The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 27, 12 July 1923, Page 53

The Family Circle

-V ■ MOTHER OF MOTHERS. v\ K Golden word from golden pen, 'ln golden years we lisped it when ,<r , Our golden tresses oft you curled Thou Dearest Ope of all the world. Mother 1 When overwhelmed with childish fright At gruesome phantoms of the p night, Your soothing voice was ever nigh In loving answer to our cry. , Mother I In boyhood prattle oft perchance As through the house we’d romp and prance, You’d gladly beam, tho’ sometimes sigh You visioned then times by-and-by. Mother! And now to man’s estate we’re grown Yet oft in mem’ry turn wo home From life’s grim battle back to where We knelt with thee in evening prayer. Mother! You taught us then Ave to say, And how to consecrate each day To her whom you so sweetly styled, Mother of Mothers, meek and mild. Mother! Our childish voice with thee we’d raise In her Magnificat of praise, And turn at times from boyish glee To tell with thee her Rosary. Mother! Oh, Dearest Mother in the world j God’s banner which you then unfurled, We bravely strive to keep on high 7 And there we’ll guard it til! we die. ■ Mother! Mother of Mothers! as thine own, Guide Mother mine to heavenly throne, When life’s vain thread is quickly spun, Lead her to Thy Precious Son. Mother 1 — M. J. Finnegan. REMINISCENCE OF PIUS IX. A young freethinkerhe called himself a freethinker once accompanied some Catholic friends and relatives to an audience with the well-beloved patron and venerated namesake of our present Holy Father. Every other member of the party solicited some spiritual favor, but this youth preserved a sullen silence. Finally, Pius IX. turned to him with a kind smile, saying in his gentlest tone: “And you, my son —have you nothing to ask of me?” “Nothing/ your Holiness.” (The young fellow was at least polite and had learned from the others how to address the head of the World Church.) “Are you quite sure? Nothing whatever to ask of me?” “Nothing, your Holiness.” “Is your father alive?” ,/ " “Yes, your Holiness.” • “And your mother?” < “My mother is dead, your Holiness. This answer was given in a voice that had suddenly become unsteady. “Well, then, my child, if you have nothing to ask Jof me, I have something to ask of you.” iy. The young disciple of Voltaire, as he prided himself on ''being called, looked at the Sovereign Pontiff in open-eyed astonishment. Ulo. “My son,” continued the Holy Father, “I beg you ' ! V • to do me the favor of reciting with me an ‘ Our Father ’ £;/ and a ‘ Hail Mary ’ for the repose of* your good mother’s soul.” t C His Holiness knelt down; so did the young man, and B when he arose tears stood in his , eyes. The gentleness of

the kindly old Pope and the remembrance of his mother had quite overcome the freethinker's indifference; and as he left the audience chamber he was sobbing like a child. There were tears also in the eyes of his friends. Ave Maria. THE ANGEL OF CARMEL. THE LITTLE FLOWER AND HER SHOWER OF ROSES. The following article has appeared in La Croix: "I feel that my mission is about to commence. My mission is to make God loved as I love Him and to give souls a little way of confidence and abandonment. I desire to spend my heaven in doing good on earth. I shall not take any rest until the end of the world. But when the .',; angel will have said ( Time is at end ' then I shall rest, because the number of the elect will be complete." The above words are what Blessed Sister Teresa said in obedience to the wishes of her Superior. What marvellous words to be penned by this little, timid nun, by this frail creature, who was, it is true, embalmed in Divine grace, but yet was' so insignificant in her own eyes. Let your thoughts dwell for a moment or so on her short life of 26 years. The explanation is that Our Divine Lord continues to choose what is weak in this world to confound what appears to be strong. So it is that the saints, conscious of . their personal impotency, but feeling in their hearts the power and force of Divine love, do not fear to say: "I can do all in Him Who strengthens me. When I am weak, then am I strong." They realise that the Divine Lord intends to make ' use of them as intermediaries in His work on earth. Now this fact makes the saints devote themselves entirely and without any reserve to the service of their neighbor. Has not Our Divine Lord said: "By this will all men know that you are .My disciples—if you have charity one for the other." The Desire of the Saints. St. Paul desired to be anathema for his brethren. St. Martin, ravished with happiness at the thought of his earthly exile being near its end, still exclaimed: "I do not refuse to labor. I am willing to remain here below for the sake of my brethren." The Venerable Cure d'Ars said: "If I had already one foot in heaven and that I '> , was asked to return to earth to work for the ..conversion of sinners I would gladly, do so." Little Sister Teresa, did not think of remaining here, below. She conceived another plan: she would make her' heaven an apostolic one: she would draw letters of credit on the Kingdom and send forth treasures from the Divine mercy. "When I shall be in heaven I shall let a shower of roses fall on earth." This sweet promise of Blessed Teresa came from the same motive which animated all the saints—namely, the love of God and of souls. She had the same trustful confidence in the Divine promises. In these words is put iii relief all the beauty, the Divine and human splendor, the permanent miracle, of the Communion of Saints. The writer from whom we quote continues: Now, the roses that the Angel of Carmel lets fall on 'earth are resignation, generous submission to the heavy - ;' weight of the cross, the Spirit of self-denial, kindness and forgiveness, and sorrow for sin. Doubtless Sister Teresa will continue to obtain the cure of the sick and temporal favors, but always secondarily to .and in keeping with her great design of turning men's thoughts to God. MAN'S INGRATITUDE. , ' . V How careful are we when the great unbend, Just to the time to keep the hour they set, And other claims upon our day forget, Past reason proud at thought whom we attend; • But when the King of Kings for us doth send, We make excuse the way is long or wet, Or go, like debtors, loath to pay a debt, V\ Counting as lost the time with Him we spend. How true it is that when the kindly sun Scatters in golden largesse all his store, . . ' And, beggared sinks, we cease to think of him; , So, too, God's love, whose waves are never done ,v . Bearing to us His blessings to the shore, ; - . •• -Creeps in unnoticed to the flooded brim. , v " —J. R. Clemens, in America. ' ; -^

AS HE UNDERSTOOD IT. The college collector of antiques stepped off at Bacon Ridge. "Good day, sir," he said, addressing the postmaster, "I am collecting old-fashioned articles, and would like to know if I could find anything like that in this hamlet. Say antique mugs, for instance." Uncle Jason stroked his chin whiskers. ' "Antique mugs? By heck, I know the very place where thar's two of them now." "You do? Here's a good cigar. Now, where can I find these antique mugs?" "Why, clown on Main in Hiram Spruceby's barber's shop. Grandad Wheatley "and Pap Simmons are in there getting shaved, and by heck, when it comes to antique mugs, I reckon thar be the oldest in the country, - stranger." CAUTION. His friends had prevailed upon him to accompany them to a race-meeting. Arrived there, Sandy— he was a Scot—soon overcame his scruples, and ventured to stake half a crown on a horse. It was an outsider, but imagine his delight when it came in first at heavy odds. He hurried to the bookmaker, who rather grudgingly, it seemed, doled out his winnings. Carefully Sandy examined each coin, and the bookmaker, glancing at him, remarked.: "Well, are you afraid they're bad?""No; but I wis just makin' shair that the bad ane I gied ye wasna amang them." y A REASON FOR REJOICING. After a short meeting a little singing was indulged in by some of the members of a social gathering, and half-way down the programme the name of Mr. Bert Brown figured. When the time came for him to appear a messenger arrived to say that the gentleman was suffering from a bad cold, and therefore the chairman had to excuse him to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I have to announce that Mr. Brown will he unable to sing as announced, and therefore ' Mr. Green will give us ' A Song of Thanksgiving.' " SMILE-RAISERS. ■ Chairman (addressing a meeting): "I am sure we are all very sorry that our secretary is not hero to-night. I I cannot say we miss Ijis vacant chair, but I do say we miss his vacant face." A little girl was told that polite people did not talk about their ailments in company, or outside the family. So when a visitor asked her if she was well, she said, "Well, in the family, I have the stomach ache, but in company I am quite well, thank you." • • W She was a countrywoman, and travelling by train was something new to her. She sat down on a seat in the station, and after waiting for two hours was approached by • the stationmaster, who inquired where she was going, v. "But the train's just gone," he said when she told him. , , "Dear, dear! I thought the whole consarn moved," replied the old woman. V t "An' so you're goin' to teach French at the school, Mr. Canewell?" said the good lady. "It's as well that some \ folks can teach people, for I often think it must be shockin' difficult for furriners who come here. For instance take the word 'air.' There's the 'air on our 'eads, the hair of the hatmosphere, the /are they 'unts, and air you quite well? Yes, it must be awful confusin'."