Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, 20 April 1911, Page 699

Friends at Court

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR April 23, Sunday. Low Sunday. „ 24, Monday.—St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr. 3 , 25, Tuesday.—St. Mark, Evangelist. ~ 26, Wednesday.—SS. Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes and Martyrs. „ 27, Thursday.—St. Anastasius 1., Pope and Confessor. „ 28, Friday.—St. Paul of the Cross, Confessor. ~ 29, Saturday.—St. Peter, Martyr. SS. Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes and Martyrs. St. Cletus, the third Bishop of Pome, suffered martyrdom under Domitian, about the year 89. St. Marcellinus occupied the throne of St. Peter during a period of eight years. He died in 304, after having endured many sufferings for the faith in the cruel persecution of .Diocletian. St. Anastasius, Pope and Confessor. St. Anastasius, a Roman by birth, held the Pontifical Office from 398 to 401. St. Jerome refers to him in terms of high commendation, and declares him to have been ' a man of holy life, endowed with an apostolic solicitude and zeal.' St. Paul of the Cross, Confessor. St. Paul was born near Genoa, in Italy. From childhood he showed a special devotion to the Passion of Christ. He founded the Congregation of the Passion, the members of which, besides the usual N three vows, make a fourth, that they will do their utmost to keep alive in the hearts of the faithful the memory of our Lord's Passion. St. Paul died in Rome in 1775.

GRAINS OF GOLD THE PLEADING HEART. ' Come unto Me,' the Heart of Jesus pleadeth ; ' Come unto Me, and I will give you rest. Behold the way through pleasant pastures leadeth —■ The goal beyond, the dwelling of the blest. ' Strive not to breast the storms of life unaided, Full fierce they blow and danger's ever near; No joy or flower of earth remains unfaded, Time's fallen leaves bear stain of many a tear. ' Why choose a darksome path while light eelestian beameth As beacon fire to guide and bid the shadows flee? See, from the Heart Divine love's flame uprising streameth, Its rays outspread o'er life's tempestuous sea.' Come, then, poor soul, sore laden and aweary — Come at this call and lay thy burden down, No more of night and days alike all dreary, But peace and hope, and in the end a. crown. — Ave Maria. The corruption of the age is made up of the particular contributions of every individual man. If thou art desirous of convincing anyone of error, first discover, his own point of view; make the most of such truth as there is in it, and then put the other side before him.—Father Pesch, S.J. Live, as it were, on trust. All that is in you, all that you are, is only loaned to you. Make use of it according to the will of Him Who lends it; but never regard it for a moment as your own. The virtue of silence under trial is one of the rarest virtues and the most difficult to acquire, therefore it is most pleasing to God and most conducive to the strength and beauty of Christian character. As a matter of fact, we ought to make a new beginning each morning. We ought to base this fresh start on, the net results of yesterday. Yesterday's failures should be our danger-signals and yesterday's successes our guide-posts. t God planted us just where we grow, and blossom and fruit must be drawn, not from the meadow on the ether side of the road, or the mountain beyond the valley, but from the soil now about our roots, and the air and rain and sun above us playing on our leaves and branches. We all know that Christ's life on earth was a life of suffering. We know He was the Man of Sorrows. We know that all who in any way wish to be like Christ must take up His cross and follow Him., Yet we are rebellious when suffering comes to us. The primrose path is not the best path for the Christian. A life composed entirely of earthly joy would have no room for thoughts of deeper and higher things. It requires the touch of suffering to bring ua to a realisation of what we are.