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Show (j 1 " : . : ' " y "This is the .' : - - h p Lourcl) Clnwwsm r& j J j faith." j CHURCH CALENDAR. Suii.v- )(,('- - John. Ap. Ev. 1 3Iin!:'y. Doc :. Vfhe Holy Innocents, ilM. Tuo .'.i;iy, Doc 2U St. Thomas a Becket, 'Wnhxxhiy. D.'c 30 St. ' Sabinus, B. L TliujJj:y, Dec. 31 St. Sylvester I, P. C. : CHRISTMAS BELLS. 5 llrk: through Christendom joy bells are. ringing; 1'iom mountain and valley, o'er land and o'er sea, i 4 fhoiiil mcloaies pealing and thrilling, jf K.-h.K'S of ;igcs from Car 'GalHte; i Christmas is here, i yU rvy old Christmas, G'fi-b'.n ing. he3rt-touching. joy-bringir.g Christmas, I lay oi grand memories, king of the year. ! n volume majestic deep anthems are pealing, j Harmonies heavenly swell on the air; i l-i'l'iy Mild lowly in brotherhood kneeling. jv.tsant and prince mingle praises and prayer; Christmas is here, i Sanctified Christmas. i Christ-bearing, life-giving, soul-saving Christmas, j i';iy of fond memories, king of the year. Ti-ndor remembrances softly are stealing iier the souls tf the weary and worn: j y.':'.x f the past, full of galm and of healing, ! Soothing the sorrow of sad and f forlorn; 1 V Christmas is here. i Many-voiced Christmas. ( ;i ir-f -soothing, heart-cheering, hope-bearing Christinas, Christ-inas, ; Pay of sweet memories, king of the year. I Jy.'.y of ihe poor, bringing Jesus the lowly, Bearer of burfiens and giver of rest, " ' i ; ( Vmforter, Savior. Redeemer most holy; ; Christianity's birth-time, eternally blest; Christmas is here, Merciful Christmas, ' I Faith-raising, love-bearing, all-blessing Christinas, I Sweetest and holiest day of the year. I A CHRISTMAS THOUGHT. t i A litlle Child with heart so large, it takes the whole world in." How licaut ifully iheso vonls remind tis that the Divino r:i)ie of Bethleliem is (io! and Man; and 3iow powerfully thoy should excite, lis to new senti-Jijont senti-Jijont of faith, hope and charity! St. Bernard tolls n ihat "(iod is groat and ex-'ocdinely ex-'ocdinely to ho praised."', then adds: "He is liltle, .o(.(..linfly to ho loved.'" So great that angels il- I linnincl that Christmas night of old with eeles- I ti;;l radiance, and made the silence thrill with their If melodious song of praise: "Gloria in excedsis Deo!' I So little that Mary and Joseph embraced Him. and )!: liepherds drew near and fe-ared Him not. Yes! so little that a poor, crib contained Him. and an infant's raiment was folded round the God -who clothes the "lilies of t lie field."' f All this we feel as we-echo the anthems of Iloly l Clnircli: "Deum do Deo, Lumen de lumine-!" And tlieii. we.reniendier that II is heart is large -enough ! to .Mnlain the whole -world. It contains all sins ta expiate thotn. all sorrows to console them, in a i y i.nl every human heart whatever may be its needs, v aspiralions.' its capacities, is folded in the em-I em-I brace of Jesus love: surely wo ought to have con-, j tali nee! "What can He refuse us now? In union i v.-ith His first adorers. Mary, Joseph, the holy t angels, the shepherds and the Magi, we pray that I ihis Christmas may bring us the riches of grace, I ihe precious gold of charity of holy love. 1 "Without charily,' says St. Thomas of Aquin, : "the highest and most estimable goods are without , pinion or cohesion; charity unites them. 'Without j ;.d sroods arc fragile: charily gives them stability. ; V) ithout charity goods of an inferior order tend ' 5 to separation from the supreme good; charity ele-, ele-, Titos' iliom, transforms them, and makes of all toods one only- good."' "Above all things have , rharity, says St. Paul; "it is the bond of perfec- . j 1 he lido of Hie flows onward towards the golden S sImivs where other virtues pass away. The veils : v withdrawn from faith: hope rests in fruition; s biainiity, obedience, patience, mortification are no 1,.,,-r.,. needed, but charity, like its source hi God I ho is love, reigns forever. "A little Child!" He teaches us humility, pov- , iiv. -ul.jection; let us learn of Him to be""meek 'ii ; huiublo of heart'; embrace all creatures by h;nity. sympathy, zeal for souls. He is indeed xce.-ihiigjy to be praised" by our Christmas an-j.K'iiis an-j.K'iiis ,,f j,,v .,, "exceedingly to be loved" as the 1;:k I5cthl..liem, coming to us in the littleness 1 I Bis adorable Sacrament. ! O "Ood of God:" O "Light of Light:" , A little child Thou art: A t'd yet. ail creatures are contained V.'nhin Thy Sacred Heart. Montitor. CHRISTMAS IS CELEBEATED IN ITALY. S ( Iij-i-tinas in ihe Catholic countries of south- 'Mi Kur-'po is very driTerent from Christmas in ;v-e nenhern lands. In Rome it is a quiet and I M'icn.n day and the chief interest is in religious vri-,s. The celebration goes on from Dec. 25, 1 j''"" il' sacred Bambino (ihe 'Christ-child) is I ''ruiiuht nut, lill Jan. !. when it is put away again. I - i Lurches are. of course, brilliantly illuminated Vl,b n.iiumerable canlles. and the solemn and im- --ue service is e verywhere attended. There are 1 i K reunions, but the. social festivities of the I ' . in spite of the usually mild Indian .summer ' ' ' !:vr. mo held quietly indoods. Every Vene-1 Vene-1 . Melt or poor, makes a present of a box of ' iiar candy, made of honey and nuts (called 1 1 i Into), and a glass of fruits and mustard i d niustardo). j Italy, instead of the Chrislmas tree you will ''A 1 1 specially in Florence) a straw basket made ii 'id gifts decorated with green things arranged v. m,o form of a tree. The commonest gift to ' ':; n is a plaster toy representing the Xa- ? PIUS X AND THE CATHOLIC PRESS. j I ' i"iu a French journal to hand the Ceylon Cath- I 1 Messenger learns that at the jubilee congress i I i ( ie:-ii!an Catholics hold toward the end of last J I : 'i.Ii the chief discourse at one of ihe sessions was j I ' ' I lie rross."" The speaker described a hitherto I I 1 .'ci,rdcl incil i;t. showing the Pope's regard for I :it' ' aibolic press. He said: "A (Catholic paper J 1 )' i-l 'd ai Venice, and called La Defence (sic), I v '- on ;,. point of stopping publication some yegrs ior want of funds. Cardinal Sarto saved it ' li his own money, saying: 'If l had to sell iny V '-'oral cross, the ornaments of- my-. church and !".v furniture i-to guaranlee the existence of .this ( 'i'oiic pajer I would do so willingly.'-" AT. VESPEES. . . - ., Viers the faithful sit, stand and kneel with '-' lebrant. All exce)t delicate children or other ii v;i,(j. s11)Ui,l kneel through he Bcii'.xlictioii of, 'llr- Hb.-sed S-.'.crament. I hen tiio enters a church where ihe Blessed 1 'Himont is solemnly exposed for the adoration I 'Le faithful, as at, the Devotion of the Forty -'niv. or ihe ex)osition of the first Friday, the I j'r!'i;'.ary gouuflection is not sufficient. One should I ''j-' ' 1'r n moment with the profoundest reverence, I f''f'ro entering one's pew. I Be,o. ,,, Us s.)v tiat tierp js Tf,rv itlp c t)c i lie' Klls ' sP'lritn""l honor in those Catholics who f r ( '' " account of the devotions of. their parish tv Ii w'ln "rf:p1 Jhe announcement of. the For-'Htrs, For-'Htrs, and neither receive the Sacraments nor visit the church, nor send so much as flower or a wax candle to beautify the altar during its continuance. con-tinuance. It is. a point" of honor with good Catholics to participate heartily in any public devotions, responding re-sponding audibly and clearly to the prayers ordered by the Holy Father after the low masses, to the Rosary, etc. : . - When congregational singing is established all the faithful .who can sing should let their-voices, resound re-sound in the chants of the Church.' It is a shame for adult. Catholics of fair education and intelligence intelli-gence 'not to know the Gloria, the Credo, the Vesper Ves-per psalms, and the liturgical hymns of the various vari-ous seasons, as the "Alma Rodemptoris," the "Salve Begins," and the rest. Katharine E. Conway. IN BETHLEHEM. . The dress of the inhabitants of Bethlehem is probably the same as it was in the time of Our Lore!. That of the women, both in the town itself and in the environs, .is remarked by every traveler. Says the famous Baron Geramb: ..,' '"They are dressed in precisely the sanie manner as ihe Blessed Virgin iii the pictures which represent repre-sent her; not only the fashion of the garments, but the very color of the . same-r-a blue gown ami red cloak, or a red gown nd blue cloak, with a white veil over all. The first time" that I chanced to see, at a distance, a woman of Bethlehem, carrying a little child in Jier arms, I could not help starting; met nought I beheld Mary and the Infant Jesus coming" toward "me. ' "On another occasion my emotion was not less lively. I perceived an old man. with white hair and 'white. beard, driving an ass along the hill on which Bethlehem is situated. He was followed by a young woman, dressed in blue and red, and covered with, a white veil. I was at nothlohom. Imagination Imagina-tion carried me back to the time or. Augustus Cae? sar. In a moment it transformed those two persons per-sons in Joseph and Mary, coming, in obedience to the orders of the prince, to be taxed. "The dress of the country people also awakens in the mind touching reflections. It is, I am assured, as-sured, exactly the same as that of the shepherds at the time of our Saviors birth, and dates back upward up-ward of two thousand years. It is a sort of smock frock er tunic, drawn tight around the waist, by a leathern throng, and a cloak over that. Xo shoes, people in general go barefoot." Ave. Maria. RUNAWAY MAE EI AGES. ' In an article recently published in the Post-Dispatedi Post-Dispatedi of St. Louis. Archbishop J. J. Glennon is reported to have 'said: . "Nothing that I could say would place me in an attitude of stronger opposition to runaway marriages mar-riages than I am placed by the attitude of the Catholic church. Its rules are such that Catholic persons cannot run away and get married except by running out. of the Church. "The rules of the Church require publication of the bans three Sundays before the wedding-in the church of the parish in which the engaged persons reside, and if they reside in separate parishes the bans are proclaimed in the churches of both parishes. par-ishes. There can be no runaway marriages where this rule is observed. "Then, if a Cathlocic ouple run away to get married no priest will marry them without first communicating com-municating with the priest of their parish, acquainting acquaint-ing him with the facts and getting his consent. "And if they are married by a minister or magistrate magi-strate thev excommunicate themselves from the . Church. ' "These strict rules are enforced because the Catholic church regards marriage as asacrament and is indissobluble except by death. Regarding it so. it cannot but enforce such rules as will tend to safeguard it in every way and promote the Jiappi-ness Jiappi-ness of a relation from which there is no sanctioned release except by death. "God, conscience, reason, parents and sentiment enter into the marriage compact, rightly regarded. In the modern marriage, God, conscience, reason and parents are eliminated, and sentiment only is consulted. Sentiment is evanescent. Today it is I here. Tomorrow it may vanish". God, conscience reason and parents having been left cmt, there is, nothing left when sentiment goes and divorce court is sought to terminate relations which have become be-come distasteful." . . .. - THE BELIGIOXS OF THE WOBLD. Father Ivrcse. S. J., lias published two interesting interest-ing articles in the Stimmen aus Maria Laaeh on "ihe most important systems of religions at the end of the nineteenth century." lie gives us therein new: and minute statistics of the different religions of the world. According to these statistics we find: I. CHRISTIANS. " . ! Catholics. Protestants. Orthodox. Schism, j Asia. 11.513,276 1.926.108 12,471.036 2.726.053 Africa 0,004,563 1,663,341 53.479 3,608,466 Australia p.nd ' Oceanica .. 579,943 3.187.2".9 ! America 71. 50.879 62,556,967 ! Europe ......177.657.261 97.293,434 98.796,108 220,394. Totals ....264,503,922 166,627,109 111,320,543 6,554,913 The total number of Christians in Asia is 28,636,493, in Africa 8,329,84!), in Australia and' Oceanica 4.107.202. in -America'-133,907.846V in Europe Eu-rope 373.97.U5i, and the whole world 549,017,341. II. NON-CHRISTIANS. Jews, 11,037.000; Mohammedans, 202.048,210; Brahmins or Hindoos, 210.100,000; Old Indian religions, re-ligions, 2,113,750; Buddhists, 120,250.000; adherents adher-ents of Confucious and ancestor worshippers, 253,-000,000; 253,-000,000; Taoists, 32,000,000; Shintoists, 17,000,000; fetish worshippers and other pagans, 144,700,000; of other religions, 2,844.482. Out of the total popu-' lation of the world, which amounts to 1,539.000,000' (according to Yuraschke), 35.7 per cent are Chris-, tians, 13.1 per cent Mohammedans, 0.7 per cent Jews, that is to say. 762.102.000 are Monotheists,! against 776,000,000 who are Polytheists i. e., "nearly "near-ly half the population of the world believes in one God. London Tablet. : i |
