Ihe Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 24, 1 July 1925, Page 61

Ihe Family Circle

THE PRIEST. The priest of God.A man as other men? He holds in common with his fellow-men A -i *'■ ; ' -i , , - Onlyithe outward seeming; and to him s Whdf lives his life with God, all other lifeIs but a mask he wears, as at a play, , . And that alone is he which lies within ; >, The spirit realm, beneath the eye of God. , Midst wrong and sin which he must , know . and touch ’■ " Needs he to walk, unstained by any soil. V'Ey,n : those whose sins drag down as deep, as hell Cling round his knees and beg for strength and help ; - : Nor may ho send ev’n one away/ denied. - The gifts he holds^rom, God are for the race, And ; under God he gives to those who beg; But woe /to him, if giving, he lose that , Which makes the secret bond ’tween him and . God // ;... A sinless heart, unbroken faith, the pact . Preserved in love, unsullied by a thought Of wrong or selfish wish,, for lesser joys His path were fraught with divers dreads. and fears ' But that his thoughts of God prepare a way - Of trusting love and sweetest, highest hope; Upheld by God, God’s way, God’s 1 thought, • ' his strength ’ • * Becomes the strength of ten and conquers all. Ho seeks out those who hunger for the truth, /Rejoicing when they take the word he brings. ; He. seeks for those whom desperate sorrow ; And comforts them, as Christ Himself would ; do. r - > He seeks out those whose sins have branded them '. , ;//. / Before the world as Law’s antagonists, And to their warp’d and twisted minds he . shows . “ • / / ... - . i The rights of man to man before his God, .Leading the erring heart to ‘ know its guilt And fights its way again to strength of soul. Then seeking him in contrite mood, they ij V come ' ' _ / " ; . ’ Who long to feel the balm of peace- with God And he, in kindest word, portrays for them - The hideous measure of the sins, they bring: T- ' ' ..... y , ■ . - ■ . , . ■' \ To their awakened hearts the truth he shows, A vision of their own sad state of soul; , He leads them gently to accept his word, /Sending rejoiced < away, renewed in love -' / Arid sweet submission to God’s laws, arid grace - To . follow them. Then breaks athwart the day v/' / y;/ The call that ever shocks with vibiant dread—- ! A soul draws near the lonely door >of death! / Godj^priest lifts up the timid, fearful heart, Supmnts the fainting soul on his N strong ;f«, ... ' - ... /:■“/•. UnleilL the gates of heaven to tired eyes, r r* prides, in rev’tent joy, the Sacred Way ’Which it goes to everlasting peace. , v iff- L A.Z., in the Missionary. >.,.

: OUR MISSION. ;~ j We have come from God; we cannot find • rest until we return to Him. / W T e ,are the ,mage of God; we must see Him and hear Him in all. V , W 7 e are returning to God ;we are', separate)! .only by a, thin veil, which death, with ruth- . - less hand, will tear aside. So we must hold ourselves in readiness. Instead of living our lives carelessly, as it were by chance, without control or effort, we must ever walk • watchfully in the footsteps of our Master. SOWING THE SEED—REAPING THE . ■>•. - RESULT. .'/‘vg -■ / A non-Catholic boy of fifteen was found : unconscious on a street of'one of. the English i; cities, a victim of the übiquitous automobile. He was brought to a near-by Sisters’ hos- - pital. ’ At first it was thought he would recover, but the continued blood flow announced that, his passing out was but a few hours removed. The news was broken to him. "Well, then,” he said coolly, "I want to become a Catholic. My mother wouldn’t let me before this, but she can’t stop me now.” A priest was summoned and; he decided to baptise the youth, beginning with "Listen to me "for a little while, and I shall tell yon - some things about becoming a Catholic.” “You don’t need to tell me anything,” replied the boy, "I know everything.” A few pointed questions revealed that actually he did know "everything,” knew it in fact to the astonishment and admiration of the priest. The subsequent conversation brought out that the boy for four years had been a pupil in a Catholic orphanage; that while he had never studied the catechism . / much, he had listened daily to its, exposition by an earnest teacher; that he had long ago ‘ determined to become a Catholic as soon “as his mother would permit. The priest had . but gone,- when the boy asked the Sister to hand him his "pants,” from which he took his "Rosary,” -a . something he knew "every- / thing about, and which lie had learned rever- •; ently to say very often, - 1 And the last audible words of that poor • hoy as .he ceased twisting his beads, and as ■? tears streamed from the ■ attending Sister, / wore “Holy Mary Mother of God.” That earnest teacher, perhaps to this day knows nothing of his achievement under God, and of the grateful "Angel” who is waiting to greet him "on the other side.” INSTRUCT YOUR CHILDREN. Parents, listen to what the ‘ Holy Ghost, Who is wisdom, itself, says to you: listen to the orders .of. your Lord and God, If you have children, instruct arid train them from their tenderest age. Remember, God does ' not say to you amass wealth for your children, manage well for them, like guardians; and Why? Because the treasures you would \ leave them are lasting or solid advantages, but perishable, ' which are too often the source ;.of infinite evils, and which at best can only be theirs till their death. / Instruction, education, behold these , are the solid 1 advantages.

which you are bound to procure for them. The fruits of religious instruction and education < .o beyond ,1,.. grave; they penetrate even to eternity, and secure for them eternal happiness. ' •- ' Remember, it is not only a counsel that God gives you: it is a command, and you will be very culpable if you do not execute it. Instruct them, and -train your children, and be careful to do it from their earliest age. It is then their hearts are like soft wax, capable of faking any impression, like a clean tablet on which can be traced any' impression you pleasea fresh soil’ fit. for all kinds of fruit. Hasten, then," to give .good form to that soft wax before -it becomes hard, to imprint on that clean tablet the -image 1 of Jesus Christ and of virtue before the demon and' vice leave their impressions there; hasten to cast good grain into that fresh soil before the enemy -salvation .in cockle. /. Hasten to teach'■your children what r they* owe to God, to their neighbor, and -to themselves.' You believe that your children have/ been created to know and serve God; teach them to love. Him, and instruct them .in the truths of 'religion; teach them to love /God;/ it was for that He gave them hearts, and tell them when they ; come to the use of reason, they /.are bound under pain of mortal sin, to consecrate them to Him by an act of love. Accustom them, as soon- as their can articulate, -to say: ' “My -God! I love you with all; my heart,” and do it iff such.' a manner that'they will say it more from' the heart than the mouth.. ■ - " • • ■ ■ . i . x it : OBEDIENCE, There was once a great philosopher who had a ; little daughter. A friend of /thephilosopher’s came to see him, and while waiting lie asked the. little girl,- "What is your father teaching you?” ‘ "J/-. ./_••; : With confiding trust the little child. looked up. to . him and said, "Obedience.” Could the, in our families truthfully, repeat after that- little girl? Could the .children in our schools truthfully repeat after that little girl? .Obddience is the greatest of knowledge, the foundation of virtue, the beginning of faith, and the secret of . safe social relations. • Children have no cornerstone to build knowledge or character on, if. they have not learned to obey. And the.very highest faith, in God has but one way of expressing itself—it must be the way for heaven as .well as for earth—“lf any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” -./. • /. / . / IN HIS VINEYARD. , ’||| • Happy the heart’that knows Thee 1 / And loves .Tilde as it ought J Happy the mind that thinks of Thee ■ With each recurring thought. ,i - r > . ■ . ... ‘ ‘ Happy the cars that hear Thee - :: / / In love’s soft language speak ‘ 1 ' -•“ Happy the eyes that see : Thee : - i ■; N : On earth and mountain .peak. // ;; v / " ipfSlßte -• „ - * -' - -/ , d v Happy the feet that follow „ /./, "" • O’er the path Thy feet have, trod j. -: -Happy the hands that toil for Thee,' v '‘ My Saviour and ifay God* " - x '" > > ///- • / Petek R^an.

t;3 , • - SAVED IN ,VAIN. / .‘‘Woman,'' said the dejected young man, ; (Us a disappointment and a fraud.” ; ;• “Indeed?” said his;friend. ' ; • “Yes, I saved up all my tobacco money and lived on porridge for two weeks to take Miss , Truelove to the opera and a supper. Then I asked her to marry me , and she said shewas afraid I was too extravagant to make a .good husband!” / ‘ THE ONLY REMEDY. • y. A man went to his doctor, and requested treatment for his ankle. // y ' / • - y After a careful examination, the,, doctor inquired: - “How long , have you been going about like this?” ' - r -' ' * “Two. weeks,” - , */, “Why many your ankle is broken. , How ‘you ; nianaged to get around is a marvel. Why didn’t you come to me at first?” - V “Well, doctor, * every time I say anything y is wrong with me, my wife declares I’ll have to stop smoking.” ' / . SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND.' | He had taken his ; sweetheart to a football ' match, and found •as much pleasure in describing the game to her as in shouting to the . home Team; '- : , ; 'y r * ? / -v-./■■ j-The homesters"were faring badly, and the visiting /team ; bombarded the home goal as persistently as-Angelina bombarded'; Edwin with questions. , - ~yy . “Why have the other -team scored three goals, and yours none?” she asked. . - - - “Weak backs, dear,” was his reply. _■ “Weak backs?” she queried.' “I am surprised ! Men..-suffer from weak backs . /'should not take part in such a rough game as football.” ..-/. - :■•///>/’ .... /. . SMILE RAISERS. . .. y Absent-minded - Professor (who has uncon- ‘ sciously donned his ; daughter’s hat)v • “How , remarkable it is that the first touch of spring //immediately transforms humanity ' into, happy, smiling, beings!” ;; ■ '•// .yy / : y /. ¥ •’ - / - : y,/y//;-/'/y /y / V yy. A doctor was attending an old lady who had a severe cold. “Did your teeth chatter /when you felt/ the chill coming, over you?” asked ; the doctor. “I ’ dia ken, "/doctor. They' were lying on the. table,” . was ; the pleasant• reply. v '-• / * r; v ;: ' ■A*y \ ¥ ; ,.O rv ,:// < “Now, dearest,’’-said the happy girl, “you must-see-father.” ~ , , .... . -/ y /“Oh; I saw him yesterday,” replied the /young man, “or, rather, he saw me. /He told me I ’ must either speak out or - get y out.” - ¥ /•' Old -. Lady (to - policeman: on .point duty) :; “Young man; can. you tell me where I get ' the bus for ’Ackney?” : / Constable, (noticing bus approaching): “In the middle .of your, back, ma’am, .it, you don’t ’op out of the way quickly.” - y -■ -'s'. ... r ■ - \ - v ■ f Irate Passenger (who- had-, managed to.. y board a* tramcar that didn’t ) stop) : /“I say,... suppose I’d slipped and lost a. leg ?” ■ Conductor' (kindly): ; “You wouldn’t have / to do any j more jumpin’ then. . We always . , J .t r, - * - stop’ fof ' a man-with a crutch.” ■ y--:-y V; :-/'"