Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, 29 December 1921, Page 3

Friends at Court

C GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK’S- CALENDAR. > r;v\ y ■ January -I, Sunday. Feast of the Circumcision. " . : , „ 2, Monday. Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. ~ <3, Tuesday. Octave /of St. John, Apostle and T : Evangelist. _. „ 4, Wednesday.—Octave of the Holy Innocents. ~ 5, Thursday.—Vigil of the Epiphany. i|p©,' s 6, Friday.—Feast of the Epiphany. V » 7, Saturday.—Second day of the Octave of, the v - . ■ ;■ >— Epiphany. ; ~ -• ■ ; ' *P “ . -, Feast of the Epiphany. From the fourth century the Epiphany, or Manifestation of Our Lord, has been regarded as one of the greatest p-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 y of St. John, when a voice from heaven was heard declaring, “This is: My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” (3) The changing of the water into wine at the marriage H feast of Canathe first miracle by which Christ showed His Divine power. p! / <*XxX*><X*X> |T ; GRAINS OF GOLD o}'' HOLD THOU MY HANDS. -p: " (A New Year’s Prayer.) Hold thou my hands a little while in thine lf?p“ Thy gentle, restful hands—dear Love benign ! ||S Smooth out their weariness with soft caress, As mothers do their children’s restlessness, " ' -.With fondling hands that love and rest combine. ~. - • pb;, And when these inconsistent hands of mine PP’ ■ To wayward selfishness and wrong incline , bh - With tender and compassionate duress, fep ’ Hold thou my hands! t And when I face the dark, and must resign p k, Love’s tender, human touch;. must disentwine Its dear, detaining clasp; when fears depress, bp;:- • Those mortal fears I can not quite repress, >p ’ For all my faith and trusto Love divine, |ps. Hold thou my hands! . ■ NEW YEAR’S DAY. t?a A ’; After eight days were accomplished that the Child -should be circumcised, His name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was. conceived in the p womb.— Gospel of the Feast. |pp _' Lo, the bright New Year appeareth! Skp;. Children give it welcome now; jSiP A For it bears the Name of Jesus PP'/. Blazoned on its breast and brow. JI-2V- - In His name and with His blessing, |pp! Hark, this message it imparts: , - “Children, keep the Name of Jesus All your days within your hearts!” • yy. -- —Denis A. McCarthy. ||||r'' ■ \ REFLECTIONS. The Circumcision braids upon the front of every coming year of life the name of Jesus, our life’s dear Lord, and it braids it in those red snowdrops of His Infancy, tho first blossoms of His Precious Blood.— Faber. How happy should we be had we nothing in our understanding or mind but Jesus; nothing in our will but Jesus; /nothing in our memory but Jesus; nothing, in-our imagination but Jesus. In all things Jesus would be to us, and we Should be in all things to Him.St. Francis of Sales. v -

fefc. A Christian * hand - must by no means be lifted .. up 'in r^tesistance; for Christ will not have His disciples' like the > rest of the ; world, but orders them to shine with a distin-' guishing patience and meekness, and to win men over from U their sins ;by : such gentle artsas ■ conversion.St. Justin v Martyr. ‘ . * ‘ft ' r* *r3irs.