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Show H J i)iircD iln!0er$al 'I " ZZZ - 1 CHURCH CALENDAR. I Th' eonral intention, recommended I -,- Tfi' Holiness, Pius X. I Christian Patience. c ? s Passion St. Mary Cleophas. I I,, m. st. McrhtildiF. I n T Hi. lo the Great, I 1" v.". St. Sabap. 1 : Th. ?t. Hrmenirild. j ii r. Seven Dolors B.V.M. St. Lid- ; -" inc. j . I I is :' .St. Peter Gonzales. j TO ST. JOSEPH. i 1 By Maurice Francis Egan.) T"'i "J:o know the weary way. J , ,ni v ho felt tho doubts and fears ! Tii.t afflict us every day. ' I , the rainbow in our tears: 1'kf wires, threatened you. I'Mi.-ls. liUe dragons, barred your I A 1 T tho 'falline: rain and 1mv I'-lened all the aftermath., 1 ho wero not cnucht above I ! ilv sordid i.'arps of life, l'l '!". "i" fnd of patient Jov J -ii'v U8 peaee loyonl tho strife. I ' ii itha, with hr leaden varcs, j Ki.' u- . Mary's ecstasy: . M I'Hia. who tho burden bears, j 1 M. iy -..inmon things ran see!) ? '. Ii" see the things of earth I : i pt. nut. to the very Throtn Mi. wiin know the storm and dearth. i 11 I'ur dullness seem alone. ! v " Uno'.t- : golden city plows Sni.nmvhor Xew Jerusahin: 1 v'" know that angfls bow in rows, . 'i- cannot stretch a hand to them I' ; 1 ;. .1 1 (I tin- cloud-liar is there llg.ht? j f.i yonJ the dark are sunny days? j ; T.- s. -a winds in a frenzied fight S H-ixl sea -fo jin back hi sullied sprays! Joseph, ii it of oominon men. I.iko you, in veiling rains we grope; .. t March M inds pass, and surely then Show us the rainbow of .your hope! Promoters and Their Work Lenten i Meditations. IT promoters have not as yet entered j into the spirit of their office, this holy f j -a son and the motives it urges so for- ' '''Iy on our attention. -should move tli-in to begin working earnestly among i!i .-.'ssoiites in order to help them i :i.iiiire this spirit of prayer. This is i 'he g"od advice contained in tho leaflet i "liich perhaps not all promoters' read ; i as closely ;is they should. In every r i 1 hurrh siie1:il devotional exercises will 1 l'"H- Why not make an effort to !i;ie exery associate take some part in j th'-'s-- devotions. The way of th Cross j vill apieal to so many who would I i. 'Vcr think of attending it unless urged j . to do so by some friend. L,et the Pro- ' I i motor be the friend of all such per- f s""is in this case. Benediction of the I Most Blcssi-d Sacrament is another of I tle-se holy sei-viees. What a. consols - I lion to think that one can induce others I 1.1 come under this immediate influence ! of v'hrist sacramentally present to bless ! His faithful ones. Then, there is daily Mass one or more days in the week, j Nor should the prayers at home be neg-. I Ji ie,: so many families, in the spirit I or this season, are accustomed to recite j the rosary or the litany of tho saints, j I t is this prayer in common which more I than any other will help to infuse in :;!1 the spirit of prayer strictly in ac- eordame with the statutes of the League. Catholic Columbian. I j SLANDERING THE FRIARS. I The Dominican Father Coleman, I v. riling in the American Catholic Quar- I Urly Heview. of the friars' estates in I the Philippines, says: "Jf they live on I rims, they are 'beggarly friaus" noth- 'iiijr so low is conceivabhi. If they re- j - he fees for sidritual ministrations, . I '!'" are making a trade of religion and I nraetieing extortion on the wot. If I ti.ev got a. salary from the government, j they are robbing the state, even when I t!'e state is merely making restitution 1 for r-'bbori -s committed on the -hurch: I tti'.v are -salaried employes,' and. in '!.; Philippines. '.s;ife.s of the Spanish I oi nmieiil..' Jf by economy and hon- J i labor., prolonged through centuries, j 'ioy have acquired landed estates and I .;i-ioe of wealth, the ee of envy is I 'ii..,. ,j,. iy opened than ever, and j I are .-Ih-injr in.lhe lap of luxury,! I - atin? up the land, living on the fat of 1 the land.- " ' i . ; ' LENT AND YOUNG MEN. 5 I li should young men olnserve the f fa-t of Jxiit? I iuite a number of them act as if I l.ent was not for thcni. Thoy dispense ; 'loin;., p es. They do not consult their i .i n to, or their 'confessor. They just f " 'ii. '1 fast. I Nov. there are four reasons why I vine nieji should fast: I 1. They aro .hruud to fa'-t. They I ha:e no choice in the matter. And I Mi. y are bound under fiaill of deadly I s.i that if a young man can fast I g Pnd dr liberafely won) fast, ho eonimits I " ' 'kadly sin e--rry tinie that he Milful- I break;-, the commandment of the I ''hni.ii. Ae, just, like any other mortal i " '''at sin of sensuality and disobed- ill.- if not. taken away by con- I if-. ii and confession, condemn him to 1 ' :1- I I'herefoi e. young men who can faft I "."'i fast.- And they are not. free to de- ' ' i' for 1 1cmselves, without adequate . j -re. on. whether or not their physique I ' .h li. ate or thejr labor so hard that J '." may refrain from fasting. They j ! ' " ic-UHily, too much of an interested f . I : to determine this question ju- I . t 'oipdy. Besides, it is their Chrfetian 1 ' i'" 'o apply. to the Church for a dis- ; -a I inn. a yoimE man really cannot keep "'' . '! t letter of the law. but ran ob-'' ob-'' e niore or less of its re'iuirements. I ' r liouiid to observe them. He must I -' tut be can do.. to keep the spirit f 'ho letter of the law. 1 li" plea of poor health it. in the I z. usually not well-founded. More I us arc injured by gluttony than j fasiing. And it has happened, over J ! over again, that a person who re- j ioHei to keep the fast in spite of a I t.emi wickedness, has improved in j M'encth under the change, the sim- I J 1 1 e j t y and the meagrcnesis of the food 1 t:s. . in Jvi'ilt. j ' 't ciurse the really sick should be I k-U'U-d by the advice of their pastors. J v:io"will tell them what they may do I '' the way of abstinence and will give I 'hrui other good works to do to supply 1 'la- p,jre of the practices allowed them I to emit. J - Voung men should fast for the f f"or of their souls. The spirit goto I 'or throuch suffering endured for the I !,,ve of Christ. Moreover, penance J !:--!ps to j0 away with the effects of sin, J i'al.rs Kra,.e more effective, subdues j flesh, strengthens the will in virtue ; '' 'I diseiplinct the interior man in the 1 -'"ftitudc of a toldier of the Holy 1 ;i(..M. j :'- Young men should fast for the I b"in.-rit that this mortification will have I ,;i 'heir own character. Their obedi- I 'n e to the Church, their courage in I' 'idiu-ing headaches and faintneas and 'iif ir K)Wer to persist in well-doing i" N'i'o of inclination from within and n rnp'ation from without thee" will 4 'hi 'ease thir moral stamina. i Y.-ung men should fast for ' the j ske of tilc jnfiiieiK-e of their example I "n younger Catholic and on Protes- I lts. Children look up to 1 hose who have just reached manhood and follow tn thir footstepr: and many converts nave been won over to the true religion, attracted by its power to order and to onable its members to bear th" Cross. But, affor a Vhat does the' fast amount to? It calls i'or only a poor breakfast for Fix weeks on all davs except ex-cept Sundays, for it allows, a full dinner din-ner every day and a light supper, amply am-ply sufficient, for most people all the time. Thit is praetieaiiv all a poor breakfast. Now, there are millions of people who novo.- take for breakfast more than a roll and cup of coffee. And they don't think that thv are! killing themselves. They take all that they find is good for thern- They have1 a hne appetite for dinner. They keep wen. live long, and get as much out of life a thos-2 who gorge themselves three times a day. Now young men, what do you say will you, like. e;ood Catholics, keep the - fast of Lent-Catholic Lent-Catholic Advocate. A CAUTION TO AMERICAN CATH-0L1CS. CATH-0L1CS. Some advice for American Catholics is offeied by an anonymous contributor to the Catholic World, writing of the religious crisis in France, for which, it is freely asserted, our coreligionists in that country are in' great measure to Mame. The writer would have us tak warning from the, deplorable folly and ruinous discord of ' which they stand convicted before the world. We are far from agreeing with all the opinions expressed ex-pressed in the article under consideration: consider-ation: and we feel sure that many French. Catholics, quite as well informed in-formed as the writer of it. would have other explanations to offer of the present pres-ent disaster, and would trace' to altogether alto-gether different -sources the causes which r hat e contributed to bring it about. If those, jit a' position to know the inner history of political movements move-ments in France during the last few decades w ere free to ; take the public into their confidence, doubtless we should all understand better than Ave do the attitude of French Catholics toward to-ward the republic why so many of them regard it as an immoral usurpation, usurpa-tion, and so many others are among its most ardent supporters. If there is any lesson for American Catholics to learn from the "deplorable futility not only committed but persisted per-sisted in-' bv 1heir brethren in France' it should not be neglected. The obligation obliga-tion to point it out and to protit by it is alike imperative. According to the writer in the Catholic World, the lesson les-son is this: That wc must beware of separating ourselves into a class apart; that we must suppress every tendency which would result in binding us together into a grievance committee; that we must assimilate the best spirit of America, and be assimilated by it; and that we retain the utmost personal independence in-dependence which is consistent with our traditional and noble instinct of obedience. French Catholics have been brought to their present plight by distrusting dis-trusting democracy and by remaining in their country somewhat as a foreign substance remains in the eye. They have been in the republic as foreigners who refuse to become citizens. We shall avoid their misfortunes if we love democracy heart and soul, cherishing and practising, the independence on which it rests; and if, secondly, we defeat de-feat any purpose. 'wiiich has already; appeared or may appear, which would put us. as a body, outside the common interests of our country, and give ground for the reproach that we are of an alien spirit, of a temper more censorious cen-sorious than conciliating, and of a ! character in which whole-souled helpfulness help-fulness is less conspicuous than intemperate intem-perate criticism or unwarranted pugnacity. There is little danger, we think, that American Catholics will ever form a class apart. And why should we not stand together whenever there are grievances to be redressed or rights to be defended? Are not the Catholics of this country, as a whole, imbued with the best spirit of America? Was there ever an occasion when they did not prove themselves the best of citizens? j Do we not love democracy heart and soul, and thoroughly appreciate all its advantages? The danger is of our becoming be-coming too conciliatory, of forgetting our rights in glorying over privileges which are common to all. No class of citizens show more-respect for authority author-ity than Cat holies, none are more law-abiding, law-abiding, none more patriotic. Our country coun-try has everything to hope and nothing whatever to fear from its Catholic pop-I pop-I ulation. no matter from what country recruited. The advice we have quoted is good, of course; it would be better, though, if it were really. needed. What we resent about it is the patronizing note: Sit down and be yood. and don't lot any one know you, are there. Ave Maria. . JUST TO BEGIN AGAIN. By Lilian Whiting. When, some limes, our feet grow weary, On the rugged hill of life The path trctc-ninc lone and dreary With trial and lalior rif. We pause on the toilsome journey. dancing backward in valley and glen. And sigh with an infinite ionging To return and begin ag-)in. For behind is the dew of the morning, -Tn all its freshness and light. And before are doubts and shadows. And the chill and gloom of the niht. We remember the sunny places We passed so eareles.-lv then. And ask. with a passionate lodging. To return and begin agan.. Ah, vain. inde.-d. is the askins! Life's duties pres ad of us 01:. And who dare shrink from the Jahor. Or sigh for the sunshine : jut'.-, gone? And. it m.Z) be, not far on before nrf Wait fairer places I hap then-Life's then-Life's paths may yet lead by still wateiis Though we may not begin again. Forevr-rmorc upw ard and .mw ai .1 Be our paths on the hills of !if . And soon will a radiant dawning Transfigure the toil and the s.liife. .. And our Father's hand will lead us . Tenderly upward then.: In the joy and peace of a fairer world - He w ill let us begin again. : I j WHO THE LOSER? Xo, my friend, do not try to excuse yourself for not. practicing your religion, relig-ion, for your yourself, and only you, i are the !oser. When you quit the church for any reason, you are hurting ; yourself immensely, and hurting others ; by your bad example, but are not hurting hurt-ing th? .hutch. If you mean it is a revenge you are taking revenge not against the priest, bishop, or people, j but against God himself: for it is He 1 who 'requires you to I've up to the church. "II- thai despiseth you (the Church) despiseth Me," are the words of Cod himself. Let every one assure himself that, though his parish, if small, might mi-s him a little financially, the Catholic church can do. without him and a few millions of others and be th? grandest institution on earth still. She has done it. When Henry VIII of England Eng-land threatened to leave the church and take millions with him should the Fope not grant him a divorce, th? Pope answered: "For your own sakes I hope you w ill not leave the church: but if you do. the church will live on without with-out you." ' ' Kememlier that the church cannot dispense with any of God's own laws o-r o-r quirements : if people will not comply with them, they must stand the conse- irjiion.ces. As God does not need you in haven, neither does the church on 'earth. But since you do med heaven, if you consult your best interests, so 1 do you need the church as she is the way to heaven. . Satisfy yoursHvcs that you cannot get along" without the church. ' . Did you. ever consider the responsibility responsi-bility opo incurs who leaves the church? The faith has probably existed among your ancestors for centuries. cen-turies. Would you let it stop with you" If you live a good Catholic and raise your children good Catholics, in a few centurirs there my be thousands thous-ands belonging to God's church because you were a good member. But leave the church, and in a few centuries there will b; thousands of unbelievers who might be Catholics had you remained re-mained faithful to the church. Do you I see the responsibility? I repeat again: no reason in the world is sufficient to justify one in relinquishing tlu true church. From Kind Words. .Protestants Contributing to the Non-Catholic Non-Catholic Missions. It is one of the most interesting- developments de-velopments of the non-Catholic mis sion work that some important contribution;! contri-bution;! to it have come from non-Catholics. non-Catholics. The following letter, just received at the "Apostolic Mission House, i3 typical of a number of others: oth-ers: Reverend Sir A' non-Catholic mission mis-sion recently given in this town has brought the needs and the work of the non-Catholic missions to my notice. Although h Protestant myself, I realize the great influence for good which can be exerted by the -Komau Catholic Church upon those who respect her teachings and authority. It is therefore, there-fore, a pleasure to enclose a contribution contribu-tion to assist in counteracting the pro-vailing pro-vailing irreligious tendencies and to assure you of the good wishes of A NON-CATHOLIC FRIEND. It is well known to the experiences of the western priests that their best supporters are frequently the non-Catholics non-Catholics of their town, but for this the reason is evident: a Catholic church brings permanent settlers to a town. The influence of. the' -Catholic Church always is for law and . order. It -is a good tiling in a community, and for this reason public-spirited' citizens citi-zens help to build a. Catholic. Church. The reason for helping the non-Catholic mission movement Iti not so evident. evi-dent. Still, they are doing it. What the non-Catholic mission"- movement does accomplish is: it brings all manner man-ner of Christians closer together. It eliminates misunderstandings, and it represses, religious rancor. This is so good a thing that many out-and-out Portestants think it worth paying for. Catholic Union and Times. Jewish View of Sanctity of Marriage. It is consoling to note the strong position taken up by several prominent Jewish journals in regard to the san-city san-city of marriage. The American Hebrew, He-brew, for instance, says: Our teachers teach-ers of morals and religion are not sounding a false alarm in the denunciations denuncia-tions of the present loose conception of the marriage tie. Society is becoming becom-ing all askew in its attitude toward violators of the seventh commandment and especially in its blindness to the danger lurking in a light-hearted, easy-going indifference to the sanctitv of marriage. The appeal to be made to the law will not produce the desired result. re-sult. ThA law in not strong enough to check the evil, which is conceded to be a real one, for law in matters so dependent de-pendent upon feeling, and upon a relation re-lation so bound up in the most intimate inti-mate feelings of mankind, can not hope to remedy matters wholly. The appeal i must be made to the individual. A false conception of marriage is current. cur-rent. Marriage is not regarded as a sanctifieation of two beings in a holy desire to be of service to each other, to develop their powers, to realize more fully than in anv other relation that great principle of life, to bear with one another: and it is instead accepted as a perfunctory and necessary act established estab-lished by an enactment of law. Our preachens should strive to inspire a 1 loftier ideal of marriage, which may lead to a recognition of the true value even of marriage between dissimilar persons. 1 Grace Before Meals. The church has established prayers which should be said before and nfter meals. In religious communities these prayers are always said, and are some-Avhal some-Avhal long. But for the faithful generally, gener-ally, the church has -made them so short that even the most simple people can and should say them alwa.ys before and after meals. The prayer before the meal is this: "Bless us. O Lord, and these Thy gifts we are about to receive through Thy most gracious bounty, through Jesus Christ. Our Lord, Amen." And when the meal is over, we should say: "We thank Three, O Lord, for these Thy gifts, . through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen." That is not much to ask from any one of us for the food that nourishes our body. And yet. how few there are who ask -God's blessing on the food they are about to eat. or to thank Him for th victuals they have eaten. I It seems to me that many a quarrel and many a complaint made about the food, or the way it is cooked or sorted, would be averted If the blessing of God j had descended upon the eaters audi their food before the meal began, and. j again, that better health and more1 peace in the family would result if all! when they got up from the table would say, in all sincerity of heart: "We than Three. O Lord, for these Thv gifts." And they are God's gifts. Do not forget this, dear brethren, whatever comes to us is from God. 1 he sun with all its power t5 make us bright, and cheerful as well as the rain that, helps the cart hto give us the fruits and vegetables we "need, both j are the result of God's providential ways: and we must be grateful to Him for,. sunshine and rain. Away with the complaints about the weather, and away with all the fault finding about, our food. . and let us be more generous in our thanking God for rain or shine, and lt us establish in every household the truly Catholic practice prac-tice of saying tho grace before and after meals. Begin is today at dinner. Let the had of the family say the prayer before-and -after every 'meal. Await the results! We promise you, that God's blessing will follow. Begin today. Paulist Sermon. ..- ' j THE HANSOM CAB. When the amassing of unwieldly for-j for-j tunes is criticised, the rejoinder if; often heard that it simply manifests superior ability on the part of the possessor, and that only despicable envy will cavil I at the existing dispensation. The fol- lowing narrative, as related by Key. S. I C. P. Fox in Donahoe's Magazine for February, gives a typical instance of 1 ! the kind of ability-that often wins in the pursuit of wealth: , "With regard to Charles Hansom, who was u talented man in many respects re-spects other than in the exercise of his profession, lie was dining on a certain day with a few friends when one of them taunted him with being unable to invent a vehicle which would supersede super-sede the old-fashioned hacks and calm in universal use in London. Mr. Hansom Han-som got a sheet of paper, and without any delay he sketched out hjs idea of a safe and convenient mode of passing through tho crowded - streets uf the great metropolis. His friends watched him wh"ile he was at work and unanimously unani-mously applauded the sketch which he had drawn. They dubbed it by the name of its inventor, and it was then and there culled 'a 'Hansom Car." One of those present advised him to take out a patent for It. which lie said he w ould do on the morrow. However, there was one dishonest man in the company by I whom he was'forestallpd. for on reaching reach-ing his own house that evening, and being, like Mr. HaiiFom, a clever draughtsman, as all great architeets are. he sketched out a car like the drawing ho had seen, and early the following fol-lowing morning he took it to the office and took out a patent for it jn hip own name, thus robbing the talented inventor invent-or of all the remuneration which he deserved de-served to reap from it. it brought an immense but ill-gotten fortune to the one who had perpetrated the frattd. whereas Mr. Chariot Hansom was never one ponny the richer. "I may5 conclude my notice of this eminent, aehitect by stating that to my certain knowledge h" was a good, practical prac-tical Catholic. Whenever a. bishop or priest consulted him about drawing plans for a pro.iecte.i church he would always offer up a holy communion to obtain light and grace before he would commence a sketch for what he was commissioned to erect, in this respect he but imitated the example of the most eminent painters of Catholic and mediaeval times." |