Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, 9 February 1911, Page 223

Friends at Court

QLEANINQS EOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR February 12, Sunday.—Septuagesima Sunday. „ 13, Monday.—St. Gregory 11., Pope and Confessor. 14 Tuesday.—Commemoration of the Passion of Our Lord. 15, Wednesday.— Paul, the First Hermit. " 16, Thursday.—St. Gregory X., Pope and Con- " fessor. 17, Fridav.St. Fintan, Abbot. ~ 18, Saturday.—St. Marcellus, Pope and Martyr. St. Paul, First Hermit. * St. Paul was a native of Egypt. Compelled to flee to the desert to escape the persecution of the Emperor Decius, in 250, he became enamored of the solitude, and spent there the remainder of , his life in prayer and meditation. He died at the advanced age of 119. Commemoration of the Passion of Our Lord. There is no practice more constantly or more earnestly recommended by spiritual writers as a means of awakening in our hearts a tender love for the Son of God than meditation on His sufferings and death, which can best be done by making the Way of the Cross. St. Fintan, Abbot. St. Fintan, who was a native of the diocese of Leighlin, in Ireland, lived in the sixth century. Few details of his life are extant. GRAINS OF GOLD THE SHEPHERD. Down from the heights of the mountain steep The torrents rush with a mighty sweep, And.cavernous rocks are gaping wide As they sullenly roar in the rumbling tide; Barren are fields in the biting cold, And a lone lamb bleats for the distant fold. Who is it comes in the wintry night, Far from the glow of His hearthstone bright, Braving the wrath of the angry flood, Staining the rugged rocks with blood, Turning His ear for a bleating cry Of the lamb that has laid it down to die? Who but the Shepherd Who loves His own (Not one of the hireling heart of stone), Who rests not happy with all His flocks While e'en one wanders amid the rocks. What is a lamb to be loved so well? . 'Tis only the Shepherd's heart can tell. O Shepherd, Thou Who art called the Good, Who watching over Thy sheep hast stood Safe are they ever beneath Thine eye, But out of the distance comes the cry Of wandering sheep that have missed the fold, And starve and freeze in the winter's cold. Other sheepyet the sheep are Thine, O Lamb of God with the ninety-nine; Far in the wilderness sad they roam, But, Shepherd Good, Thou shaft lead them home. To follow Thee in at the sheepfold's door, One fold, one Shepherd, for evermore. —Rev. Hugh P. Blunt. There is nothing so beautiful in the character of youth as simplicity of manners and the absence of design in its undertakings; it is this quality that makes it lovable and attractive. Humbly and reverently attempt to trace His guiding hand in the years which we have recently lived. Let us thankfully commemorate the mercies He has vouchsafed to us in times past, the many sins He has not remembered, the many dangers He has averted, the many prayers He has answered, the many mistakes He has corrected, the much light, the abounding comfort which He has from time to time given. Cardinal Newman. Every morning compose your soul for a tranquil day, and all through it be careful often to recall your resolution, and bring yourself, back to it, so to say. If something discomposes you, do not be upset or troubled; but, having discovered the fact, humble yourself gently before God, and try to bring your mind into a quiet attitude. Say to yourself,'Well, I have made &< false step; now I must go more carefully and watchfully.' Do this each time, however frequently % you fall. When you are at peace use it profitably, making constant acts of meekness, and ..seeking to be calm even in the most trying things. Above all, do not be discouraged; be patient; wait; strive to attain a calm, gentle spirit.—St. Francis de Sales.