A DREAM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 1, 3 May 1895, Page 6

A DREAM.

( Concluded.) The moment the Divine Judge finished speaking, the pood sngelguardian took the soul in his arms. It appeared to me like a beautiful golden vase, but bo clear and radiant that I could in some meyterious way see through and through it. Not the smallest flaw or stain of any kind could I perceive without or within. Suddenly as thought the angel held the soul for the merest instant before the eyei of the Divine Judge when there darted tbereform a ray of refulgent brightness which shone with transcedent splendour above, below, and right through the soul. Involuntarily I tried to shade my eyes from the dazzling brilliancy of that wondrous light, but, on again lookiogat the soul, I s i w therein t-everal very amall dark spots which could nevsr have been noticed but for the intense effulgence with which it was now illumined. lat once conceded that these were the stains caused by venial sins. Swifter than lightning the angel sped from the Divine Presence away towards a far distant valley carrying in his arms the soul of my dear young friend. I ooksd with silent terror as I saw the ground open in the centre of the valley, and noticed fierce flames darting forth which reached the very heavens. Ev«r and anon I caught the sounds of p'aintive wailing coming from the midst of that fiery dungeon, and though the sounds betokened suffering to which no earthly pain could for a moment be compared, yet intermingled with that moan of deepest woe were tones of resignation, the sounds of which brought some slight comfort to my terrified heart. On looking still more closely into the flames I saw beautiful bright angels with golden coloured wings descending and ascending perpetually. Going down they invariably carried in their hands something which seemed like a chalice containing a bright red liquid, and returning to heaven they bore, lovingly pressed to their bosom p, Borne soul that had been entirely purified by the contents of the mystic chalice. So intent was I on wa'ching all this, that for the moment I lost sight of John. It was, however, but for a moment. Presently I raised my eye°, and poised fair over the centre of the fierce furnace was 'he guardian angel with John's soul clasped

affectionately to his breast. He took the soul in his hands, kissed it with tender pity, and then suddenly let it fall into the seething fire beneath. The agonieiog shiiek that came forth from that sonl the moment it left the angel's hands sent through my inmost being a thrill of horror that no words can describe, no time remove. I watched the soul of my dear youu^r friend in its fearful descent and the instant it touched the molten miss of liquid fire a number of flaming sparks shot forth, one of which stiuck me on tne a de of the head and seemed as if it burnt right into the very br<iin. Instinctively I raised my hand to knock i fE the fiery m'sßive, whilßt I uttered a yell of terror that soon brought the whole household around me, They all with one voice asked what was wrong, and what had happened to cause me to give that unearthly Bcream. For a time I was just as much puzzled as they were, but very so m I fully recovered consciousness and at once grasped the who'e situationWhen sitting snugly by the fire and thinking of goiDg to visit my eick schoolmate I had leaned my bead on my right aim, and rested both on a small shelf that was near the mantel-piece. In this position I fell faßt asleep, and clearly saw in dreamland the wonderful things I have related above. My young brother came into the kitchen whilst I slept, and, as he is very fond of scientific experiments of all kinds, especially with explosives, be climbed upon the table just behind me, lit a large Chinese cracker at the gas-jet, and, not noticing where he threw it, flung it right down on the side of my hesd Short a timo as it remained there it was yet quite long enough to give me a severe burn and intense paia into the bargain, This was what I thought vai a epark from purgatory; at d 'hough I know well that earthly fire is but a painted fire compared to that of purgatory, still I would willingly Buffer any ordinary bodily pain for fan hour rather than the acute >gony I endured for the very ehort time that Chinese cracker was burning on my bead. My mother quickly applied a little salad oil to the burn, sprinkled it over with flour, and all the pun ceased. We then sat round the fire, and I related to them my strange dream. They listened to its recital in breathless silence, and when I finished the narration a sigh of relief escaped my mischievous young brother, who sat in the corner directly opposite to me, from which vantage ground he had kept his tyes riveted on me the whole time I was speaking. When he regained sufficient confidence he had a hundred questions to ask about the whole thing. He was particularly anxious to know where the angels got the golden chaHces, and what the red liquid was which they carried therein. My eldest sister, who goes to the Convent school, at once undertook to explain tuis difficulty. She ■ttid that when the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered lor the souls

in purgatory their holy guardian angels surround the altar in thousands and at the very moment the priest elevates the sacred chalice they como with their chtilices to get each a few dropa of the precious Blood onr Lord with which they fly off at once to purify and release the poor suffering sous. This little explanation pleased us all very much, and we promised to remember it every time we were at Mass and to make at the elevnti ,n a special c flaring of the precious blood for all the dear souls that are buroing in the cleansing fires of purgatory. My mother took this opportunity of giving some very good advice to the whole of us on devotion to St Joseph. She said though the whole thing might be merely a dream still there could be nodoobt that the prayers of fit Josrph were most powerful with our blessed Lord, aud that any of us who cherished a tender devotion to this saint during life would be sure to die a happy death. As it was now bedtime we knelt round our little altar and offered up oar Rosary for the souls in pugatory. At mother's suggestion we each got our St Joseph's Prayor Book, and joined heartily in sajiog the Litany of the Foster-FVher of our Lord. Not satisfied with this I asked them all to open out page 172, and then we sang devoutly the beautiful hymn, "Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail I" This ended our d«vo'ions for *hat night ; and as long as we live w« have fully made up our minds to be ever specially devoted to the great St Joseph. Kindly excußO, dear Jaons, the length of this essay. I Rod it ia much longer than I had originally intended. If it prove of any little use to you or the rest of the lads, this alone will give the gieateßt pleasure to the heart of Your r.ff ctionate schoolmate. Pa-thick O'Dvtyeb To Master James Murphy, etc. (A little offering for F,ast of the Patronage of St Joseph, third Sunday after Easter, May 5. 75'^J.)