The Family Cricle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 2, 14 January 1925, Page 61

The Family Cricle

,;^ :',}-./':, frolic. ;-."■" ° : .The children were shouting ; together, ■ '■/." -. ,| And racing along the sands/. . - ' v ggA; glimmer of dancing 'shadowy ' ' :' . .dove-like Per of hands.. : .The stars • were .shouting in heaven, ' !.' ; -- The sun was chasing .the moon : The game was the same, as the children's, ..They danced to the self-same tune. '■ : The , whole ; of the world was merry, 7 : One joy from the vale to the, height, ' ' Where the blue woods of twilight encircled I The lovely lawns of the light. ■ - ,-_-r A.. E. in An Anthology of Modern Verse. : P 'fj'.;' ; '' <>-><X><><><X> ■ ; '' : v. : ' .;:;;: THE DAY'S EXPERIENCES. . V You KO through a : day of varying experiences, and everything that touches 'your life ' ■Mhe.,words, you hear, the pictures you see, . -the books you read, the companions you meet ..and with whom you associate, the friendship that warms your heart—everything that touehes.you leaves its mark on your character, iC f i . And it .is. not a mere passing, transient impression -that these things and these lives •;;; and experiences leave on your .'life. It is 'permanent work that they do. ; Not the great stones in the; massive building are so wrought 'into the fabrics as -; these impressions 'arc -wrought into the character. Our lives are : temples, .and everyone who touches- us is a • builder. So it is also with the influences we ...throw oil on other .lives. They make their record there, and it is ineffaceable. ' •\'.V ;'•'' ; -A.; ;2 VOCATIONS. ' ■'fei-B■•■ is the glory of Catholic families in some .countries of Europe, especially in Ireland, that each, household is eager to see at least ; ono'of its .■members ascend, the altar of Cod Vor become consecrated to His; service in the : ;-|i^iigibusJjife v ! For this the devoted motherland father offer their prayers' to. Cod! In Pieir'confidences to one another they discuss together which ? one of their little flock may ''j[°. so happy as to receive Cod's, call and •i oi, P. t] }° aril i.V (>(; His-/special.' followers. I ■Though theyprudently refrain from express- / ing; their eagerness .in so many words : to their /children, .their devotion and ; zeal are eon- :. •tngious, and 'their prayers storm heaven, so \ that, as the years go on, they are often re- . warded by the consolation of assisting at a' "■ -first -Mass, where their son is' the celebrant, ' or at a v religious clothing, : where their daughter 'is espoused to Christ, ; • ' J "\ ■ ' This ''disposition .of generosity and fervor, this desire to give' Pieir dearest children for the service of Cod, brings a blessing • on the .entire household, 1 and 'in particular on the • rent's themselves. .The » : sweetest :obWia'tidh of their declining'years is often found, v nqP ; so; hutch the prosperity : of those of .Hheirxhiidren who have remained in the world' in v the steadfast 'affection and \ fervent ! prayers o f "thole"; wlio have devoted themselves ■ .to the service of God.— The Monitor..

f i THE, TRUE GENTLEMAN. . a The following was found in an old manorhouse in r Gloucestershire, England, written ;fi.l)cl framed; ami hung over niio mantelpiece of: a, sitting-room: "The trui gentij-itjan.'. is Hod's servant, the world's piaster/. and ' his own man. ..Virtue,, is his business;. study, his recreation; contentment, .Lis • rest and happiness, his reward . Cud is his Father A Jesus Christ, his Saviour; the saints, his brethren, and; all thai, need him. his friends. . Dpvotion is his chaplain'; charity, his chamberlain; sobriety, his butler; temperance, his cook; hospitality;, his Providence, his' steward; charity, , his .treasure; piety, his' mistress of the 'house; and discretion his porter, to let in or out, as most fit.. '? , PATRON SAINT OF LITTLE GIRLS. The tongues,. pens of .all '.nations, according to Si. Jerome, are employed in the praises of St. Agnes, who overcame both the ; cruelty of the tyrant and the tenderness of her age and crowned the glory of 'chastity with that of martyrdom. Tradition lias it that at the time of her death she was hut 13 years of age. tier beauty had won for her the affections of the Roman Prefect's sou. .Put she repelled his advances, saying, "I will none of thee, thou, prey of death,lor I have been won by another lover. ... J-fe hath, placed a sign upon my brow, that I should have no other lover but .'Him. ... To Him, alone in true confidence do I.commit., myself, tor loving Him I am chaste,. receiving H im" I am. n. virgin." ' ; : '.'." ': .Angered by her refusal, the rejected suitor denounced her to his father as a Christian. When haled before the. tribunal, no.manacles could be found small enough, to ccr.fine- her ■slender wrists. Young and tender as she' was, she was protected by an angel. • She was cast into the fire, but the flames arched above her head and refused to barm her. •Finally, the Prefect ordered that she should be Iheheaded. Kneeling down and drawing lier long hair over her face she crossed/her hands upon her bosom and awaited the blow, ''dike some rare plant, whose slender stalk',' white as a lily, bent- with the luxuriance- of' its 1 ; golden 'blossom." The ; sword of the executioner flashed in the air and ■another moment the virgin's/ snowy robe was dyed crimson in her blood and Christ had received His martyr, His bride. :; OuO'.O; -,.[[ .- ':,.: ', .!,,;,„: / i/f^T^fc^, -r :] X' : - *hii THE ■ USEFULNESS' OF : , POLY ' DESIRES. , The first, step we must take, if we. wish-to be perfect, is. to desire to belong wholly .to Cod. Holy desires are those blessed .wings 1 with which ,fervent, souls raise themselves above : the world ."'and. reach, the ''summit's of per lectio n whore they en joy that peace which tho "world.cannot give. '•' ■' v^?v : '- ■; . •■ '•A' holy desire,' on the-one' hand, Ogives -.lis, strength to work for our; sanc'lilicafion; and, oh, the other hand, it makes' our labor lighter. Just as the traveller who ; is" at '"'the foot f of a. lofty mountain and who ■ has no desire do j reach its summit will novor ; go to the trouble

of climbing -the ; mountain, but will: remain at -its fool in indifference and 'inaction, the soul; which has no desire,ior"'perfection will always remain in its lukewarmness and ; never advance along the road that leads to God, ,-J- ,f •,: ..:;■ .. ;' ;v : Furthermore, all the. spiritual writers^' agree in saying—and experience ■ teaches us the same thing—that he who ,is ; not,.always desiring and. trying,to advauce, in the way of perfection, will • inevitably^go^backwards' and .run great danger of losing his. soul. . St, Gregory explains this very r well { by. the following comparison : If a person were in a skiff on- the river and v . would fail to s : row against the stream, but, would wish to' rest on his oars without going forward, or..(backward,. he ; would ; nevertheless . surely'go. backwards, for , : the /.current, would Scarry;; him down-stream. Now, since the sin of,. Adam, man, as Holy Scripture says, ■ projferto evil, from his youth." 'if he does not always struggle Against this downward inclination : and, try to .become better, the current Ipf will drag him down-stream I ,^ ', St. Augustine says that the life;of : a good Christian is a continual desire for. tioii.y. He who does not keep in his heart the desire of sanctifying himself may be a, Christian but he. cannot be a ;goqd'ChristmJKj f Just, as no. man ever succeeded in ; acquiring ;perfectly any science or art without "first haying entertained .a;strong.vdesire of acquiring it, so no saint has ever attained perfection and sanctity thou an ardent .desire,; of ..attaining it. - ' .'•.'■ '.'''•" " -.';'"■ -;.v--v \--v^r'

It is,. therefore, most important that wo cultivate the desire of doing very great tilings for Cod, as, for instance, to Jove v God more than all the 'saints'''liayVloved Him, to'suffer for His sake more than all the martyrs, to have to meet all manner of insults and outrages in order to be able 1 to forgiyo therm,-to accept the greatest labors and' sufferings .in order to save a soul, and other similar-things. ; Even though these desires will never be •fulfilled, still they will be very meritorious-in the sight of God who loves a goodwill as much, as -Ho hates a'perverse,' will; andPbesides; by; desiring;great and difficult 'things, wo will have more courage to do the easy things that make up the round of our daily duties.—St. Alphonus Jjiguori. i' *' i l. ':, -W*X><><X> '.■'.'■: \i : WHEN A MAN FTNDS.GOD.: J? I was headed once on the downward track; I lowered my eyes to the' sod:;',- .. ; P ■ Rut Something, you see, kept holding me ;., back, _.;; , . . '- s J\"' ■ And, lad, that: something was God. -' ;f -'v- -'• I -wondered, what .it. was all. about— . - - v Why, not sink— are only dull clod"-;jV? But. Something ;. stuck through that desert of -''." doubt, ' ' ~', .""' , L . And, lad, that Something was God. i'' * ; I.fought afPlasttp see the light;;,- ;i : - . /""• ' Then I had -to';.. choose the ioddf^WS! 1 ; "-; Wasat Something .worth the struggle and 0 • ; ,feM?: r i 7 i ....'.; ". .:{'■'■ r v: ■:'•:■ ; Aye„ dad, r for that Something was -God P P P ;. . Oomne Reld .Frazpr. :; : .- -.-•■ ■■ >-. .-■-.■• - 1 : .;'■ '. ""'. ~".- v '- -■" *'«.•..' .