Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, 28 December 1916, Page 3

Friends at Court

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR December 31, Sunday.—Sunday Within the Octave of - ' "0 Christmas. January 1, Monday. Circumcision of Our Lord. * . ' . Holy Day of Obligation; - v „ 2, Tuesday. Octave of St. Stephen. „ 3, Wednesday. Octave of St. John. ; ~ 4, Thursday.—Octave of Holy Innocents. % ~ 5, Friday.—Vigil of the Epiphany. ■ ~ 6, Saturday. of the Epiphany. Feast of the Epiphany. From the fourth century the Epiphany, or Manifestation of our Lord, has been regarded as one of the. greatest of ecclesiastical solemnities. Three events in the life of our Blessed Saviour are commemorated on this day—(l) The manifestation of the Infant Redeemer to the wise men from the East. (2) The baptism of our Lord at the hands of St. John, when a voice from Heaven was heard declaring, ' This is My beloved Son, in Whom lam well pleased.' (3) The changing of the water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana —the f.rsi miracle by which Christ showed His divine power.

GRAINS OF OOLD. THE LEGEND OF THE ROSE THORNS. Once the Christ-Child had a garden . " Full of roses blushing red, And He planned to make a garland For His sacred head. When the roses all were blooming, Came the Jewish children there, Plucking each a flaming rosebud Till each bush was bare. ' How, then, will you make a garland ? Not a rose your path adorns.' ' You forget,' the Christ-Child answered, ' You have left the thorns/ Of the thorns He made a garland, Placed it on His sacred head ; And where roses should have blossomed, Blood-drops bloomed instead. t Men blush less for their crimes than for' their weaknesses and vanities.—La Bruyere. Think not that the tears of penitence are always bitter and gloomy. The mourning is only external; whfm sincere, they have a thousand secret recompenses. —Massillon.

When the corn is nearly ripe it bows the head and droops lower than when it was green. In like manner when tire people of God are near ripe for heaven, they grow more humble and self-denying than in the days of their earlier development. — John Flavel.

Every day that dawns brings something to do which can never be done as well again. We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly and cheerfully. It was designed to be our life, our happiness. Instead of shirking it, we should put our whole heart and soul*, into it.

A true teacher is a pioneer through the tangled forest, a lepherd who leads to wholesome pastures, a guide who shows the most practicable road, a physician who tells what diet best suits, a captain who inspires the confidence which is half the battle, a friend who makes the long way seem short.—Spalding.