PEARLS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE FOR OUR LITTLE ONES

New Zealand Tablet, 21 January 1915, Page 61

PEARLS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE FOR OUR LITTLE ONES

By the Rev. M. J. Watson, S.J., Author of Within the Soul,’ and * The Story of Burke and Wills,’

* Unless you be converted and become as little children , you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven St. Matt, xviii. 3.

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A HOLY WAR.

Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.’ —Ecclesiasticus, ii. 1. You are on earth, my dearest, to fight and conqiier your spiiitual enemies and so win the crown that your Heavenly Father has prepared for you. Hence, Holy Scripture says, The life of man upon earth is a warfare. (Job vii. 1.) In this holy war all of us must fight as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and when we are tried in the furnace of suffering and temptation, as gold and silver are tried in the fire, we are proved by our patience to be faithful in our loyalty and love, and so made acceptable to God. The Angel Raphael said to Tobias : ‘Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.’ (Tobias, xii, 13.) In this matter of trial and temptation our Lord is our model, as He is in so many other respects. After His baptism in the Jordan lie was led by the Holy Ghost into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards He was hungry. Then the evil one tempted Him to gluttony, saying: 1 If Thou be the Son of God, change the stones at Thy feet into bread, and eat.’ It was not God’s will that lie should change the stones into bread to satisfy his hunger, and He rejected the temptation by saying that bread was not needed for the support of His life, for God could supply Him with food in other ways, as He rained manna from heaven to feed the Israelites in the desert. Our Lord’s example shows how careful wo should bo to resist gluttony by avoiding excess in eating and drinking, by shunning greediness in taking food, and by the "violation of the laws of fast and abstinence when wo are bound to observe them. ‘ Whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.’ (1 Cor. x. 31.) Then the devil carried our Lord into the Holy City, Jerusalem, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying; ‘ Throw Thyself down, for the angels will support Thee and Thou wilt be honored by the people who see Thee falling from this high place without injury.' He wished Christ to give way to a temptation of vanity and vain glory. But Jesus readied, that it is not lawful to thrust ourselves into great danger from which we cannot be delivered unless God works a miracle to preserve us ; that to do so would be to tempt God, that is, we tempt Him when we ask or expect Him to exert Almighty Power by miracle in circumstances which give us no right to hope for such a miracle,' for it is written, ‘ Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God.’ Here we are warned to beware of yielding to vanity and vain glory; and, also, to 'beware of evil companions and all dangerous occasions in which we might be very likely to commit sin. To thrust ourselves into extreme natural or spiritual peril contrary to God’s will, would be to tempt God ; and the Bible says, * Fie that loveth the danger shall perish in it.’ Then Christ allowed the devil to take Him into a high mountain; there the tempter showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and said, ‘ To me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them.’ (St. Luke, iv. 6.) This assertion was a lie, but the devil always tries to persuade us to consent to sin by a promise of happiness, a lying promise, for there is nothing more certain than that sin does not bring happiness, but pain and misery. ' Then Satan

said : ‘All these kingdoms will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me.’ Thus, did the .devil -tempt our Lord to commit the sin of idolatry; but Jesus, filled with just anger at the insult offered to God,- said: Begone Satan; for it is .written, The Lord thy God shalt thou adore and Him only shalt thou serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and angels sent from His father came and ministered to Him, providing Him with food, and singing ' e '

Heavenly anthems of His victory Over temptation and the tempter proud.’

Lord s temptations prove that temptation does not necessarily lead to sin, and we ought not to of trbd 7 ne^- and chscoura gement in such times / trial. When Divine grace enables us .to resist temptation and refuse consent to sin,, we please our Heavenly Rather, ‘who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able ’ (1 Cor x IS} Here are a few simple helps to shun what you feel to be wrong: | 1 - Turn away your thoughts quietly, and eiseveiingly from what is evil; 2. Make a secret sign of the Cross over your heart; 3. Pray, saying, 'Lord. save me My Jesus mercy,’ ‘Mary, pray for me,’ Good Angel Guardian, defend me’; and 4. Have great hope in God and a tender, perfect love for your Divine Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Prayer to be said often

‘Lead us not into temptation, bub deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hymn.

Satan and his pomps for ever Here we all renounce again ; Here we promise, holy Saviour, Thine for ever to remain.

Look in pity, Lord of glory. On the suppliants at "Thy feet; Their Baptismal vows renewing, Here before Thy mercy-seat.