions affirmatively. And if this be the case, you
may well feel uneasy concerning your repentance, for you can
not reasonably hope that your salvation is secure. Hence St.
Ambrose says: “It is easier to find Christians who have preser­
ved the garb of baptismal innocence undefiled, than such as
recover it after they have once lost it by sin.” In other words,
it is easier to find Christians who have never committed a mortal
sin than Christians who, having grievously fallen, have truly
repented. The number of true penitents, then, must be very
small, since the number of those who preserve their baptismal
innocence, who never commit a mortal sin, is comparatively
small.

Part Π.
True repentance among Christians in a good state of health is
rare, but it is equally, and even more rare, in time of sickness.
And why?
i. On account of the severity of the judgments of God, which are
very different from what people generally imagine them to be. It is
true, God is infinitely merciful : “His mercy is above all his
works.” But the sinner must not render himself entirely un-

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worthy of the mercy of God by his obstinacy; he must not, as it
were, compel God to withdraw his hand from him and to deliver
him to perdition. But this is just what impious Christians usually
do, for they continue to accumulate sin upon sin, and reject all
the graces given them. God turns from them and abandons them
to the perversity of their course. To such impénitents the words
of the Lord apply: “Because I called and you refused : I stretched
out my hand, and there was none that regarded; you have
despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions:
I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock when that
shall come to you which you feared.”—Prov. 1: 24-26. Example:
Antiochus—II. Mach. 9. I do not, however, assert that God will
accord no further graces to obstinate sinners, for in that case
their conversion would be absolutely impossible, and whilst living
they would already be of the number of the damned; but this
much is certain, that God does not give to sinners of this
description extraordinary, but only ordinary graces, by means of
which they could be converted but in their blindness and obsti­
nacy they will not be converted. They remain impenitent and
are lost. He, therefore, who sins heedlessly, and is satisfied with
thinking that after a while or on his death bed he will set his
conscience in order and do penance, exposes his salvation to
the greatest danger, and has reason to fear that his place will be
among the damned.

2. On account of the critical circumstances by •which penance is
almost always accompanied in time of sickness.
(0.) Sinners who have lived impenitently when in health usually
postpone their conversion also when they are sick. They wait to
see whether the medicine has the desired effect, or whether
there is any hope of recovery. You must not mention to them
that they should receive the last sacraments. They are afraid
they might be obliged to break their bonds of sin too soon, and
it seems as if they cried out to Christ, as the devil did : “What
have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of God ? Art thou come
hither to torment us before the time?”—Matt. 8: 29. They wait
until the last hours of life, when their body and soul are so de­
bilitated that they can scarcely set their temporal affairs in order,
much less those of their soul. By the persuasion of pious friends,
they will at last, when death stares them in the face, send for the
priest and make their peace with God by a confession of their
sins. But in order to make a good confession, true contrition
with a firm purpose of amendment, as well as an entire confession
of all our sins, and an earnest will to make satisfaction, are re­
quired. What kind of contrition is such a dying person’s likely
to be? Think you it will have the requisite qualities?—that it

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will be interior, sovereign, supernatural, and universal? or only
natural, partial, and extorted by fear? Or, in other words,
will the sinner now all of a sudden change his whole dis­
position? will he, above all, hate and detest sin, which he loved
all his lifetime? Do you suppose that he will now turn with true,
genuine love to God, for whom in life he cared so little ? Will
he to whom a life of sin has become a habit, a second nature,
have a firm purpose of amendment? Will he be able to confess
all the sins which he committed during a long series of years,
as also their number and necessary particulars? Will he
firmly purpose to repair all the evil he did to the best of his
ability? Ah! how much it is to be feared that whatever such a
penitent does on his death-bed will be only an empty appearance,
a sham penitence, a mockery. People sometimes say : “This one
or that one had the priest in his last hours, received all the sa­
craments before his death, he died happy.” But God in heaven
speaks another language. The sinner died as he lived, unrepen­
tant, and with all his sins upon his head was called to judgment.
His was not the repentance which cleanseth from sin. It was but
a spasm of human fear,—of the earth, earthy. His apparent
reconciliation with his Maker was but a sham, or rather another
fearful enormity in the sight of all heaven. People will say: “He
prayed with the priest before he died, and broke out into contrite
sighs.” You must know the dying man could borrow from the
priest the words of faith, hope, charity, and contrition, but not
necessarily feel these divine virtues within him. As to the con­
trite sighs, who knows but they were more the result of
bodily pains than of sorrow for his past sins ? All those who
suffer pain, sigh and moan, but how many do you think sigh
and moan on account of their sins? But they say: He repeat­
edly and emphatically promised that he would lead a good life
if he should recover. All dying people promise this, but if they
recover, do they keep their promises? The majority do not! they
commence their old life of sin, and fall still deeper into the mire
of iniquity. Alas! these fair weather promises and protestations
of repentance on the sick or death-bed, seldom proceed from a
truly contrite, thoroughly changed heart, and are not reliable
tokens of a true reconciliation with God by sincere repentance.
No matter how such sinners may act in their sickness and on
their death-bed, it is always doubtful whether they will be saved.
We are, it is true, not allowed to judge; nevertheless, we have
reason to fear on account of the uncertainty of their repentance.

Peroration.
Do not postpone your repentance for a year, or for a week,
much less till the end of your life. If you have the misfortune to

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169

fall into mortal sin, at once make an act of contrition, and avail
yourself of the first opportunity to restore yourself to a state of
grace by a good confession. If any of you have lived in sin
for several years, oh, let me entreat you to think of the
danger you run, for you may die at any moment, and if you
do live on longer, it is to be feared that you will never, not
even on your death-bed, be reconciled with God by a true re­
pentance. Remember what God says to every sinner : “Delay
not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to
day, for his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time
of vengeance he will destroy thee.”—Ecclus. 5: 8, 9. Never
forget that although there are many ways in which we are drawn
into sin, there is only one way to get out of it, penance-, and that
the same God who tells us that there is no salvation without
faith, tells us also that we shall be lost without penance.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
WE HAVE MANY PREACHERS OF PENANCE, BUT FEW PENITENTS

John came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the
baptism ofpenance for the remission of sins.—Luke 3:3.
We find St. John the Baptist to-day on the banks of the river
Jordan as a preacher of penance. Great multitudes of people
flocked to see and hear that extraordinary man. He preached
with the power and zeal of an Elias, and threatened all with
the judgments of God, unless they should bring forth fruit worthy
of penance.—Matt. 3: 8. Besides penance, he preached baptism
as the beginning and dedication of a new and better life, and as
an illustration of the necessity of the interior purification from
sin. To give more emphasis to his words, he led a most austere,
penitential life himself. "He wore a garment of camel’s hair, and
a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and
wild honey.”—Matt. 3: 4. Such a preacher of penance was St.
John. Have we not also preachers of penance? Yes, brethren,
we have; but, as in the days of John, so now-a-days, there are
©nly a few who listen to them and bring forth fruit worthy of
penance. Let us meditate on this truth to-day. We have—

11

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Z Many preachers of penance, but
IL Few penitents.

Part L
What preachers of penance have we ? I shall
three: our conscience, the Church, and God himself.

ention only

1. Our conscience. God has given this preacher of penance to
every man. Pagans, Jews, Christians, believers and unbelievers,
hear its voice. If the sinner do not heed his conscience, but,
contrary to its warning, do wrong, it cries out to him: Thou hast
offended God and incurred his displeasure and punishment. It
admonishes, entreats, and threatens him, repeating these ad­
monitions and threats as long as the sinner perseveres in sin.
He may endeavor to silence this interior monitor, but he can not
succed; it raises its voice again like a restless child that will not
be quieted until you do its will. It cries out to the young man
and the young woman: Give up that dangerous familiarity; do
not tempt God, but give it up at once, or shame and perdition,
temporal and eternal, will be your portion. Conscience cries out
to parents: Watch over your children with more solicitude, do
not allow them to keep bad company, forbid them unseasonable
hours, bring them up in the fear of God, for you must give an
account of them and of all the sins which they commit in con­
sequence of your neglect, carelessness, or bad example. It cries
out to the drunkard, the gambler, the prodigal: Amend your life,
or you shall perish eternally. To the unjust: Make restitution,
cease cheating and overreaching, for the unjust shall not possess
the kingdom of God. To make its admonitions more impressive,
it gives the sinner no rest, it torments him with remorse, and
goads him on, as the drayman whips his horse to urge him for­
ward. Thus conscience is a continual and powerful preacher of
penance.
2. The Church. She preaches to us—

(λ.) By her priests. What labor and pains do not pastors of
souls take in their public discourses to bring sinners to a true
knowledge of themselves, and to lead them to penance 1 They
describe to them not only the mercy of God, which never rejects
a repentant sinner, but also
justice of God, the misery of the
sinner, and the happiness of the true penitent for time and eter­
nity; they instruct them in what they must do in order to be
reconciled with God, and show them the danger to which they
expose themselves by putting off their conversion. And with
what earnestness do not priests labor in the confessional to save

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the sinner 1 With what zeal do they not speak to his heart, and
how impressively do they not persuade him to relinquish his bad
habits, to restrain his passions, to avoid the occasions of sin, and
to make use of the means of grace to amend his life! Truly, no
sinner will ever be able to excuse himself before God on the
ground that priests have not often and emphatically preached
penance to him.

(6.) By her holy seasons andfeasts. Are not all the holy seasons
and feasts of the Ecclesiastical year preachers of penance? The
violet color of her vestments, the silence of the organ as well as the
ceremonies of the Church during Advent and Lent, do they not
ali exhort us to do penance for our sins? The same may be said
of the feasts of our Lord, of Mary, and of the saints. The feasts
of our Lord present to us the mysteries of our Redemption and
call upon us to apply to ourselves the fruits thereof by penance;
the feasts of Mary present to us the Blessed Virgin as the Mother
of grace and mercy, thereby infusing confidence into the heart of
the sinner and encouraging him to have recourse to her; the feasts
of the saints tell us; Behold, in heaven above a place is also
prepared for you; but since nothing defiled can enter heaven,
you must do penance and make use of your temporal life to
obtain that which is eternal.
(c.) By missions, jubilees, etc. During missions the most
terrifying truths are proposed for our consideration, such as
the four last things, death, judgment, heaven, and hell, the ne­
cessity of penance, the consequences of sin, and the justice of
God; these sermons make a salutary impression upon every
one who has not lost all faith and is not entirely perverted. At the
time of a jubilee and on days when indulgences are granted, as
during the Forty Hours’ devotion, the word of God is preached
forcibly and eloquently; moreover, at such times, and on such
days, great graces are given to sincere souls, and consequently
extraordinary conversions frequently occur on these occasions.
3. God himself. He preaches to us—
(0.) By particular events in life. Such events are: A dangerous
sickness which confines the sinner for weeks to a bed of pain
and brings him to the brink of the grave ; to many, such a sick­
ness has been the most effectual means of spiritual recovery.
The death of a father, of a mother, or a friend, not unfrequently
makes a very wholesome impression upon frivolous, thoughtless,
worldly people, for it preaches to them the uncertainty of human
life, and turns their thoughts to eternity, and with eloquent
silence cries to them: You also must die and appear before the

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Fourth Sunday in Advent.

tribunal of God, perhaps sooner than you expect! Accidents,
such as conflagrations, hail storms, bad crops, etc., are means by
which God, as it were, does violence to sinners in order to make
them turn from their evil ways and be converted.
(<λ) 2?v public calamities and sufferings. As often as the Is­
raelites fell into idolatry, or other sins and vices, God visited
them with plagues. In the time of the high-priest Heli they
suffered many defeats, and the Ark of the Covenant even fell into
the hands of the Philistines. In the time of King Achab a three
years’ drouth visited the land, and the misery was so great that
men and beasts starved.—III. Kings 17. When the Israelites,
did penance God again showed them mercy and grace, and
withheld his avenging arm. As such a preacher of penance God
appears also in our days. What time has been so rife with ca­
lamities as ours? Have we not had bloody wars which brought
ruin and sufferings of every kind upon countries and nations?
Cholera, which in large cities swept away thousands of inhabit­
ants? Do we not read of yellow fever, earthquakes, storms, and
inundations which cause devastations and claim the holocaust of
many human lives? Alas! how many men in our days live
notwithstanding in entire forgetfulness of God? They respect
neither human nor divine laws; they are deaf to all salutary
admonitions, and for this reason God himself begins to preach;
he wields the rod of chastisement, thereby to bring those who
despise him to a sense of their duty. Thus, as you see, we have
many preachers of penance, but few penitents.

Part Π.
Yes, we have but few penitents; and why? Because many
sinners persuade themselves that they do not need penance; many
take that to be penance which is not penance; and many put the
matter off; imagining that, in their particular case, there still re­
mains plenty of time for penance.

i. Many sinners believe that it is notnecessaryfor them to do penance.
They are not murderers, robbers, drunkards, or adulterers; they
commit no great, palpable sins and vices, and therefore believe
that they are not among those who need do penance. Alas! how
many, fancying this, deceive themselves! People talk thus
who are eaten up by pride and vanity, who are given to envy,
calumny, overreaching, and perhaps to sins against holy purity.
Forsooth, they do nothing! Yet the gospel condemns many a
one such as they. To all outward appearances they are without
reproach and stand well in the sight of all men. But will they,
in their heart of hearts, claim to be so in the sight of God ? If

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they would only look carefully into themselves, and faithfully
compare their lives with the maxims and teachings of the gospel,
I have no doubt that all of them would discover abundant reason
why they should do penance. Did not the Scribes and Pharisees
think themselves just? But they deceived themselves, for Christ
emphatically declares: “Unless your justice abound more than
that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven.”—Matt. 5: 20. Many act as does a business
man when he compares his assets with his liabilities; they make
a comparison between their sins and their good works, and
seeing that the number of their good works exceeds the number
of their sins, they feel quite relieved and think it unnecessary to
do penance. But this again is a self-delusion. Suppose you can
count a thousand good works, and only one mortal sin, you have
more than sufficient cause to do penance, for all your good
works would in such case avail you nothing before God, and on
account of that one mortal sin you would be eternally lost, unless
you earnestly do penance. This is a doctrine of our faith.

2. Many take that to be penance which is not penance. They
imagine that if they confess their sins, receive absolution, and
perform the penance enjoined upon them by the confessor, all
is right, that penance consists therein. Confession, absolution,
and satisfaction are indeed necessary parts of penance, but they
do not constitute true penance, such as is required for the for­
giveness of sin, and for eternal salvation. First of all, true,
sincere contrition is required. We must hate and detest all sins,
especially mortal sins, because they are a grievous offense
against God ; we must be sorry because we have so often and so
grievously offended him. But how many there are in whom it
is to be feared this contrition is wanting. Their penance is not
genuine, but counterfeit. A firm purpose of amendment is re­
quired. You must be resolved never again to commit mortal sin,
and to avoid the occasions of sin ; furthermore, your resolution
must be so firm that you must be ready to die rather than offend
God again by mortal sin. But how many pretended penitents
there are who have no such intention of amending their lives,
and can not resolve to avoid those persons, places, and pleasures
that heretofore were to them proximate occasions of sin! Their
penance is but sinful trifling. True penance requires us to restore
ill-gotten goods, to repair any damage caused by our sins, to
restore the honor and good name of our neighbor as far as we
can, to be reconciled with our adversaries, to repair all injustices
committed in our dealings with others and avoid them for the
future, and to overcome all our bad habits. How many there
are who do not do this! Their penance is not penance. Lastly,
true penance requires that we avail ourselves of the means of

Fourth Sunday

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Advent.

thorough conversion, such as prayer, the frequent thought of
God. the bridling of our outward senses, the mortification of our
sinful inclinations, the frequent reception of the sacraments; but
how many there are who neglect these means! Their penance is
but a sham. And with such penance many Christians quiet their
consciences during their whole lifetime. Let us find out
whether we ourselves do not belong to this class of penitents.

3. Many imagine that it will be time enough lang hence for them
to think of doing penance. Young people think: When we get
married and commence housekeeping we shall change our life.
A business man thinks: When I have accumulated enough to
live on the interest of my money, and when I retire from business
and have more time than now, I shall set my conscience in
order. Aged people think: I shall live a few years more, per­
haps ten or twenty; there is time enough to prepare for eternity.
Thus all defer their conversion, thinking that they have still
plenty of time. What a delusion !

(æ.) Who has time at his disposal! No one. Youth has it not;
young people may die, and every day do die. The gospel speaks
of a young man of Naim and of a daughter of Jairus, who died
in the bloom of youth. In one cold night the frost will blight the
fairest buds and blossoms. How many young people there are
in our cemeteries! Mature age has it not. The storm roots up and
breaks down the most stately oaks. Lazarus died in the prime
of life. History and every one’s own experience prove that death
does not spare people of middle age. Of those who are in their
declining years, who are well past the meridian of live, having
reached their threescore, or the threscore and ten of the Psalmist,
or any that may be granted them in the future, are truly years
of grace. How foolish then it is to say : “There is time enough

(3.) And time for penance, in particular, who has that at his
disposal ? Is it probable that he who in his youth lies in sin will
be converted in mature age? or that he who in mature age will not
think of conversion will be converted in his declining years? It
occurs but rarely. People generally remain during their whole
life what they were in their youth; there are exceptions, but they
are few and far between. The longer one lives in sin, the more sin
becomes a habit, the more callous grows the conscience, the less
becomes the fear of God, the deeper the spiritual blindness, and
the harder the obduracy; and the consequence is that penance
becomes more difficult and rare the longer it is deferred. The

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words of Jesus aptly apply to sinners who defer their conversion
from time to time: “With their ears they have been dull of
hearing·, and their eyes they have shut, lest at anytime they should
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and be converted.”—Matt. 13: 15.
PERORATION.

Follow the admonition of the Psalmist: To-day if you shall
hear his voice, harden not your hearts.—Ps. 94: 8. Whenever
the voice may come which says, “Do penance,” listen to it; it is
the voice of God, who wills your salvation. Heed it, obey it, for
he who now comes as a Redeemer will one day appear as a
Judge. Hear it, for he, our Redeemer and Judge, has said:
“Watch ye, therefore ; because ye know not the day nor the
hour.”—Matt. 25: 13. And what if death should steal upon you
unawares and find you unprepared! It will then be too late for
you to fill your lamps. All who at the coming of our Lord are
not purified by true repentance and reconciled with God must
hear those terrible words: “I know you not.”—Matt. 25: 12.
Therefore do penance speedily, and save your immortal souls.
Amem

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Sunday After Christmas.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.

Epistle. Gal. 4: 1-7. Brethren: As long as the heir is a child,
he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, but
is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the
father: so we also, when we were children, were serving under
the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time was
come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law;
that he might redeem them who were under the law ; that we
might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons,
God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying :
Abba, Father. Therefore, now he is not a servant, but a son.
And if a son, an heir also through God.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
MAN’S CONDITION BEFORE THE COMING OF CHRIST, AND WHAT
HE HAS BECOME THROUGH CHRIST.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.—John 1:14.
The Incarnation of Christ is the adorable mystery which we
commemorate during these days After Christmas the Church
begins gradually to unfold this mystery more and more to our
veneration, in order that we may the better understand its sig­
nificance and learn to know the plentitude of its grace. Hence
all the epistles and gospels up to the feast of Epiphany refer to
Jesus, the new-born Saviour of the world, and render conspicuous
those truths relating to his Divinity and humanity, to his office
as Redeemer and Dispenser of grace, which faith proposes to
us. So also the lesson of this Sunday, which is a small portion
of the epistle addressed by St Paul to the Galatians, and in
which he explains to them—

i. Homiletic Sketch.

177

Z The condition of man before Christ, and
IL What man became through Christ.

Part I.
A s long as the heir is a child, he dijfereth nothing from a servam
though he be Lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until th*
lime appointed by the father : so we also, when we were children
were serving under the elements of the world.

i. In order to represent to us the condition of the Jews and
Gentiles before Christ, the Apostle refers us to the law regarding
minors which existed among all ancient nations. He says in
other words: From their birth children are the heirs of their
fathers, but while under age they have no power or authority
over the goods left them by their deceased parents. And although
they are the proprietors, and real owners, yet they cannot dispose
of these goods at their pleasure, but are under tutors or guar­
dians, who direct the management of the hereditary estates until
such time as their wards have attained their majority. During
their minority these children in nowise differ from servants,
because, like them, they are dependent upon others. It is only
when they have attained their majority and are released from
the guardianship of others, that they can dispose of their
patrimony at will.
The Apostle means to say that the condition of man before
the coming of Christ was analogous to that of children during
their minority. Before Christ came they resembled minors under
tutors and guardians, being under the Old Law like children
under a guardian or a taskmaster. St. Paul had the Jews in his
mind, for they inherited by birth the blessings which G-od had
promised to their progenitor Abraham; they were the chosen
people; out of their nation the Redeemer was to come forth;
they were to be the first to be made partakers of the grace of Re­
demption. But just as minors are under tutors and guardians,
so the Jews had a guardian, that is, the Law, with its stern
precepts, to which they were subject until the appointed time,
namely, until the Redeemer should come and abolish the Law.
What St. Paul here says of the Jews applies equally to the Gen­
tiles. They also were descendants of Adam and Eve, to whom
God, immediately after the fall, promised a Redeemer, and
although, in the course of time, they erred and fell into
idolatry, yet God did not abandon them, but placed them under
the natural law, and in various ways sought to prepare them for
the coming of their Redeemer. Thus both Jews and Gentiles
resembled children under age, who, although they were by God’s
grace and providence heirs of his goods, namely, justification and

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Sunday After Christmas.

sanctification, yet they could not fully possess these goods,
with all the benefits that possession implies, until the time ap­
pointed by the Father for Jesus Christ to come into the world
and accomplish the work of Redemption.

2. Let us admire here the longanimity of God. In the course of
time men had sunk deeper and deeper into ignorance and vice;
God, however, never abandoned them, but did all that was ne­
cessary and possible to save them. In like manner he still acts
in his kind providence. So many thousands of his children heap
sin upon sin, and for years despise every grace which he sends
them from heaven; God has abundant reason to abandon them
and to hand them over to perdition, but he is patient, and con­
tinues to give them grace after grace and call after call, that they
may at last be converted and live. This longanimity is often
crowned with the desired success; the sinner comes to the
knowledge of his condition and does penance. Manasses, king
of Juda {IV. Kings 21; IL Parai. 33.): the thief on the cross.
Oh! that every sinner would avail himself of the longanimity of
God!

3. Let usalso admire the Orisdom of God. God led the Jews and
Gentiles to salvation by entirely different ways. To the Jews he
gave the written Law, with a multitude of precepts and ceremo­
nies, by which he reminded them continually of their sins and the
necessity of Redemption, and so held them in restraint He
also from time to time sent them prophets, who announced
the coming of the Messias and exhorted them to penance. He
allowed the Gentiles to go their own way ; to try their natural
strength and learn by sad experience the depth of the misery
of sin. Only by considering the appalling moral degradation
to which immortal man, made in the image and likeness of
God, had sunk before the coming of Christ, and man’s futile
efforts to lift the cloud of ignorance which overspread the world,—
man’s futile efforts to ascertain something of the spiritual, whence
or why he was, and what his future may be—can we have any
conception of the Redemption. The greater portion of the world,
Jews and Gentiles, were conscious of their misery and longed
ardently for the promised Redeemer. By whatever ways God
may lead us, whether we have prosperity or adversity in this life,
he always has our welfare in view. Let us, therefore, be guided
cheerfully by his wisdom and have confidence in him.
4. The fidelity of God.
promise of God to send
the time seemed long
misery and corruption

9

Four thousand years passed before the
a Redeemer to sinful man was fulfilled;
before its fulfilment, especially as the
of morals daily became greater among

i. Homiletic Sketch.

179

men. But when the interval of time appointed by God had elap­
sed, the Redeemer came. God’s word never fails, whatever he
promises or threatens will inevitably come to pass. An important
truth this, of which we should never lose sight. As God is faith­
ful, let us too be faithful. Let us keep the promises we make
him, especially those made in confession. “Behold, thou art
made whole; sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to
thee.” — John 5: 14.

Part IL

1. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son,
made of a woman, made under the Law, that he might redeem them
who were under the Law ; that we might receive the adoption of
sons. The Apostle here says that Jesus Christ the Son of God
came into the world at the time appointed by his heavenly Father,
and assuming human nature in the chaste womb of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, became man, in order to redeem us from sin and
the bondage of the devil, and to raise us to the liberty and dignity
of children of God. Through Christ we also have become child­
ren of God. He expiated our sins, reconciled us with God, and
effected our adoption as children of our heavenly Father. For
this reason the Apostle continues: “And because you are sons,
God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying:
Abba, Father.” Now, since we are redeemed, we may look up
to God with filial confidence and address him with joyful hearts
as “Our Father who art in heaven ”
What a grace 1 what a dignity! If a king were to adopt the child
of a poor peasant, every one would call that child fortunate. Now,
we have become through Jesus Christ children, not of a temporal
king, but of God, the King of heaven and earth; our position,
therefore, is imcomparably higher than that of a temporal prince.
A person of royal birth must conduct himself in a manner cor­
responding to his dignity. He would be the object of universal
contempt, if, unmindful of his extraction and prerogatives, he
were to associate with traveling comedians or the lowest people
of the city, and conduct himself like them. A prince is to be
respected on account of his noble extraction, even if his con­
duct be not very commendable. Learn from this a double
lesson: Respect yourselves, and never do anything that is con­
trary to your dignity as children of God. If low passions arise
in you, or if any one try to induce you to do what is wrong, say to
yourselves: I am a child of God, I should disgrace myself if I
condescended to do such a thing. Secondly: Respect the
dignity of children of God also in your fellow-men. Let a man
be what he may, in whatever state of life or circumstances,
poor, ignorant, or deformed, do not look down on him, for in him

—.... .................. ——

18ο

Sunday After Christmas.

you would despise a child of God. Beware of falling into this
sin. God loves his own—loves the work of his hands too
much to suffer it to go unpunished. And still more does he love,
aye, infinitely more, those souls now redeemed and sanctified,
the fruit of the Precious Blood of his well-beloved Son, Jesus.—
James 2 \ 2-9. Do not despise even the greatest sinner; he also
has been redeemed, and if at present he be not a child of God, he
may sooner or later become one. The vocation to become a child
of heaven is always his.
2. Therefore novo he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son,
an heir also through God. The Apostle intends to say: Being no
longer under the discipline of the Old Law, or groaning in the
service of the devil, we are no longer servants, but children of
God, and as such have a right, title and claim to all the goods of
God, our heavenly Father. Through Christ, then, we are heirs
of God, our Father in heaven, as children are the heirs of their
father. But what are the goods that we receive from God as our
inheritance ? They are principally three : The forgiveness of our
sins, grace to do good, and eternal salvation.
(a.) The forgiveness of sins. Christ made a more than sufficient,
a superabundant atonement for our sins, and through the merits
of this atonement we can receive forgiveness from God. There­
fore he is called the “Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of
the world.”—John i : 29. This forgiveness extends to all sins,
original as well as actual ; all that is required on our part is that
we be truly sorry for them and receive the Sacraments of Bap­
tism and Penance. And yet there are so many Christians who
will not comply with these easy conditions for the forgiveness of
their sins ! They continue to live in impenitence and expose
themselves to the great danger of being eternally lost. Is this
not deplorable blindness?

(b.) Grace to do good. We need the supernatural assistance of God
to work out our salvation. If we wish to avoid evil, to overcome
temptations, to perform works meriting eternal reward, to
persevere in justice, we need the grace of God. This grace we
can obtain only through the merits of Christ. Therefore, the
Apostle says: “To every one of us is given grace, according
to the measure of the giving of Christ.”—Ephes. 4: 7 Hence
also the admonition of the same Apostle: Let us go with con­
fidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace in seasonable aid.”—Heb. 4:16. To obtain the neces­
sary grace to perform good and meritorious works, two things
are required on our part: Humble, fervent frayer, with confidence,
and a good use of the graces received.

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Homiletic Sketch.

181

(ci) Eternal salvation., The greatest and principal inheritance
to which as children of God we have a claim, is eternal beatitude
in heaven. This, too, is due to the merits of Jesus Christ.
Hence, St. Paul says: “We have confidence in the entering into
the Holies (heaven) by the blood of Christ, a new and living way
which he hath dedicated forus.”—Heb. io: 19,20. How much
better off are we than those under the Mosaic Law, who, although
just, could not enter heaven, but were detained in limbo, until
the work of Redemption through Christ should be accomplished I
A joyful hope is ours in life, and in death consolation, for we
know that Jesus Christ has prepared for us a place in the man­
sions of eternal bliss.
PERORATION.

Let us look up, with a heart full of joy and gratitude, to our
blessed Redeemer, and reflect on the great favors he has ob­
tained for us by his sacred passion and death. We have become,
through him, children of God and heirs of heaven. We can,
therefore, pray with confidence: “Abba, Father.” To him we owe
everything, the forgiveness of our sins, the grace to do good, and
our hope of eternal salvation. Oh, let us show ourselves worthy
of these inestimable gifts, and live as children of God, that we
may one day become co-heirs with Christ in his heavenly king­
dom. Amen.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.

Gospel. Luke 2: 33-40. At that time, Joseph, and Mary, the
mother of Jesus, were wondering at these things, which were
spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to
Mary his mother: Behold, this child is set for the fall, and for the
resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be
contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of
many hearts thoughts may be revealed. And there was one Anna,
a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she
was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband
seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow until
fourscore and four years; who departed not fom the temple, by
fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now, she at the
same hour coming in, confessed to the Lord, and spoke of him

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Sunday After Christmas.

to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. And after they
had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they
returned into Galilee, to their own city. Nazareth, And the
child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom, and the grace of
God was in him.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
SIMEON, ANNA, AND THE HOLY FAMILY.

The events related in this day’s gospel, which is a continuation
of the gospel for the feast of the Purification of the Blessed
Virgin Mary or Candlemas day, occurred in the temple at Jeru­
salem, forty days after the Nativity of our Lord. Mary and Joseph
carried the divine Infant thither, to present him to the Lord, and
thereby fulfil the Mosaic Law. Whilst Mary and Joseph with the
Infant Jesus were in the temple, Simeon, led by the Spirit, came
in also, and with a loud voice blessed God for having granted
him the happiness of seeing with his own eyes the Saviour of the
world. Anna, an aged widow, who was present, did the same.
Let us then meditate on what the gospel of this day says—
Z. Of Simeon;
II. Of Anna;
III. Of the Holy Family.

Part L

Simeon.
1. Simeon blessed them, (Mary and Joseph), that is, he called
them happy on account of the grace which God had shown them,
and wished them every blessing. The priest’s blessing has a
particular power; esteem it properly, and obtain it as often as
possible. Never leave the church until you have received the
priest’s blessing at the end of mass. Christian parents, bless
your children daily, that the good and merciful God may protect
them against all evil of soul and body. Bless them especially
when they leave you or go abroad.
2. This child is setfor the fall and for the resurrection of many
in Israel. This prophecy first of all applies to the Jews. Christ
was set for the resurrection of those among the Jews who be­
lieved in him and lived according to his doctrine ; through him
they were saved ; but he was set for the fall of those who would
not believe in him, who hated and persecuted him, and finally
nailed him to the cross; that is, they perished through their own
fault, on account of their unbelief and obstinacy. This prophecy

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

183

also refers to all mankind. Christ is set for the ruin of unbe­
lievers and heretics, to whom the Catholic faith is announced,
but who do not receive it ; for the fall of those who apostatize from
the Church, as also for the fall of those who believe, but do not live
as Catholics. He is set for the resurrection of those who keep
the faith and live according to its precepts. Is he set for our fall,
or for our resurrection ? This depends entirely upon ourselves.
He will be set for our resurrection, if we believe and live as
Catholics should live.
3. And for a sign innich shall be contradicted. This prophecy
of Simeon was fulfilled even during the life of Christ on earth,
for he met with contradiction at every turn. The wordly minded
Jews did not desire a Redeemer who would free them from
sin and the slavery of the devil, but one who would deliver
them from the Roman yoke ; they did not desire a Messias who
would preach to them poverty of spirit, self-denial, and hatred of
the world, but one who would make them a powerful nation,
and rich in worldly possessions. Christ came to do neither, and
therefore they rejected him. And every day for the last eighteen
hundred years has witnessed anew the fulfilment of that
prophecy of the venerable Simeon : “This child is set for a sign
which shall be contradicted.” For from the day of Pentecost till
our own the Church of which that Child is the head has never
ceased to be in contradiction and at war with the world. First,
the Church endured a fierce persecution lasting three hundred
years; then came the struggle of unbelievers, heretics, and Free­
thinkers against the Church, which has continued through all
ages, and is more bitter than ever in our days, when countless
enemies, the precursors of Antichrist, fight against her orally and
in their writings, and even by brute force endeavor to destroy her
off the face of the earth. But let us not be discouraged. The
Church will never be conquered. She is built upon a rock, and
the gates of hell will not prevail against her. This Child, God­
man, is with her; he is her strength, and whosoever wishes to be
with him will stand firmly and bravely by the Church.

4. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce. A sword, not of
iron, but of the deepest sorrow and unnutterable woe, was to
pierce the soul of Mary. Ah, how must this holy Mother have
suffered when she lost Jesus at Jerusalem ; during his public life,
when she saw that he received nothing but ingratitude, hatred,
and persecution in return for all his benefits! What did she not
suffer when she stood at the foot of the cross! Ah, Mary cooper­
ated indeed in our Redemption. Thanks and praise to her for

evermore! She, the most innocent, the Mother of God, bore her

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Sunday After Christmas.

maternal gief with the most perfect resignation, and what are we
who so often complain of insignificant, trivial sufferings ?
5. Thai out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed. The mean­
ing of these words of Simeon is: Thy sorrow, O Mary, for the
passion and death of Jesus will reveal the interior of man and
show whether he is for or against Christ. His passion and death
was the touchstone of man’s heart, proving its worth. The welldisposed and the humble adhered to Christ, while the proud and
those who loved the world could not and would not comprehend
the humble, poor, and mortified life of Jesus. They did not hear
him. So it is to-day. “God forbid that I should glory save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified
to me, and I to the world.”—Gal. 6: 14.

Part IL
Anna,

And there was a prophetess, called Anna, the daughter of Pha·
nuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had
lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was
a widow until fourscore and four years, who departed not from the
temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day.
I.

Anna is called a prophetess because she had the gift of pro­
phecy We may admire this gift of hers, but should not desire
it, because the gift of miracles and prophecy is not necessary for
salvation ; wherefore God gives it only to a few and for particu­
lar purposes. What we should not only admire in Anna but also
imitate, is—

(fl.) The chastity of her state of life. It is said of her that she
entered into matrimony after her virginity. What a beautiful
example to single persons. There are many unhappy marriages,
because so many in their single state lead unchaste lives.
How can God bless the marriages of people who when single
led an impure life, and who married only for the gratification
of their lust? Oh! that all young men and women would take
Anna for their model and imitate her in her life of purity! It is,
of course, to be supposed that Anna spent her married life in
the fear of God and never violated her matrimonial chastity,
for those who pass their single life virtuously, will also, when
married, observe the chastity of that state. Oh, what will come
to light on the great Day of Judgment, when the nuptial relations
are unveiled ! How many married men and women, full of
shame and confusion, will cry out: “Ye mountains, fall upon us;

2.

Homile ric Sketch.

185

ye hills, cover us!” Christian married people, live piously, do
nothing and permit nothing that is contrary to the chastity of your
state, or that is abominable in the sight of God. If you have
any doubts, ask for advice in the confessional.
Anna, who was still young, remained a widow, though her hus­
band had died after seven years of their married life. There is no
commandment to remain in widowhood; widowers and widows
may marry again, but if circumstances do not render it necessary,
it is better and more perfect not to do so. In widowhood, how­
ever, continence is a strict duty. “A widow that liveth in plea­
sures is dead whilst she is living.”—I. Tim. 5: 6.
(3.) Fasting and grayer. She served (God) by fastings and
prayers night and day. Fasting and prayer must be wholesome
and pleasing exercises in the sight of God, because they are
emphatically called a service of God, and she served God. Be not
of those who pretend to be enlightened, and ridicule fasting and
going to church. Observe the ecclesiastical precept of fasting;
never eat meat on days of abstinence or on fast days; even if
you be legitimately excused from observing the letter of the law
you ought never to let them go by without practicing some
measure of self-denial in the matter of food and drink. Reflect
that Christ sanctified fasting by his example, and expressly de­
clared: “If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as
the heathen and publican.”—Matt. 18: 17. Cultivate a love of
prayer. This love will come of persevering practice and the
grace of God. The dumb animals do not pray because they do
not know God; the evil spirits do not pray, because they are
impious and godless in the true sense of the word. I know you
do not wish to be either; therefore, pray. Aged persons, like
Anna, who have time, should, if not hindered by distance or
bodily infirmities, go to mass daily, and prepare themselves by
fervent prayer for a good death. Old people who are not fond
of prayer have no true idea of a spiritual life.

2. Now, she at the same hour coming in, confessed to the Lord,
and spoke of him to all that looked for the Redemption of Israel.
(ai) At the same hour. Here you see how much depends upon
making use of the right opportunity for salvation. If Anna had
not come at that hour, when Mary and Joseph, with the Infant
Jesus, were in the temple, she would have been deprived of the
happiness of seeing the Saviour of the world. Never neglect an
oppotunity of doing good. A confession, a sermon, a mortifica­
tion, a good work, for which you have an opportunity, may be a
special grace for you upon which your salvation may more or
less depend.

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Sunday After Christmas.

(3.) She spoke of him to all. Anna was not satisfied with praising
God herself for this grace; she revealed to others also the hap­
piness which mankind had received by the birth of the longexpected Messias. He who is religiously inclined loves to
encourage edifying discourses, and seeks to infuse into others a
spirit of religion. Do not always speak of temporal, but sometimes
also of spiritual things. Parents especially should frequently
speak to their children of God and divine things, and instil into
their youthful minds the fear and love of God.
(r.) That looked for the Redemption of Israel. She did not
speak to every one, but only to pious persons, who like herself
longed for the Messias. Prudence requires us to speak of religi­
ous things with such only as are themselves thereto inclined. If
we be obliged in our particular state of life to associate with
people who are known as enemies of religion and of Christianity,
let us not enter into conversation or argument with them on the
subject of religion, partly because it is useless, and partly
because we might give them occasion to show their ill will, or
to ridicule and blaspheme what is most sacred to ourselves.

Part

II

The Holy Family.
And after they had performed all things according to the lem of
the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
i.

(a.) Mary and Joseph did not leave the temple till they had per­
formed all that the law of Moses required. Oh, that all Christians
would follow their example and perform their religious duties
conscientiously ! Many, especially young and giddy people of
both sexes can not apparently wait for the end of mass on
Sundays and holidays. Immediately after the communion of the
priest they slip out of the church. This betrays lukewarmness
and proves that they have little respect for the service of God.
Such conduct is also a bad example ; it gives scandal and disturbs
others in their devotions. Christians who act thus will certainly
not fare well before the tribunal of God, who says: “Cursed is he
who does the work of God negligently.” Parents should see to
this and correct their children for leaving the church before mass
or any other service is over, but this correction should be given
with prudence and moderation. As far as maybe practicable,
parents should have their children kneeling by their side during
mass and all devotional exercises in the church.

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

187

(£.) It is said of Mary and Joseph that, after they had performed
all thing's according to the law of Moses, they returned home.
As suggested by this remark of the Evangelist, I would here
advert to the pernicious habits of some, who after attending
mass on Sunday very seldom return home. While innocent re­
creations, and interchange of friendly visits between friends and
neighbors, are by no means forbidden on Sunday afternoons
or evenings, it is a sad fact that the very day of the week which
we are commanded to keep holy, is, of all others, most profaned
by backbiting, gambling, drinking, and bad company. Surely,
this is not the way to keep the day holy, and those who return
home from the church by such crooked ways can not hope to
be on the straight road to heaven.
2. And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and
the grace of God was in him.
In these words the Evangelist gives testimony of the Humanity
and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

(λ.) Of his Humanity, for he says : The child grew and waxed
strong. According to his Divinity he could not grow or wax
strong, because God is immutable, and possesses every perfection
in an infinite degree; but according to his human nature he
grew and increased in strength, like all other men.
(Æ.) Of his Divinity, for he says: The child was full of wisdom,
and the grace of God was in himT It can not be said of an ordi­
nary child, only forty days old, that it was full of wisdom, be­
cause its reason is yet dormant. Now, if the Infant Jesus was
full of wisdom, it is evident that he was not a mere human
child, but divine Wisdom itself; and that in him, as St. Paul
says, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge existed.
“The grace of God was in him” means that according to his
divine nature he was infinitely holy, but that he manifested his
sanctity more and more externally.
PERORATION.

May this testimony of the Evangelist strengthen our faith in
Jesus Christ, and encourage us to imitate him, that by advancing
in virtue we may approach nearer to him who is our last end.
It being the last Sunday of the year, let us now examine our­
selves and see how far we have done this heretofore. A glance
at the past year will teach us that we have not yet become
what, with the grace of God, we could and should be. Let us,

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therefore, humble ourselves before God, and employ the few
remaining- days of this year for our sanctification ; let us make a
firm resolution to make good use of the years which God in his
mercy may allot us and let us “perfect our sanctification in the
fear of the Lord.”—IL Cor. 7: 1.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETC
THE NECESSITY OF FAITH.

Withoutfaith it is impossible to please God.—Heb. 11:6.
The Infant Jesus is surrounded to-day by pious persons only.
Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, and Joseph, the foster-father
of our Lord, were saints ; so was the aged Simeon, to whom God
granted the grace of beholding before his death the promised
Redeemer; and Anna was a saint, who in her single life lived c
virgin, in her married state walked in the fear of the Lord, and
in her long life of widowhood served God in fastings and prayers
night and day. We, too, should, become saints; this is our
vocation: “You shall be holy for I am holy.”—I. Pet. 1:16. The
portals of heaven are opened only to the holy. Now, as our
vocation is to become holy, and as, according to the Apostle,
faith is the foundation, the very first requisite for holiness, for
“without faith it is impossible to please God” (7. PetA‘. 11), I shall
speak this morning about the necessity of faith. For the sake of
method in the discourse, and that you may the more readily follow
the argument, I shall answer the three following questions.

I. Can we be saved without faith ?
II. Can we be saved in any religion ?
III. In which religion can we be saved ?

Part I.
Faith is absolutely necessary for salvation.

i. By reason of a commandment. Jesus Christ has given the
commandment to all mankind to believe in him, and has threat­
ened with eternal damnation all who do not believe. “He that

3· Dogmatical Sketch,

189

believeth not shall be condemned.”—Mark 16: 16. And again:
“Me that doth not believe is already judged.”—John 3: 18. That
is, he has judged and condemned himself; there is no necessity
for God to judge and condemn him. Here, then, faith is made
a strict precept. As he sins and incurs eternal damnation
who wilfully transgresses a commandment in an important
matter, so those who do not believe sin grievously and render
themselves guilty of eternal damnation. If we were to violate no
other commandment of God but this, and otherwise lead a good
life, we should nevertheless be eternally lost. Yes, unbelief is of
all sins the most grievous and most worthy of damnation. Jesus
expressly declares this when he says to his Apostles : “Whosoever
shall not receive you, nor hear your words (that is, receive the
doctrine which you announce in my name), going forth out of
that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Amen I
say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and
Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment than for that city.”—Matt.
10: 14, 15. The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha had com­
mitted crimes that cried to heaven for vengeance, and yet their
punishment in the next world will be less than the punishment
of those who refuse to receive and believe the doctrine of Jesus.
What judgment then will come upon those who fall away from
the faith! May the Lord defend us from every sin, but particularly
from the sin of unbelief! He who closes his heart against faith
carries the brand of damnation on his forehead.

2. Faith is absolutely necessary as a means of salvation. That
is, every person who has arrived at the age of reason, whether
baptized or not, must believe in order to be saved. This is
evident from the words of the Apostle: “Without faith it is im­
possible to please God.” “For he that cometh to God must be­
lieve that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him.”—Heb.
11:6. Here St. Paul places faith in juxtaposition with pleasing
God, declaring that both are equally necessary for our salvation.
Without pleasing God, or in other words, unless we are children
of God, it is absolutely impossible to be saved: consequently,
without faith it is absolutely impossible to attain eternal sal­
vation.
That faith is a necessary means is evident from the fact that
it enables us to perform supernatural works, by which we merit
salvation. Heaven is a reward obtained only by good works. “Be
glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.”—Matt.
5: 12. “Everyman shall receive his own reward, according to
his own labor.”—I. Cor. 3: 8. Everlasting life is not a natural,
but a supernatural reward. From this it follows that the good
works by which we merit salvation must be supernatural. The
means must be proportioned to the end. We cannot quench

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thirst with bread, nor appease hunger with water, because
bread is not the proper means for quenching thirst, nor water
for appeasing hunger. In like manner, the supernatural reward
of heaven cannot be merited by purely natural works. Now,
good works are supernatural only when performed in the state
of grace, and this state presupposes faith, as the Apostle declares.
Infidels may perform good works without number, they cannot
merit the least reward in heaven, on account of their want of
faith, because these works are only natural. In general, all
justice that does not proceed from faith is without merit, for
“the just man liveth by faith.”—Rom. i: 17. Therefore, Christ
rejected the justice of the Scribes and Pharisees, and declared it
insufficient to obtain heaven for them, because they did not be­
lieve in him. Hence, you see, it is absolutely impossible to be
saved without faith.

Part Π.
Can we be saved in any religion ? No, we can be saved only
in the religion which Jesus Christ has taught.
I. The Word of God teaches us this. If we could be saved in
any religion, it would not have been necessary for Jesus Christ
to preach and expound doctrines for three years under so many
tribulations and persecutions. Both the Jews and the Gentiles al­
ready possessed a faith. The very fact therelore of Christ teaching
and requiring most explicitly and emphatically faith in himself
and in his doctrine, is of itself proof sufficient to show that the
Redeemer never thought it a matter of indifference what faith
one professes. Jews and Gentiles were required to abandon their
tenets and receive the faith which he announced, if they wished
to be saved. He said to his Apostles: “Go ye into the whole
world, and preach the gospel to every creature ; he that believeth
and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not, shall
be condemned.”—Mark, 16: 15, 16. If, according to the words
of Christ, those only will be saved who receive the gospel with
a believing heart, and those will be condemned who reject it,
who would dare assert that man can be saved in any other reli­
gion whatsoever?
The Apostles acordingly insisted that the faith which they
preached in the name of Jesus should be received in its entireness
and held as the only faith by means of which salvation is possible.
St. Paul writes to the Galatians : “I wonder that you are so soon re­
moved from him who called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel : which is not another, only there are some that trouble
you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or
an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you beside that which

3- Dogmatical Sketch.

i 91

we have preached to you, let him be anathema.”—Gal. iî 6-8.
And to his disciple Timothy he writes: “O Timothy keep that
which is committed to thy trust, avoiding the profane novelties
of words, and oppositions of knowledge falsely so called, which
some promising, have erred concerning the faith.”—I. Tim. 6:
20, 21. How earnest are the admonitions of the Apostle, how
strictly he requires pastors and people to hold to the faith they
had received and to avoid all innovations! Even the mild and
loving John says: “If any man come to you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into the house, nor say to him, God
speed you : for he that saith to him, God speed you, communi·
cateth with his wicked works.”—II John 1: 10, 11. If, according
to St. John, we must avoid all communication with a person who
wishes to propagate another doctrine than that of Christ, in order
not to be seduced by him and suffer the loss of our own soul,
who could be so foolish as to believe that one can be saved in
any other faith than that which Christ taught?

(λ.) Reason teaches us the same. If we could be saved by every
faith, we should have to admit that God is pleased with every
faith. It would therefore be all the same to God whether we
believe his Son Jesus Christ to be God or a mere man; whether
we give divine honor to the Blessed Sacrament or not, whether
we revile it, and even trample it under foot; or whether, as the
heathens did, we adore the devil ; in short, it would be a matter
of indifference to God whether our religion is the truth or a lie.
Is not such an assumption contrary to reason? Would not God
be lower than man who, according to his better nature, loves
justice and truth, and detests injustice and falsehood?
(Æ.) If we could be saved by any faith, the Apostles and their
successors, who preached the Christian faith with indefatigable
zeal and under so many persecutions, would have been the great­
est fools. Fools, in like manner, would the many millions of
martyrs have been, who, for the sake of their faith, sacrificed
property, liberty, even life itself. And the Catholic Church, which
for the last eighteen hundred years has made so many strenuous
efforts to preserve the faith received from her divine Founder in
all its original purity, in order to hand it down to future gene­
rations, would have acted very foolishly. The Apostles could
have remained quietly at Jerusalem, for the Jews and Gentiles al­
ready possessed a faith ; missionaries would not have been neces­
sary, because there is no nation or tribe on the face of the globe
that has not some religion or faith ; the martyrs in this case should
have yielded to the wishes of their persecutors and denied their
faith, since they could also be saved by holding the faith of the
Jews and the Gentiles; finally, the Church should trouble herself

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Sunday After Christmas.

no longer about keeping the faith pure and unaltered, because man
could be saved in every religion. But where is there a rational man
who would assert such things? No; not every faith is the saving
faith, but only that which Jesus Christ has taught. He that has
not this faith is separated from Christ and can not hope for sal­
vation, “for there is no other name under heaven given to men,
whereby we must be saved.”—Acts 4: 12.

Part ΙΠ.
We can be saved in the Catholic religion only.
Because it is the only true religion taught by Christ. While other
religious denominations, which call themselves the Church of
Christ, arose in time, and owe their origin to men, the Catholic
Church goes back through centuries, and derives her origin
immediately from Christ and his Apostles. But if the Catholic
Church is the Church established by Jesus Christ, it follows that
she possesses the true faith, for the Church of Christ is built upon
a rock, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. She is
continually guided by the Holy Ghost, who teaches her all truth,
and proserves her from error, and will remain with her till the
end of time. Hence, all the Fathers of the Church teach that the
Catholic Church alone possesses the true faith taught by Christ,
and that we can be saved only within her pale. St. Augustine
says: “Know ye that the Catholic faith is the only true faith. If
any one depart from it, he shall rise, not unto life, but unto dam­
nation.” Even Luther says: “It is true that in the Popedom there
is the word and the preaching of the Apostles, and that we have
taken from them the bible, baptism, the other sacraments and
preaching. How otherwise should we know anything about these
matters? Therefore, faith, the Christian Church, and the Holy
Ghost must be with them.” Remarkable is the testimony which
Melancthon bears to the Catholic Church. His mother adjured
him upon her death-bed to tell her whether she ought to adhere
to the old (Catholic) faith, or to embrace the new. He gave this
answer: “Adhere to your old Catholic faith, for it is easier to
live in the new religion, but safer to die in the old.”
1.

2. Because the Catholic faith alone contains all the means neces­
sary for sanctification. Let us speak only of the sacraments. All
non Christians such as Jews, heathens, and Mohammedans, have
no sacraments at all, not even baptism, the first and most
necessary ; they can not, therefore, be saved, the single case ex­
cepted in which baptism of water is supplied by the baptism of
desire. Christians who are separated from the Catholic Church

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4· Liturgical Sketch.

havt the Sacrament of Baptism, but not of Penance, by which
sins committed after baptism are forgiven. They have no priests,
at least no validly and lawfully ordained priests, and can not,
therefore, even if they confess their sins, be absolved; for only
the lawfully ordained Catholic priests, approved of by their
bishop, possess power to absolve sinners in the Sacrament of
Penance. If heretics sin grievously after baptism (and how often
does this happen?), they have, if I except the case of perfect con­
trition, no means of reconciling themselves with God, and saving
their souls. I shall not speak of the other sacraments, the want
of which, if it does not render salvation absolutely impossible, at
least renders it most difficult. Therefore apart from the fact that
one can be saved only in the true faith, millions of infidels and
heretics will be excluded from heaven and rejected because they
do not possess the means necessary for salvation.
PERORATION.

The Catholic Church is the only institution which Christ has
established for the salvation of man ; he who through his own
fault, does not belong to it will certainly perish. Oh, give thanks
to God daily for the Catholic faith, which you possess from your
infancy, and show yourselves worthy of it. Take to heart the
words of Jesus: “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much
shall be required.”—Luke 12:48. And endeavor to avail your­
selves of the means for your salvation, which the Church offers
you in all the circumstances of life, and in all your spiritual ne­
cessities. Amen.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS,

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE CRIB IN CHRISTIAN HOUSES AND HEARTS.

The child grew and waxed strong.—Luke 2: 40.
On this Sunday the Christmas solemnity is still kept up. In
the gospel we have an account of the Presentation of Christ in
the temple. Mary and Joseph, in conformity with the law of
Moses, had brought him thither to present him to the Lord.

I

13

Sunday After Christmas.
Of course, in his case as Mary well knew, it was a needless
ceremony. But Christ desired to be like unto us in all things, sin
alone excepted; he would be born as a weak, helpless infant,
grow and gradually develop into a perfect man. Therefore the
gospel says of him: “The child grew and waxed strong.”
Christ must also be born in us in a spiritual manner, but in
our hearts he must not remain a new born babe, but grow and
wax strong. This will be effected if we comply with the admo­
nition of the Prince of the Apostles: “Grow in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”—II. Peter
3: 18. In Christian homes cribs are erected during Christmas
time, representing to our mind the events of the childhood of
Jesus to his twelfth year. These cribs are calculated to awaken
in us a devotional spirit and Christian sentiments; and Christ, by
their means, grows and waxes strong within us. I shall, there­
fore, speak to-day—

I. Of the cribs in Christian houses;
II. Of the cribs in Christian hearts.

Part
I.

L

Origin cf cribs.

This devotion originated with St. Francis of Assisium who
lived in the twelfth century, and instituted the Order of Friars
Minor, afterwards called Franciscans. This saint, whose maxim
was, Let us love the Child ofBethlehem, as Christmas approached,
built a hut in the forest of Grecio and placed therein a manger,
with figures of an ox and an ass; also an altar. At the proper
time, the Friars Minor,his brethren in the Order, and their desciples
in great numbers from the neighboring monasteries, accompanied
by a multitude of people, came down from the mountain carrying
lighted torches in their hands; for the night in which the Light
of the world was born should not be dark. St. Francis, filled
with heavenly joy, assisted as deacon of the mass. After the gospel
he preached with transporting eloquence to the assembly on
the birth of Jesus Christ, and called the Redeemer the adorable
Child of Bethlehem.
It is, therefore, the custom of the Franciscans to this day to
put up Christmas cribs, that the faithful may be the more vividly
reminded of the sweet Child Jesus, and desire to become con­
formable to him, to be childlike, not according to the body, but
in simplicity of heart and purity of morals. Many Christians
afterwards imitated St. Francis and erected cribs in their houses.
This pious custom happily still exists, and there is scarcely a
parish in which a crib is not erected in one place or another.

4. Liturgical Sketch.

»95

Children and even adults visit these cribs, and find pleasure in
looking at the sweet Infant Jesus lying on hay or straw, and
near him the Virgin Mother and the venerable St. Joseph, while,
represented in an attitude of adoration, are the angels and the
shepherds; and lastly, one turns to gaze at the animals in the
stable, which appear so harmless and guileless, seeming to re­
cognize the wonderful Child that lies in their midst.
3.

Advantage of cribs. Cribs have a beautiful signification—

(λ.) For children, because they awaken and strengthen their
religious sentiments, and are calculated to inspire them with love
for the divine Child. Parents should explain to their children the
meaning of the crib and unite with the explanation wholesome
lessons. They may say: See, children, this figure represents
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who for love of us became a poor
child ; if you are always good children, if you have God before
your eyes, and never do anything wrong, whether alone or with
others; if you learn well, pray devoutly, and obey willingly, the
dear Infant Jesus will be pleased with you and will take you
hereafter to live with him in heaven. But if you are bad children,
and will not learn or pray, but tell lies and, steal, destroy other
people’s property, and do other naughty things, the Infant Jesus
will forsake you, and when you die, will send you to hell. There­
fore, dear children, kneel down now before the crib and promise
Jesus very earnestly that you will always be good. In this way
cribs will be very beneficial and useful to children.
(<5.) Cribs have a signification no less beautiful for grown feof le.
He who has a childlike, pious mind, and is not an infatuated
worldling, feels himself greatly attracted by the crib; tender
feelings are awakened in his heart and with the Child Jesus he
becomes a child again. Even those who are imbued with the
spirit and the principles of the world are moved when they see
how merry and happy the children are ; they themselves again
rejoice over the divine Child whom they loved when children.
They can hardly look upon the scene without moistened eyes, and
many a time, in presence of the crib and the happy, innocent
faces which surround it, have silent tears been seen stealing
down the worldling’s and the sinner’s cheek. Nor is this to be
wondered at. The scene forcibly recalls to their mind happy
reminiscences of their childhood, and they unconsciously con­
trast the beauty and joy of innocence with their own seared
and blighted hearts. No doubt their guardian angel seizes on the
occasion of this softened mood to press upon them the love of
the Babe of Bethlehem. The grace of God does the rest. The
true Star of Bethlehem, the Light of the world, is risen for

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Sunday After Christmas.

them once more, and dispels the darkness of the shadow of
death in which they lay. They see things with other eyes, ana
thus many no doubt turn from the Christmas crib with firm
resolutions to abandon their evil ways, and lovingly adhere to
him who, in his infinite love and mercy, became a little child,
and finally died on the cross for the salvation of the world.

Part Π.
But besides the crib in the church or the house we must alsa
erect for the holy Babe—

I. A crib in our heart, and
IL Preserve it when erected.
I. This is done principally by the reception of the holy sacra­
ments.

(λ.) Baptism. By this sacrament the crib is erected in our
hearts, for thereby the heart, which was once the abode of Satan,
is purified, sanctified, and transformed into a dwelling or crib for
Christ. Therefore the priest says: “Depart out of him (or her),
O unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Ghost, the com­
forter.” Baptized persons are not only figuratively, but in reality,
dwelling-places, temples of the living God, and the divine Infant,
who once reposed in the crib of Bethlehem, really dwells in their
hearts. “ Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”—I. Cor. 3-16.
This crib was erected in us at our baptism, but have we not
torn it down and expelled our Saviour? Alas! which of us has
not? We have during the course of our life grievously sinned,
lost the grace of innocence, and thereby destroyed the crib in
our hearts. We must rebuild it, if we wish to be saved. How can
we rebuild it?
(Æ.) By the reception of the Sacrament of Penance. This sacra­
ment has been instituted by Christ for the recovery of the lost
grace of baptism. He who makes a good confession receives the
remission of all the sins committed after baptism, together with
the eternal punishment due to them; he again receives sanctify­
ing grace, Satan departs from his heart, and Christ once more
takes his abode there. Delay not to rebuild a crib for your Sav­
iour if you have banished him from your heart. Do this during
these Christmas holidays. Make a good confession and—

(r.) Receive worthily the Sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist. In
this sacrament, as faith teaches, Christ is really and substantially

4. Liturgical Sketch.

197

present with his humanity and Divinity. He who communicates
receives not only grace, but Jesus Christ himself, the Author of
grace. Jesus enters really and substantially into his heart, and
dwells there as he formerly dwelt in the crib of Bethlehem: “ He
that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and
I in him.”—John 6:57. When we have thus rebuilt the crib for
our Saviour in our hearts, we must carefully—
1.

Preserve ii. It is therefore necessary—

(æ.) To watch. Herod decreed the death of the divine Babe of
Bethlehem. Jesus has also in our heart enemies, who would
expel him. They are the world, the flesh, and the devil. We
must therefore be vigilant, lest these enemies rob us of Jesus.
“Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”—Matt.
26: 41. Wherein does this watchfulness consist? In avoiding as
much as possible those places, persons, pleasures, and in general
all occasions which we know from experience to be dangerous
to us; intimate familiarity with persons of the other sex, doubtful
houses and company ; in bridling our exterior senses, the eyes,
ears, and tongue; lastly, in subduing our natural inclinationsand
making them subservient to the gospel. “The soul must be
watchful, watchful on every side, watchful in every place, that
she may escape the snares of him who pursues her.”—Gregory
the Great.
(Æ.) It is equally necessary to pray. When a good friend or a
great benefactor visits us, politeness requires that we salute and
entertain him: if he stay with us some time, we visit him in turn.
Should we omit this, we might give offense and thus lose a
friend. When Jesus has chosen our heart for a crib, veneration,
love, and gratitude require that we frequently visit him and con­
verse with him. We do this by prayer. He therefore who
neglects prayer, offends his heavenly guest, and compels him, as
it were, to depart. For this reason we must devote ourselves to
prayer in order to retain him in our heart.
But prayer is necessary for another reason. If Jesus is to
abide with us, we must persevere in the state of grace, we must
not defile our conscience with sin, especially with mortal sin.
Now, of ourselves, we are very weak, frail, and incapable of
overcoming all temptations, and of avoiding every sin. To do
this we need the grace of God, which can only be obtained by
prayer, and by prayer alone will it remain with us. For this
reason Christ recommends not only watchfulness, but also prayer.
“Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” St.
Thomas of Aquin says. “In order to be saved we must fight and
conquer.” But without the assistance of God we can not conquer

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198

Sunday After Christmas.

so many and such powerful enemies ; this divine assistance is ob­
tained only by prayer; consequently without prayer there is no
salvation. You must therefore watch and pray in time of temp­
tation.
PERORATION.

There are not many houses in our parish in which cribs may
be found, but I sincerely hope and trust that there is not a single
heart in which a crib will not be erected for the divine Babe. How
unhappy those Christians must be in whose hearts Christ finds
no dwelling; Jesus abandons them, as he did the inhabitants of
Bethlehem, who refused him shelter, and the result is perdition.
Cleanse then your heart from all sin and inordinate inclinations,
and implant there the love of God, that Jesus may come to you
and make his abode with you. And when he has done so, let it
be your greatest, your only care, that he may never be obliged
by your sins to depart and give place to the devil. Remember
his oft-repeated injunction: “Watch and pray. Pray always. I
say unto you: Watch.” Amen.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH
CHRISTMAS TREES AND CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

And Simeon blessed them.—Luke

2:34.

We see to-day in the temple at Jerusalem two aged persons,
Simeon and Anna, who had waited long and patiently tor the
expected Messias: and when Mary and Joseph presented the
divine Child to the Lord according to the Law of Moses, they
beheld for the first time him whom they had so ardently longed
to see. What joy, what comfort for those holy souls to be permitted
to see the Saviour with their own eyes, to take him into their
arms and to press him to their heart! Oh, now their eighty years’
sighing and longing is ended they have no longer any wish here
below, they are ready and willing to die, for they know him to
be upon earth who after a few years will redeem the human race
and reconcile it with God.

5.

Symbolical Sketch.

199

A heavenly joy is that also which fills every faithful heart
during· the holy season of Christmas. And this joy is manifested
not only at the services in our churches, but also in Christian
families, by erecting· cribs, putting· up Christmas-trees, and
bestowing Christmas presents. Having already spoken of cribs
in the foregoing discourse, I choose for the subject of our
meditation to day—

I. Chrismas-trees, and
IL Christmas gifts.

Part L
Christmas-trees.
Ora Christmas Eve many families put up a Christmas-tree in a
spacious room, deck its branches with apples, pears, gilded nuts,
tempting sweets, a number of lighted wax tapers, and various
other things. This is all done secretly. As soon as everything
is in order, the door is opened, and lo ! what a surprise for the
little ones! Before them stands the beautiful green Christmas-tree
with its bright lights and lovely presents, making all thrill with
joy.
I.

What does the Christmas-tree symbolize?

(λ.) The tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree bore the
most delicious fruit, and was very tempting to Adam and Eve,
who were still in the state of innocence. Unfortunately they ate
of it, contrary to the express prohibition of the Lord, and thereby
brought misery upon themselves and all their posterity. The
Christmas-tree reminds us of the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, and the more so because on Christmas Eve we com­
memorate Adam and Eve in the calendar. In this relation,
the Christmas-tree would, indeed, be anything but a tree of joy,
for it would recall to our mind sin with its long train of misery.
But the Christmas-tree symbolizes also another tree, namely:
(3.) The tree ofthe cross on Calvary, on which Jesus, the Saviour of
the world, suffered and died. This is for us, in truth, the tree of life,
for on this tree Christ expiated the guilt of our sins, destroyed the
kingdom of Satan, reconciled us with God, and opened for us again
a pathway to heaven. The Christmas-tree reminds us of this
consoling truth. It spreads around the whole room a friendly
flood of light, and this signifies that Jesus is the light which
enlightens every man that comes into the world. The fruit and
good things on the tree represent to us the fruits of the Re·

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Sunday After Christmas.

demp^on which ripened on the tree of the cross. And seeing
the Christmas tree green in the midst of winter, we are forcibly
reminded of the blessings of the tree of the cross, which will
never fail to be laden with the fruits of salvation.
2. What does the Christmas-tree teach us?

(λ.) The Christmas-tree is green. Green is the color of hope,
and in hope we can live and die, since Jesus Christ has offered
himself for us on the tree of the cross. And how precious beyond
measure are the things that we are permitted to hope fori We
hope for heaven and everything necessary to obtain it, the for­
giveness of our sins, and the grace of God. And we hope for
these goods with confidence, because God has promised them to
us on account of the merits of Christ. As the verdure of Christ­
mas tree continues even in the midst of winter, so hope remains
with us even in the wintry days of tribulation; and in the
possession of this blessed hope we may live cheerfully and die
happily. Examples: the Machabean brothers.—II. Mach. 7;
St. Paul.—IL Cor. 1: 10; Ephes. 1:12.
(Æ.) The Christmas-tree is decked with resplendent lights. Christ
tells us what these lights signify in the following words : “So let
your light shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in heaven?’—Malt. 5: 16. Good
example is one of the most effectual means of leading the erring
back to the right path, of encouragingthe lukewarm to Christian
zeal and fervor, of stregthening the weak, and of urging the
good on to perfection. Let these lights on the Christmas-tree be
an admonition to you, “that you may be blameless and sincere
children of God, without reproof in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the
world.”—Phil. 2: 15.
(r.) The Christmas-tree is laden with many delicious fruits and
sweet things. As fruit is to the tree, so are good works to the
Christian. The husbandman naturally expects the tree to bring
forth good fruit, but if it bring forth bad fruit or none at all, it is
worthless and is cut down and cast into the fire.—Matt, 7*. 19.
The same fate awaits the Christian who, like the bad tree, pro­
duces no fruit for the divine Husbandman. Like the unprofitable
servant mentioned in the gospel, who buried his talent, he will
be rejected, cut down, and cast into hell fire. The Christmas-tree
with its fruit, says to us, as does the Apostle : “Wherefore, labor
the more, that by good works you may make sure your
calling and election.”—II. Pet. 1: 10. Thus the Christmas-tree
not only proposes important truths of our holy religion for our

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consideration, but also teaches us how we are to conduct our­
selves in order that, as good, fruitful trees, we may hereafter be
transplanted into the heavenly Paradise by Christ, the divine
Husbandman.

Part

II.

Christmas gifts.

Christmas gifts stand in close connection with the mystery of
the Christmas feast, and remind us of the words of the prophet:
“A child is born to us, a son is given to us.”—Is. 9: 6.. As God
out of pure love has given his Son to mankind as a present, so
men, moved by this divine love, give tokens of love and esteem
to one another.
1. These presents are called Christmas gifts and little innocent
children firmly believe that Jesus puts all these beautiful things
there for them. Is not this belief of the little ones based upon
truth? Do we not owe to our divine Saviour all the supernatural
gifts and graces which are necessary for our salvation? Our holy
faith, the holy sacrifice of the mass, sacraments, sanctifying
grace, heaven itself with its joys, are they not all gifts which
Christ merited for, and bestowed on, us?
What shall I say? We owe to the Infant Jesus even our tem­
poral goods, for this Child is the “Word by whom all things were
made” {John 1:3); and it is the Christian religion that trans­
forms barbarians into civilized people, changes deserts into fertile
fields, encourages art and science, thus establishing happiness
and prosperity among nations. May we never be unmindful of
this !

2. Christmas presents are prepared without the knowledge of
those to whom they are to be given. Although the principal
object may be to surprise the receiver, yet a deeper meaning lies
at the bottom of this secrecy, to which expression is given in the
Introit of the mass: “For while all things were in quiet silence,
and the night was in the midst of her course, thy Almighty Word
leapt down from heaven, from thy royal throne.”—Wisdom 18:
14, 15. Jesus Christ, the precious gift of heaven, comes secretly
as it were, upon earth at midnight, into a stable, as a weak child.
Mary and Joseph alone are aware of the wonderful mystery, as
generally only father and mother know of the gifts which their
children are to receive.
3. Christmas gifts are made especially to children, who, on
account of their tender age and innocence, are the most faith·

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ful images of the divine Child. If we look upon a child in its
simplicity, humility, candor, and innocence, what is more natural
for us than to think of the divine Child who was born on Christ­
mas day? Our heart expands and we feel urged to give the holy
Child proofs of our love and gratitude, and, as we can bestow
nothing upon him personally, we make our gifts to innocent
children, who most resemble him, and who are dearest to him. The
gifts, therefore, which we make to children on Christmas Day
are in intention made to the Infant Jesus.

4. Adults also receive Christmas gifts. These, too, have their
foundation in the Christmas mystery, for this feast is one of joy
to the heart of every Christian. The angel announced, “Fear not:
for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to
all the people: for this day is born to you a Saviour, who is
Christ the Lord.”—Luke 2:10, 11. Christmas gifts flow from
Christmas joy, for joy makes us benevolent. This feast reminds
us vividly of the words of Jesus: “God so loved the world, as to
give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
may not perish, but may have life everlasting.”—John 3: 16.
This infinite love of the Father urges us to be liberal and merci­
ful towards our fellow-men. Lastly, let us all consider ourselves
as children, because, through Jesus Christ, who came into the
world as a child, we “have received the spirit of adoption of sons
of God, whereby we cry: Abba, Father.”—Rom. 8: 15. As
children love and distribute to one another what they possess,
so let us give presents to one another.
PERORATION.

Thus Christmas-trees and Christmas gifts are most intimately
connected with the Christmas solemnity, and refer to Jesus Christ,
the new born Saviour, in whom God the heavenly Father hath
given us everything. Oh ! that we would penetrate deeply into
the mystery of the Christmas feast and comprehend its meaning,
that our cold hearts might be warmed, and in holy love turned
to him, “who hath loved us, and hath delivered himself for us, an
oblation and a sacrifice to God.”—Ephes. 5: 2. Amen.

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203

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
THE OBDURACY OF THE SINNER.

Behold, this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of
many in Israel.—Luke 2: 34.
Who could believe that Christ, who came to take away the
sins of the world and to destroy the works of the devil, would be
the cause of the fall, that is, of the sin and damnation, of any
one ? Certainly no one can believe it. Christ is the Son of God,
and as such is infinitely holy. He therefore who hates and de­
tests wickedness can lead no man into sin. Consequently, when
it is said that Christ is set for the fall of many, we must not
understand that he was the moving· cause of anybody’s fall, but
only that men, hardened in wickedness, as many Jews were, took
occasion from his life, doctrine and miracles, to envy, blaspheme,
persecute, and crucify him, in short, to commit the greatest sins,
and thereby delivered themselves over to eternal perdition.
In the case of such impenitent, hardened sinners, things that
should be instrumental in bringing them to salvation, as the word
of God, divine grace, the sacraments, only serve to make them
sink deeper into vice. They resemble mud in the street, which
becomes harder the more the sun shines upon it. I shall speak
to you to-day about the obduracy of the sinner, viz.:
I. The marks, and
II. The causes of obduracy.

Part L
T shall mention only three marks of obduracy in sin : The silen ce
of conscience, the inefficacy of the grace of God, and the unsuccess­
fulness of all the means of salvation.

i. The silence of conscience. If one who is not yet hardened in
vice fall into sin, his conscience is aroused, it reproaches him for
having offended God, incurred his displeasure and punishment,
and fills him with disquietude, fear, and sadness. But these re­
proaches become weaker the oftener a man sins and the deeper
he sinks into vice. Such persons experience no longer any dis­
quietude or anguish when they have sinned; they seem to be

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always in a good humor, lie down at night without a care, and rise
cheerfully in the morning; apparently they enjoy peace. This is
the total silence of conscience, a mark of obduracy as manifest
as it is terrible. To such an obdurate sinner are applicable the
words of Holy Scripture: “The wicked man, when he is come
into the depth of sins, contemneth.”—Prov. 18: 3. Such a person
resembles one who is dangerously ill, whose excruciating pains
have ceased, and who tranquilly and with a dying voice says:
“Now all is well, I feel no more pain.” Ah, truly, the body feels
no more pain, because it is already benumbed with the coldness
of death.
Fortunate those sinners who still feel remorse of conscience I
They may have sinned grievously, but they are not yet hardened;
God has not entirely departed from them, and there is hope that
they will enter into themselves sooner or later and save their
souls. But woe to those sinners who have succeeded in altogether
silencing their conscience ; having no suspicion of their misery
or of the risk they run, they remain in this perilous condition,
dead to God and to virtue, and their conscience will very
probably not awaken till they find themselves before the
judgment seat of God. Beware lest you silence your conscience
when it reproaches you, by various false pretexts, such as the
example of others, confidence in the mercy of God, or conver­
sion after awhile. This would be to tempt God, who is using
your conscience as a means to save you, and by resisting it you
labor for your own destruction. After the example of holy
penitents, silence your conscience by a good confession.
2. The inefficacy of the grace of God. God gives to all, even to
the greatest sinners, and as long as they live, sufficient grace for
salvation, for “he will have all mento be saved, and to come to the
knowledge of the truth.”—I. Tim. 2; 4. He enlightens them, that
they may know what to do and what to avoid; he operates upon
their will, yet in such a manner as to leave it free, and strives to
recall them from their evil ways and to turn them to virtue ; he
encourages them to tread in the paths of salvation ; he inspires
them with confidence in his assistance and mercy ; he strengthens
and enables them to overcome all temptations and difficulties and
to do penance. But there are sinners in whom all the graces
which God gives them for their salvation are ineffectual ; their
heart is a rock into which the waters of divine grace can not
penetrate, or which the hardest stroke of the hammer can not rend.
What they were years ago they are to-day, sinners; to them the
words of the prophet are applicable: “They stopped their ears,
not to hear, and they made their heart as the adamant stone.”—
Zach. 7: ii, 12. A terrible example of this obduracy is furnished
us in the history of Judas Iscariot. Our divine Saviour chose hinj

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205

for an apostle, favored him for three years with his company
and intimate friendship, instructed him continually in the
doctrine of salvation, made him the witness of his most exalted
virtues and miracles, communicated to him the power of working
miracles, gave him his own flesh to eat and his blood to drink,
and invested him with power to consecrate the same; and yet
after all these graces he remained obstinate and obdurate. At
last, when Judas was really about to perpetrate the infamous
crime of treason, Jesus warned him most affectionately, called
him by the sweet name of friend, did not refuse the kiss of this
monster, and said; “Friend, whereto art thou come? dost thou
betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” But all in vain. Judas re­
mained obdurate, and his end was despair and suicide.
The second sign of the obduracy of the sinner is the inefficacy
of divine grace. God, as it were, contends with the sinner and
wishes to conquer him. But what a spectacle! The sinner holds
out against God and will not allow himself to be conquered. The
omnipotent God is defeated, and the imponent sinner, to his own
destruction, comes forth victorious over the mercy of God. Mercy
is then withdrawn, and the obdurate sinner is left to be dealt with
by divine justice. Now, let every one look into his own heart and
ask himself whether he belongs to the class of hardened sinners.
You do, and you see in your own self an example of what an obdu­
rate sinner is, if you find on examination that for years back your
conscience has been clamoring at you to change your life, to
forego some sinful indulgence, to attend mass and other religious
duties, and you resisted. You are obdurate in your sin, if neither
the Lenten season, nor Christmas solemnity, nor mission, nor
jubilee, nor Forty Hours’ devotion, nor sermons, nor the entrea­
ties of your pastor or relatives, avail to arouse you to a sense of
the fearful danger in which your salvation is placed. Woe, woe,
to the Christian of this sort, if by prayers and tears of penance
he obtain not from God the extraordinary grace necessary to
soften his hardened heart. His eternal ruin is inevitable.

3. The unsuccessfulness of all the means of salvation. God seeks to
save the sinners not only by interior graces, but also by exterior
means of salvation. The means which he makes use of for the
conversion of the sinner are of two kinds: ordinary ones, such as
admonitions, salutary exhortations on the part of the pastors of
souls and confessors, of parents and well-meaning friends, the
good example of others, especially of superiors, general and
particular prayers of the faithful, holy seasons and feasts; the
extraordinary are such as missions, jubilees, and great calamities.
Sinners who are not yet hardened usually avail themselves of
these, or, at least, of the extraordinary means. They return from
their evil ways and change their life. But there are sinners who

;?.■... ;
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ΛΤ *7.

206

Sunday After Christmas.

are already so hardened that all these means of salvation prove
ineffectual. Of what profit can sermons and salutary admonitions
be to them if they never listen to them, or if they listen to them
only on certain occasions when they must do so, and then with
reluctance and without any intention of paying heed to what
they hear? What can holy seasons and feasts profit them when
they do not employ them for the service of God but, like all
other times, for the gratification of their passions? What be­
nefit will missions and jubilees be to them when they reject
the proffered graces and do not even go to confession ? What
good will afflictions do them when they see in them not the
judgments of God, but only natural events? Such Christians
carry about them an unmistakable sign of obduracy, for, says
St. Bernard : uHard is the heart that cannot be brought to re­
pentance, nor softened to mildness, nor moved by prayers; that
yields not to threats, and by blows becomes mere obstinate.”
Reflect and see whether you have any of these signs of
obduracy. Ask yourselves whether you have employed these
ordinary and extraordinary means of salvation, and if so, how
you have used them. If you are compelled to say that you have
neglected these means entirely, or have not made proper use
of them for your purification and sanctification, and that notwith­
standing them all you continue to live in your old bad habits
and vices, then you are indeed of the number of obdurate sinners,
and you have every reason to fear the worst. God grant that
there may not be even a single one among us who finds these
signs of obduracy already engraven on his souL

I shall mention only three causes of obduracy : unbelief, the
habit of sinning, and the presumption of the sinner.
Unbelief. It is self-evident that unbelief leads to hardness of
heart. Let us suppose that a sinner no longer believes in God,
nor in the immortality of the soul, nor in heaven or hell; what
motive can such a one have to restrain his passions, to renounce
sin and be converted? Certainly none; at least no supernatural
motive, such as is required for a true conversion. The unbeliever
therefore will continue his sinful life as long as he can, and if he
be prevented from actually committing the sin he will do so in
his heart and his amendment will be only external.
Behold why so many in our days live in complete hardness of
heart. They have suffered shipwreck of the faith ! Their conscience
may be occasionally aroused and reproach them, they may hear
Christian truths preached to them; nevertheless they persevere in
I.

6.

Moral Sketch.

207

frin, for they say: “Why should I trouble myself? Everything· ends
with this present life; hereafter there will be neither reward nor
punishment.” Oh, take care not to lose your faith ; for unbelief,
which in itself is one of the greatest sins, begets hardness of heart
and leads by two ways to eternal damnation.

2. The habit of sinning. Every one knows how strong is the
force of habit; it often causes those things which were formerly
hard and bitter to become after a while easy and pleasant, nay,
even necessary. This is particularly true of the habit of sinning.
He who commits a sin the first time, feels some repugnance in­
teriorly, some resistance ; his conscience is aroused and he does not
readily yield to passion and sin. The second and the third time
he sins with greater facility; sin appears to him by no means
so execrable as it did the first time; and the oftener he sins the
less he cares about it, until at last sin loses in his eyes its baseness,
and he commits it as easily as if it were a matter of no moment.
Thus it is that the habitual sinner violates chastity ; that he gets
drunk, curses, blasphemes, cheats, slanders, and detracts his
neighbor most unjustly, without feeling the least remorse of con­
science, or reflecting that if he do not amend his life he will be
lost forever. It is quite evident that such a habit of sinning
begets obduracy. Hence, St. Bernard says: “The oft-repeated
sin produces a habit, and the habit a necessity, and the necessity
the impossibility to renounce it ; and the impossibility leads to
despair, and despair to eternal damnation.” He therefore who
desires not to be lost eternally must resist in the beginning,
avoid the first sin, and fear nothing so much as to become
an habitual sinner. '
3. The presumption of the sinner. Many who sin, and live in sin
without a purpose of amendment, nevertheless hope that God
will be merciful and not reject them. This is to hope presumptu­
ously, and leads, not to salvation, but to damnation. True, God
is infinitely merciful and ready to pardon all sins, however great
and grievous thny may be ; but this mercy regards only those
sinners who are truly penitent. “How great is the mercy of the
Lord, and his forgiveness to themtha· turn to him.”—Ecclus. 17:
28. He who is not truly sorry.for his bins, and has not firmly re­
solved to avoid them, but deliberately continues to live on in sin,
that man is excluded from the mercy of God and will be the
object of God’s wrath and vindictive justice. It is only an artifice
of the devil thaa makes the sinner believe that he has everything
to hope from God, and nothing to fear. Through this unhappy
blindness he loses that salutary fear of the Almighty which is
“the beginning of wisdom,” never thinks of amendment, and per­
severes in a life of sin. To such blind sinners I would address

the words of the Holy Ghost : “Add not sin upon sin, and say not:

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Sunday After Christmas.

The mercy of God is great; he will have mercy on the multitude
of my sins; for mercy and wrath quickly come from him ; and his
wrath looketh upon sinners.”—Ecclus. 5: 5-7.
PERORATION.

I have now explained to you the signs and causes of the obdu­
racy of the sinner. Sinners are everywhere to be found, and
unfortunately there will be some in our parish. But, oh, let us
hope that in our midst is to be found no one who could be
pronounced obdurate. Truly, the condition of the hardened
sinner is frightful to contemplate. He stands, as it were, with
one foot in hell. The saying is true which declares that “to sin
is human, but to persevere in sin, diabolical.” Unhappy sinners,
be men, not demons. Abide not calmly in your sin. Avail your­
selves of the few days of the departing year to effect your recon­
ciliation with God. Make a good confession, and if any one has
had the misfortune to fall into mortal sin, let him rise from his
fall by the grace of God without delay; let him become speedily
and truly repentant and save his soul. Amen.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
ANNA A BEAUTIFUL PATTERN FOR OUR IMITATION.

She departed notfrom the temple, by fastings and prayers serving
night and day.—Luke 2 : 37.
The end for which we are created is to know, to love, and to
serve God. Thus saith the law of God: “The Lord thy God
shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve.“—Matt. 4: 10.
If we conscientiously fulfil this our vocation here on earth, we
shall obtain our end hereafter, and reign with God in his king­
dom, where joys and delights abound forever. We have a
beautiful example in Anna, the aged widow, of whom the gospel
of this day says: “She departed not from the temple, by fastings
and prayers serving night and day.” Anna shows us by her
example that the service of God consists—

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209

I. In serving in the temple*
II. In fasting;
III. In prayer.

Part I.
1. It was the custom among the Jews for pious widows and
virgins to devote themselves to the service of God in the temple.
They lived together in houses attached to the temple, and led a
life similar to that in our Catholic sisterhoods. There is no doubt
that Anna lived in one of these houses, for the gospel says of her,
that she never departed from the temple. Like these pious
widows and virgins, she considered it one of her principal duties
to serve in the temple, to sweep and adorn it.
This was a good work, a service of God. King Ezechias had
given at Jerusalem the express command to purify the temple of
the Lord, and to take away all filth out of the sanctuary.—II.
Parai. 29; 4. And we read in the gospel that Christ drove the
buyers and sellers with their doves and other articles of traffic
out of the temple, and upset the tables of the money-changers,
and thus purified it. That the adorning of the temple is a good
work is evident from the fact that God appeared to Solomon,
who had built the temple of Jerusalem, and, as it was adorned
most sumptuously, promised the king that the divine eyes
“shall be open and the divine ears attentive to the prayer of him
that shall pray in that place.”—II. Parai. 7: 15.

2. Anna is a beautiful model for our imitation in the service of
the Lord. Let us likewise purify and adorn our church. But you
may think and say: How can we do this? It is not our business
to clean and adorn the church ; this is the duty of those who are
appointed for the purpose. I reply, you can, nevertheless, render
this service in various ways.

(λ.) Give something now and then towards the adorning of your
church and altar, for the purpose of procuring vestments and holy
vessels and such things as are necessary for the worthy celebra­
tion of divine worship. This certainly is a work pleasing to
God, especially when a church is poor and destitute of the
necessary articles, because its object is the honor of God and the
edification of the faithful. Every lady of the congregation ought
to be a member of the Altar Society. “I have loved, O Lord, the
beauty of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwelleth.”
Pious Christians of all times, among them many kings and prin­
ces, as the Emperor Constantine I., his saintly mother Helen, the
Emperor Henry II. and his devout wife Cunigund, have given us
I

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beautiful examples of liberality in contributing towards the
adornment of the house of God.

(à) You yourselves are temples of God, as St. Paul says. “Know
you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you?’—I. Cor. 3: 16. In this temple there is,
perhaps, need of purification: clean it, banish sin from your
heart, and all vain, avaricious, unchaste, envious, malignant, and
revengeful thoughts and desires, and mortify all inordinate in­
clinations. Adorn the temple of your heart with Christian
thoughts and virtues, with a true love of God and your neighbor.
This is far more necessary and meritorious than the purification
and adorning of churches; and the poor, as well as the rich, can
do this. Whenever you enter a clean, nicely adorned church,
ask yourselves the question: How is it with the temple of my
heart? Is that clean and as nicely adorned as this church?

(zr.) Your houses, Christian fathers and mothers, are to be
temples of God. Beware lest they become dens of thieves. Purify
them from every filth. If you notice faults in your children and
servants, correct them. If people come to your house who might
rob the inmates of their virtue and religion, who would soil
your temple with filthy conversation, profane language, back­
biting, etc., either put such persons from your door without
delay, or give them very distinctly to understand that they must
never attempt to defile your house with their wickedness. Do
what you can to make your children and servants walk in the
fear of God, for good children and pious servants are the most
beautiful ornaments of a Christian house. If this temple service
in your own house appear difficult to you, remember the words
of the Apostle: “If any man have not care of his own, and espe­
cially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse
than an infidel?’—Z. Tim. 5: 8.

Part

Π.

The service of God consists also in fasting.

i. In corporalfasting. God himself prescribed fasting at certain
times to the Jews. Thus we read {Lev. 16: 29): “This shall be to
you an everlasting ordinance: the seventh month, the tenth day
of the month, you shall afflict your souls,” that is, fast. Anna ob­
served this divine ordinance of fasting from her youth ; she
served God by fasting. She observed not only the regular fast
days prescribed by the Law, but imposed upon herself voluntary
fastings, and fasted even in her advanced age, when she had be­
come weak and frail, and when fasting must have been a great
hardship to her.

7. Moral Sketch.

211

This is certainly an example which we might imitate to a
greater extent than we now do. The Church from the earliest ages
prescribed fasting for the faithful, because Christ himself gave
us an example when he fasted forty days and forty nights, and
because he said : “When the bridegroom shall be taken away from
them, then they shall fast.”—Mail. 9: 15. Moreover, fasting sub­
jects the flesh to the spirit, it is a way of doing penance, and renders
us more fit for the practice of virtue and prayer. According to this
ordinance, we are to deprive ourselves of some food and drink
and abstain from the use of flesh meat on certain days. Christians
who make light of the ecclesiastical precept of fasting act con­
trary to the ordinances of God in the Old Law, to the spirit of
Christianity in the New, which is a spirit of mortification, to
the word and example of Christ and the saints, and to the express
mandates and teaching of the Church; to them are applicable the
words of our divine Saviour: “If he will not hear the Church, let
him be to thee as the heathen and publican.”—Matt. 18: 17.
Reflect well upon this, and observe conscientiously the ecclesi­
astical precept of fasting.
2. In spiritual fasting. Anna was not content with corporal
fasting, as the Pharisees were, whose fasting was anything but a
good work, or one pleasing to God, since they chastised only
the body, but allowed the basest passions to grow exuberantly
in their hearts, such as pride, avarice, hatred, and revenge. Anna
combined corporal with spiritual fasting, practicing unceasingly
virtues and good works. Her virtues were: continence, piety,
seclusion from the world and its vanities, fidelity in the perform­
ance of all the ordinances of the law, watchfulness over herself,
and mortification of all her sinful inclinations. This spiritual
fast was in itself a service well-pleasing to God, and stamped
upon her corporal fasting the seal of merit.

3. We must try to imitate Anna. Corporal fasting, which the
Church prescribes, is necessary and good, because it is an or­
dinance of God, but without spiritual fasting it would not be
meritorious. “What does it avail to emaciate the body with fast­
ing, if the soul is puffed up with pride? What praise shall we
receive for paleness caused by fasting, if we are livid with envy?”
—St. Jerome. What does it avail us to abstain from wine, if we
are drunk with wickedness and iniquity? Spiritual fasting con­
sists in abstaining from sin, in curbing our passions, in suppress­
ing our sinful thoughts, inclinations, and desires, and subduing
our senses. This is true fasting. Abstinence from flesh meat is
ordained that the inordinate desires of the flesh may be tamed.
He that fasts must conquer his anger, subdue his inordinate
desires, resist avarice and be liberal and charitable to the poor

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Sunday After Christmas.

Corporal fasting is not always to be observed, but only on certain
days, whereas we are obliged to fast spiritually at all times; we
must observe it every day, as long as we live—on Easter Sunday
as well as on Good Friday.

Part ΙΠ.
Finally, to the service of God belongs prayer.

1. Interior prayer. Wherein does this interior prayer consist ? In
having God and the salvation of our souls always before our eyes,
in occupying ourselves frequently with pious meditations on re­
ligious truths, and aiming at interior recollection. This manner of
praying is an excellent service of God, because the powers and
faculties of the soul, will, memory, and understanding, are em­
ployed for the honor of God, and at the same time the divine and
moral virtues are practiced. In such a way Anna served the
Lord. She was entirely dead to the world, and, as it were, buried
in the solitude of the temple. She had but one wish on earth—
to see the promised Alessias. She was completely absorbed in
God, heard nothing, spoke nothing, read nothing, except of God
and divine things; she was led altogether by the Spirit of God,
wherefore God gave her the particular grace and gift of prophecy,
and prolonged her life, that she might see, before she died, the
Redeemer of the world. You also can and must practice interior
prayer. Recollect yourselves daily, morning and evening, and
direct your thoughts to God; do the same several times during
the day, whilst you are at work, and make some pious aspirations.
Employ Sundays and holidays particularly in this holy exercise
by reading a spiritual book, by earnestly thinking of the state of
your souls and its eternal destiny, by reflecting on religious
truths, and making good resolutions to abandon a certain fault,
or to practice a certain virtue. He who does not practice interior
prayer in this in or a similar manner, will fall into lukewarmness
and forgetfulness of salvation, and become a worldling—one
who cares about every earthly concern more than he does about
the salvation of his soul. Therefore, let us not neglect interior
prayer.
2. Vocal prayer. This also is a service of God, because by it
not only the faculties of the soul, but also those of the body,
with its senses and members, the eyes, tongue, lips, hands, and
feet, are employed as instruments for the worship of God. The
gospel expressly says that Anna practiced this vocal prayer:
“She departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serv­
ing night and day.” She was truly and really devout, looking
upon prayer as a duty; for she went to the temple to pray, not

7.

Moral Sketch.

213

only in the daytime, but also during the night. Since Anna is
praised in the Sacred Scripture for her fervor in prayer, and since
God favored her so greatly by conferring upon her the gift of pro­
phecy, you see how wrongly Christians act who speak contemp­
tuously of prayer, who pray seldom or negligently, and who
ridicule those who manifest fervor in prayer. He who is an
enemy of prayer has a wrong idea of the spiritual life; he is dead
to God, and partakes of the nature of the devil, if he can not and
will not pray, and therefore is and will remain for ever an
enemy of God. “Prayer,” says St. Augustine, “is the nourish­
ment of the soul; as the body cannot live without food, so the
soul cannot sustain life without prayer.” By no means neglect
prayer. Make it your rule of life to say at least a short morning
and evening prayer. Christian parents, see to it that all your
children say their prayers morning and evening, and before and
after meals. Practice prayer especially on Sundays and holidays.
Go to church in the forenoon, for this in obligatory, and if pos­
sible, attend Vespers in the afternoon.
PERORATION.

You see that according to the example of Anna, the pious
widow, the service of God consists in the temple service and
in prayer and fasting. But how can you serve God in this
threefold manner? Love the beauty of the house of God, and
contribute your share towards it, as far as may be necessary,
and your means allow; especially purify the temples of your
heart and your house from all evil, and adorn them with Christian
virtues. Keep strictly the fast days and days of abstinence
prescribed by the Church, and lead a mortified life. Be devoted
to prayer, recollect yourselves frequently, occupy yourselves
with God and the affairs of your soul, and awaken pious aspir­
ations and good resolutions within you. Practice interior prayer
at home, as well as in the church. In such a way you will serve
God according to the example of Anna, and you may hope as
& reward to share in her eternal felicity in heaven. Amen.

Sunday Between New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

Epistle. Gal. 4: 1-7. Brethren: As long· as the heir is a child,
he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, but
is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the
father: so we also, when we were children, were serving under
the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time was
come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law;
that he might redeem them who were under the law; that we
might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons,
God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying:
Abba, Father. Therefore, now he is not a servant, but a son.
And if a son, an heir also through God.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
SIGNS by which a childlike mind is known.

Because you are sons, God hath sent the spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying : Abba, Father.— Gal. 4: 6.

The epistle for to-day is the same as that read in the mass on
last Sunday. In it the Apostle speaks of the condition of man in
the Old and the New Law, and shows that through Jesus Christ
we have been made children of God and heirs of heaven. What a
dignity, what a grace ! As children of God we can approach with
confidence, and pray to him, Abba, Father. Everything depends
on our conducting ourselves as true children of God, for only
the good and pious will be acknowledged by God as his children
and made heirs of his kingdom. We must therefore take inno­
cent children for our model and be disposed towards God, our
heavenly father, just as good children are towards their father
and mother. Of this childlike disposition, and the marks by
which it may be known, I shall speak to you to-day. It is known—

i.

Homiletic Sketch.

I. By attachment to father and mother:
II. By belief in their word;
III. By confidence in them;
IV. By affection for them.

Part

I.

By attachment to father and mother.

Father and mother are everything to the child. Where the
parents are, the child will be; it runs after them, clings to them, is
led by their hand, and cries if it must remain behind. It prefers its
father and mother to all others. Even if a king or a queen in splen­
did attire approach it, the child will turn away and stretch its little
hands towards its parents, and though they be poor and in rags,
it feels at home and safe only with them. Even if parents look
cross at it and punish it, it will not leave them, but turns to them
and caresses them. This is its childlike disposition, its attach­
ment to its father and mother. In the same way the childlike dis­
position of a Christian manifests itself towards God, his heavenly
Father. Nowhere is he content but with God; he wishes always
to be with him; therefore he loves to think of God. Thus St.
Aloysius’ thoughts were always with God. Not only when he
was alone and at prayer, but also in company, and in all the
labors and distractions of life he was interiorly recollected and
occupied with divine things. His superiors forbade his thinking
constantly of God, because they feared a continually contemp­
lative life might injure his health; and he tried to obey, but in
vain ; if he did turn his thoughts to worldly things, they would,
in spite of all he could do, return to God. The childlike Christ­
ian loves to speak to God; the hours which he can pass in
prayer are the sweetest of his life; he prays whenever he has
leisure, even at his work he raises his mind from time to time to
God, and says a heartfelt prayer. John the Abbot in his travels
through the desert one day met a venerable old man, who knelt
with folded hands upon a board, absorbed in devotion, his eyes
turned towards heaven. When the pious old man arose from
his prayer, John noticed that the board, owing to the constant
kneeling, was hollowed and red with drops of blood. Thus
the saints prayed. A childlike Christian receives Jesus in holy
communion as often as he can, and esteems himself happy to
be able to unite himself with his God and Saviour. When the
priest brought the Viaticum to St. Philip Neri, he exclaimed,
“Behold my Love, behold my Love; oh, give me my Love!”
In a similar manner, the childlike disposition of a pious Christ
ian manifests itself: he is attached to God with his whole soul.
Is this also the case with you? Are your thoughts often with God ?

2i6

Sunday Between New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

Do you love to pray? Does it afford you joy and pleasure to re
ceive him in holy communion ? If you are obliged to answer
negatively, a childlike disposition is wanting in you and a radical
amendment is necessary ; for without a childlike mind you can
not be children of God, nor have a claim to the inheritance of his
kingdom.

Part e IL
By belief in the word offather and mother.
1. Whatever the father and mother say is infallible truth to a
child. If they say to it: My child, this is right and good, the child
believes them; if they say: This is wrong and wicked, it also
believes them. It never occurs to the child to question the
father’s or mother’s word. If anybody were to represent the
contrary as the truth, the child would open its eyes wide, shake
its head, and say: No, no, father and mother told me differently.

2. In like manner you must manifest a childlike mind. Christians
who have a childlike disposition believe with joyful readiness what
their mother the Church teaches, and are unshaken in their faith,
and in this faith they find light, comfort, and peace. If ever a doubt
arise they suppress it at once, and if any one try to seduce them
to unbelief, they repulse him with indignation, and would suffer
their heart to be torn out of their body rather than lose their
faith. They say with St. Augustine: “Faith is heaven’s greatest
boon, better than gold and silver, riches, and broad acres.”
Examples: The holy martyrs, who sacrificed all, even life itself,
for the sake of the faith.
Do you possess this childlike disposition ? Do you esteem your
faith as the greatest treasure of heaven? Do you always cling to
the holy Catholic Church? Would you be ready to lose all rather
than sacrifice your faith ? Ah! how many are there nowadays
who are only nominal Catholics, who are not ashamed to side
with the enemies of the Church, and fashion and modernize their
faith according to the spirit of the times. Oh! if such Christians
would but reflect on the words of St. Augustine : “If we do not
walk in faith here, we shall not hereafter arrive at the beatific
vision;” and on the words of St. Cyprian: “He that has not the
Church for his mother can not have God for his father."

Part III.
By confidence in father and mother.

i. The child is remarkable for its confidence in its father and
mother. It is naturally very timid. The barking of a dog even

i.

Homiletic Sketch.

at a distance, any unusual noise or sight, is apt to conjure up in
its young mind all kinds of apprehensions, and often in its fright
at such trifles it will burst into tears of anguish. But if its parents
be near, it knows no fear; and even in real danger it is quiet,
for it seems to think that where father and mother are, no harm
can happen to it. And when the real danger draws near, it be­
gins to cry and clings to its parents for the desired refuge and
help. If any one attempt to injure it, it threatens him, saying: I
shall tell my father if you do that. If it becomes sick and sees the
physician by its bedside, it is afraid; but if father or mother
say: Do not be afraid, my child, the doctor will not harm you;
he loves you and will make you well again, it becomes quiet and
allows itself to be treated by the physician.

2. So the Christian with a childlike mind places his entire con­
fidence in God, his heavenly Father. He is indeed aware of his
own weakness and impotence; he also knows that numberless
enemies are seeking his ruin, and that every day brings danger
for body and soul. But he does not, on that account, become dis­
couraged and faint-hearted; he turns to God and comforts him­
self with the thought: God is my Father, he is powerful enough
to protect me in every situation of life, and being Love and
Goodness itself, he will not allow anything to harm me. Even
in the greatest danger, in extreme necessity, he stands immovable
in his confidence in God, and says with David, “If armies in
camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear.”
—Ps. 20: 3. Examples: The three young men, Sidrach, Misach,
and Abdenago (Dan. 3), and St. Paul.—II. Cor. 1: 9, 10. In like
manner, you must prove your childlike mind by confidence in
God, your Father in heaven. Be not like those Christians who
expect everything from men, and little or nothing from God.
They sin grievously against God, and to them the words of the
prophet are applicable : “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the
Lord.”—Jer. 17: 5. Trust in God, for “blessed be the man that
trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence; and he
shall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that spreadeth out
its roots towards moisture; and it shall not fear when the heat
cometh.”—Jer. 17:7, 8. Let not your trust in God waver when you
languish in tribulation without seemingly finding relief from him.
It is God’s providence to appoint when and how he will come
to our assistance. As you know, the Church is now persecuted in
Europe and elsewhere ; this persecution has already lasted several
years, and instead of decreasing becomes more violent every
year; let us not, however, lose courage, but persevere steadfastly
in our confidence in him who has said: “The gates of hell shall
not prevail against her.” Jesus, who seems to sleep now, will

2i8

Sumday between New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

sooner or later arise and co Hill and the winds and the waves to
subside, and there shall be a great calm. If we do not abandon
God, he will certainly never abandon us.

Part IV.
By affection for father and mother

Parents are, as I said before, everything to the child ; it clings
to them with its whole soul. It feels so happy if father and
mother are pleased with it and are affectionate towards it ; on the
contrary, nothing pains a child more than to notice that father
and mother are displeased on account of a fault; it will not rest
till they look upon it again with fond and loving eyes. The love
which it has for its parents urges it to do conscientiously all that
is required; it does not wait for a command, but performs with
alacrity what it judges from their eyes to be their will: their
slightest wish is a command. Since it knows that father and
mother act for the best, even if they sometimes command what
is difficult, it overcomes itself and is ready to make every sacri­
fice in order to accomplish their wish. In like manner the child­
like mind of the true Christian manifests itself. He loves God
above all things, and nothing can be compared with the felicity
he experiences when he can say with a good conscience: God is
satisfied with me; I have his approval. What disquietude, what
sorrow pierces his soul if he has committed, I do not say a mortal
sin, but even a slight fault. He is profoundly sorry for it, atones
for it by works of penance, and asks pardon of God. Mary
Theresa, the consort of Louis XIV., king of France, had a very
tender conscience. She once committed an insignificant fault, of
which she was continually thinking in the bitterness of her soul.
Her friends tried to comfort her, telling her that it was only a
venial sin. She replied: “God is offended by it, and, therefore,
what I have done is a deadly wound to my soul.” Great things
are required of a Christian ; he must do violence to himself, in
order to bear away the kingdom of heaven. A childlike mind
makes the Christian exclaim with St. Paul : “Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or
hunger? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution ? or the sword?”
Yes, it is a childlike mind that urges the Christian to do what he
knows to be pleasing to God, even if it should not be comman­
ded; he embraces with joy every opportunity for the exercise
of virtues and good works.
Are we animated by this childlike spirit? Are we solicitous to
do the will of God in all things? Alas! many of us commit daily,
perhaps, not only venial, but even mortal sins, without being

i. Homiletic Sketch.

219

disquieted, and live in the state of sin for years, without thinking
of being reconciled to God by sincere repentance. When there
is a question of temporal gain, or the gratification of a passion,
many spare no labor, no sacrifice; but the least thing they are
required to do for God and the salvation of their soul is too diffi­
cult for them. Many pass their days thoughtlessly, are indolent
in doing good, and neglect the duties of their religion and state
of life. Where is the childlike mind in such Christians? where
their love of God ?
PERORATION.

Let us not content ourselves with being merely called children
of God, but let us strive to be such in reality. Let us prove our
childlike disposition by our actions. Let us cling to God with
our whole heart, have him always before our eyes, and love to
converse with him in holy prayer; let us visit him frequently in
the Most Holy Sacrament, and esteem ourselves happy to be
allowed to receive him often into our hearts. Let us stand stead­
fastly by our holy faith, banish every doubt, and not allow
ourselves to become wavering in our belief by the words and
sophisms of godless men. Let us not forget that it is impossible
to please God and to be saved without faith. Let us trust in God,
for He “is our refuge and strength, a helper in troubles.”—Ps.
45: 2. Let us love God above all things, and manifest our love
by doing what is pleasing to him, though it be sometimes difficult.
God and the fulfilment of his holy will should be the end which
we should strive to attain as long as we live. This is that child­
like mind with which we should perform all things, that we may
be children of God in truth, and become heirs of his everlasting
kingdom in heaven. Amen.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

Gospel. Matt. 2: 19-23. At that time: when Herod was dead,
oehold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in
Egypt, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go
into the land of Israel; for they are dead that sought the life of
the child. Who arose and took the child and his mother and
came into the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus reigned
in Judea in the room of Herod his Father, he was afraid to

220 Sunday between New Year’s Day and Epiphany.
go thither: and being warned in sleep, retired into the quarters
of Galilee. And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that
it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophets: that he
shall be called a Nazarite.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE RETURN OF THE HOLY FAMILY INTO THEIR OWN COUNTRY.

You know that King Herod had decreed the death of the di­
vine Infant because he feared to lose his throne through him,
the new-born King of the Jews. When the sages from the East did
not return to inform him of the dwelling-place of the Holy Fa­
mily, he ordered all the male children of Bethlehem and its neigh­
borhood, from two years old and under, to be murdered, thinking
that the Child Jesus, whose destruction alone was sought, could
certainly not escape. But man proposes and God disposes.
Joseph had been warned by an angel to flee into Egypt with
Mary and the Child. AVhen the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem
were slain, the Holy Family was already in Egypt, beyond the
reach of Herod’s murderous hand. The gospel of this day records
the return of the Holy Family into their own country. I shall
divide it into two parts.
I. God commands Joseph to return into his own country.
II. Joseph executes the divine command.

Part

L

God commands Joseph to return into his own country.

Here we have for our consideration—
The time when God commanded Joseph to return: after Herod
was dead. The Herod mentioned in this day’s gospel was the
father of that Herod who afterwards imprisoned John the
Baptist and caused him to be beheaded, and who ridiculed Jesus;
he had been surnamed “the Great,” but was one of the most
cruel tyrants that ever sat upon a throne. His lust for power
was insatiable. To secure his throne, he shed blood in torrents
and caused his own consort, Mary Anna, and three of his sons
to be put to death. In comparison with his other cruelties the
murder of the children at Bethlehem was only a minor affair,
wherefore profane historians do not even mention it. At last the
hand of God overtook the bloodthirsty monster. He was attacked
1.

i.

Homiletic Sketch.

221

by a painful and loathsome disease; worms consumed him alive, his
breath and sores infected the air; intolerable to himself and to
others he tried to take his own life, and ordered his son Anti­
pater to be killed on the same day. Knowing well that the Jews
would rejoice at his death, he determined to change their joy into
tears. What did he do? He caused the most noble of the Jews
to be arrested, and gave orders for them to be massacred imme­
diately after his death. A few days afterwards the impious
wretch died in despair, but his order for the execution of the
Jews was not carried out.
Behold, this was Herod of whom the gospel of to-day says :
“At that time, when Herod was dead.” This ruler had resorted
to every measure in order to make his throne secure, and for this
end shed the blood of thousands; but what did it profit him at
the last? The unhappy wretch lost all, not only his throne, but
also, what is infinitely more, his immortal soul; he was damned.
Such is the end of every impenitent sinner. Death robs him of
everything, money, estate, honors, dignities, pleasures and joys,
and precipitates him into the abyss of hell. Oh, how foolish is
the sinner! Herod was a bloodthirsty man, and as such he died.
As a man lives, so shall he die. Do not, therefore, delay your
conversion in the hope of a death-bed repentance; on the death­
bed there are, as a rule, only two kinds of sinners; the obstinate,
and penitents in appearance. Among a thousand who live in the
state of sin, scarcely one dies well. Because Herod was success­
ful in temporal affairs, and raised himself to honor and power,
the world called him “Great”. How false is the judgment of the
world ! Be not blinded by it, neither yield your assent to it.
Through whom did God command Joseph to return ? Through
an angel, for we read: An angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to
Joseph. Four times an angel appeared to Joseph: the first time,
when he intended to put Mary away; the second time, when he
was admonished to flee with her and the child into Egypt; the
third and the fourth time, as we read in the gospel of this day.
God has given to every one of us, even in our mother’s womb,
an angel of heaven, to watch over and protect us from all perils
of body and soul, and to lead us to our eternal destiny. Our
guardian angel is always at our side and confers on us number­
less benefits. Let us show ourselves grateful by listening to his
inspirations and permitting ourselves to be guided by him. God
wills this, for he says: “Behold, I will send my angel, who shall
go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and biing thee into
the place that I have prepared. Take notice of him, and hear
his voice, and do not think him one to be contemned; for he will
not forgive when thou hast sinned, and my name is in him.”—
Exodus 23 : 20, 21.
2.

222

Sunday

between

New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

3. In what words did God command Joseph to return ?
(a.) Arise. When the angel said to Joseph in Judea, "Arise,
and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt,” (Matt.
2: 13), we find this injunction natural, because haste was neces­
sary, to withdraw the divine Child from the murderous hand of
Herod. But how does it happen that Joseph is again admonished
in the night to arise and begin his journey into the land of Israel?
It mattered not whether Joseph departed from Egypt a few days
sooner or later, because in Egypt the Child was in no danger.
We do not know the reason why Joseph should again begin his
journey in haste, but two important lessons for us are contained
in the word, “Arise.” To be aroused from a refreshing sleep in
the midst of the night, and rise immediately, requires self-com­
mand and strength of will, because it is disagreeable to human
nature. But as Joseph overcame himself, so must we, when
once we know the will of God. Considering all that Christ did
for our sakes, that for love of us he was obedient even unto the
death of the cross, no obedience should be too difficult for us.
Moreover, the word “Arise” may serve as a lesson for us. We
may profitably call that short word to mind every morning when
it is time to get up, and not stop to think, and wait to be called
again and again, indulging in sloth. We should, like Joseph, rise
without delay, remembering that such is God’s will, and that he
it is who in reality calls us to our daily duties. It is a little self­
denial, but, if done for the love of God, a very meritorious action.

(£.) Take the child and his mother. The beauty and significance
of the language here used by the angel can be comprehended
only by the Catholic; he alone possesses the true faith with re­
gard to the mystery of the Incarnation. The angel did not say:
Take thy child and his mother, or, Take thy wife and child.
Why? Because Joseph was only the foster-father of Jesus. Christ
as man had a mother but no father, and as God, a Father but no
mother. In other words, he is, as to his divine nature, the eternal
Son of the Father, having, as God, no mother; and as to his
human nature, he derives it from his Virgin Mother, having, as
man, no father; thus, as the old schoolmen would put it, having
his divinity through his paternity, and his humanity through his
maternity. Hence the angel says “his mother,” because Mary is
the real and true mother of Jesus, having conceived him in her
virginal womb by the power of the Holy Ghost and brought him
forth into the world.
(l·.) lor they are dead that sought the life of the child. Why is
the plural number used ; Was is not Herod alone who sought the
life of the Child? He, it is true, was the author and instigator of

i.

Homiletic Sketch.

223

the wicked designs upon the life of the divine Infant, but his bad
example was imitated by many, especially by his sons, who also
hated and sought the life of the Child. But Joseph had nothing
to fear from them, for, like Herod, they too were dead.
The eldest son had murdered his two brothers, and Herod caused
him to be put to death. Thus die the impious, and the persecutions
they inflict upon the pious also come to an end. Let us not lose
courage, if numberless enemies battle against holy Church and
strive to inflict upon her a deadly blow; sooner or later it shall
be said of them, “They are dead.” But the Church will not die;
her bishops and priests, like the Holy Family, will return from
their exile in the Egypt of persecution, and we shall again enjoy
the blessings of peace.

Part EL
Joseph executes the divine command.
1. Who arose and took the child and his mother, and came into the
land of Israel. When Joseph received the command to flee into
Egypt, he “arose and took the child and his mother by night, and
retired into Egypt.”—Matt. 2: 13, 14. To leave his own country
in the night, and go into a foreign land inhabited by idolaters,
without any knowledge of the place, without any preparation
for so long and laborious a journey, was hard, yet Joseph obeyed,
and God desired now to reward his obedience ; for he gave him
a command that filled him with great joy, viz., that he should
return into his own country. What could be sweeter and more
desirable than to return to and live in his own country?
This should be an incentive to us to obey God in difficult
undertakings. If we obey him when he says: “If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me” [Matt. 16: 24), he will, in recompense for our obe­
dience, one day give a command that we shall most cheerfully
obey: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the king­
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”—
Matt. 25: 34.
2. But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea, in the room of
Herod his father, he was afraid io go thither. Joseph had returned
into the land of Israel, which at that time was divided into four
tetrarchies, or principalities. In one of these, Judea, the land of
the Jews, Archelaus, a son of Herod, reigned. In this country, and
probably in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and where his
forefathers had lived, Joseph intended to settle down; but when
he heard that Archelaus, equally as cruel and impious as his

224 Sunday

between

New Year’s Day

and

Epiphany.

father Herod, reigned there, he hesitated to go chither, for he
feared that the life of his foster-child would be imperilled.
Parents, masters, mistresses, and guardians have in Joseph a
beautiful model as to how they should care for their children
and those under their charge, that nothing hurtful may happen
to them. They should never allow them to visit places where
danger threatens their innocence and virtue. If you have no
children, you have a soul ; guard it against everything that might
hurt it, lest you lose it eternally.
3. And being warned in sleep, he retired into the quarters of
Galilee, and coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth : that it might
be fulfilled which was said by the prophets : that he shall be called a
Nazarile.
God did not leave Joseph long in perplexity, but instructed
him again by an angel to go with Jesus and Mary into Galilee.
Here Antipas was ruler ; he was not so cruel as his predecessors,
and caused no fear for the life of the divine Child. Why did not
the angel say at once that they should go into Galilee? The
Fathers of the Church reply: God leads man only step by step,
and does not at once, as a rule, reveal all his designs. If we
obey the first inspirations of God, we deserve to receive further
instruction, and so to obtain our end, like Joseph. But, according
to his example, we must also exercise prudence and ask light of
God. Nazareth was a village in Galilee, where Mary had for­
merly lived, and where she had conceived Jesus. Here Joseph
made his permanent abode until his blessed death. Jesus also
lived at Nazareth until his thirtieth year, wherefore he received
the name <iNazarite.” Galileans were greatly despised by the
Jews, because some Gentiles lived among them, who were looked
upon as uncircumcised, and consequently unclean. But the in­
habitants of Nazareth were not only held in contempt because
they were Galileans, but also on account of the village being of
an insignificant origin and not known in the Old Testament.
Hence, also, Nathanael, full of astonishment, said to Philip, who
assured him that the Messias promised by God was from Naza­
reth, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Jesus, then,
on account of his long sojourn at Nazareth was called a Nazarite, a term of contempt among the Jews, meaning a despised
person. Thus Christ exhibits himself to us in the most pro­
found humility, to humble our pride, and particularly to teach us
that we can enter into the kingdom of heaven only by the path
of humility: “Amen, Isay unto you, unless you be converted,
and become as little children, you shall not enter into the king­
dom of heaven.”—Matt. 18: 3.

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

225

PERORATION.

From the event mentioned in this day’s gospel, we see very
conspicuously how lovingly and wisely God leads his own, and
how he makes use of various means to accomplish his designs.
Let us resign ourselves to the will of divine Providence in every
situation of life. Though we may be obliged to undergo trials
and difficulties, let us not waver in our trust in God; let us always
do what is right, have a good conscience, and then everything
will turn out well for us, as it did for the Holy Family. The Lord
will protect us by his powerful and merciful hand in all the cir­
cumstances of life, and we can say with confidence: “The Lord
ruleth me, and I shall want nothing.”—Ps. 22 : i.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
THE QUALITIES OF FAITH.

Who arose and took the child and his mother, and came into the
land of Israel,.—Matt. 2: 21.

God commanded Joseph by an angel to flee into Egypt with
Mary and the divine Child. His obeyed instantly. He lived in
Egypt until the death of Herod, when God admonished him
again by an angel to return into the land of Israel. And Joseph,
“arose and, took the child and his mother, and came into the
land of Israel.” When on his journey he was told by an angel
that he should not go into Judea, but into Galilee, he obeyed
again without hesitation, and with Jesus and Mary made Nazareth
his abode. We also must do the will of God as readily as Joseph
did. God makes known his will to us by his holy Church; he in­
stituted her for the salvation of nations ; she is under the con­
tinual protection of the Holy Ghost, the infallible Teacher of
truth. We must, therefore, accept with a believing heart what­
ever she proposes to our faith, for only in that faith can we work

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Sunday between New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

out our salvation. But that our faith may lead to salvation, it
must, as we shall point out to-day, have three qualities. It must
be—
I. Universal;
IL Firm;
III. Living.
Part I.
Our faith must be universal; that is, we must believe all that
the Catholic Church proposes to our belief and not a portion
only. It is not, it is true, necessary for us to know in parti­
cular and believe explicitly all the truths of faith, because to
do this more than an ordinary knowledge of religion and theo­
logy would be required ; but it is absolutely necessary for us to
believe implicitly all that the Church teaches; or, in other words,
we must be disposed and prepared to accept with unquestioning
trust all the dogmas and articles of faith held as such and taught
by the Church. That this universal faith is necessary for sal­
vation, the Sacred Scripture teaches; for Christ said to his
Apostles: “Go, teach all nations, baptizing them . . . teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
—Matt. 28: 19, 20. If the Apostles were obliged to teach all
things whatsoever Christ had commanded them, it necessarily
follows that we must believe and observe all things whatsoever
they have preached; because the obligation laid on the Apostles
to preach to us and to teach us implied and carried with it the
obligation on our part to hear and believe what they taught, that
is, their obligation topreach was at the same time our oblgation
to hear. Besides, Christ said to his Apostles : “I have yet many
things to say to you, but you can not bear them now. But when he,
the Spirit of Truth, shall come, he will teach you all truth and
bring all things to your mind -whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Therefore the Apostles insisted with unyielding firmness upon
the faithful reception of the entire Christian doctrine. They
declared in the clearest terms that those who depart from the
doctrine of Christ, even in one point, can have no part with God.
St.John says: “Whosoever revolteth and continueth not in the
doctrine of Christ hath not God.”—II. John 1: 9. St. Paul writes:
“Behold, I Paul tell you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing.”—Gal. 5: 2. One would think that circum­
cision was no great matter, and that if the Galatians held in other
respects to the doctrine of Christ, this Jewish custom might
have been overlooked in them, as a sort of innocent reminiscence
of the customs of their forefathers. But no, the Apostle declares
with inflexible severity, that, if in this one point they departed
from the doctrine of Christ, they would lose all the graces of
Christianity.

3. Dogmatical sketch.

227

/. The koiy Fathers. St. Ambrose says: “If you take away one
single article of the faith, you forfeit your salvation.” The Emperor
Valens, who professed the Arian heresy, endeavored to persuade
St. Basil, through his governor, Medestus, to yield to the force of
circumstances and attach himself to Arianism, as it was only a
question of a few articles of the faith. St. Basil replied with un­
bending firmness: “What the Church teaches, she has received
from God; with my blood I will abide by this doctrine. Not a
word, nay, not even a syllable, will I allow to be taken away. I
shall stand firm as a guardian of truth, and defend at the peril of
my life the deposit of faith against every attack of heresy.”
3. Reason. All the truths of faith rest on the basis of the reve­
lation of God, who is the eternal, infallible Truth. He, then, who
rejects one iota of revealed truth denies what God declares true.
Our ultimate reason for believing anything that the Church
teaches, is simply because God himself taught it to the Church.
It is plain, then, that one may as well deny all, as any one of the
articles of faith ; for each and all rest on the self same foundation.
We have the same reason for believing one as the other,
namely, the authority of God ; and if he could reveal, that is,
teach, as true what is not true on any one point, he might have
done so on any other or on all. We should no longer have any
guarantee for his veracity, and all revelation would be only a
jumble of error and untruth. To deny an article of faith, therefore,
is to deny that we can believe God on his own word. But is it
not to offer the greatest insult to God, and to blaspheme him, to
call into doubt or deny his veracity? Must not God punish such
a blasphemer with everlasting damnation? Strictly speaking, a
man that rejects one article of faith, can not be said to have any
faith at all. Since he accepts only what pleases him, he does
not believe God, but himself ; he places his reason and his will
above the revelation of God, and consequently renders faith
impossible. For to believe is to hold as true what God has re­
vealed, because he has revealed it. Hence St. Augustine says: “If
in the gospel you believe only what you will and do not be­
lieve what you will not, you believe yourself rather than the
gospel. For if one’s own understanding is allowed to re­
ceive and reject in the Scripture what it will, it does not subject
itself to the authority of the Scripture, but subjects the Scripture
to its will.” You must, therefore, believe everything that the
Catholic Church proposes to your faith as a divinely revealed
truth, whether you comprehend it or not, whether it appear
to you more or less important, whether it agree or disagree
with your notions. He who would reject a single truth taught
as of faith by the Church, for example, the infallibility of
the Pope, the divine institution and necessity of auricular con·

228 Sunday

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New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

fession, or the Immaculate Conception, would sin grievously
against faith, and unless he repented, would perish eternally

Part Π.
Our faith must befirm, that is,

I. We must believe without doubting in the least. Faith admits
of no doubt. What we see with our eyes, hear with our ears,
touch with our hands, is not so sure and certain as the divinely
revealed truths which the Church proposes to our belief. Hence
St. Augstine says: “I would sooner doubt that I live, than
doubt the truth of that which I have heard from the Church,
the teacher of divine truths. The doctrine of faith is based upon
the testimony of God, who is the eternal, infallible Truth.”
Say not: I do not doubt this or that doctrine as doubting God’s
word. I should not dream of doubting the word of God. But how
am I to be assured that God has taught this or that doctrine
which I am asked to believe? How foolish is this question. The
only question is, does the Church teach it? If she does, then
it is revealed. God taught it to the Church. She can teach
nothing as of faith but what has been revealed. Has not Christ
promised her his assistance and that of the Holy Ghost until the
end of time, so that she can teach nothing but divine truth, and
in matters of faith never fall into error ? A doubt as to whether
any doctrine is true or false can exist only so long as we do not
know with certainty whether it is proposed by the Church to our
faith. If we be certain that the Church teaches it, every doubt
must cease ; for just as it is impossible for God to err or speak an
untruth, so it is impossible for the Church to err in matters of
faith. If by believing the Church we could be led into error, our
error should be laid to the door of Christ himself, who, under
the threat of eternal damnation, commands us to hear his Church:
“If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen
and publican.”—Matt. 18: 17.
Never dwell upon doubts of faith. If such arise in your mind
turn from them at once, make an act of faith, and protest to our
Lord, that, by the help of his holy grace, you are determined to
live and die in his holy Church.

2. We must be prepared to lose everything, even life itself rather
than our faith. Faith is the first requisite for salvation; without
it we have no part in Christ, without it we cannot be saved. For
this reason faith must be to us an inestimable treasure, which we
must never barter at any price. If we could not preserve our
faith otherwise than by the loss of our possessions, liberty, nay,
life itself, we should readily make the sacrifice. Church history

j.

Dogmatical Sketch.

furnishes us with countless examples of such firmness and con·
stancy. For three hundred years the Christian faith was forbid­
den as a crime punishable with death, and no torture that the
malignant ingenuity of tyranny could invent was spared the
hunted Christians. Their property was confiscated, they were
sent into banishment, were cast into dismal prisons where
they languished in the greatest misery, were sold into slavery
where a life worse than death awaited them ; they were mutilated, their entrails were torn out of their bodies, they were
beaten with scourges; boiling pitch, oil, and lead were poured
into their mouths; they were tortured with red-hot irons and
torches, and were burned upon funeral piles; they were cast to
wild beasts, dragged over stones and broken glass, their tongues
were cut out, they were flayed alive, cut and quartered, in a
word, their enemies hunted them down with more zeal and ferocity than they would wild beasts or poisonous reptiles, and subjected them to the most inhuman tortures and cruel deaths. And
these Christians might easily have escaped their terrible fate.
They need only have renounced their faith. A word, a signal, or
movement of any kind, indicating such purpose, and they would
have been, not only safe, but greeted with applause. But the
words of their Lord and Master were ringing in their ears: “He
that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my
Father, who is in heaven” {Matt, io: 33); they would rather sacrifice everything, and cling to their faith, and so save their
immortal souls. You also must be firm in your faith. You must be
willing to suffer contempt, contumely, mockery, slander, detraction, and every other evil for it, and esteem yourselves happy,
with the Apostles, if on account of your attachment to the Church
you are reviled and persecuted. On all proper occasions show
that you are Catholics; be not ashamed of your faith; confess
courageously, in word and deed, that you esteem the possession
of this faith as the greatest honor, privilege, and happiness of
your life; and let all men see that you are ready to suffer and, if
need be, to die for it.

Faith must be living: that is, we must live according to the
precepts of the faith; therefore we must avoid evil and do good.
i. Without this living faith vie cannot be saved. So Christ ex­
pressly teaches us: “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doth the will
of my Father, who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven.”—Matt. 7: 21. The Apostle teaches the same, saying:
“In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor un-

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«30 Sunday

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New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

circumcision: but faith that worketh by charity.”—GW, 5: 6
If faith is not animated by charity, it resembles a body with­
out a soul ; it is dead. Faith without works is dead, as the body
without the spirit is dead. With such a dead faith we can not
please God and be saved. Therefore the Apostle says: “If 1
should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have
not charity, I am nothing.”—/ Cor. 13: 2. And St. James: “What
shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath
not works? Shall faith be able to save him? No,” the Apostle
answers, “faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself.”—James
2: 14-17. St. Gregory the Great very appropriately says: “As he
who wishes to go to a certain place needs two things to obtain
his object, namely, feet and eyes, so he who wishes to go to
heaven must have the eye of faith and the feet of works.”
You may be the best kind of a Catholic so far as faith is con­
cerned, yet you will be rejected if you do not live as your faith
commands; "the devils also believe and tremble.”— James 2:19.
It will not suffice before the judgment-seat of God to say : “I am
a Catholic;” we must also be able to say: “I have lived as a
Catholic.” In vain do we believe that “neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God”
[I Cor. 6: 9, 10), unless we avoid those sins and vices. In vain do
we believe that in order to be saved we must be humble, meek,
patient, merciful, unless we practice those virtues. In vain do we
believe that prayer, the hearing of the Word of God, the recep­
tion of the sacraments, the frequent thought of God, are necessary
means for the obtaining of life everlasting, if we neglect these
means.

2. Faith, if it be not living, is calculated not only to deprive us of
rur salvation, but it even increases the severity of our sentence. It is
true that all who through their own fault have not the faith will
be condemned ; but the hell of Catholics will be more severe, be­
cause they defile the true faith by a criminal life. Abbot Macarius,
on his journey through the desert, found a human skull. As he
touched it with his staff, it received life and speech. Macarius
asked it: “Who art thou?” The skull answered: “I am the head
of a pagan priest and once dwelt in this desert.” Macarius asked
again: “What is your fate in the other world?” The head ans­
wered: “I am damned, because I did not obey the voice of my
conscience and try to come to the knowledge of the true God.”
The Saint asked once more: “How is it with Christians?—are any
of them damned?” “Oh, yes,” replied the skull, “of them there
is a great multitude ; but they are far below us pagans, and are
tormented more cruelly than we.” Macarius then buried the skull.
Now, it matters not whether this legend be true or only fictitious:

4· Liturgical Sketch.

23i

this mucn is certain, that a far worse fate is in store for bad Catho­
lics in the other world than for heathens, because they knew God
far better and possessed far more graces and means of salvation
Therefore Christ himself says: “That servant who knew the will
of his lord, and prepared not himself, and did not according to
his will, shall be beaten with many stripes: but he that knew not,
and did things worthy of stripes, shalt be beaten with few stripes?’
—Luke 12: 47, 48.
PERORATION.

These are the three qualities which faith must have, that it may
please God and lead to salvation, it must be universal, firm, and
living. Let it be your earnest endeavor that your faith possess
these three qualities. Believe everything that the Catholic Church
proposes to your belief, no matter whether you comprehend it 01
not, whether it suits your notions or not. Let no voluntary doubts
arise in your mind. Stand firm by your faith, for what the Church
teaches is the Word of God. Guard that faith as the most pre­
cious boon of heaven, and let it not be shaken by the mockery
of men or by persecution. If you lose your faith, you lose all.
Live according to it, avoid everything sinful, and fulfil conscien­
tiously the duties of your religion and state of life. If your faith
has these qualities, you have the saving faith, and Christ’s words
will be fulfilled in you: “He that believeth in me hath everlasting
life.”—John 6: 4-7. Amen.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE THREE KINGS’ BLESSING.

\Local zisage\
The Holy Family return from Egypt into their own country and
dwell at Nazareth. In this poor, despised village Jesus lived up
to his thirtieth year, and hence received the name of the Nazarite. This hidden life of Christ teaches us the lesson that great
things thrive in solitude, and that we also should love solitude and

2j2 Sunday

between

New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

avoid intercourse with the frivolous world as much as possible.
In communication with it we easily forget God and our eternal
destiny; we become thoughtless and careless, lose our good
principles, and detile our conscience with various sins. This
applies particularly to young persons: they should imitate the hid­
den life of Christ and lead a retired life; only by so doing will
they be protected from vice and immorality. Although Christ led a
hidden life for thirty years, still to some he manifested even then
his Divinity, and dignity as the Messias. Shortly after his birth he
called, by means of a miraculous star, the sages of the East to his
crib, and manifested himself to them as the Son of God and the Re­
deemer of the world. We shall celebrate that mystery this week.
Nearly all the great feasts have a vigil or eve ; the Epiphany has
one. The eve is a day of preparation for the ensuing day’s festi­
val. The ceremonies, office, and mass of the eve are naturally
connected with and refer to those of the feast. On the eve of
the Epiphany we have that special blessing of water to which
the name of the Three Kings’ Blessing has been given. Of this
blessing I shall speak to-day, answering the two following
questions:
I. Wo instituted this blessing ?
II. How is it performed?

Part L
This blessing of water on the vigil of the Epiphany dates back
to the earliest ages of Christianity, for the ancient Fathers of the
Church mention it. St. Chrysostom says: “This is the day on
which Jesus Christ was baptized, and sanctified the nature of
water. Therefore, on this feast, towards midnight, all draw water,
and after being immersed in it, carry it to their own house and
preserve it for the whole year, because it was blessed on this
day.”
Why then was this blessing ordained?

I. As at Easter and Pentecost, so on the feast of the Epiphany,
the catechumens, or newly converted, were baptized. The Church
loved to administer the Sacrament of Baptism on this festival,
because this was the day on which God called the Gentiles to
faith in Jesus Christ. Now, as the Church on the vigils of Easter
and Pentecost blessed the baptismal water for the purpose of
solemn baptism, so she also blessed water on the vigil of the Epi­
phany for the solemn baptism of the newly converted on the
feast itself This may be one reason why she ordained this blessing,

2. Another reason is found in the events which the feast is de­

signed to commemorate. These are three: First, the call of the
wise men from the East to adore the new-born King amid his
lowly surroundings in Bethlehem; secondly, the marriage feast
at Cana, where Christ changed water into wine; and thirdly, the
baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan.
It is to the latter mystery chiefly that this blessing owes its in­
troduction. When Christ was baptized in the Jordan he purified
and sanctified the water that it mightbecome a fit means for purify­
ing man from every stain of sin in the Sacrament of Baptism, and
of sanctifying and transforming us into children of God. Hence
St. Augustine says: “We read that the Jews, according to the
Law, had various ablutions, but none could afford a universal
remedy against the evil of sin. The water needed heavenly sancti­
fication for the purification of the whole world. And as
throughout the whole world baptism was necessary to the human
race, Christ blessed all water, when in ineffable humility he
descended into the river Jordan; for the water did not purify
Christ the Lord, but he purified the water.” The Church, by the
blessing of water, intends to bring before our minds this purify­
ing and sanctifying power which Christ, by his baptism in the
Jordan, communicated to water. By the exorcism, which is pro­
nounced at the blessing of the water, it is purified and withdrawn
from the influences of the evil spirit, and by the prayers which
follow the exorcism it is sanctified and restored to the original
state of its purity, as it proceeded from the hand of God. In like
manner we are purified by baptism and delivered from the ser­
vitude ofSatan; at the same time we are sanctified and restored
to the state of innocence in which God created the first man. The
feast of the Epiphany is celebrated in thanksgiving for the call of
the Gentiles into the Christian fold, while water, the water of
baptism, is the gate through which ingress is obtained. Thus the
blessing of the water stands in the most intimate connection with
the feast of the Epiphany.
3. Lastly, the Three Kings’ blessing was ordained as a proper
preparation for the solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord. As
this feast calls to our mind the great grace of our vocation to the
Christian faith, we should endeavor to celebrate it in a becoming
manner; this we shall do if we purify ourselves from all stains of
sin, renew ourselves interiorly, and in our life and conduct
become conformable to our divine Saviour. He who celebrates
the feast of the Epiphany with a conscience defiled by sin,
shows himself unworthy of his Christian vocation. The blessing
of water by the Church on the vigil of the Epiphany reminds us
that we should do for our soul what is done for the water by
this blessing. As the water is withdrawn from the infl uence of

234 SUNDAY BETWEEN New YEAR’S Day AND EPIPHANY.
the evil spirit, purified and sanctified, so we should purify oui
hearts by penance from all sin and evil inclinations, and prepare
them as a worthy habitation for our Saviour. Only in this way
shall we celebrate this feast worthily.

Part Π.
How is the Three Kings' blessing performed?
1. The priest begins the blessing by reciting three psalms, in
which David glorifies the Lord for the power and majesty which
he manifests in nature, then for the victory granted him over his
enemies, and lastly, for protection in all the perils of life. In a
spiritual sense, these three psalms refer to the graces which we
receive in the Catholic Church. There the power and majesty of
God are revealed by the word of God, announced by the priest,
moving the sinner and arousing him from the sleep of sin;
there Christ continually obtains victories over hell by leading
unbelievers to faith, by breaking the bonds of sin, by strength­
ening the weak and comforting the just; there he protects us
against all the enemies of our salvation.

2. The psalms are followed by the Litany of the Saints. The
consideration that we are members of the Catholic Church natur­
ally leads us to think of our glorified brethren who have already
passed from the Church militant to the Church triumphant. Sir ce
we know that we also are called to enjoy with them heavenly
felicity, we love to tarry in spirit even now in their society, but
remembering our weakness and sinfulness, and the dangers to
which our salvation is exposed, we ask their intercession, that we
may one day be united with them in the kingdom of God’s glory.

3. After the Litany the actual blessing begins. The priest reads
several exorcisms and prayers over the water, to deliver it from
the curse of sin and remove from it everything pernicious, and
to give it the power of being for the faithful a remedy against
all evils arising from nature or the evil spirit. In this biessing is
expressed the truth that by the Christian religion not only man,
but also nature, is purified and sanctified. The oft-repeated sign
of the cross which the priest makes over the water betokens the
same truth, for it signifies that everything in nature, as well as
the soul of man, receives salvation only through Jesus Christ,
who redeemed us by his death on the cross.
4. The priest mingles blessed salt with the water. This also is
significant. Salt possesses the virtue of preserving meat and
other things from putrefaction; the mixture of salt and water

4. Liturgical Sketch.

235

teaches us to preserve ourselves from spiritual putrefaction (sin),
after having· been purified and sanctified. For after having been
justified by the merits of Christ, a Christian should guard against
nothing more than a relapse into his former sinful ways, and a
defilement of his soul with the leprosy of sin.
5. The priest sprinkles some of the water towards the four winds.
to remind us, not only of the fountain in Paradise which sent
forth four streams, but also of the baptismal font, from which
flow grace and salvation to the four regions of the earth; for
baptism is intended for all the nations of the earth, and every
one who receives it is purified and sanctified.

6. The priest next touches the water with his hand, thereby sig­
nifying that, as natural water cleanses the hands and the body
from filth, so the baptismal water, in virtue of the merits of Christ,
takes away all stains of the soul, according to the words of our
Lord: “I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be
cleansed from all your filthiness.”—Ezech. 36: 25.
7. The priest then lowers a cross into the water. This ceremony
reminds us of Jesus Christ, who descended into the river Jordan
and was baptized by John, as well as of the purifying and sancti­
fying virtue of the baptismal water, which Christ communicated
to it by his baptism.

8. A few more exorcisms and prayers are read for the purpose
of applying to the faithful the salutary effects of the blessed
water. Then the priest, reciting the antiphon Asperges, sprinkles
the faithful with the blessed water, that all may receive the
graces which have been prayed for when blessing it.
8. The whole ceremony is concluded with the Te Deum,
which the priest says in thanksgiving for the grace of our rege­
neration in the laver of water through the word of life, and our
reception into the bosom of the Catholic Church.
PERORATION,

Thus the Three Kings’ blessing with its ceremonies represents
to us our vocation to Christianity and the grace of baptism. Word­
ing the thoughts which it suggests, this blessing may be said to
address us thus: Oh, Christian, call to mind the great proof of love
which your Lord and Saviour has given you by withdrawing you
from blind, unhappy paganism, by purifying aud sanctifyng you,
and by making you members of his Church. In this Church are
deposited his infinite merits ; here you receive the forgiveness of

236

Sunday between New Year’s Day

and

Epiphany.

your sins and are enriched with every grace to enable you to
fight the good fight and to obtain the crown of victory. Fre­
quently return thanks to your Saviour for the happiness of
making you members of his Church, but endeavor to be always
worthy members. Walk in the light of faith and observe con­
scientiously the precepts of the Church, that as good children of
that Church you may work out your salvation. Amen.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

5. LHTRGICAL AID SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
THE BLESSING OF HOUSES ON THE EVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

[Local usage.]
The house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived the
Son of God by the Holy Ghost, and in which the Holy Family
lived for many years, is still existing. Angels carried it, in the
year 1291, from Nazareth to Dalmatia, and thence, in the year
1294, to a place where the city of Loretto, in Italy, now stands.
It is at present known as “the holy house of Loretto.” Over this
house has been erected a magnificent church, which is visited
every year by multitudes of pilgrims. This house is called “Santa
Casa,” Holy House, and justly so, for it was inhabited by the
holiest of persons, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Your houses must also be holy, for you are Christians, and as
such are called to sanctity. Of this you are reminded by the
blessing of houses on the eve of the Epiphany, which is done either
by a priest or by one of the inmates. Concerning this blessing
of houses I shall speak to you to-day and explain—

I. What it signifies, and
II. What it effects.

Part L
What it signifies.

i. The houses are fumed with blessed incense.
(a.) Incense is the symbol of devout grayer ascending to heaven. We
read in the Apocalypse : “And another angel came, and stood

5. Liturgical and Symbolical Sketch.

237

before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to
him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints
upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And
the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended
up before God from the hand of the angel.”—Apoc. 8: 3, 4. For
as smoke ascends towards heaven, so devout prayer ascends to
the throne of God, is-heard, and obtains for us grace: “The
prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pieice the clouds; and
till it come nigh he will not be comforted ; and he will not depart
till the Most High behold.”—Ecclus. 35 : 21. The incensing of the
houses, then, is an admonition to us to say our prayers at home daily,
and -with devotion. In the houses of some devout people all the
members of the household assemble three times a day for family
devotions—morning, noon, and evening. Many pious fathersand
mothers hold firmly to this truly Catholic custom, and never
suffer it to be omitted. The people of a house constitute one fa­
mily and for this reason they should pray together. Prayer in
common has this advantage, that God will more certainly hear
it than the prayer of an individual, for Christ says: “Where
there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am 1
in the midst of them.”—Matt. 18: 20. You should not omit family
devotions, because there is reason to fear that young people>
naturally thoughtless as they are, and with little attraction to
prayer, would neglect it altogether. Moreover, see that all con­
duct themselves devoutly, and do not suffer any one to talk,
laugh, or otherwise behave indecorously. Prayer is a holy exer­
cise, and should be performed with reverence and devotion.
“Cursed is he who doeth the work of God deceitfully.” Not only
the sitting-room, or the room in which people are generally
assembled during the day, but also the bed rooms, kitchen,
dining-room, and parlor are incensed, as also the cellars, pantry,
stables, and barns. This teaches us that we can and should pray
everywhere, for God is everywhere; he sees and hears us every­
where, and everywhere we need his grace and protection; con­
sequently we can and may pray to him in all places. Examples:
The patriarch Jacob prayed in the field; Daniel in the lions’ den;
the three youths, Ananias, Azarius, Misael, in the fiery furnace;
and Jonas in the whale’s belly. I do not say that you should al­
ways have your beads or prayer-book in your hands, or be on
your knees everywhere, in stable, barn, kitchen, or bed room
God sees into your heart and knows every thought. Pray with
the heart, think of God at your work, and recommend yourselves,
soul and body, to his protection. Pray during the night when
you can not sleep.
(Æ.) The incense reminds us of the words of the Apostle: “We
are the good odor of Christ into God in them that are saved, and

ajS

Sunday between New Year’s Day and Epiphany,

in them that perish.”—II, Cor. 2: 15. As the incense, wherevei
it penetrates, spreads a good odor, so the inmates of a house
should spread the good odor of pious conduct, and edify every
one by their example, whether in the sitting room, kitchen, bed­
room, shop, stable, or barn. This regards the father and mother
in particular, who ought to be patterns in all things to those
under their charge, and, as the Apostle enjoins : “Be an example
of the faithful in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in
chastity.”—I. Tim. 4:12. If parents conduct themselves as good
Christians, their children and servants will follow their good
example, for as the shepherd is, so is the flock. What sad con
sequences follow when parents and superiors lead unchristian
lives 1 They become a scandal and stumbling-block to children
and dependants and that terrible woe with which Christ threat­
ens those who give scandal will fall upon them with a double
weight.

2. After the houses have been fumed with blessed insense,
they are sprinkled with the newly blessed water.
(a.) Water is the principal factor in every kind of material
purification, lhe sprinkling of the houses with the blessed
water is accordingly symbolic of the required pzertty of hearty
to which the inmates should ever aspire. The houses which
are sprinkled with holy water are henceforth to be Christian
homes, and consequently Christian virtue and the fear of God,
not sin and vice, should dwell therein. Nothing is more revolting
to a Christian of refinement and good taste than an untidy, dirty
house, and on beholding such a one, he is apt to form a low
estimate of the owner’s character. “Cleanliness is next to god­
liness,” says the proverb. But how much more reprehensible and
disgusting is it to see the mire of sin and the filth of dissipation
and vice settled in the recesses of a Christian home? Must not
God, the Most Holy, avert his eyes, rather than look down upon
such houses? How can the angels, to whom every sin is an
abomination, dwell in such houses? Keep a clean house, and
never soil with sin and vice the places in which you work, pray,
eat. or sleep, and where, sooner or later, you will die. Defile
not your houses with curses, imprecations, and blasphemies, with
unchaste discourses and songs, nor with inpure acts. Fathers and
mothers, reflect that the blessing of God departs from houses in
which sin and vice reign.
(3. The sprinkling of houses with blessed water reminds us
also of baptism, by which we have been cleansed from every
stain of sin, and spiritually regenerated and sanctified. You are
admonished by this simple ceremony to preserve carefully your

5· Liturgical

and

Symbolical Skeich.

239

baptismal grace, or to recover it by a speedy repentance, if you
have been so unfortunate as to lose it by mortal sin. Since the
Sacrament of Penance is the best means of preserving innocence,
as well as of recovering it again if lost, you should, when
your house is sprinkled with the blessed water, resolve to confess
frequently during the year. Parents, herein you must again give
good example to your children.
3. After the incensing and sprinkling of the houses it is custo­
mary to write down the number of the new year on the doors.
(λ.) Why is the number of the new year inscribed on doors, etc.,
on the eve of the Epiphany, and not before? One would think
that since our era dates from the birth of Christ, the number of
the new year should be set down on Christmas Day. Or, if not
on Christmas Day, why not on the first day of January, when
the civil year begins? The reason why it is not written on the first
day of January is that Christian customs and traditions have no
connection with the civil year. Christ was not born on the first
of January. Neither do we inscribe the year on Christmas Day,
because, though he was born on that day, it was, as it were, only
for the Jews as yet, and not for the Gentiles that he was born.
It was only on the feast of the Epiphany that he may be said to
have been born for the Gentiles; then be called the Gentile na
tions in the persons of the three Wise Men from the East, and
manifested himself to them as the Redeemer of the world And
as we are descendants of the Gentiles, Christ was, so to say, born
for us on that feast. This is the reason why, on the eve of the
Epiphany, and not before, we inscribe the number of the new
year.
(£.) We add to the number of the year the three letters, C. M.
B. These are the initials of the names of the three holy kings,
Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar. These initials are added to the
number of the year: first, to remind us that these were the first
who were called from Paganism to Christianity, and consequently
are fathers in the faith: and secondly, to admonish us to imitate
them in the zeal with which they sought Jesus, in the veneration
and humility with which they adored him, and in the love and
affection with which they offered him the best they had. We
append to the three letters three little crosses, thus: CJMJB J,
as memorials of the cross on which Jesus Christ died for
our redemption. We put the cross on the doors, w’here every
one can see it, and confess thereby that our houses are Chris­
tian homes, that with all that belongs to us we will serve
our Lord, and will glory in nothing but in the cross of Jesus
Christ “by whom the world is crucified to us, and we to the world.”
The sign of the cross on the door admonishes us also, when we

?4o Sunday between New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

go in or out, to take holy water and sign ourselves with the sign
of the cross, and when we enter another house, to repeat de­
voutly the ancient Catholic salutation: “Peace to this house.”

Part Π.
I have explained the symbolic meaning of the blessing of the
houses on the eve of the Epiphany. I shall now speak of—
The effects of the blessing.

1. The incensing of the house has a salutary effect. The incense
that is used is not common incense, but incense blessed by the
Church. It is a sacramental, used in union with the prayer of the
Church. Now, as all sacramentals have the virtue of averting
certain evils from us, and of imparting to us various graces and
benefits, there can be no doubt that the incense used posses­
ses such a virtue. This is evident from the prayer accompanying
the blessing, for the Church prays that God will bless, dedicate,
and sanctify the incense, and communicate to it the gift of his
blessing, that every one that is incensed therewith may be kept
from all danger of soul and body. If therefore the inmates perform
the incensingof their house with faith and confidence, and strive
to lead a virtuous life, we may trust that God will take them
and their house under his special protection, deliver them from
misfortune and danger, and give them his divine blessing.
2. The same may be said of the blessed water, or holy water,

with which the houses are sprinkled. This again is apparent
from the exorcisms and prayers which are made use of in bless­
ing it: “O God, who for the salvation of mankind hast created
the greatest sacraments in the substance of water, be propitious
to our invocations, and infuse into this element prepared by
many purifications the virtue of thy blessing, that this thy
creature (water) may, in the service of thy mysteries, in the ban­
ishing of evil spirits, in the removing of sickness, receive the
effect of divine grace, that whatever is sprinkled in the houses
or places of the faithful with this water may be free from all im­
purity and danger, that no pernicious spirit or injurious air may
dwell there, that whatever is detrimental to the welfare and
peace of the faithful may depart thence, through the sprinkling
of this water.”
It is not superstitious for you to carry some of this water to
your homes and to sprinkle with it your houses, barns, stables,
and fields. This water, by virtue of the blessing of the Church,
has the power to avert danger from you and yours and obtain

5.

Liturgical and Symbolical Sketch.

for you the blessing of God. Use it with confidence, with a pure,
or at least penitent heart, that you may experience its salutary
effects.
3. Writing the year of the Christian era has also its meaning.
We add to the letters C., Μ., B., the number of the current year.
Now, we are taught by the word of God, that the saints in heaven
care for us, and that their prayers with God, whose friends they
are, avail much. If, therefore, you venerate the three holy kings
whose names are on the doors, and if, going in and out, you re­
commend yourselves to their intercession, you may confidently
hope that they will protect you and obtain for you and your
houses many blessings by their prayers. But it is particularly
in the sign of the cross, which is added to the number of the
year, that you must place all your trust. All good gifts and
graces come from the Triune God, in whose honor and praise you
mark the three crosses on your doors, and from the merits of
Jesus Christ crucified, of whom the sign of the cross reminds you.
The cross is, as it were, the shield that will defend you against
all the attacks of your visible and invisible enemies, a fountain
from which the blessings of heaven flow in abundance. St.
Chrysostom says: “The cross has become terrible, not only to
the spirits of the abyss, but to corrupt inclinations. The fiery
passions, lusts, and desires, envy, hatred, and revenge, are sub­
dued by the holy sign of the cross. They tremble before the
cross like rebellious slaves before the lash.”
PERORATION.

As you see, the blessing· of houses on the eve of the Epiphany
is not only instructive, but calculated to produce salutary effects.
It has reference to the mystery which we celebrate on this feast,
and represents to us the grace of our vocation to Christianity.
But it reminds us also of the duties which as Christians we must
fulfil if we wish to obtain our end. Give thanks to God to-day that
from your infancy he has called you to his Catholic Church:
resolve anew to be alvi ays faithful children of oar holy Mother
the Church and conscientiously obey her precepts. To believe
as Catholics and to live as Catholics—this is the way that leads
to heaven. Amen.

’i*'.

242

Sunday

between

New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

6. MORAL SKETCH
THE PARTICULAR PROVIDENCE OF GOD.

Who arose and took the child and his motherf and came into thi
land of Israel.—Matt. 2: 21.
Jesus is scarcely born when Herod forms the design to kill
him. With this intention he requests the Wise Men from the
East to inquire diligently after the child, and to make known to
him his dwelling place. But his design is thwarted; for the Wise
Men went back another way into their own country. Then he
ordered all the male children of Bethlehem and its neighborhood,
of two years old and under, to be slain, confidently believing
that the divine Child could not escape. But how much he was
mistaken! The Infant Jesus, on whose account the wretch caused
such a terrible slaughter, is not among the slain: he lives peace­
fully and securely in Egypt. Herod has spent his rage; the
bloodthirsty monster can shed no more blood—he is dead. The
Holy Family return into the land of Israel, and by the command
of God choose Nazareth, that despised village, for their dwell­
ing place. Jesus lives here till his thirtieth year, when he begins
his public life, in order to accomplish the work of our Redemp­
tion.
In this biblical account we see clearly the wonderful Providence
of God—
I. As regards the good.
II. As regards the wicked.

Part

I.

Yes, wonderful are the ways of divine Providence in dealing
with the good, for he frequently leads them in a manner quite
different from what we might expect.

i. He warns them against danger without warding off the danger.
If we see a dear friend in some difficulty or danger, and are in a

6.

Moral Sketch.

243

condition to aid him, we do so at once. God is almighty; there
is no danger, no difficulty, from which he can not deliver us. He
loves the good and watches over them as the apple of his eye.
But strange to say he frequently does not avert impending dan­
gers, but contents himself with merely giving warning of their
coming. We see this in the event mentioned in the gospel of to
day. The Infant Jesus is in danger. Herod means to kill him.
How does God act? Does he remove the danger by depriving
Herod of his throne, or arresting his uplifted arm by death? No,
he merely sends an angel to Joseph, who says: “Herod seeks the
life of the child; therefore flee.” This is God’s way. Thus Jesus
warned the faithful against the danger which threatened them
at the destruction of Jerusalem, by his prophecy and the various
wonderful signs which preceded that terrible catastrophe. We
live in a time whose ominous threatenings may well make us fear
the worst in the near future. Wars, revolutions, persecutions of
the Church, as in the first centuries, are in prospect. God does
not remove these dangers ; he only indicates them by signs, which
do not permit us to doubt that they will come to pass.
Why does God act in this manner? Assuredly, because it is
in accordance with his wisdom and most salutary for us. We
may assign a twofold reason for this conduct on the part of God.
If we know the dangers to which we are exposed, but find our­
selves unable to remove them, does is not inspire us with humi­
lity ? Must we not, feeling our weakness, exclaim: “Oh, my God,
what impotent creatures we are, since we can not help ourselves
in the least.” This humility is certainly of great advantage, since
it guards us against all inordinate self-confidence, and compels
us to seek refuge in God. Secondly, the knowledge of the danger
is an incentive for us to make use of the means with which reason,
prudence, and religion furnish us, and this again is useful and
salutary.

2. He delays assistance. He who gives quickly gives doubly,
says the adage ; but God does not always act according to this
adage. We have a proof of this in the gospel of to-day. The
Holy Family was obliged tc spend years in Egypt; to live in
abandonment, destitution, and misery, before the angel revealed
to Joseph that it was God’s will that he should return into his
own country. God does the same to-day. Holy Church has been
sorely persecuted for many a year; the Holy Father is deprived
of his patrimony and compelled to live as a prisoner in Rome;
many religious orders have been suppressed ; bishops and priests
are trammeled tn the performance of their lawful duties; the
faithful are reviled, oppressed, and persecuted ; the downfall of
th« Church is aimed at, and God still tarries; there is not a ray of

244 Sunday

between

New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

light in the heavens to give hope that the storm will pass over.
Why does God act in this manner? For the good of his children.
Afflictions and sufferings are the best means of expiating tem­
poral punishments due to sin; they banish worldliness from the
heart, revive Christian fervor, and afford a good opportunity of
practicing many virtues, such as patience, meekness, love of our
enemies, confidence in God; therefore it is clear that they are of
a salutary nature.
3. He often sends help when is it least expected. We frequently
appoint the time beforehand when we shall do a person a favor.
We say: “Yes, I shall do it at once, or to-morrow; in a week it
shall be done.” Not so God. He assures us frequently in Holy
Writ that he will hear our prayer and help us in our necessities;
but not once does he appoint the time when he will do so. Usu­
ally God’s assistance comes quite unexpectedly. The gospel
narrates an instance exactly to the point: Mary and Joseph, with
the divine Child, in obedience to the divine mandate, go down
into Egypt; many times the seasons come and go in their accusto­
med succession, and the Holy Family live on in utter ignorance
of the inscrutable designs of God. One evening they retire to
rest, as they have done so many times before, without the least
suspicion or expectation that anything unusual was about to
occur. But they have spent their last day in Egypt. Whilst the
night was in the midst of her course, an angel appeared to Joseph,
saying : “Arise and take the Child and his mother, and go into
the land of Israel.” And at last their long exile, with all its in­
conveniences and hardships, is ended.

It was thus God always acted, and still acts, as may be readily
gathered from the history of the Church and the lives of the saints.
The period of trials and tribulations is sometimes of a longer,
sometimes of a shorter duration, but finally, God always helps
and delivers us and generally quite unexpectedly. Just when the
necessity is most pressing God’s aid is frequently close to us.
In a certain sense it may be said that man’s extremity is God’s
opportunity. In Rome the persecutions against the early Chris­
tians had lasted nearly three hundred years. The Emperor
Diocletian was making his final exertions, having sworn to
destroy the Chrstian name from the face of the earth. In the
midst of the universal carnage which caused their blood to flow
in torrents, the Christians had every reason to cry: “Lord, save
us; we perish.” It was then, in the gloomiest hour of the Christian
people, when things seemed at the very worst with them, when
there appeared no avenue of escape from the world-wide and
merciless power which clutched them in its deadly grasp—it was
then that the banner of Constantine was seen approaching in

6. Moral Sketch.

>45

the distance, the famous Labarum, emblazoned with the sign of
the cross and glistening in the noonday sun. Maxentius awaited
him with his legions marshaled in battle array along the banks
of the Tiber. His troops were broken up, dispersed and cut to
pieces; Maxentius endeavored to cross the Tiber, but the bridge
gave way beneath the weight and multitude of the fugitives, and
the guilty Emperor sunk into its red waters to rise no more. On
the following day, October 29th, 312, Constantine made his
solemn entry into Rome and proclaimed Christianity as the reli­
gion of the empire. The persecution of the Irish race for their
religion is perhaps unparalleled in the annals of history. Their
enemies could “drive them into Connaught,” but never into hell
by apostasy. So also the present tribulations and trials of the
Church will come to an end at a time when we least expect it.
Faith still gilds the edges of the dark clouds.
We must not lose confidence. Let us persevere in patience
and leave entirely to God when and how he will take the cross
from our shoulders ; he knows what is best for us, and at what
time his assistance is most necessary and salutary for us.

Part IL
Wonderful also is the providence of God in dealing with the
wicked, for he often acts quite differently from what in our short­
sightedness we should naturally expect.
i. He lets the wicked have their own way ; he allows them to per­
petrate every sin and vice, and never hinders their free will.
Were it in our power we would prevent the wicked from accom­
plishing their nefarious designs, and in preventing them we should
do right; but God’s ways are above our ways. He allows sinners
to do all the mischief they please. In his avenging justice his
accidental glory will be all the same. Thus he did not hinder
Herod from killing so many innocent children at Bethlehem;
Jesus, the divine Child, preferred rather to withdraw from his
presence than put a stop to Herod’s crimes. To-day, sins in­
numerable are committed, especially against justice and charity;
men who have a short lease of power abuse it for the oppression
and persecution of the innocent. God is powerful enough to
prevent all this, but does not do so. Why? Does he possibly find
pleasure in evil? To think this, even for a moment would be to
blaspheme God, for he hates everything evil, beihg infinitely
holy. Or is God indifferent to the well-being or misfortune of
the good, that he allows them to be oppressed and persecuted
by the wicked? No, on the contrary, he loves the good, as a
father loves his children, and desires their happiness. Or does

246 Sunday

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New Year's Day and Epiphany

he gave the wicked liberty to do evil, that later they may become
victims of his vindictive justice? By no means. “He wills not
that any should perish, but that all should return to penance.—
IL Pet. 3: 9. God permits evil because he has given free will to
man : “God made man from the beginning, and left him in the
hands of his own counsel. Before man is life and death, good
and evil; that which he shall choose shall be given him.”—
Ecclus. 15. 14, 18. If God prevented every evil in the world, it
would be equivalent to taking away man’s free will; but if man
had not the free exercise of his will, neither virtue nor vice could
be imputed to him as of merit or demerit. Neither could heaven
be given him hereafter as a reward, for without liberty of will
there is no merit, and without merit no reward.
How foolish and thoughtless, then, are those who complain of
God because he permits so many sins and vices in the world I
They might as well say : Why does God permit me to live longer
so that I may serve him and acquire merit? why does he not
admit me at once into heaven? If the wicked man abuses his
liberty of will, it is his concern, he will suffer for it severely
enough; but it is our concern to use our free will for good, and
merit for ourselves eternal salvation.
2. God does not, however, permit the wieked man to attain his ends
entirely. Proof in point is Herod. He sought the life of the
Child; for this reason he had recourse to base hypocrisy before
the Wise Men of the East, for he told them they should diligently
inquire after the Child, and let him know his place of residence,
as he also wished to go and adore him. For this same reason he
afterwards massacred so many innocent children at Bethlehem.
But did he obtain his end ? No. God permitted the crimes of Herod
in order not to take from him his free will ; but he did not allow
him to accomplish his design; he could not hurt a hair of the
Child Jesus’ head.
How many like examples of this wonderful providence of God
could be adduced! What did the infidels do in France about one
hunded years ago, with a view to extirpate the Catholic faith?
They spread godless writings broadcast over the land, in which
everything that is sacred to a Christian was most shamefully
misrepresented and ridiculed; wherever they had power they
persecuted the priests and all faithful Catholics, confiscating
their property, imprisoning them and bringing them to the
guillotine; whoever gave shelter to a priest was doomed to death;
religion was abolished and unbelief made a law of the land. The
infidels gloried, for now they thought they had attained their end.
But how they were deceived ! After a few years the whole struc­
ture of unbelief, which they had erected with such pains and

6.

Moral Sketch.

«47

labor and cruelty, tumbled down like a house built of cards, and
the Church flourished more gloriously than before. Thus “God
disappoints the deceitful practices of the wicked.”—Prov. 10: 3.
We need not fear that the wicked will ever triumph over the
good. Their glory lasts only a short while, and they can never
completely attain the end of their unholy designs and schemes.
This should be our comfort in all the trials and persecutions
which the Church and her faithful followers have now to endure,
and will have to endure till her divine mission is accomplished,
and the close of her career on earth announced by the Arch­
angel’s trumpet.
3. He causes good to result from evil. It is in the power of man
to do wrong, but he is not master of the consequences of the
wrong he does. As soon as the evil is done, God begins to
act, and directs that some good shall result therefrom. Herod,
whose death the gospel of this day mentions, had slain hundreds
of innocent children. This was a crime crying to heaven for ven­
geance. But, by the operation of God, did not good result from
this evil? All these children now wear a martyr’s crown in heaven;
whereas many of them, if they had lived, might, with the majority
of the unbelieving Jews, have been eternally lost. Moreover, by
the massacre of these innocents it became known everywhere
that the Saviour of the world was born, and this knowledge must
have been a great comfort to all those who longed for the Re­
deemer. Many parents of the murdered children especially,
having afterwards heard that it was for Christ’s sake their little
innocent ones were slain, may have come to believe in him as
the promised Messias. Herod compelled the Holy Family to
retire into Egypt. This was also a great sin. But we do not err
in believing that the protracted sojourn of the Holy Family in
Egypt opened the eyes of many an idolater and brought him to the
knowledge of the true God. We see therefore that God, in his
infinite wisdom, can make good result from evil. How appropri­
ately Joseph in Egypt could say to his brothers: “You thought
evil against me, but God turned it into good.”—Gen. 50: 20.
From this, however, it does not follow that we should sanction
sin, and look upon it as something desirable; for sin is, and
always will be, the greatest of evils, and every one who sins will
one day suffer for it. Herod is eternally damned, though good
resulted from his crimes. On the contrary, we must hate and
detest sin above all things, because it is an evil so great in the
eyes of God that it requires, as it were, his infinite power and
wisdom to prevent its pernicious consequences, and draw good
from it. We should therefore work with all our might against
sin of all kinds, put a stop to its scandals, and edify our fellow­
men by good example.

248

Sunday between New Yeat’s Day and Epiphany.
PERORATION.

How wonderful are the ways of God’s providence. He does
not ward off dangers from the good, he only warns then of their
approach. Frequently he appears to have forgotten the just. He
lets them, as it were, hang for some time on the cross, but finally
sends them help, and often quite unexpectedly He lets the
wicked have their own way. He does not hinder them from
abusing their free will. He suffers them to scheme and to do evil.
Yet he does not permit them to accomplish their designs, but on
the contrary, causes good to proceed from their evil. Let us in
every situation of life commit ourselves with confidence to God’s
wise and providential guidance, and let us always say with the
Apostle: “We know that to them that love God all things work
together unto good.”—Rom. 8: 28. Amen.

SUNDAY BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S DAY AND
EPIPHANY.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
CHILDREN, love your parents.

Who art** and took the child and his mother, and came into the
land of Israel.—Matt. 2: 21.

Joseph had retired into Egypt for the purpose of withdrawing
his Divine foster-child from the cruel persecution of Herod and
saving his life. During his sojourn in Egypt he does for the holy
Infant everything that a good father can do for his child. After
the death of Herod an angel appears, and commands him to
return into his own country. He obeys, takes the child and his
mother and comes into the land of Israel. The flight of St. Joseph
and the Blessea Virgin Mary, their sojourn in Egypt and their
return into the land of Israel, remind us of the great care which
pious parents take of their children, in order to protect them
from their numerous enemies. Your welfare, children, is the
tenderest object of your parents’ care, for which you owe them
ycur heartfelt gratitude; but since you are not able to thank
them for it as tney deserve, you should at least love them frcm
the depth of your heart. In order to remind, you of this duty, I
shall explain—

η. Moral Sketch.

349

/. Why, and
II. How children should love their parents.

Part I.
Children, love your parents ; for you have the strongest motives
for loving them, and no excuse whatever for refusing them your
love.
I.

Motives for loving your parents ;

(a) The instinct of nature prompts you to do so. “Ask now the
beasts and they shall teach thee; and the birds of the air, and
they shall tell thee. Speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee,
and the fishes of the sea shall tell.”—job. 12} 7-8. Not only do­
mestic animals, but also wild beasts, display a tender feeling
towards their parents. This instinct is imparted to them by the
Creator. We observe the same in the little child that smiles upon
its mother. Man being endowed with liberty can act against his
natural impulse; but by so doing he degrades himself below the
level of the brute, and makes himself a monster in God’s creation.

(bi) We are commanded by the natural lavo to love our parents.
The Gentiles recognized the law inscribed in their hearts. “We
are never able,” says Aristobolus, “to return sufficient thanks
and love to God and our parents.” Pliny the younger, during an
eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, at the risk of his own life, saved his
mother from being burned to death. Will you suffer the Gentiles
to surpass you in this virtue ? “He that afflicteth his father, and
chaseth away his mother, is infamous and unhappy.”—Prov
19: 26.
(ci) Moreover, the law of God obliges children to love theirparents.
In the Old Testament we read: “Son, support the old age of thy
father, and grieve him not in his life. And if his understanding
fail, have patience with him, and despise him not when thou art
in thy strength; for the relieving of thy father shall not be for­
gotten.”—Ecclus. 3: 14. It shall not be forgotten indeed: for to
those who love their parents God has promised great rewards,
while those who do not love them he has threatened with his
curse and their ruin. “He that honoreth his father shall have
joy in his own children; and in the day of his prayer he shall be
heard.”—Ecclus. 3: 6. “The eye that mocketh at his father, and
that despiseth the labor of his mother in bearing him, let the
ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.”
—Prov. 30: 17. These blessings and curses of the Lord are no
empty sounds; we find them corroborated in the history of the

25° SUNDAY BETWEEN New YEAR’S Day AND EPIPHANY,
Old Law by a multitude of examples. Think of Shem and Japhet,
Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, who loved their parents sincerely;
they enjoyed in this world a long contented and happy life.
Think also of Cain, Cham, Absalom, Ophni and Phinees, who
caused their parents trouble and grief. Did not the curse of God
overtake them? Did they not come to an unholy and unhappy
end? God will deal with you according to your conduct towards
your parents. If you sincerely love them, he will bless you, all
will be well with you, and he will give you a long life ; but if you
refuse them your love, if you grieve and offend them, he will
send you crosses and afflictions; he will curse you, everything
will go wrong with you, and your life will not be long upon the
earth.
You are Christians, however, and the New Testament, the
Christian law, is your guide and rule. But in the New Testament
the same duty is enjoined upon children as in the Old. The
basis of Christianity is charity; he who is destitute of charity is
a dead member of the Church. St. Paul declares that the
gift of languages, of working miracles, and the charitable
distribution of our worldly substance, and even martyrdom,
will avail us nothing without charity. Although St. Paul in
this passage speaks of the love of God, this does not alter the
case, for what is said of the love of God may be said with
equal truth of the love of our neighbor; for Christ says: “The
second commandment is like to the first: thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself.” The love of our neighbor is the charac­
teristic feature of a Christian, so that, according to St. John, the
love of God is impossible without, and inseparable from, the love
of our neighbor. “If any man say: I love God, and hate his
brother, he is a liar.”—Z. John 4: 20. Our holy religion com­
mands us to love even our enemies, under the penalty of eternal
death. “Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them that calumniate you.”—Matt. 5: 44. Therefore,
unless we observe this commandment we can have no hope of
obtaining the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting ; for
Christ says: “If you will not forgive, neither will your Father
that is in heaven forgive you your sins.”—Mark 11: 26.
Now draw the conclusion yourselves, ye sons and daughters.
If the commandment to love our neighbor, nay, our enemy, is an
indispensable condition of our salvation, how urgent must be the
command to love our parents ! Look upon Jesus on the cross,
your model, whose example ought to be your rule. Does he not,
when plunged into a sea of grief, remember his mother? does he
not show his tender love and affection for her even in the midst
of the agonies of death? He knows his end is fast approaching,
he feels exhausted, aut his heart beats for his mother ; he thinks
of her grief and abandonment, and with the tender feelings of

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Moral Sketch.

251

an affectionate son he speaks from the cross to John the words:
“Behold thy mother.—fohn 19: 27. Thus Jesus loved his mother.
And, you sons and daughters, who call Christ your Lord and
Master, and say a thousand times that you are his disciples and
ίο11ολνβΓ5, have you no heart, no affection for your parents, can
you refuse them your love ? If that were possible you would be
below the level of the brute, and would deserve to be destroyed
from the face of the earth.

2. The commandment to love your -parents admits of no excuses.
(a.) As, however, many children allege various causes in order
to excuse their undutiful conduct towards their parents, I shall
prove to you that the precept of loving your parents admits of
no excuse. Why should I love my parents? They do not love me,
but always give the preference to my brothers and sisters. This is
a common complaint. Although I am not inclined to excuse those
foolish parents who have their pet children, yet may it not be
your bad conduct and not your person, that displeases your par­
ents? Be candid; what is your conduct, ye sons and daughters,
who complain of your parents being partial ? Are you not stub­
born, arrogant and disobedient? You follow your own will in
everything; never do your parents’ bidding; you grieve them
by your levity, by keeping bad company ; you stay out late
against their will; you are careless in saying your prayers, in
attending mass and receiving the sacraments—and you expect
your parents to love you as they love your brothers and sisters
who behave better. Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other
sons, because he was better than they; his other sons were
wicked and blind enough to envy Joseph and to sell him as a
slave into Egypt. Why did Jacob love Joseph more than all his
other sons? Because he was an innocent, obedient child, whilst
his brothers disobeyed their father and did many wicked things.
Now, if Jacob’s frons had said: We cannot love our father, be­
cause he loves Joseph more than us, because he gives the pre­
ference to Joseph, would their excuse have been well founded?
Certainly not. They might have been told to do better in future,
to change their conduct, to obey their father in all things, to be
good children, to be as good as Joseph, and then their father
world love them as much as he loved Joseph. I may say the same
to those sons and daughters who say that they cannot love their
parents because they give the preference to their brothers and
sisters. Change your conduct, give up those evil habits by which
you have heretofore grieved and offended your parents; obey
them in all things and they will no longer make any distinction
between you and your brothers and sisters.

25^

Sunday between New Year’s Day and Epiphany;,

Suppose, however, that your parents, without sufficient causa,
do display no affection for you, the fourth commandment applies
to you notwithstanding. In such a case Christian charity
demands that you should bear patiently their unjust dealing. In
early Christian times it frequently occurred that parents de­
livered their own children to the executioner because they pro­
fessed the Christian faith.
These holy children avenged
themselves by praying for the conversion of their cruel parents.
(3.) It is impossible for me to love my parents, I hear other chil­
dren say, for they neglected their duties towards me; they cared
neither for my temporal nor eternal welfare, they neglected my
education. If this heavy charge be well founded, your parents
have indeed grievously sinned, and great is their responsibility.
But you must bear mind that the fourth commandment is not in
the nature of a bargain or contract—if they love me I shall love
them. No'; it is direct, simple, unqualified—Honor thy father and
thy mother. They will one day be obliged to render a rigorous
account; whatever their shortcomings may have been, or may be,
you are bound, to love them, as God your Father in heaven loves
all men, and causes his sun to shine upon the just and the unjust,
and sends rain upon the fields of the good and the bad.

Part

Π.

Children should love their parents sincerely and actively,

I. It is self-evident that a true filial love must spring from the
depth of the heart. Otherwise it would be sheer hypocrisy. Ab­
salom, who externally showed reverence for his father, had not
one spark of love for him in his heart. A child that loves its
parents sincerely rejoices when they are happy, and is sad when
they are grief-stricken. Young Tobias gives you, my dear chil­
dren, a beautiful example of this tender love. He could not be
induced by Raguel, his father-in law, to stay a few days longer
after the wedding. “I know,” said he, “that my father and mother
now count the days; and their spirit is grievously afflicted within
them.”—Tob. io: 9. And to Raphael he said: “Thou knowest
that my father numbereth the days, and if I stay one day more,
his soul will be afflicted.”—Tob. g : 4. Would to God I could say
of all children that they love their parents with the same tender­
ness ! Alas! Many keep up a show of love until their parents have
bequeathed them their property, but afterwards their parents
live too long. There are others who commence lawsuits against
their own parents. Ohl that they would remember the fate of
A.bsaloml

7.

Moral Sketch.

253

(a.) A sincere love demands that you should rejoice the heart
of your parents by leading a virtuous life, and by -prayingfor them.
Nothing rejoices and consoles the heart of a good father and a
pious mother more than the well-regulated, Christian life of their
children. Parents value their children more than gold, silver,
and precious stones; their eyes rest upon them with pleasure and
satisfaction, and frequently in the joy of their heart they lift up
their eyes to God, saying: Thanks be to God! we have good,
well-behaved children, who never cause us any trouble. Even in
the midst of temporal calamities, and when otherwise sorely
tempted, they despond not, for the thought that their children
are good and walk in the way of godliness is to them the greatest
treasure and consolation. But wayward children are the heaviest
cross laid upon the shoulders of parents. How great was the
misery brought upon Jacob by his sons. When they showed him
the bloodstained coat of his darling he was seized with such
anguish that, tired of life, he wished for death. And how great was
the misery brought upon David by Absalom, when in the per­
fidiousness of his heart, he marched with an army against his
own father ! David wept repeatedly in his grief. “My son, Ab­
salom,” said the king in his deep grief, “Absalom, my son; who
would grant me that I might die for thee, Absalom, my son, my
son, Absalom!”—II. Kings 18; 33. And how bitterly in our own
times do parents complain of the bad conduct of their children !
How often do we hear them say: We are indeed obliged to bear
many crosses, but would gladly bear and endure anything, if our
son, our daughter, were not so wayward. They weep bitter tears
and refuse to be consoled; grief consumes them, breaks their
hearts and sends them to a premature grave.
(bi) Good children who sincerely love their parents never fail
to remember them in their prayers. And if St. Paul desires first
of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
be made for all men (I Tim. 2: 1), how much more reason
have our parents to expect our prayers! Is there any one in this
world who is nearer and dearer to you, my dear children, than
your parents? Are you not flesh of their flesh, and bone of their
bone; does not the same blood circulate in your veins? Has not
God placed them in his stead? What then is more just and what
can be more pleasing to God than that you should show your
love for them by frequently praying for them and by recommend­
ing them to the grace and protection of God?
2. Lastly, what does active love demand ofyou ?I answer that you
aid your parents in their corporal and spiritual wants.
··

(ai) In their corporal wants. To be convinced of this duty, re­
ember what your parents have done for you, especially in the

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SlINDA"» BETWEEN NEW YEAR’S Day AND EpiPHANY.

years of your childhood. If you be pious children, you will follow
the example of Joseph of Egypt, who sent this message to his
father: “Thus saith thy son Joseph : God hath made me lord of
the whole land of Egypt ; come down to me, linger not. * * * And
thou shalt be near me * * *, and there I will feed thee.”—Gen.
45:9, 10, ii. “If on the Day of Judgment God will be so severe
on those who have shown no mercy, how much more severely
will he act towards those who where uncharitable to their own
parents.”—St. Bernard.

(3.) Your fault will be the greater, if you neglect to aid your
parents in their spiritual tvants. If you love your parents sincerely,
you will take care of their salvation, as far as it is in your
power. Therefore, you will pray for them, and in time of dan­
gerous illness will send for the priest. After their death, let it
not be said of you: “Out of sight, out of mind.” True charity
extends beyond the grave. St. Louis, King of France, when in
Palestine, received intelligence of his mother’s death; whereupon
he retired immediately to pray for the repose of her soul. Then
he had many masses said for her, and sent many jewels to the
various churches of his dominions, that prayers might be offered
for the soul of his dearly-beloved mother.
PERORATION.

Such was the solicitude of this holy son for the peace and wel­
fare of his holy mother even after death. And if you follow his
example by loving your parents sincerely and actively it will be
well with you here and hereafter. Amen.

£. Homiletic Sketch.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

Epistle. Rom. 12: 15. Brethren: I beseech you, by the mercy
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
pleasing unto God, your reasonable service. And be not con­
formed to this world: but be reformed in the newness of your
mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable,
and the perfect will of God. For I say, by the grace that is given
me, to all that are among you, not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety, and according
as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith. For as in
one body we have many members, but all the members have not
the same office : so we being many are one body in Christ, and
every one members one of another in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
WHAT THE APOSTLE ADMONISHES US TO DO.

The lessons of this and the three following Sundays are taken
from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, chapter 12, and com­
prise various precepts for the faithful in regard to pious conduct.
Christians, remembering the inestimable grace which they
received from Jesus Christ by their vocation from Judaism and
Paganism to his Church, should strive to lead a holy life, in order
to make themselves worthy of the grace of faith and thereby
secure their salvation.
In the epistle for this day the Apostle exhorts us—
I. To the reasonable service of God;
II, To humility in the use of graces received.

256

First Sundaï After Epiphany.
Part I.

Brethren, I beseech you, by the mercy of God, that you present
your boaies a living sacrifice, holy pleasing unto God, your reason­
able service.
I.

The Apostle exhorts the Christians at Rome to remember that
God called them out of pure love and mercy to the Christian
Church, and that this grace should be to them a most powerful
motive to serve him. He then tells them what their service of God
should be in order to be reasonable. The Jews offered sacrifices
of slaughtered and burnt animals. These were not living, but dead
offerings. According to the Law, these animals were to be pure
and faultless, for impure animals, such as swine, dogs, etc., were
strictly forbidden. They were to be offered also with the inten­
tion of honoring and adoring God.
1. What shall Christians offer to the Lord as a worthy sacrifice?
Not animals, for the sacrifice of animals ceased after the sacrifice
of Christ, of which they were only the types. Christians should
offer their bodies. What does this mean ? It means that we should
control the sinful desires and actions of the body, and employ its
senses and members for the service of God. This sacrifice must
have three qualities: it must be living ; that is, we must not kill
our body, as the Jews killed the animals which they offered to
the Lord ; we must stifle its sinful desires, but preserve the body
as long as God wills; it must be holy, we must keep our body
undefiled, chaste, in such a manner that it may always be a temple
of God (Z. Cor. 3: 16); it must be pleasing to God, that is whatever
we do with the body must be done for God, for his greater honor
and glory.
Now, if the body be offered to God in such a manner, it is a
divine service, because to mortify the body, and to use it for that
which is good, is according to the willof God, and is done out of
veneration and obedience towards him; it is a reasonable service,
because Christians who keep their bodies and their desires under
control render themselves fit for and capable of walking in the
way of virtue and of acquiring merits for heaven, which is cer­
tainly reasonable.

I shall now explain in what manner you are to present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, so that your sa­
crifice may be a reasonable service.
2.

(a.) Deny your body everything that is sinful. If you feel a
carnal desire, stifle it at once. If your palate desire superfluous

i.

HoxMiletic Sketch.

257

meat and drink, or such an such dainties and delicacies, or things
cooked in a particular manner, do not gratify it. Mortify your
appetite and study moderation. If your eyes wish to see, your
ears to hear, your tongue to speak, that which is sinful, control
them and do not permit yourselves to be drawn into evil. How
many opportunities for such mortifications have you not every
day ! Make use of them.
(^.) Deny your body occasionally something that is lawful, in
order to subject it to the dominion of the spirit; for example,
deprive yourselves of some meat, drink, or sleep, abstain from
lawful enjoyments, mortify the senses in lawful things, keep
silence for some time, when it can be done without ostentation.
We frequently meet with such mortifications in the Lives of the
Saints. They are very pleasing to God and acquire great graces
for us. Therefore you should practice them. If in the evening,
at your examination of conscience, you find that you have prac­
ticed no such mortification during the day, kneel down, kiss the
floor, and say a “Hail Mary.”

(é.) Employ your body in the conscientious performance of the
duties of your religion and state of life. To this belong religious
exercises, as prayer, going to church, hearing the Word of God,
the reception of the sacraments. In fulfilling these duties, the
body has no small part. Then there are the duties of your state
of life, which require a large amount of bodily labor from all of
us. In the performance of these duties, the body has often to
endure much that is disagreeable: heat and cold, hunger and
thirst, privation and weariness. Thus, in fulfilling our everyday
duties we can at the same time, as St. Paul enjoins, present our
bodies a living sacrifice, pleasing unto God. Lastly, I shall men­
tion works of charity and other good works, in the performance
of which the body must always be instrumental. In such a
manner you should present your bodies to God a living, holy
sacrifice, pleasing to him.
II. And be not conformed to this world ; but be reformed in the
newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and the
acceptable and the perfect will of God.

i. In these words the Apostle points out what more is required,
that your service may please God and be reasonable service.
Rome, at that time the capital of the world, was the seat of the
most abominable debaucheries and vices; the newly-converted
Christians were eye and ear witnesses to these abominations,
which were in direct contradiction to Christian morals. For this
reason the Apostle exhorts them not to be conformed to this

17

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First Sunday After Epiphany,

world, nor to live like vicious heathens. As Christians, crucified to
God, they should have a different disposition of mind, should
detest the debaucheries and vices of the heathens, love that
which is modest, and follow the voice of their conscience, which
would tell them what they were to do and what to avoid in order
to please God, to edify their fellow-men, and to attain perfection.
2. What the Apostle writes to the Christians at Rome applies
equally to us. “The whole world is seated in wickedness.—/.
John 5:19. “All that is in it is the concupiscence of the flesh, and
the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life” (Z. John
2:16), vices diametrically opposed to Christianity, which enjoins
us to be poor in spirit and meek of heart, and to mortify
the sinful desires of the flesh. The world directs our desire only
to earthly things: Christianity requires of us to seek the things
that are above; the world knows no law but the gratification of
the passions; Christianity commands us to subdue our passions
and to sacrifice life itself rather than transgress the law of God;
the world would have us live and work for time ; Christianity
cries out to us: “Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and
his justice.”—Matt. 6: 33. If we wish to be Christians in truth,
we must forsake the world and its maxims. Hence St. James
says: “Whosoever will be a friend of this world, becometh an
enemy of God.”—James 4: 4. Examine and see whether the
Spirit of God or that of the world governs you.
But, as we are all more or less influenced by the spirit of the
world in our thoughts and actions, it is necessary to look closely
into ourselves from time to time, and ascertain exactly where we
are. Are we of the world, worldlings, or are we of Christ, Chris­
tians ? Are we striving to act according to the precepts of the
Church, striving to imitate Christ and the saints, or are we
drifting towards the broad gate and easy way? To see the better
into our spiritual condition, let us reflect on the following questi­
ons: Do I desire what Christ desires? Do I speak as Christ spoke?
Do I act as Christ acted?
Since God reveals to us his will in a particular manner by our
conscience, let us listen to its voice and do what it represents as
good and pleasing to God, and what it commands; and let us
avoid what it indicates as bad and displeasing to God, and what
it forbids. He who obeys his conscience can not go astray ; he is
on the road to salvation; his life is a continual service of God.

Part Π.
1. For Isay, by the grace that is given me, to all that are among
you, not to be more wise than that it behoveth to be wise ; but to be wise

i. Homiletic Sketch.

259

unto sobriety, and according as God hath divided to every one the
measure offaith.

1. Here the Apostle admonishes us to modesty and humility in
the use of the gifts of God. To give more emphasis to his admo­
nition, he appeals to “the grace that is given him,” that is, to his
apostolic mission, which justifies him in taking upon himself the
office of teacher, and, in fact, obliges him to instruct the faithful,
call their attention to their faults, and lay down rules for their
conduct. We priests also, in virtue of our office, have the right,
and it is our duty, “to preach the word of God, to be instant in
season, out of season ; to reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience
and doctrine” (ZZ. Tim. 4: 2); but it is incumbent on you to listen
to our instructions and exhortations. Do not forget the words of
Christ: “He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth
you despiseth me.” Those are dubious Catholics who say: I do
not care what priests say ; they can say what they please; I shall
do as I please.

2. The Apostle declares that his admonitions refer to all that
are among them, not only to ordinary persons, but also to their
superiors. No one, no matter how high his office, should think
that he, an Apostle, must not command him. St. Paul has reason
for this remark, because in the congregation of the faithful
some superiors conducted themselves indiscreetly and haughtily,
and caused disorder and disturbance among the faithful. From
this you may learn that priests can not do as they please, for
they are subordinate to the bishop and owe him strict obedience.
Nor are the bishops perfectly independent ; they are subordinate
to the metropolitan, and he to the Pope, the head of the Church,
appointed by Christ. A bishop who does not acknowledge the
Pope as his spiritual head, and does not render him obedience,
is not a Catholic bishop; a priest who does not submit to his
bishop can not and must not be looked upon as a Catholic priest.
3. St. Paul exhorts all the faithful not to think themselves
wiser than is behoves, but to think of themselves modestly; not
to pride themselves upon their gifts, talents, or offices, nor to
think themselves better than others who are destitute of those
gifts, much less to despise others; but to be modest and humble,
and use their authority for the glory of God and the welfare of
their fellow-men. This is an important lesson for all of us. Let
us never harbor pride in our heart. Whatever we possess, our
faculties, worldly substance, etc., are all gifts from God ; to him
therefore honor and praise are due. If we have advantages over
others, it should not be a cause for us to exalt ourselves above
them, much less to look down upon them with contempt ; on the

I

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

contrary, let us humble ourselves before God and praise him be­
cause out of pure mercy he has given us more than others, and
let us not forget that much shall be required of him to whom
much has been given. In order to keep ourselves in humility, let
us reflect that pride changed Lucifer, one of the most beautiful
of the angels, into a hideous devil.
Lastly, St. Paul says every one should think of himself
modestly, according as God hath divided to every one the measure
of faith. By the measure of faith the Apostle means the
gifts of faith or spirit, such as the gifts of prophecy, tongues,
miracles, which vrere frequently communicated to the faithful at
their baptism and confirmation in the time of the Apostles. The
Apostle wills that Christians should confine themselves modestly
to the gifts that have been given them. Those who possess the
gift of prophecy should only prophesy, and not assume any other
office; those who have the gift of tongues should not think that
on that account they are fit to teach others; every one should be
content with the gift bestowed upon him by God, and not in his
self-esteem infringe upon the office of others, to which he is not
called. This admonition of the Apostle deserves our careful con­
sideration. Every one should be content with the state in which
God has placed him, and not wish for another or a better one;
for such wishes are contrary to the will of God. Let every one
confine himself to that which his state obliges him to do, and
not meddle with affairs that do not concern him.

II Far as in one body voe have many members, but all the members
have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another.

The Apostle wishes to say by this simile : As we have a body
consisting of many members which have various functions, so we
all constitute one moral body, whose head is Christ. We form a
society, and are related to one another like the members of a
body, each of which has a peculiar function to perform for the
good of the entire body. How senseless and pernicious it would
be if the members of the human body were at variance and re­
fused to serve one another, or if one member wished to be better
and more important than the other! In like manner it would be
most unreasonable and very injurious to a congregation should
the members of the moral body of Jesus Christ, members of the
Church, be at variance with one another and not serve one
another, nor employ their powers and faculties for the common
good.

'.W.F

’•ΓΛ

i. Homiletic Sketch.

361

PERORATION.

You should consider this, and study humility and modesty, for
upon these virtues rests charity, which begets true peace and
concord, and makes us true Christians. You are only members;
Christ is the head ; you are instruments, and it is your duty to
labor for the welfare of the whole. None should think himself
better or more useful than the other; every one is useful in his
place and important, too, but none by himself alone. As the
hand can not do without the foot nor the foot without the eye,
so one member of the congregation can not do without the other;
every one, if he do his duty well, is most useful for the individual
members as well as for the whole congregation. Labor therefore
humbly and modestly in your vocation. >nd show yourselves
worthy members of the Church. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

GOSPEL. Luke 2: 42-52. When Jesus was twelve years old
they going up into Jerusalem according to the custom of the
feast, and having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the
child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.
And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day’s
journey, and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.
And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and
asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished
at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered.
And his mother said to him : Son, why hast thou done so to us ? be­
hold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said
to them : How is it that you sought me ? did ye not know that I
must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not
the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them,
and came to Nazareth; and was subject to them. And his mother
kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wis­
dom and age, and grace with God and men

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH,

The Church every year presents to our view the life and actioni
of our Lord, from his Incarnation to his glorious Ascension into
heaven, in order that we may consider from time to time what
he has done for our salvation. Adhere to him in grateful love,
and endeavor to participate in the fruits of Redemption. On
Christmas Day we found a new-born Babe in the manger; on
the Epiphany we saw the Magi before him, greeting him as the
world’s Redeemer, and worshiping him with the mostprofound hu­
mility. On the Sundays between Christmas and Epiphany his
presentation in the temple, his flight into Egypt, and his return
into the land of Israel, were brought prominently before us. This
day we have Jesus before us a child of twelve years of age, and
we see him appear, for the first time, self-reliant, manifesting un­
mistakably his Godhead and his dignity as the Messias, Let us
meditate on what the gospel of this day relates—
I. Of Mary and Joseph;
II. Of the Child Jesus.

Part L
i. The gospel relates of Mary and Joseph that, when Jesus was
twelve years old, they went up into Jersalem, according to the custom
of the feast. In accordance with the Mosaic Law (Exodus 23 :
14-17), all male Jews were obliged to appear in the temple at
Jerusalem, before the ark of the Lord, three times a year, viz., at
Easter, Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles. Women were
exempt from this ordinance, but it became binding upon boys as
soon as they had attained their twelfth year; therefore from this
age they were called “sons of the law.”
(a.) Mary and Joseph made this long and fatiguing journey in
order to assist at public worship. The distance from Nazareth to
Jerusalem was about seventy-five miles. How much more easily
you can comply with your religions duties! Your church is at no
great distance from any of you; it takes only a few minutes for
most of you to go to it, and yet there are Catholics who on Sun­
days and holidays neglect to hear mass, for which omission they
are accountable before God.

(3.) Mary was not obliged to go to Jerusalem to solemnize the
feast of Easter. There is no co till· andment to hear mass on

ê

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

263

weekdays or to assist at devotions which are held at various
times of the year. But those that are able ought to make use of
such opportunities of honoring God, especially aged persons, who
have leisure time. We ought to perform good works when and
where we can, and not pause to inquire as to whether it is com­
manded or not. He who will not do a jot more than what is
strictly commanded is lukewarm, and will sooner or later neglect
what is commanded.
(£.) When Jesus had attained his twelfth year Mary and Joseph
took him with them to Jerusalem. Parents, do you do this? Do
you take your children to church on Sundays and holidays? Al­
though not absolutely necessary, yet it would be advisable to
take them with you; you might thus avoid their becoming guilty
of so much levity and sin. Some parents do not send their chil­
dren to church at all, but leave them at home. You must certainly
know that children who have come to the use of reason are
“children of the law.” They are bound, under pain of mortal sin,
to hear mass on Sundays and holidays of obligation. Sickness
or bad weather alone exempts them from the obligation. Parents
who do not insist on their going to church become guilty of a
grievous sin. They should accustom their children to prayer and
the usual religious exercises of devotion from early childhood,
for “as the twig is bent, so the tree grows.”
9
2. When they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem ;
and his -parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the com­
pany, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kins­
folk and acquaintance. And not finding him they returned into
Jerusalem, seeking him.
(al) The Easter of the Jews lasted seven days, and consisted of
sacrifices, instructions, the eating of the unleavened bread and of
the paschal lamb. Mary and Joseph did not depart from Jerusa­
lem until the seven days, and all the worship and exercises of
devotion connected therewith had been concluded. A beautiful
example for you to wait for the conclusion ofevery public service
of the Church. Those to whom every service is too long and who
can scarcely wait, or only wait impatiently, till the end comes,
are surely not edifying or good Christians ; whilst, on the other
hand, if there is a question of amusements lasting many hours,
day and night, they never find them too long. It would, perhaps,
on account of the scandal they give, be better for them to remain
away from church altogether.

(3.) Mary and Joseph, at their departure from Jerusalem did
not know that Jesus had remained there. No blame, however, is

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

to be attached to them. The Jews who came to Jerusalem at
Easter and returned home again did not travel all together, but
formed themselves into little groups or companies, in which the
men were separated from the women; they met only in the even­
ing, at the stopping-place. This accounts for the possibility of
the parents of Jesus making a day’s journey from Jerusalem
without missing the divine Child; for Mary would naturally ex­
pect that Jesus was with Joseph, and Joseph would think that
the Child was with his blessed Mother, and both again, when
they met, would think that he was certainly with their kinsfolk
and acquaintance. It was only when they met at the stopping­
place, and all their kinsfolk had arrived, that the error was dis­
covered, and they accordingly returned to Jerusalem, seeking
the divine Child. Alar}7 and Joseph lost Jesus without any fault of
theirs. But if we lose him, it is by our own fault, for he is lost
only by mortal sin. As soon as a man commits a mortal sin Christ
departs from him with his love and grace, and the unhappy
sinner falls immediately into the power of Satan. Oh, who would
not hate sin and flee from it as from an adder? Is not the loss of
Christ a greater misfortune than the loss of all our property, nay,
our very life? And yet there are many who are not in the least
grieved at such a loss. They are merry and contented, when
they should be shedding tears of blood. Ah! Christian frier ds,
what will befall you after death if you live and die without
Christ t There are also many parents who are quite indiflerent
when one of their children is lost by a mortal sin. The children
live tor years in debaucheries and vices, and their parents do not
lake it to heart, they do not take any pains to seek the lost child
and to reclaim him. What an account will not such parents have
to render betore God for being so neglectful of their dutiesl

(a) As soon as Maty and Joseph noticed the loss of Jesus they
returned to Jerusalem and sought him. If you be so unfortunate
as to fall into mortal sin and lose Jesus, do not remain in that
unhappy state; seek him immediately by true repentance. Bridle
your passions, give up your bad habits, renounce your sinful
company, and make a good confession. Consider that your
eternal welfare depends on ytmr speedily seeking the divine
child.

3. And it came to pass, that after th-ree days they found him in
the temple, sitting on the midst of fhe d^tors, hearing them, and
asking them questions . . . And his mother ^aid to to him : Son, why
hast thou done so to us ? behold, thy father and I have sozight thee
sorrowing.
(a.) Mary and Joseph did not find Jesus ameug their kinsfolk
and acquaintance, nor in the the streets and public places of

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Homiletic Sketch.

265

Jerusalem, but in the temple, in the midst of the teachers. Neither
shall we find Jesus in frivolous society, and entertainments and
amusements, nor in the tumult of the world; but in the church,
in hearing the word of God, in the holy mysteries, and in the
temple of our own heart. Without speaking figuratively, in com­
munication with the world and in the enjoyment of its pleasures,
man, instead of becoming better, frequently becomes worse, and
defiles his conscience even with grievous sins, and, therefore,
loses Jesus ; but if, on the contrary, he visits the church diligently,
prays devoutly, listens eagerly to the Word of God, receives the
sacraments with due preparation, enters into himself, and reflects
on the eternal truths, he is easily converted, becomes better,
more virtuous, and finds Jesus.

(Æ.) Mary says: Son, why hast thou done so to us? This question
is not a reproach, but rather a respectful complaint, proceeding
from an affectionate mother’s heart, whereby she indicates her
sorrow at his loss. If we be visited by crosses and afflictions, it
is not wrong to tell our sorrow to God, if, like the Virgin Mother
of God, we remain patient and resigned to his will.
(c.) Mary calls Joseph the father of Jesus, because she would
not and could not divulge the mystery of his wonderful Incar­
nation. Let us also keep those secrets which it would be neither
necessary nor useful to reveal. Above all things, never reveal
the faults of others without necessity. Mary mentions Joseph
first and then herself; she does this through humility, conceal­
ing thedignity of her divine maternity, and not wishing tc
appear more than an ordinary married woman, who according
to the will of God was under the dominion of her husband. Oh,
that all married women would take this lesson to heart, and be
subject to their husbands in all things that are right and just!

We have sought thee sorrowing. The sorrow of Mary at the loss
of Jesus was, as spiritual writers say, the greatest that she en­
dured during her life, greater than when she stood beneath the
cross on Calvary; for there she could comfort herself with the
thought : “My dear Son dies, but it is not my fault ; it is the will of
God;” but when she lost Jesus, she was in doubt as to whether
she had not perhaps been guilty of some fault, on account of
which Jesus may have withdrawn his pre>en e from her; and it
was this doubt that plunged her into an unfathomable sea of
mental sufferings. Pious souls fear nothing so much as to dis­
please God; the smallest fault is the greatest misfortune in their
eyes. He therefore who carelessly commits lesser faults and feels
no disquietude shows that his love of God is weak and imper­
fect.

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First Sunday After Epiphany.
Part Π.

1. The gospel relates that Jesus in his twelfth year went to
Jerusalem for the feast of the Pasch. He would show, thus early
in his youth, that all his thoughts and desires were directed to the
service of God. Oh, that we had followed this example from our
youth! How happy would be our lot! how peacefully and con­
fidently might we think on our soul’s salvation! But alas! how
many there are among us who have passed the years of their
youth in levity and sin! how many who must sigh with David:
“O Lord, remember not the sins of my youth and ignorances.”
—A. 24: 7. Let us now at least labor zealously for our
salvation, in order to make up for what was neglected in the
years of our childhood and youth. The thought that those who
entered the vinej’ard at the sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours,
received, like the rest, every man a penny, should animate our
confidence and encourage us to devote the rest of our life with
all zeal to the service of God.

2. Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and spent three days in the
temple. By this he gives us to understand how gladly, if it could
have been done, he would have remained in the house of his
heavenly Father, in order to devote himself, with incomparably
greater fervor than did the youthful Samuel before him, to the
divine service. Do you love to pray in the house of God? Does
it give you pleasure to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to
devote yourselves to exercises of piety, to read religious books?
It would not, indeed, be a good sign if a visit to the church,
prayer, and exercises of devotion are distasteful to you; this
would betray worldly-mindedness, little love for God, luke­
warmness. Rekindle your love for prayer, and resolve rather
to prolong the exercises of devotion than to shorten them, if it
can be done without detriment to your other duties. Consider
that you need nourishment, not only for your body, but also foi
your soul ; and the nutriment of the soul consists in exercises of
devotion.
3. Jesus said to them: How is it that you sought mel Did
ye not know that I must be about my Father's business ? These are
the first words that the gospel records of our divine Saviour, and
they deserve our serious attention. “How is it that you sought
me?” At first sight, this answer of Jesus seems rather harsh and
stern, but in reality it contains only a lesson ; Jesus meant to say;
“You know well who I am and that without my willing it no
harm can befall me ; it was not therefore necessary for you to be
concerned on account of my absence.” Jesus referred to his

2. Homiletic Sketch.

267

divine person, and at the same time gave his mother an opportu­
nity to exercise, by a respectful and silent acceptance of his in­
structive words, the virtues of humility and meekness, which she
did in the most perfect manner.
According to this example of the blessed Mother of God, you
should accept reproaches meekly and humbly, even if they be
bitter and undeserved. To keep silence when we are reprimanded
for a fault of which we are guilty is a great virtue; but to be
reproved when our conscience declares us innocent, and then to
remain calm and quiet, this is genuine virtue and the best proof
of humility. Reflect how you have behaved when you were
reproached. Did you become angry? Did not self-love often
blind you, so that even when you were guilty you endeavored
to appear innocent? Oh, combat your self-love, and become
meek and humble of heart, that you may accept every reproach,
even when undeserved, as a spiritual alms.
4. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth ; and was
subject to them. Let us reflect on these words of the text and ask
ourselves, who was subject? The Creator, to creatures; the
Master, to servants ; God, to man. In truth, an admirable obedi­
ence. Wherein was Jesus obedient? In the least and meanest
things, obedient to his foster-father in the shop, to his mother in
domestic affairs. He obeyed cheerfully, humbly, and promptly,
and not for a few-weeks and months only, but up to his thirtieth
year. What an excellent example of humility '. Children, both
little and grown-up children, think of this obedience, and be
abashed in your inmost heart, that you are so disobedient to your
parents! With what eyes will Jesus look upon you, when he
hears your parents complain, saying: KAh! our children are so
self-willed, so stubborn, they embitter our life by their disobedi­
ence.” Amend your lives, or your declining years will also be
without comfort or hope. Practice humility according to the
example of Jesus, and consider that it is more meritorious to
pick up a pin in obedience, than to pray for hours, or fast on
bread and water, at your own will and caprice.
5. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and grace with God
and men. The wisdom, grace and sanctity of Jesus were infinite
from the first moment of his incarnation ; he could not actually
receive an increase of them ; he increased in them only in the
sense that he daily gave clearer proofs and manifestations of the
infinite fulness of his divine wisdom, grace, and sanctity, and
revealed them to the outside world. He thus resembled the sun,
which, although it never changes, yet the higher is ascends in
the heavens, and the nearer it approaches the zenith, the stronger
and brighter does its light seem to the inhabitants of the earth

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

How is it with us? Can it be said of us in truth, that as we have
advanced in years we also have increased in wisdom and grace,
in virtue and holiness ? We may have increased in knowledge,
we may have bettered our circumstances, but we have not, per­
haps, as yet acquired the first rudiments of wisdom and virtue.
How many of us for a number of years have not advanced a
step in virtue, but are still infected with the same faults and bad
habits? How many of us must say: “I lived a better life five or
ten years ago than I do now, and I scarcely knew then by name
the sins which I now commit.” Oh, let us humble ourselves be­
fore God, and repent of our lukewarmness and forgetfulness of
God and of our salvation.
PERORATION.

Let us resolve to strive earnestly from this day forward to
amend our lives. To this end, let us not disguise from ourselves,
or try to palliate, ourfaultsand failings. Let us rather acknowledge
them, humble ourselves for the past, and resolve with the
grace of God to fight against them. To succeed, we must begin
at once to practice the opposite virtues. Let us look upon every
day that we do not employ for our eternal salvation as spent in
vain. And, indeed, so it is. Only one thing is necessary. To
spend our days profitably we have but to be mindful of the pre­
sence of God, reflecting seriously and frequently on the eternal
truths; we must have recourse to prayer and receive the sacra­
ments as often as possible. By the frequent use of these means
we shall advance in virtue and obtain that degree of perfection
which is necessary for the attainment of life everlasting. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
THE LEGISLATIVE POWER OF THE CHURCH.

And his -parents voent every year to Jerusalem at the solemn day oj
the Pasch.—Luke 2: 41.
The Jews were obliged by the Mosaic Law to appear at Jeru­
salem three times a year ; namely, at the solemnities of the Pasch}

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

269

of Pentecost, and of the Feast of Tabernacles. “Three times in a
year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God, in the
place which he shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles.”—Deut,
16: 16. How scrupulously the Holy Family observed this ordi­
nance of their Church we learn from the gospel of this day,
which says that the parents of Jesus went every year to Jerusalem,
at the solemn day ot the Pasch. Even Mary, who was exempt
from this law, every year made the long and fatiguing journey
to Jerusalem, in company with Joseph, in order to celebrate there
the solemn day of the Pasch. The gospel also tells us that Mary
and Joseph took the divine Child to Jerusalem when he was
twelve years old. They did this in obedience to the law, for as
soon as boys had attained their twelfth year, they were obliged
to observe the ordinances of the law, and were therefore at that
age called “children of the law.”
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph give us a beautiful example of how
we ought to observe the ordinances of Holy Church. In order to
encourage you to comply with this duty, I shall speak to-day
about the legislative power of the Church and explain to you
that the Church has the power—
I. To make laws, and
IL To punish the violation of these laws.

Part L
By the Church we here understand its presiding officers, the
pastors of the Church, that is, the Pope and the bishops. The
Pope, as head of the Church, can make laws for the entire Catho­
lic world. Ecumenical councils can do the same, and their laws
have binding force, provided always that the Pope confirms their
decrees. Individual bishops can make ordinances and rules for
their respective dioceses, because these only are subject to their
jurisdiction. That the Church has the power to make laws is
evident—

From reason. In every society, large or small, there must be
some one who has the right to command and to make the neces­
sary rules for its government ; otherwise a society could not
exist at all. Imagine a family of about ten members, in which
there is no one to command, and no one who obeys, but every
one does as he pleases; could there be peace and concord in
such a family? On the contrary, there could be nothing but dis­
order and confusion, and it could not subsist for any length of
time. This, as is self-evident, would be much more the case in
a country if there were no authority and no legislative power.
I.

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First Sunday After Epiph am y.

Therefore in every family, community, kingdom, or republic,
there must be a head, and laws which must be observed by all,
and a legislative power to ordain all things necessary for the
common good. The Church is also a society, and, indeed, the
greatest in the world, for she numbers two hundred and fifty
million members; she is an empire that extends over the whole
earth, and is to receive all men into her bosom, and to exist to
the end of time. How could the Church exist at all and attain
this end, if she had no legislative power, if no one within her
pale had the power to make laws, and if no one would be
restrained by law? Union would cease; ‘fin union there is
strength;” order would be dissolved, and “order is heaven’s first
law;” and the ruin of the Church would be inevitable. Thus
reason convinces us that the Church must have power to make
laws. This is also evident—

2. From the ordinance of Christ, who commissioned the Church
to rule and govern the faithful. He said to his Apostles : “What­
soever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven,
and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also
in heaven.”—Matt. 18: 18. In these words, Christ evidently con­
stituted his Apostles pastors and governors of his Church, and
gave them the power to make laws. Again he says to his Apostles:
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations . . . teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”—Matt.
28: 19, 20. Accordingly, the Apostles were not only to teach all
nations, but they were also to insist upon the Christian doctrine
being observed by all. The Apostles were therefore constituted
rulers in the Church, and as such have power to make all ordi­
nances which are necessary for the observance of the divine law.
Lastly, Christ said to Peter in particular: “Feed my sheep.”—
John 21: 16, 17. Peter is hereby raised above the other Apostles
and made chief pastor; he receives from Christ the same rights
that a shepherd has over his flock. The shepherd is the leader
of the flock; the sheep must follow him, for they are given into
his charge. Peter, in consequence of this supreme pastorship
given to him alone, has power over the universal Church; he is
her commander-in-chief; what he ordains must be done; every
individual Catholic owes him spiritual allegiance. Christ there­
fore has given to his Church the power to make laws for her
government.
3. It is manifest, moreover, from the fact that the Apostles and
their lawful successors in the ministry always claimed this legis­
lative power for themselves, and made ordinances as circumstances
required. The Apostles did this even at the Council of Jei usalem,
when they said : “It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us,

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Dogmatical Sketch.

271

to lay no further burden upon you than these necessary things;
that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood,
and from things strangled, and from fornication.”—Acts 15:28, 29.
To abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from impurity was
a divine law, which the Apostles inculcated anew; but the ab­
stinence from blood and strangled things was something which
previously was neither commanded nor forbidden as regards
Christians. Now, if the Apostles also include these among the
necessary things, and in doing so appeal to the Holy Ghost, it
follows that they considered themselves vested with legislative
power and therefore in a position to exact the obedience of the
faithful. For this reason St. Paul, on his journey through Syria
and Cilicia, commanded the Christian congregations in those
places to observe the ordinance of the Apostles and of their own
elders, that is, bishops; and himself made several rules which he
considered expedient for the good of those flourishing Churches.
—Acts 15: 41.
Church history relates the same of the successors of the Apostles.
Among all the Popes who, from Peter down to Leo XIII.,
have ruled the Church, there is scarcely one who has not made
various ordinances for the faithful. They also required that
these ordinances should be observed. Pope Hilarius says: “It
shall not be permissible for any one, without peril to his state,
to violate either the divine ordinances or the decisions of the
Apostolic See.” The councils, too, were occupied, not only with
defining what is to be believed, but they also made regulations
with regard to divine worship and everything pertaining to
ecclesiastical life. This may be said particularly of the Council
of Trent, in which the assembled fathers enacted in every session
most wholesome laws for the amelioration of morals and the re­
novation of Church discipline. It is therefore an incontrovertible
truth that the Church has the power to make laws.

Part II.
The Church possesses also the power to pzcnish those mho violate
her lams.

i. This power is essentially necessary to the Church for the
performance of her task, which consists in the purification and
sanctification of her children. Imagine a teacher who is allowed
to instruct children and to give them lessons in morality, but not
to correct or punish them. How would their education progress?
Certainly not very well. Many, if not all the children, would care
little about the good lessons, and would disregard them, having
no punishment to fear. Or imagine a state which has the right
to make laws, but not the power to enforce them and bring those

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

who violate them to condign punishment. Could such a state
subsist? No. The laws would be violated without scruple, be­
cause no punishment is to be feared, and in a short time such a
state of things would prevail that there would be no security for
life or property. All the bounds of order would be severed and
the social edifice would finally tumble. A similar fate might have
befallen the Church, if Grod in his infinite wisdom had not vested
her with this chastening power. She could not maintain her
authority nor keep her members in order; her laws would lose
their force and be violated by the majority of her children. It is
evident, then, that the Church could not attain the end for which
she was established, which is the purification, sanctification, and
salvation of her children for all time to come, unless she had the
power in some way to puni>h those who violate her laws.
That the Church has the power to punish is evident from the
words of Christ ; “If thy brother shall offend thee, go, and rebuke
him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt
gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee
one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may stand. And if he will not hear them, tell the
Church. And if he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee
as the heathen and publican.”—Matt. *8: 15-17. Therefore,
if a Christian who is guilty of a crime will listen neither to the
admonition of his fellow Christians nor to those of his spiritual
superiors, he is to be looked upon as a man who by his con­
tumacy has separated himself from the communion of the faithful,
and the spiritual superior is to declare this and eject him, that he
may amend his life, or at least not infect others by communi­
cation with them. Here Christ pronounces the greatest of all
punishments, namely, excommunication from the communion of
the Church.
The Apostles and their successors, as often as it was necessary,
made use of this authority to punish, received from Christ. Thus
St. Paul declares that he is ready to punish all disobedience, in
virtue of the power given to him by the Lord, not for destruction,
but for edification.—II Cor. 10: 8. The same Apostle excom­
municated the incestuous Corinthian until he atoned for his crime
by suitable repentance.
In Church history we find many examples of Popes and
bishops using the same power; and the earliest councils contain
not only laws and ordinances, but also punishments for the vio­
lators of them. Hence Pope Pius VI. declared the proposition
heretical, that the Church did not possess the power to inflict
punishment. The Church, however, does not punish, like the
temporal powers, with fines, imprisonment, or death, because she
is a spiritual power and deals with the soul of man; therefore
her punishments are spiritual, that is, such as affect the sout Her

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Dogmatical Sketch.

273

punishments never refer to those that do not belong to her com­
munion, but only to her members ; and in punishing them she has
in view not so much their punishment as their amendment. Her
conduct is that of an affectionate mother. She acts in this regard
like St. Paul, who excommunicated the incestuous Corinthian,
that “his spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”—1. Cor. 5 : 5.
Ecclesiastical punishments are inflicted on sinful Christians who
persevere pertinaciously in sin, and on the contumacious, with the
object of inducing them to consider their dangerous condition,
by which their salvation is imperilled, and to amend their lives.
As soon as this object is attained the punishment ceases.
These punishments consist in the deprivation of spiritual bene­
fits, such as the holy sacraments, indulgences, participation in
public worship by hearing mass, participation in the merits and
intercession of the faithful on earth and of the saints in heaven,
and lastly, Christian burial.
There are three ecclesiastical punishments: Excommunica
lion, suspension, and interdict.
A person placed under the ban of excommunication is entirely
excluded from the communion of the Church and deprived of all
participation in the graces which she possesses, especially the
sacraments. The grace of prayer alone is left him. He is allowed
to assist only at the sermon and catechetical instruction, that,
by hearing the word of God, he may be reclaimed from his evil
ways. If he does not amend his life, but dies under the ban, he
is deprived of Christian burial, that is, his body will not be
received into the church nor be permitted to be placed in con­
secrated ground. No priest will bless it or accompany it to the
grave. No prayers will be said over it; nor will the holy sacrifice
of the mass be offered up for the repose of his soul.
Suspension is a punishment which can affect priests only who
are guilty of certain crimes; it consists in deprivation, either
entire or in part, of the powers which they possess by virtue of
their ordination, or of their office and their emoluments.
By interdict the bond of ecclesiastical communion is not entirely
severed but the solemn performance of divine worship, the
public reception and administration of certain sacraments, and
funeral processions are prohibited. This punishment may, on
account of some great outrage, be inflicted on an entire country,
city, or community, as also upon individual persons, and will con­
tinue in force until the guilty parties make proper amends.
Ecclesiastical punishments are more severe than those inflicted
by temporal authorities, for the latter affect only temporal goods
and the life of the body, whereas the former affect spiritual
goods and the life of the soul. He who is not corrected by the
2.

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

punishments of the Church is delivered to perdition. Church
history furnishes us with many striking instances in which God
even in this world, visited with severe chastisements those men
who had scoffed at or disregarded the ecclesiastical censures
inflicted upon them; for instance, they lost their possessions,
their position, or met with a sudden death. Examples: Na­
poleon I. and III.
PERORATION.

The Church possesses the power to make laws and to punish
the violation of them. From this it follows that it is your duty
scrupulously to obey the Church Do not imitate the example of
nominal Catholics, who, imagining that the Church has no right
to their obedience, slight her precepts and ordinances, and ridi­
cule those who obey her. You owe it to God to obey the Church;
she holds the place of God upon earth; disobedience to her is
disobedience to her Founder, Christ himself, and would be a sin
meriting the indignation of God and eternal damnation. You
owe it to yourselves to render obedience to the Church and to
follow her guidance. It is your duty, as long as you live, to labor
to become holy. But could you attain that end if you do not obey
the Church who has been given to you by God to be your mother,
teacher, and guide? Would you wish to share the lot of heathens
and publicans, whose end is destruction ? Obey, then, the Church ;
keep her precepts as strictly and conscientiously as the com­
mandments of God, so that Christ, the Founder and Head of the
Church, may one day acknowledge you as good and faithful ser­
vants, and admit you to the joys of eternal life. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
ON PILGRIMAGES.

When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem,
according to the custom of the feast.—Luke 2: 42.

We see to-day Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on a pilgrimage; they
travel from Nazareth to Jerusalem, to celebrate in the temple the
feast of the Pasch. The way from Nazareth to Jerusalem was

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275

long· and fatiguing·, being about seventy-five miles, and led over
mountains. Mary and Joseph were poor and possessed but small
means for defraying traveling expenses; Jesus was only twelve
years old, and hardly strong enough for so long a journey, which
must have taken five or six days at least. And yet the Holy Family
made that pilgrimage, and not once only in their life, but every
year, as long as they lived in Nazareth. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
teach us that to make a pilgrimage is a laudable exercise in itself,
and that no one who performs it in the proper spirit should be
denounced for so doing. I shall speak to you to-day of several
things in regard to pilgrimages, and explain—
I. That pilgrimages are good, if
IL The right use be made of them.

Part L
The Church does not command pilgrimages, but declares them
good and salutary.

i. The desire to make pilgrimages is deeply rooted in the heart
of man ; therefore everywhere and at all times they have taken
place.
(#.) Every one feels within himself a desire to visit those places
where a renowned person has lived, or where remarkable and
important events have taken place. Many travel hundreds of
miles merely to see those distant places where a famous general,
a distinguished poet, or a celebrated scientist has lived, or where
a great battle was fought. They say: That is a renowned place.
I must see it. With nobler and greater sentiments of attraction
does the enlightened Catholic sigh and long to visit those places
which are sanctified by religion and contain venerable monuments
of his faith. Where is the Christian who does not feel a longing
desire to visit that land which was the scene of the most remark
able events recorded in the Sacred Scripture, where our blessed
Redeemer’s sacred feet once trod, where he died for our redemp­
tion, and which has been very appropriately called, and preemintently is, the Holy Land ?
(Æ.) Pilgrimages are, as it were, the outpourings of this religious
feeling, therefore we find them customary among all peoples and
at all times. The ancient pagans even had, so to speak, their
holy places which they would frequent in pilgrim bands from far
distant countries. The Jews frequently went thus to Mount
Moria, and especially to the temple at Jerusalem. The Moham­
medans, as is well known, make a pilgrimage every year, either
individually or in great multitudes, to Mecca. Since Christianity

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

does not destroy the natural feelings inherent tn man, but en­
nobles them, we may also expect to find pilgrimages customary
among Christians.
Palestine, from the first ages of Christianity, was the land to
which Christians ever turned their longing eyes. St. Jerome says
it would be impossible to number the bishops and martyrs and
men versed in science who as humble pilgrims visited Jerusalem.
These pilgrimages to the Holy Land became more numerous in
the course of time.
From the remarks just made, it can be easily understood that
the eyes of Western Europe were soon turned towards Rome.
There is the city and See of Peter. There, too, he was martyred;
there his remains, with those of his fellow laborer, St. Paul, are
preserved. And so it came to pass that pilgrimages to Rome,
to the Tomb of the Apostles, were made from the earliest times.
Pope Nicholas, in the ninth century, writes: “Many thousands of
people come daily to Rome, from all parts of the world, and
recommend themselves to the intercession of the Princes of the
Apostles.” Besides Rome and Jerusalem, Compostella in Spain,
where the Apostle St. James is venerated, was one of the prin­
cipal resorts of pilgrims. In like manner, the Christians visited
the graves of the martyrs and other saints, and especially those
places which God glorified by miracles, such as wonderful cures,
etc. To this class also belong those places where miraculous
apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have occurred, as
Loretto, in Italy; Lourdes, in France.
2. Pilgrimages are not only good and commendable, but also
salutary.

(ai) It is good aud salutary for man occasionally to withdraw
himself for a time from his worldly business and cares and
occupy himself entirely with God and his salvation. Pilgrimages
afford an easy opportunity for doing this. The pilgrim withdraws
himself for a time from the turmoil of the world and turns his
thoughts to eternal things. In quiet reflection upon his destiny
he feels himself elevated, makes good resolutions, and dedicates
himself with greater fervor to the service of God. In this respect
pilgrimages are to the soul what pleasure tours are to the body.
(bi) Pilgrimages have many disagreeable features connected
with them; he who takes upon himself these disagreeable things,
and bears them patiently in the spirit of penance, has in them
an effectual means of repentance. This is the view of the Church.
(c ) Pilgrimages tend to arouse or renew in us the spirit of
prayer and devotion ; for the pilgrims pray well nigh continuously,

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Liturgical Sketch.

277

going· and coming, and at the place of pilgrimage. These prayers
would not be said if the pilgrimage were not made. People
generally pray more devoutly at the place of pilgrimage than at
home. The example of so many other devout persons on the
same errand, and the sacred recollections which are associated
with the holy place, animate them to pray with more devotion,
intensity, and emotion than they are accustomed to do otherwise.
(<Z.) Lastly, the pilgrims ordinarily receive at the place of pil­
grimage the Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Eucharist,
and with greater advantage to their souls and elsewhere, being
better disposed. Many out of fear and shame have concealed
sins for years from their ordinary confessor. There, at the place
of pilgrimage, they meet one to whom they find it easy to reveal
the secret wounds of their soul, because he is unknown to them
and they to him, and after leaving the confessional they will
never meet him on earth again. Thus sacrilegious confessions of
many years’ standing are often remedied.

3. Pilgrimages frequently procure for us wonderful aid in the
necessities of this life. It is an incontestable fact that wonders have
been performed in places of pilgrimage. People variously afflicted
have there found relief. St. Augustine, the great Bishop of Hippo,
mentions several miracles which happened during his own time
and in his own episcopal city and vicinity, through the invocation
of St. Stephen, and he adds that if he were obliged to describe
them in detail it would require many volumes. Every place of
pilgrimage has a record of such miracles, not a few of which
have been investigated by the Church and confirmed as authen­
tic. Therefore we find in such places a multitude of votive tablets
by which Christians from all countries and in all stations in life
testify to the wonderful relief which they have received in their
sufferings or necessities. Such places, images, pictures, etc., as
God glorifies by miracles, are called miraculous places, etc. It
would be superstition to expect help from such places or images
of themselves, for God alone can aid us. All the miracles that
occur proceed from God alone through the intercession of the
B. Virgin or some saint. It is certain that God frequently
attaches his gracious assistance to particular places and images,
etc. Recall to your minds the brazen serpent set up for a sign in
the desert, and the pool of Bethsaida near Jerusalem.— John 5: 2.
Think of the particular virtues which God has attached to certain
plants and minerals. As all physicians know, some have the
virtue to cure this, others that malady. If God has caused various
natural and supernatural effects to be produced by certain things,
who could he astonished that be does the same with regard to
certain places and images? We do not know the reason, it is true;

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

but hystory proves the fact incontrovertibly. In places of pilgrimage a really living faith and a firm confidence are exhibited
among the faithful, and it is doubtless owing to this faith and
confidence that God, through the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin and the saints, answers the prayers of those who there
seek help.

Part

Π.

That a pilgrimage may be edifying and salutary it is necessary
that a good use be made of it. It must be made—
1. With a good intention. A pilgrimage must be made for the
honor of God. Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you
do, do all things for the glory of God.” God is honored if we
praise and glorify him, thank him for his gifts and graces, and
ask with confidence for temporal and spiritual benefits. If, there­
fore, you make a pilgrimage with the intention of praising and
adoring God, of thanking him, or of imploring a grace of him, it
is right and good. The same is the case when you visit a place,
in order to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary or the saints, and
to ask their intercession, because the honor which we give to
the B. Virgin and the saints redounds to the honor of God.
It would not be wrong or unadvisable to make a pilgrimage with
the view of recreating ourselves, or of recuperating our physi­
cal powers in order to acquire new strength for the duties of our
state of life, provided that we unite with it the desire of promot­
ing the greater honor and glory of God; for to strive by the use
of all lawful means to fit ourselves for the faithful performance
of the duties of our particular vocation in life is according to the
will of God. It is, however, wrong to undertake a pilgrimage
out of mere curiosity, to see and hear marvels ; a pilgrimage is
something holy and must not be abused for the gratification of idle
curiosity; such curiosity would be an impediment to recollection
and devotion. Some join the pilgrims to avoid work, for
work does not attract them. This is wrong ; work is a duty im­
posed upon every one who is able to labor. It is still more ob­
jectionable to go on a pilgrimage with the intention of withdrawing
one’s self from the control of one’s superior, or to have a chance
of gratifying one’s sinful desires more freely. This would mani­
festly be to abuse a holy thing, and would be culpable before
God.
2. At the proper time. We are not commanded to make pilgrim­
ages, therefore they must be made at proper times; that is, at
times when no duty stands in the wa.y. Things that are commanded
have the preference before those that are only recommended,
and the latter must be omitted when they cannot be done without

5. Symbolical Sketch.

279

the omission of the former. Fathers and mothers must not go if
there be reason to fear that the children and servants would
abuse their absence and do wrong. The same is to be said of
mothers with young children that need a mother’s care. When
you intend to make a pilgrimage, you must ask yourselves the
question: Do I, by doing so, neglect any duty? If one has bound
one’s self by a vow to make a pilgrimage, but can not do it without
the violation of certain grave duties, one must postpone the pil­
grimage till it can be done without violating those duties, or one
must get a dispensation from the vow, if the duties still remain.
In making a vow you must be prudent and not precipitate, for
circumstances may take place which would render a pilgrimage
to distant places very inconvenient and difficult, if not impossible.
PERORATION.

When you make a pilgrimage have the honor of God in view ;
namely, to adore God, to thank him for graces received, to ask
further graces from him. and to obtain of him help in your ne­
cessities through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and the saints. Take care that you do not neglect any of your
duties; do first what you are obliged to do, and then what is left
to choice. Make the pilgrimage in the spirit of penance, for the
amendment of your life, and for the attainment of the graces and
benefits which you ask of God. Look upon your whole life as a
pilgrimage, and endeavor so to go through the world that you
may not lose that which is eternal. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
WHAT WE NEED ON OUR JOURNEY TO THE HEAVENLY
JERUSALEM.

Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem,
according to the custom of the feast.—Luke 2:42.

The gospel of this day mentions the journey which the Holy
Family made to Jerusalem, in order to celebrate there the feast
of the Pasch. Neither Jesus, Mary, his holy Mother, nor Joseph,
his foster-father, was obliged to undertake this long and laborious
I

journey. Jesus was not obliged, for as God-Man he was not
subject to the ceremonial law of Moses; Mary was not obliged,
for "hie "aw vas only for males; oor was Joseph compelled, be­
cause he was poor and was obliged to provide for his family by
hard labor; he therefore had good and sufficient reason to be
exempt from the law. The Holy Family, however, full of zeal
for the service of God, did not content themselves with complying
only with the strict requirements of the Law, but they joyfully em­
braced every opportunity that offered itself for pious exercises
and works pleasing to God. Our journey is not to the ancient
temple, but to the new, heavenly Jerusalem, thatjerusalem where
we shall dwell with God and be his people, where “God shall
wipe away all tears from our eyes, and death shall be no more,
nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow.”—Apoc. 21:3,4. But what
do we need on our journey, in order to arrive safely at the
heavenly Jerusalem? We need three things:
I. Good clothes;
II Sufficient money, and
III. Good stopping-places..

Part L
Good clothes.
1. He that is about to make a journey of several weeks’ or

months’ duration, provides himself with good clothing. Why?
In order to protect himself from the inclemency of the weather,
and that he may make a respectable appearance and a favorable
impression among strangers.

2. We also need good garments on our journey to the heavenly
Jerusalem, for this journey is of long duration and full of diffi­
culties and dangers. In what does this clothing consist? Perhaps
in raiments according to the latest fashions, in which ladies of
the present day love to deck themselves? No; such clothing is
not suitable for a long journey, and least of all for the journey to
the heavenly Jerusalem It is not lasting enough. We should
certainly not be far astray in suspecting those of pride and co­
quetry who are always the first to introduce the new fashions,
and who make it their study to live up to the latest approved
cuts and styles. But pride and coquetry do not lead to heaven.
The rich man who was clothed in fine linen and feasted sumptu­
ously every day, was buried in hell.—Luke 16: 19, 20. The cloth­
ing which I mean is that garment of innocence and grace which
the priest gave us at our baptism, saying: “Receive this white
garment, and see that thou carry it without stain before the judg-

5. Symbolical Sket ch.

281

ment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal
life.” This is the garment we must have, otherwise we can not
make a step on our journey to the heavenly Jerusalem; and if we
appear without it before Christ, our Judge, we shall fare no
better than the guest mentioned in the gospel who went to the
marriage feast without having on a wedding garment.—Matt. 22.
How is with you ? Have you the garment of sanctifying grace?
Does your conscience accuse you of no mortal sin? Happy you,
if this be the case ! If so, God looks down upon you with pleasure,
he loves you as his children, and you may hope that you will
one day be heirs of his kingdom. But how ill it would be with
you, if you were obliged to say: I have put off the garment of
innocence long ago and walk in the habiliments of sin ; I live as
the generality of men, indulge my passions and evil inclinations,
and in many things transgress God’s holy commandments. If
such were the case, your way would not lead to the heavenly
Jerusalem, but to the fire of hell. Only one thing could save you :
the recovery of the garment of sanctifying grace by radical and
constant penance. Oh, that all at the beginning of this new year,
which for many may be the last of their earthly pilgrimage,
would recover this most necessary traveling dress!

Part Π.
Sufficient money.
I. You may travel by water or by land, walk or ride; in any
case you will need money, for without money you can get nothing
to eat or drink, you can not stop at an hotel over night, you
can not travel on the cars without a ticket, and this costs money.
Every one, therefore, who intends to make a journey, provides
himself with money. We also need money on our journey to the
heavenly Jerusalem, for without it we cannot arrive at our jour­
ney’s end. What kind of money? Neither gold, nor silver, nor
nickel, nor “greenbacks,” nor “government bonds,” but good
works ; without this kind of money we can make no progress on
our journey, nor shall we be admitted into the heavenly Jerusa­
lem without the ticket of good works. There was a law in an­
cient Rome according to which every one who wished to become
a citizen was to show his hands to the mayor of the city. If the
skin of his hands were thick and hard, he was admitted to citizen­
ship, but if they were fine, soft, tender or delicate, like ladies*
hands, he was rejected as a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow, since
they wanted no lazy drones for citizens, but hard-working, in­
dustrious men. So our divine Judge will act, if you wish one day
to become citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. He will say:
Show me your hands. If then you have not the hands of a hard­

28j

First Sunday After Epiphany.

working laborer, butthose of an idler, believe me, you will share
the lot of the lazy unprofitable servant in the gospel.—Matt. 25.
Heaven is a reward, a payment, for something done, and payment
is made only to laborers, not to idlers. See the parable of the
vineyard.—Matt. 20.

2. We must provide ourselves, then, with good works. But, you
will say, how can I provide myself with good works? 1 have no
opportunity of performing them. Listen, and I will tell you how
in your state of life you can perform good works in sufficient
number. Rise in the morning with pious thoughts, make the sign
of the cross, and say your morning prayers devoutly; behold,
here you have already three good works. Go to your daily avo­
cations in the name of God; this is another good work. Labor
diligently in your shop, in your field, in your office, your store,
or wherever it may be; these again are good works. Say your
grace before meals, and eat with decorum and moderation ; these
again are good works. Finish the day with an examination of
your conscience and devout night prayers, which are both good
works. You are annoyed with bad thoughts by day or night;
the devil seeks an entrance into your heart, he entices you to
pride, impurity, anger; say at once, these are sinful thoughts, I
must banish them ; if you do so, you again perform good works.
The labor is hard, you are going to lose your patience ; call to
mind that Christ also suffered a great deal when he was in the
world, and you will preserve your patience. This is another
good work. Your eyes would look here and there at impure
objects and see things which inflame evil desires in your heart;
your ears would hear, your tongue speak, things which are
wrong; mortify them and these again are good works. Thus,
you have every day many opportunities of performing good
works. If on Sundays and holidays you visit the church diligently,
read a spiritual book and pray at home, or visit a sick person,
you perform good works. You see, you have ways and means
enough for the practice of good works. And if, during your
whole life, you make use of all the working-days and feast-days
for good works, their number will be very great, and when you
have finished your earthly career, after fifty, sixty, or seventy
years thus spent, your heavenly Father will receive you with all
kindness and in exchange for the good coin of your meritorious
works will give you heaven as a reward.

Part HL
Good stopping-places.

i. Without good stopping-places, where one can find whole­
some food and rest, traveling would be impossible ; for the traveler

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283

must sometimes eat and drink, in order to be able to continue his
journey ; he also needs a room at night in which he can sleep.
Such stopping-places we need on our journey to the heavenly
Jerusalem. Glory be to God, there is no scarcity of such
stopping places. I shall mention only three:

(<z.) Prayer. If a traveler is overtaken by a storm, and the
thunder and lightning begin, he is glad to find shelter in a house.
In the storms which we encounter on the journey of life, such an
inn or stopping-place is prayer. In all these storms, that is, in all
the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, we must
always seek refuge in the hospice of prayer. If we pray devoutly,
fervently, and with confidence, we can brave all storms. By
prayer we become invincible, because God Almighty is with us.
“Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”—Matt.
26: 41. If in every temptation you pray to God devoutly for help,
1 assure you that you will never sin.

(Æ.) The word of God. The wayfarer frequently does not know
the road ; it is, therefore, desirable to find an inn where he can
receive the desired information. This information for our journey
we receive in the word of God, which the priest announces to us,
or which a religious book contains. We there hear which road
we must take to attain our eternal end, we are cautioned against
the paths which lead to perdition, we hear what we must do or
avoid in order to lead a good life and save our soul. Esteem your­
selves happy that you have frequent opportunities of hearing
the word of God, and never neglect it through your own fault.
Love to hear sermons and to read spiritual books.
(r.) The holy Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Eucharist.
It frequently happens that travelers fall sick on the way, become
fatigued and worn out, and can scarcely continue their journey.
How welcome to the poor traveler in this vale of tears must not
a place be in which he can find shelter, recuperate his health, and
gather the necessary strength for the prosecution of his journey.
Such a place we have in the Sacraments of Penance and the
Blessed Eucharist. If our soul, in consequence of the sins we
commit, become sick, sick unto death, have we not confession, in
which we are healed from all spiritual maladies? And is not holy
communion the bread of the strong, which gives power to walk
perseveringly in the way of virtue ? Elias is strengthened by the
bread and water which an angel gives him.—III. Kings 19: 1-14.
Do not become careless in the reception of the sacraments.
Confess and communicate frequently during the year, that in
your sickness you may receive health, and in your weakness,
strength.

2 $4

First Sunday After Epiphany.
PERORATION.

You know now what your requirements are on life’s journey
in order to arrive safely at the heavenly Jerusalem ; you need good
clothing, sufficient money, and good hospices. Be solicitous for
these necessary things. Preserve unsullied the garment of inno­
cence, of sanctifying grace, as your most precious jewel. Consider
that Jesus has purchased that garment for you, not with gold
and silver, but at the price of his precious blood, and barter it not
away, even if it cost you your life to preserve it. Procure the
necessary money, “labor the more that by good works you may
make sure your calling and election.”—IL Peter i: io. Turn
frequently into the hospices which you find on our journey;
watch and pray ; pray fervently, especially in the time of tempta­
tion ; listen to the word of God, and receive, as often as possible,
the holy Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Eucharist. If
you do this, I promise you good fortune on your journey. You
will arrive safely at your journey’s end, and be admitted into
the heavenly Jerusalem, there to dwell with God and his elect in
everlasting joy and happiness. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
PARENTS MUST NOT ALLOW THEIR CHILDREN TO KEEP BAD
COMPANY.

They returned, into Jerusalem, seeking him.—Luke 2: 45.
Mary and Joseph lost the divine Child, not by any fault of
theirs but by an ordinance of God, who wished to try them, as
he visits the holiest and best people with sufferings, to perfect
them in virtue and to give them an opportunity of acquiring still
greater merits. With what zeal and solicitude Mary and Joseph
seek their child! How troubled are their hearts ! how great their
anguish! They travel a whole day’s journey back to Jerusalem,
wander through all the streets, asking every one they meet if he
has not seen their lost son Jesus, describing him most minutely;
they seek him for three long days without rest or repose, till at

6.

Moral Sketch.

285

last they are so fortunate as to find him in the temple. Mary, the
affectionate mother, can not help exclaiming : “Son, why hast
thou done so to us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee
sorrowing.”
Christian parents, take an example from Mary and Joseph, and
be careful of and solicitous for your children, that they may not
suffer shipwreck of their innocence and virtue. Above all things
do not allow them to keep bad company, for this is the cause of
the corruption even of the best children. I say, therefore, parents
must not allow their children to keep company—

I. With frivolous or corrupt persons ;
II. With persons of the other sex.

Part

L

If you wish your children to remain pious and innocent, you
must forbid them, no matter whether they be young or of more
mature age, to be intimate with frivolous or corrupt persons, for
such intimacy would be to them the rock on which their virtue
would almost necessarily be wrecked.

i. Young children. Even adults who converse often with irre­
ligious, immoral persons frequently lose their good principles.
How much more this is to be feared with little children, whose
principles are not as yet fixed, and who scarcely know what is
right or wrong. Imagine a child from six to twelve years of age;
it has as yet but little understanding and judgment, and believes
whatever you tell it; in its simplicity, which is proper to child­
hood, it estimates everything of little moment, does not look to
loss or gain, or to those considerations which usually deter the
adult from committing evil. At the same time it is by nature in­
clined to evil. What an easy matter it is, therefore, to corrupt it!
Let experience speak. As long as children do not cross the
threshold of their parents’ house, if they otherwise enjoy a good
education, they are polite, pious, simple, modest, and retiring;
but as soon as they keep company with bad children or bad
grown up persons, many ugly traits come to the surface; they
use wicked words, the meaning of which they do not perhaps
understand, become stubborn, have no longer any love for prayer,
are vain and desirous to please; in a word, the cockle is already
sprouting among the wheat. It often happens that even young
children, in consequence of bad company, fall into grievous sin.
Parents often imagine their children to be innocent angels, when
alas! they are already initiated into the mysteries of vice. What
a deplorable evil 1 what grievous consequences!

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

It is, therefore, a stern duty on the part of parents to keep
their young children from all contaminating influences. Witness
Sara, who had no rest or peace till Abraham removed Ismael
from the house, that her son Isaac might not be corrupted by his
society. Act as did this pious mother. Do not permit your chil­
dren to be always in the streets ; such street children are generally
the worst, and even in childhood do much mischief. If you learn
that your children have been in bad company, reprove them with
patience, but with earnestness. Never allow your servants to
speak a double meaning word in the presence of your children
or to behave unbecomingly. Even the smallest children have
eyes and ears, and everything evil, even if they do not under­
stand it, makes an impression upon them, and will sooner or later
have a pernicious effect.

2. Children of more advanced age. These require still greater
care and solicitude. The years in which they are now are just
the most dangerous, for concupiscence is working in them with
its fire. Unhappy are those children who at this time fall into
bad company! All good principles are lost, the spirit of tho world
enters their heart, and leads their steps into the road of perdition.
Witness Dina, Jacob’s daughter; also the prodigal son. Oh, how
many parents are there at present who to their bitter sorrow
must share the lot of Jacob and the father of the prodigal.
Their children, formerly so good and obedient, are now en­
tirely changed; they are vain, disobedient, fond of pleasure, de­
sirous to please, living giddily in a giddy world, but dead to God.
Whence all this? From bad company. I may say without any
exaggeration or fear of contradiction that out of a hundred sons
and daughters who, though they were brought up well, follow
the ways of wickedness, you will find ninety whose corruption
is owing to bad company. Almost all the depravity in our young
people originates in outside influences.
I know, Christian parents, that you can not seclude your chil­
dren from the world, but you can do a great deal towards
lessening the world’s evil influence upon them, and frequently
avert what is most perilous to their souls. But to do so you must
exercise the most vigilant care and intelligent zeal. Do not allow
your children to associate with persons who do not bear a good
name. This is in your power. Do not permit them to visit houses
in which there is danger. Allow no going-out after nightfall. Make
home pleasant for them, and they will love it and remain there. In
this important matter do what is in your power, that when called
to an account you may be able to say : I have done for those of
my household all that was in my power, and have endeavored to
keep my children from being corrupted. It is not my fault it
any of them fell into sin. Frequently impress upon them the

6. Moral Sketch.

28t

words of the Holy Ghost: “My son (my daughter), if sinners shall
entice thee, consent not to them. If they shall say, Come with
us . . . walk not thou with them, restrain thy foot from their
paths, fortheir feet run to evil.”—Prov, i: io. If words have
not the desired effect, make use of severity ; keep a strict watch
over them, in order to discover the danger at the right time, and
to avert it.

Part Π.
Familiarity with persons of the other sex is very dangerous,
perhaps more dangerous to children than keeping company with
frivolous and corupt persons. This applies to young as well as
to older children.

1. Even quite young children carry within themselves the in­
clination to sin. Parents should, therefore, exercise a prudent
vigilance over them, and not encourage boys and girls to play
together. As a rule, boys should play with boys, girls with girls.
In the household the mother should carefully see that her girls,
even from their tenderest years, are impressed with the necessity
of being extremely modest, and this, not only with regard to
their brothers and fathers, but even towards one another. In
matters of this kind, if the parents be themselves pious and God­
fearing, the mother’s instinct, directed by her love for God and
her love for her children, may be relied on to keep her offspring
from danger. But if the mother herself be not a devout woman,
then God help the poor children. She can not do her duty by
them. Better that they were orphans.

2. A still greater vigilance is necessary with grown-up children.
The Holy Ghost says: “Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and
his garments not burn? or can he walk upon hot coals, and his
feet not be burnt? so he who goes into his neighbor’s wife shall
not be clean.”—Prov. 6: 27-29, Familiarity with the other sex is
the rock on which the strongest virtue is wrecked, as we see in
the cases of David, Solomon, Sampson, and numberless others.
St. Augt stine relates an instance of a man who after having lived
chastely twenty four years in matrimony fell, when forty-eight
years of age, owing to his familiarity with a frivolous person.
St. Jacob the Penitent lived in the odor of sanctity for fifty years,
and even performed miracles, yet he fell because he did not care­
fully avoid a certain occasion of sin. St. Augustine continues:
“Now, if su h great and holy men, by familiarity with persons oi
the other sex, have sinned so grievously, what will happen to
young people who entertain such a familiarity? We can say of
them, what the Apostle says of the widow who lives luxuriously

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'she appears to live, but she is dead’.” Oh! if sons and daughters
commence familiarity with persons of the other sex, it is surely
a step on the road of vice. St. Ambrose says it is only an in­
clination, but the inclination, soon becomes a passion, and when
passion has taken hold, it blinds the understanding and effects
a fall into thousands of sins, in thought, words, and actions.
Justly therefore St. Jerome calls familiarity with persons of the
other sex “the mortal combat of dying chastity, the tree of sin
and the bites of the hellish serpent.”
And yet there are parents who permit such dangerous and
fatal familiarity to their children, parents who allow the lovers
of their daughters to come to their house and sit up with them
to unseemly hours. This difficult matter should be dealt with
prudently but firmly. While much allowance may be made, no
possibility of temptation should be tolerated. Time, and place,
and surroundings remain always under the control of the parents.
For instance, without hinting at or supposing aught of positive
sin, it is certainly wrong of parents, to retire and go to bed, leav­
ing their daughter to entertain her admirer in the parlor till such
time as it may please him to go. As the old Latin proverb has
it, “He and she alone are not presumed to be saying the rosary.”
The father and mother in such a case may be only careless or
thoughtless. Yes, but a fearful reponsibility is awaiting such
careless fathers and mothers in the next world.
But parents forgetful of their duty will say: No harm is done
What ? If the fire of impure desires burn in their hearts, if they
do things which violate holy modesty, is this not wrong? And if
the young people continue their familiarity in and outside the
house, if they seek the darkness of night for their meetings, and
walk together in unfrequented places, will no evil be done ?
PERORATION.

To such blind parents I have nothing more to say; but to you,
Christian parents, who are reasonable and of good will, I address
this earnest admonition: Do not permit your children to keep
bad company; you do not allow them to go with persons who
have a contagious sickness, but know that there is no more con­
tagious sickness for your children than the company of frivolous
and perverse people, and intimate familiarity with persons of the
other sex. Numberless children, of whom their parents justly
entertained the brightest hopes, have already fallen victims to
this disease and lost the life of grace. Oh! by the love you have
for your children, and by the account which you must one day
give of them, I beg and adjure you to spare neither labor nor
pains to avert from them every danger that threatens their soul,
that they may grow up in innocence, and advance in wisdom
and grace, as in years, before God and man. Amen.

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289

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
THE OBEDIENCE OF CHILDREN TO THEIR PARENTS.

And Jesus went down with them, and came to Nazareth : and was
subject to them.—Luke 2:51.
Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, the Lord of heaven and
earth, whom the angels adore, was subject, that is, obedient to
Mary his Mother, and to Joseph, his foster-father, in all that they
commanded him, and in everything that he knew would be pleas­
ing to them. He was obedient, not only in his childhood, but
also in his youth, and up to his thirtieth year. Should not thia
obedience of your Saviour, O ye sons and daughters, encourage
you to be obedient to your parents and thus fulfil a duty upon which
depends your temporal and eternal welfare? I say,your temporal
welfare, for God has promised to children who obey their parents
happiness and blessings, but has threatened the disobedient and
stubborn with evilsand perdition. I say, your eternal welfare, for
whilst, if you are obedient children, you may hope for heaven, if
you are disobedient, you can expect nothing but eternal dam­
nation. Strict as is the duty of obedience, it has its limits, and
there are cases in which children owe no obedience to their
parents, nay, in which they would sin if they did obey them.
To instruct you in this important matter, I shall answer the
two following questions:
I. In what cases must children obey their parents ?
II. In what cases must they not obey them ?

Part I.
According to the unanimous teaching of the Fathers of the
Church, children owe obedience to their parents—

I. In things concerning the household. Children should honor
and serve their parents like servants do their masters. “He that
feareth the Lord, honoreth his parents, and will serve them as
his masters that brought him into the world.”—Ecctus. 3: 8. How
do good servants, treat their masters ? They do not command but
serve; whatever the master orders, they do; they perform the
things enjoined upon them, and allow themselves to be employed
in everything that the good of the household requires. They

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

deserve the praise which the centurion in the gospel gives to his
servants.—Matt. 8: q. You children owe the same obedience to
your parents ; you must submit willingly to all their rules, regu­
lations, and ordinances, and without contradiction do what they
bid you. Consider the example of Jesus. The holy Fathers and
spiritual writers say that he obeyed in all domestic affairs and
labors; he carried water, swept the floor, cleared the table,
dusted the chairs, assisted Joseph in his shop ; in fine, he per­
formed the most menial labors, and it was his pleasure to lend
his parents a helping hand wherever they needed his services.
If the Son of God humiliated himself so profoundly that he per­
formed the work of a menial, can it be hard for you to do joyfully
what your parents command? Could you look up to Jesus with­
out bringing the blush to your cheeks if you were bound to say:
Jesus, whom men and angels serve, practiced domestic obe­
dience for thirty years, and I, miserable child of man, will not
submit myself to the commands of my parents! I am stubborn,
and wish everything should be as I wish; I pretend to understand
everything better than my parents; I get into a passion if I do
not obtain what I wish. 0 children, look at the obedience of
Jesus; learn how sinful is your self-will, and never again be guilty
of disobedience.

2. In things which regard Christian discipline and good morals.
It is the duty of parents to care for the salvation of their chil­
dren; they must therefore keep them from evil, and endeavor to
make them good Christians. The neglect of this duty would be
a grievous sin. From this it naturally follows that, in everything
which concerns Christian discipline children owe obedience to
their parents. If they forbid them to go to a certain house, the
inmates of which do not live like Christians, if they command
them to give up certain company, to stay away from dances and
gambling, to go to church on Sundays and holidays in the fore­
noon and afternoon, they are bound, under pain of mortal sin, to
obey ; for according to the opinion of divines, children commit a
mortal sin if they do not obey their parents in things which are
necessary for salvation. According to all divines, it is a mortal
sin for children to keep company with wicked people of their
own sex, to indulge in an intimate familiarity with persons of the
opposite sex, to give themselves up to drinking, gambling, im­
moral pleasures and enjoyments, to dress beyond their means or
immodestly, to neglect their duties as Christians, such as hearing
the word of God, prayer, confession and communion. Children
who are disobedient in these things commit a double sin, the
sin of the forbidden action itself and the sin of disobedience.
(Illustrate this by example.) From this you see with what great
responsibility you burden your conscience if you do not obey your

7.

Moral Sketch.

291

parents in matters concerning your salvation. Such disobedience
will render your dying hour very sad.
3. In things which their parents order by their last will and
testament. Good parents, even on their death-bed, are solicitous
for the good of their children, and give them wholesome advice
and directions. The last words and commands of their parents
are to good children a sacred legacy which they remember and
obey all their life. How scrupulously did not young Tobias exe­
cute what his father, when he thought himself near death, had
commanded him! How conscientiously did not Joseph, in Egypt,
perform the will of his father Jacob! Children should execute
most faithfully what their parents have ordered, either by a
formal testament or by word of mouth. Those who do not honor
the last will of their parents, who do not pay their pious bequests,
sin, not only against obedience, but also against justice, and can
not obtain grace and forgiveness of God till they have fulfilled
the last will of their parents. Even in case the will, owing to a
flaw be set aside by a judicial decision, children must obey the
testamentary bequests of their parents, if it be certain that they
acted with deliberation and free will. These are the three
cases in which v<">u owe obedience to your parents.

Part

Π.

But there are also three cases in which children must not
obey their parents.

If the parents command anything against the holy law of God.
In this case, obedience ceases, because parents would no longer
act as the agents and representatives of God, but as the in­
struments of the devil, and the words of the Apostle would apply:
“We ought to obey God rather than man.”—Acts 5: 29. St. Ber­
nard says that the only thing to excuse us from obeying our
parents is obeying God himself. “He that loves father and mother
more than me is not worthy of me.” Pious children have at all
times observed this precept. They were respectful to their parents
and did all they knew would be pleasing to them. But if the
parents forgot themselves so far as to command anything sinful,
they resisted with noble independence, and suffered the most
cruel persecutions, and even martyrdom and death, rather than
yield obedience to sinful commands. We have an example to the
point in Hermenegild, the son of Leovigild, king of the Visigoths
(13. April). You, sons and daughters, must act like this saint. If
your parents command you to take a false oath, to lie, steal, or
adulterate goods, cheat in dealing with others, dress above your
state or immodestly, revile your fellow-men or injure them in
their property, you must not obey should they even maltreat
I.

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First Sunday After Epiphany.

you, drive you out of the house, or disinherit you. In such a case
you must console yourselves with the words of Christ: “Blessed
are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.”—Matt. 5: 10.
2. Ifparents forbid them without sufficient cause to perform pious
exercises and good works. There are, alas ! worldly-minded parents
who, in their blindness, will not suffer their children, to obey the
precepts of the Church and to lead a pious life. The children wish
to go to confession and communion frequently, enter a sodality, or
read a spiritual book, but the parents do not wish it, and forbid
such exercises. What must children do ? Are they to accomodate
themselves to the perverse will of their parents, and obey? No;
for if the parents, whose strict duty it is to rear their children in
godliness, do the very reverse, they clearly act against the will
of God, and obedience in this case is not due to them. Christ goes
before us with his example. He was subject to his parents, but
when it was a question of fulfilling the will of God, he cared for
nothing but the duty which his higher mission imposed upon
him. Therefore, to his mother’s complaint: “Son, why hast thou
done so to us ? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrow­
ing,” he answered: “How is it that you sought me? did ye not
know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
To prevent misunderstanding, I must remark that you, my
young friends, must refuse obedience to your parents only
when they would prevent you from religious exercises with­
out a reasonable cause. A daughter, for instance, wishes to go
to confession and communion every Sunday and holiday, which
can not be done without detriment to the household. In such a
case the daughter must obey her parents, for the rule is: If the
good action which a child intends to do is not commanded under
pain of sin, she must obey her parents if they forbid it for a good
reason. Even if they forbid the good which is not commanded
and not absolutely necessary to salvation, without sufficient cause,
the child must obey for the sake of peace. God, who finds more
pleasure in obedience than sacrifice, will give to such a child, in
recompense for her self-denial, a greater store of graces than if
she had insisted on the execution of the good work which she
had proposed to herself. Example: Catherine of Siena (30 April).

3. If parents compel them to embrace a state of life for which they
have no inclination. Many parents act in this important matter
very unreasonably, and exceed their authority. They wish a
daughter to marry a person for whom she has an unconquerable
aversion, a union with whom seems to her the most intolerable
of evils, or they desire a son to learn a certain trade, or follow a
particular profession, for which he has the greatest antipathy

7. Moral Sketch.

293

If parents in such cases insist upon their own will, they do wrong,
for if it were the will of God that the children should enter into
the state allotted to them by their parents, he would have given
them an inclination for it ; but since they have no liking at all
for it it is a sure sign that God has not called them to that state.
Parents who abuse their power, sin greatly, and are responsible
before God for all the evil consequences that result therefrom.
Their authority goes no further than to assist the child with good
counsel. Only when the children choose a state in which, accord­
ing to the judgment of prudent and experienced people, they
would be manifestly unhappy, should parents endeavor by all
means to prevent it.
I must, however, Christian children, exhort you in choosing
your state of life not to trust too much to yourselves, and ob­
stinately reject all counsel and advice; otherwise it might
happen, as experience teaches, that you would make a bad
choice, and very bitterly regret that you were so stubborn and
self-willed. Your parents have more experience, and have only
your welfare at heart; therefore, before you choose a state of
life, ask their advice, and act according to it as far as possible.
PERORATION.

You know now in what cases, dear children, you must not obey
your parents. But these seldom happen, for most parents love
their children sincerely, and ardently desire their temporal and
eternal welfare. I wish therefore not so much to admonish
you to obey your parents less, but rather to obey them more.
Look upon them as the representatives of God, who from the
first moment of your life to your departure from this world do
so much for you, who for the love of you endure so many hard­
ships, and day and night think of nothing but how to make you
happy. Be grateful to them for so many benefits and fulfil your
duties toward them, as in duty bound. Give them joy by your
obedience and good conduct, that God may give you what he
has promised to good children, a long and happy life here and

the everlasting joys of heaven hereafter. Amen.

294

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
(Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, see Vol. VI.)

Epistle. Rom. 12: 6-16. Brethren: We have different gifts,
according to the grace that is given us, either prophecy, to be
used according to the rule of faith; or ministry, in ministering;
or he that teacheth, in doctrine, he that exhorteth, in exhorting,
he that giveth with simplicity, he that ruleth with carefulness,
he that sheweth mercy with cheerfulness. Let love be without
dissimulation. Hating that which is evil, cleaving to thaL which
is good: loving one another with the charity of brotherhood,
with honour preventing one another; in carefulness not slothful;
in spirit fervent; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in
tribulation; instant in prayer; communicating to the neces­
sities of the saints; pursuing hospitality. Bless them that perse­
cute you; bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that rejoice,
weep with them that weep; being of one mind one towards
another ; not minding high things, but consenting to the humble.
Be not wise in your own conceits.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THREE VIRTUES WHICH WE ARE TO PRACTICE.

The lesson for this day is taken from the Apostle of St. Paul to
the Christians in Rome, and is a continuation of the one which I
read and explained to you last Sunday. The Apostle, after
general exhortations relative to pious conduct, passes over to
particular virtues to be practiced by Christians, of which I
shall mention only three :

I. Fidelity to our vocation;
II. Love of our neighbor ;
III. Patience.

i. Homiletic Sketch.

295

Part I.
Fidelity to our vocation.

1. The Apostle first admonishes the faithful and their spiritual
superiors in Rome to make a proper use of their gifts and offices.
He who professes the gift of prophecy, namely, to interpret and
explain the Sacred Scripture and to foretell future things, let
him take care to announce only that which is inspired by God,
and not add his own opinions thereto ; he who has a lower office,
for instance, the taking care of the sick, let him remain in that
office and not force himself into a higher one; he who teaches
and exhorts, that is, he who is called to preach the truths of sal­
vation, let him do this without aspiring to a higher office ; he who
is an elder, that is, a bishop or a priest, let him be solicitous for
everything that concerns the welfare of the congregation, and
consider this his most important affair: he who gives alms, or
performs other works of mercy, let him do it with a good inten­
tion and a cheerful heart. In other words, it is the zealous con­
scientious tulfilling of the duties of their state of life, or fidelity
to their vocation, which the Apostle prescribes to all the faithful.

2. This concerns us all. Whatever our state or condition, we
have particular duties which we must fulfil. I am a priest and
pastor of souls; as such, I must preach the word of God, ad­
minister the sacraments, be solicitous for your salvation. You
live in the world and every one of you has particular duties.
For instance, as the father or mother of a family you must pre­
serve good discipline among your children and domestics; as
children and servants, you must obey your parents, your masters
and mistresses; in the single state, you must observe virginal
chastity; in the married state, matrimonial love and fidelity; if
you be rich, you must give alms; if poor, you must bear your
poverty with patience.

3. Much depends upon the conscientious performance of the
duties of your state of life, or on your fidelity to your vocation, viz.,
your own welfare and that of your fellow-men. Proof from Scrip­
ture: Tobias and his son; Heliand his sons. Proofs from experience:
For good parents—a blessing for their children, for the commu­
nity, for the whole human race; for wicked parents—misfortunes
for their children, for the community, for the whole human race.
The same relation exists as between the members of the human
body. If every member is sound and performs its functions, all
goes well with the whole body; but if only one member fails to
do its duty, the whole body is drawn into sympathy and refuses

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

to act as heretofore. We should consider this well and fulfil all
our duties with great fidelity, not only for our own sake, but also
for the sake of our fellow men.

Part IL
Love of
neighbor.
J our
o
St. Paul exhorts us to the love of our neighbor, the qualities of
which he describes more minutely. It must be—

Unfeigned. It is so if, besides being friendly to our neigh­
bor outwardly, we also wish him well in our heart; and if in our
acts of kindness we have not so much our own interests in view
as his. The Scribes and the Pharisees conducted themselves
towards Christ as if they were his greatest friends; they praised
him to his face, listened to his discourses seemingly with the
greatest attention, laid their doubts before him, and invited him
to table; but their hearts were full of deceit and cunning; they
hated him and studied how to destroy him. This was hypo­
critical love. Many Christians act in the same manner. They
have honey in their mouths and gall in their hearts; they bless
with the mouth and curse with their hearts, they make a great
fuss of their neighbor to his face, whilst they feel an aversion
for him in their heart; they envy him, and under the mask of ap­
parent friendship lay snares for him. Job says of them: “Dis­
semblers and crafty men prove the wrath of God.”—Job 36: 13.
Others cherish no spirit of enmity towards their neighbor, and
are friendly merely because they expect some favor of him.
Even such an interested love is objectionable.
1.

2. Holy. “Hate that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good”.
The true Christian cleaves to that which is good and hates that
which is evil, even in those whom he loves; he is not blind to
their faults, neither does he sanction them, but he uses every
opportunity to remind them of their shortcomings. Christ loved
all men, but he did not countenance or overlook their faults, but
instructed and reproved them. How often did he not do this with
his disciples? Not a few Christians sin against this holy love. If
they have a particular inclination for a person they overlook
his faults, excuse them, or even speak of them as laudable
actions. Thus parents frequently act in regard to their children.
Such conduct is not love, but hatred : the friend or child is con­
firmed in his faults and loses his soul. We must not sanction in
a friend, or in our child, that which is evil, but rebuke him
for it

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Homiletic Sketch.

297

3. Fraternal. On account of our origin from the same parents
we are all brothers and sisters, but we are such particularly
through Jesus Christ, who has elevated us to the dignity of chil­
dren of God. “You have received the spirit of adoption of sons,
whereby we cry : Abba, Father!”—Rom. 8: 15. Wherein does
this brotherly love consist? In wishing well and doing well to
one another. Brothers and sisters entertain kind feelings towards
one another, they rejoice in one another’s mutual prosperity, wish
well to one another, share with each other their pleasure and
sorrow, and assist one another in every necessity. In such a manner
we must behave towards one another, because we are all brothers
and sisters. The saints cherished this brotherly love. We read
in the life of St. Vincent de Paul that there was no kind of
distress that he did not approach with kindness. Christians who
languished in captivity, slaves of the Turks, children who were
exposed, virgins whose innocence was in peril, nuns who had
been driven from their convents, fallen women who had been
condemned to the galleys, strangers who had been taken ill, the
insane, and numberless others, all found through him help and
places of refuge. He instituted, for the assistance of the unfortu­
nate, many communities, among which that of the Sisters of
Charity is the most widely spread and best known. Alas, many
Christians have not the slightest idea of this brotherly love.
They are indifferent to the prosperity or adversity of their neigh­
bor ; they envy him and wish him evil rather than good ; they
are hard hearted and refuse him every act of kindness. This is
contrary to brotherly love, for “He that loveth not abideth in
death.”—I. John 3: 14.
4. Lastly> universal. We must love all men, without exception,
no matter who they may be, or in what relation they stand to us.
Reasons: All men have the same Creator, the same Redeemer,
and are called to the same eternal beatitude. Christ emphatically
requires this univeral love: “Love your enemies, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate
you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven;
who maketh his sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and
raineth upon the just and the unjust.”—Matt. 5; 44, 45. Without
this universal love we are only nominal Christians, and not
distinguished from heathens and unbelievers, for Christ says:
“For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have?
do not even the publicans this ? And if you salute your brethren
only, what do you more ? do not also the heathens this ? Be you,
therefore, perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.”—
Matt. 5 : 4Ô -48. Consider the example of Christ, who offered him­
self for all men on the cross, and prayed even for his murderers.
There must be no one in the whole world towards whom you feel

2^-8

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

any aversion or hatred whatever, to whom you wish evil, or to
wards whom you are indifferent: you must be well disposed
toward all, you must pray for all in general, and have the firm
purpose of doing them acts of kindness whenever an opportunity
presents itself.

Part HL
Patience.
Be patient in tribulation.
1. It is our duty on earth to do the will of God; for this reason
Christ bids us say: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
God makes his will known to us in a twofold manner; he gives
us commandments, and it is his will that we observe them; he
sends us various trials and sufferings, and it is his will that by
bearing them patiently, we submit ourselves to him. Both have
their difficulties, because it is hard for human nature to keep the
commandments and to bear things that are disagreeable and
painful. If we conquer ourselves and bear everything that is
difficult and disagreeable with patience and resignation, we
possess the virtue of patience. Example: David (Z Kings 24: 8);
Tobias (Tob. 2: 12, 14); Job (Job 2: 12).

2. Necessity of patience. The Apostle expresses this in the
words: “Patience is necessary for you: that doing the will of
God, you may receive the promise,” that is, eternal life.—Heb.
10: 36. He who wishes to be saved must do the will of God, and
he who desires to do this must bear all difficulties connected
therewith patiently and resignedly. A proof hereof is Christ,
who by sufferings entered into his glory (Luke 24: 26); also the
saints, who followed Christ on the way of self-denial, mortifi­
cation, and suffering, and obtained life everlasting. Nothing
therefore remains for us, if we wish to be saved, but to imitate
the patience of Christ and of the saints.

3. Means of patience.
(a.) Hope. — Rejoicing in hope. He who takes up his cross will­
ingly and follows Christ may hope for life everlasting. Ought
not this to sustain every one in the tribulations and hardships of
life? Does not the worldling manifest great patience and courage
in his worldly pursuits? Why should not we cheerfully make
every sacrifice for heaven? “Behold the husbandman waiteth
for the precious fruit of the earth, patiently bearing till he

i. Homiletic Sketch.

299

receive the early and the latter rain. Be you, therefore, also
patient, and strengthen your hearts; for the coming of the Lord
draweth near.”—James 5: 7, 8. Let us persevere in patience, for
heaven is our exceeding great reward.
(Æ.) Prayer. Be instant in prayer. Prayer is one of the principal
means for obtaining every virtue, therefore that of patience also.
God consoles him who prays perseveringly and with confidence,
and gives him courage and strength to bear all the hardships of
life. Hence David says of himself: “In my trouble I called
upon the Lord, and the Lord heard me, and enlarged me.”—Ps.
117: 5. “There is nothing in this life that could beget a sweeter
feeling, fill the heart of man with greater joy, and strengthen
him more for noble actions and the bearing of sufferings, than
fervent prayer.”—St. Bernard. Do not, therefore, lose your pa­
tience, and in order not to lose it, “pray without ceasing,” “pray
and faint not.”
PERORATION.

Practice these virtues to which the Apostle exhorts you. Be
faithful in your calling
fulfil the duties of your state of life
with perseverance, considering that if you fail in these you can
not please God and be saved. Love your neighbor. The love of
our neighbor is the principal commandment of Christ and the
mark by which we are known to be his disciples. Be patient. In
the prospect of eternal salvation, which is prepared for you, bear
with constancy all the trials and tribulations of life, always have
recourse to prayer, that God may sustain, comfort and strengthen
you. By fidelity to your calling, by the love of your neighbor,
and by patience, show that you are worthy followers of Christ,
hoping to participate with him in the glory of heaven. Amen.

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

Gospel. John 2: 1-11. At that time: There was a marriage
in Cana of Galilee: and the mother of Jesus was there. And
Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to the marriage. And
the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no
wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is it to me and to
thee ? my hour is not yet come. His mother saith to the waiters:
Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set
there six water-pots of stone, according to the manner of the
purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece.
Jesus saith to them, fill the water-pots with water. And they
filled them up to the brim. And Jesus saith to them: Draw out
now and carry to the chief steward of the feast. And they
carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water
made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew
who had drawn the water; the chief steward calleth the bride­
groom, and saith to him ; Every man at first setteth forth good
wine; and when men have well drank, then that which is worse:
but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and he manifested his glory,
and his disciples believed in him.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE MARRIAGE FEAST OF CANA.

On this Sunday our Holy Mother the Church invites her chil·
dren to accompany their blessed Lord in his public life. Having
arrived at the age of thirty years, he came forth from his ob­
scurity at Nazareth, and repairing to the river Jordan, was
baptized by John; after which he went into the desert, where he
remained for forty days and forty nights, fasting and praying.
He then called his first disciples and went with them to Cana of
Galilee, which was situated near Nazareth. The occasion was a
marriage, of which the gospel of this day speaks. Let us meditate
on three prominent incidents of this event:

I. Jesus is a guest at the marriage t
II. The wine failed ;
III. Jesus changes water into wine·

2. Homiletic Sketch.

301

Part L
Jesus is a guest at the marriage.
It may seem strange that Jesus is found at a marriage. Was
this a fit place for him? I answer: If the wedding guests had be­
haved as frivolously and sinfully as they do at some modern
weddings, Jesus would certainly not have gone there. But this
wedding was celebrated honorably and in the fear of God; the
married people and their guests were pious, and their joys inno­
cent. Moreover, Christ had his own particular reasons for honor­
ing this marriage by his presence. And what may have been
these reasons?

1. He would teach us that the married state is erne instituted by
God, and not the work of the devil, as some heretics have
asserted. At the same time he wished to intimate that it was
his intention to raise matrimony to the dignity of a sacrament.
For just as he permitted himself to be baptized by John in the
river Jordan in order to purify and sanctify the element of water,
that it might become in the Sacrament of Baptism a means for
the spiritual regeneration of man, so, in like manner, in order to
sanctify the nuptial union and raise it to the dignity of a sacra­
ment, he assisted at the wedding. Hence St. Cyril of Jerusalem
says: “Jesus came to the marriage, in order that by his presence,
and the seal of a great miracle, he might sanctify the beginning
of our corporal birth. For as he had come into this world to
renew all nature, so he would bless, not only those who were
then born, but also the millions yet to be, and prepare for them
grace and sanctity at their entrance into life.”

2. He wished to reward the piety of the married couple. This couple
were certainly pius, otherwise they would not have invited
Jesus and Mary to their wedding. We may also presume that
Jesus would not have gone, if in their single state they had lived
forgetful of God and luxuriously, a condition to be deplored in
many of the single persons of our day. Oh, that all would invite
Jesus to their weddings! Who do invite him to their weddings?
(λ.) Those Christians who live chastely and piously in the
single state.
(Æ.) Those who, in the choice of a partner, look not so much to
beauty, money, and other temporal things, as to probity of cha­
racter and virtue, and who marry with the right intention, so
that they can say with young Tobias: “Thou knowest, Lord, that

302

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

not for fleshly lust do I take my sister (cousin) to wife, but only
for the love of posterity, in which thy name may be blessed for
ever and ever.”—Tobias 8: 9. And with Sara: “Thou knowest,
Lord, that I never coveted a husband, and have kept my soul
clean from all lust . . . but a husband I consented to take, with
thy fear, not with my lust.”—Tobias 3 : 16, 18.
(c.) Those who before marriage devote themselves to prayer,
confess and receive communion worthily, in order to receive the
holy sacrament of matrimony with a pure conscience and in a
state of grace.
(di) Lastly, those who intend in the married state never to vio­
late modesty and decency, to conscientiously fulfil their duties, to
be fervent in prayer, and to go frequently to confession and
communion.

There are so many unhappy marriages, and whence does it
come? Generally, because Christ was not invited to the wedding.
Do not fail to invite Jesus to your wedding or into your house.
If all the other guests should stay away, the loss would not be
so great a misfortune as when Jesus alone absents himself; and
if Jesus alone comes, it is worth more than if a hundred other
guests were present

Part Π.
The wine failed.
1. The gospel says that the wine failed. Why did the wine
fail? Very probably because the married couple were poor, and
therefore notable to provide the necessary quantity; moreover
the disciples of Christ, who had also been invited, came to the
wedding and perhaps a correct estimate had not been formed of
the number that would attend.
2. Mary had scarcely noticed the predicament that had come
about when she turned to Jesus, saying: They have no wine. Be­
hold what an affectionate and merciful mother we have in Mary;
she has compassion on us when she sees us in need, and even
before asking her intercession she is ready to help us. Oh, let
us have great confidence in this Mother of Mercy, and let us ask
her intercession in all our necessities ; certainly we shall not have
recourse to her in vain, for she is the “Comforter of the afflicted,”
the “Help of Christians.” Let us also have a compassionate
heart, and assist others willingly and cheerfully whenever and
wherever we can.

2. Homiletic Sketch.

303

3. Jesus replied to his mother: Woman, what is it to me and
to thee? My hour is not yet come. These words seem harsh, but
they are not: they contain no reproach. The word woman im­
plies nothing· contemptible, for in the Hebrew language, in which
Jesus spoke, woman means: Madam, or virgin. By saying, Whai
is it to me and to thee, he evidently means to say that he works
his miracles, not moved by the love of his mother, but by the will
of his heavenly Father, because he had not received his God­
head, which works miracles, from her, but from his Father. And
lastly, by saying: My hour is not yet come, he means: The hour
appointed by my heavenly Father, when the miracle will pro­
duce its full effect, when the want of wine will be noticed by
all, is not yet come.
From this answer of Jesus to his mother we may learn not to
lose courage when God seems not to hear our prayer ; he has
thereby the best intention; he would exercise us in confidence,
give us an opportunity of practicing patience, and induce us to
employ his graces and gifts more profitably. Let us be instant
in prayer ; the help of God will be nearest when the necessity is
greatest.

4. Mary acted thus; she perceived the mysterious meaning of
his words, and was so confident of her petition being granted,
that she said to the waiters : Whatsoever he shall say to you, do
ye. Here we see how rightly the Church acts in invoking the
Blessed Virgin. Mary is indeed mighty, and I am tempted to
call her “almighty,” certainly not by nature, as is God, but as
regards her intercession ; for God does not refuse her any request.
And why? Because she is the Mother of God. What will not the
intercession of Mary avail, when the intercession of the saints
avails so much ? “The prayer of the just man availeth much. '
And yet the prayer of the just man and of the saints are only
prayers of the servants of God, whilst the prayer of Mary is the
prayer of his own Mother, the Queen of Heaven. Let us then
trust in Mary, but let us not forget her admonition : Whatsoever
he shall say to you, do ye. We must do, as a condition, what Jesus
requires of us: “Keep the commandments.” How could we ex­
pect that Mary would pray for those who are the enemies of her
Son, and never cease by their sins and vices to crucify him
anew ? Let no one deceive himself: it is in vain for the impenitent
sinner to trust in Mary.

304

Second Sunday After. Epiphany.

Part III.
Jesus changes neater into wine,

1. There were set there six water-pots of stone, according to tht
manner of the purifying of the Jems, containing two or three mea­
sures apiece. The Jews never sat down to table without having
previously washed their hands: they also washed their plates,
cups, and other vessels before they used them ; they were ac­
customed to make these purifications several times during their
meals, for which purpose the water-pots were there.
Jesus ordered these six water-pots, which, on account of the
free use of water for the purification of the guests, had become
partly empty, to be filled up to the brim. He did not himself fill
them up, nor did he let his disciples do it, but the waiter did it, in
order to remove all suspicion that wine, instead of water, had been
poured in, and to raise the miracle above every doubt. After the
waiters had filled the water-pots he said to them: Draw out now,
and carry to the chief steward of the feast. The steward tasted it,
and behold! it was pure wine. Jesus had performed a miracle;
he had, without moving a finger or revealing his almighty will
by a word, changed water into wine. The steward knew not
whence it was, for he was otherwise occupied, and had no
knowledge of what Jesus had said or done; he, therefore, called
the bridegroom, believing that he had procured the wine and
said to him : Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when
men have welt drank, then that which is worse, but thou hast kept the
good wine until now.
2. The world sets before its friends good wine at first; it offers

them pleasures and enjoyments of every kind, and afterwards it
sets before them bad, bitter wine, a drink of aloes; for poverty,
shame, disease, and other temporal evils, remorse of conscience,
a hard and perhaps an unhappy death, are the consequences of
the worldly pleasures which have been indulged in. Christ deals
differently with his friends: he first sets before them bitter wine;
he requires mortification, self denial, the carrying of the cross;
but afterwards he sets before them precious wine, for in lieu of
the joys of the world which they renounced for his sake he gives
them even here below a comfort and a peace that surpass all
understanding, and hereafter invites them to the everlasting
joys of heaven. Oh, who would not reject the chalice which the
world offers and drink of the chalice which Christ offers and of
which he himself drank ?

2. Homiletic Sketch.

305

3. St John remarks at the end of the gospel of this day: This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee ; and he mani­
fested his glory ; and his disciples believed in him. The meaning
thereof is: This was the first miracle which Jesus wrought. The
object which he had in view in the performance of the miracle
was to manifest himself as the Son of God and the promised
Redeemer of the world, that men might believe in him and be­
come sharers in the fruits of the Redemption. His disciples
already believed in him, but their faith was increased and
strengthened by the miracle which he performed at Cana before
their eyes. This miracle, as well as the other countless miracles
which Christ performed, and which have been performed in his
name in the Church throughout all centuries down to our own
time, should be to us also an immovable ground and pillar of our
faith.
PERORATION

In conclusion, let me ask two questions:

1. Why did Jesus change water into wine as his first miracle?
To show by a symbol what his coming upon earth was to effect
As water was changed into wine, so men who lived in luke
warmness and forgetfulness of their salvation are changed into
zealous servants of God.
2. Why did Jesus perform his first miracle at the wedding-feast
in Cana? Why not on some other occasion? To indicate that men,
who by sin had been separated from him, should, through bis
merits, again be united and spiritually wedded to him, like the
bride and bridegroom on that wedding day. May these happy
espousals and this spiritual union be effected in us, and continue,
not only for time, but for all eternity! Amen.

20

3o6

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE A SACRAMENT.

Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to the marriage,— John 2:1.
It was not without deep meaning that Jesus appeared at the
marriage in Cana and there performed his first miracle. God
himself had instituted matrimony. After he had created Adam
and Eve he blessed them and said to them : “Increase and mul­
tiply and fill the earth.”—Gen. 1: 28. Adam and Eve were to
live together in the nuptial state, in order that the human race
might be propagated and the earth filled with inhabitants. This
union originally instituted by God, was, however, only a natura)
one, and the blessing which God gave it referred only to the
propagation of the human race and to temporal goods, but was
destitute of a supernatural and sanctifying power. Christ, who
had come to ennoble man and to make of a carnal people a holy
people, who should complete the number of the elect in heaven,
conferred on matrimony a greater dignity, he made it an image
of his own union with the Church, attached to it supernatural
graces, and raised it to the dignity of a sacrament. And this is
what he would indicate when he appeared at the marriage-feast
at Cana and by a miracle changed water into wine. I shall to­
day explain the contents of the gospel as bearing on the sacra­
ment of matrimony, and I shall show you—

Z. That Christian marriage must be a sacrament ;
IL That it is really a sacrament.
Part I.

When I say that Christian marriage is a sacrament, I exclude
all marriages cf non-Christians, such as heathens, Jews, Moham­
medans ; in a word, of all that are not baptized ; for baptism, as
the Council of Florence teaches, is the first of all the seven sa
craments, the entrance into the spiritual life, by which we are
incorporated with the Church. The unbaptized have no relation
with Christ or his Church; they can not therefore participate in
the graces and means of salvation which Christ has acquired and

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

307

deposited in his Church. The marriages of non-Christians are
only natural unions or contracts, and are consequently destitute
of sacramental dignity and grace. Moreover, when I say that
Christian marriage is a sacrament, it is to be understood in the
sense that every marriage lawfully and validly entered into
among Christians is a sacrament, and that if this sacrament be
received with the proper dispositions it confers supernatural
graces. For, being a sacrament of the living, matrimony increases
sanctifying grace and imparts to the married couple special
graces by which they are enabled to live together in mutual love
and fidelity, and to bring up their children for God and heaven.
Now the question is: Why must matrimony be a sacrament? I
answer—
9

1. Because, it is indissoluble. Even in the beginning matrimony
was indissoluble. If afterwards God allowed the Israelites to
dissolve their matrimonial unions, it was done only “on account
of their hardness of heart,” as Christ expressly says. In the New
Law, Christ restored matrimony to its primitive state ; therefore
a separation is not permissible. Hence our Saviour says: “What,
therefore, God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
—Mark 10:2-9. Christian marriage must be indissoluble, because,
as I shall show you presently, it is an image of the union of
Christ with his Church; for as Christ will always remain united
with the Church, so no separation can take place between married
people, otherwise their marriage would be not be an image of
the union of Christ with his Church. From this it necessarily
follows that matrimony must be a sacrament; for if it were only
a natural union or contract, entered into for the procreation of
children, no reason could be assigned why, in the case of barren­
ness, it should not be allowable to dismiss the woman and marry
another. The same may be said if matrimony were only a remedy
against concupiscence, for in that case we could see no reason
why a poor, emaciated, sickly woman should not be dismissed
and another taken. But if matrimony is principally indissoluble
because it is an image of the union of Christ with his Church, it
is a sign of grace, and consequently a sacrament.

2. Because it is institutedfor the propagation of the human race.
Now, this object is not obtained by the mere procreation of chil­
dren ; they must also be reared and educated. Precisely in this
is matrimony distinguished from the sexual intercourse of animals.
But it is not enough merely to rear children to be fit and useful
members of human society; it is also the duty of Christian par­
ents to implant virtue, religion, and the fear of God in the hearts
of their offspring, in order that they may attain to their eternal
destiny. It is not difficult to perceive that parents can not fulfil

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

this important duty without the special help of divine grace
God never enjoins on us duties without giving us at the same
time the necessary grace for the performance of them. Both
reason and faith teach that truth. Now, if matrimony confers
such a grace, it must be a sacrament.

3. Because by divine ordinance it is a remedy against concupiscence. Now, it is an incontrovertible truth that a matrimonial
union destitute of the aid of divine grace is not a sufficient remedy
against incontinence, because the concupiscence of the flesh, in
consequence of the matrimonial life, is rather inflamed than ex­
tinguished. And if anything were wanting to confirm the asser­
tion made, as well as the reason just stated for its being true, we
have but to look at the facts of current history as revealed in the
daily press. No, brethren, marriage, simply as such, without the
aid of divine grace, is not an all-sufficient remedy against con­
cupiscence. It was, therefore, necessary for those who enter into
matrimony, that Christ should attach special graces to it and
raise it to the dignity of a sacrament. The sacramental grace is
an indemnification for the indulgence which God granted to
married people in the Old Law, allowing them to remove the
danger of incontinence by a dissolution of matrimony, or even
by polygamy.

4. Because the married couple have very responsible diities towards
each other. Since Christian marriage is an image of the union of
Christ with his Church, the married couple ought to deal with each
other as Christ deals with his Church. As Christ unceasingly loves,
purifies, and sanctifies his Church, so the husband must be de­
voted to his wife in holy love; and as the Church is obedient to
her divine Founder in faithful love, so the wife must be subject
to her husband in love and obedience. And as Christ never
forsakes his Church, and the Church never becomes unfaithful
to her Bridegroom, so married people should remain united in
inviolable fidelity under all circumstances of life. But married
people can not fulfil these duties of themselves; they need a
special grace. Who will believe that God would impose duties
on married people without giving the grace necessary to fulfil
them ? How could this be reconciled with his goodness and
justice? No, God commands no impossibility; he assists us with
his grace, so that in every situation of life we can fulfil his will.
Consequently, he gives to those who enter into matrimony the
grace of fulfilling the duties which they, as married people, must
fulfil; therefore, matrimony must be united with special graces,
and is necessarily a sacrament.
These and other reasons which might be adduced justify the
conclusion that Christian matrimony is not merely a human, civil
contract, but a sacrament. And it really is a sacrament.

3.

Dogmatical Sketch,
Part

309

Π.

That Christian marriage is a sacrament is proved—
1. By Sacred Scripture. St. Paul emphatically calls matrimony
in the Church a great mystery, that is, a sacrament. He says:
“The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the
Church .
therefore, as the Church is subject to Christ, so also
let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love
your wives, as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered himself
up for it, that he might sanctify it ... So also ought men to love
their wives as their own bodies . . . For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they
shall be two in one flesh. This is a great sacrament: but I speak
in Christ and in the Church.”—Ephes. 5: 23-32. As you see, the
Apostle represents matrimony as an image of the union of Christ
with his Church: he represents the husband as Christ, and the
wife as the Church, and concludes from this that Christian married
people must conduct themselves towards each other as Christ
does towards the Church and the Church again towards him, and
then says: “This is a great sacrament (mystery), but I speak in
Christ and in the Church;” in other words, this is the idea he
wishes to convey: Matrimony, considered from the Christian
standpoint, is a great sacrament, because it is an image, a visible
sign, of the union of Christ with his Church. Now, if the nuptial
state, as the Apostle says in plain words, is a visible sign, an
image, of the union of Christ with his Church, it follows, as a
necessary consequence, that it is a sacrament. The union of
Christ with his Church is full of grace, for he has loved and de­
livered himself up for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse
her. This must also be the case with Christian matrimony, be­
cause otherwise it would not be a true image of the union of
Christ with his Church. Now, if it is united with grace, it is
evidently a sacrament.

2. By the tradition of the Church. Even Tertullian (A. D. 215)
mentions matrimony with baptism, confirmation, and the Blessed
Eucharist, and says that the words of the Apostle just quoted
must be understood of matrimony as a sacrament. Origen, bt.
Athanasius, and St. Chrysostom say that a particular grace is
imparted to the nuptial union. This could not be the case if it
were only a natural union and not a sacrament. St. Ambrose
requires that the matrimonial union be sanctified by the priestly
blessing, and says that an adulterer can have no part in this sacra­
ment, because he loses by this crime the grace of matrimony. He
therefore, expressly calls it a sacrament, in the proper sense and

jio

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

meaning of the word, because, he adds, it is connected with
grace. A cotemporary of St. Ambrose, Pope Siricius, says that
those married men who during the lifetime of their wives enter
into a new marriage, commit a sacrilege. The Pope could not
have said this if marriage were merely a civil contraci, for one does
not become guilty of a sacrilege by the violation of such a con­
tract; but one does become guilty of this crime by the abuse of a
sacrament. St. Augustine calls matrimony a sacrament in num­
berless places. That this great Doctor of the Church, when
speaking on matrimony, made use of the word sacrament in its
proper and restricted sense is evident among other reasons from
the fact that he calls only the marriage of the Christians, and not
that of the heathens, a sacrament, and speaks and treats of it just
as he does of baptism.
In the midst of a beautiful comparison between matrimony and
baptism, he draws a parallel and says that “the sacrament of
matrimony in those who separate from each other, and enter into
another marriage, remains similar to the baptism of those who
have fallen from the faith.” The Councils also declare this doc­
trine of the Fathers of the Church. The third Lateran Council,
held in theyear 1179, forbids the receiving of money for the ad­
ministration of the sacraments, among which matrimony is men­
tioned. The second Council of Lyons, 1274, enumerates matrimony
as one of the seven sacraments. The same may be said of the
Councils of Constance and of Florence, while the great Ecumenical
Council of Trent emphatically declares: “If any one assert that
matrimony is not truly and properly one of the seven sacraments
of the evangelical law, instituted by Christ, but that it was in­
vented by men, and does not give grace, let him be anathema.”
—Sess. 24, Con. I.

3. Lastly the Greek Church and all ancient sects. The innovators
of the sixteenth century laid their confession of iaith before
Jeremias, the patriarch of Constantinople, and endeavored to
bring the Greek Church over to their side. After reading it
carefully the patriarch remarked that he could not unite with
them, and among other objections remarked }hat they did not
consider matrimony as a sacrament, whereas the Greek Church
had from the beginning held it as such. Later on the Protestants
succeded in winning over the patriarch Cyril Lukaris, and pre­
vailed on him to reject like themselves all the sacraments, with
the exception of baptism and the Last Supper. But the Greeks
resisted this innovation with all their power, and the Council of
Constantinople, held in the year 1683, excommunicated the patri­
arch and solemnly declared that the Greek as well as the Latin
Church recognized matrimony as a sacrament. The Kopts, Jaco­
bites, Nestorians, and Syrians, who separated from the Church in

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

311

the fifth century consider matrimony to be a sacrament, a proof
that it has been thus viewed from the beginning.
PERORATION.

Thus the Sacred Scripture tradition, and those religious soci­
eties separated centuries and centuries ago from the Church,
convince us that matrimony is a true sacrament, instituted by
Christ. From what has been said, you can easily comprehend
the nature and effects of what they call civil marriage. Catholics
who dare to be married in such a manner turn their back upon
Christ and his Church. They renounce Jesus Christ as they re­
nounced the devil at their baptism. When the question was put:
“What dost thou ask of the Church of God ?” the sponsors replied
for them, “Faith.” They now fling faith and the Church of God
to the dogs. They will none of it. They do not want the sacra­
ment. They merely want to have their unholy union legalized
before men. At that turning-point of their lives, doubtless the
most important of all others, and when most they need the grace
of God, they boldly and impiously defy him. They know the law
of God on the subject. They know that marriage is a sacrament,
that it is one of those seven blessed channels through which the
merits of the blood poured out on Calvary flow to our souls. But
enough, what do such a couple care for sacrilege? They have re­
nounced Christ, his Church, his sacraments—let them go. They
are henceforth to the Church, and to the children of the Church
but as the heathen and the publican. God forbid that any of the
young people of this parish ever become so demented, ever so
unblushingly follow in the footsteps of Judas Iscariot. Ged forbid
that a child of worthy parents, a child to whom the faith and
fidelity to his Church has been transmitted through a long line of
the most steadfast upholders of the cause of Christ and his Church
against all the powers of earth and hell—God forbid that such a
child should be branded as a traitor and renegade. Far be from
us any such shame. Regard marriage as what it is, a sacrament
—a holy, grace-giving sacrament. It should be reverently pre­
pared for, and received in a state of grace. The Church is the
dispenser of the sacraments, and only at the hands of God’s
minister, imparting by authority God’s blessing, should the holy
sacrament of matrimony be received.

312

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE CEREMONIES OF MATRIMONY.

There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.—John 2:

I.

The gospel of this day speaks of a marriage which took
place in Cana of Galilee, at which Jesus, with his mother and dis­
ciples, was present. The ceremonies prescribed for Jewish marri­
ages were very impressive. They bore a great resemblance to
funeral ceremonies; for as these lasted seven days, so did those
of marriage. The bride received from the bridegroom precious
ointments The bridegroom received from the bride a winding­
sheet, which he was obliged to wear every year, on the anniver­
sary of his marriage. The bride, accompanied by music, was
taken from her house, and conducted by ten virgins to her new
home. The same was done at funeral processions; the corpse was
taken to the grave with an accompaniment of plaintive music
and with torches. The last festivity was on the thirtieth day, when
the newly-married female ceased to be called a bride, and was
afterwards addressed by the title of Madam, or simply Woman.
This also reminds us of the funeral service, which was closed
on the thirtieth day. The ceremonies of Christian marriages
have no resemblance to those of funerals; nevertheless, they are
of a very serious nature, representing, as they do, the great sig­
nificance of matrimony and the duties which it imposes on the
newly-married.
We will to-day consider attentively the procedings and cere­
monies —

I. Before marriage;
II. During the marriage;
III. After marriage.

Part I.
The proceedings and ceremonies which precede the marriage
nay be divided into remote and proximate.
I.

The remote are—

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i

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4. Liturgical Sketch.

313

(a.) The examination of the bride and bridegroom. The pastor
investigates the case, in order to see if there be any impediment
to their marriage. He then examines them in their religion, to
satisfy himself that they possess the necessary knowledge of
Christian doctrine. Lastly, he explains to them the duties of the
state they are about to embrace, exhorting them in every doubt
to seek information in the confessional.

(bi) The espousals [local]. These consist in their promising before
the pastor and two witnesses, to marry each other at some future
time. The pastor asks the bride and bridegroom whether it be
their intention to promise to marry each other, and at a certain
time to be married publicly. They answer: “Yes, I will ; I promise
it; that is my intention.” Then they give each other their hands,
and the priest says : “May the Lord confirm what he has operated
in you, in the name of the Father, etc.” Lastly, he addresses them
briefly, exhorting them to the fear of God and to holy purity, and
urging them to prepare themselves for the sacrament of matri­
mony by the worthy reception of the sacrament of penance and
the Blessed Eucharist.
(c.) The publication of the bans, which according to the ordinance
of the Council of Trent, must take place on three successive Sun­
days or festivals, unless for a good reason a dispensation be ob­
tained. The bans are published to discover impediments, and to
give the faithful an opportunity of praying for the couple.
2. The proximate are as follows:

(λ.) On the day of the marriage the betrothed go to the church,
accompanied by two or three witnesses and the invited guests.
In former times there were special bridegroom attendants, or
groomsmen and bridesmaids, called paranymphs, whose duty it
was to be counsellors and guardians of their chastity during the
time of their engagement, to instruct them in the duties of the
married state, to assist them at the marriage, and after the cere­
mony to accompany them home Two or three witnesses are ne­
cessary for enteringlawfully and validly intomatrimony, wherever
the Council of Trent has been published, as it has been in most
Catholic countries.—Cozcnc. Trid., sess. 24, de reform., c. 1.
(bi) The priest, who administers the sacrament of matrimony,
having come to the altar, the betrothed go to him, with their wit­
nesses, to receive the blessing. By this they express their belief
that matrimony is a sacrament, and that it must be entered into
with the blessing of the Church. This was the doctrine of the
Church from the beginning. Tertullian said that it was impossible
'

*

3 τ4

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

forhim to describe thehappiness and dignity of matrimony, "wide h
the Church regulates, the sacrifice confirms, the blessing seals,
the angels announce, and the eternal Father declares valid.”
(c.) The bride appears with a wreath on her bare head, provided
she be still a virgin. This custom is very ancient, for Pope Nicho­
las mentions it as early as the ninth century. As conquerors
were decorated with wreaths, the wreath of the bride indicates
that she has overcome all the enemies that laid snares for her
chastity, and that as a virgin she stands at the altar. The bride
wears the wreath on her bare head, to signify that she is still free,
for the bare head is a symbol of liberty and dominion; therefore
men appear in church bareheaded; women on the contrary must
not have the head uncovered. In early times the bride was co­
vered with a veil as soon as she was married, to indicate that she
had lost her liberty and was now subject to her husband. The
bridegroom stands at the altar on the right, the bride on the left
side. By this position is indicated that the husband is the head
and that the woman must be subject to him.—Gen. 3: 16.

(di) The officiating priest makes a short address, in which he
declares that the betrothed had already promised to marry each
other, and are now about to carry out their promise. After
calling three times upon those present to reveal any impediment
to the marriage known to them, he explains the object of matri­
mony, and that it is a true sacrament After this he says a mental
prayer for the couple to obtain for them God’s grace and blessing.

Part Π.
Now the marriage ceremony proper begins. The officiating
priest vested in a surplice and white stole, asks: “N. N., wilt thou
take N. N., here present, for thy lawful wife, according to the
rite of our holy Mother the Church?” He responds: “I will.”
Then the priest ask the bride: “N. N., wilt thou take N. N., here
present, for thy lawful husband, according to the rite of our holy
Mother the Church?” She answers: “I will.” The language used
must be the vernacular, that is, the language of the contracting
parties’ own country or the language they speak. Then the wo­
man, if she has never been married before, uncovers her hand,
but if she is a widow, she keeps it covered, or gloved. The
bridegroom then, extending his right hand ungloved, takes her
right hand, and plights his troth in these beautiful and solemn
words: “I, N. N., take thee, N. N., to be my wedded wife, to have
and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for
richer, or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us

4. Liturgical Sketch.

315

part, if holy Church will it permit, and thereto I plight thee my
troth.” Then they loose their hands; and, joining them again,
the bride repeats after the priest the very same words. Their
troth being thus pledged, and their right hands still clasped,
the priest says : “I join you together in marriage, in the name of
the Father (f), and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen,”
and they are married. He then sprinkles them with holy water.
Then follows the beautiful ceremony of the blesssing and putting
on of the ring.
The giving of the marriage-ring was customary at all times,
and we find it in use even among the Jews and Pagans. In the
beginning, the ring seems to have been constructed of iron, later
on of gold, or at least it was gilt. Iron, the strongest metal, was
emblematic of strength, and signified that conjugal love and fide­
lity ought to be as strong as iron. Iron, however, will corrode
or rust; gold never does; consequently, the gold marriage-ring
reminds the married couple of the duty of preserving their mu­
tual love and fidelity as incorruptible as gold.

The ring is round, a diminutive circle, an emblem of eternity,
without beginning and without end. It is emblematic of what
their conjugal love and fidelity to each other should be to the
day of death, one continual, uninterrupted whole. The woman
wears it on her left hand, the hand that is nearer the heart, which
is the seat of love and affection; and on the fourth finger, count­
ing from the thumb, because on that finger she will find it the
least hindering or embarrassing in her domestic work, and to re­
mind her that she is not to give herself up to idleness, but that
she should be active and industrious, like the strong woman men­
tioned in the Sacred Scripture and whom the Holy Ghost praised.
—Prov. 31: 10. The grasping of each other’s hands is a mutual
confirmation of their fidelity, as well as a sign that they will work
together and assist each other as much as they can, and that
hand in hand they will make the journey of life together. The
priest then blesses the ring and sprinkles it with holy water, in
the form of a cross, and the bridegroom, having received it from
the hand of the priest, gives gold and silver tothe bride, saying :
“With this ring I thee wed ; this gold and silver I thee give, with
my body I thee worship; and with all my worldly goods I thee
endow. Then the bridegroom places the ring on the thumb of
the left hand of the bride; saying, “in the name of the Father”,
then on the second finger, saying, “and of the Son” ; then on the
third finger, saying, “and of the Holy Ghost ;” lastly on the
fourth finger, saying, “Amen.” And there he leaves the ring.
After this, if the nuptial blessing is to be given, mass is said, a
special one for the occasion, as given in the Missal, and every­
thing therein prescribed is observed.

3 ιό

Second Sunday After Epiphany.
Part IIL

After the Pater Noster, the priest, standing* at the Epistle side
of the altar, turns round, faces the married couple, who are
kneeling at the foot of the altar, and pronounces two beautiful
nuptial blessings, in which, among other things, he implores God
to pour upon their marriage the fullness of his blessing, that
they may enjoy a long life, in peace and happiness, serve him
faithfully, preserve conjugal chastity, rear their children in piety
and the fear of God, and obtain eternal salvation. In the
second prayer, the virtues necessary for the woman are prayed
for. After these two prayers, the priest turns to the middle of
the altar und resumes the holy sacrifice. Now, it is a remark­
able fact, that this is the only instance in which, in ordinary
circumstances, after the Offertory, the Church permits her
ministers to break off from the performance of the sacrifice. If it
seem astonishing to many that Christ so honored matrimony as
to turn aside from his public life, and dignify it by his presence
at Cana of Galilee, what shall we say when he permits his mi­
nisters to break off in the midst of this stupendous sacrifice, turn
aside, and as it were, leave it unfinished !
Well did St. Paul know whereof he spoke, when he said: “This
is a great sacrament : but I speak in Christ, and in the Church.”
—Ephes. 5: 32. After he has received the Precious Blood, the
priest gives communion to the married couple, and then pro­
ceeds to finish the mass.
Immediately before blessing the congregation he pronounces
another blessing over the newly-married, in which he petitions
God to replenish them with his blessings, that they may see their
children to the third and fourth generation and obtain life ever
lasting.
These blessings, however, are not given, if the bride had been
married before, or if the marriage be entered into at forbidden
times. Those betrothed, therefore, unless urgent reasons demand
it, ought not to marry at forbidden times, in order not to deprive
themselves of the nuptial blessing. After mass it is customary to
offer ' ipssed wine to the couple. [Local.] Wine is the emblem of
joy, and blessed wine is the pure joy, the holy love, which they
ought to have for each other. And as wine improves with age
ano becomes better, so their love must not grow cold with the
lap^e of time, but become stronger, purer, and holier. The
custom existing among the Greeks is very expressive : they break
the vessel out of which the wine is drunk, to signify that the
party who becomes guilty of infidelity, like the broken vessel, is
to be cast off.

5. Symbolical Sketch.

Illi

PERORATION.

Begin, then, your marriage-day with God, and take care lesi
you end it with the devil. This is a holiday for you; spend it in
the fear of God and innocent joy, as becomes Christians.
As long as they live the wedding-day should be a memorial
day for married people. They ought to keep and celebrate it
every year by hearing mass, by confessing and receiving com
munion. Commend yourselves daily to the protection of God and
ask him to give you the necessary grace for the faithful per
formance of your duty, that in your difficult state you may work
out your salvation. Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
TRIALS IN THE MARRIED STATE.

There were set there six water-pots of stone.—John 2: 6.
In the account given in the gospel of the marriage feast in
Cana of Galilee we find mention made of six water-pots. Our
divine Saviour performed a great miracle by changing the water,
with which these vessels had been filled, into wine. We fre­
quently find these water-pots also at other marriages; for they
signify the trouble and afflictions with which not a few married
people are visited. St. Paul directs the attention of married
people to these afflictions when he says: “If thou take a wife,
thou hast not sinned, and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned;
nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh.”—I. Cor.
7: 28. In the married state, all that glitters is not gold. It is,
however, in the power of married people to do what Jesus did
with the water in the pots; they can, if they be of good will,
change the water of tribulation into the wine of c >mfort and joy.
Let us to-day consider the trials incident to the married state,
and see how the water may be changed into wine.

Hl

•11

Part L
The first affliction is the unfruitfulness of some marriages.
There are some marriages which are not blessed by God with
children. This is certainly an affliction for many people, especi­
ally for those who are blessed with worldly goods, and is a great
privation. Some of the best people that ever lived have experi­
enced this sad destitution. AVitness Abraham, who, when God
promised him a great reward, sadly replied ; “Lord God, what
wilt thou give me? I shall go without children.”—Gen. 15: 2.
“If thou givest me all riches, what shall it profit me ? I have no
children to inherit my riches.” Rachel, Jacob’s wife, was grieved
so much over her sterility that she wished to die rather than to
live and see herself without children.— Gen. 30: 1.
The pious couple Elkana and Anna were in great tribulation
because they had no children.—I. Kings 1. Married people thus
situated frequently think within themselves: We have consider­
able property and all would be well, but we have no child, and
there is no one to lisp the sweet name of father and mother. This
is a heavy load on their hearts. How can such childless couples
comfort themselves? They must become convinced—
(a.) That it is the will of God. Whatever God wills and does is
for the best. Perhaps their children, if they had any, might
degenerate, embitter their life, cause a great deal of mischief in
the world, and finally perish eternally. In such a supposition is
it not better to have no children ?

(Æ.) That they can Hue much more quietly. How much labor and
anxiety do not children cause their parents 1 How much does it
not cost to rear them, to provide for them, and to preserve them
from the corruption of the world ! And what grief and sorrow
for Christian parents to be obliged to see that all their labors
and efforts for the temporal and eternal welfare of their children
are not unfrequently fruitless 1 It is only too true; few children,
few crosses; many children, many crosses. How well off, then,
are those who have no children 1 They are free from the great
burden of their education, and can themselves live and die
quietly.

(r.) That they can the more easily save their souls. Parents have
a great many duties to perform towards their children, and if they
neglect but one of these solemn duties, a most rigorous account
awaits them. Many parents will be damned on account of the
sins of their children. Heli was in other respects a righteous

5. Symbolical Sketch.

319

man, and if he had had no children would perhaps have been
saved; but his two wicked sons dragged him down to hell. Con­
sidering this, ought married people to consider themselves un­
happy because they have no children?
(iZ.) That they can do a great deal of good with their temporal sub­
stance. It is the sacred duty of parents who have children to pro­
vide for them ; therefore they can do but little in the way of
charity, and even if they could, they fear that their children may
not have enough, or that they may some day be in want; con­
sequently they hoard up for them. But this is not the case with
childless couples; they can, if they be rich and have the good
will, do a great deal of good towards alleviating the corporal and
spiritual necessities of their fellow-men ; they can acquire much
merit before God, and call down upon themselves the blessing
of heaven. What seems water, therefore, to such childless,
couples, may, by a little reflection and a spirit of piety and
resignation, be turned into the richest wine.

Part Π.
The second affliction is bad, worthless children.

There always have been children who, as they advance in
years, degenerate more and more, give themselves up to impurity,
drunkenness, and gambling, and behave rudely, ungratefully,
and stubbornly, heaping up shame and disgrace upon their par­
ents. There are such also in our days, for we see bad examples
and scandals multiplied and the world sinking deeper and deeper
into forgetfulness of God. Can there be a greater cross or afflic­
tion for parents than bad children ? History records that the
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius died of grief and a broken
heart, because his son Commodus led a most scandalous life and
gave promise of doing a great deal of mischief in the world.
Many fathers and mothers can say to their ungodly children
what Jacob said to his sons: ‘‘Tou will bring down my gray hairs
with sorrow to hell.”—Gen. 42: 38. Truly, impious children are
a pot that is filled with the tears of their parents, and this pot
is set in the houses, not only of bad, but also of good parents.
Adam and Eve had their Cain ; Noe, his Cham ; and David, his
Absalom.
How can parents who have wicked children comfort themselves
in their deplorable situation? They must spare neither labor nor
pains to reclaim their erring children from their evil ways; they
must entreat, reprove, and rebuke them with patience and ear­
nestness, give them good example, and fervently pray for their
conversion. If the parents fulfil their duties with proper zeal,

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

they may succeed in winning· back their wayward children; and
this will be a great comfort to them. They must not, however,
lose courage when their efforts to reclaim their children are not
immediately crowned with success. How many years did not
St. Monica instruct and admonish, pray and weep, before she had
the happiness of seeing her son Augustine converted! And if all
exertions prove fruitless, let the father and mother comfort them­
selves with fhe thought that they have done their duty and
that the sins of their children will not be laid to their charge.
They may also think of God, our heavenly Father, who has so
many rebellions children, and yet he treats then with indulgence
and infinite kindness.

Part HI.
The third affliction is jealousy.

This is, perhaps, the greatest evil in the married state. Married
people who give way to this passion are always full of disquie­
tude and suspicion ; the most harmless and innocent circumstance
appears to them suspicious; they listen to every word, observe
every step, get excited at the most trifling thing, and torment
themselves with melancholy thoughts day and night. The do­
mestic affairs suffer loss; the education of the children is ne­
glected; notunfrequently there are quarrels and contentions, and
matrimonial love is changed into coldness—often to hatred. It
sometimes even leads to the murder of one of the parties. Oh,
that there were no such trials in any Christian family! Married
people must avoid everything that might give occasion to
jealousy. Wives must be prudent, when in company with men,
and not be over free with them, especially those who are regarded
suspiciously by the husband. They must not show an undue lean­
ing or friendship for any man, nor permit any man in public
or private to bestow on them marked attention or extraordinary
courtesies. Finally, they must scrupulously avoid and shun all
places and company that bear a sullied reputation, live in a re­
tired way, and treat their husbands affectionately and kindly
In like manner husbands must not be too familiar with doubtful
characters, never go to questionable places, nor be too friendly
with female servants. In order to avoid jealousy, married people
should observe the word of our Lord: “Judge not.”—Luke 6: 37.
Charity obliges us to think well of others until we are convinced
we have unmistakable reasons to think the contrary. This applies
particularly to married people. If a suspicious thought arise, they
ought to recall to their mind the reproach which Christ made to
the Pharisees : “Why do you think evil in your hearts ?”—Matt.
g: 4. Lastly, they ought not to listen to whisperers who, under

h
5.

Symbolical Sketch.

321

the cloak of friendship, reveal what they suppose to be suspici­
ous things in regard to the other party, but should reject them
at once. Moreover, I would advise persons who are prone to
jealousy, to reveal their character to their confessor and punctu­
ally obey his directions.

Part IV.
The fourth affliction is disunion and discord.
There are not a few married people with whom the spirit of
dissension prevails. Instead of loving each other, they are averse
to each other, seldom speak in a friendly manner, but quarrel
and reproach each other continually, while for days and weeks
a kind word does not pass between them. When they are together,
they wish mountains separated them ; and when absent from each
other, they look forward with horror and dread to the hour when
they shall have to meet again. The matrimonial bond often be­
comes to them so burdensome and hateful that they wish them­
selves dead. How unhappy are such married people ! Their life
on earth is already, as it were, a hell. And what evils follow this
disunion and discordi Their children become wicked, because
they are not brought up properly ; the domestic concerns suffer
and God, who is a God of peace, withdraws his blessing from
such contentious people.
How can these bitter waters be changed into wine, or cast out
of the house ? Such a couple must, first of all, endeavor to remove
the causes of their discord. The man is, perhaps, irritable, keeps
late hours, is a drunkard, a gambler, an adulterer—hence discord
and disunion in the house. The wife is not economical, is care­
less in the discharge of her duties, fond of dress, arbitrary,
sharp-tongued—hence the discord. The first business, on both
sides, is to go to the root of the evil. They must look at the
primary causes of their dissensions. Only when this is done can
they hope for peace or comfort with one another. They should
both call to mind that neither is a saint, that neither took the
other for such at the altar, but for plain flesh and blood. It is
preposterous for either to expect the other to be perfect. They
each know that neither one nor the other is, nor will be, without
faults and frailties, and, therefore each should bear with the
other in patience and charity. If you see something in the other
party which displeases you, do not get into a rage, but speak in
a gentle, friendly manner. You will catch more flies with a few
drops of honey than with a barrel of vinegar. And if you think
it necessary to rebuke your partner, do so at the proper time.
Observe silence so long as the other party is excited, and speak

only after he or she has calmed down and is open to reason. If,

»

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

from whatever cause, the matrimonial peace has been disturbed,
be reconciled without delay, and let not the sun go down on your
anger.

Part V.
The fifth trial is Poverty and need.

This is a trial found now a days in many houses. Everything
desirable or necessary for life is more or less wanting, namely,
a domicile, especially in large cities, where many families are
turned into the street because they cannot pay the rent; food is
wanting, and husband and wife, notwithstanding all their hard
work and the greatest economy, must sometimes suffer hunger
with their children ; they want clothes, or those they have are
often in such a condition that they are ashamed to go out; in
winter they have no fuel, in consequence of which they almost
freeze to death. Through the year they have many unavoidable
expenses; they often need many dollars, when they have only
as many cents in the house. Taxes and debts have to be paid,
but there is no money to meet these expenses; mortgages fall
due, are foreclosed, and their little property, the accumulation
of years of economy, is sold, and so forth.
How can this be avoided? It is difficult to give advice on this
point. I will make only a few remarks.
Many are poor because they are lazy and improvident; they
are themselves the cause of their poverty. A man who has
willing hands can generally find remunerative employment and
gain a livelihood. You must make hay while the sun shines; you
must be saving and economical when you have money ; this is the
virtue of prudence, for there is no virtue in not spending money
when you have none to spend. People, generally, do not think of
saving in times of prosperity, imagining that the good times will
last for ever; then when adversity comes they are unprepared,
and suffer from poverty. Harvest time is followed by winter,
so good times, high wages, are succeeded by hard times, scarcity
of work, and consequently low wages. Therefore, save in time,
and you will have something in the day of need ; lay up some­
thing for the rainy day, and do not spend all you earn, living
from hand to mouth. You need not live like Dives and feast
sumptuously every day. Live within your means; do not contract
debts for anything you can do without. Do not buy everything
you see, or things that you do not need, merely because they are
cheap. And you, married women, do not invest all the hard ear­
ned money of your husbands in drapery and millinery: be eco­
nomical in the kitchen, for an extravagant housekeeper will carry
out more with a spoon than an industrious man can bring in with

5. Symbolical Sketch.

323

a shovel. If you observe these rules the trials that come of
poverty and need will never be seen in your house
But there may be poverty which married people have not
brought on themselves- In that case let them comfort themselves
with the thought that Christ had not where to lay his head, and
that he called the poor, not the rich, blessed. Let them unite
their temporal poverty with spiritual poverty; their poverty with
the poverty of Christ, and make a virtue of necessity.

Part VI.
The sixth affliction is the early death of one party or of a child.
When two young people marry, they hope to have many years
of conjugal happiness; but man proposes and God disposes. The
husband or the wife falls sick and dies. This certainly is a hard
blow for the surviving party, especially if they lived happily
together, and if there be young children. I have often heard the
bereaved husband say, with a sigh: fiMy God, what will become
of these little children, who have now no mother?” Or the wo­
man: irMy God, who will now provide for my children?” And
the widower or the widow feels so lonesome, so forsaken, for the
half of his or her being is laid away in the grave. Or if a child
die in the bloom of youth, there is great grief and sorrow, more
especially if the parents are rich, and could have liberally
provided for it.
How can this bitter water be changed into wine? I believe
this miracle can be performed without much difficulty if the
parents be good Catholics, strong in faith. We can not doubt
that whatever God does is well done, and “we know that to
them that love God all things work together unto God.”—Rom.
8: 28. If one of them dies, or if one or more of their children
die, God has so ordained it; therefore, it is something good and,
however impenetrable the veil of Divine Providence, it will turn
out for the best. They must consider this and be resigned to the
will of God, saying with Job: ,fThe Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”—Job. 1: 21.
Parents should comfort themselves, particularly at the death of
a child with the thought: God gave us this child that we might
prepare it for heaven ; the end is attained, he has taken the child
to himself; blessed and praised be his holy namel
PERORATION.

These are some of the trials which, like the water-pots at the
II arriage of Cana, are not unfrequently found in the
married
state. The bitter water which they contain can be changed into

3 24

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

wine; married people need only observe the lessons and precepts
which I have given them to-day. If, like the married couple of
Cana, they invite Christ to their marriage, prepare themselves
worthily for matrimony, live in it piously, and fulfil their duties
conscientiously, God will be with them and bless them. And
even if he should visit them with tribulations, he will not abandon
them; he will only try them in order to purify, sanctify, and fit
them for heaven. Christian married people, serve God in times
of prosperity and adversity with equal fidelity, and be resigned
to his holy will, and all things will work together unto good
Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
THE NECESSITY OF A DIVINE VOCATION FOR THE MARRIED
STATE.

There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.— John 2:1.
In the gospel of this day we read of a marriage in Cana of
Galilee, to which Jesus and Mary were invited, and where he
wrought his first miracle. Marriages have been contracted since
the beginning of the world, and will continue to be until the end
of time. When God presented Eve to Adam, and the latter said:
“This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” {Gen. 2:
22, 23), the first marriage was celebrated; and Jesus Christ him­
self says that at the coming of the Son of man it shall be as in
the days of Noe, when the people were marrying and giving
in marriage till the flood came.—Malt. 24: 37-39. God himself
instituted matrimony, and Christ raised it to the dignity of a
sacrament. Matrimony is an honorable state, and those who em­
brace it do no wrong. But there is one thing which should not be
lost sight of : a person that enters the marriage state must be called
to it by God ; for to enter a state for which one has no vocation is
wrong and therefore sinful. This is particularly true of the
married state, because it is of the greatest importance, not only
for the married people themselves, but also for their children ;
nay, for the whole human family. I shall, therefore, speak to you

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Moral Sketch.

325

to-day of the necessity of a divine vocation for the married state,
and show you that this vocation is necessary —
On account of the important duties of the married state;
II. On account of the great burdens connected with it.
Z

Part

L

The duties of the married state are great:
1.

On account of matrimony itself.

(a.) Matrimony, as faith teaches us, is a sacrament. As such it
should be received only after the same careful preparation as is
made for the reception of the other sacraments. He who receives
communion in a state of mortal sin becomes guilty of sacrilege.
The same applies to those who, in a state of sin, approach the
altar to be married. The very moment they give their consent
to the marriage by saying : “I will,” they commit a sacrilege, be­
cause they receive the sacrament of marriage unworthily, and
the blessing which the priest gives is changed into a curse. And
how many do receive this sacrament in a state of sin! It is, alas,
too true that many Christians enter the holy state of matrimony
without having made a good confession and without a firm pur­
pose of amendment.

(3.) Because matrimony is a sacrament, it should be received
like every other sacrament, with apure and holy intention. Sup­
posing that a person were to go to confession for the purpose of
mocking the priest, or to communion, in order to take the Sacred
Host out of his mouth and use it for superstitious purposes ; this
would manifestly be a horrible sacrilege. The same must be said
of people who enter the married state with an unholy purpose ;
they also abuse the sacrament. And are there none that do this?
Is it not to be feared that some marry merely to gratify their
lust? Is this a pure, a holy purpose? Has God instituted, and has
Christ raised, matrimony to the dignity of a sacrament for this
end? Does not the Angel Raphael say to Tobias: “They who in
such a manner receive matrimony, as to shut out God from them­
selves and from their mind, and to give themselves to their lust,
as the horse and the mule, which have not understanding,—over
them the devil hath power.”—Tob. 6: 17.
(c.} Even a civil contract requires that before we enter into it
we consider the matter well, and consult experienced persons.
If we were to enter into a contract of any importance in a care­
less manner and without premeditation, we should act impru­

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

dently and often sinfully. Matrimony is also a contract, and one
of the most important. It is, moreover, sanctified by its sacra­
mental character. It requires therefore greater preparation and
premeditation than any civil contract. Those, then, who without
due preparation enter into the married state, or do so incon­
siderately and frivolously, as is often done, act against the will
of God, and thereby commit a sin. Now, I ask, who can satisfy
all these requirements? Only those who possess the grace of
God, for without grace we can do nothing good, necessary and
meritorious for eternal life. Who can expect this grace from
God ? Only those who are called by God to the married state.
How necessary therefore is the divine vocation for this state !
2. On account,of conjugal love. The ^Ipostle says: “Husbands,
love your wives as Christ also loved the Church.”—Eph. 5: 25.
Christ’s love for his Church is the model that married people
must imitate in their love for each other. But the love that Christ
has for his Church is—

(λ.) A faithful love. He has never forsaken his Church, and
never will. Behold, I am with you all days, even to the con­
summation of the world.”—Matt. 28: 20. His love never grows
cold ; he offers himself up daily for her, and unceasingly imparts
to her his grace. Thus married people must love each other as
long as life lasts. Every infidelity of either party is an abomina­
tion in the eyes of God, a crime, which in the Old Law was
punished with death. The love of married people must not grow
cold in the course of time, nor turn into indifference, much less into
aversion and hatred. Attractions, charms and beauty may pass
away, but love must be enduring. Christian married people, who
have been married twenty or thirty years, do you love each other
to-day as affectionately and sincerely as you did on your
wedding-day?
(£.) An indulgent love. What patience Christ had with his dis­
ciples. They had many faults. How mercifully, too, he dealt with
sinners. In like manner married people must be indulgent with
each other, and bear with patience their mutual faults and frail­
ties. The admonition of the Apostle refers particularly to them :
“Bear ye one another’s burdens ; and so you shall fulfil the law
of the Lord.”—Gal. 6: 2. Oh, how often do not married people
sin in this respect ? How easily they could avoid disunion and
discord, quarrels and contentions, if they had more patience and
indulgence one with the other.

(c.) A holy love. Christ thinks continually, as the Apostle says,
“of sanctifying and purifying his Church and presenting her to

■ ■ II···
I

6. Moral Sketch.

327

himselt without spot or wrinkle.” For this reason he causes his
doctrine to be preached and the means of salvation constantly
administered. Thus married people must endeavor by instruction,
good example, and prayer, to assist each other in the path of
virtue and holiness. Christian married people, how is it with
your love? Is it holy? Do you call it a holy love when persons,
instead of assisting each other to lead holier lives, lead each
other to crime? There are, alas, many matrimonial unions in
which we miss this indulgent and holy love. Whence is this? It
is owing to the fact that it was flesh and blood, not God, that
joined the two together, and God, as a punishment for excluding
him from their marriage, withdrew his grace, thus leaving them
destitute of the means of fulfilling the duties which the conjugal
state enjoins upon them.

4ί

3. On account of the education of their children.
Parents are obliged to bring up their children —
(a.) As useful members of society. They must see that their
children learn some trade or business, accustom themselves from
childhood to economy and a regular life, act honestly, and con­
duct themselves properly ; for only in such a way is there hope
that they will eventually fulfil their duties as citizens and contri­
bute to the common good. Parents who allow their children to
grow up in ignorance sin grievously against society, for they are
the cause of injuring and burdening it in various ways. They
resemble people who circulate dangerous things, poison springs,
or set fire to houses. Such parents are accountable to God for
all the mischief which their badly brought-up children cause in
the world. Parents should seriously consider this.
(3.) As pious members of the Church. For this purpose parents
must implant religion and the fear of God in the hearts of their chil­
dren from their earliest years; they must instruct them in Christian
doctrine, and have them instructed by priests and teachers ; they
must guard them against seduction, sin, and vice; exhort them to
prayer and the use of the means of salvation, and give them a
good example. If parents do this they may live in the hope that
their children will become good Catholics and be an honor and
a joy to the Church; but if they neglect these duties they give
the Church children who cause her only sorrow of heart, igno­
miny, and shame, and by their unbelief and wickedness, their
scandals and bad examples, do the work of the devil. How will
parents, forgetful of their duties, be able to account to God for
this injustice which they do to the Church?

i
[ ·

.i

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

(λ) As citizens of heaven. God blesses parents with children in
order that they may prepare them for heaven. For this purpose
he gives them power over their children, whom he obliges to the
strictest obedience; he puts into their hands all the means neces
sary to give them a good education. Nay, for this purpose Christ
raised matrimony to the dignity of a sacrament, and united with
it special grace. Woe to parents who take no interest in bring­
ing up their children for heaven! Woe to them, if they be satis­
fied with providing for them in this life, but care not whether
they be saved or damned. They neglect the principal end for
which matrimony was instituted, and cannot stand without
trembling before the judgment-seat of God.
As the married state imposes such great and important duties,
married people evidently need great graces; for with human
strength alone these duties can not be fulfilled. And can all
those who have entered the state of matrimony reasonably ex­
pect these special graces? Surely not if, contrary to the known
will of God, and despite their vocation to another condition of
life, they have rashly taken upon themselves the burdensome
duties of the married state. Recognize therefore the necessity
of a divine vocation for the holy state of matrimony.

Part L
The burdens of matrimony are great:

I. On account of the indissolubility of marriage.
(a.) The married life of the Jews was not so burdensome as that
of Christians. Moses permitted a man to dismiss his wife for
grave reasons, especially on account of adultery, and to marry
another. God permitted the dissolution of marriage to the Jews
only on account of the hardness of their heart; still he did permit
it. It was lawful, therefore, and one could make use of this pri­
vilege without sin. But the case is different with Christian mar­
riage; it is a sacrament, and is absolutely indissoluble.—Lzike
16: 18. I. Cor j: io, n. No power on earth can dissolve a law­
ful marriage after it has been consummated; death alone severs
the bond. The Church can annul oaths and vows, can dispense
from impediments of marriage; but she has no power over a va­
lidly contracted and consummated marriage, and she can not for
any reason whatsoever dissolve the bond, for, <lWhat God hath
joined together, let no man put asunder.”—Matt. 19:6.
(3.) The priesthood is also indissoluble. Once a priest, always
a priest. He remains a priest even if he apostatize, and is ac­
countable for all the duties which he assumed at his ordination

6. Moral Sketch.

329

The priest, however, is joined to God, to whom he already be­
longs as a Christian and as a man, and whom to serve is to reign.
But matrimony joins a person to another person who would other­
wise have no right to him or her; to a person who is defiled, perhaps,
with many faults, sins and vices. The married state therefore
offers greater burdens in this respect than the priesthood. Again
the married state is more burdensome than the religious. One
who enters a religious order has not always to live with the same
persons; the superiors change; after the term of years for which
they are elected has expired they resign their office, or are re­
moved. In a religious order there is a time of probation, a
novitiate, during or after which one can leave if one so choose.
Even if one has already taken solemn vows one may leave the
order under certain conditions and circumstances. Not so in the
married state; there one is joined for life to another person; one
must persevere with that person, however disagreeable the
union may be. The married state can not be changed into another,
not into the priestly, nor into the religious state, unless the other
party give his or her consent: and even in this case the marriage
bond is not dissolved, for the remaining party can not enter into
a new matrimonial alliance. If young people would consider this,
they would not enter into matrimony so thoughtlessly, since,
whatever way it may turn out, it can not be dissolved. Nay,
many would say with the Apostles after our Lord had made them
acquainted with the indissolubility of marriage: “If the case of a
man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry.”—-Matt.
19: 10.
2. On account of the dis-positions of the married people.

(a.) There are very few married people whose character, senti­
ments, and inclinations are perfectly congenial. The husband,
perhaps, is irreligious, excitable, hard-hearted; the wife, pious,
meek, sympathetic. Here is a wolf and a lamb, fire and water, heat
and cold, closely, nay, indissolubly united. What a martyrdom
and torment to be compelled to live with people who daily mani­
fest dispositions which displease us, and on every occasion say
and do what wounds the heart.
(Æ.) Add to this, that you cannot reveal your secret sorrow to
any one in order to relieve your heart; for married people should
keep to themselves what occurs between them. Besides, they
have no right to complain of what displeases them and what they
are obliged to suffer from their partner; for they have married
each other of their own free will, nay, they would not listen
perhaps to those who tried to dissuade them from this union.

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

What a torment for them must be the thought: “Ihave made my
ran cross—I have no one but myself to blame.”

(i.) What is still worse is that there are very few married people
who bear their cross patiently, very few who, in the spirit of
penance, offer their secret sorrows to God and thus acquire merits
for heaven. This is quite intelligible, if we reflect that they al­
ways blame another, their partner, for their woes. They never
think of themselves as possibly contributing to their misery. As
a consequence they are always discouraged, always fretful and
impatient. They can not, even in their misfortune, console them­
selves with the hope that they will receive a reward hereafter
for what they suffer here. Thus they are without comfort in the
present, and without hope in the future.
How necessary grace is for married people, that they may be
delivered from the evils attendant on their state of life, or, at
least, be sustained, or strengthened by Almighty God, that they
may bear those evils patiently. Evidently, it is only those who
are called by God to enter the married state that have any right
to expect the special graces necessary for that state of life.
2. On account of children.

{a.} Parents have much to endure for their children. How hard
the father is compelled to work, early and late, from one year’s
end to the other, in order to feed, clothe, and provide for them.
How much must not the mother suffer! How many sleepless
nights and inconveniences, how much pain and labor, care and
grief, does it not cost her to rear them 1
(Æ.) The children grow up. They are docile, intelligent and
pious, and justify the parents in entertaining the highest hopes
for their future. The parents are laudably proud as their chil­
dren advance in years, and strength, and grace. But how often
are children of the highest promise stricken down by death ! Or
an accident is met with ; one of the children loses an arm or a
leg. A lingering illness ensues and the child remains crippled for
life, or sickly and delicate. What a grief for the parents !

(i.) Or, as sometimes is the case, the children turn out godless;
all admonitions, entreaties, threats, and punishments are fruitless;
they advance in wickedness and malice as in years, and give
occasion to fear that after a disgraceful life and dishonored death
in this world their lot will be eternal ruin in the next. Oh, how
unhappy must parents feel who have such children 1 Is it any
wonder that they becom° prematurely old from grief and sorrow
and sink into an early grave ?

6. Moral Sketch.

331

(af.) Often parents receive from their children only ingratitude
and rudenness; stubbornness, obstinacy, and abuse are the re­
ward they receive for the numberless benefits which they have
bestowed upon their unnatural offspring. In their old age they
frequently suffer need, and those to whom they have given life,
actually wish for their death.
PERORATION.

From all that I have said you will perceive that the married
state is a burdensome one on account of the indissolubility of the
marriage bond, the dispositions of the married persons, and the
troubles with children If we add to this the important duties
of the married state, every one will perceive that no one should
enter into that state unless he is called to it by God. Only
those who enter into matrimony because it is their vocation can
hope to obtain the graces which are necessary for the fulfilment
of their duties and the bearing of their burdens. You can not be
too careful and circumspect in this matter; you can not be too
much on your guard against inconsiderate marriages. Your mo­
tive for entering into the maried state must not be lust, nor love
of riches or honor, nor beauty, but the will of God and those
holy purposes for which matrimony is instituted, for only in such
a way can you hope to be happy. If there be some among
you who have entered into matrimony without a vocation, and
on that account feel unhappy, I would say to you with St.
Augustine: “If you have not been called, make yourself called.’'
Do penance for the past and thoroughly amend your life. Then
God will be with you, and grant you all necessary grace, so that
even in that state of life to which you were never called, and
into which you thrust yourself against his will, you may yet
work out your salvation and secure your eternal happiness in
heaven. Amen.

332

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
WHAT THOSE MUST OBSERVE WHO INTEND
MARRIED STATE.

TO ENTER THE

There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.—John 2:1.

I do not doubt that the betrothed, who according to the account
in to day’s gospel held a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, were
happy in their married state. I judge so from their having invited
Jesus to their wedding. If they had been people without religion
and the fear of God, they would not have invited him to be their
guest, or if they had invited him, he would not have gone. This
couple certainly had the blessing of God, because they were
pious and virtuous. And from the fact that Christ changed water
into wine for their sakes we can not doubt that he afterwards
took them under his special protection and showered upon them
temporal prosperity and happiness. In our day almost all young
people rush into the matrimonial state, for they hope to find it,
if not an entire, at least a partial, paradise. But experience
teaches that they are frequently disappointed in their expectati­
ons; discontent, want and misery follow. Whence comes this? Be­
cause they do not invite Christ to their wedding, or in other words,
they do not enter into matrimony as they should. I shall to-day
speak of what those must observe who intend to enter into the
married state.
I. They must be circumspect in their choice;
II. They must, in their single lit;, and especially while engaged,
live chastely;
III. They must have a good intention;
IV. They must, beiore receiving the sacrament of matrimony,
make a good confessiori and receive communion worthily.

Part I.
The married state is a most important one; because not only
the temporal and eternal welfare of the married couple them­
selves, but also that of their children, and perhaps of many other
people, depend upon the proper use and appreciation of the du­
ties and opportunities pertaining to that state of life. The

7. Moral Sketch.

333

circumstances and surroundings of a married person are parti­
cularly important, as they affect the daily life, and determine, in
this direction or that, the bent of the inclinations. Consequently,
before marriage the probable circumstances in which after mar­
riage one would most likely be placed should be well and care­
fully considered. If circumspection he necessary at any time it is
necessary here. You should try to ascertain :—

1. Whether you are called of God to the married state or not. We
should never act contrary to the known will of God, but, least
of all, should we do so in that most important of affairs, the
choice of a state of life. To those whom God calls to any state
of life he gives the natural aptitude for the duties of that state,
as well as the supernatural graces therein needed. To rush into
any state uncalled of God, is to undertake the performance of
duties for which we may have no natural fitness and therefore
we have no right to expect the necessary divine assistance. In
doing so, we obviously expose ourselves to the danger of becom­
ing unhappy for time and eternity. Now, to know whether you
have a vocation for the married state, you must especially con­
sider whether you have the qualities necessary for it; whether
you have good health, sufficient means, a quiet and peaceable
disposition. If any one be destitute of these qualities, it would
be a sign that God has not called him to the married state, for
when God calls us to a certain state, he also gives us the graces
necessary for it. Again, you must see if you have an inclination
for the married state or not. Those who have a constant aversion
to. it must not let themselves be persuaded or forced into it, for
God has not called them thereto.

2. You must see that you make a proper choice. The principal
thing is that the person you select should be religious, and lead
a good life. Young woman, if he whom you are to marry is with­
out religion and the fear of God, an idler, a drunkard, a gambler,
a brawler, or a quarrelsome person, do not marry him; though
he should please your eye and possess a large fortune, you can
not live happily with such a man. And, young man, if the girl
you wish to marry is vain, fond of dress, desirous to please, with­
out the fear of God, frivolous or luxurious, lazy or quarrelsome,
passionate or wasteful, dull or stupid, do not marry her. Do not
look to money alone; this will not render you happy; nor to
outward beauty, for beauty resembles a rose, which soon loses
its petalsand retains nothing but its stem and thorns. Since young
people are very liable to make mistakes in the choice of the
proper person, they must not trust too much to their own judg­
ment; must guard against self-will, and ask the advice of their
parents and other pious and experiencedpersons, begging lightfrom

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

God. Examples: Samson, who married unhappily because he
was self-willed.— Judges 14: 3. Tobias, whose marriage turned
out well, because he took the angel’s advice and prayed for light.

Part

Π.

Those who wish to enter into matrimony must live chastely in
the single state and especially during the time they are engaged. It
is the duty of all single persons, but especially of those engaged
to be married, to live chastely. The promise of matrimony which
they have made to each other, does not give them the least right
to be less particular in regard to purity ; all voluntary unchaste
thoughts and desires, all impure looks and kisses, are as strictly
forbidden to them as to other single persons.
Not a few engaged persons sin in this wise. A fatal result
often of such sins is that the parties make slight preparation for
confession, approach the sacred tribunal without contrition, and
on the threshold of marriage make, what they had never made
before, a bad and sacrilegious confession. In the state of mortal
sin they kneel to receive the holy sacrament of matrimony, and
thereby heap sacrilege on sacrilege. No blessing from on high
descends upon that marriage. Do you believe that such a marri­
age can turn out well? No; such married people cut tho rods for
each other’s backs. The stripes will come only too soon. Dis­
content, contentions, quarrels, adversity, godless children, poverty
and misery, are the consequences in this life, and unless they do
penance eternal perdition in the world to come.
In your single state, then, guard with the most scrupulous care
against transgressions of the sixth commandment. In company
with persons of the opposite sex be very modest and discreet.
And those who are engaged should preserve their purity only
the more conscientiously.

Part

HL

They must have a good intention in entering the married state,

I. Matrimony is instituted for three reasons:

(a.) That by the matrimonial union children may be lawfully
procreated and brought up as Christians, by the united help
of the married couple, that the human race upon earth may be
propagated and the number of the elect in heaven increased.
(b ) That the married couple may assist and comfort each other
in bearing life’s difficulties, especially in declining years, and aid
one another in their domestic affairs.

7.

Moral Sketch.

335

(f.) As matrimony is a remedy against concupiscence, Christi­
ans have in it the means of removing all unlawful desires and
allaying the concupiscence of the flesh. Those who marry for
these three motives, or even for any one ot them, have the
right intention and do not sin.

2. There are other reasons besides these three principal ones,
such as temporal support, payment of debts, corporal and spiri­
tual qualities of the person whom one marries. These secondary
reasons must, however, not exclude the three primary motives,
or at least the first one of them. He who would only marry for
the sake of being supported, or maintained, would act against
the will of God, because matrimony is not instituted for this pur­
pose. It would be still more culpable for people to enter into
matrimony merely for the gratification of their lust. Although
matrimony was instituted as a means against the weakness of
the flesh, yet those who enter it for the purpose of pandering to
their lust, err greatly and sin still more grievously. To such the
words of Raphael the Archangel apply: “They who in such a
manner receive matrimony as to shut out God from themselves
and from their mind, and to give themselves to their lust, as the
horse and mule, which have no understanding,—over them the
devil hath power.”—Tob. 6: 27. Oh, that all those who marry
would enter into that holy state piously, as did Tobias and Sara!
—Tob. 3: 16-18.

Part IV.
Lastly, before receiving the sacrament of matrimony the forties
should make a good confession and communion.
i. Matrimony is a sacrament of the living, and should be received
in a state of grace. He who receives this sacrament in a
state of sin, is guilty of a sacrilege and need only expect the
curse of heaven. Those who wish to enter into the married state
must make a good confession, in order to prepare themselves
for the worthy reception of the sacrament of matrimony. A ge­
neral confession may be necessary for many. It should be made
by all who have any reasonable doubts as to the validity of for­
mer confessions. And even if such confession be not rigidly
necessary, the occasion is most appropriate to make one. The
parties are about to close, and close forever, one great epoch in
their lives, and to commence another. Besides, such a general
confession serves to make them humble themselves before God,
and insures contrition in the tribunal of penance. How unhappy
would people be if before entering into matrimony they were to
confess invalidly. They would commit a threefold sacrilege—the

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Second Sunday After Epiphany.

sacrilege of an unworthy confession, of an unworthy communion^
and of the unworthy reception of the sacrament of matrimony.
Can you imagine anything more horrible ? What could be ex­
pected of such a marriage ?

2. The Church also prescribes holy communion, because Christ,
who vouchsafed to appear at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, must
also come to them, to sanctify them and to bless their union.
Happy those who prepare in their hearts a worthy habitation for
Christ, their heavenly guest. They may hope that he will re­
main with them as long as their nuptial union lasts, and impart
to them his love and grace in abundance.
PERORATION.

In conclusion, I would request all those who are engaged to
reflect well on the words which the pious youth Tobias said to
Sara, his bride: “Sara, arise, and let us pray to God to-day, and
to-morrow, and the next day; because for these three nights we
are joined to God, and when the third night is over, we shall be
in our own wedlock; for we are the children of saints, and we
must not be joined together like heathens that know not God.”—
Tob. 8: 4, 5. Marry not like heathens that know not God, but
like Christians, as children of God, members of Christ, and
temples of the Holy Ghost. Do not betroth yourselves lightly;
ask the advice of your parents, and other experienced persons,
pray to God fervently that you may know whether you are
called to the married state or not, and can become happy with
the person you intend to marry. Live chastely whilst you are
engaged, and avoid every sin against purity. Enter into the
married state with a pure, pious intention, and prepare your­
selves for the worthy reception of this sacrament by making a
good confession and receiving holy communion worthily. If you
do this you may hope that God will bless your union. Amen.

i. Homiletic Sketch.

332

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
Epistle. Rom. 12, 16-21. Brethren; Be not wise in your own
conceits : To no man rendering evil for evil : providing good things
not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men. If
it be possible, as much as in you, having peace with all men,
not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved ; but give place unto
wrath, for it is written: “Revenge is mine; I will repay, saith the
Lord.” But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he
thirst, give him to drink; for doing this thou shalt heap coals of
fire upon his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evi1II.
III.
by good.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THREE LESSONS ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR.

The lesson which I have read to you is a continuation of the
epistle of last Sunday, with which it stands in close connection.
The Apostle spoke of the love of our neighbor, and showed what
qualities it should have, and how it should manifest itself. He
who truly loves his fellow-men is kindly disposed towards them
and looks upon them as his brothers in Christ, because faith
teaches him that they, as well as himself, are redeemed by Jesus
Christ and called to salvation. He takes an interest in their
prosperity, and sympathizes in their adversity, willingly assists
the needy, is kind and obliging to every one.
The lesson for to-day, then, treats of fraternal charity and ad
monishes us—

I. To live in peace with all men;
II. Not to take revenge on our enemies, but
III. To do good to them.

22

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Third Sunday After Epiphany.
Part I.

We must endeavor to live in peace with all men.

1. Be not wise in your own conceits. It betrays pride when one
fancies one’s self to be wiser and to understand everything better
than others. Such a man always thinks that he himself knows
exactly what to do or not to do, and to be in no need of good
advice from anybody; he aims to be the leader in everything,
and wishes all to accomodate themselves to him. He "who contra­
dicts him may expect contumely and abuse. He does not yield,
and is never convinced of anything contrary to his opinion; even
when obviously in the wrong, he nevertheless sticks to his asser­
tion. How much discomfort and discord does not such a man
cause ! How often does he not give occasion to contentions and
quarrels! How often he disturbs the peace! The Apostle knew
this, hence his admonition: Be not wise in your own conceits. Let
us avoid this pride and be humble, for only the humble man
yields, receives counsel, and keeps at peace with his neighbors.

2. To no man rendering evil for evil. To render evil for evil is
a great breach of fraternal charity, and directly opposed to the
example cf Christ, “who, when he was reviled, did not revile;
when he suffered threatened not, but delivered himself to him
that judged him unjustly.”—I. Peter 2: 23. But what we must
particularly consider is, that peace could never be maintained
if it were lawful to render evil for evil. If any one offend us in
word or deed, for instance, revile or strike us, and we in return
revile and strike, what will be the result? Probably a neverending series of wrongs and counter-wrongs, with detraction and
vilification on both sides. Like a glass vase, peace is easily
broken, but not easily restored again. Hatred and enmity are
engendered, and once a person has given way to these passions
there is no telling to what lengths they may lead him. If, on the
contrary, we bear with patience the wrong that is done us and
refrain from retaliation, we do at least what is required on our
part for the preservation or restoration of peace. Oh, how many
dissensions could be avoided if these rules were better obser­
ved. Why do disturbances of the peace originate in families,
among neighbors, and in society, which not unfrequently end in
terrible feuds, abiding enmities, and even homicides? Because
people generally render evil for evil—an eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth. A man is reviled—he reviles in return ; he is injured
—he injures in return ; he receives a blow—he strikes back. In
such a way mutual exasperation is kept up ; a spark grows into
a. conflagration and does an immense deal of harm. Render to

i. Homiletic Sketch.

339

no man evil for evil ; if you have been offended, show that you
are Christians, who, according to the example of Christ, know
how to suffer, to keep silence, and to forgive. Thus you wili
preserve peace.

3. Providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in
the sight of all men. In other words, live in such a manner that
you not only please God, but also that you scandalize no man,
not even your enemies. This again is an important rule for pre­
serving peace. We read in the Acts of the Apostles (4: 32) that
the first Christians were of one heart and of one soul, and that
the most serene peace prevailed among them. Whence this con­
cord and peace? Because they provided good things not only in
the sight of God, but also in the sight of man, and endeavored to
lead a truly holy life. They practiced zealously the Christian
virtues, aided the needy, comforted the afflicted, strengthened
the weak and assisted one another in every necessity by word
and deed; they formed one family, in which the spirit of discord
had no resting-place. If in our days we so often see disunion
and dissensions in families and communities, the reason is be­
cause the Christian spirit and behavior have disappeared from
among them. How is it in those families whose members give
full scope to their passions and indulge in every kind of sin and
vice ? Is there any peace and concord there ? No ; on the contrary,
nothing but dissension and contention. On the other hand, we
notice peace in pious, virtuous families from one year’s end to
the other. Provide, therefore, good things before God and man,
and you will preserve peace.

4. If it be possible, as much as is in you, havingpeace voith all men.
The Apostle by these words wishes to prevent a misunderstand­
ing which his admonitions to peace might occasion. It is im­
possible, he says, to live with all men in peace, but if you
endeavor, as much as is in you, to have peace, and it is never­
theless disturbed, it is not your fault, and you are not responsible
for it to God. There are cases in which, with the best will, it is
impossible to keep the peace. Sometimes the duties of our state
of life oblige us to resist vice, to abolish scandals, to correct and
punish sinners. If those in authority were to allow every kind
of evil in their inferiors, parents in their children, masters and
mistresses in their servants, without correcting them, they would
by keeping silence make themselves guilty of the sins of others.
When there is no alternative but to sacrifice peace with man, or
peace with God and our conscience, between the friendship of
the world, and the friendship of God, it is our duty not to regard
the world, but to remain faithful to God, and not to suffer our­
selves to be annoyed at the disagreeable things or persecution?

34°

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

which in the faithful performance of our duties, we may en
counter—for this reason the Apostle says: If it be possible, as
much as is in you, having peace with all men.

Part Π.

1. We must not take revenge on our enemies.
(a.) Not revenging yourselves. In these words the Apostle for­
bids personal revenge. Why? Because the greatest evils would
result therefrom. Who is just enough to measure his revenge
according to the measure of the injury sustained ? Who is prudent
enough in every case to decide whether the offence was com­
mitted through malice, or a misunderstanding, or in haste, or
inadverdently, or perhaps even from a good intention? Would
not our revenge be the occasion for a new wrong? And what a
terrible place would this earth become, if every man were allowed
to be the avenger of his own real or fancied grievances! It would
be impossible for human society to exist.

(3.) Because personal revenge is diametrically opposed to the
spirit of Christianity. Being Christians, we are obliged to love
all men without exception, to forgive those who offend us and
return good for evil. “Love your enemies, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you ”
—Matt. 5: 44 The revengeful man does the very contrary; in­
stead of loving his enemies, he hates them ; instead of forgiving
them, he meditates revenge ; instead of doing good to them, he
feels happy when he can do them an injury
(c.) Because personal revenge is in direct opposition to the
example of Christ; he has the most inveterate enemies; they
slander, revile, calumniate, persecute and crucify him. He is
omnipotent, he can take revenge on them and destroy them. But
does he? No; he bears with them, he prays for them, he offers
himself on the cross for them. What resemblance should we
bear to him, if we permitted ourselves to be controlled by a de­
sire of revenge? Christ detests revenge so much that he severely
rebuked his disciples, who with inconsiderate zeal would call
fire from heaven upon a city of the Samaritans: “You know not
of what spirit you are. The Son of man came not to destroy
souls, but to save.”—Luke 9: 55, 56.
2. But give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge is mine;

I will repay, saith the Lord.

i.

Homiletic Sketch.

34»

St. Paul, in these words, gives an additional reason why we
must not revenge ourselves, declaring that revenge and punish
ment are privileges reserved by the wise dispensation of God
for himself alone, and that those who revenge themselves infringe
upon the rights of God, by arrogating to themselves one of his
prerogatives. If after suffering an injury, revengeful thoughts
arise in our mind, we must suppress them and say to ourselves:
It is not my province to take revenge ; this right belongs to God
alone. We must not, however, deliver, as it were, those who
offend us to the vengeance of God and wish God to punish them,
for this would show a revengeful disposition and "would be equiv­
alent to saying: “I will not take revenge on them, but God
shall do so.” Christian love obliges us to pray to God, that he
may deal with our enemies according to his mercy, and give
them time for repentance, that he may not be obliged to punish
them. Thus did Christ, St. Stephen, and all the saints, who called
not the vengeance of God upon their enemies, but asked grace
and forgiveness for them. We can not, indeed, dictate to God,
as regards his allowing his enemies and ours to go unpunished,
but we may and should pray to him for this grace for them.
That such a petition is pleasing to him, we see from the prayer
which St. Stephen made for his murderers, for to this prayer Saul
owed his conversion and his call to the apostleship. A particular
incentive to stifle all revengeful thoughts should be our own
weakness and frailty. Oh, where should we be if God, when we
sinned, had given way to revenge, and not delayed his punish­
ment, and had not had patience and indulgence with us? Let us
acknowledge with the prophet, that it is owing to the “mercies
of the Lord that we are not consumed.”—Lavi. 3: 22. Now if
God is so merciful and forbearing with us, should we not have
patience with our enemies and forgive them, that we may show
ourselves worthy of the mercy of God?

Part

HI.

We must do good to our enemies.

1. The Apostle goes still further; we must not only take no
revenge on our enemies, but we must do good to them, for he
says: If thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat ; if he thirst, give him
to drink. God deals in this way with us; he “maketh his sun to
rise upon the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and the un
just.”—Matt. 5: 45. Our Saviour treats us in the same manner.
We offend him numberless times by our sins, but so far from
avenging himself, he gives us new graces and benefits. He oflers
himself daily in the mass for us; he announces his saving doctrine
to us by his ministers, and invites us to the reception of the

342

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

sacraments to purify and sanctify us. Should not this love and
goodness of God be a powerful incentive for us to do good to
our enemies and those who offend us ?
2. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
Fire burns. No one can have coals of fire put on his head with­
out suffering great pain. Such coals of fire are to our enemies
the acts of kindness we do them. If we behave kindly to them
and even do good to them, they will feel sorry for the wrong
they have done us; they will change their tactics and become
friendly. λΥβ shall captivate the hearts of our enemies by kind­
ness and make them our friends. St. Augustine says : '‘There is no
better challenge to love than the manifestation of love.” More­
over, by showing kindness and benevolence to our enemies, we
not unfrequently make them also the friends of God. They lay
aside their enmity towards us; and by doing this remove, per­
haps, the principal cause of their enmity with God ; the peace
which returns into their hearts ennobles their disposition of mind,
and causes them to abandon their sinful life, become better Chris­
tians, and thus obtain the grace and friendship of God. We find
a number of examples in the Lives of the Saints, where the
greatest sinners, by the acts of kindness which the persecuted
and offended Christians showed them, were converted and ever
after led a pious and penitential life. This should be an encou­
ragement for us to forgive our enemies with all our heart and to
return them good for evil.
PERORATION.

Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good. Let us be
strong-minded, as it becomes Christians to be; let us suppress
all hostile, revengeful thoughts, which may arise in our mind
when we suffer injuries; let us treat our enemies with charity,
and instead of evil, let us do good to them. This is the greatest
and most glorious victory that we can gain over ourselves, a
victory which is rewarded with the sweetest consolation in this
life, and hereafter with the everlasting joys of heaven. Amen

THIRD SUNDAY AFTFR EPIPHANY.

Gospel. Matt. 8: 1-13. At that time: When Jesus was come
down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him; and be-

2. Homiletic Sketch.

343

hold a leper came and adored him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean. And Jesus, stretching forth his hand,
touched him, saying: I will; be thou made clean. And forthwith
his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith to him: See thou tell
no man ; but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which
Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. And when he had
entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, be­
seeching him, and saying: Lord, my servant lieth at home sick
of the palsy, and is grievously tormented. And Jesus saith to him:
I will come and heal him. And the centurion, making answer, said:
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof;
but only say the word and my servant shall be healed. For I
also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers;
and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come,
and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
And Jesus hearing this, marvelled, and said to them that followed
him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel.
And I say unto you that many shall come from the east and the
west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in
the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall
be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping
and grashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion : Go, and
as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. And the servant
was healed at the same hour.

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE CLEANSING OF A LEPER AND THE HEALING OF THE
CENTURION’S SERVANT.

We read in the gospel of this day that Jesus came down from
a mountain and that great multitudes followed him. What moun­
tain was it from which Christ descended ? It was that mountain
on which he had preached a long discourse before a great multi­
tude—the marvellous Sermon on the Mount. This mountain, lo­
cated in the vicinity of Genesareth, is pointed out to-day to the
traveller from distant lands as the “Mountain of the eight Beati­
tudes,” because the eight Beatitudes were the beginning and
the principal contents of that remarkable sermon on the Mount.
The people heard in this sermon doctrines that were entirely
new to them, and were so impressed by them that they would
not go their way, but followed Christ, as he came down from the
mount. In order to confirm these people in their faith, Christ
gave them a proof of his divine power by working two miracles.

344

Third Sunday After Epiphany,

of which the gospel of this day speaks. We shall make them the
subject of our present meditation. They were:
7. The cleansing of a leper, and
II. The healing of the centurion's servant, sick of the palsy.

Part L
i.

And behold, a leper came and adored him, saying·. Lord, if thou
Tvilt, thou canst make me clean.

(a.) Leprosy, which is so often mentioned in the sacred Scrip­
tures, was a loathsome disease of the skin, characterized by
whitish scales, and the virulence thereof was so great that no
disease of modern times can be compared with it. In some re­
spects like cancer, it ate away flesh and bone, and was generally
incurable. At the close of the eighth, and last crusade, about the
middle of the thirteenth century, a malignant disease, known as
the plague, or pestilence, somewhat similar to leprosy, broke out
in the Christian camp in the East and raged with such violence,
that nearly half of the army was carried off in a few days. The
leader, the soul and spirit of the enterprise, fell a victim to this
horrible malady—a man who combined in himself in an eminent
degree “the qualities of a great king, a great hero, and a great
saint”—Louis IX. The surviving warriors and pilgrims brought
this disease into Europe; the authorities of towns and cities erec­
ted houses outside the city limits, called leper-houses, lazar-houses,
lazarettos; and into these abodes the unfortunate men and
women that were infected were obliged to retire and seclude
themselves from all communication with the outside world, for
fear of contagion. Some of these houses can be seen to this day,
and they still bear the same name.
(Æ.) The man mentioned in the gospel of this day was full of
leprosy, as St. Luke says (5 : 12). His disease had spread to such
an extent that a speedy death was inevitable. What an unhappy
man I But more unfortunate still are those who are infected with
the spiritual leprosy of sin, for they fall a prey to eternal death,
unless they are healed Alas! there are so many who are in­
different to this spiritual leprosy, and consequently do not wish
to be freed from it. What blindness!

(c.) The leper came to Jesus. If he had not been leprous, he
would not, perhaps, have come to Jesus; behold, how true is the
saying that necessity leads men to God. Look therefore upon
crosses and afflictions not as evils, but as graces, and employ
them for your salvation.

2. Homiletic Sketch.

345

(if.) The leper adored Jesus. Adore him also, as often as you
come near him. But how do you behave in his presence in the
church? You scarcely bend your knee, or if you do, as if you
were mocking him. Oh, consider that he who is present under
the species of bread, will one day be your judge.

(£.) The leper said: Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Let us admire the faith of the leper. He does not doubt the
omnipotence, and consequently the divinity of Christ, when he
says : If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Let us also imitate
his resignation to the will of God. He does not say: “Thou must
make me clean,” but leaves it to Christ to make him clean or
not. We must do this in all things; we must pray with faith and
confidence, “for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, that
is moved and carried about by the wind. Therefore, let not that
man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.”—
James i : 7, 8. We must also pray with resignation to the will of
God, especially when we pray for temporal things, which are
not necessary for our salvation. God knows best what is good
for us; we must therefore leave it to him when and how he will
hear us. Thus Christ prayed in the garden of Olives.
2. And Jesus stretching forth his hand, touched him saying : 1
will, be thou made clean. Andforthwith his leprosy was cleansed.

(a.) By the words : I will, be thou made clean, Christ manifested
his divine power. The apostles and the saints, did not speak
thus when they performed miracles, healed the sick, raised the
dead to life. They had recourse to God in prayer, full of faith
that he would give them the power to work miracles, which they
did not perform in their own name, but in the name of Jesus. St.
Peter said to the man that had been born lame: uIn the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.”—Acts 3 : 6. Since Christ
by his own power worked miracles, and all the faithful who per­
formed miracles did so only in his name, it is an incontrovertible
proof of his divinity.
(b.) Jesus said: I will, be thou made clean, and he was made
clean. The will of Christ is action; whatever he wills is done, and
no power can hinder him. What a consoling truth for us Catho­
lics. He will protect the Church against all her enemies, for he
has promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.
Let us have confidence in this time of persecution of the Church.
3. And Jesus said to him : See thou tell no man ; but go, show
thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for
a testimony unto them.

34ô

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

(a.) Since Christ sought not his own honor, but the honor of
his heavenly Father, he forbade the leper to manifest his mira­
culous cure. This should be a lesson to us to keep secret whatever
good we may do or may have done, and never to reveal it through
vanity or ambition. If we have done a good work, let us not
boast of it. He who in his good works seeks not the glory of
God, but his own, will receive no reward hereafter. Let us fre­
quently say with St. Ignatius: “All for the greater glory of God.”
Perhaps Christ may also, from a motive of prudence, have com­
manded the leper to keep the miracle a secret. If the priests
had heard of the miracle before they had examined the leper, they
might not have declared him clean on account of their hatred
and envy of Christ, but they might have asserted that he
still had the leprosy. Herein also we should imitate Christ by
keeping secret the good we or others do or have done, if from its
revelation evil consequences are likely to follow.
(£.) According to the law of Moses, the cleansed lepers were
obliged to show themselves to the priests, for these were appoin­
ted to examine them and declare if they were really healed.
Only after the priests had pronounced them clean were they
considered so and allowed to return to society. Here leprosy
manifestly appears as a figure of sin of which we are freed only by
the priest’s absolution. If you were infected with leprosy, or
with any other disease, and in order to be freed from it had
only to show yourselves to the priests, would you delay doing
so? Certainly not. And yet you carry your spiritual leprosy,
sin, with you for months and years without going to a priest to
be healed of the sickness of your soul by sacramental absolu­
tion. How blind you are ! How little you understand the nature
of sin, which is the greatest, nay, the only evil !

(i.) The lepers when healed were to offer a gift to God. Let
us also show that we are thankful to God for recovered health
by making a good use of it, and above all, for the cure of the
soul, that is, for the forgiveness of our sins by a total and lasting
amendment of life.

(tZ.) Jesus adds: For a testimony unto them. The priests, after
having convinced themselves of the miraculous cure of the leper,
should have believed that Christ was truly the promised Messias.
Behold, how Jesus offers his grace to all men, even to his ene­
mies, as were the Jewish priests. Oh, let us not resemble those
Jewish priests, who made no use of the grace offered them, but
persevered in unbelief and sin, and consequently perished.

2.

Homiletic Sketch.

Part

347

Π.

I. And when he had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him
a centurion, beseeching him and saying: Lord, my servant lieth al
home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.

(λ.) Capharnaum was a city on Lake Genesareth, in which not
only Jews but also pagans lived. Christ frequently came to this
city, taught there, and performed miracles. By this he gave us
to understand that not only the Jews, but also the pagans, should
enter his Church and have part in the grace of redemption. He
also pronounced woe on Capharnaum, because it persevered in
unbelief and impenitence in spite of the many graces received.
—Luke 10: 15. This woe will come upon all impénitents sinners.
(£.) The centurion of Capharnaum was a Gentile, but he did
not worship idols; he knew and adored the true God, lived pi­
ously, was very favorably inclined towards the Jews, and built
them a synagogue. He had been an eye and ear witness of the
miracles of Christ ; he therefore approached him with the profoundest respect and unbounded confidence, requesting him to
heal his servant. In this centurion masters and mistresses have
a beautiful example as to how they should behave toward their
employees. He did not send his servant away when he was sick,
and cause him inconvenience, but kept him in his house and
provided for him whatever was needed in his sickness ; he even,
went to Jesus to seek relief for him. A father could not treat
his child better than did the centurion his sick servant. Do you
treat your domestics with affection, especially in their sickness,
and do you think of the salvation of their souls? Remember the
words of St. Paul: “If any man have not care of his own, and
especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel.”—I. Tim. 5; 8.

2. And fesus said to him : I will come and heal him. Why does
Christ at once declare himself ready to go to the centurion’s
house and heal his sick servant? Without doubt on account of
the active love of his neighbor, which the centurion had shown
towards the Jews and his sick servant. Here we see how we can
cause Jesus to be inclined to us, and how we can obtain his love
and mercy ; only let us be tender-hearted and merciful to our
follow-men. With whatsoever measure we measure unto others,
it shall be measured again unto us.

3. The centurion, making answer, said; Lord, I am not worthy
that thou shouldst enter under my roof ; but only say the word, and
my servant shall be healed.

A

348

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

{a.) Which are we to admire more in the centurion, hit
humility or his faith ? He is a superior, holding a high position
in the social scale, and yet he considers himself not w >rthy to
receive Christ into his house. Therein he excels Zacheus. If
we think little of ourselves, we shall not feel grieved and
offended when we experience a humiliation. The centurion be­
lieved Christ to be the Son of God, and therefore able to heal
his sick servant by his word only. This was the reason of his
great humility. How few humble themselves thus before Christi
They come to church full of pride, when frequently the upper­
most thought in their mind is to please and show off. They act
like the proud Pharisee in the temple. Of what profit is it to such
persons to go to church ? They only offend God and leave the
church greater sinners than they were before they entered it.

{bi) The Church bids us use the words of the centurion at holy
communion. Oh, that we would always repeat them with the
same faith, humility, love and respect as the centurion did, in
order to communicate worthily.

4. For I also am a man. subject to authority, having under mt
soldiers ; and I say to this man, go, and he goeth ; and to another,
come, and he cometh ; and to my servant, do this, and he doeth il.
In these words the centurion acknowledges Christ as the
omnipotent Lord and God. As I have servants under me whom
I can command with a word, so thou hast the power of nature
at thy command ; thou hast only to say the word, and my servant
shall be healed. How rare is such faith among Christians! It is
owing to this want of faith that prayers are so cold, so distracted,
so void of devotion and confidence; it is for this reason that
Christians are so easily discouraged in suffering and tribulation.

5 And Jesus hearing this, marvelled and said to them thatfollow­
ed him : Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great faith in
Israel. And I say to you, that many shall come from the East ana
the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom shall be
cast out into the exterior darkness', there shall be weeping and gnash­
ing of teeth.
{a.) When it is said here that Jesus wondered, you must not
think that the centurion was not known to him, or that he was
surprised at it, for Christ is omniscient; but he expresses his sur­
prise in order to draw the attention of the people that were pre­
sent to the great faith of the centurion. This faith was indeed
admirable, for the centurion was a soldier and a pagan, in whom
we should have expected no great faith. His faith surpassed

a. Homiletic Sketch.

349

that of the Scribes and Pharisees who, although they were very
learned in religious matters, and were familiar with the predicti­
ons of the prophets in regard to the Messias, did not believe in
Christ. Such is the case to-day, the common, uneducated people
have greater faith than many of the learned. Science is not
necessary for faith, but only good will and humility.

(b.) Christ foretells that many shall come from the East and the
West, that is, that Gentiles from all parts of the earth shall
enter into his Church and be saved, while the children of the
kingdom, that is, the Jews, shall persevere in their unbelief and
perish. History verifies this prediction. The greater portion of
the Jewish people remained incredulous and obstinate, and were,
therefore rejected; the Gentiles embraced the religion of Christ
and were saved. We Catholics are now the children of the king­
dom, but if we do not wish to be rejected with the obstinate
Jews, we must preserve our holy Catholic faith and live accord­
ing to its precepts.
(c.) Lastly, our Lord said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast
believed, so be it done to thee. And the servant was healed at the same
hour. Here Christ reveals himself again as a God of love and
mercy, always ready to assist where assistance is needed. This
aid he will vouchsafe us in proportion as by humility, faith and
confidence we render ourselves worthy of his assistance. What­
ever anxiety or concern we may have, let us go with the cen­
turion to Christ and beg his assistance with humble, confiding,
trusting heart, and we shall most certainly find relief. Christ
still invites all : "Come to me all you that labor and are bur­
dened, and I will refresh you.”—Matt. 11 : 28.
PERORATION.

Take to heart the lessons of this day’s gospel and make them
the rule of your life. If you yourselves, or any of yours, fall sick,
seek rehef of Christ, as did the leper and the centurion. He is
the best physician, and can help when human aid is vain. Make
use of your sickness and all other temporal evils, according to
the will of God, for your amendment, sanctification, and per
fection. Be firm in faith, and humble of heart; practice prayer,
love your neighbor, and be charitable and merciful to God’s
poor. Thus you will show that you are worthy disciples of Christ,
and may hope to become heirs of his kingdom. Amen.

350

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
THE CONFESSION OF FAITH.

I have not found so great faith in Israel,—Matt. 8 : io.
Both the leper and the centurion, mentioned in this day’s
gospel, made themselves conspicuous by their faith, for they both
had recourse to Christ in their afflictions, firmly convinced that
he was God and that they could obtain relief from him. They
also manifested their faith exteriorly, and confessed it by word
and action ; the leper adored Christ, and the centurion declared
himself unworthy to receive him into his house; both also ex­
pressed their belief in the omnipotence, and, consequently, in
the divinity of Christ. Like them, we must not only bear our
Catholic faith in our hearts, but also profess it publicly. The
Apostle demands this, saying : x‘With the heart we believe unto
justice ; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Rom. io: io. I shall speak to-day about the confession of faith
and answer the two following questions:
I. When must we confess our faith ?
IL How must we confess our faith ?

Part

L

We are not obliged to confess our faith always; but we must
never, in any case, deny it. Christ says in general terms: “He
that shall deny It e before men, I will also deny him before my
Father, who is in heaven.”—Matt, io . 33. Hence St. Augustine
says: “As it profits unto eternal life to confess Christ, so it is in­
jurious unto eternal death to deny him.” Now the question is,
when must we confess our faith?
i. When the honor of God requires it. Now the honor of God
requires us to confess our faith—

(a.) When we are questioned about it by the public authorities. We
are bound in this case to confess our faith in plain, unequivocal
terms, under pain of mortal sin, and even if the confession of it
should cost us our life. Our divine Saviour has given us the

j, Dogmatical Sketch,

351

example. When the high-priest adjured him by the living God
to say if he was Christ, the Son of God, he replied: “Thou hast
said it.”—Matt. 26: 63, 64. Although he knew that this confes­
sion would deliver him to death, yet he made it, because silence
would have been equivalent to a denial of the truth and a dis­
honor to God. The Apostles imitated this example of their
Master.—Acts 4: 19, 20; 33. The martyrs of every age did the
same. They knew that if they confessed their faith a most cruel
death would be the consequence; yet they never hesitated a
moment, for they remembered the words of Christ.—Matt. 10 : 33.
This is also our duty; it we be questioned concerning our faith
by the public authorities, we are bound to confess it, no matter
whether it be for our benefit or otherwise.
(à) There are still other cases in which the honor of God de­
mands that we confess our faith. Such cases would be, for in­
stance, if we could gain new adherents for God, because thereby
his honor would be increased; again if we should have an oppor­
tunity of preventing words and actions which injure the honor
of God. Thus we must disapprove of all irreligious discourses,
scoffs and derision at the doctrines and ordinances of the Church,
and declare openly that everything that the Catholic Church
teaches is sacred to us. This is the duty especially of superiors and
such as have influence in a community. It is not advisable, how­
ever, for any one to enter into a religious controversy in saloons
and like places with liberals and free-thinkers; to such men you
must declare emphatically that it is not the place for such dis­
courses, and if they are anxious to know the truth they should
read good Catholic books, or inquire of those, who are appointed
to teach.
2. If our own or our neighbor’s salvation demands it.

[a.') Our own salvation obliges us to confess the faith, if con­
cealing it would expose us to the danger of doing something
which religion forbids. For instance, a Protestant employer, not
knowing that his servant is a Catholic, obliges her to attend a
Protestant church. In such a case the servant must reveal her
faith, for it is strictly forbidden to take part in Protestant ser­
vices, because this would be equivalent to a denial of the faith.
Should an hotel-keeper set meat before a guest on Friday, not
knowing that he is a Catholic, the guest must say that he does
not wish to eat meat, and if he be asked the reason, he must say
that he is a Catholic, and that the eating of meat is forbidden
him on Fridays. If in these and similar cases the confession of
our faith be attended with inconvenience and ridicule, we must
disregard these things, because for our soul’s salvation we must
make every sacrifice.

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Third Sunday After Epiphany.

(fi) The salvation of others obliges us to confess the faith, if by
omitting to do so our fellow-men would be scandalized or be in
danger of wavering in their faith; or if we have occasion by this
profession of our faith to strengthen the weak, to comfort the
persecuted, or to instruct heretics. It was particularly this con­
sideration that urged the aged and venerable Eleazar to be con­
stant at his martyrdom: “For,” said he, “it doth not become our
age to dissemble, whereby many young persons might think
that Eleazar, at the age of fourscore and ten years, was gone over
to the life of the heathens, and so they, through my dissimulalation and for a little time of a corruptible life, should be deceived,
and hereby I should bring a stain and a curse upon my old age,”
etc.—IL Mach. 6: 24-31.
It is the strict obligation of superiors, fathers, and mothers to
conduct themselves always as good Catholics, for their inferiors,
children, and servants conform to their example, and would be
very much scandalized if they noticed in them any contempt of
religion.
3.

If the good of religion or a precept of the Church requires it.

(a.) In our intercourse with other persons we have not unfrequently an opportunity of defending our holy religion, and pro­
moting its interests. Let us suppose, for example, that when we are
in company with others something is said against religion and
good morals. In this case we must not keep silence, especially
if others would infer from our silence that we assent to the
opinions expressed; we are bound, on the contrary, to show by
an express declaration or by our countenance that we disapprove
of and condemn them. There are many who from human fear
and respect dare not raise their voice against irreligious dis­
courses, and, in order to avoid giving offense, assent to them.
Such persons sin against their holy religion, and merit God’s
displeasure, since they endeavor to possess the friendship of man
rather than that of God. Take to heart the words of Christ: “He
that shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him the Son of
Man shall be ashamed when he shall come in his majesty, and
that of his Father, and of the holy angels.”—Luke 9: 26.
(£.) Sometimes a precept of the Church also obliges us to confess
our faith. The Church commands us to abstain from servile work
on holidays and to hear mass. Now, if a Catholic does servile
work on holidays and does not hear mass, it would be not only
a violation of the precepts of the Church, but also a kind of de­
nial of the faith, because if we were not intimately acquainted
with him we should infer that he was not a Catholic. The same
may be said of the precept of fasting. In hotels, where the

3· Dogmatical Sketch.

353

precept of fasting and abstinence is not observed, the Catholic, by
observing the precept of the Church, confesses that he is a Ca·
tolic ; and this confession is so much the more necessary now-adays the more frequently the precept of fasting is transgressed.

Part II.
Confession of the faith can be made by words, by signs, and
by actions. In this threefold manner we must confess our faith
whenever it is necessary.
i. By words. Words are used as the signs of ideas, and are the
most natural means of conveying our thoughts to one another;
words therefore are also the most appropriate means of reveal­
ing the faith which is concealed in our heart. We must, however,
guard against all ambiguity, and make use only of such expres­
sions as shall preclude the possibility of our faith being mis­
understood. In the primitive ages of Christianity, it was a full
confession of the faith to say, “I am a Christian,” because in those
days there were no sects who called themselves Christians, but
in our times, when numberless sects call themselves Christians,
the expression, “1 am a Christian,” is too general and indefinite,
because it would not be known whether one belonged to the
Catholic Church, the Greek Church, or to one of the othernumerous
sects separated from the true Church. Therefore, in order to
make a full and distinct confession of our faith we must say, “I
am a Catholic,” for only by the word “Catholic” can we be
distinguished from all other religious denominations. In order
to confess our faith we have certain formulas called the Apostles',
the Athanasian, the Nicene, Creed, and that of the Council of
Trent. As the first three belong to the first centuries of the
Church, and consequently do not refer to the heresies of later
times, the Church makes use of the symbol composed at the
Council of Trent, as the solemn profession of faith, because in
this particular one mention is made of the articles of faith re­
jected by the heretics of modern times.

2. Besides words, there are signs by which we confess our
faith. Such signs are, the sign of the cross, the rosary, holy
water, scapulars, genuflections, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and
the veneration of the saints. He who uses such signs is generally
considered a Catholic, if he is an entire stranger to us, for the
members of Protestant denominations do not make use of these
signs. Although the use of these signs does not constitute the
essence of religion, yet we must not on that account disregard,
much less despise them. He who is a good Catholic feels the
necessity of showing himself as such outwardly, and therefore
23

354

Third Sunday After Epiphamy.

he piously uses the signs of his faith. There are, however, cases
in which we are bound under pain of mortal sin to employ these
signs of faith. Such cases would be if by the neglect or omission
of them we should give great scandal to others and expose them
to the danger of being led astray in their faith, or of falling
away from it. If the servants of kings consider it an honor to
carry the emblem of their office and dignity, why should we be
ashamed of the signs which make us known as Catholics? Is it
anything contemptible to be a Catholic ? Truly, he who is ashamed
to make the sign of the cross, to take holy water, to let his beads
be seen, is not a good Catholic, and has reason to fear that Chris*
will be ashamed of him on the day of judgment.

3. We confess our faith by actions, when we devote ourselves
to those exercises which give testimony of our zeal in the faith.
Such actions are, going to Church on Sundays and holidays,
hearing sermons, the frequent reception of the Sacrament of Pe­
nance and the Blessed Eucharist, the observance of the precepts
of fasting, the adoration of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar,
the veneration of the Blessed Virgin and the saints. These exer­
cises are necessary in themselves, because without them no truly
Christian, pious life is possible. The argument however, which
here weighs heavily is, that Christians who neglect these religi­
ous exercises give scandal and are the cause of others growing
cold in their faith. How does it happen that so many Catholics
in towns and in the country declare that going to Church, hear­
ing the Word of God, frequent confession and communion, and
other pious exercises, are follies, and so they live more like
heathens than Christians! A11 this comes of the scandals and bad
examples of so many of their fellow-men. They see how they
disregard and neglect the religious exercises prescribed and re­
commended by the Church ; hence they also disregard them and
lead an unchristian life. Therefore, those who do not confess
their faith by actions occasion great mischief, and cause not only
their own ruin, but that of others also.
PERORATION.

Guard carefully against the neglect of the duties of religion,
that you may not be a stumbling-block to your fellow men. You
are Catholics; it is your duty to confess your faith, whenever the
honor of God, your own salvation, the salvation of your neigh­
bor, the good of religion, or a precept of the Church, requires it.
This confession is to be made in a threefold manner, by words,
by signs, and by actions. By words, declaring without fear that
we are Catholics and believe what the holy Catholic Church
proposes to our faith; by signs, using those signs by which a

4« Liturgical Sketch,

355

Catholic is distinguished from unbelievers and heretics, and by
never omitting them through human respect, or to the scandal
of others ; by actions, by faithfully performing what the Catholic
Church prescribes and recommends. If in such a manner we
confess our faith, the words of our Lord will be realized in us:
“Whosoever shall confess me before man, I will also confess him
before my Father who is in heaven.”—Matt. 10: 32. Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
THE EXTERNAL WORSHIP OF GOD,

Behold, a leper came and adored him.—Matt. 8:2.

The gospel of this day mentions that a leper adored Christ;
he acknowledged him as his Lord and God, and being convinced
of his divinity, showed him divine honor. And he did not con­
fine this to his heart, he manifested it also exteriorly; for, as
St. Luke tells us, he fell on his face before Jesus.—Luke 5: 12.
This falling on his face revealed the sentiments of his heart; he
saw in Christ not a mere man, but God himself, with all his divine
attributes, and on this account he had the most profound venera­
tion for him and humbled himself in the dust. Like this leper,
we must adore God not only interiorly, but also exteriorly, for
although interior worship is the main thing, yet exterior worship
is necessary and belongs to the interior, as the body to the soul.
Exterior worship consists in manifesting our interior, respectful
sentiments towards God by exterior actions; such as genuflec­
tions, folding the hands, and especially by participating in public
worship. Of this external worship I shall speak to-day, and ex­
plain to you why it is necessary.

Part

L

The history of all times and nations teaches us that we should
worship God not only interiorly, but also exteriorly.
(«.) All nations of the earth, even the pagans, had from time
immemorial a public external worship, and manifested their

356

Third Sunday After Ehphany.

religious sentiments by meetings, sacrifices, hymns, and prayers.
Plutarch says : “If you travel the world over, you may find cities
without walls, without science, without kings, or riches ; but no
one has ever seen a city that has not its temples and gods, and
I believe that a city without a foundation can more easily be
formed and exist than a community without a belief in a deity.”

(£.) In the Sacred Scripture mention is made of external wor<
ship on almost every page. Abel, Henoch, and Noe erected altars
to the Lord, and offered sacrifices; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
did the same. The Israelites received from God himself various
ordinances concerning worship, and those who were zealous in
their faith clung to them so firmly that they would rather sacri­
fice their lives than forego the prescribed worship. Witness
Daniel, who preferred to be cast into the lions’ den, rather than
omit the prayers and genuflections prescribed by the divine law.
(e.) Christ, it is true, says : “God is a spirit : and they that
adore him, must adore him in spirit and in truth.”—John 4: 24.
In these words, however, he does not disapprove of external
worship, but merely declares to the Jews, who honored God only
with their lips, but whose hearts were far from him, that exter­
nal worship has no value, unless it be the expression of the in­
terior religious sentiments. Christ was far from disapproving
of external religious usages ; on the contrary, he observed them
himself and ordained many for his Church. Thus he often went
to Jerusalem and celebrated there the feast of the Pasch. He
was baptized by John : he prayed with a loud voice in a kneeling
posture, with his face to the earth. He taught us the “Our
Father,” and directed us to say it; he instituted a visible sacrifice
and commanded the celebration of it for all time.

(a?.) We read of the early Christians, that during the times of
persecution they held their religious meetings in secluded places
and in subterranean caverns (catacombs), and constantly risked
their lives in order to be present at, and participate in, public
prayer and the celebration of the holy sacrifice. This eagerness
on their part is sufficient indication of what they thought of ex­
terior worship.
·
'■·'?>.

Part IL
Our nature obliges us to eternal worship. We consist of a body
and a soul. With both we should worship God ; with the soul by
interior, with the body by exterior adoration. The body, as well
as the soul, receives from God numberless benefits ; therefore,
the body, in its way, as well as the soul, should thank, honor,

<■

4. Liturgical Sketch.

357

and worship him. The royal prophet calls upon all creatures in
heaven and on earth, even the irrational and lifeless, to praise
God; shall not our body, then, this masterpiece of the visible
creation, also praise and glorify its Maker? Moreover, our body
is sanctified, and is destined to rise glorious from the grave; to
be again united with the soul, and with the soul to enjoy ever­
lasting glory in heaven. Who, then, can doubt that the body
also, in order to merit future beatitude, must adore and glorify
God ?

External worship is also deeply rooted in our nature. If we feel
joyful or sad, we manifest it by looks and gestures, by words and
actions. If we kept our feelings locked up in our hearts we
should act against the law of human nature. Nay, if these interior
feelings become very strong, it is impossible to restrain them ;
they resemble water, which, when it has reached the boiling point,
remains no longer quiet in the vessel, but being violently agitated
overflows on all sides. The same may be said of religious feel­
ings; wherever they are they manifest themselves, and the more
they take possession of the heart and captivate it, the more they
come to the surface. If we see a man who talks, laughs, and
gazes around during mass, we naturally think such a person has
no devotion in his heart. And why do we think so? Because we
are convinced that the exterior is an index of the interior, and
that men who externally give no sign of devotion, have no de­
votion in their heart either. But if, on the contrary, we see a
person in the church on his knees, with his hands joined and his
eyes fixed upon the altar, we judge that he has devotion in his
heart. And why ? Again for the same reason, that the exterior
reveals and reflects the interior. Thus from the exterior we
have an indication of what the interior is, and although devotion
and piety are sometimes feigned, it is nevertheless true that
those who are truly penetrated by a spirit of religion manifest
it exteriorly on every occasion.

Part IV.
Exterior worship assists and increases interior worship.
(«.’) General experience teaches that objects which fall under
the senses make a deeper impression on us than they would if
represented to our fancy only by thought or reasoning. We
receive a livelier impression of a magnificent church which we
see with our own eyes, than when we read a description of it. A
sermon delivered by a priest with earnestness strikes us more

i ·

b
1.

I

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Third Sunday After Epiphany.

forcibly than when we read the same sermon in a book. The
same occurs when exterior worship is united with the interior.
Exterior devotion resembles fuel, which makes the fire burn all
the brighter in proportion to the quantity we put on. Hence St.
Augustine says: “While the exterior motions or gestures can not
exist without the corresponding interior emotions, the latter,
which have given the impulse, are again increased on their part
by the former, and thus the emotion of the heart, which neces­
sarily precedes, as it produces the exterior gestures, gains an
increase by the gestures produced.”
(£.) Moreover, external devotion at public worship is calculated
to make a salutary impression on others and to edify them. How
often does it occur that even those whose hearts are cold and
almost dead to everything religious and divine, are attracted by
the sight of a devout congregation and become themselves dis­
posed to devotion ! Yes, history is replete with examples of un­
believers and heretics who have been converted to the true faith
by the devotion which pious Catholics manifested in their public
worship.

Part V.
Exterior worship is also necessary for the sake of good example
If we neglect exterior worship altogether, never participate in
it, never make the sign of the cross, or say a vocal prayer, we
should be looked upon as free-thinkers and infidels. Such bad
example would have the most serious consequences for many,
especially for inferiors and children. Why are many young
people so careless about going to church ? Because they see that
their parents seldom go ; or if their parents do go to mass on
Sunday, the children see that going or staying away is a matter
of slight moment in their eyes. Why do so many defer their
confession and communion until Easter? Because they see others
go to confession and communion only once a year. Those, there­
fore, who neglect and disregard external worship, manifestly
give scandal ; while those who fulfil their religious duties con­
scientiously give others good example, and without uttering
a word are constantly encouraging and exhorting them to do
likewise.
PERORATION.

I have given only a few of the reasons which go to prove the
necessity of external worship. But they are quite sufficient to con­
vince you that every one who intends truly to worship God, must
worship him not only interiorly, but also exteriorly. He who

5- Symbolical Sketch.

359

says that he worships God in his heart, but never manifests this
worship outwardly is a liar; for a good tree brings forth good
fruit. If the interior devotion of the heart be a constant fire, the
exterior manifestation of it is a pure flame; and as flame or
smoke is inseparable from fire, so exterior devotion is inseparable
from interior. Attend church frequently, participate with fervor
in the public worship of God, and be present on Sundays and
holidays at mass in the morning, and vespers in the evening.
Conduct yourselves everywhere as devout Catholics whose hearts
are penetrated witk the spirit of religion, and whose piety serves
to edify all men. If we worship God interiorly and exteriorly,
and offer him the sacrifice of our body and soul, he will be
pleased with us, will bless us, and reward us hereafter with
the goods of eternal life. Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
LEPROSY, A FIGURE OF SIN.

Behold^ a leper came.—Matt. 8: 2.
Our divine Lord taught not only by words, but also by actions.
Actions speak louder than words. All the miracles he performed
may be interpreted in a spiritual sense, and will then be found
to contain various lessons and truths. Christ by giving sight to
the blind intimated that he was “the true light, which enligtheneth
every man that cometh into this world.” — John i : 9. When he
fed the hungry he referred to the wonderful bread from heaven,
holy communion, in which be gives his own flesh and blood for
the nourishment of our souls. When he raised the dead to life he
gave us to understand that he had come to raise man from the
death of sin to the life of grace. The two miracles mentioned in
the gospel of this day have also a symbolical signification. We
shall devote our attention to-day to the first of these miracles
only, namely, the cure of the leper. Leprosy is a figure of sin—

Z In its origin;
II. In its nature;
III. In its cure.

360

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

Part

L

Leprosy is a figure of sin in its origin.

i. Leprosy has its origin in bad humors, accumulated in the
body. Unless they are removed in time, they are apt to cause
eruptions on the skin. In the East they produced leprosy. Now,
in its origin leprosy may be most fittingly compared to sin. For
as leprosy is a result of an accumulation of bad humors in the
human body, humors which remain invisible to the eye, so sin
also originates in the interior of man, namely, in that proneness
to evil which is in every man, even the baptized in consequence
of original sin. “The imagination and thought of man’s heart are
prone to evil from his youth.”—Gen. 8:21. This concupiscence in
itself is no sin, but frequently leads to sin ; for, as soon as we yield
to it by entertaining with pleasure what it represents as agreeable
and desirable, or really do that to which it incites, the sin is be­
gotten.“ Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being
drawn away and allured : then when concupiscencehath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin : but sin, when it is completed, begetteth
death.”—James 1: 14, 15. Examples: Cain saw that the Lord
regarded Abel and his offering with favor, while his own gifts
were rejected. This Cain saw with vexation, and being from his
birth prone to evil, he was quickly roused to envy. As he did
not resist his evil inclination at once and earnestly, but allowed
the bad humors to work secretly in his soul, the disease became
worse. Envy became hatred, and finally developed into murder,
even the murder of his own most innocent brother. David in an
unlucky moment cast an unchaste glance at Bethsabee, in con­
sequence of which concupiscence awoke in him, causing impure
desires, and as he did not earnestly resist he fell into the heinous
crimes of murder and adultery. Thus from concupiscence ori­
ginate all kinds of disorders and sins discernible in the lives of
men.

What must we do to guard ourselves against sin? We must
struggle manfully against our inborn inclination to evil and sub­
due it, according to the word of God: “The lust (of sin) shall be
under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it.”—Gen. 4: 7.
If, therefore, we be tempted to sin, for instance, to pride, impu­
rity, avarice, envy, or anger, we must at once resist and refuse
consent, and at the same time pray to God fervently for the
grace of resistance. Only by so doing shall we be preserved
from sin. Motive : “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation;
for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life ”
James 1: 12.

5« Symbolical Sketch.

3βϊ

2. By contagion. Leprosy is a very contagious disease. The
touch of the leper, even the inhalation of the air poisoned by
him, is dangerous and may communicate the disease. For this
reason lepers were excluded from all society according to the law
of Moses ; they had to live outside cities and towns, wear loose
clothes, and go bareheaded so that every one could know them
at a distance ; they were obliged also to cover their mouth, and
to cry out to every one they met that they were unclean.—Levit.
13:45,46.
The leprosy of the soul, like the leprosy of the body, fre­
quently originates from contagion. The first centuries after the
creation of the world bear testimony to this sad truth. The chil­
dren of God, that is, the descendants of Seth, lived in piety and
godliness ; but when they entered into relations with the children
of men, the impious descendants of Cain, and intermarried with
them, they were infected by them and became wicked like them.
The degeneracy of morals became so great and widespread, that
God found it necessary to destroy the whole human race by the
deluge. Thus it has been at all times, and is at the present day:
sin always reveals itself as a contagious leprosy. How many
children and young persons are good and pious as long as they
remain under the parental roof, but fall away as soon as they
come into contact with the corrupt world. Even persons of ma­
ture age frequently lose their good principles and lead a wicked
life by associating with irreligious and immoral persons. Whence
comes the present corruption of morals that pervades every state
of society? From scandal and bad example. He that wishes to
preserve himself from the leprosy of sin must avoid all intimate
society with the wicked. “My son, if sinners shall entice thee,
consent not to them.”—Prov. 1: 10. Parents, do all in your power
to guard your children against bad company.

Part Π.
In its nature.
• I

i. Leprosy is a very disgusting and loathsome disease. It makes
its appearance on the skin in spots of a reddish white, and has
this peculiarity, that the hair which is in these spots turns gray;
it goes on spreading more and more, and frequently extends over
the entire surface of the body, from the crown of the head to the
sole of the feet. It keeps eating deeper into the flesh, too, even
to the very bone ; in consequence of which the flesh frequently
falls off in lumps, the whole body putrefies and disseminates an
intolerable stench. There is indeed no disease so loathsome and
horrible as leprosy.

!- I

3ό2

Third Sunday After Epiphany,

But far more loathsome is the spiritual leprosy, sin. A pure
soul adorned with sanctifying grace is an image of (-rod, the high·
•?st and most perfect good : it possesses a grace, a charm, a beauty,
and a dignity, to which nothing created can be compared.
Now, what does sin do? It obliterates from the soul the image of
God and imprints on it the image of the devil ; it disfigures and dis­
honors the soul in such a manner that it becomes far more
abominable and intolerable to God than the most awful stench
of rottenness from the graves can be to the most delicate person.
Spiritual writers say that if we could see with our bodily eyes a
soul stained by mortal sin, the sight of it would fill us with such
terror and horror that we should fall dead. O sinner, how does
your soul look? You adorn your body in order to please men, but
your soul is a rotten carcass, from which God and his angels turn
their eyes with horror. And still you heed it not, but carry such
a soul about with you for years.
2. Leprosy is a very painful disease—

(a.) In itself. This is easily understood, for it eats away the
flesh to the very bones. How great, how lasting, must be the
pain whilst this slow destruction of the body is in progress !

(Æ.) On account of its consequences. As already stated, lepers
were forbidden all intercourse with men ; they were left entirely
to themselves; nobody would or could nurse them. What a de­
plorable situation ! Is there anything more distressing than to be
sick, and miserable, and to be abandoned by all ?

In this also sin resembles leprosy. I do not speak here of the
temporal evils which sin sometimes brings, such as poverty, loss
of reputation, sickness, an early death,—but of the torments
caused by an outraged conscience. Even the greatest sinner can
not entirely suppress his conscience; it is a worm that never
dies.—Is. 66: 24. It lies down with the sinner and rises with him,
accompanies him on all his journeys, and stings most unmerci
fully, particularly in solitude. What bitter, painful hours it will
cause him in death 1 Example: Antiochus on his death-bed.—I.
Mach. 6: 10 et seq. The torments of conscience frequently be­
come so unendurable to sinners that they lay violent hands on
themselves, and give themselves over to perdition even in life.
(<r.) Sin, like leprosy, separates its victim, not from man indeed
immediately, but from God. So that God from the instant the
sin is committed becomes the defiled soul’s adversary ; it sepa­
rates him from the communion of the Church, whose means of

5.

Symbolical Sketch.

363

salvation are of no profit to the sinner; and lastly, from heaven,
into which nothing defiled can enter. Oh, how wretched does
not sin make man !

3. Leprosy is generally incurable, particularly when it has gone
so far as to become chronic. Such lepers must feel wretched
indeed when they are forced to say to themselves: If God does
not work a miracle in my favor, death alone can deliver me.
Herein sin again resembles leprosy. If it be once rooted in the
soul and become a habit, a radical and lasting conversion seldom
takes place. Drunkards, gamblers, libertines, blasphemers, the
avaricious, are what they have been, and very likely will remain
what they are. Many a time a half-wish is formed that their
lives had been better. So far as the past is concerned no doubt
such a wish is sincere. They feel that no fruits remain to them
of those things in which they gloried. That Past—its pleasures
are done with, the day of reckoning is yet to come. But that
wish of habitual sinners is sterile as regards the present and
future. Though they may wish they had led a different life ten
or twenty years ago, yet what they were ten or twenty years
ago they are to day, and expect to be to-morrow. Theirs is
the leprosy of sin, incurable, short of a miracle. Many times
the sinner does not even endeavor to rise from his misery
and sin ; he remains impassive and callous. Sometimes he makes
an attempt, but it is only spasmodic, and he soon relapses; for
as soon as his old darling passions, his inveterate habits, claim
indulgence, all his attempts at amendment are wrecked and
he falls back into his former condition. Thus he continues in
the state of sin until he falls into the hands of the living God,
and passes from temporal to eternal death. Tell me, is there
anything more deplorable than a sinful life that has become
habitual ? And how many lead such an habitually sinful life!

In its cure.
According to the law of Moses, lepers were to observe three
things in their cure:
i. They were to withdraw for seven days and separate themselves
from all other men. This time of total separation was appointed
as a probation to see if the leprosy had really vanished, lie who
wishes to be cleansed from spiritual leprosy must also seclude
himself—

j(>4

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

(λ.) interiorly from sin. A.s long as man clings to sin, loves it,
is pleased with it, a reconciliation with G-od is absolutely impos­
sible. True repentance consists in turning the heart from sin to
God; in other words, the sinner must be really sorry for his sins,
and therefore hate and detest them, and be earnestly resolved
not to commit them any more. Contrition and a firm purpose of
amendment are essential requisites for the forgiveness of sin.
(<5.) Exteriorlyfrom the evil occasion. By sinful occasions we here
understand circumstances which have already caused us to sin
grievously and which would in all probability have the same effect,
if we were again placed in them. Thisbeing the case, common sense
tells us that the man who deliberately places himself in such circum­
stances, deliberately places himself there to sin, if he does not
avoid them. Such occasions are sinful intimacy with persons of
the opposite sex, evil companions, visits to houses and company
where one is vehemently incited to evil, bad books and papers,
and such as are hostile to the Church. He who can not resolve
to avoid these proximate occasions of sin has certainly not an
earnest wish to avoid sin itself : for he who wills not the means,
certainly wills not the end. If the libertine will not absolutely
renounce the society of his bad companions, if the drunkard, and
the idler, and the gambler still hang around the places where
they fell, and still consort with those who helped to ruin them,
there is no change, and in a few days they drop into the old
groove. If they have been to confession, it was a bad one.
There was no contrition. There was no honest and firm purpose
of amendment—there was no forgiveness. However hard it be
on sinners to do so, they must give up their pet friends and places
when these are the occasion of their sin. Let them ponder the
words of the Master: “If thy hand or thy foot scandalize thee,
cut it off, and cast it from thee ; it is better for thee to go into
life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be
cast into everlasting fire.”—Matt. 18: 8.
2. They were obliged to show themselves to the priest. Tne Jewish
priests were authorized by law to examine the lepers and to de­
clare whether they were clean or not. Before a leper was de­
clared clean by the priests, he was not considered as such, and
was not allowed to return to society. For this reason Christ
commanded the leper whom he had healed to show himself to
the priests.
Those also who are infected with spiritual leprosy must have
recourse to the priests; for these have received from Christ the
power to forgive and to retain sins. But to enable them to exer­
cise this power, the sinner must show himself to them ; that is, he
must confess all the sins which he has committed in thought,

5. Symbolical Sketch.

365

word, and deed. If he fulfil this obligation he receives absolution,
and is cleansed of the leprosy of sin. What a grace for us to
have priests, who not only can declare that we are freed from
sin, but who also have the power really to free us from our sins.
How fortunate would the Jewish lepers have considered them­
selves had they been only obliged to show themselves to their
priests in order to be cleansed of their leprosy! And yet many
Cathol cs do not go to the priests to be freed from sin, this far
greater evil than leprosy ; and many others who go to the priests
do not show themselves as they should, but conceal in confession
what should be made known. What blindness!

3. After being healed they were required to offer a gift to God.
Leprosy was generally looked uponby the Jews as a punishment
for the sins which either the leper himself or his parents had
committed. The lepers when healed were therefore required to
offer a gift in satisfaction for their sins, which was called the
sacrifice of expiation : this was succeeded by a burnt-offering, to
thank God for the cure, and to promise him obedience.
We should also make these two offerings to God after con­
fession. As in his mercy he has forgiven us our sins and the
eternal punishment due to them, we should make at least some
satisfaction, and faithfully perform the penance enjoined on us
by the priest; but as this penance is generally insignificant and
in no proportion to our sins, we should impose upon ourselves
voluntary works of penance, in order to expiate the temporal
punishment due to sin. We should also offer a sacrifice of thanks­
giving. It is surely fitting that we should give thanks to God for
the great grace of forgiveness. The best sacrifice of thanks­
giving that we can offer to God is a thorough and lasting amend­
ment of our lives.
PERORATION.

Thus you see that the leprosy of the body in its origin, nature,
and cure is a figure of the spiritual leprosy of sin. There are
none among· us who are infected with corporal leprosy, but great
is the number of those who are infected with spiritual leprosy.
Oh, that they would go to Christ and beseech him to heal them ! Oh,
that they would be really sorry for their sins and resolve never
to offend him, and then show themselves to the priests, confess
their sins candidly and sincerely, and receive sacramental abso­
lution! How happy they are whose souls are purified and sancti­
fied ; they are no longer slaves of Satan, but children of God,
and if they persevere to the end will be heirs of heaven. Amen.

366

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

(·. MORAL SKETCH.
YOU SHOULD KNOW FOR WHAT YOU PRAY AND SHOULD EAR.
NESTLY DESIRE IT.

Behold, a leper came and adored him.—Malt. 8 : a.

The gospel of this day makes mention of two men, both afflic­
ted, the one a leper, the other a centurion who had a sick ser­
vant. Both came to Jesus beseeching him to remove the weight
which pressed heavily upon them. The leper wished to be freed
from his leprosy, and the centurion besought Christ to heal his
servant. Their prayers were not in vain, for the leper was freed
from his leprosy, and the centurion’s servant from his palsy. How
is it that the prayers of the leper and the centurion are heard at
once, while so many complain that God is deaf to their prayers?
The reason is obvious. The prayer of each of these men was a
true prayer, whilst that of most of us is a false one : “Ask, and
you shall receive.”—'John i6: 24. These words our Saviour
frequently addressed to his hearers. Many, recalling these
words, pray, and yet receive not. Shall we say that God does
not do his part? Rather let us confess that we do not do ours
and that this is the reason why the prayers of so many of us are
not heard. Our prayers have not the requisite conditions. We
do not pray as we should pray. Hence St. James says : “You ask,
and receive not, because you ask amiss.”—James 3.

Two things are necessary in order to pray well:
I. You must know for what you pray ;
II. You must earnestly desire what you pray for.

Part I.
You must know for what you pray.

(λ.) This means, you must pray with understanding. Many
pray without reflection, that is, they do not consider for
what they pray They demand petulantly of God what they
themselves fancy to be good or what flatters their sensual in­
clinations. But how often do we not err in our wishes and in­
clinations, believing that to be good which is most pernicious
and injurious. That only is good which is in accordance with the

6. Moral Sketch.

367

will of God; anything else therefore should not be the object of
our desires AVe offend his Providence if we ask for things which
are injurious to us, as we should offend his goodness if we
asked him for what is worthless. God is ready at all times to
grant what is really for our good. Hence it is a great blessing
that God does not hear such prayers; though, on the other hand,
it would be a well-deserved punishment if he granted what is
asked in them. We must ask only for such things as are compat­
ible with God’s holiness, wisdom, and goodness, and whenever
we pray for temporal things, let it be done under the condition
that it is the will of God.

(£.) Another class of people who do not know what they pray
for are those who pray without attention. They present their pe­
titions, full of distractions, and without even endeavoring to be
recollected. Such a prayer is a dishonor and an offense to God,
of which the prophet Isaias complains: “This people honoreth
me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”—Is. 29: 13;
Matt. 15:8. We may pray mentally without using words, but
we can never pray with words alone without the understanding
and the heart. Do those deserve to be heard who pray much
and long, but for the want of attention do not know for what
they pray? Scripture tells us not to speak inadvertently with
God, for God is in heaven, and you are upon earth; that is, we
should speak to God with the greatest humility and revere ice,
and our whole attention should be fixed on his presence, that we
may know with whom we speak when we pray, what we say to
him, and for what we pray.

I.

.·

,r II

But it is not enough to know for what we pray; we must also
earnestly desire it. It would be natural to suppose that the one
would accompany the other. This is not the case, however, as
we shall see by considering the matter more closely. For many
do not by any means desire what they pray for, and for this
reason God does not grant their petitions.

(λ.) Among them may be mentioned those who no not pray
according to the order which God has appointed. For Christ
teaches us to pray first for spiritual goods, or those pertaining
to God and our salvation, and after that for temporal benefits,
when he says : “Seek ye, therefore, first the king'dom of God and
his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.”—Matt.
6: 33. Worldly people desire first of all temporal things, and
after that, they would not object if the kingdom of God were
added. Hence when they pray, Hallowed be thy name, they say

368

Third Sunday After Epiphany.

it with their lips, but they desire something quite different,
namely, their own honor and glorification. Such people would, if
they could, change the seven petitions of the Lord’s prayer.
They would say first: Give us this day our daily bread ; and lastly:
Thy kingdom come. But truly pious Christians pray first for spiri­
tual goods, with the firm conviction that God will give them at
all times what is necessary for the support of life.
(3.) I may also mention those who do not make use of any
means on their own part to attain their wish. They pray for in­
stance, that the name of God may be hallowed, that his kingdom
may come, that his will may be done, but they refuse to make
any sacrifice, they will not bear the least burden for the honor
of God, they will not stir a finger to bring about what they de­
lude themselves into believing they pray for. Though lisping
the words frequently enough, such persons care not a straw
whether God’s name is hallowed or not, whether his will is done,
or whether his kingdom comes. They pray for their daily bread,
but will not earn it by labor and industry. They pray: Forgive
us our tresspasses, but will not forgive their enemies; they pray
that they may be saved from falling into temptation, but will not
themselves resist or even avoid temptations ; they pray to be de­
livered from evil, but will not give up sin, the greatest and only
evil, avoid its occasions, or try to overcome bad habits. Such
people must not complain if God does not hear and grant their
petitions; they do not want them granted, or at least do not care
whether they are or not. Their prayers are lip prayers and
justify the complaint: “This people honoreth me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.”—Matt. 15:8.

(ci) Finally, there is yet a third class who do not earnestly de­
sire that for which they pray ; namely, those who do just the re­
verse of what they ask for. This is easily seen in the petitions
of the Lord’s prayer. They pray: Hallowed be thy name. Can he
earnestly desire this who is in the habit of cursing, swearing,
and blaspheming? Thy kingdom come. Can he earnestly desire
this who bars the kingdom of heaven against himseif daily by
mortal sin? Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Can he
earnestly desire this who in all his words and actions resists the
ordinances of God ? Does not such a one mock God ? Give us
this day our daily bread. Can he earnestly desire this who squan­
ders his income, his substance, by drtmkenness, gambling, and
idleness; who injures his health by his sins and vices, and jeopar­
dizes his reputation and good name by his criminal conduct?
And do those parents really and earnestly desire of God the
grace and blessing of a Christian education for their children,
who allow them every kind of liberty, because, as they say,

369

7. Moral Sketch.

young folk must have some pleasure? Can those pray with a
sincere heart for the grace of conversion, preservation in inno­
cence, the gift of perseverance, who voluntarily go into bad
company, seek the occasions of sin, and do not remove the ob­
stacles to the amendment of their lives?
PERORATION.

Take care lest the reproach that you know not what you ask,
and wish not that for which you pray, may apply to you. Let us ask
first for what pertains to the glory of God and our own salvation;
let us endeavor to our utmost ability not to destroy the effects of
our prayers by our sinful deeds, and we shall soon experience
more than heretofore the realization of our petitions. The load
which heavily presses upon us will be removed from our hearts;
and with the leper and the centurion we shall have reason to
praise and thank God for his infinite mercy. Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

7. MORAL SKETCH
WHO AVOIDS JESUS ? WHO FOLLOWS HIM?

When Jesus was come down from the mountain, great multitudes
followed him.—Matt. 8: 1.
These words of St. Matthew are not only true of the time
when Christ walked visibly upon earth, but they will remain true
to the end of the world. They must remain true while the Church
lasts, and the Church must last to the end of time, for Christ is
her stay: “Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consum­
mation of the world.”—Matt. 28 : 20. But you must not misunder­
stand me. By what I have said I mean that persons like those
who once sought the society of Jesus, who heard and obeyed
himt have heard and obeyed him at all times, and do hear and
obey him even now ; and persons, like those who then avoided
his company, avoid it now, and will avoid it to the end of time.

24

I

J 70

Third Sunday After Epiphany.
Part L

The gospel of this day says : Great multitudes followed him.
1. You may judge at once that the so-called respectable people
were not in the crowd; Herod, Pilate, Caiphas, Annas, and the
other great ones of those days were to be seen only where they
found comfort and luxury. They would have considered it be­
neath their dignity to follow the mortified Jesus, the reputed son
of the poor carpenter of Nazareth, without rank, title, or distinc­
tion. If our Lord had visited them in their palaces, and to
gratify their curiosity had performed miracles, it would have
been a pleasure to them; but to come to him of their own free
will and to tollow him on his painful journeys—who could ex­
pect this of them? That they should praise God in Christ, and
cry with the multitudes, that the Lord hath visited his people
{Luke i : 68), would have been utterly impossible for them. As
it was then, so it is now, and will be for all ages to come. The socalled respectable people seek Christ but seldom, and do you know
the reason ? They believe him to be God, it is true, but a God that
is too severe, who speaks only of the necessity of bearing the
cross, and imposes on his followers fasting, alms, and self-denial.
Christ is to them, as it were, too contemptible a God, because he
lived in humility and poverty, and died on a gibbet. In fact, the
so-called respectable people of the world need no other God ;
they have one already, a more indulgent god than Christ, for, as
St. Paul says: “Their god is their belly.”—Phil. 3: 19. How
much you are indebted to God for having placed you in an
ordinary state of life, thus rendering it easy for you to follow
Christ!

2. Great multitudes followed him. There is no doubt that the rich
did not follow him. The inordinate love of money occupied their
whole heart. Poverty is looked upon as the greatest evil, and
the poor man is in the world’s eyes an object of contempt. Now,
as Christ was poor himself and called the poor blessed, and as he
tried to inspire others which the love of poverty, the rich re­
mained away from him. Only once a rich young man came to him,
asking him : “Good Master, what good shall I do that I may have
life everlasting?”—Matt. 19: 16. But scarcely had he received
the answer, which was not according to his expectation, when
he went away sad, and returned no more. Like the so called
respectable people, the rich need not God. They have one al­
ready, a visible, palpable god, Mammon. To this god they cling,
him they love and serve. And because they worship that god of
theirs, they care little about the poor and humble Saviour; and

Λ*

7. Moral Sketch,

37»

because they worship that good of theirs, the Saviour pronoun­
ced woe against them: “Amen, I say to you that a rich man
shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say
to you : It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich a man to enter into the kingdom of
heaven.”—Matt. 19: 23-24. Return thanks to God that he has
given you no riches, that you are born of poor parents, and that
by the little you possess of the goods of this world he has made
it easy for you to follow Christ.
3. Neither were the learned in the crowd of -people that followed
him. Now and then some Scribes and Pharisees came to him,
but not to follow him or to be instructed by him, but to catch
him in his speech and to convict him of error. The learned are
generally proud. As St. Paul says : “Knowledge puffeth up”—Z.
Cor. 8:1. They are so captivated with their imaginary knowl­
edge and wisdom that they prefer it to the wisdom of God. Such
people seldom go to the humble Jesus, to learn of him and submit
to his Word. Therefore few learned men were converted to
Christianity in the beginning. On the contrary, they were the
greatest and bitterest opponents of Christianity, and in our days
are still the greatest enemies of the Church. They affect to de­
spise the doctrines of the Church and set up their own opinions
and errors in their stead. They would fain persuade people to
listen to them rather than to the Church, nothwithstanding that
Christ has said : “If he will not hear the Church, let him be to
thee as the heathen and publican.”—Matt. 18: 17. St. Paul calls
the Church, not human knowledge and wisdom, the pillar and
ground of truth. Does it not seem strangely inconsistent for the
learned, who will not acknowledge the infallibility of the
Church and the Pope, to claim that prerogative for themselves?
And yet Christ declares that the Holy Ghost will remain with
his Church for ever and teach her all truth, and that the
faith of his Vicar on earth shall never fail, and that he (his Vicar;
shall confirm his brethren, and consequently that, in doctrine and
in matters of faith, he can never propose an error to be believed
as truth. St. Paul does not value the learning of the world, for
he says: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (Z.
Cor. 3: 19); and again: “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the
wise, that they are vain” (Z Cor. 3 : 20); and, “Professing them­
selves to be wise, they became fools.”—Rom. 1: 22. St. Augu­
stine, when thinking of the days in which he set such great store
by learning said: “The unlearned rise up and carry away the
reward of heaven, and we, with all our learning, are plunged into
hell.” Thank God that he has preserved you from the pride of
knowledge, whereby he has made it easy for you to follow your
humble Saviour.

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Third Sunday After Epiphany.

Hence the so-called respectable people, who are ruled by the
concupiscence of the flesh, walk not with Christ, neither do the
rich who are governed by the concupiscence of the eyes, nor the
learned who are governed by the pride of life.

Part Π.
Who, then, walk with him?
1. First of all, his Apostles, and the other severty-two, who were
called the disciples of the Lord. They walked with Christ, not
only occasionally, but were his constant companions during the
whole course of his public life. They remained with him because,
during all that time, he instructed them in his doctrine with the
greatest love and tenderness, in order to prepare them for their
future calling, that of preserving his divine doctrine in its purity
and of preaching it to all nations. Their intercourse with Christ
did not terminate on the day of his Ascension, but continued there­
after, for they were never separated from his holy Spirit, the
Spirit of Truth, which he communicated to them. Thus, because
they were never separated from the Spirit of Truth, they were
destined to become the teachers of truth to the whole world.
The Apostles and the first disciples of Christ were succeeded by
the bishops and priests. These also walked with Jesus at all
times, and walk with him still. For, through his immediate assist­
ance and presence with the teaching Church, namely, the bishops
and priests, they inculcate now the very identical doctrines
which Christ taught his Apostles, and which the Apostles deli­
vered to their successors. No other faith is preached but that of
Christ, no other sacraments are administered but those which
he instituted, no other sacrifice is offered but that which he offered.
In this sense Christ precedes, the priests follow, and our Saviour
says of them as he said of his Apostles: "He that heareth you
heareth me.”—Luke io: 16.

2. Many people walked with Christ: yes, the common, poor
people. For this reason he says: “The poor have the Gospel
preached to them.” They manifested great zeal in his service,
and for the sake of being in his presence feared neither fatigue,
heat, nor hunger. They were all attention, to hear his word, to
see his miracles, and to enjoy his heavenly countenance; when
with him, they felt happy and comforted. It was ever thus. The
poor and oppressed of this world cling to Christ. Among them
we find the greatest number of his followers, for they know by
experience how beautiful, good, and consoling is his religion
and his love.

7. Moral Sketch.

373

And here it must be added with sadness that not all, but only
great multitudes of the poor, follow Christ at the present day.
Groaning, as they are, under the burdens of life, despised by
the world for their poverty and insignificance, how many even
of the poor turn their backs on the priceless inheritance which
Jesus, the Father of the poor, is unceasingly offering them.
Earth’s wealth, enjoyments, pleasures, are beyond their reach,
and heaven they will none of. Pitiable indeed is the condition
of the poor who are at the same time poor and godless. No ease,
no happiness here; no hope of it hereafter.
PERORATION.

Let us be steadfast in our adherence to the Catholic Church,
founded by Jesus Christ, in our adherence to the Pope, the com­
mon father of the whole Christian family; and in our loyalty to
our bishops and priests, who are for us the immediate vicars
of Christ. Confess your faith fearlessly and courageously when
and wherever necessary, and lead a life worthy of the Catholic
name, a life replete with works of charity, adorned with purity
of morals, sanctified by prayer, frequent confession and com­
munion. In this way we shall walk spiritually with Christ
through this earthly lifs, and, after our departure hence, remain
in his society for ever and ever. Amen.

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

Epistle. Rom. 13: 8-10. Brethren: Owe no man anything·, but
to love one another. For he that loveth his neighbor, hath ful­
filled the law. For Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt
not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Thou shalt not covet And if there be any other commandment,
it is comprised in this word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. The love of our neighbor worketh no evil. Love, there­
fore, is the fulfilling of the law.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR.

In the epistle of this day the Apostle exhorts us to fulfil our
duties towards the temporal authorities: that is, to pay our law­
ful debts and taxes, and render to those in office the honor due
to them. All power is from God, and they that possess it are, so
far as its exercise is concerned, ministers of God for the time
being. Hence it is their duty to provide for the peace and secu­
rity of their subjects, and to procure by proper legislation their
temporal welfare. To accomplish this they need money; there­
fore the payment of taxes is a duty from which no one can
exempt himself without sin. We must also honor those who are
in office, for in temporal affairs they are the ministers of God.
Further on the Apostle speaks of a duty which we owe, not only
to the temporal authorities, but to all men ; namely, the love of
our neighbor, which he represents—

I. As an ever-enduring debt;
II. As the fulfilment of the law.

Part I.
As an ever-enduring debt.
Owe no man anything, but to love one another. It is a duty of
uistice to discharge all our debts towards our neighbor. If we

i. Homiletic Sketch.

375

owe a person anything, we must endeavor to pay the debt at
the appointed time, or at least as soon as possible. Having paid
what we owed him, he can demand nothing more, for we have satis­
fied the duty of justice. It is quite different, however, in regard to
love. This always remains a debt which we owe our neighbor,
and from which we can never free ourselves, no matter how
many kind services we may render. When Peter asked our
Lord, “Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and
I forgive him? till seven times?” Jesus answered: “I say not to
thee, till seven times ; but till seventy times seven times.”—Matt.
18: 2i, 22. Thus according to these words of Christ, we must
always forgive those who offend us and always love them.

i. The nature of love requires this. “Charity,” says the Apostle,
“never falleth away.”—I. Cor. 13: 8. The love of our neighbor
is founded on the love of God. “If any man say, I love God, and
hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his
brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth
not?”—I. John 4: 20. Now, as we must always love God, so we
must never cease to love our neighbor, for at the very moment
we should cease to love our neighbor, we should also cease to love
God. He who loves his neighbor sincerely is kind and friendly,
not now and then only but on all occasions; nay, the more good
he does, the more his heart expands and the stronger he feels
himself urged to new works of charity. Fire becomes stronger
the more we add fuel to it ; in like manner love grows by acts of
charity. Theodoret says: “The fulfilment of duty increases the
desire to do it, for it renders love warmer.”

2. The love of God towards mankind in general. The human fa­
mily has been in existence for nearly six thousand years. In this
long period of time not a day has passed in which God has not
given proofs of his love to men. Does he not give them daily
and hourly what they need for their subsistence? Does he not
continually impart to them the graces necessary to work out
their eternal salvation? How kindly he deals with even the
greatest sinners! He is patient with them and gives them time
for repentance, he prepares for them the most favorable oppor­
tunities for their conversion, endeavors to win them by benefits,
or to deter them from evil by punishments ; in his wisdom and
love he makes use of all means to save them. Truly, “God is
charity.”—I. John 4: 16.
3. The example of Christ. “Having loved his own, who were
in the world, he loved them to the end.”—John 13: 1. Christ be­
comes man, leads a life of poverty, humility, and misery upon
earth; he teaches, works miracles, feeds the hungry, heals the
Bick, raises the dead to life, endures hunger and thirst, persecution

376

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

and sufferings of every kind, and at length dies on the cross for
sinful man ! But this is not yet the fulness of the love of Christ;
for as the life of the spirit survived the death of the body on the
cross, so did his love. He loves us continually and will love us
to the end of time; he causes his gospel to be preached to us,
offers himself daily for us in the holy mass, and purifies and
sanctifies us in the sacraments. Since he is really and truly present
in the Blessed Sacrament, we can go to him as often as we please
and make known to him our troubles, and we always find comfort
and relief; he is to-day the same Lord who said eighteen hun­
dred years ago : “Come to me, all you that labor and are bur­
dened, and I will refresh you.”—Matt, 11 : 28. This is still not
the fulness of the love of Christ. He lives not only to the end of
the world, but for ever; therefore he loves us not only to the
end of the world, but without end—for all eternity; nay, at the
end of the world his love, properly speaking, only begins; for it
is then that he will receive us into heaven, body and soul, and
make us sharers of his everlasting glory.
4. The example of the Apostles and the Saints. Their whole life
was one of love, they gave themselves up for the welfare of
their fellow-men, they never wearied in doing good to their
neighbor ; when they had performed one work of charity, they
commenced another, and the days of their earthly life formed, as
it were, an unbroken chain of works of love and benevolence.
They estemeed themselves happy in being allowed to sacrifice
for their fellow-men all that they possessed, even life itself. And
they who did such great things were men subject to the same
infirmites as ourselves; but charity made them strong, so that
when there was a question of doing good to their fellow-men, they
surmounted all obstacles and made every sacrifice. Even now,
after having entered into the joys of heaven, the ardor of their
holy love is not diminished. They are our mediators and inter­
cessors before the throne of God, that we may finish our course
successfully and be admitted into their blessed society in
heaven.
Let us be moved to exercises of charity by the generous con­
duct of those noble souls; and if we should receive nothing but
ingratitude from our fellow-men in return for the good we do
them, this must be no reason for us to deprive them of our cha­
rity or to diminish our love. Let us show that we are children ot
our heavenly Father, who makes his sun to shine on the good and
the bad ; that vee are disciples of Christ, who prayed for his ene­
mies and murderers on the cross; that voe are imitators of the
saints, who never wearied of doing good to their fellow-men.

i. Homiletic Sketch.
Part

377

IL

A s the fulfilment of the law.

i. He that loveth his neighbor, hath fulfilled the law. The law of
God commands us to avoid evil and to do good. Now, if love is
the fulfilment of the law, it must do good to our neighbor, not
evil. The Apostle expresses this in the words: “Charity does no
evil,” and enumerates the commandments which forbid sins
against our neighbor.

(«.) Thozc shalt not commit adultery. He who loves his neighbor
will carefully guard against committing adultery or any sin
against purity. Adultery and every kind of impurity are abomi­
nations in the sight of God, and he who commits such sins shall
not possess the kingdom of God.—Ephes. 5:5. He who commits
the sin of impurity with another, proves himself to be that per­
son’s greatest enemy, because he robs him of the grace of God
and delivers him to perdition.
(3.) Thou shalt not kill. Life is, of all earthly goods, not only
the greatest, but also the most important as regards eternity, be­
cause it is given us as a means for obtaining eternal salvation.
He, therefore, who takes the life of another, robs him of the most
precious of all goods, the means of obtaining his salvation ; nay,
if his victim should be in a state of mortal sin, he robs him of
his salvation and plunges him into eternal damnation. This is a
sin against the love of our neighbor, which in greatness surpasses
almost all others.
(i.) Thou shalt not steal. Every one wishes to keep what is
justly his own, and is naturally unwilling either to have any part
thereof purloined or injured by another. He who loves his neigh­
bor shuns all sins against the seventh commandment, because
the goods of others are sacred to him. He will not appropriate
to himself a cent that belongs to another, nor deceive, nor cheat,
nor overcharge any one. He is careful not to defraud any one,
pays his laborers their hire, liquidates his lawful debts; in short,
is not guilty of any injustice.

(d.) Thou, shalt not bear false witness. Lying and slanderous
tongues frequently destroy peace and concord among men, rob
them of their good name, and cause a great deal of harm. He
who loves his neighbor does not bring him into ill repute, nor
calumniate him ; he does not report and magnify his faults, nor
judge him rashly, nor bear false witness against him before

378

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

magistrates. He guards against all these sins, because they ori·
ginate in hatred and enmity, and therefore spring from the very
passions which stand in direct opposition to charity.
(£.) Thou shall· not covet. Inordinate desires are the source of
numberless sins. Unless they be restrained, tranquillity and con­
tentment can not exist. He who loves his neighbor suppresses
at once all impure and avaricious desires, preserves a pure heart,
is satisfied with what we has, and leaves every one in the posses­
sion of what is his. He knows not envy. ‘‘The love of our neigh­
bor worketh no evil.”
2. He who loves his neighbor is well disposed towards him,
and this kind disposition urges him, not only to wish him well,
but also to do him acts of kindness, as often as an opportunity
present itself. This love of our neighbor manifests itself—

(a.) By corporal works of mercy. A Christian who sincerely loves
his fellow-men does not turn the poor and needy from his door,
but has compassion on them and assists them as far as he can;
he feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, harbors strangers, visits
the sick. We can not find a saint who did not more or less per
form these works of mercy and charity. If we wish to become
saints and be saved, we must practice the corporal works of
mercy, for they are the fruits of charity, without which we can
not please God and be saved. That we may not omit them, let
us frequently ponder on the sentence which, on the day of judg­
ment, will be passed on the unmerciful.
(£.) By spiritual works of mercy. These works are more precious
and meritorious before God than the corporal works of mercy,
because they have the salvation of our neighbor for their direct
object, which is of greater value than temporal welfare. Of those
that practice these works the Scripture says: ‘‘They that instruct
many to justice, shall shine as stars for all eternity.”—Dan. 12: 3.
He who neglects these works when he might practice them, acts
most uncharitably, and may expect a severe judgment. Every
one can practice works of charity, for though he may not be
able to preach like the Apostles and their successors, yet he can
give good example to his fellow men and pray for them, and
these are two good works of mercy, by which many immortal
souls can be saved from perdition.
peroration.

Thus love is the fulfilling of the law. He who loves his neigh­
bor according to the example of Christ, does him no evil, but on

2. Homiletic Sketch.

379

the contrary, much good, and satisfies thereby the law which
commands us to do good, and avoid evil. Oh, if a true, sincere,
brotherly love existed among men, we should not see so many
disorders, sins, vices, misery, and poverty, and the earth would
become to some extent a paradise. Reflect often upon the
beautiful words of the epistle: Owe no man anything, but to love
one another. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

Gospel. Matt. 8: 23-27. At that time: When Jesus entered
into the boat, his disciples followed him; and behold, a great
tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with
waves, but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and
awaked him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish. And Jesus saith
to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising
up, he commanded the winds and the sea, and there came a great
calm. But the men wondered, saying: What manner of man is
this, for the winds and the sea obey him?

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
the tempest at sea.

The wonderful incident related in the gospel of this day oc­
curred in the second year of the public life of Christ. Great mul­
titudes had assembled at the Lake of Genesareth to hear the
words of life that ever fell from his sacred lips. This lake, some­
times called the Sea of Galilee, was about fifteen miles long and
seven wide. Our Lord entered a boat, and from it taught the
people, who were standing on the shore, propounding to them
the beautiful parables of the wheat and the cockle, of the grain
of mustard-seed, and the leaven. In the evening he ordered his
disciples to pass over the sea to the opposite shore, and they did
as they were commanded, taking him in the boat: “And there
were other ships with him.”—Mark 4. What occured on this
passage we shall consider to-day, namely:

380

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

I. The tempest at sea ;
IL The conduct of the disciples ;
III. The conduct of Jesus during the storm.

Part I.
And behold, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was
covered with waves. Storms, even on land, are terrible and often
cause great destruction of property and loss of life, but they are
still more terrible and dangerous on the sea. How many ships
are lost every year in such storms I The storm which overtook
the disciples of our Lord, while crossing the Galilean Sea, was
not an ordinary one, but as the gospel remarks, it was a great
tempest, and as the boat was small it was in imminent danger.
What does this tempest indicate?

1. The persecutions of the Church. The Church had scarcely
been established by our Lord when enemies arose against her
on all sides; first the Jews, who persecuted and put the Apostles
and disciples to death; then the Gentiles, who for three hundred
years raged with fire and sword against the Christians, made
more than thirty millions of martyrs, and swore by their gods
that they would not desist from persecuting the Christians till
even the very name of Christian should be destroyed from the
face of the earth. The Church is destined to suffer such persecu­
tions at all times, and in the nineteen centuries of her existence
there is not one to which she can not point as having produced
martyrs. Besides these external enemies, the Church has always
had foes within her own bosom, namely, false teachers and he­
retics, was after apostatizing from her, attacked her with the
greatest hatred, reviled, calumniated her, and endeavored in
every way to destroy her. The Church is greatly persecuted in
our days, in Europe and elsewhere, and her enemies labor to
accomplish her destruction. But we need not wonder at this;
Christ foretold that his Church would suffer from these persecu­
tions.— Matt. io: 17, 18,21, 22. It is persecutions that characterize
the Catholic Church as the true Church, founded by Christ. If
the world were ever to declare friendship with her, she would
cease to be the bride of Chrilt; she would be the harlot of Satan.
This must be our consolation in these days when the Church
is so much reviled and persecuted.
2. The affliction of the pious. Sufferings and tribulations are
generally the lot of pious Christians. “All who will live godly
in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.”—II. Tim. 3: 12. Proof
hereof is found in the lives of the saints. Those especially who
are converted from error and sin must be prepared for perse­
cution. How bitterly the Jews hated Paul after his conversion

2. Homiletic Sketch.

381

to Christianity I They hunted him from place to place, gave
him stripes, stoned him and cast him into prison, brought various
false accusations against him, and everywhere sought his life.—
II. Cor. 11 ; 23, et seq. What is done in our days if a Protestant
or an unbeliever is converted to the Catholic faith ? Does he not
meet with scorn, ridicule, and hatred on the part of his former
co-religionists? Do they not seek to render his step suspicious
in every way, and to ascribe to him an ignoble purpose? Is he
not accused of fanaticism and mental weakness? Must he not
be prepared to suffer temporal loss? A pious Christian must not
fear such afflictions and persecutions, nor grieve over them, but
rather console himself with the words of Christ: “Blessed are ye
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall speak
all that is evil against you untruly for my sake. Be glad and re­
joice, for your reward is very great in heaven.”—Matt. 5:11,12.

3. Temptations. Every man must endure them, especially pious
persons. “Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in
justice and in tear, and prepare thy soulfor temptation. For gold and
silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of
humiliation.”—Ecclus. 2: 1, 5. God has the best intentions when
he sends us temptations; he desires—
(#.) To preserve us in humility. If we were never tempted, we
might set great store by our virtue and holiness; but as we are
tempted to various and even the most shameful sins, we arrive
thereby at the knowledge that we are miserable creatures, prone
to every evil, and that if God did not always assist us by his
grace, we should fall into the greatest sins.

(£.) To increase our zealfor virtue. If we suffered no temptati­
ons, we should be in danger of becoming lukewarm, of relaxing
our vigilance, of neglecting prayer and the practice of mortifi­
cation. But temptations compel us to walk carefully, and to use
the necessary means for overcoming them, such as prayer, medi­
tation, interior and exterior mortification, and especially the
reception of the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist.
(£.) To give us an opportunity of increasing our merits and our
beatitude in heaven. As often as we overcome a temptation we
practice a meritorious work, which will be rewarded in heaven.
“My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into divers
temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith worketh pa­
tience, and patience hath a perfect work.—St. James 1: 2, 3, 4.

382

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

Part Π.
And his disciples came to him, and awaked him, saying: Lord,
save us, we perish.

1. His disciples came to him. They were right in coming to him
in their affliction and necessity, for to whom shall we have re­
course but to God, who has both the power and the will to help
us? We may, in dangers, misfortunes, and sickness, call upon
men and adopt natural means cf relief, but we must not disregard
God, since it is from him alone that all help comes.

2. They awaked him. Jesus was, as St. Mark says (4: 38), “in
the hinder part of the ship, sleeping upon a pillow.” The Apost­
les and disciples, alarmed at the violence of the storm, w'hich was
dashing the furious waves over the sides of the little vessel, has­
tened to awake their divine Master from his sleep, for they had
done all that energy and skill could suggest, but to no purpose
—they seemed doomed. We also must awake him, that he may
help us; in other words, we must pray with fervor and perseverance
It was thus the woman of Chanaan prayed. Many are cold and
careless when they pray; their prayer is full of distractions and
without attention or devotion ; they can not earnestly wish to re­
ceive what they pray for. Others do not pray with confidence
and perseverance, and if they do not obtain at once what they
ask, they say it is useless to pray. What unchristian languagel
Is it for us or for God to say how, where, and when the relief
prayed for shall be granted ? Oh, let us leave all to God.

3. Lord, save us. In these words the disciples express their
faith in Christ and acknowledge that he, as God, has the power to
help them. We also must pray with faith and confidence, if we
wish to be heard. Nothing displeases God more than distrust.
Christians who question his goodness, though not his power,
offer a great injury to him and can not expect to obtain the ob­
ject of their prayer. Before we begin to pray, let us make an
act of confidence and faith, and say within ourselves : “God will
certainly hear my prayer and grant my request, if what I ask be
conducive to his honor and my salvation.”
4. We perish. The disciples had reason to say so, for they
were in extreme danger. But if their faith hath been strong,
they wjuld, even in extreme danger, have consoled themselves
with the thought: “Jesus is with us; how much soever the storm
may rage, we are safe, we can not perish.” In bodily dangers,
even lukewarm Christians call upon God and his saints for help;

B· ’

2. Homiletic Sketch.

383

■

---- —

but what do they do in temptations, when they are in danger of
falling into mortal sins ? They never think of calling upon Christ
like his disciples : Lord, save us, we perish. Is it not a greater
evil to suffer injury to the soul than to the body? Oh, do not omit
in all temptations and dangers to have recourse to God by fervent
prayer.

I. The storm raged, tossing the sea into mountains of whitecrested waves which were breaking over the sides, so that the
boat rocked to and fro, with every timber creaking; in the plain
language of Scripture, it was covered with waves, aud seemed
every moment to be on the point of going to pieces, and yet he
was asleep. We must not suppose that this was only a feigned
or apparent sleep. As man, Christ had everything in common
with us, sin expected. He was succeptible to heat and cold,
hunger and thirst, fatigue and sleep. The slumbering Jesus
reveals himself as a true man, but when he rises to command
the wind and the waves, he manifested himself as true God.
Christ sleeps during the greatest storm. He who has a good con­
science preserves peace and repose of heart in all the storms
of life. Thus Peter slept peacefully in the night, although he
knew that he was to be executed the next day. Yes, a good
conscience is a soft pillow. How does a man sleep who has a
wicked conscience ? What torments does not the dark night cause
him ! Oh ! preserve always a good conscience that in the evening
of your life you may be able to to say with David: “In peace in
the self same I will sleep and I will rest.”—Ps. 4: 9. Christ
sleeps, but his divine eye is open and observes everything that
occurs: “I sleep and my heart watcheth.”—Cant. 5: 2. Let us
not despond when in our tribulation Jesus seems to sleep; he
will arise and deliver us from danger in his own good time.

2. And Jesus said to them : Why are you fearful, O ye of little
faith? The disciples deserved this rebuke, because after so many
miracles of mercy and love, they yielded to pusillanimity and
despondency. Many Christians also deserve this rebuke far more,
for they believe in and acknowledge a divine Providence, and,
nevertheless, lose courage in every difficulty, and give way to de­
spair like heathens. Many even do not wait till tribulation over­
takes them ; they are full of cares about the future, and are afraid
of sufferings which very likely will never come, or which, even
if they should come, God will direct in such a manner that all
will turn out for the best. Far from you be such pusillanimity,
which is unworthy of a Christian ; stand firm as a rock in your
confidence in God in every situation of life, and say with David:

Il

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Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

"Our God is our refuge and our strength, a helper in trouble»
which have found us exceedingly. Therefore we will not fear,
when the earth shall be troubled and the mountains shall be re­
moved into the heart of the sea.”—Ps. 45: 2, 3.

3. Then rising up, he commanded the winds and the sea, and there
came a great calm. Here we behold Jesus Christ as the Lord of
nature, as the omnipotent God, to whom the irrational and inani­
mate creation is subject. What shall we think of men who
acknowledge God as their Lord and Creator, and from whom
they daily receive so many benefits, and who yet show their
ingratitude towards him, and in so many ways transgress his
commandments? Is not this a criminal outrage? God himself
expresses, as it were, his astonishment at such conduct, ex­
claiming by the Prophet : "Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear,
0 earth, for the Lord hath spoken: I have brought up children,
and exalted them, but they have despised me. The ox knoweth
his owner, and the ass his master’s crib ; but Israel hath not
known me, and my people hath not understood.”—Is. 1: 2, 3. St.
Anthony of Padua, one day, when the people would not listen to
his sermon, repaired to a river and commanded the fish to assemble
and hear him preach. They obeyed, and listened to his sermon. God,
without doubt, permitted this miracle, to make men ashamed of
their disobedience and to give them a clear idea of its guilt. In truth,
he who will not obey God and his representatives on earth, will be
forced to obey the devil in hell. Like this storm on the sea, all the
occurences and events in nature have their cause in the will of God,
and are under his guidance. There is no such thing as fate ; the
doctrine of fatalism will, however, prove fatal to its adherents, as
it did to Napoleon, who was always wont to speak of his "star.”
Hence, beware of expressing your displeasure at the events of
nature, such as heat or cold, rain or drought, frost or thaw, and much
more ought you to avoid cursing them, for this is in reality
dissatisfaction with the ordinances of God and blasphemy against
him. God rules the elements, and if the evil spirits sometimes
exert great influence over them, it is only by his permission.
Men may speak of the "fire fiend,” but by these conflagrations,
inundations, and such like calamities God brings sinful man to a
sense of his duty.
Whatever God does is well done, and if it does not happen to
accord with our wishes, let us submit ourselves, in all the rela­
tions of life, with filial confidence and resignation to his benign
and all-wise guidance and providence.

ΊΜ

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

385

PERORATION.

The gospel remarks at its conclusion that the people who
were eye-witnesses of the wonders performed by Jesus asked in
astonishment : What manner of man is this, for the winds and the
sea obey him ? We have no reason to be astonished at this miracle,
for we know and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is
truly God, and it costs him not the least labor to calm the temp­
estuous sea. We do not wonder at the miracle which Christ
wrought, but we adore him with the most profound veneration,
and in humility and obedience subject ourselves in all things to
his holy will. If he visits us with tribulations and sufferings, let
us pray to him with confidence; and in our passage through this
stormy ocean of life, let us continually recommend ourselves to
his protection, that we may safely arrive in the harbor of a happy
eternity. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH.

When Jesus entered into the boat, his disciples followed him —
Matt. 8: 23.

By the boat, into which Christ entered, as also his disciples
with him, the interpreters of Sacred Scripture, and the Fathers,
understand the Catholic Church. The Church is that boat which,
though tossed by the many storms of persecution on the ocean of
this world, is under the immediate protection of Christ, her Divine
Founder and Pilot, and will therefore most assuredly arrive
safely in the harbor of eternal salvation with all her precious
freight of human souls. Christ is in her, and although he may
seem to sleep while the tempest dashes the waves of the hatred
and passion of wicked men against her, yet Peter is at the helm,
and in his own good time the Divine Pilot will arise and com­
mand the sea, and there will be a great calm. Nor will he ever
abandon her, or enter any of the many miserable barks which
are seen floating at random without compass or rudder. Outside
25

386

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

the Catholic Church there is a great number of religious denomi­
nations, all asserting that they are the bark in which Christ is
found; that theirs is the Church established by him. But they
claim this without any guarantee. And why ? Because they are
destitute of the marks by which the true Church, established by
Christ is known ; for they are neither One, Holy, Catholic, nor
Apostolic. The Catholic Church alone possesses these four marks,
as I shall show you to-day and on the following Sundays. I shall
speak to-day about the Unity of the Church and show—
I. That the Church of Christ must be one ;
II. That the Catholic Church is really one;
III. That all other religious denominations are destitute of this
mark.

Part I.
The true Church established by Jesus Christ must be one; that
is, she must always have the same faith, the same sacrifice, the same
sacraments, and the same head. This evidently follows—

1. Because Jesus Christ established but one Church “Thou art
Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”—Matt. 16:18
Christ speaks here only of one foundation and of one Church.
He did not say, “and upon this rock I will build my Churches','
but “my Church!' Again, he compares his Church to one shep­
herd and one fold; to one field; to one net—comparisons which
allow us to infer but one Church, and no more. St. Paul describes
the Church as the mystical body of Christ.—I. Cor. 12: 25-27;
Ephes. 4: ii, 12. As Christ has only one natural body, so he has
only one mystical body; therefore, there is only one Church.
2. Because Christ taught only one faith, ordained for all men
the same means of salvation, or sacraments, and, in order to avoid
all divisions, established one head. How much he desired that
his Church should possess this universal unity is clearly seen in
the solemn prayer to his heavenly Father shortly before his
death: “Holy Father, keep them in thy name, whom thou hast
given me: that they may be one, as we also are.”—John 17 : 11.
“And not for them (the Apostles) only do I pray, but for them
also who, through their word, shall believe in me. That they all
may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee, that they also
may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent
me.”—John 17: 20, 21.

Because the Apostles insist upon unity in matters offaith, and
warn their followers solemnly and earnestly against disunion and
3.

j. Dogmatical Sketch.

387

division. “Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace. One body and one Spirit, as you are called in one
hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all.”—Ephes. 4: 3, 6. “If any man come to you,
and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house, nor
say to him: God speed you. For he that saith unto him: God
speed you (i. e., makes familiar with those who have prevaricated
and abandoned the true faith), communicateth with his wicked
works.”—II. John 10: 11.
4. From the doctrine of the Fathers of the Church. St. Athana­
sius says: “Unity is the mark of truth, and where it is wanting
you must not seek the true Church.” The Fathers especially
acknowledge the first and principal mark of the true Church to
be in the common head, in the Apostolic See of Rome. Thus St.
Jerome says, in his letter to Pope Damasus: “I am united with
your Holiness, that is, with the Apostolic See ; for I know that it
is the rock on which the Church was built. He who eats the
Lamb outside of this house, is not a believer, not a Christian.”
The true Church therefore must have the same faith, the same
means of grace, and one common head. Where we find this
unity, there is truth ; and where we find it not, there is error.

Part IL

The Catholic Church is one—

I. In faith. If we look back through all the Christian centuries,
we shall always find in the Catholic Church the same faith, and
not one example can be adduced in which a doctrine which she
once proposed to be believed had ever been revoked or altered.
What the Catholic clergy preach to-day, Catholic priests
preached eighteen hundred years ago ; the doctrine which we now
teach in our churches and schools is the same as that which a St.
Cyril preached in Alexandria, a St. Augustine in Hippo, a St.
Chrysostom at Constantinople. Local separations among Catho­
lics caused no variation in faith; it is everywhere the same. Ca­
tholics in Europe, Asia, Africa. America, and Australia, all agree
in matters of faith. Religious books and catechisms contain the
same doctrines concerning faith and morals. Listen to the beauti
ful description which St. Irenaeus gives of the unity of faith in
the Catholic Church : “Although spread over the whole globe, the
Church faithfully preserves the doctrine delivered to her, as if she
inhabited but one house; everywhere believes the same doctrine,
as if she had but one soul; and everywhere teaches the same
doctrine, as if she had but one voice. Although the languages

differ, yet the doctrine taught is one and the same.” The most

388

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

perfect unity in faith must prevail in the Catholic Church, for a
Catholic can not and is not allowed to believe anything but what
the Church teaches. As soon as he obstinately denies even one
single doctrine, he ceases to be a Catholic, and is excluded from
the communion of the Church.
2. In the sacraments and in the holy sacrifice. Wherever a Ca­
tholic congregation is found, we find seven sacraments, and this
number has been neither increased nor diminished since the
times of the Apostles. We can prove from tradition that every
sacrament was received and administered in the very beginning
of the Church. Always and everywhere in the Catholic Church
the seven sacraments were and are administered under the same
conditions and with the application of the same visible signs,
and the belief in their effects was and is everywhere and always
the same. The same must be said of the sacrifice of the mass.
The Apostles offered this sacrifice, as we read in the Acts, and
from that time to the present day it is offered wherever there
are Catholic priests.

3. In her head. As members of the Church, both priests and
laity acknowledge and venerate the Pope as the Vicar of
Christ on earth and as their chief pastor, and render him cheer­
ful obedience in everything concerning religion. This was the
case always and in all places, as we see from the testimony of
the Fathers of the Church and of Church history. Irenæus, who
was a pupil of a disciple of the Apostles, refers the heretics of his
time to the Roman Church, “for,” he says, “with his Church
every other Church (that is, all the faithful), because of her su­
perior rank, must necessarily agree.” Catholics from the very
beginning, when contentions arose in matters of religion, appealed
to the Pontiff and submitted to his decisions. The principle
was always maintained, that only he is a Catholic who submits
to the Pope; hence St. Jerome says: “He who adheres not to the
Pope, adheres not to Christ,” and St. Cyprian : “He who forsakes
the See of Peter, upon which the Church is founded, can not say
that he still belongs to the Church.” The Catholic Church there­
fore possesses Unity, a mark of the true Church established by
Christ.

Part HI.
All religious denominations separatedfrom the Catholic Church
are destitute of this mark. We shall speak only of the modern
religious sects which, came into existence about three hundred
years ago and subsequently, and which are comprised under the
name of “Protestants.”

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

389

I. They are destitute of unity in faith. That which St. Jerome
said of the sects of his time may be said of all the sects of our
days, namely, that, when there is a question of attacking the
Catholic Church, they are one, as Herod and Pilate were when
there was a question of inflicting suffering upon our Saviour, but
in everything else they are at variance with one another. They
are all one only on one point—in their hatred against the Spouse
of Christ. Even the very founders of these sects frequently
changed their doctrines. Thus Luther says: “We confess that
there is much Christian good in the Papacy; nay, every Christian
good.” Again he says: “The Papacy is nothing but the impud­
ence of the devil, from the crown of the head to the sole of the
foot.” At one time he says: “Matrimony is a sacrament,” and at
another: “We must not make matrimony a sacrament.” The
same contradictions are found in the writings of the other inno­
vators. The new doctrine was scarcely introduced, when sect
arose against sect, and the rents became so great, and the di­
visions so many, that Luther’s friend, Melancthon, wrote: “The
whole river Elbe can not give water enough sufficiently to
deplore in tears the mischief of the shattered and disunited
‘ Reformation.’ ” In the course of time things grew worse ; and
at present among a thousand Protestants you will scarcely find
two who, in matters of faith, agree on any one point. Unity of
faith is absolutely impossible with them, because, according to
their doctrine, every one has a right to interpret the Bible
according to his own private judgment.
2.

They are destitute of unity as regards the means of grace.

(a.) The sacrifice of the mass. The Augsburg Confession de­
clares that “the mass is to be retained, and to be celebrated
with the greatest veneration.” In another Lutheran confession we
read: “The people are to be taught that the mass, being a
human invention, can be omitted without sin and the Catechism
of Heidelberg calls the mass “a damnable idolatry.” The Angli­
can Church says in her articles that the “Sacrifices of Masses
are blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits”, but now-a-days
many Anglicans assert the contrary.
(δ.) The sacraments. In regard to these, all Protestants are not
even united as to whether Christ has really instituted sacraments
or not. Neither are they all united in regard to the number;
some admit two, others three. Again, they disagree in regard to
what the sacraments are, and their effects. Many even look upon
baptism as a mere ceremony, and many never have their chil­
dren baptized at all.

390

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

(î.) A head. Protestants have no common head. Their religi­
ous rulers are the kings and princes of the country, no matter
whether they are men or women, of this or that creed. Instead
of one Pope, they have many popes, for the religion of every
principality or kingdom has its own head, and is in no connec­
tion with others. From this it necessarily follows, that the reli­
gious denominations separated from the Catholic Church can
not be the true Church of Christ, because they do not possess
unity, one of the necessary marks of the true Church.
PERORATION.

Return thanks to God that you are members of the Catholic
Church. She is the Church of Christ, one to-day, yesterday, and
for ever. As Catholics you are most intimately united with one
another, for you all have the same faith, the same means of grace,
the same head, and you form one family of God upon earth.
Avoid disunion and division, believe firmly what the Catholic
Church proposes to your faith, make use of the sacraments, and
render her obedience in all things pertaining to the salvation of
your soul. Remember the words of St. Cyprian : “He who has
not the Church for his mother, can not have God for his father.”
Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
SUNDAY.

Lord, save us, we perish.—Matt.

8: 25.

As long as we are pilgrims on earth, we shall be surrounded
by great spiritual dangers. Sometimes it is Satan, who goes
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; some­
times the world, which endeavors by stratagem to decoy us into
its snares; and sometimes our own flesh, which becomes the
confederate of Satan to allure us into sin. We must passthrough
the boisterous sea of this world, where winds and storms are
frequent; our bark may be almost covered by the waves of con­
tinual temptations : but we must not lose courage in these dan·

4. Liturgical Sketch.

391

gers, for we have a life-boat in prayer. Let us cry out in every
danger with the Apostles, full of confidence: Lord, save us, we
ferish, and Christ will save us. Let us practice prayer, particu­
larly on Sunday, for this is a day of prayer, instituted in order that
we may honor God by fervent religious exercises, and implore
his gifts and graces for time and eternity. I shall give you to-day
the necessary instruction on the proper observance of Sunday,
and explain to you—
I. The names of this day ;
II. At what time Christians began to observe Sunday ;
III. Of what it reminds us.

Part I.
i. The ecclesiastical name for Sunday is the Lords Day. It is
justly called the day of the Lord, because it is the day on which
Jesus Christ rose from the dead ancT"accomplished the work of
our Redemption ; also because God sanctified this day and wishes
us to empToy it exculsively for his honor. In this sense St. Augu­
stine says: “It is called the Lord’s day, that on it we may abstain
from servile works and devote ourselves to the divine service;
that we may honor and celebrate it on account of the hope which
it gives us of our resurrection.” Sunday was called the Lord’s
day even in the earliest ages of the Church. St. Ignatius, a dis­
ciple of St. John the Evangelist, in a letter to the Magnesians,
says : “Celebrate no longer the Sabbath, but sanctify the day of
the Lord, for through Christ and his death we have received life”
(by his Resurrection on a Sunday).

2. The day of the Lord is also called Sunday. This name like­
wise is of very ancient date. Justin the Martyr, in the second
century, says: “We all assemble on Sunday, because it is the
day on which God in the creation of the world separated light
from darkness, and on which our Lord Jesus Christ rose from
the dead.” Even the pagans had aT day which they called Sun­
day, rrThonor of the sun, and this was the first day of the week.
The Christians also called the first day of the week Sunday, and
celebrated it ; but they scrupulously guarded against the errone­
ous opinion that they, like the pagans, practiced idolatry and
adored the sun as a god ; they gave to their Sunday a Christian
meaning, for they celebrated it in honor of Jesus Christ, the Sur
of Justice, who with the light of his grace illuminates, warms
and fertilizes the world. Hence St. Ambrose says: “The day of
the Lord is venerable and solemn to us, because on it the Saviour,
the rising sun, after having dispelled the darkness of hell, shines
in the glory of the Resurrection; for this reason it is called

39*

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

Sunday, because Christ, the rising Sun of Justice, illumi·
nes it.”
Since Sunday is the day of the Lord, devote it to the Lord, and
do not, by dissipation and vice, make it a day of the devil. Cele­
brate it in honor of Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice: return thanks
to him for the light of faith with which he has enlightened you;
walk in this light and so let the light of your good example shine
before your fellow-men that they may glorify your Father who
is in heaven.

Part Π.
The Christians began the celebration of Sunday as far back
as the Apostolic times. In proof thereof we have—
1. The Sacred Scriptures. We read in the Acts of the Apostles
(20: 7): “And on the first day of the week, when we were
assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, being to
depart on the morrow, and he continued his speech until mid­
night.” Since the first day of the week is Sunday, and the
expression “to break bread” intimates the celebration of the
sacrifice of the mass, we see that Christians, even in the time of
the Apostles, held their meetings for divine worship on Sundays,
and therefore kept the Sunday holy. “On the first day of the
week let every one of you put apart with himself, laying up what
it shall well please him, that when I come, the collection be not
then to be made.”—I. Cor. 16: 2. This passage again is a clear
proof of the celebration of Sunday, for the Apostle appointed the
first day of the week, that is, Sunday, for the gathering of con­
tributions for charitable purposes, only for the reason that it was
a holiday and the Christians assembled on that day for public
worship.

2. The most ancient Fathers of the Church. Justin the Martyr
speaks of the celebration of Sunday as a universally observed
custom. Among other things he says: “On the day of the sun all
who live in the city and in the country assemble together in one
place. The beginning is made with the reading of the Apostles
and the Prophets as far as time permits. After the reading, the
priest who officiates makes a discourse to the assembly, to in­
struct and exhort them to put into practice the sublime maxims
of virtue and religion which they have heard. Then we all rise
to say our prayers in common. We pray for ourselves, for those
who are at that time to be baptized, and for all people and nations,
that they may come to the knowledge of the truth, may lead a
holy life, keep the commandments, and obtain eternal salvation.
After these prayers we salute one another with the kiss of

I

4. Liturgical Sketch.

393

peace. Then, bread, as well as a chalice with wine and water, is
given to him who presides. He takes them, gives thanks to the
Father through the name of the Son and the Holy Ghost, and makes
a long act of thanksgiving for these gifts, which in grace he has
given us. The prayers and the thanksgiving being ended, all the
people, standing, say Amen, which, being a Hebrew word, means:
Yes, certainly and truly, be it so. After that, those who are
called deacons distribute to every one present the bread and the
wine and water blessed by the thanksgiving, and bring it also to
the absent. We call this nourishment the Eucharist, and no one
is allowed to participate in it unless he believes in the truth of
our doctrine, and by the forgiveness of sin and a new life is washed
and lives according to the doctrine of Christ. For we take them, not
as common bread and common drink, but as the flesh and blood
of our Redeemer.” From the words of this Father of the Church
we see that the early Christians celebrated their divine worship on
Sundays in the same manner as we do to-day; they heard the
Word of God, assisted at the sacrifice of the mass and communi­
cated with the officiating priest.

I

I
I

I. Sunday reminds us of our Creation, Redemption, and Sanctifi
cation. In the Old Law the Sabbath, our Saturday, was cele­
brated in memory of the creation of the world.—Exod. 20: 11.
As God was engaged six days in the work of creation, and on
the seventh day rested, so men should work six days at their
temporal pursuits and rest on the seventh, in order to devote
themselves exclusively to the service ot God, their Lord and
Creator. If men had remained innocent they could have cele­
brated their Sabbath in holy joy, but after the fall of man this
was no longer possible, for every Sabbath recalled to their mind
the sad fact that they had sinned and merited the displeasure of
God and punishment. A new Sabbath was to be instituted, with
a mystery as the basis, over which men could again truly rejoice
This was done. By the mercy of God a second creation was
accomplished, through which the evil which the sin of man had
brought upon the first was removed and repaired. This second
creation is the Redemption, by which Christ has re-created
us, that is, called us into a new life, the life of grace. From the
death of sin he has called us to the life of justice, from being
slaves of Satan to the glory of being the children of God and
heirs to the kingdom of heaven.—John 3:3; Rom. 8: 17. Christ
accomplished this second, spiritual creation on a Sunday, namely,
on Easter Sunday, when he rose from the dead ; and he com­
pleted and perfected his work when he sent the Holy Ghost to
be the animating soul of this new and beautiful creation of divine

394

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

love. The descent of the Holy Ghost alsooccurred on a Sunday,
on Whit-Sunday. As Sunday is the first day of the week, there­
fore the day on which the work of the creation was begun, it
reminds us also of the first creation, and teaches us at the same time
that we are not to spend it in effeminate ease, as the Jews spent
their sabbath, but in holy employment, as God also was active
on that day, beginning the work of creation. Thus Sunday brings
the three great benefits which we owe to the most holy Trinity
before our mind; namely, our Creation, our Redemption, and
our Sanctification. The day of the Lord, says Pope Leo the
Great, has received an exalted significance by the mysterious
dispensation of the gifts of divine grace, and by the completion
of all the more prominent institutions of salvation ordained by
Christ. Qn this day the work of Creation was begun ; by the Re­
surrection of Christ death was conquered; and true life began
by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles.

2. It reminds us of the three cycles of festivals during' the
ecclesiastical year. Sundays stand in intimate connection with
the three principal feasts of the year, Christmas, Easter, and
Pentecost. Nearly all the Sundays of the year are designated
from one or other of these festivals, as being· a Sunday of Ad­
vent, and so referring to Christmas; or after Easter, or Pentecost.
It follows, that, besides their general signification, Sundays have
also a particular one, according to the cycle in which any parti­
cular Sunday is found. It may belong to the Christmas Sundays,
the Easter Sundays, or the Sundays of Pentecost. The Sundays
in the first cycle of festivals referring to the feast of Christmas,
remind us of the words of Christ: ‘‘God &o loved the world as to
give his only be-gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
may not perish, but have life everlasting.”—John 3: 16. The
Sundays in the second cycle of festivals have reference to
Easter, and remind us, in the words of St. Paul, “that Christ died
for all; that they also who live may not now live to themselves,
but to him who died for them and rose again.”—II Cor. 5: 15.
The Sundays in the third cycle of festivals have the feast of
Pentecost for their centre, and represent to us the promise of
Christ: “And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another
Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever, the Spirit of
truth, whom the world can not receive.”—John 14: 16, 17. Con­
sequently, Sundays remind us not only of these three principal
benefits, our Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification in general,
but also of particular truths and graces, which the principal
feasts, preceding and following, include in themselves

5. Symbolical Sketch.

395

PERORATION,

I have now given you, in general, the necessary instruction
©n Sunday ; you know the names, the origin, and the significance
of this holy day. Be careful to celebrate Sundays as becomes
devout Christians. Guard against certain sins which are usually
committed on Sundays. Make a resolution, as long as God gives
you life and health, to attend mass, and if possible, vespers also.
Esteem yourselves happy in having the opportunity of going to
confession and communion every Sunday. Spend some time on
this day in spiritual reading; perform if you can, some of the cor­
poral and spiritual works of mercy. Observe for the future the
Sundays and holidays is such a manner that on your death-bed
you can look back upon them with comfort, and may hope to be
called by God to the eternal rest of heaven, which they sym­
bolize. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH
THE BOAT ON THE LAKE OF GENESARETH A SYMBOL OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH.

And behold, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat mas
covered mith waves ; but he mas asleep.—Matt. 8: 24.
The lake or sea of which the gospel of this day makes mention
was the Lake of Genesareth, also called the Sea of Galilee or
Tiberias, on the shores of which was situated the renowned city
of Capharnaum. A great many people being assembled on the
shore of the sea, Jesus entered into a boat, and from it announ­
ced his doctrine to the multitude in parables. It was evening
when he ceased preaching, and he commanded his disciples to
take him across the sea, for he wished to go to the opposite side
to pray in solitude. Whilst, they were crossing the sea a great
storm arose; his disciples in their anguish hastened to Jesus, who
was sleeping in the stern of the ship, and awaked him, exclaim­
ing: Lord, save us, me perish. Jesus, rising, commanded the
waves, and there was a great calm. We shall make the symboli·

396

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

cal signification of this occurence the subject of our meditation
this morning.
The boat on the Lake of Genesareth a symbol of the Catholic
Church.

Part L
i.

Like other vessels, the boat on the Lake of Genesareth was
narrow at the prow, broad in the centre, and somewhat narrow
at the stern. In its construction the boat is a symbol of the
Church. When we contemplate the Church established by Christ
we find that just as the boat is very small at the prow, where it
first begins to cleave the water, so the Church had a very small be­
ginning. Even after the departure of her divine Founder or
Builder, she had room enough in the coenaculum^ or upper room
at Jerusalem, the number of the faithful in all being only one
hundred and twenty souls. This certainly was a small congre­
gation, especially when we consider that Christ had labored in­
cessantly for three years, preaching and performing numberless
miracles. But Christ wished to prepare the field, sow the seed,
and let his disciples reap the harvest.—John 4: 37, 38. God’s
works usually have a small and modest beginning. Let us base
all our undertakings on humility, that God may bless them.
2. The boat extends and widens towards the centre. In like
manner, the Church quickly began to grow and to develop its
magnificent dimensions, to the astonishment and admiration of
mankind. Even during the time of the Apostles the Church num­
bered many adherents, not only in the land of the Jews, but also
in most provinces of the Roman Empire. In the middle of the
third century we find Christianity planted and taking root not
only in Asia and Africa, but also in Europe, and most of the
nations were, if not entirely, at least in great part, Christian.
Tertullian says: “We Christians are only of yesterday, yet we fill
every place—your cities, your towns, your villages, the palace,
the senate, the legislative halls; we leave you nothing but your
temples.” After Constantine the Great became a Christian, Pa­
ganism disappeared from the whole Roman Empire, and Christi­
anity became the prevailing religion. To-day the Catholic
Church numbers two hundred and fifty millions of souls. Amid all
the changes of time and circumstances the bark of Peter still
ploughs her way bravely on. She holds the self-same course that
she did when Peter handled the helm. She swerves neither to
the right nor to the left. Could one of the early Roman martyrs
reappear again upon the scene, he would find all changed,—the
Caesars gone, the palace, and the villa, and the arena gone, the

5.

Symbolical Sketch.

397

outward aspect of the church itself completely altered, St.
Peter’s instead of the Catacombs,—but the ship is the self-same,
her course the same and the storms which buffet her only in form
and manner different from what they were under the Caesars.
But where there were thousands aboard of her then, there are
millions now. She is large enough to receive still more. She was
built to accomodate all the nations of the earth.

3. As the boat begins gradually to narrow again towards the
stern, but not nearly so much as at the prow, so the Church will
exhibit these symmetrical dimensions. Before the end of the world
Antichrist will come, “whose coming is according to the working
of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders,” and will
attempt the downfall and destruction of the Church.—IL Thess.
2: 3 et seq. Temptations will be so great, that, if it were possible,
even the elect would be led into error. Apostasy from Christi­
anity will be general. Therefore Christ says: “The Son of Man
when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?”—Luke
18:8. It is true, the Catholic Church will exist to the end of the
world ; there will, however, be a great falling off in numbers. At
the sight of a boat or ship remember these truths, and return
thanks to God for your vocation to the Catholic Church, and re­
solve always to continue faithful to your God and to his holy
Church.

Part

Π.

Christ and his disciples mere in the boat on tho Lake of Ge­
nesareth .
1. Jesus Christ is in the Church, and will be in her to the end
of time. He promises this himself : “Behold, I am with you all
days, even to the consummation of the world.”—Malt. 28: 20.
And for what purpose? In order to protect her against all her
enemies and to preserve her. This is our consolation. He dwells
in the Church not only as God, but also as man ; he is, faith
teaches us, truly present in the Blessed Eucharist with his Divi­
nity and humanity. What a grace for us, which so many Catho­
lics know not how to appreciate ! They do not visit him in his
tabernacles, they do not receive him in holy communion.

2. The disciples of Christ are in the Church—the Pope, bishops,
and priests. They are lawful successors of the Apostles and
disciples of Christ, and have the same power and authority. Peter
continues to live in the person of the Pope; the other Apostles,
in the bishops united with the Pope; and the disciples, in the
priests. No other religious denomination has pastors who are

’ ÎL

398

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

the lawful successors of the Apostles, and who are in union with
Peter ; therefore theirs is not the ship or Church of Christ; conse­
quently one can not work out one’s salvation in any other than
the Church of Christ. Let us rejoice that we have always been
Catholics; that in our infancy we were baptized as members of
the Catholic Church, and let us thank God that we have never
known what it is to be severed from its membership. In her we
have the only true and saving faith, and all the means of sal­
vation. Let us show ourselves worthy of this grace, and employ
it to our advantage.

'

Part m.
The boat was overtaken by a storm. The gospel says : A great
tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves.
The Church is also exposed to storms. They are—
1

1. External storms, that is, persecutions, which come from
without. How cruelly have many Roman Emperors, Nero, Domitian, Maximin, Diocletian, and Julian, persecuted the Church!
Who can describe the sufferings which the Christians of the first
three centuries endured for their faith! Rabid dogs were never
hunted down so mercilessly as were the innocent Christians.
One can not read of these cruel tortures without shuddering.
Thesepersecutions have sincefrequently been repeated, as Church
history informs us. We have only to recall to mind the Huns,
the Turks, and later, at the time of the French Revolution, the
infidels. The blood of Christians which has been shed for the
last eighteen hundred years would make a sea larger than the
Lake of Genesareth.

2. Internal tempests, that is, persecutions which the Church
was compelled to endure from her own wayward, unfaithful
children, false teachers and heretics. There has been scarcely a
century in which the Church was not obliged to bewail the de­
fection of many of her children. The heresiarchs from the be­
ginning manifested themselves as the most bitter enemies of the
Church; they misrepresented her doctrine, and disseminated lies
and calumnies against her in order to render her odious; they
often succeeded in influencing temporal rulers to become her
persecutors and to oppress her in every possible way Proofs
from Church history: What did not the Catholics suffer from the
Arians, the Iconoclasts, the Albigenses, the Hussites, and the
Protestants? The Church felt these sufferings the more, as they
came, not from strangers and outsiders, but from her own rene­
gade children. Oh, that there may be none among us who unite
with the enemies of the Church in order to dishonor, revile,

5. Symbolical Sketch.

399

calumniate, and injure his mother! “The eye that mocketh at his
father and that despiseth the labor of his mother in bearing· him,
let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat
it.”—Prov. 30: 17.

Part IV.
He was asleep. The storm rages with unabated fury, wave
follows wave, rising higher and higher, and covering the boat;
the disciples are in mortal terror, imagining every moment that
they will be lost; but Jesus sleeps. At first sight this sleeping of
the Master in such perilous circumstances, this seeming indiffer­
ence to the fishermen’s anxiety, seems inexplicable. But he had
his own motive. By that sleep, as well as by all else he did and
said, he wished to inculcate a lesson which his followers would
have need to remember in the ages to come. In the perils and
dangers which beset the Church in our day it is a great
source of consolation to all faithful Catholics to recall to mind
that, with Peter himself at the helm, Jesus slept during that
night of storm and darkness, terror and confusion.

1. Tho history of the Church carries us back to many a period
when Jesus slept while his ship, the Church, was struggling with
the most violent storms. He seemed, but only seemed, not to care
for the fate, of his own, and apparently gave them over to the
power of their enemies; he saw them oppressed and persecuted,
vilified, trodden upon, and outraged in every way, while a hard,
heartless, and hostile world took a fiendish delight in witnessing
their misery and humiliation. And yet Jesus slept. He let the
storm spend its fury. He knew what manner of ship it was he
had launched. Let the tempest rage never so fiercely, she was
fitted to withstand its might. Let the darkness be black as
Egypt’s, there was no danger of her missing her course. These
storms serve only to nerve all on board to more heroic effort—
serve also to turn their thoughts in humble and conscious de­
pendence to him who seemed to sleep, but whom they know to
be their safety. Yet as we can not penetrate the designs of Pro­
vidence, it does surely seem strange in many cases and must
continue to seem strange, to our mere human reason, that the
Master should go on sleeping and allow the enemies of his
Church to gain such seemingly grand and lasting triumphs over
her. Examples from history: The Christians during the time of
a three hundred year’s persecution. The faithful in Spain, when
they languished under the yoke of the Moors. The Irish, who,
on account of their faith, suffeied persecutions for three hundred
years. How could Christ sleep, and for so long a time 1

400

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

2. He seems to sleep again in our day. Scarcely at any period
of her history has the Catholic Church had so many, and such
wily and deadly foes as she is now called on to encounter. A
hostile spirit manifests itself everywhere. In many places she is
oppressed and persecuted, her property confiscated, her clergy
imprisoned or banished. In the open as in the dark, on the hust­
ings as in the freemasons’ lodges, in the bureaus of princes as in
the dens of conspirators, her downfall is planned and prophesied,
plotted and wrought for. Zealous Catholics, strong in faith,
priests and laymen, are making the greatest sacrifices for the
Church, and yet Christ sleeps. He gives no help, when it would
be so easy for him to do so. Why does he not come to the assist­
ance of his Church? His hour is not yet come. When will it
come? When it will conduce to his honor and man’s salvation.

Part V.
The disciples go to Jesus, and implore his help, and rising up, he
calms the storm.
1. The disciples cried out, full of fear: Lord, save us, we perish.
So also did the oppressed Christians of all times. The greater
the danger and affliction, the more fervently they implored God’s
aid and intervention. When Peter was in prison, and like his
fellow-apostles, was to be executed, the faithful prayed without
ceasing for him.—Acts 12. St. Augustine says that in the time of
persecution, prayers and tears are the weapons which the Christi
ans use against their enemies. We also have recourse to prayer
in the present afflictions of the Church. We do what the Apost­
les did in the tempest: we pray.

2. And what did our Lord do at the prayer of his disciples?
Rising up, he commanded the winds and the sea, and there came a great
calm. The prayer of the Apostles was not fruitless. It proved
an effectual means of obtaining the divine help when effort
seemed useless, and other hope there was none. A prayer full of
faith and confidence has always a like result. Was it not the per­
severing prayer of the faithful that moved God to deliver St
Peter from the murderous hands of Herod, and lead him by an
angel out of prison ? During the time of Pius V., was it not by
prayer that our Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin, gave the Christians victory over the Turk, the arch­
enemy of Christianity ? I he promise of Christ remains always
true: “Amen, amen, I say to you: If you ask the Father anything
in my name, he will give it you.”—John 16: 23. We need not
therefore lose courage in the present time of affliction ; we have
the means at our disposal to obtain of God help and protection for

6. Moral Sketch.

401

ourselves and the Church, and this means is prayer. “Let us go,
therefore, with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid.”—Hebrews 4: 16.
PERORATION.

Behold, the boat on the Lake of Genesareth is a symbol of the
holy Catholic Church. The boat was to make but a short voyage,
and yet she encountered a great tempest. Letus not be astonish­
ed, when storms, that is, tribulations and persecutions, come
upon the Church, whose voyage on the ocean of the world will
last till the end of time. Let us not become discouraged and
pusillanimous when we see such storms rage around: let us be
firm in our confidence, for we are taught by the word of God
that the Church is built upon a rock, and that the gates of hell
shall not prevail against her. But to obtain divine protection
and assistance we must pray. Let us therefore make use of this
means ; let us pray with confidence and perseverance—and Christ,
rising up, will command the winds and the storm, and there shall
come a great calm. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

are you fearful, O ye of little faith.—Matt. 8 : 26.
The Apostles had up to this time frequently been witnesses of
the wonderful miracles of Jesus; therefore when the tempest
raged on the sea they should have held their peace and consoled
themselves with the thought: “Christ is with us; no harm can
befall us.” But, instead of putting their trust in Christ and hold­
ing their peace, they experienced the greatest fear, and in their
excitement cried out: Lord, save us, we perish. Jesus rebuked
them for their want of faith, in these words: Why are you fear­
ful, O ye of little faith ? Our conduct is no better, nay, is fre­
quently more blamable than that of th e Apostles ; for, many a
time it needs no severe trial, no great affliction, to make us lose
our courage and imagine that all is lost. Why is it we act so?

I

26

<02

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

Because we lack confidence in God. I shall speak to you to-day
on the subject of confidence in God, describing—

I. Its qualifies ;
II. Its effects.

Part

L

Confidence in God must be—

1. Firm. A Christian must in every circumstance of life, even
in the greatest dangers and afflictions, be penetrated with the
conviction that God will protect him and ordain everything for
his good.
(λ.) This confidence is based upon Gods power, goodness, and
wisdom. God is almighty, therefore there is no necessity in
which he can not help us ; he is infinitely good, therefore ready
to help us in every need ; he is infinitely wise, therefore he will
dispose and ordain everything that is best and salutary for us.

{bi) Examples of this confidence. Jonathan: “It is easy for the
Lord to save either by many, or by few.”—I. Kings 14: 6. David:
“The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out
of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of
this Philistine.”—I. Kings 17:37. The woman that was troubled
with an issue of blood: “If I shall touch only his garment, I shall
be healed.”—Matt. 9: 21.
{ci) Faults against this confidence. Pusillanimity and timidity.
Many become despondent as soon as an affliction comes upon
them ; they break forth in complaints and will not be comforted,
they give up all hope and imagine that there is no help for
them. How often these complaints prove to be exaggerated,
nay, entirely false 1 Others, again, in the beginning of their afflic­
tions, are resigned to the will of God, but if the affliction last for
any length of time and the means employed for relief produce
no effect, they become discouraged and say impatiently : Why
must I suffer so long without obtaining any relief? To act thus,
or in any way like it, is to offend God, who designs all for the
best, and to whose holy will we should always be resigned.
2. Active. We must do what is required on our part if we wish
to obtain anything from God. The adage is true : “God helps
those who help themselves.” This is necessary—

{ai) In temporal things. He who wishes to succeed in the world
must learn some trade or profession, labor diligently, and be

6.

Moral Sketch.

403

economical. He who wishes to reap a good harvest must pre­
pare his field and sow good seed. He who wishes to recover
from sickness must make use of the appropriate means for the
recovery of health.
(3.) In matters pertaining to the salvation of a soul. If we wish
to be admitted into heaven, we must conscientiously keep the
commandments; if we wish to obtain forgiveness of our sins, we
must be truly sorry for them and confess them; if we wish to
remain in the state of grace, we must watch and pray, etc.

(i.) Faults against this confidence. In general, all those sin who
expect to obtain their request without making use of the appro­
priate means, hoping that God will, in some extraordinary
manner, or by working a miracle in their behalf, procure them
the object of their desire.
It would be sinful confidence in a sick man to refuse the phy­
sician’s medicine and hope to be restored to health by a miracle.
It is sinful confidence to expose one’s self without necessity to
any danger of body or soul, and expect that God, by a special
protection, will avert the danger. This is only foolhardiness. It
is sinful confidence to expect God to forgive us our sins if we go
on sinning, or do not avoid the proximate occasions. If is sinful
confidence to expect that God will restore us to his favor and
friendship, if we do not restore ill-gotten goods, repair injuries
or damages inflicted by us, forgive our enemies, overcome bad
habits, attend to our religious duties, and approach the sacra­
ments.

3. Based upon the merits of Jesus Christ. We owe everything
to the merits of Jesus Christ, particularly—
(ai) The forgiveness of our sins. He is the Lamb “who taketh
away the sin of the world.”—John 1: 29. “In whom we have re­
demption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to
the riches of his grace.”—Ephes. 1:7. If Christ had not died for
us, no sin could be forgiven us, not even a venial one, even if we
bewailed it with tears of blood.
(3.) The grace to do good. “I am the vine : you the branches; he
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit ;
for without me you can do nothing.”—John 15: 5. The grace of
resisting temptations, of performing good and meritorious acti­
ons, of persevering in good—this grace, as in fact all graces that
contribute to the saving of our souls, flows to us from the merits
of Christ. If it were not for these merits, no one would receive

even the least grace.

404

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

(a) Eternal salvation. “Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy hath re­
generated us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead unto an inheritance incorruptible and un­
defiled, and that cannot fade, reserved in heaven for you.”—Z
Peter i: 3, 4. In order to be saved it is necessary to avoid evil,
to keep the commandments, to perform good and meritorious
works, and to persevere in justice to the end,—all things which
are impossible without the grace of God. Now, since every grace
flows from the merits of Christ, it is evident that we can attain
eternal salvation only through the merits of Christ.
(di) Even temporal goods, such as food, raiment, shelter, health,
prosperity in our undertakings and business transactions. For
this reason Christ himself directs us to pray in his name that
our heavenly Father may hear us. “If you ask the Father any­
thing in my name, he will give it you.”—John 16: 23. This is
also the reason why the Church concludes all her prayers with
these or similar words, “Through Jesus Christ our Lord,” for she
knows that every good gift is given to us by God, our Father in
heaven, only on account of the merits of Jesus Christ, his Son.
The foundation therefore of all our confidence in God is the
merits of Jesus Christ. We read in the life of St. Bernard that
Satan one day suggested to him the thought: “Bernard, you
hope to attain heaven, you miserable creature ; where are your
merits for so great a joy and glory?” The saint replied to the
tempter: “It is true, I am absolutely unworthy of heaven; it is
true, I do not, and never shall merit it; nevertheless, I hope for
it, because the goodness, love, and mercy of God are infinite; I
hope to enjoy the everlasting glory of the heavenly kingdom,
because Jesus Christ has merited it for me.” We should say the
same if the tempter endeavor to weaken our confidence : God is
at all times inclined to give us everything good, and even if he
do not always grant us what we think we need, we should never­
theless not waver for a moment in our confidence in him, because
Jesus Christ has abundantly merited for us all natural and super­
natural goods and graces.

Part II.
The effects of confidence in God are most salutary; for—

i. It delivers us from worldly anxieties and cares. “The heath­
ens,” says Christ, “seek after all these things” {Matt. 6: 32), be­
cause they have no knowledge of God, and consequently no
confidence in him. Christians, on the contrary, who know God
and trust in him, live quietly and are comforted, for they know

6. Moral Sketch.

405

that he ordains everything for their good; that even what ap­
pears to be an evil in the eyes of the world is good and expedient
if we only make proper use of it. This thought banishes all tor­
menting cares from their hearts and makes them always resigned
to the will of God. They say with David: ‘‘The Lord is my
helper: I will not fear what man can do unto me.”—Ps. 117: 6.
How dnes it happen that so many Christians are always full of
cases a id troubles, that they torment themselves, and never find
rest and peace i It proceeds from want of confidence in God.
Frequently make acts of confidence in God, in order to confirir
yourselves in this virtue, and you will pass your days in quietude
and peace.

2. It affords comfort in sufferings and persecutions, so that one
bears them, not only with patience, but even with joy; for con­
fidence has its foundation in faith, which teaches us, “that the
sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory to come, that shall be revealed in us.”—Rom. 8: 18. F01
this reason the saints endured with patience and joy whatever
painful and difficult things they were obliged to bear. “The
Apostles went from the presence of the council, rejoicing that
they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of
Jesus.”—Acts 5: 41. St. Paul acknowledges of himself that he
was filled with comfort and exceedingly abounded with joy in all
his tribulations.—II. Cor. 7: 4. (Examples from the lives of the
saints, St. Teresa and St. Lidwina.) Oh, that all Christians would
be animated by a true confidence 1 They would then in all diffi­
culties and sufferings preserve their equanimity, and courageously
follow their divine Lord on the way of the cross, in the blessed
hope that if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with
him.—Rom. 8: 17.
3. It gives us courage and strength in temptations. Our life upon
earth is a warfare. There are enemies within and without; for
the world, the flesh, and the devil, are waging a continual war
against us, and using all their endeavors to draw us into sin and
hell. What can sustain our courage amidst so many and such
great dangers ? Confidence in God. This holds us firm and secure
in the midst of storms, as the anchor holds the ship. In the cer­
tainty of assistance from above we fear no enemy and know no
danger; we feel ourselves strong and powerful, and full of con­
fidence we say with David : “Our God is our refuge and strength;
a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly. Therefore
we will not fear when the earth shall be troubled and the moun­
tains shall be removed into the heart of the sea.”—Ps. 45: 2, 3.
St. Francis of Sales suffered great temptations, as he writes in a
letter: “I am tempted so violently that the necessary strength for

406

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

resistance seems to be wanting to me, and I fear I should fall if
an opportunity presented itself.” And he adds: “The weaker,
however, I feel myself, the more my confidence in God increases;
for I am confident that he will give me so great a power that
I could devour my enemies like young lambs, even if the object
of my sinful desire were present to me.” Confidence in God gives
us this courage, this strength.

4. it renders the -practice of Christian virtues and good works easy
He who trusts in God is convinced that he can do all things with
the help cf God. For this reason he goes about the work of his
salvation with alacrity and courage, and surmounts all the ob­
stacles and undergoes all the difficulties which he meets with in
the way of virtue. He who trusts in God lives also in the blessed
hope that he will receive a great reward in heaven for all the
good he does. And again, it is this hope that urges him on “to
make sure his calling and election by good works.”—II. Peter 1 :
10. What was it that actuated St. Paul to preach the gospel
under so many difficulties, that he became all to all, without
asking the least temporal reward ? He says himself : “I do all
things for the gospel’s sake, that I may be made partaker
thereof (that is, that with the graces which the gospel gives I
may obtain in eternity those goods which it bestows).—I. Cor.
9:23. If we were all animated with such a lively confidence in God,
we should certainly do everything that is required to gain our
eternal salvation and make use of every opportunity for doing
good.
PERORATION.

As you perceive, confidence is a virtue as necessary as it is
salutary Confidence in God banishes all disquietude and im­
moderate cares from the heart, infuses into it courage and con­
solation in trials and persecutions, strengthens us in temptations,
and encourages us to practice virtue and good works Let us
always act as Christians who believe that they are under God’s
fatherly protection : let us do what reason and religion prescribe
in order to make ourselves worthy of the protection and assistance
of God, and endeavor to lead a pious life. Then our confidence
will be founded on a solid basis, and we may hope for every
blessing from God ; for “if our hearts do not reprehend us, we
have confidence towards God, and whatsoever we shall ask, we
shall receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and
do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”—I. John 3: 21, 22
Amen.

t- Moral

Sketch.

407

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
WHAT WE NEED ON OUR VOYAGE THROUGH LTFE IN ORDER TO
REACH THE PORT OF ETERNITY IN SAFETY.

His disciples came to him, and awaked him, saying·. Lord, save us,
we perish— Matt. 8: 25.

As the gospel of this day informs us, the Apostles in the passage
across the G-alilean Sea were exposed to a great storm; they
were in danger of being shipwrecked and of finding a watery
grave. In great fear they came to Jesus, and awaked him, ex­
claiming: Lord, save us, we perish. Our life upon earth is like a
voyage on sea, where storms arise and threaten to wreck us.
These storms are temptations, from which we shall never be free
as long as we live. Mariners at sea need three things particularly,
any of which being wanting, navigation would be extremely dan­
gerous, if not quite impossible. These are a rudder, a compass,
and an anchor. On our life’s voyage we also need, figuratively
speaking, a rudder, a compass, and an anchor, if we desire to
steer our course correctly, and make the haven of a happy eter­
nity. We need—
I. The helm of the cross ;
II. The compass of conscience;
III. The anchor of hope.

Part

L

The helm or rudder is absolutely necessary in navigation. It
is only by its means that the vessel can be kept on her course.
A good and well-poised vessel obeys its every motion. The helm
is not the power which gives motion to the ship but it is by its
means that the direction in which the impelling power shall act
is determined. Without it a vessel would belike a tub in the sea,
driven hither and thither, and tossed about at the mercy of winds
and waves and currents. There would be no means of keeping
her off shoals or preventing her from being dashed to pieces on
the rocks. Now our helm is the cross. We need it—

4o8

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

i.

In the tribulations of this life. The earth since the fall of our
first parents is no longer a paradise, but a valley of tears ; suffer­
ings and afflictions of every description are the lot of the children
of Adam. What can raise and strengthen us? The cross. We need
only represent to ourselves our patient Redeemer carrying the
cross. He never had a peaceful hour in his whole life; tribulations
of every kind were his portion on earth. Do wo deserve anything
better than he ? Do we not know that if we wish to be his dis­
ciples we must follow him on the way of the cross: “If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow me.”—Matt. 16: 24.

2. In persecution. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.”—II Tim. 3: 12. History and experience
corroborate this sentence What sufferings did not the Apostles
and the Christians of the first three centuries endure ? He who
clings to his faith as a good Catholic and lives in accordance
with its precepts is frequently reviled, caluminated, mocked, and
insulted. This is especially the case in our days. What can and
must comfort us in such persecutions? The cross. Christ was also
persecuted even to his last moments on the cross. How did he
act towards his persecutors? Did he curse them? Did he take
revenge on them? No, he was all love towards them and prayed
for them on the cross. Should not the e.tample of Jesus dispose
us to reconciliation, and urge us to do what he commands. “Love
your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Bless them that
curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you.”—Luke 6: 27,
28. Example: St. John Gualbert (12 July).

3. In sickness and pain. All men are more or less subject to
these evils. Some are sickly and remain so through life. Others
enjoy good health for a number of years ; then they are stricken
down with sickness, and suffer through weary days, perhaps
months. In such cases we need fortitude, that we may not lose
patience nor become despondent, much less murmur against God.
This fortitude we derive from the cross. Who can describe the
pains which Jesus suffered for the love of us, the sorrows of his
soul in the Garden of Olives, where he shed that bloody sweat
of anguish—the pains of his body during the different stages of
his passion? How little is what we are obliged to suffer in com­
parison with the sufferings of Christ? Should we become impati­
ent—we who are sinners and deserve hell?
4. In sins. How wretched is man in sin ! Deprived of the image
of God and of sanctifying grace, he is in continual danger of
falling a prey to eternal death. Sin is an abomination in the
eyes of the infinitely holy God, and he punishes it according to

7.

Moral Sketch.

his justice with eternal death. What must be the feelings of a
sinner when he considers this? Must he not be filled with an­
guish and terror? But even for him there is comfort in the cross.
Christ died on the cross for us sinners: “In him we have redemp­
tion through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the
riches of his grace.”—Ephes, i : 7. “Where sin abounded, grace
did more abound.”—Rom. 5: 20. No sinner, not even the great­
est, need despair. If, with the penitent thief on the cross, he
have recourse to his crucified Saviour with a contrite and humble
heart, he will find mercy and pardon.
5. Finally, in the agony of death. In the hour of death the evil
spirit will attack us with redoubled fury, knowing that he has
but a short time ; but the cross frustrates all his attacks and puts
him to flight. The holy martyr Ignatius says: “The cross is a
sign of victory against the power of the prince of this world;
when he sees it, he is terrified; when he hears of it, he is afraid.”
In our dying hour spiritual and corporal evils are awaiting us,
such as fear, anguish, pain, disquietude. But the cross raises our
drooping spirits, comforts us, and infuses courage into our hearts
when afflictions crowd upon us. It reminds us of the cruel death
of our divine Redeemer, who died on the cross for our salvation,
who suffered death that we may have eternal life with him in
the kingdom of his glory. “Before the cross was,” says St.
Augustine, “there was no ladder to heaven; therefore neither
Abraham, nor Jacob nor David, nor any other man could get
there. But since the cross has been erected the entrance into
heaven is open.”

Part

Π.

Mariners need a compass in navigation. This is a small circular
box containing a magnetic needle, balanced horizontally on apivot,
which always points to the North Pole. The circular, graduated
scale contains the thirty-two points of the heavens, and is enclosed
in an instrument called the binnacle, which is placed just a little
in advance of the helm, so that the man at the wheel may know
how to steer in order to keep the ship on her right course, and
thus arrive at the place of destination. The helmsman keeps his
eye steadily on the compass, especially when the sea is rough.
Now, in the voyage of this life, on the ocean of time, cur compass
is our conscience, placed in the circular box of the heart, and all
enclosed in the binnacle of the breast; if we watch it, we can
never go astray.
i. Not unlike the compass, conscience tells us, not only in general,
but even in every particular case, what is right and what is wrong. As
soon as we are about to do anything, conscience, the magnetic

410

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany.

needle in our bosom, becomes active, veers in tremulous delicacy»
and points directly to the polar star of the will of God and to the
cardinal points of his commandments. We can not mistake it. He
that obeys his conscience will always do right, for conscience is
the voice of God, which registers every action as right or wrong. It
is true, that in the mariner’s compass there is sometimes found a
slight variation of the needle from the North ; a veriation is greater
in some latitudes than in others. In like manner it is possible
for conscience to become erroneous. It may hold something to
be right which is really wrong and sinful, or it may declare that
to be wrong or sinful which in truth is not. I must here remark
that one must not act against the dictates even of an erroneous
conscience ; but if one be in doubt whether what one is about to do
or to omit is lawful or not, one must not act at all, but must seek
information from pious and prudent Christians, or better still, in
the confessional, where one’s conscience will be set right.

2. Conscience not only makes known to us the will of God, but
also urges us to do it. If there be a question about the performance
of some good work, for instance, about interior or exterior morti­
fication, a devotion or a work of charity, it exhorts us to do it,
and cries out to us: Do it; it is pleasing to God, it merits for you
a reward in heaven. But if we be tempted to some wicked deed,
for instance, to hatred, enmity, slander, or impurity, conscience
is aroused at once, resists our sinful design with all earnestness,
and points out the evil consequences which sin draws after it for
time and eternity. For this reason St. Chrysostom calls consci­
ence the secret teacher that gives us good le sons, makes salutary
expostulations, encourages our minds, and urges us on to do
what is right. Conscience acts in a way the very reverse of that
followed by the innate evil concupiscence: as the latter endeav­
ors to keep us from what is good, and to draw us to evil, so the
former strives to induce us to avoid evil and to do good. Oh,
that we would never follow the impulses of concupiscence, but
always the voice of our conscience!
3. Conscience displays its activity not only before, but also
after our actions, whether they be good or bad. If we have done
a good action, it praises and applauds us, saying: You have
done well; God is pleased with you, and you may expect a re­
ward from him ; then we rejoice and are comforted. But if we
have done evil, conscience reproaches us and excites within us
displeasure, disquietude, fear, and other painful feelings. Con
science, says St. Basil, is a secret tribunal, where what is good
is defended, and what is wrong is revenged and punished. The
sinner may do what he will, he may divert and distract himself,
may endeavor violently to suppress harassing thoughts and
enjoy every pleasure, but all to no avail; he cannot silence his

7. Moral Sketch.
conscience; it reproaches him again and again, places his in­
justice before his eyes, and gnaws like a worm at his heart. Wit­
ness Adam and Eve.— Gen. 3 : 8. Cain.—Gen. 4: 13. Antiochus.
—I. Mach 6: 8. Judas.—Matt. 27 : 3-5. These reproaches of con­
science are a great grace to the sinner; for by them God designs
to make him disgusted with his sins and to compel him, as it were,
to do penance.

Part ΠΙ.
Mariners need an anchor also, which they cast in shallow
places during a storm or in other cases of necessity, to prevent
the ship from striking against breakers or sandbanks, and also
for holding the ship at rest. Our anchor is hope, which we need
very often on our voyage upon the boisterous ocean of life. I
shall mention only a few cases.
1. Many persons are poor and needy. Their life upon earth is a
series of privations, and they have no prospect of ever bettering
their condition. What can make such Christians patient and re­
signed in their miserable situation? Christian hope. Christ does
not call the rich blessed, but the poor; he himself chose poverty
for his portion. All his disciples and followers were either really
poor, or at least poor in spirit. Dives was buried in hell: Lazarus
was carried into Abraham’s bosom. Every poor man can say to
himself : If I bear my poverty, and the hardships connected with
it, in patience, in the spirit of penance, and for the love of God,
Christ’s promise will be realized in me: “I dispose to you, as my
Father hath disposed to me, a kingdom that you may eat and
drink at my table in my kingdom, and may sit upon thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’’—Luke 22: 29, 30. Who would
not cheerfully be poor for such a reward?

2. Many must work hard in order to get a bare living. They
must go to their work before daylight, and night often finds them
still at their labor. They work from one year’s end to another with­
out interruption, till old age, sickness, or death puts a stop to their
toil. It is enough to make such poor people lose all courage
and patience. It certainly is, if this life were everything. But hope
points to the life to come, where those who labor patiently and
with a good intention will enjoy sweet rest throughout all eter­
nity ; and it is this hope that makes them labor cheerfully, and
bear their burden with resignation as longas they live and have
the nessary strength.
3. It frequently happens that all the labor and pains that art
spent on the temporal and eternal welfare of inferiors and fellow­
men remain fruitless. What do not good, zealous parents, teachers,
and priests do in order to make their children and those

f

4ii

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

intrusted to their charge happy for time and eternity? How much
do they not teach, admonish, exhort, entreat, rebuke, reprove,
and punish, how much trouble and pains do they not take early and
late? But alas! many must confess with the Apostles: “We have
labored all the night, and have taken nothing.”—Luke 5 : 5. All
their labor and pains are in vain. What can keep up their
courage under such bitter trials, and enable them to continue the
work of their vocation ? Hope alone. Taught by their faith, they
know that we serve a God who regards not so much the work
as the will. If we do our duty as wel! as we can, God is satisfied
with us, and he will reward our endeavor, whether it be crowned
with the desired success or not. Thus, it is hope that urges us cn
and prevents us growing weary in well-doing; hope that lightens
our burden and encourages us to persevere; hope, that cheersand
sustains us under difficulties and trials, and enables us, in spite
of many disheartening things, to goon bravely and steadily from
day to day in the performance of the irksome duties belonging
to our state of life.

4. The same may be said of the service of God. To serve God
has its difficulties; we must continually mortify ourselves, re­
nounce many pleasures and enjoyments, die to the world, and
overcome, first this, then that, temptation. And we must do all
these things, not only for one or two years, nor even for a few
years with a definite term in view, as Jacob had when he served
for Rachel, but all the days of our life, till we draw our last
breath. Should we be discouraged ? No ; the goods which we hope
for hereafter are unspeakabT great, and will last for ever, whilst
the service of God here below demands but moderate sacrifices
and extends only to this life. Therefore, the Apostle says: “For
that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight
of glory.”—IL Crr. 4:17. Should not the hope of possessing
this glory encourage us to, bear with constancy the difficulties of
the service of God ?
PERORATION.

These therefore are the three things which we need on our
voyage through life : the helm of the cross, the compass of conscience
and the anchor o/hofe. Blessed are we if we always make the
right use of these three instruments; we shall then resist the
enemies of our soul, the world, the flesh, and the devil, which
are ever waging a fierce war against us for our destruction. Let
us keep our eyes on the compass, hold firm to the helm of the
cross, and we shall reach the port of heaven in safety, and there
drop anchor for all eternity. Amen.

i.

Homiletic Sketch.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.
Epistle. Coloss. 3: 12-17. Brethren: Put ye on, as the elect of
God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility,
modesty, patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving one
another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the
Lord hath forgiven you, so you also. But above all these things
have charity, which is the bond of perfection: and let the peace
of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in
one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in
you abundantly, in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in
gtace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word or
in work all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
giving thanks to God and the Father through Jesus Christ our
Lord.

1. HOMILETIC SKETCH
CHARITY THE BOND OF PERFECTION.

The lesson for this day is taken from the Epistle of St Paul to
the Colossians. Colossa was a city of Phrygia, in Asia Minor.
Epaphras, probably a disciple of St. Paul who had preached the
gospel in Colossa, came to Rome to see him when he was in
prison and reported to him the false teachers who, by their
Jewish and pagan doctrines, had caused much confusion in the
Christian congregation at Colossa. St. Paul wrote a letter to the
Colossians, in which he warns them agains false teachers, and
exhorts them to hold to Epaphras, who was preaching the gospel
to them, and to conform their life to the gospel.
In the lesson for this day St. Paul treats of charity, the bond
of perfection, that is, the summary of all virtues, and shows how
charity manifests itself—
I. Towards men;
IL Towards God,

4M

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany,
Part L

I. Put ye on y as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bcrcoels of
mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience. Charity, therefore,
manifests itself—

(λ.) By mercy. Ho who truly loves his neighbor has compassion
on him when he sees him in misery or need. Thus our Lord had
compassion on the hungry multitude : f<I have compassion on the
multitude.”—Mark 8:2. So also the Samaritan on the man who
was lying by the roadside half-dead.—Luke 10: 33, et seq. He
whc can behold the wretchedness, poverty, and need of his
neighbor without compassion, must have a heart of stone. What
will be the lot of the unmerciful ? “Judgment without mercy to him
that hath not done mercy.”—fames 2 : 13. How does Dives fare
in the other world, who allowed poor Lazarus to lie at his gate
without helping him?—Luke 16: 20, et seq.
(3.) By benignity. Charity manifests itself interiorly by com­
passion and exteriorly by benignity in words and actions, by
listening to the complaints of others, and by speedy assistance.
If you deport yourself in a cold, haughty manner towards others,
and listen impatiently to their complaints, speak with them in an
unfriendly manner, refuse their petitions when you could easily
grant them, you are destitute of benignity, and consequently of
chanty. In order not to make ourselves guilty of such uncharit­
ableness towards our fellow-men, let us take to heart the words
of the Holy Ghost: “He that stoppeth his ear against the cry of
the poor, shall also cry himself, and shall not be heard” (Prov.
21: 13); and the sentence which on the last day will be passed on
the unmerciful.—Matt. 25: 41, etseq.

(ci) By humility. The charitable man is benevolent and con­
siderate ; he esteems his neighbors and is deferential to them
according to their respective stations in life ; he looks down on
no one, no matter how humble, covets no dignities, nor quarrels
about precedence. Always gentle and yielding, he is quite con
tent to see others take the first place. The proud are ever devoid
of charity. They are consequently unaccomodating, treat others
brusquely, if not offensively, and to high and low, to equals,
superiors, and inferiors, always contrive to make themselves
disagreeable. It is sad to hear such people often attributing to
some inherited characteristic, such as temper, and the like, what
is simply their own wickedness, the manifestation of the pride of
their undisciplined spirit. They had better try and learn of Jesus
to be “meek and humble of heart.” They had better think more

i. Homiletic Sketch.
of the sins of their life, and make more frequent acts of contrition.
They had better put to a good use the occasions for humbling
themselves which God will put in their way for their correction.
In a word, they had better hearken to this day’s epistle: Put ye
on, as the elect of God, the bowels of mercy, benignity, and humility,
and give over the aforesaid nonsensical palliation of their sins,
viz., ascribing them to involuntary outbursts of a temper, with
which, they would have us believe, they were cursed from their
mother’s womb. It is no such thing. If there be outbursts then
there are sins ; that is the plain fact. These outbursts only indi­
cate that your sins of pride and passion did not begin to­
day or yesterday. They betoken a habit, a habit acquired by the
obdurate sinning of years. The remedv is suggested by St. Paul.
Humble yourselves, and fui ye on the bowels of mercy, benignity,
and humility, and, by so doing, you can still overcome the in­
veterate habit, and become worthy to be named among the elect
of God.

(<Z.) By modesty and patience. If we love any one sincerely, we
are gentle with him; we do not misinterpret what he says or
does ; we let no hostile, revengeful thoughts arise in us, nor do
we use any harsh words; no sarcastic expressions ever escape
us, and we are very cautious against doing him any evil or in­
jury. We also have patience and indulgence with regard to his
faults and weaknesses, being aware that there are many things
in us which displease others. Witness the meekness of David
towards Saul; the patience of Christ with his disciples. This sign
of fraternal love is wanting in many Christians: “Walk with all
humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in
charity.”—Ephes. 4: 2.
2. Charity manifests itself towards our neighbor by reconciliation
and love of peace.
(0.) “Bear with one another and forgive one another, if any
have a complaint against another.” According to the command­
ment of Christ, charity extends to enemies and offenders: “Love
your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
that persecute and calumniate you.”—Matt. 5: 44. We are bound
to be reconciled with our enemies and to forgive them from our
heart, and behave towards them in the same manner as towards
those who never offended us. The mercy God shows towards us
should incite us to mercy. “As the Father hath forgiven you, so
do you also.” As God has forgiven us many and grievous sins,
so we must also forgive our fellow-men their small offenses. In
deed, every offense which is offered to us is small in comparison
to the sins by which we offend God. (Parable of the unmerciful

4ΐό

Fif'.h Sunday After Epiphany.

servant who owed his lord ten thousand talents.) Take to heart
the words of Christ: “If you will forgive men their offenses, your
heavenly Father will forgive you also your offenses ; but if you
will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your
offenses.”—Matt. 6: 14,15.
(£.) And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also
are called in one body. Where there is charity there is peace,
and charity fears nothing more than the disturbance of peace.
A. Christian who loves his neighbor sincerely, carefully avoids
giving him any occasion for a quarrel; he is prudent in his lan­
guage, because he knows that by inconsiderate talk peace is
frequently disturbed he bears with his neighbor’s faults, and for
the sake of peace pvts up in silence with much annoyance. He
studies peace, he is ever on the watch for little opportunities of ce­
menting the bond of peace by a cordial greeting, akind word of the
absent, or a friendly act to a neighbor. If through no fault of
his dissension do arise, he puts a stop to it as soon as possible,
and makes the first step towards reconciliation. Abraham’s love
of peace.— Gen. 13: i, et seq. We should be encouraged to the
love of peace by the thought that we are all members of one body,
the Church, and are destined for the one household, heaven,
where, as children of God, we shall live together in eternal peace.
Why should those contend and quarrel who hope to love and
five with one another for ever in heaven?

Part Π.
We manifest love towards God by being grateful, by highly
esteeming and loving his word, by praising him, and by inducing
others to do the same, and lastly, by doing all things for his honor.

1. Be ye thankful. Christians who love God are thankful to him
for the numberless benefits which they receive from him for time
and eternity. This thankfulness consists in—

(λ.) Acknowledging the benefits of God. We must be penetrated
with the conviction that everything good we have, natural as
well as supernatural, is a gift, an unmerited gift of God. “Every
best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of lights.”—fames 1: 17. “What hast thou that thou
hast not received? And if thou hast received, why dost thou
glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”—I. Cor. 4: 7. He who
ascribes anything to himself and assumes the honor thereof, sins
not only against humility, but also against gratitude to God.
(The Pharisee in the temple.—Luke 18: 1, et seq.

i. Homiletic Sketch.

417

(&.) Praising God. “Give glory to the Lord, for he is good; for
his mercy endureth for ever.”—Ps. 105: 1. (The three young
men in the fiery furnace at Babylon.—Dan. 3: 25, et seq.) It is
great ingratitude to neglect saying our morning and evening
prayers.
(c.) Making a good use of the benefits of God. Man himself re­
quires that the benefits he confers be received with thankfulness,
and be put to a good use. To do otherwise, to make light of favors,
or throw them aside neglected and unused were to offend him.
The same may be said of God. We must employ the gifts he
bestows upon us for his honor, and for our own and our neigh­
bor’s good. He who uses his health, corporal beauty, or temporal
good, for sin and vice, is guilty of ingratitude. These gifts were
bestowed on him by God to be put to a good use. In like
manner, by disregarding good advice and wholesome admoniti­
ons, by desecrating Sundays and holidays, by receiving the sacra
ments unworthily, the sinner renders himself guilty of the black­
est ingratitude. And how common is this ingratitude!

2. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom.
If we love God, the word of Christ dwells in us; that is, we love
and appreciate the word of God, we love to hear it, meditate on
it, and regulate our life according to it. Therefore, our divine
Saviour says : "If any one love me, he will keep my word.”—John
14: 23. In this manner all pious souls have manifested their love
of God. Examples: The Blessed Virgin, of whom we read:
"Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.”—Luke
2:19. Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night in order to hear
the word of God from him.—John 3: 2, et seq. Mary Magdalene,
who, sitting at the Saviour’s feet, heard his word.—Luke 10: 39.
How is it with you in regard to the word of God ? Do you love
to read spiritual books? Do you listen to sermons? And do you
practice what you hear in them?

3. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things do ye in
the name of the Lord Jeszis Christ. He who truly loves God, does
all things in his name; that is, he refers all his actions to God,
does them for the love and honor of God. As God created
heaven and earth, so also he created man for his honor; it is our
vocation to glorify him in time and eternity. From this it follows
that whatsoever we do, we should do it not for our sake, but for
God’s sake, with the intention of fulfilling the will of God, and
to show him our respect, obedience, and love. This is the socalled good- intention, which must be the basis of all our good
actions, if we wish them to be pleasing to God and merito­
rious for heaven. St. Francis of Sales says: “ He who intends to
27

■k
few,

I

4i8

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

perform his actions well must do them with a pure intention and
with the firm, resolute, cheerful will to please God alone. This is
the beauty and the soul of our actions.” St. Arsenius says: “He
who does good works to please men, resembles a man who con­
tinually draws water, but pours it into a sieve.” Be careful, then,
that in all your actions the good intention be not wanting; make
a good resolution every morning, and renew it several time»
during the day, saying: “All for the greater glory of God.”
PERORATION.

You have heard now how your love of God and of your neigh­
bor is to manifest itself. Be merciful and charitable to the poor.
Be benevolent, meek, humble, and patient; forgive your adver­
saries, and live as much as possible in peace with all men. Be
thankful to God for his numberless graces and benefits, appreci­
ate and love his holy word; and whatsoever you do, do it for his
greater honor and glory. If you truly love God and your neigh­
bor, you fulfil the whole law and will obtain eternal life. Amen.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

Gospel. Matt. 13: 24-30. At that time: Jesus spoke this para­
ble to the multitudes, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened
to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were
asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat,
and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had
brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the ser­
vants of the good man of the house coming said to him : Sir, didst
thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence, then, hath it
cockle? And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And
the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?
And he said : No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root
up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the
harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers :
Gather up first the cockle and bind it into bundles to burn; but
the wheat gather ye into my barn.

i. Homiletic Sketch.

419

2. HOMILETIC SKETCH.
THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE COCKLE.

The parable of the wheat and the cockle is one of those simili­
tudes which Christ delivered from the boat to the multitude who
were assembled on the shores of Lake Genesareth. He also gave
the explanation of this parable. He that soweth the good seed
is the Son of Man ; the field is the world; the good seed are the
children of the kingdom, the cockle are the children of the
wicked one; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil; but
the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the
angels, who shall gather the cockle, to wit, the wicked, and cast
them into the furnace of fire, while the good they shall conduct
into heaven.—Matt. 13: 37-43.

According to this explanation given by our divine Saviour, we
shall consider more minutely the parable of the wheat and the
cockle :
I. In the sowing;
II. In the growth ;
III. In the harvesting.

Part I.
The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed tn
his field.
I.

(a.') He that sowed the good seed is Christ. Our Saviour can
in truth call himself the Son of Man, because he is not only God,
but also man ; that is, he has a human body and a human soul, a
human will and a human heart, with all its human affections, and
yet he was not a human person. He is not a man made God, but
a God made man, having two natures and two wills, but only
one person, the Person of the Son of God. He had a human soul
and was like all other men, save only in two things—namely, sin
and human personality. In the eternal councils of the Blessed
Trinity he proposed, so to speak, to redeem poor, fallen man. It
is true, man had fallen through disobedience, but, after all, it
was partly through deception—the devil was the chief cause of
the evil. This proposition of the Second Divine Person pleased
the Eternal Father. But how could it be accomplished? Being

God, he could neither suffer nor die, and man was doomed to die;

42s

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

then it was that he proposed to become man, to assume human
nature in all its completeness, to become like unto us in every­
thing, sin alone excepted. He humbled himself and exalted our
human nature to the very throne of the Deity, and thus defeated
the designs of Satan. Let language cease to attempt adequately
to express the great honor we have hereby received. How much
ought we not,to guard against everything that might defile our
human nature, our body and our soul!
(ô.) The good seed are the children of the kingdom; that is, the
just of all times. Christ sowed good seed in the very beginning
of the world, for he. with the Father and the Holy Ghost, created
the first man holy and just. After mankind sinned, he redeemed
them by purifying and sanctifying them. This Redemption is, as
it were, a second creation ; wherefore the Apostle calls the
Christian a creation of God, created in Christ for good works.—
Ephes. 2: io. For this second creation, that is, for the Redemp­
tion. we must be thankful to our divine Saviour, and indeed more
thankful than for the first, for while he performed the first only
by his word, the second cost him the last drop of blood, his life.
Oh ! that we would reflect well on this, and after having lost the
grace of our first creation, take care to preserve that of the
second.

(c.) The field is the world, the whole human family, for it is his
will that all men come to the knowledge of the truth and be
saved. For this purpose he established the holy Catholic Church,
wherein the word of God is preached, which tells us what we
must believe and do in order to please God. In this Church Jesus
Christ offers himself daily by the hands of his priests, in an un­
bloody manner, in order to apply to our souls the fruits of his
bloody sacrifice on the cross; in her we have the holy sacra­
ments, by which we are justified and become children of God and
heirs of heaven. Let us continually thank God for the grace of
our vocation to the Catholic Church and make good use of her
means of salvation.
2. But while men were asleep, his enemy came, and oversowed

cockle among the wheat, and went his way.
(a.) The enemy that oversowed cockle among the wheat is the
devil, as Christ expressly says. There are devils and evil spirits;
to deny it would be to falsify the word of Christ. Satan sowed
cockle in the garden of Eden by seducing Eve, and will continue
to sow the seed of sin until the end of time. After first intro­
ducing evil into the world, he employs concupiscence and vicious
persons as confederates in order to destroy a greater number of
souls.

2. Homiletic Sketch.

421

(Æ) While men were asleep the devil sowed cockle. While su­
periors, fathers and mothers, and all men in general, sleep, that
is, while they do not watch over their children and inferiors, and
over themselves, the devil has the best opportunity of sowing
cockle. When young people know that they are not watched,
they use the opportunity for dissipations of every kind. The
external senses and inordinate inclinations likewise lead to many
sins and vices if they are not watched and bridled. We must,
therefore, not sleep, but watch. “Be sober, and watch, because
your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking
whom he may devour.”—I. Pet. 5: 8.
(i.) The cockle with which the enemy oversowed the wheat
are the children of the wicked one, that is, those who give scandal
and do wrong. These are the heresiarchs particularly, according
to the Fathers of the Church, and in general, all the wicked, who,
by false doctrines and a sinful life, give scandal and drag others
with them to perdition. Heretics and false teachers are the de­
vil’s weeds, because, like him, they seduce men by lies; where­
fore St. Polycarp replied to Marcian, the heretic, whom he met
in Rome, and who asked him if he knew him: “I know you; you
are the first-born of the devil.” Vicious persons and those who
give scandal and seduce others are no better. Guard against
them and do not associate with them. “Pitch defileth.”

Part IL

I. When the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit*
then appeared also the cockle.
{ai) As the wheat sprung up first and brought forth fruit, so
the holy Catholic Church was first in the field; and it was only
later that other religious societies were formed. All these later
religious societies bear in themselves, on account of their later
origin, the sign and marks of falsehood; they are human or in­
fernal, not divine, institutions ; they are not wheat, but cockle.

{bi) The cockle which is here spoken of, is called in Latin
zizania, a weed, which, when it springs up, looks very much like
wheat, but later, when it has attained its growth, and the wheat
begins to shoot forth its ears, can easily be distinguished from
the real wheat. Thus false teachers and seducers know how to
dissemble and to disguise their wolfish nature under the appear­
ance of sheep. They affect religion, virtue, benevolence, and
charity, in order to gain confidence, but by-and-by, when they
have obtained a foothold, they reveal themselves in their true
light. Great prudence and circumspection are necessary in

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Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

order not to fall a victim to such wicked men. He who holds
firmly to the Catholic Church and follows the guidance of her
priests, he who fears God and recommends himself daily to him
in fervent prayer, will be protected.

2. And the servants of the good man of the. house coming said to
him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field ? Whence then
hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. God
created man in a state of grace ; our first parents, as they came
forth from the hand of their Creator, were holy and just;
they were images of God. The originator of sin is the devil.—
John 8: 44. He can not, however, compel any one to sin ; he can
only entice and allure ; with the grace of God, which is never
wanting to us, if we only earnestly petition for it, we can resist
all temptations. “Resist the devil and he will fly from you.”—
Ja?nes 4: J.
3. And the servants said to him : Wilt thou that we go and gather
it up; And he said: No, lest perhaps, gathering up the cockle, you
root :tp the wheat also together with it. Good, zealous Christians
sometimes become indignant when they see the wicked triumph,
see them trample right and justice under their feet, oppress the
good, and glory both in their villany and success. They can
hardly help wishing that God would put a stop to the pernicious
influence of such men. But God’s ways are not our ways; we
must moderate our zeal and leave it to God to do what he will,
for he knows best what is for his honor, and what is good and
salutary for men. The master of the house gives us a reason
why his servants should not gather up the cockle, lest perhaps,
gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.
Hence for the sake of the wheat, the cockle shall not be rooted
up; on account of the good, the wicked shall not at once be de­
stroyed. That many a sinner becomes old in his sinful life, is due
to the good and pious ; God spares him for their sake. The roots
of the cockle are frequently intermingled with those of the
wheat, so that you can not root up one without at the same time
rooting up the other. Thus the good and the wicked upon earth
are so intimately united by various circumstances and relations,
that if the wicked were punished immediately, the good would
also suffer. For instance, a man without religion is nevertheless
necessary for the support of his wife and children. In general,
the good would lose a great deal by the wicked being taken from
amongst them. They would have no opportunity of practicing
many of the Christian virtues, such as meekness, patience, the
love of enemies, and thereby they would lose much merit. With­
out the wicked we should have no martyrs, and the Church
would be deprived of her greatest ornaments. Moreover, the

2.

Homiletic Sketch,

423

I 1

longanimity and mercy of God require that he have patience
with sinners, for it is just this indulgence that often leads them
to repentance and saves them from perdition. The penitent thief
on the cross, Mary Magdalene, St. Paul, St. Augustine, etc.

I I

Part III.
Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest
I will say to the reapers : Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into
bundles to burn ; bid the wheat gather ye into my barn.

I I

I

<

I. The harvest here spoken of is the general judgment at the
end of the world. In the East, the wheat is separated from the
cockle in the field, the cockle is burnt at once, and the wheat
taken to the barn. On account of this custom the last judgment is
compared to the harvest. As the wheat and the cockle grow to­
gether until the harvest, so the good and the wicked will be to­
gether till the general judgment. If this judgment should take
place to-day, to which class should we belong?—to the good, or
to the bad ? A very important question this, one worthy of every
serious man’s earnest consideration. As we should be forced to
answer, were it actually put to us before the judgment-seat of
God to-day, so in all likelihood we shall have to answer it at the
general judgment. Men die as they live. Live in sin, die in sin.

2. The reapers are the angels. In the Sacred Scriptures the angels
frequently appear as the executors of the decrees of God, and such
they will be at the last judgment. “And he shall send his angels
with a trumpet and a great voice, and they shall gather together
his elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the
heavens, to the utmost bounds of them.”—Matt. 24:31. Make
these holy angels your friends by following their inspirations,
that you may not tremble before them on the day of judgment.

3. The cockle shall be bound in bundles. St. Gregory the Great
says: “The angels will bind the cockle in bundles, by delivering
to like torments those who are like one another in crime, so that
the proud may suffer punishment with the proud, the impure
with the impure, the drunkard with drunkards, the adulterer
with adulterers.” Persecutors of the Church, thieves, impure
persons, and many other sinners, now unite and assist one an­
other for the gratification of their passions, for the commission
of sin, and vices; with what eyes will they look upon one another
on the day of judgment, when they are brought together by
the angels to hear their final doom I Oh, how they will curse one
another in the abyss of hell, where they must remain together

for ever 1 O Christian, tear yourself from the wicked, that on the

424

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

day of judgment you may not be united and condemned with
them.

4. What is the end?
(a.) The cockle is gathered to be burned. The fire of hell will be
the punishment of the damned. “Depart from me, you cursed,
into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his an­
gels.”—Matt. 25: 41. In this fire there will be weeping and gnash­
ing of teeth; weeping on account of the eternal torments of hell,
gnashing of teeth on account of the rage and despair of the
damned. “Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? Which
of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”—Is. 33 : 14.
(3.) The wheat is gathered into the barn. “Come, ye blessed of
my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.”—Matt. 25: 34. Heaven, with its in­
effable felicity, will be the reward of the faithful servants of God.
They will shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, and
enjoy such great pleasures that, full of rapture, they will again
and again exclaim with Peter: “Lord, it is good for us to be
here.”—Matt. 17; 4.
PERORATION.

Reflect on the important truths which Jesus Christ proposes for
our consideration in the parable of the gospel of to-day. Be not
cockle in the field of your heavenly Master, which is the Church;
endeavor to remain good wheat, to preserve the faith and live
piously; that on the day of judgment the angels may gather you
into the barn of eternal life. Amen.

3.

DogmatiCz\l

S:..

.

.

425

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

3. DOGMATICAL SKETCH.
THE SANCTITY OF THE CHURCH.

The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in
his field.—Matt. 13 : 24.
As Christ himself declares, by the children of the kingdom are
to be understood the good seed which a man, that is, himself, the
Son of Man, sowed in his field. The kingdom of Christ is the
Church which he established ; the children of the kingdom there­
fore are the members of his Church. But besides the one Church
of Christ there is a multitude of religious societies in the world,
each of which claims to be the true Church of Christ. Which of
these religious societies can assert with truth that it is the true
Church? Which is really the Church established by Christ? I
answer: only that one which has the marks of the true Church.
About the first of these marks, namely, the unity of the Church,
I spoke to you last Sunday. To-day I shall speak about the se­
cond, viz., the Sanctity of the Church, and show you,

I. That the Church of Christ must be holy ;
II. That the Catholic Church is really holy ;
III. That all other religious denominations are destitute of holi­
ness ; from which it necessarilyfollows that the Catholic Church alone
is the true Church established by Christ.

Part L
The true Church must be holy—
In her Founder. She must have a founder, who by the sanctity
of his life and by miracles proves himself to be sent by God, for
otherwise God could not require us to believe him in matters
pertaining to eternal salvation. If therefore men who lead wicked,
sinful, and dissipated lives, set themselves up as the founders of
creeds or as the reformers of the true faith, it is a sure sign that
they are false teachers, and religious denominations that have
such men for their founders evidently can not be the Church of
Christ. But because holiness is not of itself an infallible sign of
a divine mission—because, as we all know, no man can absoI.

420

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

lutely pronounce as to the holiness of another, no man being able
to look into the heart and soul of another, nor fathom his mo­
tives—the founder or preacher of a new religion must prove his
mission by still another sign, which really is infallible, namely,
by miracles. To confirm the new doctrine he preaches he must
show his credentials from heaven by working miracles. And if,
in confirmation of his doctrine, he work miracles, it is impossible
for it to be false. For Almighty God, through whom alone mi­
racles are wrought, can not cooperate even apparently in the
confirmation of a lie. Truth, as well as holiness, is one of his
divine attributes. If Martin Luther, notwithstanding his great
sins and vices, had said : “To prove to the world and to all men
that I am sent to reform the Catholic Church, I shall, in the name
of Almighty God, raise this dead man to life,” and then had done
so, we should be bound to believe him. Moses and the other
prophets, as well as Christ himself and his Apostles proved their
divine mission by miracles.
2. In her doctrine. She must teach only what makes man really
good and pleasing to God, and reject and forbid what is wrong
and displeasing to him. The reason is evident. The doctrine of
the true Church is of divine origin ; it must, therefore, be good
and holy, because nothing but what is good can come from God.
If, then, there be doctrines which are not holy in any religious
denomination, it is a plain sign that it is not the Church of Christ.
3. In her means. She must possess all the means necessary for
the salvation of mankind. Christ established his Church for the
avowed purpose of leading all men to sanctification and salvation.
If a religious denomination be destitute of these means, it can not
be the Church of Christ.

4. Lastly, in her members. A healthy, sound tree brings forth
good fruit; so the Church of Christ must produce saints. There
must be saints in the Church of Christ who confirm their sanctity
by miracles, as Christ expressly declares : “And these signs shall
follow them that believe : In my name they shall cast out devils ;
they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents,
and if they shall drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them ;
they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.”
—Mark 16: 17,18. If therefore any religious denomination can
show no saints who wrought miracles it can not be the true
Church of Christ.

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

427

Part Π.
The Catholic Church is really holy, for she has—

1. A holy founder : Jesus Christ. It is an undeniable, absolute
fact that Jesus Christ established but one Church; it is also in­
controvertible that the Catholic Church has always claimed to
be the one true Church of Christ. Moreover, if the Church had
any other founder than Jesus Christ, Church history would inform
us of it. But, if we go back in history, from century to century,
we always find the Catholic Church in existence, and no other
founder mentioned than Jesus Christ. If she had been established
by any other than our divine Saviour, she would have a particu­
lar name, the name of her founder, but she never was called any­
thing else than the Catholic Church, from which again it follows
that she can have no founder but Christ.

2. A holy doctrine. According to the command of her divine
Founder, she requires us to love God above all things, and our
neighbor as ourselves ; she places Christ before our eyes as our
model, and exhorts us to imitate him in our practice of virtue
and good works, she declares that no one can be saved unless
he observe the commandments of God; she invites us even to ob­
serve the evangelical counsels if we have the vocation. She is
not content with exterior probity, but insists upon interior
sanctity, and requires us to do all things for the honor of God.
Moreover, God himself has given testimony to the sanctity of the
Catholic doctrine, confirming it by miracles and investing those
who propagate it andjived according to it with the power of
working miracles. Examples: Numberless saints.
3. All lhe means that are necessary to mankind for their sanctifi­
cation in every circumstance of life.
As soon as we are born into the world the Church has a sacrament
to purify and sanctify us, namely, baptism. She has then the Sacra­
ment of Confirmation in store for us to strengthen us and make
us soldiers of the cross. If we have lost our baptismal innocence,
she reconciles us with God by holy penance, and all through our
life she gives us the sacred Body and Blood of Christ in the
Blessed Eucharist as nourishment for our souls; she follows us
even to our dying bed and there assists us in the dark passage
of death with Extreme Unction, in order that we may courage­
ously fight the last battle in the warfare of life, and enter eternity,
bearing the palm of victory and peace. She ordains priests and
invests them with the power of reconciling man to God; she also
sanctifies matrimony, and obtains for married people the grace

428

Fifth Sunday After Epiphan r.

faithfully to fulfil the difficult duties of their state. Moreover,
she daily celebrates the sacrifice of the mass, by which she con­
tinually applies to us the merits of Christ and implores for us all
graces. Besides these means of grace, the Church has many more
that are intended to preserve us from sin, to strengthen us in good,
and to lead us to perfection. Such means are fasts and feast­
days. public worship, the evangelical counsels, jubilees, missions,
confraternities, sodalities. In this manner the Church is a faith­
ful administrator and dispenser of the means of salvation depo­
sited with her by Christ, thus providing for the spiritual neces­
sities of her children.

4. Holy members, viz., those who by the acceptance of her faith,
by the observance of her ordinances and her precepts, and by
the use of her means of grace, have become holy. I speak
here only of such saints as performed miracles, that is, of
such as confirmed their sanctity not only by extraordinary vir­
tues, but also by miracles. In the Catholic Church there is a
countless multitude of such saints. To this class belong many
martyrs of ancient and modern times, many holy Fathers of the
Church, popes, bishops, priests, and religious; many confessors,
virgins and penitents ; many saints of every state, age, and sex.
The Catholic Church evidently bears the mark of sanctity.

Part HL
All other religious denominations are destitute of holiness.
They have—

i. No holy founder. They assert, indeed, that Christ is their
founder, but untruly. It is an historical fact that they sprang into
existence in consequence of an open breach with the already
existing Catholic Church; they separated from her, and substi­
tuted their own doctrine, their own teachers and their own
worship in place of those of the Mother Church. He who was
the orignator of the defection from the old Mother Church must
also be looked upon as the beginner and founder of all these re­
ligious denominations. Such founders and heads of new religions
are Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc. Now, the question is, were these
founders of new religions holy? By no meai s; on the contrary,
they were men who were governed and controlled by the basest
passions, such as pride, hatred, impurity, etc., and they led a life
which not even their adherents can defend. And how about the
miracles which they should have performed in confirmation of
their divine mission, since they were destitute of ecclesiastical
authority ? They have never performed any. The religious de-

3. Dogmatical Sketch.

420

nominations separated from the Catholic Church have therefore
no holy founders.
2. Unholy doctrine. Their founders preached doctrines that are
the very reserve of holy. They taught, for instance, tnat the
Ten Commandments referred only to the Jews, and not to Chris­
tians, who were not required to keep them ; that man is saved by
faith alone, without good works; that good works are not only
useless, but sinful ; that there is no sin except unbelief; that God,
from eternity, predestined one portion of mankind, without any
fault of theirs, for eternal damnation, and the other portion,
without any merit of theirs, for eternal salvation, etc. According
to this horrible doctrine, whatever good works man may do, they
profit him nothing if he be predestined for damnation ; and if he
be predestined to be saved, he can not be lost, let him sin as
long and as grievously as he please. Their doctrine was: “You
may sin on bravely, but only believe.” That these and many other
doctrines of the religious denominations separated from us are
not holy needs no proof.

3. Not the necessary means of salvation. They have not the
sacrifice of the mass, for they rejected it. In regard to the sacra­
ments, some have three, others two, others again only one,
namely, baptism. At present, many Protestants have gone so
far that they do not even recognize baptism as a sacrament,
and never have their children baptized.
4. Lastly, no holy members. They can not exhibit one saint
who, by heroic virtues and by miracles, gave evidence of his
sanctity. All the saints mentioned in their religious calendars,
and whose names they give to their children, are borrowed from
the Catholic Church. With them saints are an impossibility, be­
cause their doctrine is not holy. If there be among them pious,
good persons, it is not because they live according to the pre­
cepts of their religion, but because they follow their better con­
victions. What Protestant, for instance, could lead, 1 will not say
a holy life, but a life which would be accounted respectable in
the eyes of the world, if he were ruled by the doctrine of Luther,
who says: “Sin on bravely, but only believe and rejoice in Christ.
Sin can not separate us from him (Christ), even if we should
commit a thousand sins of impurity, or the same number of ho­
micides in one day.”
PERORATION.

All the religious denominations separated from the Catholic
Church are destitute of the mark of sanctity; they have no holy

430

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

founders of holy doctrine, no sufficient means of salvation, and no
saints. From this is evidently follows that not one of them is the
true Church of Christ, because this, as I have shown, must be holy.
The Catholic Church alone possesses this mark, and, therefore,
she alone is the true Church established by Jesus Christ. Return
thanks to G-od that you are members of the Catholic Church
which is holy, and aspire to be holy yourself; avoid evil, do good,
and aspire after greater perfection every day. Alas, that there
should be so many Catholics whose lives are anything but holy.
But be not led astray by their bad example; look rather at the
great army of the saints who adorn the Catholic Church, and imi­
tate their example. This is your vocation, your sanctification ;
therefore, never lose sight of it: “Be holy, as your Father in
heaven is holy.” Amen.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

4. LITURGICAL SKETCH.
HOW THE PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS CELEBRATED SUNDAY.

While men were asleep, his enemy came, and oversowed cockle among
the wheat.—Matt. 13: 25.
The devil is always busily engaged in the ruin of man ; but it
is especially on Sundays that he oversows cockle among the
wheat, because many are asleep; that is, instead of laboring for
the sanctification of their souls, they pursue pleasures, and lightly
expose themselves to dangers and occasions of sin. Sundays in
particular are the days most desecrated by sin and vice, and on
which numberless Christians lay the foundation of their eternal
ruin. It was not so in the primitive ages of Christianity; the
Christians of those days employed the Sundays most scrupulously
for the service of God. Of the manner in which they celebrated
Sunday I shall speak to-day, and explain to you how they mani­
fested this celebration externally—

I. By their dress;
II. By participation in public worship;
III. By works of charity.

4. Liturgical Sketch.

431

Part I.
The first Christians distinguished Sunday from working days—

I. By wearing better clothes, in order to show their veneration
for God exteriorly as well as interiorly. To this custom St. Leo
the Great gives testimony, saying: “If it is reasonable, and, to a
certain extent, a duty, to clothe one’s self better on a feast-day,
thus by the dress of the body to manifest the joy of the heart,
and if we adorn the house of God with greater care and richer
ornaments, is it not becoming that the Christian soul, which is a
true and living temple, should be adorned and free from spot or
wrinkle when about to celebrate the mystery of the Redemption?”
Behold herein the reason why we wear better clothes on Sun­
days; it is done to honor God outwardly, and to indicate at the
same time the beauty with which the soul of the Christian should
be adorned. Do you wear your best clothes on Sundays and
holidays for the honor of God? Are you proud of your clothes?
Do your Sunday garments give a a true testimony of the beauty
of your soul?

2. By wearing white garments. White is the emblem of joy,
and because Sunday was to the Christians a day of the greatest
joy, as it reminded them of the Resurrection of our Lord and the
perfection of the work of Redemption, they expressed their joy
by wearing white garments. White also indicates innocence and
purity of morals, therefore even to the present day young girls
and young women appear in white garments on solemn occasi­
ons. The primitive Christians signified by their white garments
on Sundays that these days should be celebrated in purity of
morals. Finally, since in the Apocalypse (4: 4) it is said of the
saints in heaven that they are clothed in white, the primitive
Christians wished to indicate by this symbol that if we desire to
be admitted into the number of the blessed we must imitate them
and preserve the robe of innocence undefiled, or if we have stained
it by sin, purify and wash it white by tears of penitence. To wear
white garments on Sundays is not customary now-a-days, but
what these white garments signify must never be forgotten. Let
us spend Sunday in holy joy away from sinful pleasures; let us
preserve carefully purity of heart, and guard against defiling our
conscience by sins ; let us rather make use of these days to purify
our hearts by a worthy reception of the sacraments.

43»

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

Part II.
1. As in our days, so also in the times of the Apostles, public
worship was held, of which the Apostolic constitutions make
mention in these words: “On the day of the Resurrection of our
Lord, which we call the day of the Lord (Sunday), we assemble,
without intermission, to give thanks to God for the benefits which
we have received through Christ.” The Christians were so zeal­
ous in the observance of this ordinance, that during the times of
persecution, when they could not hold their services publicly,
they assembled in the catacombs. Church history contains nu­
merous examples of Christians who risked and sometimes lost
their lives rather than omit divine worship on Sundays. St. Sa­
turninus and the other Christians who were imprisoned on account
of their celebration of Sunday, declared firmly: “The celebration
of Sunday is for us a solemn duty, and he that does not perform
this duty rendershimself guilty of sin. We fulfil it as far as is pos­
sible; we are never missing in the holy assembly; we keep the com­
mandment of God, even if it should cost us our lives.” All these
captive Christians died as martyrs in the year 304. Should not the
zeal of the primitive Christians put many of us to shame? We can
go to mass on Sundays and holidays without any inconvenience
or danger, and yet we so often neglect to do so. How shall we
on the day of judgment and in the presence of these primitive
heroes account for our indifference in regard to our salvation?

2. The early Christians assisted at the public worship of the
Church not only on Sunday, but also at the preliminary devoti­
ons which were held the preceding evening. They commenced
the celebration of Sunday on Saturday evening, assembling in
the church for the appropriate public prayers, which were often
protracted far into the night, in order to prepare themselves as
well as possible for the gréât mysteries which were to take
place the following day. In some Catholic countries there are
traces of this primitive custom even to this day; the bells are
rung about three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, when all the
faithful immediately repair to the church for these devotions.
3. In the early ages of Christianity the faithful were accus­
tomed to assist at the public services of the Church on Sundays
and holidays, standing. Catechumens and public penitents were
obliged to prostrate themselves on the floor, and even to with­
draw when the most solemn part began. Hence, going back even
to the time of Tertullian, we find him saying: “We consider it
wrong to fast or to pray in a kneeling posture on Sunday.” The
reason for this custom was because Sunday reminds us of the

4. Liturgical Sketch.

433

Resurrection of Christ, and the Christians wished to express their
belief in this mystery by saying their prayers in a standing posture.
This custom was observed up to the ninth and tenth centuries.
At present, if possible, we kneel during mass, in order to mani­
fest our repentance and humiliation before God. He who stands
or sits simply for the sake of being comfortable, as the Pharisee
in the temple, shows clearly that he lacks the spirit of reverence
for God, and sentiments of humility and contrition.

Part HL

A particular feature in the celebration of Sunday among the
early Christians was their works of charity.

1. The agapæ, or love-feasts, which were held after divine wor­
ship. These love-feasts were held indiscriminately by the rich
and the poor, in order to manifest by an external sign the con­
cord and love by which they were united as Christians. They
date back as far as the Church itself ; St. Paul mentions them.—
I. Cor. 11: 20-22. The ordering and the supervision of the love­
feasts belonged exclusively to the bishop ; without his sanction
they could not take place.
St. Ignatius, bishop and martyr, says: "It is not becoming
without the bishop to baptize or to hold a love-feast.” As at
other meals so also at the love-feast, they ate meats and dishes
prepared with flour and eggs, and drank wine mixed with water.
These meats and drinks were prepared in the houses of the
wealthier people and were carried into the church after divine
worship, where, under the superintendence of the bishop, they
were distributed and eaten by those present. Only those Chris­
tians who were in communion with the Church and led edyifying
lives were permited to participate in the agapæ. Besides the
general agapæ, there were also minor feasts held in private
houses under the immediate supervision of priests and deacons.
In consequence of abuses they were afterwards discontinued. A
trace of these love-feasts is found in the wedding dinner, which
can not be disapproved of, provided that everything contrary to
sobriety and decorum be avoided.
2. Aims, which were collected, when divine worship was over,
and given to the deacons for distribution among the poor. Of
these alms St. Paul speaks.—I. Cor. ιό: 2. St. Justin the Martyr
says : "After divine worship is over, every one gives according
to his means or will to the poor, and the sum that is collected is
deposited with the deacon, that therewith he may support the
orphans and widows, the sick, the needy, the captives, and
strangers ” The collections which are still made during divine

X

28

434

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

worship for various good purposes are nothing new, out as old
as the Church. We should not therefore become indignant at the
large number of collections, for if the necessities are multiplied,
as is the case in our days, the collections must be multiplied. Let
us think of the first Christians, who always gave cheerfully,
although these collections were repeated every Sunday. “Prayer
is good, with fasting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of
gold For alms delivereth from death, and the same is what purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.”
—Tob. 12: 8, 9.
peroration.

Since you know with what zeal the first Christians celebrated
Sunday, let their example be an incentive to you also to sanctify
this day and to spend it in such a manner that it may become to
you a day of grace and salvation. Wear better clothes on Sun­
day than on week-days, not through pride, to please men, but
for the honor of God. Assist devoutly at mass, and sanctify the
day by prayer and good works, that the word of the Lord may
be fulfilled in you : “Every one that keepeth the Sabbath from
profaning it, I will bring into my holy mount.”—Is. 56:6, 7. Amen.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

5. SYMBOLICAL SKETCH.
SIN, A SLEEP.

While men "mere asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among
the wheat.—Matt. 13: 25.
Sleep puts man into a state in which he knows nothing of what
happens either within or around him; his appearance is as if he
were really dead. For this reason the enemy chose the time
while men w’ere asleep to carry out his wicked design of over­
sowing cockle among the wheat. Sin bears a great resemblance
to sleep ; for it is calculated, especially if once deeply rooted and
become a predominant passion, to deprive man of all knowledge
of what is right or wrong. Let us to-day seriously mediate on

3· Symbolical Sketch.
the subject. Sin is a sleep, for like sleep, it deprives
five senses, namely:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

435
II

an of his

Sight \
Hearing;
Taste;
Smell;
Touch.

Part L
Of all the senses, the loss of sight is the greatest privation.
As sleep closes the eyes of man so that he can not see, rendering
the brightest day as dark to him as blackest night, so sin de­
prives man of the faculty of sight. Seneca the philosopher re­
lates an amusing incident of an old woman, named Harpaste,
who lived in his house, and who, when on account of age she
had become blind, would not believe that she was blind, but con­
tinually called upon her attendants to take her to some other
house, as she could not see in the one which she occupied, because
all the windows were walled up. How many sinners there are
who resemble this old woman 1 They are really blind, but will
not believe it. They are blind to their faults, and if they do see
them, try nevertheless to cover them with the mantle of virtue.
There are many examples from Bible history proving the truth
of this assertion. For instance, David, who committed the two
great crimes of adultery and murder and lived in apparent tran­
quillity for a considerable time, till finally the Prophet Nathan
opened his eyes.—II. Kings, chap, n, 12.

The Scribes and Pharisees also, who were full of ambition,
hatred, and envy, and yet thought themselves just. Examples
from life.

There are many who always desire to be praised, honored,
and preferred ; who are always right and will yield to no one;
whose veins swell at the least appearance of insult, and who give
vent to their indignation at the least slight or neglect. They are
evidently proud, and the worst feature of all is that they can not
see it, and consequently never accuse themselves of pride when
they go to confession. There are others again whose heart and
affections are set almost exclusively upon accumulating money
and temporal goods, who seem never to have enough, who avari­
ciously deny themselves and others the necessaries of life, and
would repulse with indignation and abuse a poor man begging
at their door for a piece of bread. They are misers, totally

blind to their passion of avarice, in spite of what they

4j6

Fifth Sunday Atefr Epiphany.

may say to the contrary. If you attempted in a mild, prudeai
way to prove to them that they are miserly and avaricious, you
would he astonished at the plausible arguments they would ad­
duce to prove to you that the avarice of which you accused them
is prudent economy. There is still another class who entertain
carnal desires for persons of the opposite sex, but they are so
blinded that they see nothing in this illicit love but similarity of
temperament, mutual affinity, and benevolence, which certainly
does not offend against chastity. Lastly, there is another and a
far larger class of spiritually blind persons who live altogether
according to the maxims and spirit of the world, who never labor
to suppress their inordinate inclinations, never mortify themselves
either exteriorly or interiorly, but lead a life in direct opposition
to the spirit of Christianity ; and yet they think it is all right.
God must, forsooth, be satisfied with them because they say
short morning and evening prayers, and go to church regularly.
Thus, you see, sin renders very many persons spiritually blind.
Examine yourselves, then, to see if perchance you may not be
classed under some of the above heads. Be not blind. Compare
your disposition, your inclinations, and your actions, with the
Christian law, and with the example of Christ and the saints. If
you do, your eyes will be opened, and you will see exactly where
you are.

Part IL
Sleep closes the ears to all sound and deadens the sense oi
hearing. The hurried steps of people may clatter on the pave­
ment below the windows, the heavily-laden dray may go jolt­
ing along from cobble to cobble, the old clock may tick
loudly with every vibration of its pendulum and strike the hours
throughout the long night; the faithful watch-dog may bark at
the distant moon, nay, burglars may ransack the whole house, yet
the sound sleeper hears nothing, even if they enter his room. He
seems totally to have lost the sense of hearing. In like manner
sin renders man spiritually deaf. Conscience, it is true, is ever
awake and knocks at the sinner’s heart, reproaching him bitterly
for his sinful life and reminding him of the terrible wrath of God,
but he is perfectly deaf, he does not listen to its voice. When the
Ammonites sacrificed their children by placing them in the glow­
ing red-hot arms of the idol Moloch, they made a tremendous
din and uproar, so that the cries and shrieks of the poor little
children could not be heard. Thus the sinner plunges himself into
a tumult of worldly pleasures and debaucheries to drown the
cries of conscience that he is unwilling to hear. He does not
heed the admonitions and warnings of his pastor, and other
well-meaning persons, but either disregards them or treats them

Γ.

5. Symbolical Sketch.

437

with ridicule. The Jews acted in this manner, especially their
leaders, the Scribes and Pharisees ; therefore St. Stephen cried
out to them: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and
ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do
you also.”—Acts 7:51. There are many sons and daughters who
do not regard the entreaties, admonitions, and threats of their
parents; they will not to what is required of them, and persist in
frequenting places forbidden by their parents. They are deaf to
the grace of God, who would rouse them from the lethargy of
sin by joyful and mournful events, such as jubilees, missions, and
sudden deaths ; still they persevere in sin. The salvation of such
“deaf’ persons is in imminent peril ; they live in constant fear
that the threat of the Lord will be fulfilled in them: “Because I
called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and there was
none that regarded. You have despised all my counsel, and have
neglected my reprehensions. I also will laugh in your destruc­
tion, and will mock when that shall come to you which you
feared.”—Prov. 1: 24, 25. Oh, that every sinner would take these
terrible words to heart and be aroused from the sleep of sin!

Sleep deprives us of taste as well as of hearing-. The sleeping
person has no desire to eat or drink, and if you aroused him and
offered him the most dainty viands, he would refuse them and
become indignant because he is disturbed in his sleep. The sinner
is also destitute of the sense of taste. He loathes the things of
heaven as some of the Israelites did the manna: -‘Our soul now
loatheth this very light food.”—Numb. 21:5. The most precious
viands are insipid in his mouth : he has no relish for divine
things : he finds no pleasure in prayer : he avoids prayer in com­
mon as much as he can, or if he prays at all, it is without devo­
tion. If he hears the word of God, it is without attention: per­
haps he yawns or sleeps ; discourses on heavenly things are dis­
agreeable to him and he avoids persons who talk on such subjects.
What shall I say of the sacraments ? To receive them is a burden
to him, and no time comes more inopportune than Easter, when
for decency’s sake he finally resolves to go to confession and
communion. Catholics of this description speak disparagingly of
the religious exercises, mock those who show fervor in those
exercises, and call them fanatics and devotees. They, however,
relish the world and its goods and pleasures, seeking in them
their heaven. They say with the wicked in Holy Writ: “Come,
therefore and let us enjoy the good things that are present: and
let us speedily use the creatures as in youth. Let us fill ourselves
with costly wine and ointments ; and let not the flower of the time
pass by us; let us crown ourselves with roses, before they be

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Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

withered; let no meadow escape our riot; let none of us go with*
out his part in luxury; let us everywhere leave tokens of joy, for
this is our portion and this our lot.”— IPZr. 2: 6-9. But what
folly. The world with its lust passes away and gives so little
satisfaction that even Solomon, who had enjoyed all the pleasures
of the world superabundantly, full of disgust, exclaimed: “Va­
nity of vanities, and all is vanity.”—Eccites. i : 2. Oh! that the
children of the world would begin at once to serve God; they
would soon find pleasure in his service and exclaim with David:
Oh, taste, and see that the Lord is sweet.”—Ps. 33: 9.

Part IV.
Sleep also deprives us of the sense of smell. The gas may es?ape and fill the room of the sleeper with its insupportable odor,
which may suffocate him, but he will never smell it. So it is with the
sinner. An angel was once accompanying a hermit, and on the
way they met an elegantly dressed young man, whereupon the
angel covered his nose with his hand. Going on a little farther,
they came across a decomposed body in such a state of putre­
faction that the poor hermit could not refrain from holding his
nose. But the angel did not this time cover his nose to avoid the
horrible stench, which astonished the hermit. Then the angel
said to him: “We do not regard the bad odor that proceeds from
the bodies of men, but only that which emanates from their soul.
That elegantly dressed young man, who just passed, is steeped
in sin, and his soul diffuses an odor that was insupportable to me,
but this decomposed body causes me not the least repugnance.”
Whether this story be true or not, it nevertheless contains a
lesson. As virtues are a sweet odor to God, to his angels and to
pious Christians, so sins and vices are to them a horrible stench.
Yet the sinner regards it not. God spurns him with the greatest
displeasure, turns his eyes away from him, and the sinner sees it
not. By his sins and debaucheries he loses his honor and good
name before men, and he regards it not. Through his continual
life of sin and his lasting impenitence he is so near the brink of
perdition, the precipice of the abyss of hell, that he could smell
the fetid smoke and sulphur which rise from it, if he had not lost
all sense of smell; he continues to sleep as if he were inhaling
the odors of balsam.
Are there not such sleepers among us? Yes, there are; and
they are all those who commit the most abominable sins without
shame, who have lost all sense and feeling of honor, and upon
whom neither admonitions nor threats make an impression. I
need not remark that their eternal salvation is in imminent dan­
ger ; they are already so stupefied with the deadly vapors of

5. Symbolical Sketch.

439

sin that it is probable they will never again awake fro ·· their
sleep, but eventually fall into eternal death.

Part V.
Sleep has also the power of blunting the sense of touch, so that
a person may, if not altogether, at least in a great measure, lose
the sense of feeling, and become, for the time being, paralyzed.
For instance, if a sick person be overpowered by sleep, he does
not feel the pains which he experienced before. Nay, physicians
can produce so deep a sleep by opium, chloroform, or ether, that
they can perform the most painful operations without the sleep­
ing person feeling anything.
Frequently the sleep of sin has the same effect. Many a one
sins much and grievously; he should feel the greatest sorrow for
it, since there is no greater misfortune than sin; by it you lose
the grace of God, that precious jewel which not all the treasures
of the world can equal; you lose all the merits you have acquired
for heaven, and render yourself incapable of gaining more: you
exclude yourself from heaven, and are in imminent danger of
being lost for ever, and should you feel no grief? Oh! every
night you should water your couch with your tears; you should
throw yourself with Magdalene at the feet of Jesus, and, dumb
with sorrow, wash them with tears of penitence; you should
with Peter go out and weep bitterly. But what do you do? In
your deep sleep of sin you are merry and contented; you laugh
and joke, you lie down tranquilly and rise in good spirits ; the
worldly, sinful life agrees with you so much that you would not
exchange it for heaven. A vain, worldly daughter of Eve once
said ; “If I could go to heaven this minute I would rather not die,
so much am I pleased with the world.” If we represent to such
sinners the danger to which they expose their salvation, even
risking hell-fire with all its torments, they remain indifferent; nay
some even laugh at us and scornfully say: “That is the talk of
priests ; perhaps there is no hell at all, and if there is one, I sup­
pose we can endure it.” The words of Scripture apply to
them: “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised
his words and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord
arose against his people, and there was no remedy.”—II. Parali-p.
36: 16.
PERORATION.

Behold, then, in how many ways sin resembles sleep; and re·
member that just as sleep deprives us of our five corporal senses,
so, in the spiritual order, sin deprives the soul of the sinner of the
faculty of seeing, feeling, and realizing its pernicious consequen­

440

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

ces. There are many sinners fallen so deeply into the lethargy of
sin, that nothing will rouse them till they are cast into the scorch­
ing, seething fire of hell. AVhat else can I say to these unhappy
sleepers but the words of the Apostle: “Rise, thou that sleepest,
and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee.”—Eph.
5:14. Yes, rise from the sleep of sin, make good use of the grace
which is yet given you for penance and amendment of life,
and from this day forward be watchful so that the enemy of
your salvation may not again sow cockle in the field of your
heart. “Walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunk­
enness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and
envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.”—Rom. 13: 13, 14.
Amen.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

6. MORAL SKETCH.
WHY GOD SUFFERS THE WICKED AMONG THE GOOD.

Suffer both to grow until the harvest.—Matt. 13: 30.

When the servants had noticed the cockle among the wheat,
they came to their Master and said : Wilt thou that we go and
gather it up ? What answer does he give ? Does he approve of
their plan? No; on the contrary, he forbids it, adding that they
should let both grow until the harvest. Many Christians are of
the same opinion as were these servants. They lose all patience
with the wicked. They look with horror on the wreck and ruin
they are causing. They would call down fire from heaven upon
them, and they ask in astonishment : How is it possible that God
bears so long with these wicked people ? Why does he not put
a stop to their pernicious career? Why does he not chastise them
as they have deserved a hundred times? But God’s ways are
above our ways. As the good man of the house permitted
the cockle to remain among the wheat till the harvest, so God
suffers the bad among the good until the harvest—the day of
judgment—when he will make the separation, casting the wicked
into the flames of hell, and conducting the good to heaven. Let
us, consider, to-day, the wisdom of God in suffering the bad to

6. Moral Sketch.
remain among the good, and answer the two following ques
tions :
I. Why does God suffer the wicked in general}
II. Why especially does he suffer them among the good ?

Part I.
God is patient with the wicked—
i. In order to manifest his mercy. St. Denis relates that a cer­
tain man named Karpus, exasperated on account of the wicked
deeds of two very vicious men, prayed God several times to take
them out of the world. Christ appeared to him in a dream and
showed him a frightful precipice on the brink of which the
two sinners were hanging trembling. Serpents came darting
out from beneath the rocks and began entwining themselves
around the wretched men, and dragging them into the abyss.
Karpus was pleased with this frightful sight, and only regretted
these two sinners were not plunged at once into the abyss. But
to his surprise he saw Christ stretching out his hand to the un­
fortunates and declaring himself ready to shed his blood for
them again. Behold here the goodness and mercy of God ! Christ
is so solicitous for the salvation of sinners that he is prepared to
suffer and die again for them. When the angels fell, they were
irretrievably lost ; God gave them no further grace, but cast them
into hell ; but he shows mercy to sinful men ; he bears with them for
a long time, heaping grace upon grace, that they may enter into
themselves and be converted from their evil ways. The Church
admonishes heretics and great sinners two or three times before
she excludes them from her communion. Thus God also has pa­
tience with sinners, and admonishes them by their conscience,
by preachers and confessors, by holy seasons and feasts, by
prosperous and adverse circumstances, before he excludes them
from the communion of saints and condemns them to the torments
of hell. Oh, that the sinner would appreciate this goodness and
mercy of God and employ them for his salvation! Oh, that we
would take to heart the words of the Apostle: “O man, despisest
thou the riches of his goodness, and patience, and long-suffering?
Knowest thou not that the benignity of God leadeth thee to
penance ?”—Rom. 2 : 4.

2. In order to manifest his justice before the whole world. Sup­
posing that God punished men immediately after the commission
of a mortal sin by death and damnation. What would be the
consequence ? Many would say: God is too severe; he knows the
weakness of men and how easily they can fall into mortal sin;

442

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

he should be more indulgent with them and not immediately con*
demn them because of one mortal sin. Such words would indeed
be groundless and blasphemous, for every man knows what is be
fore him when he commits a mortal sin ; sufficient grace is given
to every one to guard against it; if nevertheless he sins griev­
ously, he does so knowingly and with premeditation; he could
not therefore complain nor accuse God of excessive severity,
much less of injustice, should he condemn him at once to eternal
perdition. But, in order to take away from men even the slightest
excuse for complaining of excessive severity, God bears with the
sinner for a long time, gives him year after year, adds grace upon
grace, so that he could be converted if he would. Every sinner,
even the damned in hell, must confess: “Thou art just, O Lord,
and all thy judgments are just.”—Tob. 3: 3. For a hundred and
twenty years God delayed the punishment which he had threat­
ened to inflict upou the sinful human race, in the days of Noe.
The blind sinners ridiculed his threats, and instead of turning
from their evil ways, plunged deeper into the mire of vice. But
behold, when the time of grace was past, the deluge came sud­
denly upon the wicked and swept them away. The same hap
pened in Egypt to Pharaoh whose heart was hardened against the
warnings and chastisements of God, and who in his insolence
said : “Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice and let
Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”—
Exod. 5: 2. God showed him that he was the Lord and had
power to punish blasphemers. The waves of the Red Sea swall­
owed him up, with his whole army. Jerusalem suffered a similar
or even worse fate. When she did not know the time of her
visitation, and persevered in her impenitence, the prophecy of
Christ was fulfilled, and she was entirely destroyed by the Ro­
mans. God has done so at all times, and he does so to-day; he
bears patiently with sinners for a long time, but when his appoint­
ed hour arrives, he manifests his power and chastises them. The
soul that sinneth shall die. Sin therefore no more, and if you
should be so unfortunate as to fall into a grievous sin, remain
not in that deplorable state impenitently ; but consider that every
one who does not profit by the mercy of God by a speedy repent­
ance, becomes a victim to his justice. “Say not, the mercy of
the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my
sins. For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath
looketh upon sinners. Delay not to be converted to the Lord,
and defer it not from day to day, for his wrath shall come on a
sudden, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee.”—
Ecclus. 5: 6-q. If you see that God is indulgent with sinners, and
does not check their wickedness and malice, adore his wisdom,
because he is patient with them only in order to manifest in them
his goodness, his justice, or his omnipotence.

6. Moral Sketch,

443

Part Π.
Why does God tolerate the wicked among the good in parti­
cular ? He tolerates them—

i. That the wicked may be converted by the good. St. Augustine
says: “Those who are cockle to-day may be wheat to-morrow.”
As long as a man lives, he may be converted, though he be the
greatest sinner; for God desires not the death of the wicked,
but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”—Ezech. 33: 11.
God, then, tolerates the wicked among the good, that the former
may be converted and saved by the latter. It can not be denied
that many sinners are thus induced by intercourse with the good
to do penance and to amend their lives. This is effected by the
words and example of the good.

(a.) Many sinners come to the knowledge of their sinful state
by the good doctrines and exhortations of pious Christians, re­
pent of their sins and are converted. How many husbands are
converted by their wives; how many wayward children by their
parents; how many brothers by their sisters; how many neigh­
bors by their neighbors.

{bi) Much more effectual is the example of the virtuous. Acti­
ons speak louder than words; the virtues of the good, their meek­
ness, modesty, love of enemies, fervor in the performance of the
duties of their state of life, which sinners have always before
their eyes, make a salutary impression upon them; they feel
ashamed when they compare themselves with these pious per­
sons; they hate and detest their sinful life and resolve to amend
it. They are shamed into conversion. Thus the virtuous example
of the first Christians was the most effectual sermon for the con­
version of the Gentiles. They said : A religion which makes man
so holy must be from God; they renounced idolatry and became
Christians. We find a multitude of proofs of the power and in­
fluence of good example in the Lives of the Saints. I shall men­
tion only one : Afra, a pagan steeped in vice, received one day
the holy Bishop Narcissus, with his deacon, into her house. See­
ing how this saint and his deacon spent the night in prayer and
singing psalms, she was struck with amazement, and throwing
herself at the feet of the bishop, confessed her sins and requested
to be baptized. She became a Christian, converted her mother
and her two maids, and died a martyr. (5 Augi) Good example
effects so much that it does violence, as it were, to the sinner,
causing him to enter into himself and to be converted. Is it not
best, then, that God should tolerate the bad among the good ?

444

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

2 Thai the good may be tried by the wicked, St. Augustine says :
“Every wicked man lives either that he may be converted, or
that the good man may be tried by him.” But wherein are the
good tried by the wicked ?
(ah In their fervor in virtue. The Romans and Lacedæmonians
were continually at war with each other. One day the Roman
Senate assembled to deliberate whether Lacedaemon should be
destroyed or not. The preservation of the city was decreed,
that Roman youths might not become effeminate by uninter­
rupted peace. Lacedaemon was to serve as a whetstone to
keep them inured to warfare. Thus the bad are the whetstones
of the good. As the good are never left at peace by the wicked,
but always oppressed, persecuted, reviled and enticed to sin, they
are under the necessity of continually watching, praying and
combating, because otherwise they would not, perhaps, persevere
in virtue. If left undisturbed, it is to be feared they would grow
remiss in their fervor and become lukewarm. How zealous were
the Christians during the three hundred years of persecution!
By far the most of them led a life of sanctity. But when they
obtained rest and peace their fervor vanished, heresies sprang
up and cockle appeared among the wheat. Let us cast a glance
at our own time. It is sad to contemplate how the Church at
present is oppressed and persecuted almost everywhere ; but do
we not see that among Catholics, especially in places where per­
secution prevails most, the zeal displayed in the spiritual life is
greater than it was during the long years of peace?
(£.) In Christian fortitude. It is not a difficult task to live pi­
ously with the pious; the good incite us by word and example
to virtue and the fear of God. He that lives among the good,
suffers fewer temptations ; as he is not enticed to sin from with­
out he can easily practice many virtues, such as meekness, hu­
mility, mildness, and love of his neighbor, for the simple reason
that no one gives him an opportunity to commit the opposite
vices. But it is different when one lives among the wicked;
great fortitude with self-control is required to remain faithful to
God when one has scandals and bad examples continually be­
fore one’s eyes, and is allured first to this, then to that sin.
Joseph’s innocence shines in a more resplendent light in the
house of Putiphar than in the house of his father Jacob. If now·
a-days, when corruption is so prevalent among young people,
boys and girls walk in purity of morals and the fear of God,
they deserve great praise for their fortitude. Thus you see again
how expedient it is that God should tolerate the bad among the
good.

3. That they n.ay receive a greater reward in heaven.

• '· * ·

6. Moral Sketch.

445

(a.) The more good we do, the greater will be the reward in
store for us. “He who soweth in blessings, shall also reap bless­
ings.”—II. Cor. 9:6. The wicked give us an opportunity of
practicing Christian virtues If there were no bad people among
us, we could not practice many of the Christian virtues, as
meekness, patience, love of our enemies, and mildness; con­
sequently, we should lose all the merits which we can gain by the
exercise of such necessary and important virtues.
(£.) The more difficult the practice of virtue is made for us,
the greater our reward will be. The reason is obvious. By sur­
mounting greater difficulties we manifest a greater zeal for virtue
and a greater love for God, and, therefore, merit a greater re­
ward. Thus it may happen that by the practice of one virtue,
which is rendered difficult for us in a high degree, we may acquire
greater merit than by a hundred other good works, which we
can easily do. Now it is certain that wicked people render the
performance of good difficult forus in various ways, for they en­
deavor to make us desist from it by persuasion, ridicule, and
even by violence.

(£.) Lastly, the more we are obliged to suffer for God, the
greater our reward will be. Christ himself says: “Blessed are
ye, when they shall revile you and persecute you and speak all
that is evil against you untruly, for my sake ; be glad and rejoice,
for your reward is very great in heaven.”—Matt. 5. 11, 12. How
much evil are not the good obliged to suffer from the wicked 1
And how much merit have they not an opportunity of gaining
for themselves, if they only bear constantly and patiently the
sufferings which are inflicted upon them by the wicked 1
PERORATION.

God therefore does well and is just in tolerating the cockle
among the wheat, the bad among the good. He has an object
in doing this. He suffers the bad among the good in order to
convert the former by the latter, to manifest his goodness,
mercy, and power, to try the good by the bad, and to reward
them the more in heaven. Let us, in this disposition of Provi­
dence, adore God’s wisdom with the most profound reverence
and submission Let us be careful that in our intercourse with the
wicked we suffer not the loss of our own souls. Let us endeavor,
on the contrary, by word, example and prayer, to gain over the
had to God. Let us be constant in the service of God and never
allow ourselves to be diverted from the path of truth and duty,
that, as good wheat, we may be gathered into the barn of eternal
life. Amen.

I

446

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.

7. MORAL SKETCH.
LUKEWARMNESS.

'hile men were asleep, his enemy came aed oversowed cockle among
the wheat.—Matt. 13: 25.
While men were asleep the enemy succeeded in sowing· cockle
among the wheat. If they had been watchful he would not have
dared to execute his wicked design, or they could have prevent­
ed him from accomplishing it. Who are represented by the
sleeping men? The lukewarm, who spiritually give themselves to
slumber and become careless in everything pertaining to the
service of God and the salvation of their soul. It is an easy
matter for the devil to accomplish his wicked designs in regard
to such lukewarm Christians. As they do not relish heavenly
things, make no use of the means of salvation, and live a care­
less life, full of distractions, it does not cost him much labor or
pains to separate them from God little by little, and get them
into his power. Let us to-day consider lukewarmness under the
three following points:
I. The signs of lukewarmness;
II. Its evil consequences ;
III. Its remedies.

Part

L

In order to ascertain in what lukewarmness consists, we must
consider the conduct of the lukewarm man —

I. In regard to sin. He does not wish to commit mortal sins,
but he does not fear venial ones, and commits them without
scruple. He is careful not to allow his anger to break out into
curses and blasphemies, but he is bitter in his words, and peevish
in his deportment He is not guilty of gross calumnies against
his neighbor, but he continually criticises his conduct and speaks
frequently of the faults of others. Impurity may be disgusting
to him, nor is he guilty of adultery or fornication ; but he does
not avoid looking at persons and objects that cause him impure
temptations ; he also voluntarily entertains sensual and unchaste

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447

inclinations to persons of the opposite sex. He does not cheat,
steal, or rob, but his heart clings to temporal goods and he does
not like to hear of giving alms. He does not get drunk, at least
not often ; he is not a gambler by profession, neither does he
keep late hours, but he leads an easy, comfortable, careless life,
and withal is fond of pleasures. In a word, he stands in the middle
of two extremes, between good and bad ; for he is not vicious,
nor yet is he virtuous: he is “neither hot nor cold.”

x. In regard to virtue and good works.
He practices virtue and good works when they cause no exer­
tion, or when there are no obstacles to be surmounted or diffi­
culties to be undergone. He is patient when he has nothing to
suffer, meek when he is not offended or no one resists him, hum­
ble when he is honored, friendly and affectionate when he is
flattered and treated in a friendly manner; but as soon as any­
thing unfavorable happens he loses all patience; he is very
sensitive to every offense and entertains anger and aversion in
his heart; when he meets with a little humiliation he is offended;
when he is contradicted his veins swell with anger. At the
bottom of his exercises of virtue and good works there are fre­
quently ignoble motives, human respect, etc. If, for instance,
he controls his temper, bridles his passions, observes decorum,
gives alms, he does not do it for God or through supernatural
motives, but only that he may not lose the respect of others, or
human praise. All the good he does is tinsel, without value
before God.

3. In regard to religious exercises.

Of these he is not fond. He confines such exercises to the
smallest possible measure and omits whatever is not commanded
under the penalty of sin. He never hears a mass on week days,
although he has time and could do so without any inconvenience;
he neglects to hear the word of God on holidays, and never goes
to vespers; he confesses and communicates only once a year—at
Easter. I am not bound to go oftener, he says. Whatever he
does in this respect is done most imperfectly and carelessly, and
only partially. He prays without any devotion, with many dis­
tractions, hastily, in order to get to the end ; long devotions are
burdensome to him and cause weariness. If sometimes he listens
to the word of God, it is without the intention of profiting by it.
If he goes to confession and communion he has not the earnest
will to amend his life, to extirpate his evil inclinations, and to
serve God more fervently.

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Fifth Sunday After Epiphany.

4. In regard to his salvation.

Of this he seldom thinks, and generally only casually. How
he can get along in the world, better his temporal circumstances,
lead a happy life—these are his all-absorbing cares and anxie­
ties; he cares little or nothing for the service of God or the sal­
vation of his soul. His heart is always occupied with earthly
things, and even when he is at church and assisting at mass he
is full of worldly thoughts and distractions, and out of a hundred
‘Our Fathers,” there is scarcely one that he says with devotion.
As he does not relish God and divine things his mind wanders
about, seeking everything that can afford him diversion. He
throws himself into society and fills his soul with vanities, so
that the words of the Lord apply to him “My people have done
two evils : they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,
and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can
hold no water.”—Jerem. 2: 13. These are the most prominent
signs of lukewarmness. Reflect seriously and see whether you
may not perhaps discover one or other of these signs in yourself.

Part Π.
The evil consequences of lukewarmness are—
1. Blindness. As the lukewarm man fulfils certain Christian
duties, and avoids gross, palpable vices, he thinks himself just and
faultless, and like the Pharisee thanks God that he is not as the
rest of mankind. Even when he has gone so far that he will not
stop at the commision of mere venial faults, but plunges also into
mortal sins, love and conceit will so blind him that he will not
see the miserable state of his soul because he does not desire to
see it. He over-estimates the little good he does, and fails to
take into consideration the vast amount of good he omits, and
which he is strictly obliged to perform and for which he has
every facility. Blinded by the beam in his own eye, he makes it
a part of his business to go about extracting the mote from his
neighbor’s. To him are applicable the words of Holy Writ :
“Thou sayest: I am rich and made wealthy, and have need of
nothing, and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked.”—Apoc. 3:17. Many among us
are no doubt lukewarm, but who is there that knows and ac­
knowledges that such is his condition? And why? Because luke­
warmness blinds us.
2. Malice. A malicious person not only does no good himself,
but hates to see others do any, and tries tc prevent it whenever
it is possible. Lukewarm, irreligious men call prayer pious lazi­

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Sketch.

449

ness. Hearing the Word of God, frequent reception of the sacra
ments, participation in devotions, missions, jubilees, sodalities—
in a word, all the means of piety and exercises of religion—are
to them an annoyance; they speak against them, dispute their
utility, and cause others to dishonor them. They belong to that
class of profligates of whom the Holy Ghost says that they
esteem the life of the just madness, and their end without honor.
— Wis. 5 : 4.
3. Indignation and exasperation at salutary exhortations. As a
man who wishes to sleep becomes angry when he is disturbed,
so lukewarm persons become indignant if you attempt to rouse
them from their spiritual lethargy. They conceive therefore a
strong dislike to their pastor, when, in the faithful performance
of his duties, he says anything in the pulpit that seems to be di­
rected against them. The pastor may be a brave, fearless man,
who, unlike the heretical ministers, preaches the Word of God
regardless of the frowns or smiles of any particular individual;
following the injunction of the Apostle, he exhorts, entreats, re­
bukes, and reproves, regardless as to where the blows fall or
whom they strike. And when in the confessional he is bound to
take them in hand personally and individually, and perhaps ad­
ministers a mild rebuke, they go forth calling him a blind zealot,
a disturber of the peace, a man unacquainted with the niceties
and sensibilities of refined people!

4. Lastly, impenitence. St. Bernardine of Siena says: riI have
seen usurers, soldiers, heathens, and harlots doing penance and
being converted; but I tremble because I have never witnessed
the conversion of a lukewarm Christian.” The lukewarm re­
semble consumptive persons, who do not know their dangerous
condition, and therefore refuse the medicine which might cure
them. They imagine that it is all right, and are consequently
deaf to admonitions, persevering in impenitence.

Part ΙΠ.
Of the remedies against lukewarmness I will mention but
three :

i. The consideration of the truths of our holy religion, especially
of the four last things. A young hermit once addressed his spiri­
tual director thus: "How does it come, father, that dryness and
laziness overwhelm me?” He replied: “This is evidence that you
do not sufficiently represent to your mind the glory of heaven
nor the pains of hell ; for if you would do so, the desire for the
happiness of heaven, and the fear of eternal punishment, would

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be a sufficient stimulus for fervor and contrition, and then your
spiritual tepidity and lukewarmness could be combated.” The
strongest fire will not warm you if you remain away from it ; if
you are to derive heat from it you must draw near. Thus the
most serious truths of our holy religion make no impression upon
us, if we do not bring them home to ourselves by meditation. It
is only when we seriously reflect on these truths and take them
to heart that they will enlighten, warm, and encourage us to
be solicitous for the one thing necessary. Often reflect, then, how
vain and transitory are all things earthly, how soon death will
come, upon which an eternity depends, how ineffably happy are
the elect in heaven, and how inexpressibly miserable the damned
in hell—think of this and you will be cured of your lukewarmness,
and with renewed fervor you will labor for your salvation.

2. The consideration of the example of Christ and the saints. Con­
sider how many tribulations and hardships Christ has borne for
you from the moment he entered into this world; how he watched
whole nights, praying for you; how he went about preaching his
gospel for three years; how he was betrayed by Judas; how he
was scourged, crowned with thorns, suffered and died in order
to redeem you from sin and hell. Consider also what the Apost­
les endured when they went into the world to preach the gospel;
what the martyrs suffered, and the confessors and virgins.
These examples should encourage you to renounce your tepidity,
and to spend the rest of your days in serving God. Put your
hand to the plough and do not look back.

3. The consideration of the great danger into which lukewarmness
brings man. “I know thy works,” says the Lord in the Apocalypse
(3 : 15, 16), “that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert
cold or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold
nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.” Did you
ever attempt to drink lukewarm water? It is more disgusting than
quinine or castor oil, and is sometimes prescribed by physicians
as an emetic, and is sure to produce vomiting. God cannot love
the lukewarm, because lukewarmness generally leads to grievous
sins, and eventually to final impenitence. God is forced, as it
were, to vomit them forth from the bowels of His mercy and cast
them out of his mouth for ever. An example of this is the lazy,
slothful servant mentioned in the gospel, whom the Lord, because
he buried his talent, called a wicked, unprofitable servant, and
commanded him to be cast into exterior darkness, where there
is weeping and gnashing of teeth. St. Teresa, who had grown
somewhat remiss in the fervor with which she had served God
in the beginning, and found pleasure in the vanities of the
world, saw afterwards the place in hell which was prepared fof

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her, if she had not returned to her former state of fervour. Let
us consider that all the damned have prepared for themselves
the way to hell by lukewarmness.
PERORATION

ifIn doing good let us not fail, for in due time we shall reap,
not failing.”—Gal. 6: 9. Let us work for our perfection and
sanctification by overcoming our faults, extirpating our sinful
inclinations, and purifying our hearts from all inordinate love of
self and the world. Let us avail ourselves of the opportunities
of laying up treasures for the kingdom of heaven, by performing
good works, as well as profiting by all the other means of salva­
tion. Let us persevere steadfastly in the service of God, that we
may hear one day those consoling words: “Well done, good and
faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord.”—Matt. 25: 21. Amen.