Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, 18 April 1912, Page 3

Friends at Court

...-,-'.. GLEANINQS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR v^% April 21, -Sunday.—-Second Sunday after Easter. St. Anselm, Bishop,, Confessor, .;Y:-V 1;,': ■ :: : " : ' and Doctor. ;;•-•'":"__; ■-■'■■ : ■ ~ 22, Monday.SS. Soter .and Caius, Popes and :'' rV ";:.■-;':- » ' ■ - Martyrs. '• ;"-- ..'■' : '"y r :: : „ 23, Tuesday.St. George, Martyr. r~" ~ 24, .Wednesday.St. Fidelis Sigmaringeri; Mar"":r:■ : #v W;' ■ :: .; : ', /-•tyr.v/v >-;./- ;-■'■;■_. ;,.;..: ~ 25, Thursday .—St. Mark, Evangelist; v ~ 26, Friday.SS. CJetus and Marcellinus, Popes - ' _ arid Martyrs. ; ~ 27, Saturday.—St. Anastasius 1., Pope and Con- " ,:-- v -; ; ; -.>■:' fessor. """'■.,""

Saints Soter and Caius, Popes and Martyrs.

- We know very little of these two Pontiffs except the manner of their deaths. St. Soter won the crown of martyrdom in 177 St. Caius, after many sufferings for the Faith, died in 296, in the reign of Diocletian, whose kinsman he was. ' ' / v A

St. George, Martyr.

St. George has been recognised as patron of England since the time of the Crusades. Unfortunately, no authentic details, of his life have come down to us. He is believed to have been a soldier, and to have suffered martyrdom about 303. In emblem of the victory he thus gained over the Evil One, he is often represented" in pictures as a knight tilting against a dragon.

St. Fidelis Sigmaringen, Martyr.

Born at Sigmaringen, in Germany, in 1577, St. Fidelis adopted law as a profession, in the practice of which his charity earned for him the title of ' advocate of the poor. Having become a priest and a member of the Order of Capuchin Friars, he was sent, in 1622, by the' Propaganda to Switzerland to endeavor to win back the Calvinist heretics to the Church. The extraordinary success of his mission excited the rage of some of these sectarians, who put him to death in the course of the same year., , -

GRAINS OF GOLD ' '.V; . SPECULUM JUSTITI^E. Each tiny drop of dew a diamond gleams, For it reflects entire the glorious sun, . - Till, its brief term of borrowed splendor done, It dies, to skyward soar on sunny beams So, too, the world-wide ocean's flashing streams And glancing billows, as they heave and run, An image vast reflect—of many, One — Another sun this watery planet seems. ■/ And frail souls, thus, of sinful men, by grace : : May hope to image forth the Life Divine, Each in the special way. no other can ; / ■■<■■■ But thou, who art the glory of our race, Mirror of Justice Infinite, dost shine ;: Most perfect semblance that is merely man. '.') :':"-"-'. ' Ave Maria.-

Christianity in a nutshell is simply ' Love thy God; love thy neighbor.' We can only prove that we love God by loving our neighbor. While we are commanded to fear God, .1: maintain that love is the most important motive force- in Christianity. ■' The great difference in the religion is that while the pagan feared and worshipped his gods, he did j not love : them.V They were too far away and too vague. Christ, on the other handy not only loves and came to save the world, but He loves every man and every woman individually He loves each ■of you just as if you were the only person in the world.—Cardinal Gibbons. :