Bøger af Brother Hermenegild Tosf

Henry Edward Cardinal Manning wrote these pastoral letters after the Vatican Council closed in 1870. This book contains the first, which was written in 1867 prior to the Council. The other two are published in separate books. Manning begins: "I should not rightly fulfil the office which binds me to you, and to the flock committed to my charge, if I were not to endeavour to make you share, so far as I am able, in the great events which have marked the Eighteenth Centenary of S. Peter's Martyrdom. I need hardly tell you that, next after the feeling of joy which filled my mind, as I looked upon the assembly of more than half the bishops of the world gathered around the throne of the Vicar of our Lord, there was nothing more present to me than the wish that you could have been eye-witnesses, with me, of these great acts of the Church; or, at least, that I might be able to convey to you somewhat of the consolation, confidence, and light which I trust they bestowed on me. This I will endeavour now to do. But at the outset I must disclaim both the intention and the power to set before you any adequate picture of the beauty, majesty, and splendour of those solemnities. I can only say that all was proportionate to the greatest kingdom upon earth, theHoly Catholic Church. Of all that spoke to the eye, therefore, I shall be silent. I could not describe it if I would; and I leave it to others who have the gifts of observation, and memory, and delineation required for the task. Some have already written of these great solemnities; others will do so hereafter. I shall confine myself entirely to that which did not meet the eye. I mean the moral significance, and, I may say, the moral beauty, majesty, and splendour of the the events in Rome."

After twenty years on the missions, Father Oakley found there was a deficiency in that there was no proper manual for priests on the missions to guide them in their duties. To remedy this, he prepared the present volume.

St. Paul writes, as we all know: "Despise not prophecies, but prove all things, hold fast that which is good" (I Thess. v. 20-2 I). That there have been, and are, many persons to whom a knowledge of the future is imparted in ways that transcend our comprehension, I fully believe. But that this knowledge ever extends to the foreseeing of political events of general interest is very difficult to establish by evidence. It does not seem to be part of the divine dispensation that assurance regarding the decrees of Providence should be given to any considerable body of mankind. Certainly a careful scrutiny of such pretended oracles as are discussed in the present volume must lead to an attitude of extreme suspicion in regard to all literature of this type. Of the many hundred predictions recorded in the various collections which I have examined almost all have been long ago refuted by the actual course of events. I have, in fact, come across but one, and that a prophecy to which attention has not hitherto been directed, which seems to me to retain the least semblance of intrinsic probability. Moreover, even here the extrinsic evidence is quite unsatisfactory, and should the terrible catastrophe foreshadowed unhappily come anywhere near realization, one could feel no confidence that we were in the presence of anything more than a rather exceptional coincidence. Although the longest chapter in this volume, that concerned with the pretended "prophecy of St. Malachy," may seem at first sight to have little to do with the present war, the observant reader will soon discover that these papal mottoes are closely interwoven with the fabric of nearly all the recent religious predictions concerning present calamities and the end of the world. It therefore seemed desirable to discuss the question of the fraudulent origin of the list in some detail, the more so that much that is written on the subject is curiously ill-informed. The substance of the chapter dealing with St. Malachy is taken from two articles which I contributed to The Month as far back as June and July, 1899, where the intimate dependence of the mottoes on Panvinio was, I think, made clear for the first time. The fact that even in such a work as The Catholic Encyclopedia the "prophecy" should be treated as a document of serious value seemed to render it needful to deal with the subject somewhat more fully and exhaustively than the matter in itself deserved.

This book is not written for any special class of persons. On this account, anything which would lead to the idea that it is a book exclusively for religious, is sedulously avoided. The principles laid down in it are only those that every good Christian, whether in religion or in the world, ought to know and to live up to. There are numbers of persons in the world who practise Perfection withou t any formal aim at it. It is for these especially that we write j as it appears to us that a little direction, and study of the grounds of Perfection, would be a wonderful help to them. Man's object in life is shown to consist in Charityin the love of God and the love of our neighbour. We have thought it very important to keep this point before the minds of our readers, because otherwise their devotions may be misdirected. We next deal with the various means of attaining to this end. The writer has made every effort to put things as briefly and as plainly as possible so that his teaching may be within the reach of the ordinary mind. He has avoided all digressions and has set before his readers their main business in life, telling them what they must do, rather than what they must not do. His plan did not permit him when treating of the virtues to treat of the opposite vices. With slight alterations the opening Chapters are taken for the most part from Father Scaramelli's Guide to the Spiritual Life, and the closing Chapters from the Christian and Religious Perfection of Father Rodriguez, This course is adopted because the writer believes that nothing better can be said on the subject than has been said by these two masters of the Spiritual Life. Their works cannot be too highly praised. They are excellent, and should be better known and studied, The Chapters on the Virtues are a summary of St. Thomas's teaching. To treat them at length is outside the scope of the present work, The desire of the writer is to promote the glory of God, and the spiritual advancement of Christians, so that they may be helped along the path of Perfection to their heavenly country.

This also has other devotions and prayers for Mass, etc.

HOW SHALL I use this little book? A friendly voice replies: "Open it at sundown, in the morning, in the evening, at any leisure moment; read what you please and as much as you please, but read attentively, reflect seriously upon the thoughts suggested, make a firm resolution to aim persistently at perfection, and pray earnestly that you may become a saint: ' Man: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." Ecclesiasticus. Reflect how true it is that the remembrance of the four last things has a marvelous efficacy to restrain the soul from sin, and to disentangle the heart from inordinate affections to the things of this world-to honor, wealth, and pleasure. Hardened sinners have often been converted from their wicked ways to a penitential life by the terror of these thundering truths: death, judgment, hell, eternity. Meditation on these tremendous truths has sent numbers into deserts or religious houses, there to secure their eternal salvation by a saintly life; moreover, the considerations of such sublime truths have generally laid the first foundation even of the most eminent sanctity. Oh, what lessons may we not learn among the silent monuments of the dead, who attracted attention and made some noise heretofore in the world, but now are thought of no more! What salutary exhortations may we not daily receive by attending in spirit the trials at the great bar; by going down while we are alive into the darksome dungeons below, and viewing with dread the torments of the damned; and by ascending up into heaven, and contemplating those blessed mansions of eternal bliss prepared as a reward for the momentary labor and sufferings of the servants of God? Let us daily frequent these schools to learn the science of the saints. Let us resolve to think often on these important subjects which concern so intimately our everlasting welfare; it will prepare us for a holy death; it will teach us to be always in readiness for judgment; it will keep us out of hell; it will bring us to heaven.

This "Dictionary" was compiled at the request of the publisher from materials accumulated by the undersigned during a thirty-three years' career as an editor. It is intended for the information of Catholics, especially the reverend clergy, among whom there has long been a demand for a reliable reference work on the subject of secret and other societies into which Catholics are liable to be drawn. For obvious reasons all specifically Catholic societies, as well as, societies consisting exclusively of Catholics and having the ecclesiastical approbation, have been excluded. On the other hand it has not been deemed wise to draw the lines too narrowly, but for the sake of completeness a large number of organizations have been included which are neither secret nor even quasi-secret, but purely beneficial, civic, patriotic, and so forth. The difference in the length of the various articles is not always owing to reasons of larger or smaller importance, but to the amount of information obtainable. While the compiler has circularized all the societies listed in this book, so far as he was able to ascertain their addresses, not all of the respective officers have responded to his questionnaire, and among those that did, not all gave the information desired.

Man, as a rational being, should follow the dictates of his reason, be guided in his actions by his reason, and not be led by mere feeling or blind passion. Whenever he acts wilfully and with reflection, he should know the reason for doing so. Above all, in religious matters, which are of the highest moment, he should not act inconsiderately. ONE: is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIGHT. He who follows Him does not walk in the dark. Our reason, sound and right, enlightened by faith, should aJone direct our steps, whereas faith is for the eyes of the soul what light is for the eyes of the body. Why do not Protestants invoke the Blessed Virgin? They believe in saints, give the names of saints to their churches, to their children, but still live quite I independent of those powerful creatures of God. Far less homage still do they render the Virgin Mary, and even hold as Pagans and Idolators those who honor the Mother of God. What is their ground for doing so? Catholics say for their part: We adore God alone, but we beg of the saints to intercede for us that our prayers more humble and more favorable may rise to the throne of the Most High. To prove this assertion let us open any Catholic Prayer-Book, take the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, for instance, and you will read: "Lord, have mercy on us; Christ, have mercy on us, etc., Holy' Mary, pray for us;" because it is only in the Lord's power to have mercy on us, but the saints can implore that mercy for us. All prayers to the saints and even to the Blessed Virgin conclude with the words: through Christ, our Lord.-through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

IN perusing these pages, it will be well to make and to bear in mind a distinction between the manner and the matter of the work. The manner, such as it is, belongs to the author, but, on the other hand, little or no attempt has been made at originality -in doctrine or thought. In the seminary it was much insisted on that every priest, ana more especially every young priest, should have continually beside him some suitable means wherewith to occupy, his spare time. Accordingly, the study and the adaptation of that most excellent work the "Conciones Sacrce " of Cardinal Bellarmin, S.J., have been found in this instance a very pleasant and a very profitable employment. The first design was to translate the sermons verbatim, but, both on account of their extreme diffuseness and because, as originally written, they do not constitute a complete course for the year, that idea proved impracticable. From a study of the work as a whole, therefore, and out of the resulting mass of matter, a sermon for each Sunday, and for a few of the principal festivals of the year has been evolved. Some extraneous thoughts, encountered in a course of desultory reading and drawn chiefly from Fr. Segneri, S.J., and Padre Agostino da Montefeltro, have been pressed into service to supplement the Gardinal's homilies. These latter have helped the present writer so often and so much in the routine of parish work that it is most earnestly hoped they may prove of assistance to others, and that this or any similar attempt, however humble, to bring out into the light these and the many other gems of Cathol1c thought and sentiment may meet with popular approval.

How many we hear speaking about the spirit of the age, and, yet, how few are prepared to define that creature of the mind, to tell exactly in what it consists, whence it springs, what role it plays in the great drama of existence or what influences it posessess! When we speak of the age, we doubtlessly refer to the century in which we live-consequently from the expression the spirit of the age we naturally infer that each successive period in the history of the world has had its particular spirit, different from that which held sway in preceding or succeeding epochs, and that our age has also a spirit peculiar to itself. Without going any further we will ask ourselves two questions and then strive, as best we can, to answer them correctly. Firstly what is the spirit of the age? And secondly what is the spirit of OUR age? The spirit of the age is that certain motive power which governs the actions of men, holds a predominating influence over moral lives and ways, either for good or evil, their social relations, whether as between individuals or between peoples. I t originates in the continual changes to which the human family is prone and in the ever fluctuating circumstances, . different in each age, that surround and throng the avenues of life. It is either good or evil, according to the accident of the alternate ascendency of virtue or vice in the bosom of humanity. It pervades every social system, breathing its influence, beneficial or baneful, upon the world and bending at will and directing the actions of men. It is that which shapes for man, as an individual and for a nation, as the aggregate of individuals, their different courses at divers epochs. Its object must seemingly be the happiness of the human race-yet, when springing from an impure source and nurtured in frivolty or crime, although it apparently tends towards the greater happiness, it really leads the way and clears the path to destruction, sorrow, sin and death! It changes with the ideas of men. It is influenced by education as well as by ignorance; it is moulded after the fashions, the vices, the habits or the virtues of the hour. Its cradle may be the rising splendors of a new civilization or the mouldering ruins of a perishing barbarism its tomb, also, may be the vortex of thoughtless vanities, or the sombre shades of ruined cloisters. I t is a vitality, not a living- being-. Words cannot define it exactly, the mind alone can conceive it. Suffice to say that it governs our lives and our actions and directs our ainls to good or evil as the case may be

THE division of the official literature of the Roman rite into six books the Missal, Breviary, Pontifical, Ritual, Ceremonial of Bishops and the Martyrology is not primitive, although it is very ancient; for in primitive times there were no liturgical books properly so-called. The Bible was all-sufficient; and while it yielded the psalms, canticles and lessons of the Office, the essential formulae of the mass and the sacraments were handed down by oral tradition. Nevertheless the discoveries of liturgical science during the last few years have established beyond doubt and discussion that some of these formula were already written down before the beginning of the fourth century and traces of them can be found in the third and even in the second centuries. If we except certain ante-Nicene formularies, and also the Sacramentary of Serapion (fourth century) and the Apostolic Constitutions (fourth and fifth centuries), the oldest known examples of liturgical books are the Sacramentaries which go back in their primitive forms to the seventh and eighth centuries. These contained the fonnulce and prayers of the mass, and sometimes also "blessings, rites of ordination and the prayers of the canonical Office. A Sacramentary such as these, then, supplied in one book the place of the Missal, Pontifical, Ritual, and even Breviary and Office books. Later there appear side by side with the Sacramentarles other books in their separate forms: The Breviary (known in those days as the Antiphonary), the Ritual, and the Pontifical. Especially since the XVlth century the individuality of these books has become entirely clear; each has assumed a particular character and function, and interchangeability became a thing of the past. The Ritual (Latin ritus, rite) is the book containing the fonntilie and rules for the administration of the sacraments and certain blessings. It is a manual for parish priests and missionaries-for those, in general, who have the cure of souls. At first sight, then, there may be some strangeness in the title, " The Layfolk's Ritual"; but the idea of such a book is none the less a most happy one. The beauty of liturgical prayer and its superiority to any other forms is becoming more and more recognized. The liturgical revival of the last few years in France and Belgium has not lacked inBuences and results in this country; and in general the laity are beginning to take a real interest in those venerable rites and formula which possess eloquence at once simple and profound and which contain theological teaching, drawn from the very fountain-head of antiquity, of surpassing clearness and precision.! It is surely enough, then, to point out that the forms and ceremonies set out in this book are those employed in the actual administration of the sacraments, and to ask. if anything can be of higher importance than to achieve a better understanding of these glorious rites. The Rituale Romanum is composed of two parts: (I) The Ritual properly so-called. (2) An Appendix of special blessings. The first, which is the essential part, has six divisions, called 'tituli, ' concerned with the administration of Baptism, Penance, the Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Burial. Marriage, blessings in general, processions and exorcisms. The second part is supplementary, an appendix, in which certain special blessings and other devotions find their place. It is chiefly from the first part that the matter for this edition has been drawn, for the object of the publishers has been to make available those rites at which the faithful are assistants or witnesses. Their choice has been a judicious one; and the book has been made more useful for devotional purposes by the addition of the Ordinary of the Mass, with the Preparation and Thanksgiving. The Layfolk's Ritual is thus a devotional book of practical utility as well as a manual for special, albeit frequent, occasions

One should be well warned that this book contains dangerous heresies from the synthesis of all heresies, Modernism. As such it is only useful as a research tool to uncover the efforts of Modernists to minimize doctrine. This introduction shows the Modernist mindset: "Judging from what I know, the author is a devout Christian and also a good Catholic in the broad sense of the word. He has been an active priest for many years, and is devoted to his pastoral work. But his piety has suffered severe shocks and he is fretting under the conflict between the ideal he cherishes and the realization with which, to his deep regret, he finds so much fault. The result is a state of mind which can be imagined from these letters to the highest ecclesiastical authority. They are written in the hope that His Holiness will hear the voice crying in the wilderness. If we are not mistaken in the signs of the time, this voice is not isolated. It finds a strong resonance in the minds of many pious Catholics, who realize that it would not be wise to speak out boldly because of the subtle methods of the organized hierarchy, which have hitherto proved very efficient in meeting any attempt at reform. It is easy enough to force the discontented out of the church, but the church would scarcely be benefited thereby." This work looks forward to a future, which was realized some years later during and after Vatican II: "These letters are not intended to create a sensation, but to prepare for a future which, in moments of enthusiasm, seems near at hand. They have a twofold purpose. On the one hand, our author wants to make the Curia feel its enormous responsibility, and on the other hand, to educate both priest and layman for the work of reconstruction." And then we see classic Modernism: "Should the Roman Catholic church not conform to the demands of the time, should the Curia continue to prevent a reformation so much needed, it is quite probable that many pious souls will break away from Rome and originate a genuine Catholic church. There are not a few who cling devoutly to the traditional form of worship, but who are dissatisfied with the narrowness of the old ecclesiastical institutions." The Introduction to this edition, the second, states: "In the eighteen months since the first publication of these Letters, Pius X has abundantly justified though the measure was already full-the complaints and remonstrances which they express. The basis of these complaints and remonstrances is that set of ideas and ideals, in the name of which every reformer of modern times has spoken his protest to the Vatican-Democracy, Freedom of Intellect, and Freedom of Conscience." This work is a manifesto for an abolition of the Catholic Church and replacing it with another Church, which is in keeping with the errors of the times.

The title chosen for this book sets forth the contents of the inspired message revealed to St. John, the Apostle. It is a summing up of the prophetical work in the Bible by the Holy Spirit and a revelation of the Great Causes shaping future history which will constitute the destiny of mankind. This destiny will be created and developed by man's free will. It is the Book of Destiny, because it shows forth the destiny of the whole human race. It is building up now and will grow until the Day of Judgment. This building up began with the renewed persecution of the Christians by Trajan after the benign lull under the Emperor Nerva. The Apocalypse received its name from the first word of these revelations. Whether St. John gave it this name or not cannot be established. The secrets of the future written in this book have mystified and intrigued the minds of the most inquisitive for nineteen hundred years. St. Vincent Ferrer five hundred years ago and St. Bernardine of Siena a half a century later threatened their hearers with the judgments enumerated in the Apocalypse, but their words were not well heeded. Yet the FIRST WOE was averted from the countries which they evangelized. For a hundred years now the secrets have been quite openly expressed and written about, though with some uncertainty and misgivings, but have not been noticed by the world. In the meantime events have succeeded with increasing speed and growth towards a denouement of the secrets of the GREAT WORLD DRAMA so long wrapped up in mysterious visions. Any day may flash upon the consciousness of men the DESTINY towards which mankind is hastening.

Father Richard Strange SJ was born in 1611 and entered the Jesuits in 1631. It may be of interest to append a few characteristic anecdotes of the Saint, drawn from the evidence of 'witnesses who knew him well. As to his outward appearance, Brother Robert, the sacristan at St. Bartholomew's, London, describes him as ' having an angelic face, a complexion white and ruddy, a good beard and a long nose, with flaxen hair.' Hugh the Barber tells the Papal Commissaries, not without a certain pride, that his master' was no hypocrite or humbug, trying to make himself out better than other people; that in dress and other things he was not different from his equals; that when at the Universities he wore indoors a mantle and a cassock like what Prelates wear (for he was Archdeacon of Stafford). Out of doors he had furred garments and a furred coverlet to his bed' After the Saint's death, William Gandro, his body-servant, and the heir to his wardrobe, says that so anxious were the Saint's relatives to get keepsakes of him, that he had to tear to pieces both cassock and tunic, but the mantle and hood he kept for himself, though a Welsh rector offered twenty pounds for it. A story is told of the Saint's hair-shirt, which he inherited from his uncle, the Bishop of Worcester. The Saint did not find it hard enough or knotty enough for him, so he sent it to Oxford to have it roughened and hardened. This he wore to the day of his death, and Robert of Gloucester, the witness, says it was the hardest that could be found. The same witness says that once he ventured to expostulate with the Saint on his excessive abstinence, saying, ' You eat and drink too little, my lord; you wont be able to last out. Getting no answer he repeated the remark, when the Bishop said, 'Eat and drink what you like, and hold your tongue and leave me in peace.' Robert rejoined, ' My lord, I will not do so, because I don't want you to die, for I should lose the promotion I am hoping for from you.' St. Thomas answered, 'You want to flatter me.' But it would seem that he did get his promotion, for he became the Bishop's official, and was in some sense the occasion of his master's death and his own excommunication.

The book is intended primarily for students of Social Science who accept the Church's teaching. Its main purpose is to summarise and present in a consecutive and more or less scientific form the main elements of the teachings of the Roman Pontiffs (especially Leo XIII and our present Holy Father Pius XI), the Catholic Bishops and the standard Catholic authors on questions connected with social organisation and public life, including such topics as personal rights and duties, the privileges and position of the family in the social organism, the interrelations of capital and labour, the place of religion in public life, education, the functions of the State, its constitution, laws and administration, the due interrelations of its component parts with one another, its relations with the Church, etc. Here and there in the book will be found suggestions borrowed mostly from approved Catholic writers, as to practical means of realising Christian princip1es and ideals in social and civic organisation. The principal non-Catholic theories on the subjects discussed, and modern non-Christian tendencies and movements are also dealt with; and tho well-being of the people under the Christian regime as illustrated from history is compared with their position in the non-Christian State. Following the precedent of French, American and English writers on the same subjects, the author has striven to give special prominence to those aspects of the questions dealt with, which seem to have special importance in his own country; and he naturally chooses bis illustrations of principles and their application from existing circumstances in Ireland, the country with which he is most familiar. The main portions of the work, however, apply to all countries. Hence the writer hopes that the book may prove useful even to non-Irish readers. On that account he has relegated to Appendices the treatment of certain aspects of the social question which are rooted in historical causes peculiar to Ireland. The writer wishes to thank very sincerely the kind friends whose invaluable assistance and patient collaboration have enabled him to complete much sooner than he could otherwise have hoped the tedious work of preparing the book for publication. He wishes also to thank those other friends whose helpful advice and friendly criticism have assisted him very much in the work of revision. Finally, he gladly acknowledges the great assistance he has received from the discussions carried on during the past five years at the meetings of An Rioghacht. These discussions have served especially to throw light on many practical questions, and have given the writer an insight into certain aspects of his subject with which he would be otherwise unacquainted.

About seventy miles from Lyons, in the south of France is Puy, the most picturesque city of Europe. It is celebrated for its ancient shrine and magnificent statue of Our Lady. Not far from the shrine stands a large college which, until the expulsion of the Religious Orders from France, was a Scholasticate, or House of Studies, for the younger members of the Society of Jesus. This College gave many apostolic men to the Church, and its pious students were always remarkable for an ardent desire to labour in the foreign missions. In the year 1844 the Spiritual Director of the College was Father Gautrelet, S.J. On the 3rd of December, the Feast of St. Francis XaVier, he pointed out to the scholastics that by consecrating all their thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings to the Sacred Heart, and offering them to the Eternal Father for the interests of Jesus Christ, they could find, even during the course of their ecclesiastical studies, ample scope for satisfying their missionary zeal. The proposal was received with enthusiasm by the young religious, and thus were laid the first foundations of the Apostleship of Prayer, which was destined to spread with wondrous rapidity throughout the world, and to inscribe on its register. Many millions of associates. By degrees other communities joined this Holy League of Prayer, and in 1849, five years after its foundation, it was enriched by Pius IX" then an exile at Gaeta, with many indulgences. In 1861 appeared the first number of The Messenger of the Sacred Heart. The monthly issue of this periodical led to a prodigious development of the Apostleship of Prayer." Numerous additional indulgences were granted by the Sovereign Pontiff, and, in 1866, the League received a definite organization through the approval of its statutes by the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars.

The saints were real people like you and I. The only difference is that they sought Almighty God with their whole heart, soul, mind, body and strength. And yet they ran into the same difficulties as we do. They had to deal with day to day problems and affairs. Through their letters we can learn a lot about their character and how they dealt with the day to day problems of every day life. And consider Saint Alphonsus founded a congregation and then was made Bishop of a Diocese. He lived to a very old age, which means he was dealing with many things for decades.

Numerous Christian inscriptions belonging to the second century, and several allusions in Tertullian's writings, show that the custom of praying for the departed and commemorating them at the Eucharist had become a fully developed practice even at that early date. But if those, to whom the doctrines and practices bound up with the belief in the Communion of Saints have a priceless value, are pained by such attacks as I have mentioned, they may well rejoice when they see how elsewhere the saints are gradually coming to "possess the kingdom" from which they seemed all but entirely banished in the sixteenth century. Among the doctrines and practices singled out for special attack at that period we find conspicuous those sanctioned by the Church in connection with the veneration of the saints. There is no need to quote the utterances of protestant reformers both in England and on the Continent in support of this assertion, for it is beyond dispute that all religious veneration of the saints, all reliance on the power of their intercession, and all invocation of them whatsoever was at the beginning of the movement regarded as anti-Christian and idolatrous. Yet, if we follow the development of reformed doctrines in England, we are arrested by the fact that, unlike protestant bodies on the Continent, the teachers of the Anglican Church began, as early as the next generation, to occupy themselves with the question of the veneration due to the saints and the practices to which it gave rise. Gradually the extreme iconoclasm of the protestant reformers gave place to the academic specuations of the Caroline divines, and it seemed as if Anglican theologians in the seventeenth century were in the fair way to agree on certain points of doctrine and practice with regard to the veneration of the saints; such as, that the souls of the blessed possess an intelligent life in a state of bliss; that they intercede, in genere at all events, for the welfare of the Church on earth. They seemed, however, fairly agreed that the souls of the Blessed are excluded from the Beatific Vision until the last judgment, and that all direct addresses to them for their intercession with God are vain and useless, and even dangerous, wrong and derogatory to God's honour.

The importance of dressing in the proper uniform for the clergy cannot be minimized. The dress of the clergy indicates their authority in the Mystical Body of Christ and should not be cast aside lightly. Such a manual seems almost a necessity when we remember that tailors, in making ecclesiastical costumes, very often follow their own tastes, fancies, or designs instead of the very clear and precise rules of ecclesiastical etiquette. With this manual in hand, they would have no longer an excuse for the mistakes they make. Even our good Sisters and pious ladies, who so kindly and generously shower Christmas presents on the Clergy, in the shape of birettas, " rabbis ", surplices, cottas, and other articles of clerical dress, need to be informed that the material, color, shape, trimmings, etc., of these objects are regulated not by the rich taste, generous liberality or devotion of the giver, but by ordinances of the Church. May I not hope, then, that this little book, in spite of its shortcomings and imperfections, will prove useful to those interested, and be a guide where needed in the making up of ecclesiastical costumes? With regard to the various costumes worn by Prelates, the will of the Church has been that modifications. however excellent and. in some way. justifiable. should not be left to private fancy; for she clearly foresaw that. after a short lapse of years. such toleration would practically do away with a unity at once beautiful and instructive. Therefore has she laid down for all these costumes precise regulations that should not be lightly put aside. Two Roman Congregations, the Congregation of Rites and the Congregation of the Ceremonial, are especially commissioned to watch over the exact observance of these rules and to secure their preservation. It is to the decrees of these two Congregations that I have chiefly had recourse in compiling this manual. The decrees of the Congregation of Rites are quoted from the Collections of Gardellini and Muhlbauer. As to the Decrees of the Congregation of the Ceremonial. as there exists no official Collection. I have had to rely on the authors who quote them. To the decrees, I have joined the prescriptions of the Ceremonials. and especially of the official books of the Church, the Missal. the Ceremonial of Bishops. and the Roman Pontifical, which contain a wealth of interesting and instructive Rubrics. Finally, for the interpretation of decrees and rubrics. and for the modern adaptation of all these rules, ] have consulted authors generally considered the best, who have devoted their lives to original research in this matter, such as Mgr. Martinucci - " Rex Caeremoniariorum ., - Mgr. Barbier de Montault, the Rev. Fr. Haegy, C. S. Sp., in his new edition of," Les Ceremonies Pontificales " of the learned Father Levavasseur, etc. As to matter that is not to be found in books, I have invariably followed Roman Tradition. The only one of authority on this point as on all others. I t goes without saying that ] have not failed to mention lawful customs where these exist.

What, for example, are we to understand by the word "Evolution"? We are constantly assured that, whatever else may be dark and doubtful, "Evolution" is an indisputable fact; this mode of accounting for it, and that, and the other, may indeed be unsatisfactory and improbable but, for all that, the question as to whether Nature has worked through" Evolution" has long since passed beyond the phase of discussion among scientific thinkers; the Darwinian system of Natural Selection is sinking more and more below the range even of hypothesis, while Evolution itself is almost beyond the range of doubt. "The theory of descent is safe," declares Professor von Hartmann, "but Darwinism has been weighed and found wanting." It is obvious, however, that to the term "Evolution" very different significations may be attached. It is unquestionably by a process of "Evolution" that an oak comes from an acorn, a butterfly from a caterpillar, or both from an egg. When we say that there has been" Evolution" in nature, are we to understand Evolution of this kind, the only kind whereof we have practical experience? Are we to say that one life-form produced another, inevitably and because" it was its nature to," as the seed produces the plant? Or, are we rather to say that there was no predetermination in the original forms of life towards one development rather than another, and that extrinsic causes have governed the production of those we now observe? It is obvious that the two things are not the same j they are, in fact, as different as possible. On the one supposition, given the original form, Evolution is secured, just as we secure salmon or trout for a river by getting the ova; the after-development being as much part and parcel of an organism as the initial state. But in the other case the original form has no more tendency to become anything else than has the ore in an iron-mine to become a steamengine; if it is to do so, it must be wrought on by forces altogether independent of itself. We may style the one or the other process "Evolution," but does it serve any useful purpose to turn the word loose on the world till we have determined which it means? To say that "Evolution" is established, but that we have no knowledge as to the mode in which it has been worked, is merely to declare, after the manner of the king's astrologer in the ballad, our power to divine that something has occurred, but not what that something may be. lt will doubtless be answered that we know the fact of Evolution by evidence altogether independent of the process which has ruled it. We find in life-forms a certain orderly gradation of types, one pointing to another, like footprints in sand; and, as from such footprints we can assure ourselves that a man or animal has passed that way, can learn what has been the course of the march of life. But the point to remark is, that in the one case we knowof a force that can cause motion from point to point, and in the other we do not. We must know that creatures walk before understanding the meaning of their tracks. Mere sequence does not necessarily imply connection. We have amongst crystals, for example, a wonderful progression of forms, the same general type being worked up, in the case of different elements, to greater and greater complexity.

BEFORE explaining the prayers and ceremonies of holy Mass it may not be amiss to say a few words about reverence; for whenever any public celebration is to go on, it is surely our duty to understand the part, if any, which we are to take in it. The holy Mass is a public celebration even if no one but the priest and ourselves are to be seen in the place where it is offered, because the angels are always present. And it is wise to remember that, although they are not visible to mortal eyes, they can see us very well. Now, when we are present at holy Mass, our part is exactly the same as theirs to pray and be reverent. But what is reverence ? Reverence is the honor and respect which we feel for our superiors - for those who are older, wiser, or better than ourselves - shown in our outward behavior. I need not tell you that God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, is the first and greatest of all our superiors. His name is never to be mentioned lightly, or without necessity - and tke sacrifice of the Mass is offered to Him. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity is truly God, and in His human nature He is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour at "whose name every knee shall bow of them that are in heaven, of them that are in the earth, and of them that are under the earth." So you see the wicked spirits themselves are bound to show reverence to the very name of Our Lord - not from any good will, you may be sure, but because such is the command of God, which they are compelled to obey, for they are still "spirits of His that do His will." This Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, is the victim offered to the eternal Father in the holy sacrifice. St. John in his wonderful vision of heaven saw the throne of God, and "four and wenty ancients fell down before Him that sitteth on the throne and adored Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord Our God, to receive glory, and honor, and power; because Thou hast created all things; and for Thy will they were and have been created." St. John saw also in heaven: "A Lamb standing as it were slain" and "heard the voice of many angels round about the Throne;" and "The number of them was thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction." There is very much more - all of it wonderfully beautiful- and you will, I hope, read it and love it some day. But surely I have written enough to make you understand how the saints and angels show reverence in heaven.

The Bible was not delivered to us by God in a nice neat little book. It was written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost by various writers over centuries, culminating with the New Testament written in the years after Jesus Christ. After this the Church decided which books were and which were not truly inspired and compiled the former into the Bible, producing the Vulgate. And here is a history of the Vulgate Gospels.

Father Butler is well known for his Lives of the Saints. In reading those one finds many spiritual admonitions. He has written this work to bring forth his spiritual insight for the good of Catholic faithful. He begins with a section of meditations beginning with salvation; our only affair. Then he gives excellent discources on the basics of the Christian life and virtues.

The author begins: "THE following pages were not written with a view to publication, but rather for the convenience of privately distributing a few copies amongst those friends whom I hope to convince that I have taken some pains to form my opinions; and for the purpose of showing that I have not acted on them hastily, nor until I had exhausted every means in my power to satisfy myself that the Church of England as by law established is the 'one Catholic and Apostolic Church;' I cannot but hope, that if on the perusal of this short account it shall appear that I have given as much time and careful attention to the consideration of religious doctrine, both Protestant and Catholic, as they have to that, which they profess, they will be the less inclined to blame a step which separates me in religious faith from all those I hold most dear, and that they will find some excuse for its long delay, consequent on endeavours to remain in the Church to which they belong. Everyone educated as a Protestant ought to feel that it is his first duty, after he comes to years of discretion, to satisfy himself which is the true Church;' and no one can deny that, when once convinced he has found it, he is bound to, receive faithfully and obediently what it delivers: ' if that duty be neglected upon what ground can he hope to find comfort in the hour of need in a Church which, in that case at least, he owns only because he was born in it? That duty, no doubt, involves much distress and difficulty; but having discharged it to the best of my ability, I must say, that (if I except the pain which I naturally must suffer on account of the separation in religious faith from my wife and my only remaining child), the step which that duty obliged me to take has given me such peace and rest, I never before at any period of my life thought it was possible to find." He then makes the following challenge: "LET no Protestant who may read these pages denounce the inference to which they will lead, unless he caD say, in all sincerity and truth, that he has, in a generous spirit, fully, fairly, and repeatedly studied the principles, doctrines, and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church, and, also, those of the Church of England and Ireland as by Law established; nor unless he can, ex animo, declare that he has made such an examination WITHOUT A FOREGONE CONCLUSION In his mind, calculated to bias his judgment." He then makes the following important statement: "On the Catholic the same condition cannot properly be imposed; for a Catholic, studying any controversial matter, must, from the very nature of his case, do so with the invincible conviction in his mind, that his Church, and his alone, is the only true one, and, therefore, the only one which in essentials cannot err. Indeed, to ask the Catholic to inquire into and to judge between the Established Church and his own, without the full conviction in his mind that his own is the only true Church, is an insult to him, which he might justly resent. For to suppose a Catholic capable of surrendering such a previous conclusion, is to assume that he must be dishonest in his profession, if not of the whole, at least some part of his creed and worship; inasmuch as it is self-evident that on such a subject a reasonable being, honestly believing that which is in its nature incomprehensible, although he may be brought to believe more, can never of the same thing believe less: in other words, the man who believes that which is contained in either of the three Creeds, which is in its nature incomprehensible, except by faith, can never afterwards justify his disbelief of a portion thereof, on the ground that his reason cannot comprehend it." He then details his long resistance to becoming a Catholic and his conversion.

The prayers from the Mass have been added before the various explanations The Ordinary of the Mass, (or, as it is called in the Roman Missal, Ordo Missae, ) is the summary of the rubrics and prayers, which are used in the celebration of Mass, and which are observed, without any variation, on all the Feasts celebrated by the Church. We shall never have anything like a full idea of the ceremonies of the Mass, unless we keep referring to what is called a High Mass, (Missa Solemnis), and which is the type of all others. Thus, one would ask, why does the Priest say the Epistle at one side of the Altar, and the Gospel at the other? Why not read both from the middle? This has no connection with the Holy Sacrifice itself; it is merely an imitation of what is done in a High Mass, in which the Deacon has to sing the Gospel on the left, and the Subdeacon the Epistle on the right, as we shall explain further on. The Priest who celebrates a Mass without Deacon and Subdeacon, has to take their functions in this instance; and, accordingly, varies his position. We shall continually have to seek in the ceremonies of a High Mass, for the meaning of those of a Low Mass. The Sacrifice of the Mass is the Sacrifice of the Cross itself; and in it we must see our Lord nailed to the Cross; and offering up his Blood for our sins, to his Eternal Father. And yet we must not expect to find, in the several portions of the Mass, all the detailed circumstances of the Passion, as some authors have pretended to do, when giving us methods for assisting at it. The Priest leaves the Sacristy, and goes to the Altar, there to offer up the holy Sacrifice. He is, as the rubric expresses it, paratus, that is, he is clad in the sacred vestments, which are appointed for the celebration of the Sacrifice. Having reached the Altar, he makes the due reverence before it; that is to say, if the Blessed Sacrament be there, he makes a genuflexion; otherwise, he merely makes a profound inclination. This is the meaning of the rubrics saying: debita reverentia. Originally published in 1885, reedited in 2017 with the addition of the prayers of the Mass

These, be it said, are essentially popular lectures. Consequently, the more recondite aspects of the profound subject, set forth with such lucidity, are but slightly touched on. Moreover, the lectures, when delivered, were limited to time, and therefore make no claim to be exhaustive. Nor, as the speaker's object was exposition and not controversy, does he directly and formally attempt to confute the usual host of Protestant objections; though, to a thoughtful mind, the exposition itself will easily suggest satisfactory answers. The appearance of these lectures in book form will, I hope, prove acceptable to the public at large. Those especially who listened to them at the time of their delivery-whether in the North or in the South, for they have been often repeated-and who can remember the interest they excited, and the favour with which they were received, will doubtless be glad to have them in this permanent form, and will find the private perusal of only less utility than was the public hearing of them. Our Holy Father has insisted much of late on the obvious, but too much neglected, duty of Christians to make better acquaintance with the essential dogmas of the Faith. A little volume like the present makes it possible for the busiest and least instructed to gain clear ideas concerning this vital mystery of religion--the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Nor will the professed student find that the lecturer has failed to provide him-without, at the same time, mystifying readers of the more popular type-with ample matter for reflection. Thus to crystallize into popular form Catholic doctrine - philosophy, dogma, and theology- concerning the Holy Eucharist, in these days when this mystery of religion is, alike by the erudite and by the man in the street, so largely misunderstood and so widely misrepresented, is certainly a boon. These lectures, unmarred by a single unkind word about opponents, march uncompromisingly in logical sequence from prophecy to fulfilment, from promise to performance, from doctrine to dogma, from dogma to devotion. For from the mists of ancient prophecy they manuduct us into the full light of Christian fulfilment; from the red altar-stone of typical Jewish sacrifice they lead us to the foot of the bloodless altar of the Immolated God, to that Emmanuel in Whom the types of old find their verification.

IT would be a mistake, to infer from the Title given to this volume that everything which has been applied in it to the Blessed Virgill is held to be actually contained in the Apostolic writings. On the contrary I am well aware that some of the applications, whether of texts from the Epistles or from saints and theologians, have been made rather by way of pious accommodation or illustration. But after making all llecessary deductions, I hold that enough remains fully to sustain my thesis as explained in the Introductory Chapters, viz., that there is a considerable amount of teaching on our Lady implicitly contained in the Canonical Epistles; and I show by the quotations adduced that this view is borne out by the Fathers and ecclesiastical writers. If I cite at times passages which some may deem irrelevant, or of purely accommodated application, I do so for the purpose of showing that my method is not novel, but was familiar to saints and theologians, and is entirely consonant with the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church; even though the whole ground that I occupy has not perhaps been before entered upon ex professo. The aim, of my work is positive, rather than controversial: its treatment devotional, rather than scientific; being set forth in what might be called, Devout Comments. At the end of the volume will be found an alphabetical list of the Authors cited, and their date, with a reference to the page in which the several quotations appear; and also an analytical Index of the principal subjects, together with the places where they are treated.

THE following translation has been made from the edition of the Works of St. Francis published at Cologne in the year 1848. As the work is intended to be a practical and devotional one, no critical notes have been introduced, nor references to the authors from whom Wadding made his collection. In these pages there will be found neither deep learning nor sublime eloquence, but only the expression of the exquisite simplicity, humility, and charity which filled the heart of the Seraphic Patriarch and above all, his ardent love for that Poverty which he looked upon as the queen of virtues, because in the perfect renunciation of self, and detachment from the things of this world, he saw the surest means for the soul to attain to the possession of the Supreme Good and the eternal riches of the heavenly kingdom. And yet under these simple words are concealed treasures of profound wisdom; for although, as St. Bonaventure says, 'St. Francis possessed not the knowledge acquired by study, nevertheless, being illuminated by the rays of the Divine light, he penetrated with marvelous clearness the hidden mysteries of Holy Scripture; for where the learning of the doctor stands without, the affection of the loving soul finds entrance: And being thus illuminated and transformed into the image of his Divine Master, the Saint taught to others, both by word and example, the knowledge and love of Christ .Crucified, which is indeed foolishness to the world, but ever has been, and ever will be to those who believe and love, 'the power of God and the wisdom of God.' Saint Francis Writes: "Oh, how blessed and happy are they who love God, and who act as Our Lord commands in the Gospel: 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and thy neighbour as thyself.' Let us therefore love God, and adore Him with a pure heart and mind, for this is what He seeks above all things when He says: 'The true adorers shall adore God the Father in spirit and in truth.' All who adore Him ought to adore Him in spirit and truth. Farewell in the Lord."

I THINK I owe the public a word of explanation as to how this book has seen the light. During the war, and more frequently after the armistice, I was asked would I write a narrative of my war experiences. I had taken many notes of events as they had occurred, and my memory was full of incidents in which I was concerned. Much as I would have wished to write such a story, from some points of view, if only to vindicate my country against its detractors, the libels circulated by its enemies, yet I felt, more and more inevitably as the weeks rolled by, that I would never have time to write this book. I then thought of my correspondence with the German authorities right through the war. Here are my war experiences in their most tense and vivid reality; all the issues I fought with the occupying power, their methods and mine clearly defined, undeniably fixed in black and white. So I asked a friend of mine, Professor Mayence, of Louvain University, to take my notes and material, and to edit my correspondence with short explanatory remarks about the letters and the events they referred or led up to. I also gave him some personal reminiscences for this purpose, and with him revised the whole book. I could not let his work go to press without publicly thanking him for having helped me as he has done.

Here is another one of Monsignor Benson's fictional stories about a Catholic priest.