Bøger af Brother Hermenegild Tosf

It is difficult to find a book on the seven deadly sins, so we are happy to bring this one back into print for the edification of Christians. THERE are certain vices in our fallen nature which betray us into so much badness, and are such fruitful causes of sin for us, that they may be called sources of our sins. Just as the little spring deep down in the ground, sending up the gallons and gallons of water which fill the well, -just as that little spring is the source of the well, so these vices buried deep down in human nature, are sources of many sins. The chief of these vices, "the chief sources of sin, are seven: Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy and Sloth; and they are commonly called capital sins" (Baltimore Catechism), much as the source of a man's income is called his capital, or the source and centre of a nation's life and government its capital city. "Capital" has reference to the head, the beginning, the fountain of anything; and thus these seven are capital sins, not that they are always worse than other sins, nor even that they are always mortal sins, but because they are the chief sources and fountains deep down in human nature from which spring up a vast multitude of human iniquities.

The Council of the Vatican, and the Events of the Time-this is the Title, and shall constitute the Preface to this Volume. It sufficiently signifies that the book treats of the proceedings of the most august of assemblages-of the definition- of revealed .truths of Faith-charter deeds to ennobling privileges and everlasting inheritances; and that it treats of the Events of the Time- Events so accumulated and so momentous, that they seem a condensation of the story of age-of the gigantic war-of the invasion of Rome the sufferings of the Church -the vicissitudes of Empires-of secular, social, dynastic convulsions which shall ever be recorded as the most memorable in the world's history. I feel assured no other preface, no matter how elaborate, could obtain for the book a more favourable introduction, or more securely arrest the interest of 200,000,000 of the inhabitants of the globe.

This is a photographic reprint of the original to preserve accuracy. IN More's dedicatory letter to Thomas Ruthal of his. translation into Latin of three of Lucian's dialogues, he complained that writers of the lives of saints some-- times indulge in falsehoods: "They have scarcely left a life of martyr or of virgin without foisting into it something untrue-piously, no doubt! for of course there was a danger lest truth, left to itself, should not be able to stand upright; so that it was necessary to prop it up with lies! I may say that my first anxiety in composing this Life of the illustrious writer, chancellor and martyr, has. been not to merit this reproach; to state nothing that I did not believe, and to accept nothing for which I had not historical evidence. My first care was to collate the biographies of More already in existence. In giving some account of the principal of these, I shall be able at the same time to state the sources from which a correct and complete life of More can be drawn. My own conclusion was, that such a Life still remained to be written; and I have made a serious attempt to supply the want. My readers and critics must judge how far I have succeeded. ERASMUS. In the letters of Erasmus there are descriptions of More so minute and full, though written during his lifetime, that Erasmus may almost be called his first biographer. There is also a large correspondence between the two friends. This source had already been well used by Stapleton; but I have taken nothing at second-hand. It will be seen that the writings of Erasmus have supplied me with some of my best materials. ROPER. More's son-in-law, William Roper, resided with him for sixteen years. In the time of Queen Mary he wrote down his reminiscences, as well as details learnt from his wife, Margaret More. These reminiscences were not intended as a complete Life. They were notes supplied to Dr. Nicholas Harpsfield. Archdeacon of Canterbury, by whom they were worked up into a Life to be mentioned immediately. Roper, writing from memory twenty years after the death of More, makes a few mistakes in dates, but his narrati"e bears intrinsic evidence of the simple uprightness of the narrator and of his substantial accuracy, which is confirmed by historical documents. This Life, or rather these notes, were in circulation in MS. and were used by compilers of lives long before they were printed. They were first printed in Paris in 1626; then by Hearne in 1716; and by Lewis in 1729, 1731, 1765, who added a valuable appendix of documents. The best edition is that of Singer in 1817, of which only 150 copies were printed. Roper's Life of More is also annexed to Mr. Lumley's edition of the Utopia.

EVEN those who are possessed of a mere superficial acquaintance with Sacramental Theology will have noticed what pains our Catholic Theologians have taken to provide an answer to the question 'How did Christ institute the Sacraments?' They cannot, moreover, have failed to notice that the writers have sought for a solution along two different lines. Some prefer to regard the matter from an a priori standpoint and deduce, what is ' from' what ought to be.' Others, questioning the premises, prefer to examine facts before they theorise. The conclusions of the two schools are, as might be suspected, as divergent as their methods. Convinced that the historico-theological attitude is correct, the writer of the present essay turned his attention to the Sacrament of Confirmation to see if he could derive any light from its history: the essay is a presentation of the results of his investigations. He finds that in apostolic times, and for centuries afterwards, the rite of Confirmation consisted of an imposition of hands with prayer. The lineal descendant of this rite is, he maintains, consignation with chrism together with the indicative form. He cannot sympathize much with those who see an imposition in the very act of unction: he thinks that the theory is a deus ex machina solution of a difficulty which rests on false assumptions. The antiquity to which it lays claim does not lessen its improbability. It was begotten of difficulties, as it thrives in them. The history of this sacramental rite is of exceptional interest; and the writer has found it none the less interesting because it has forced him, against his wishes almost, to the conclusion that Christ determined the matter and form of the Sacrament merely in a generic fashion, and left to his Church the power to make specific changes in the sacred rite.

In the fourth and fifth centuries of our era Egypt had come to be regarded with great reverence throughout Christendom as a Holy Land of piety. Pilgrims came from all parts to visit the saints who lived there, and several wrote descriptions of what they saw and heard, which are among the most interesting documents of the early Church. Palestine was so near that it was usually included in their tour; the glamour of its sacred sites, which remains with us still when that of Egypt has faded into oblivion, was already potent. But Palestine was clearly second to Egypt in the affections of the pilgrims. The prevailing sentiment was expressed by Chrysostom with admirable clearness (Hom., in Matt. viii.). It was eminently appropriate, he explains, that the child Jesus should be taken to Egypt to escape Herod. Palestine persecutes Him, Egypt receives Him. This typifies the position Egypt was to occupy in the development of the Church. The land which had oppressed the children of Israel, had known a Pharaoh, had worshipped cats, was destined to be more fervent than any other, to have its towns and even its deserts peopled by armies of saints living the life of angels, and to boast the greatest, after the apostles, of all saints, the famous Antony. Palladius, the author of our book, who was destined to be Chrysostom's devoted adherent, made a pilgrimage to this holy land, like so many others, and stayed there many years. The following is an outline of his life, with the dates as established by Butler. He was born in Galatia in 363 or 364, and dedicated himself to the monastic life in 386 or a little later. In 388 he went to Alexandria; as Paul went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, James, and John, so, he says in the Prologue, did he go to Egypt to see the saints for himself. About 390 he passed on to Nitria, and a year later to a district in the desert known as Cellia from the multitude of its cells, where he spent nine years, first with Macarius and then with Evagrius. At the end of the time, his health having broken down, he went to Palestine in search of a cooler climate. In 400 he was consecrated bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia, and soon became involved in the controversies which centred round St. John Chrysostom. The year 405 found him in Rome, whither he had gone to plead the cause of Chrysostom, his fidelity to whom resulted in his exile in the following year to Syene and the Thebaid, where he gained first-hand knowledge of another part of Egypt. In 412-413 he was restored, after a sojourn among the monks of the Mount of Olives. His grea.t work was written in 4I9-420 and was called the Lausiac History, being composed for Lausus, chamberlain at the court of Theodosius II. Palladius was also in all probability the author of the Dialogue on the Life of Chrysostom. He died some time in the decade 420-430.

Although one might think that this book is only for nuns and sisters, that is women religious, but it is not. Many lay people find much useful advice in this holy work. It should be noted that this is only the first sixteen chapters of the work. In the Preface we read: "For, as St. Denis the Areogapite says, 'Divine love consists in the affections of the heart more than in the knowledge of the understanding.' In human sciences, knowledge excites love; but in the science of the saints, love produces knowledge. He that loves God most knows Him best. Besides, it is not lofty and fruitless conceptions, but works, that unite the soul to God, and make it rich in merits before the Lord." Saint Alphonsus says: "The principal means of acquiring an ardent love of Christ are mental prayer, Communion, mortification, retirement. Although each of these means is fully discussed in another part of this work, still a brief notice of them in this place will not be irrelevant. "The first means to love Jesus Christ is mental prayer. Mental prayer is that blessed furnace in which the soul is inflamed with divine love. 'And', says holy David, 'in my meditation a fire shall flame out. In temptations against purity, the immediate invocation of the divine aid is absolutely necessary. The Venerable Sister Cecilia Gastelli used to say, that without prayer, chastity cannot be preserved. 'As I knew', says Solomon, 'that I otherwise could not be continent, except God gave it, I went to the Lord and besought Him with my whole heart.'" And let us consider that living in the world requires continence and restraint, "The second means is the holy Communion. This, says St. Bonaventure, is the cellar of wine into which the King of heaven brings his spouses" to set in order charity" in their hearts, teaching them to love God above all things, and their neighbors as themselves. "The third means is mortification. As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the lily blooms among the thorns, so virginity is preserved only in the midst of mortification. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say that" chastity flourishes only among thorns." ..." "The fourth means is retirement. 'Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove's.' The spouse in the canticle is compared to the turtle, because the turtle avoids the company of other birds, and delights in solitude. ..." Saint Alphonsus relates the following story: "St. Francis of Assisi once said to his companion, that he was going out to preach. After walking through the town, with his eyes fixed on the ground, he returned to the convent. His companion asked him when he would preach the sermon. We have, replied the saint, by the modesty of our looks, given an excellent instruction to all who saw us." Do our lives preach a sermon or do they scandalize people and lead them into sin? This is why we need to study pious books, so that our life is a living sermon. This is true Catholic Action!

THE Doctors and Fathers of the Church agree in recognizing that the august mystery of the Blessed Trinity is not found explicitly revealed in any of the pages of the Old Testament. This mystery is the supreme manifestation of God's most intimate life. To it, the entire Christian revelation converges, and the Divine Master seems to have reserved to Himself the privilege of teaching it to men in person, when He dwel amongst them. With good reason, however, could St. Augustine say that "the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, if read with a true Christian spirit, testify that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are one only God in the unity of essence and substance." In fact, from the earliest dawn of man's existence, the Divine Goodness has deigned to manifest something of the splendor of this supreme and adorable mystery. On casting a glance over the majestic pages of Genesis, it seems impossible to resist the impression that, beneath a fonn of elocution strange to us, but easy and altogether sublime, there is hidden something mysterious pertaining to the essence and personality of that God, who reveals Himself to our astonished sense in the pronouncing of a word, which, resounding through the fathomless abysses of nothingness, calls forth into existence the heavens and the earth, and the whole creation, of which they form part. By the side of- this sovereign God who utters a word so mysterious, so all-potent, there also appears the Spirit of God, moving over the chaos of the waters, and manifesting Himself in the production therein of that magnificence of endless varietyand all-pervading harmony in the immeasurable vastness of a Universe, which is still but a pale reflection of God's infinite power, wisdom and love. The Fathers and Doctors of the Church are also of one mind in seeing in the passage here referred to, and in others of the Old Testament, an intimation, an implicit revelation of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, which the Savior deigned to reveal to us with such precision in the Gospel. Purposely, we refrain from a critical study of these passages, as it would lead us too far, and, besides, we would be only redoing the work so well done by Dr. McGloin.

The reading public, especially in Ireland, will readily admit that the world has grown very lonesome since Canon Sheehan died. The newspaper announcement, "A new work by Canon Sheehan," always filled us with pleasant anticipations. Those pages of polished, elevated thought and racy humor; those pictures of national life where as a critic beautifully remarks, he showed the power "of twisting the charm of Irish character out of his paragraphs like the odor of thyme when it is rolled between the fingers": these, so far from satisfying, but whetted our appetites for more. Hence we have good reason to thank his executor for giving us an opportunity of once more enjoying the society of a man who charmed while he raised us up. With the novelist, the essayist, and the poet, we are already acquainted; in this volume we meet him in a character entirely new: Canon Sheehan the preacher. The modest pastor of Doneraile would be the last to claim the title: "orator." Yet his readers must have observed how often the pent-up tide of genuine eloquence burst forth and overflowed his pages. Instances of this may be seen in "The Intellectuals," page 359, where he makes a whole-hearted defense of the Gaelic revival and a withering onslaught on the curses of anglicization, in the sublime apostrophe of Geoffrey Austin in "The Triumph of Failure," page 333, and the immortal sermon he puts into the mouth of Doctor Grey. The same loosened tide frequently breaks through the surface in the pages now before the reader. The public need not be told that his leading feature was his priestly character and cast of mind; as a priest alone he speaks here, hence the unaffected outpouring of his inmost heart. He never strains after effect or turns aside to pursue a flight of imagery or a musical cadence; from first to last his sole concern is to send home the sacred truth with which he is charged. From his manuscripts it is evident he carefully wrote his sermons from the very first, and the minute exactness and care so characteristic of the man are evident in every page. It was a happy accident that sent him for the first years on the English mission. The presence of Protestants, converts and critics amongst his audience made him cautious and laborious, and helped to bring out all that was best in him. Yet his early efforts, while smooth and graceful, are timid, and want that courage that comes with conscious mastery of the subject. The keen analysis of the human heart, the wealth of knowledge, the fecundity of ideas, and, more remarkable still, the richness of imagination, lingered tardily in their early growth, but finally came with a rush as he approached middle life. Hence in making selections for publication many of his earlier sermons are omitted. While this book is going through the press it has been discovered that many more of his sermons are scattered through the Homiletic Monthly; steps -will be taken to include the best of these in the second volume. In presenting this collection of Canon Sheehan's sermons to his numerous admirers a debt of gratitude and a labor of love is discharged by his devoted friend-the Editor.

What causes a person to become a Catholic? In this series of letters we shall find the thinking of just such a convert. THERE has recently come into my possession a series of letters written by a lady about the time of her conversion to, and admission into, the Church of Rome. As usually follows such a step, friends and acquaintances inundated her with letters, some few congratulatory, but the bulk urging objections, complaining of her action, or pleading for enlightenment on her views and the causes which had led her to embrace the Catholic faith. She bestowed on her replies the utmost care and thought, and, being aware of this correspondence, I begged my friend to retain copies of her letters, if only to serve as an interesting record of her early impressions of the Church. This she agreed to do, and later, with some reluctance, gave me permission for the publication of such of her correspondence as I should judge might be most useful to non-Catholics, imposing but one condition, and that, that her personality should remain unknown. In compliance with this request, while keeping intact the main body of the letters, I have substituted imaginary names for the real ones, and in one or two instances have suppressed details which might lead to disclosure. The letters lay claim to little literary skill; they can only contribute most unworthily to the noble literature of the Church; but in so far as they are the outpouring of a newly-awakened soul and of a heart overflowing with joy and peace in the discovery of a long-desired haven, I trust they may be useful to some few seeking souls. This extract from a letter addressed to myself by the author of the correspondence forms the best introduction I can possibly offer to the letters.

This is a photographic reprint of the original, which insures faithfulness to the original. The Dark Night, though only a short treatise in comparison with the remaining works of St. John of the Cross, is perhaps from a practical point of view the most important of the whole senes. Instructions for beginners may be found in abundance; even the Night of the sense, as St. John informs us, has had numerous exponents; but in the Night of the spirit he breaks fresh ground. If it is one of God's ordinances that all spiritual life must be regulated by a director so that pitfalls may be avoided, a soul plunged into the Night of the spirit depends more than any other upon the intelligent guidance of an experienced director, partly on account of its natural reluctance to proceed along a path beset with so many difficulties, partly because the very fact of its being in darkness prevents it from seeing clearly with its own eyes. In the Ascent and the Dark Night St. John has traced the way with admirable lucidity and simplicity, but these books, especially the latter, are chiefly addressed to the director. I t is impossible to read them without gaining the conviction that his is the absolutely safe way; there may be others, less straight, less rugged, but neither so safe nor so direct. St. John, taking his position on the firm basis of the psychology and theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, and guiding himself by the light of Holy Scripture, pitilessly dissects the soul and its operations, separating not only what is dangerous or unsound, but everything that is not directly conducive to his ultimate aim, the union of the human will with the holy will of God. A work of this magnitude must be begun by God, and accomplished by Him. The beginning consists in the grace of vocation, the end in the Beatific Vision. Between these two there lies a vast distance which it takes a lifetime to cover, where the generous and intelligent co-operation of the soul is indispensable. This is partly active, and consists in the systematic denial of everything that could give satisfaction to body or soul, as explained in the Ascent; and partly passive (as shown in the Dark Night), where the soul assists God's operation by submitting to His chastising hand, like a patient under the knife of the surgeon. The number of souls called to the contemplative life in its widest sense is even nowadays greater than is commonly supposed. They are not confined to Religions Orders, but are to be found in every station of life, and in every country, for 'the spirit breatheth where it will.' Many proceed no farther than the initial stages; few persevere as far as the spiritual night; while those who attain to perfection are but exceptions. 'l\Iany praise and bless Jesus as long as they receive some consolation from Him, but if He hide Himself and leave them for a little while, they fall either into complaining or into excessive dejection.' This general falling off may be partly attributed to a want of understanding and guidance which St. John in the book before us undertakes to remedy. It may be useful for some readers of St. John's works to find here a short sketch of the experiences a soul generally makes on its journey through the realms of mysticism. Let us suppose that it has been unexpectedly struck by a ray of divine grace. It may never really have been estranged from God since the day of baptism, or it may have strayed; no essential difference would result therefrom, because motion is determined not so much by the direction whence it proceeds but whither it tends.

The Divine Office is not difficult to say if only there be put into the study of its various parts a little method and intelligent attention. This book has been written principally to help ecclesiastical students to learn in a practical ways and in a brief time, how to say tbeir Office correctly. It is hoped that those who carefully study its pages will find themselves thoroughly prepared on the day of their ordination to Subdeaconship, to take upon themselves the perpetual obligation of the Breviary. In the concluding chapters of this work-under the heading of PRACTICAL THEORY the subject of Titular and Dedication is treated at length. Under this heading an amount of theory ha. Been given which will be found useful not only on account of its direct bearing on the practical question under consideration, but also because by its a study the whole composition of the Ordo itself will be better understood. These chapters, it ia confidently believed, will be found helpful not only to student, but also to all priests attached to churches, who often experience lome difficulty in arranging the Office of the octave of their Titulars. Originally published in 1921, this describes the rubrics of the pre-1955 Breviary or the Breviary of Saint Pius X. It was a popular book among clergy studying for the priesthood and priests who use the older Breviary.

Jeanne Francoise Fremyot, known as Sainte Chantal, was not closely concerned with contemporary events. It is her personal development rather than her connection with any public affairs which has value and interest for a later generation. Her history is a supreme assertion of the supernatural element in ordinary life. She was a traveller who, starting on her journey with a clearly-marked and time-worn route before her, found herself checked by the Touch that is not human and turned to a way, very difficult and hard to find, that led to a destination which she had not desired. There are certain traditions regarding her which do more to stifle interest than to inspire it. To some she appears as the type of devotee who will sacrifice natural love and duty to a selfchosen avocation; to others she is merely the shadow and echo of Francois de Sales, one of the many saintly women presented in the literature of piety whose individuality is impossible to separate from that of the saints who gave them guidance and inspiration. Reference to actual fact is sufficient to confute either of these impressions, but there is another, less widespread but far more damaging, which demands cloeer consideration. The life that had an ordinary beginning in the surroundings of a provincial town and developed amid the deeper responsibilities of a wife and mother and the dignities of high position, progressed by gradual ascent to a plane that is above the range of normal experience. The place of Ste. Chantal is among the mystics, but she has suffered more than ordinarily from the vagueness of thought that characterises much which is said and written regarding mysticism. Again and again her name has been coupled with that of Mme. Guyon, and the fact that she never wrote for publication has left her memory defenceless before a suggestion that misrepresents her utterly. Mme. Guyon was exceptionally prolific as a writer, and her popularity among some of the Protestant sects in England has brought her work within reach of the ordinary reader; but whatever may be the view of the individual regarding her character and doctrine, there is no justification for confounding them with those of Jeanne de Chantal. The positions of these two women are in fact diametrically opposed, although to both the practice of prayer was the ruling object of existence. The one regarded herself as highly privileged, as exalted to a plane beyond the ken of ordinary humanity, and endowed with a capacity for union with the Divine Will which emancipated her from the laws by which human society is governed; the other ranked herself as the least in spiritual order among her associates, she had no glowing moments of achievement, and those deep experiences which marked her in the eyes of others as chosen by God to be tried and tested by the Divine Fire, increased her self-abasement. I do not heed the suffering my fear is that I am offending." That was her protest. As we follow Ste. Chantal to the end of her earthly pilgrimage, we shall find that the farther she penetrated into the mysteries of prayer the more habitual became her attitude of humble supplication and the wider the distance that divided her from the security of Mme. Guyon. There was nothing in the teaching that emanated from Annecy that could have alarmed even the timorous orthodoxy of Mme. de Main tenon, for the Foundress of the Visitation was as suspicious of exotic devotionalism as any of the critics of the Quietism of Saint-Cyr. "These wonderful things that are so exalted and so spiritual are as a rule of doubtful origin," she wrote, " and in particular, unless they are grounded on humility, you may be sure they are unreal," Experience is the only root from which can spring sound judgment on the things that concern the spiritual life, and only the experienced accord due reverence to the possibilities of that aspiration of the soul towards God which we call prayer.

The author writes: Do we not every day see efforts persistently made, and unjustly enforced, even at the certain risk of anarchy, to render to Caesar not only what belongs to Caesar, but also to concentrate in him all rights, human and Divine; to constitute him the sole guardian, depositary, and dispenser of what belongs to God; and this, ill defiance of all the principles of true liberty, despite solemn treaties, and in violation of all guaranteed rights of conscience? Does not this all-absorbing power of the State, resting solely on brute force, by an unholy league Which embraces both hemispheres unjustly invade and trample under foot the sacred rights of parents, and force them to bring up their children, who were destined to fill up one day those seats vacated dy the fallen angels, in schools where the sacred name of God is utterly banished, and their tender minds indoctrinated in the soul-destroying principles of materialism. What is this but a persistent attempt at the revival of paganism, making might, or the law of the strongest, the solo standard of right, and the substitution of brute force for the abiding blessings of moral influences? " That is it but a rapid approach to that sad state of spiritual decay, of which our Redeemer Himself forewarns us, " Think you, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on earth? " (Luke xviii. 8.) As the Son of God came down from heaven not only to be our Redeemer, but our teacher; not only to ransom us with the effusion of His precious blood, but to enlighten us with these saving truths, the knowledge of which, joined to firm and unhesitating faith, He has made an indispensable condition of salvation, it must be ever a subject of the deepest spiritual interest to place these truths in as clear a light as possible, Whether the following Commentary may serve to advance this and the other ends referred to must be left to others to decide. This was written in 1876, and is even more true today!

Centuries before the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published in 1992, encouraged by the Council of Trent, a catechism was prepared called the Roman Catechism or the Catechism of the Council of Trent. It was prepared for use by Pastors to instruct their flocks in the Catholic Faith. Educated lay people should know their faith at this level, therefore this catechism is recommended for study by all Catholics. It is laid out in a far different manner than the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is laid out in a similar manner to Henry Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum, which is in translation at the Sources of Catholic Dogma.

presenting this volume to the public, it may be proper to state the cause to which it mainly owes an existence. For half a dozen, or more, of the earlier years of my life, I happened to live in a community that was almost exclusively non-Catholic. And as religion seemed to be a favorite topic for discussion, at all times, I had two ways open before me. One, to remain silent, whenever a question of the kind was introduced; the other, to defend, to the best of my ability, that system of belief with which I felt myself identified. I usually chose the latter; for it seemed to me the better course. But, while searching for suitable arms, with which to fight those intellectual, and indeed, almost invariably, friendly battles, I experienced some difficulty. I read works explanatory of the faith, and some that were controversial. Yet I was not entirely satisfied with either, for the authors seemed to have addressed themselves to theologians, rather than to such as myself. The consequence was that, after having pickeu and shoveled my way through not a few of such books, I felt weary of the subject; I was like DAVID in SAUL'S armor, incapable of quick action, and, indeed, scarcely able to move under such a weight of erudition. It then occured to me that, if I could secure some lighter and sharper weapons, it would be well I wished for a book that would interest, to such a degree that it could be read without a strain on the mind; one whose narrative and arguments would be strong, but not stilted; trenchant, but not murderous; witty, but not uncharitable. With this object in view, I began, in the year 1873, to publish, through the columns of the Catholic Advocate, the series of essays included in this volume. But as I advanced, I found my task not so easy as I had imagined. What to select, and what to leave behind, in moth-eaten tomes, was not always clear to my mind. The style of writing was also a sonree of anxiety. It occurred to me that some might find fault with the attempt .to clothe gray subjects in a light and airy dress. And, indeed, to do so, Hnd say nothing offensive to pious ears, was one of the main barrier: I had to surmount. But, with all this, through the encouragement of some friends, on whose judgment and literary taste I placed a high estimate, I persevered. And now, in January, 1883, ten years after the first was written, these essays are given into the hands of the publishers, to be put into book form, and sont forth into an areTla, where only what is fit can hayo the least hope to survive.

Although the Catholic Church in our democratic times tends to avoid excessive formalities in displaying its activities, such as it was wont to do in the Middle Ages, and also being inclined to simplify many legal acts, nevertheless, the modern Code of Canon Law, one of the best, prescribes the use of determined forms in order that the life of this divine institution may properly function. Thus, the Code demands that some acts must be written under pain of invalidity, e. g., the erection of each moral person, the formal excardination (c. 112), various acts in the judicial procedure, etc. Many other acts are merely required to be written, such as the provision of an ecclesiastical office (c. 159), the consecration and blessing of a particular place (c. 1158), dimissorial letters (c. 960), dispensations (c. c. 1046-1047), etc. The Code also establishes the necessary elements for the drawing up of valid and licit documents. Concerning the language in which the acts should be written, the Code sometimes requires the Latin language, e. g., for petitions to be sent to the Holy See, or for the sentences in judicial procedure, etc. Sometimes the vernacular language (English) is permitted, according to the local customs. Since priests of many diocesan Curias, parishes, and religious orders exercising their essential duties do not always have sufficient time to consult the Code of Canon Law, I give in this book a quick and ready reference to the more important forms and elements which must be included in those forms concerning each occasion of the Church's activity according to the requirements prescribed by the Code of Canon Law and the approved consuetudes in the United States. Hence, the title of this book: "A Practical Formulary in Accordance With the Code of Canon Law." This formulary is the first. of its kind in the United States. Therefore, I hope this book will be of great help to every secular priest and religious, the officials of Curias, pastors and curates, and all persons who are aware of legal acts concerning themselves. The book is divided into seven parts: The first part contains profession of faith and different oaths; the second part gives forms concerning the diocesan administration; the third part regards the parish and parish organizations; the fourth part concerns the administering of all the Sacraments; the fifth part contains the forms. for the use of religious orders and congregations; the sixth part regards the judicial and administrative procedure of processes; and the last part contains the ecclesiastical penalties. Before each form, brief notes explain the purpose, conditions, and possible changes to be made in the formula, and these notes prescribe the proper use of the form. In a case where the common law or the local custom of the United States or of the diocese permits the form to be given in two languages, English and Latin, it is given here thus. The form in English, sometimes the outline of it, is sent to the priest or to the Bishop, and the Latin form is usually the one to be filed in the archives of the Chancery or of the parish. Since the Code of Canon Law does not prescribe the Latin language in many cases, the English form is given here for almost every case. The Latin form, however, may present the reader with the important material needed to draw up his own form, adjusted to conform with the particular case.

Since Canon Law is part of the tradition of the Church the current law must be interpreted in light of the previous law of the Catholic Church. And thus this work will prove useful to those wishing to understanding the evolution of the law of the Church and to study its history. This Pocket Manual of Canon Law is a digest of the entire 1917 Code of Canon Law. It contains all that the average priest should know, more than our Sisterhoods need to know, and much that will interest the laity on the laws of the Church. On most subjects the points of the law are scattered through the Code. By gathering these points under their respective heads and arranging them in alphabetical order, with reference to canon, paragraph, and number in the Code, this manual aims to be a clear, intelligent counsellor in the ordinary affairs of Catholic life, and a ready index to the Code for questions that require a knowledge of the niceties of ecclesiastical law.

This book is a simple overview of Catholic Church History and thus a good book to have on hand, when a simple question arises on history. THE CATECHISM OF CHURCH HISTORY which is herewith presented to the public, will receive a cordial welcome from our Catholic teachers. The educational value of history is universally conceded, and no history has such lessons of wisdom and conduct to teach as that of the Church, which is the continuation of the life and work of Our Divine Lord. It is His permanent, visible presence in the world. It is the continuous verification of His words that the gates of hell shall not prevail. It is all-important, therefore, that the young be made acquainted with the leading facts of Church History, and a Catechism of Church History offers the simplest and most effective means of imparting to them this knowledge. The author of the present volume has had long experience as a pastor and teacher, and it is confidently believed that in publishing this work, he renders a genuine service to our schools.

For writing this book, King Henry VIII was named Defender of the Faith by Pope Leo X. When out of lust, Henry fell into schism from the Catholic Church he unjustly retained the title of defender of a faith he had now abandoned. In this book he defends the seven sacraments, now diluted by the Anglican Church he had started. He also defends the primacy of the Roman Pontiff, he who was soon to refuse to obey in a matter of morals in regard to the Sacrament of Matrimony.

The Course of Instructions contained in this Volume is based upon, or extracted from, the Catechism of the Holy Council of Trent, sometimes called the Roman Catechism.-A Work written by the authority of the same August Assembly, and sanctioned by Pius V, and many of his successors; and meant to be the guide of bishops, priests, and all invested with the Pastoral office, and the store-house whence they are to draw the material for instructing in their Religion the Christian people committed to their care. These Instructions follow the method and mind and spirit of that memorable Work; they are its close and faithful reproduction in a form suitable to be spoken and adapted to the average capacity of those attending Divine service. The form and expression belong to the Author; the substance belongs to the Catechism. The merit of these Instructions, therefore, must be considerable, as there is so little of the Author, and so much of the Catechism-the production of the greatest minds of the Queen of Councils, and which stands alone among all kindred works in ancient or modern times; whose superiority and supremacy is acknowledged even by those who do not employ it, but follow other approved treatises of similar scope. While thus universally celebrated, it is to be regretted that it is not so universally used. The origin and history of the Catechism is familiar to every ecclesiastic. The name of St. Charles Borrorneo can never be separated from its inception, progress and completion. The Council of Trent, anxious to apply remedies to the evils of that period, and to the same evils of all future times, was not content with condemning errors and teaching truths, but sought also to appoint a certain way and rule of instructing the Faithful in the Faith. The Holy Council had this in view from the first; and in its XVIII Session decreed that a book suitable for this purpose should be composed. St. Charles Borromeo, who had conceived the idea, was largely instrumental in bringing this about. As the Council adjourned before the work was finished, it commanded those charged with the task, that the Catechism when completed should be submitted to the Pope that it might be approved and published by His Authority. They labored at it for two years during the Council; on its dissolution they assembled for three years in Rome to prosecute the work. Its different parts were assigned severally to the most distinguished theologians. Before its approval by Pius V, it was subjected to the scrutiny of the most learned scholars and profound theologians appointed by the Pope. He approved it, not once, but many times, and commanded its use by all employed in the preaching of the Word or the instruction of the Faithful. It was also approved by Gregory XIII; St. Charles, in many Synods sanctioned it with his great authority and enforced its use. Since then it has been extolled by innumerable Councils and authorities.

"To us, Nazareth and its Holy House, exiled, wandering, angel-borne, Syrian, Dalmatian, Italian, all by turns, are consecrated places, doubly consecrated by their old memories, and also by their strange continued life of local graces, and the efficacious balm of a Divine Presence, awful and undecayed." Father Frederick Faber. On the Feast of the Visitation, July 2, 1884, I set eyes for the first time on Loreto and its Holy House. I had been ordained priest a few months before, and was on my way home. Loreto drcw Ine to itself, as it has drawn so many, as it drew the illustrious Newman under circumstances similar to nly own, in the late forties of the same century. I believed in the miraculous translation of the Holy Honse with the faith of a little child. Had I been asked to give a reason for my faith, I fancy I should have given the same that John Cardinal Newman does: "Everybody in Rome believes it," and the whole Catholic world has believed it for hundreds of years. On the first appearance of Canon Chevalier's Notre Dame de Lorette, I procured a copy of it. The upholders of the old tradition had been threatened with the book at least two years before its publication. A somewhat cursory reading of the first part, where the learned Canon sets himself to show that the House of the Virgin had ceased to exist in Nazareth centuries before the traditional date of its translation thence, aroused in my mind serious misgivings as to whether the tradition in question was any longer tenable. Yet I clung to it, mainly bee a use I could not see how the God of truth would work so many and so great miracles at the shrine of Loreto if the devotion tha t gave occasion to them were rooted in error or fraud. A second and more careful reading convinced me that my misgivings were without foundation, and led. to the writing of the critical review of Canon Chevalier's work that is published in these pages.

This work contains: The Authentic Works The Rule of the Friars Minor, 1210-1221 The Rule of the Friars Minor, 1223 The Testament Fragments of the Rule of St Clare Admonitions A Letter to all the Faithful A Letter to the Chapter-General and all the Friars A Letter to a Minister A Letter to the Rulers of the People A Letter to Clerks on the Body of the Lord A Letter to all the Guardians, I and II A Letter to Brother Leo On the Religious dwelling in Hermitages The Sheet to Brother Leo Prayer, "GOD Almighty" Explanation of the Pater noster (Our Father) Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Salutation of the Virtues A Prayer to obtain Love The Office of the Passion The Doubtful Writings The Rule of the Order of Penitents Letters to Brother Elias I and II Letter to Jacqueline of Sette soli Letter to St Antony The Canticle of the Sun The Canticle of the Furnace The Canticle of Love A Prayer in Time of Sickness The Testament written in April, 1226 The Appendix The Rule of the Poor Ladies A Praeer for Poverty The Chapter on Perfect Joy Fragments from Jacques de Vitry

Volume 1 contains Roman, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians and Galatians Volume 2 contains Ephescians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, Pastorals and Hebrews IT is, perhaps, needless to observe that the Epistles of St. Paul, chiefly on account of their lofty teaching and the unique literary style of their great author, are exceedingly difficult to understand. This has been recognized from the beginning, and was admitted by St. Peter during the Apostle's own life-time.1 In fact, it is not going too far to say that merely to read the Epistles, without some previous training or accompanying helps, would inevitably prove fruitless, for the most part. Properly, therefore, to understand St. Paul and his writings, it is necessary, in the first place, to know something about the Apostle's history, his training, education and labors, as well as the reasons that moved him to write, and the people to whom his letters were directed. And this done, if we would attain to anything like a thorough grasp of the wealth and sublimity of doctrine which the Epistles contain, it will be further required that we diligently study each letter as a whole and in its parts, subjecting every section and verse to careful analysis and proper scrutiny, With these thoughts in view, it has been the endeavor, in the present work, to give to priests and students, in the light of the latest and best scholarship, a thorough understanding of the meaning and teaching of the Epistles. The study, therefore, has first been preceded by a General Introduction, embracing all the main features of the Apostle's life and writings, and this has been followed and supplemented by a Particular Introduction to each Epistle, which is calculated to give the setting and lay bare the general outline and contents of each. The Commentary proper is based throughout on the reading of the best Greek manuscripts, as reflected chiefly by Westcott and Hort; and hence, whenever our ordinary English version or the Clementine Vulgate has been found to be out of harmony with the critical Greek text in a matter of any real importance, this has been indicated, and the correct translation has been given. If, in some instances, a reading has been preferred, which has not the support of the best: MSS., the reason is that the context and other critical arguments have seemed rather to favor the reading adopted. All criticism of the text which has been deemed necessary, has, furthermore, been made to accompany each verse, rather than put in the Introduction, simply because this has appeared to be more convenient and practical for the student. Every Chapter of the text has been separated into its natural divisions, preceded by an appropriate heading. A summary of the section then follows, before the examination and exposition of the single verses. Great care has been taken everywhere to trace and indicate the connection of thought and doctrine between verses, sections and chapters. It has been the aim throughout to give all that may be needed to satisfy the ordinary requirements of the classroom, without bewildering or confusing the student, on the one hand, or wishing to restrict desirable elaborations by the professor, on the other hand. Let us hope the work may be found adequate, at least in part, to the end anct purpose for which it has been undertaken.

A flood of worldly thoughts, worldly ideas and estimates invade the mind nowadays on the wings of the ephemeral print which is so insistently circulated by powerful agencies everywhere. We must read, and so much of the reading matter that is forced upon our attention, teaches insidiously the low values and sordid outlook of the worldling, forever intent on the things of time and quite forgetful of the great issues of eternity. To protect ourselves fronl the contagion of this pervading worldliness, we should, in justice to our own soul, turn deliberately aside now and then to dwell upon the values everlasting. As men of old used, when passing through contagious plague spots, to hold to their nostrils a sweet smelling flower, to guard themselves from the infection, so we should hold to the nostrils of our soul the sweet flower of some heavenly thoughts, to guard against the poisonous exhalations of the world. The papers in the present volume are meant to aid us in lifting up our thoughts toward the eternal things. They are brief and various, so as to interest and occupy a leisure hour. The writer sends them forth with a prayer for all who may read, and he asks in turn from those who may read these lines a prayer for the writer thereof.

Henry Edward Cardinal Manning wrote this in 1877 after the Catholic Church had been despoiled of all of her possessions and the Pope had become the prisoner of the Vatican. The need for the Pope to be free not only spiritually, but also politically is laid out very well by Cardinal Manning. In fact, this independence is essential to world peace. Cardinal Manning says: "All Christians believe that when our Lord sent out His Apostles, He gave to them a supreme spiritual power to govern the Church. Catholics further believe that He had already given that power in its fulness to Peter, their head and chief, the foundation of His Church; and, after He ascended into Heaven, His Vicar upon earth. We believe also that this Divine power exists in the world at this moment. It exists in the office of Peter, perpetuated in the person of his successor." "My purpose then will be to make clear the four following points: First, What is the sovereignty or independence, or temporal power, if men like so to call it, with which God in His Providence has invested the Head of His Church upon earth. Secondly, What is the violation of that independence and sovereignty by the acts of violence which have been perpetrated in the last seven years. Thirdly, What have been and what must be the consequences of that violation. And, lastly, What is, therefore, the duty of every Catholic throughout the world. And I will go further: I will say, What is the duty of every Christian who believes that the Word of God is supreme over all human law, and that the authority of the Christian Church on earth is independent of all civil government. And in this I shall appeal to the multitudes of upright Christian hearts in these three kingdoms, who, though they be separated from us by, I am sorry to say, many points of faith, by more, I fear, than points, by many wide distances, which I would fain see closed up, nevertheless do openly, manfully, and justly defend the liberty of the truth and of the Church of God in the sense in which they understand it. This sovereignty I cannot better explain than in these two sentences-It is the dependence of the Head of the Church upon God alone; and his consequent independence of any human authority. These two sentences include the whole subject. Now, we often hear it said, and I have heard it said within these last days, that "in the beginning the Head of the Church, or the Bishop of Rome, as men call him, had no temporal power. Why should he have now what he had not then?" Secondly, they say "He was subject to the Roman Emperors then; why can he not be subject to any civil power now?" Thirdly, they ask, "If it had been the will of God to give him a sovereignty of his own He would have done so; but, if He did, as you affirm, then He has taken it away." Now, these are three common objections. There is a fourth, indeed, which I may mention in passing only to dismiss it. They say, "If the temporal power be essential to the spiritual, how was it that for so many centuries the Popes exercised their spiritual power without it?"

Archbishop Patrick John Ryan writes: "THE Rev. A. J. Schulte, Professor of Sacred Liturgy in the Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, Overbrook, is about to publish several works on the Rites and Ceremonies of some of the principal Functions of the Roman Pontifical and Roman Ritual. From what we have read of this addition to our liturgical literature, we feel safe in recommending it to the clergy of the Archdiocese. Father Schulte has made this department of sacred science a special study for several years and has been eminently successful in conveying to others his knowledge of its details. An extensive, exhaustive, and practical treatise is the natural outcome of such applied qualifications on the part of the gifted and industrious author. Hence our recommendation." Father Schulte also wrote Consecranda; Rites Observes at the Consecrations of Churches, Altars, Altar Stones, Chalices and Patens

WE know with what enthusiasm children read and ponder over the lives of those whose characters and deeds have won their admiration. They have even a way of identifying themselves with the personalities of their heroes, and of repeating in imagination their achievements; nor is it so unfrequent for this early cultivation of ideals to exercise a determining influence on the shaping of their after-lives. It is thus, in fact, that in no small measure the great men and women of a nation are fashioned to their future calling. Very similar, in the spiritual sphere, is the influence exercised on young people religiously brought up by the Lives of the Saints. Catholic children are particularly fond of this kind of reading. They realize vividly that the Saints arc now reigning in heaven, and can watch over them and guide them; just as, according to the Psalmist, do their guardian angels. Hence they make them their mental companions, put trust in their intercessions, seek to assimilate their special spirit, cherish their favourite maxims, and strive in their humbler way to imitate some of their actions. Children are not all alike, and, save for a few chosen souls, their imitation necessarily falls far short of the pattern set. Still the practice is at all times elevating and sustaining, and is a powerful instrument for their spiritual education. The Life which stands at the head of the projected list, and occupies these pages, is one that lends itself well to this mode of treatment. For it is the Life of the Soldier-Saint who, through meditation on the life of his Divine Master, was led to exchange an earthly for a heavenly warfare, and became, in Newman's words, the "St. George of modern history" of the Father of a long line of spiritual pusterity, whose zeal in the Church's service is acknowledged, and whose methods and motives, though often misunderstood, are conformed to the pattern of their Founder.

This work compares the rites of many sects in regard to the administration of the Sacraments including, but not limited to the Anglicans, the Baptists, the Catholics, the Congregationalists, the Copts, the Episcopalians, the Greeks, the Jacobites, the Lutherans, the Maronites, the Methodists, the Nestorians, the Presbyterians, the Protestants and the Syrians. During Christ's life upon this earth he instituted these sacraments as so many holy ordinances of salvation, by wllich his redemption is applied to each member of the Christian Church. Christ, then, is the only Redeemer, and he made these sacraments, and appointed these holy rites, as the seven golden gates of heaven, through which each must pass to that abode of endless bliss. From the very days of the Apostles these seven sacraments were believed and received by the whole people and clergy. Afterwards political disturbances, wars, local discords, the pride and ambition of designing men, tore asunder and dirided the one holy Church of Christ, into different sects, creeds, Churches. When the Catholic Church, the Bride of the Lamb, was thus rent asunder, those religions denominations which C.'l.me forth from her-the Mother of all Churches-those sects and religious denominations of the East and of the West, both Orientnls am1 Protestants, still clung to these sacraments, or kept the form, at least, of these holy ordinances. Thus baptism is still found among all Christians; Confirmation is seen in every Church of the East, and its shadow among the Episcopalians. The Eucharist is devoutly recited in the East, and its figure and type is the Communion services of the Protestant Churches. All have either penance or some kind of repentance for sin. They anoint the sick or pray at the bedside of the dying. By the imposition-of hands the clergy of every Christian Church is ordained. The marriage ceremony is found in every nation of the earth. These holy ordinances, instituted by Christ, which are only seen whole and entire in the Catholic Church, are pro"ed to be of divine origin, not only by the doctrines of that great Church, but also by the customs and ceremonies of the sects and denominations which came forth from her fruitful bosom, during the various ages which elapsed since the time of Christ. These separated Churches, especially those of the East, so old and venerable, show, in a striking way, the belief of the early Church. From the earliest times, although having different rites, customs, and disciplines, from those of the Catholic Church, still they ha"e always held the same doctrine and belief relating to the seven sacraments. Various Christians have been trying to conform to what they believe to have been the doctrines and customs of the early Church. In the following pages much light relating to the sacraments will be thrown on this epoch. The writer will quote numberless texts from the Fathers and writers following the days of the Apostles. We arc trying to follow the doctrines of Christ and his teachings, delivered by word of month. The Apostles and disciples taught the Christians of the first ages, and their doctrines were written down by the great Fathers and Christian writers of the times following the Apostles. The writings of the early Fathers thus given the key to the teachings of Christ, and the meaning of the Bible. The reader will find in the following pages complete and exhaustive treatises relating to the important matters of which the work treats. The author found great difficulty in condensing so as not to make the work too large or technical for the laity. But we are under the impression that the simple, easy style in which it is written, will make it interesting as well as valuable reading.

THE term apostate is a harsh one to apply to one's self, and I must confess I do not half like the look of it when I have it down in black and white. Truth must be told, however, and I know very well that long before my story is ended the Catholic reader will have no qualms about the application of the word, so I may as well anticipate the verdict. How I came to fall away from the faith of my ancestors is at times a marvel to myself, although when I have traced the course of my apostasy, my readers will find it all so natural as to excite no surprise in them. The same causes have, doubtless, produced, and will again produce, the same effects in those who voluntarily thrust themselves into temptation, when far away from the healthful influences and the salutary restraints that made their home-life virtuous and happy. For their benefit, then, I will do violence to my proud heart and tear open the festering wounds which Time, the great healer, has partially closed.

Note this work is by a non-Catholic, but will prove useful for those who wish to understand Ecclesiastical Latin. T HIS book is written to meet the needs of a special class of students, namely of those that desire to study Ecclesiastical Latin. Ecclesiastical Latin may be defined as the form which the Latin language assumed in the hands of the Fathers of the Western Church and of their successors up to the time of the revival of learning. The book is divided into two parts: first, a summary of such syntactical rules as are necessary for the understanding of the works of these writers, with an explanation of the points in which Ecclesiastical Latin differs from Classical Latin: secondly, a selection of passages taken from the works of some of the principal authors of the period with notes drawing the attention of the student to the appropriate sections of the syntax. The syntax has been treated on broad lines, and no attempt has been made to trace all the peculiarities of the conntless writers of Ecclesiastical Latin who represent so many different countries and degrees of culture. The examples are taken as far as possible from the Vulgate New Testament, because this is the most readily accessible book belonging to the period. It must not be assumed from the fact that the examples are taken from this source that the Vulgate is to be regarded as typical of Ecclesiastical Latin. It is a translation, and often a very literal translation, of a Hebrew or Greek original. The Vulgate is not a Latin Classic in the sense that the Authorised Version of the Bible is an English Classic. It will however be found that most of the constructions that commonly occur in Ecclesiastical Latin are to be found in the Vulgate, and, generally spea1.ing, examples have been given of these constructions only A very slight attempt has been made to deal with the great variety of curious distortions of Latin which the translators made use of in the attempt to represent literally obscure passages in the Hebrew.