Correspondence Lessons.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XVI, Issue 8, 1 February 1926, Page 5

Correspondence Lessons.

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There ludi fen' #iiy4wo , wsesf£ cince .we started qgutr t cpnrespontleja^e lessons! but wje"''^^^^)^^^^^^^©!?. m 1 ?, to^publM 1 a Je^son for every weelc. J^ij'us'laqlt; 'ljack, and (^> w^t ; ,^p : '^ye,ie'^rne;d,..' ; " :" f, . ■ ' '•'■''G^ttf'if - §pir.jtjti JE^?lias "; iiof "a^otdy if| ap . we;';'hftye. ' yPje v ca|i ; understand ' ••\aiid-' know yery 'little, but 'iEfoli unid'ersjfcaSids and knows everything, Jh^s .no eyes ..like t oars yet He sees ev^tl^ig:. He has np^ : ]fonds/^e ojursj; made wfityitiiqg and is :_|l|w!ays making things. He made the grass, grow apd the '&ss>, the ajiiir^als around, .us and: ourselves, pc niake|( tte . s^n shine apfit .the rain \and ! iWheh we think of ; ; &oid we !^hji^:' of Him as our Fatherpin^J^ think of Jesus Ohris.t Qur .Lord .and we think of Gpd the Holy Gfhost: We call them the 'Blessed Trinity and . yet we remember that God is 1 One. Next, we h^ye .that ;^od loves , everything ;that. He ;K^ made, and especially us. (He knbws i^he n^me of each of ; us r "and %e> knb^a our thoughts and bur characters far better than we know them ourselves. Jesus Christ, God's Son, came down from Heaven and was . born of the Blessed Virgin Iklary. He lived on earth for over thirty years; He was baptised by John the Baptist .and He was Confirmed by the Holy Spirit; He taught us many wonderful lessons, and did many wonderful works. He gathered together many disciples^ He appointed twelve of them q,s apostles to rule and govern His Church and to establish it all over the world. He left His Body whilst it hung on the Crpss but He came back to.it again on Easter Day. He went up', to Heaven on Ascension Day and sent down His Holy Spirit on Whitsunday. • ■'.'. Although we cannot now see Him, He is here as well as m Heaven; especially when He comes to us at Holy Communion to give us Himseif, His own Body and His own Blood to feed .our souls, and to offer His Sacrifice and purs to His: F&theiv . We have learned what the Catechism teaches us ;:abput our baptism, the chief articles 6i . the Apostles Creed, our Christian duties and' how to pray. . . ' ' I hope you have ;kept your .copies of the " Church .GPazetite" and Jthat you, will read the lessons all over again to refresh your memory. If you want to know any more about these things 'write, to the Editor. That will do instead of an exercise • this week. , - : Lesson 49. THE CHRISTIAN >, ........ . .;• ; ■ '--.;■ ■:■'•: When Our -Lord Jesus Christ- was :

tfepd ip THis" : ts#h*ng ; /aM, feslHed Jfjfln. $ftt; Mii^ll^fteseld^^pli^ ggtoi: etoe V,«pd ;|je Rallied jith^ii ' ' J4,F|os|les" o$ ? Stjhose w^o jftfte ,s^ft.'!'i Tseir names , ; are Simpn .>se.tie,r jftpjij^d^pr,.- s^pffi and Jphnj E&lip, Bartholomew,, v IjCfepmas,:. 7s!idjlrhjPK, (^^aldeus), isSinifjn M the Ca^r aßijiJ»,:.^^4as:;^(jai!i^i'all; He 4 ga\setp;em. /pp^fer .to >$$$ H^cjepn vSRif its f piift io hjeal j.d|^eaa^s, iftighity works e tKftt .Bfe t^a.d ;b§en doi^g ; '..'.■■•■■•'■• •-•:- -v ■••„ : ;...! , jHe . sa^id, •'■ 'ijhejth.at you >re- ■> r^eiy^th/Hirp Me.' jf ; A good . wjile ; tjiis JHJe gaid;to I^eter, r'/.^erijyiil ;^y uuto -you/ -that yje theiiegipin§ratio.n TRben tlieSdn.of Man shallsit, on .ikjie of ; His Glory, lye also j shall, rsiifc upon , thrones, • judging ; the.t^!elxe : tuibQs of '.Israel. *'••■■• • Qjx ,the -night He fWias betrayed • He togk.-them into $n--< tipper ; room' and>tai|gbt them hp,w t,o celebrate the Qhristiari passqver [or 'Holy Comin.unip.n. : ■ Judasj qne of the itwelve apostles; betrayed Him; > nWhen He was risen from the .dead Jfesus met the eleven again and said to cthem,," Peace he unto ; you; as my I;a|her .hath sent Me, even 'i so send il you. ' Then he breathed on: them and said, '<■ Beceive ye the Holy Ghost, whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto ithem iand whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained,": and again before He ascended into iHeaven, He t said to thssk,, "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptising them . m the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to. observe all things what- ; soever I have commanded yon, and lo! I am with you always even unto the end -of the world. " .Then on the (day of Pentecost' He sent , down the gift of fthe Holy 1 Ghost on the eleven and on Matthias, who had been chosen to fill the place, of |he traitor Judas. i: So it was * that the ; twelve were. . appointed ito - carry on the work of Je^us •m the - world. > Af tervwalrds ;the' s apostles ordained seven , men to look -after the '; poor. They called them J '' ; Deaconsj iy ' Th^n later pn IJesus; called Pa:ul to be an apostle; I will tell you "about that m a later. lesson.Now the apostles' work grew so heavy that they' could not do it all themselves, so they chose out men to be elders or- '• ' priests ; ' and - gave them a part of the work to do. ,They ordained priests wherever there was a big- Ghristiah congregation. Then

q0 bs; . one (the ajjpstles'i died?, V. butt be|or,e ;they ;<U!ed '^a^t »JP^? cijd ipjiests Htjp icarivy aS " J it^e^^;^tiiirk: aod ordained* theia to be ■'-$So iwhen ; »ir ;! ftb^" '-ap^tres'w^E^ dqad t $ie • work was \ carried: on just; tke'i isame 1 by itihe ibishdps arid priests and deacons ; and it has been car riedi qli m- ,tMs pay evdr since; VEyery past q£ Mtjhe Church which is a trufe/ bifliwib. of ;the' %dy (Catholic Ghuiichv is rgo^eriaed- >by jßishqps. ■••■■; ; '■■' ■■'< > :C . ;Exercise •; iWrite' :out ; Btymn 352, ;^ and:''M:i '•- '•^■- '?(> .■T^.;vv"> * '■ : *' -- ' ;;"^rv Lesson ,50. . THE iQ^RiSTI^N: ; ■ VN v q j one c,aji . 'beconie a deacon 0?,^? priesi or a^ 'bisHjcfp^uiiless^ ;lie. ;has he#ri; chjosien ,the ( (l^urQh jaiid .ordajineoi by^a^bisJioß/'' ""' l " > .."■'" . : '". ,".".' V '■'..'• : P a (man.. feels certain .that God, ,is> c^Uing ihiniv ;t;o ;l>e |a .minister ,m. Sis. r dhurch, he goes /ajid, tells, thei BisKpp.' T|he exaniines him and as^jS; him .'.so .as to .be s,ure tliat/ he, is '^^iiy- .i n that he * bjer .• lij^yes the true faith and has learned, enough .to, be able ,ti> teach , other people. ' Tijien ,pe .ordains him to be; a, fe;P n - '' "'"' ■ - ' -.■■: . tW|ien he h^s been ; a fleacQii some the,, Bishop is^ qiiite' : satisfied that he is fit to be a priest,, he ordains him to be a priest and, other priests join with the JBisiiop m laying their hands on his heg,d ,to; ; ordain him. - If 1 a priest is. chosen to become a, bishop, he is consecrated by at least three who are already bishops. There? are, long lists of the bishops of the Qhurch back to the time of the. Apostles. The Apostles made the^, first and these passe.a on i their alitßority to others. So our bishophas, his authority from bishops before him, and; they from others, right .back, to the Apostles, who got their' auth-; ority from Jesus Himself. , We call this the , ' ' Apostolic Succession. ' ' No man can be a deacon, a priest or a bishop unless he has : been chosen and ordaine.d-by God m this way, and has been given the gift of the Holy Qhpst through the "laying on pf • hanjds" inrprjdin.atipn. .j^ deacon's work is to help theprieist., ,He visits, the .sick and .the :I poor, sometimes he preaches, and bap-, tises chiljdren, but .he has no power. , to forgive sins nor to celebrate the Hp}y Communion. 3\rhen a m^n is ordained rto be a priest, the bishop lays his hands pn v his hesi]d and sa,ys, -'Keceiye the Holy Ghost j for the office and work of , a priest m the Church of God, now committed; unto three by the. imposition of our hands. Whosesoever sins thou : dost forgive they are forgiven; and whosesoever sins thou dost retain they are retained: and be thou a faithful dispenser of the Word of God, and of His holy Sacraments ; In

the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." > So you see the priest has authority to forgive sins m God's name, to preach God's Holy Word, and to administer the Sacraments, except Confirmation and Ordination (ordaining ministers). A Bishop has the same authority as the Apostles had; he gives Confirmation to those who have been baptised, he ordains men to the sacred minisr try, and he rules the "diocese/ or part of the Church, of which he has been made bishop. Every boy who reads this 5 lesson should ask God m his prayers to tell him whether He wants him to be a minister m His Church. . ' ■-' Sometimes God tells people when ' they are quite young, sometimes He waits till they are older. If God wants you to be a minister m His Church He will make the way plain, but you must not think He doesn't want you just because He doesn't tell you at once. Some of the clergy did not find out till they were quite old; you must be always waiting for God's voice. If God calls you, you must be ready to give up everything else, and to start to learn what is necessary to make you fit for this work, for it is the greatest work that any man can do. If God does not call you to be a minister, yet you may still serve God whatever y6u may be called upon to do; St. Paul says "Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Healing diseases is part" of God's work, it is a glorious thing to be able to serve as a doctor. Teachers have splendid chances of serving God by the good influence they can have over those they teach; by setting them a good example of Christian character. Lawyers can serve . God by refusing to help those who want to use the law to do harm to their neighbors and by helping those who have been wronged. Business men can serve God by being strictly honest and just m all their dealings and setting an example of fairness m treating those whom they employ. Politicians can do splendid work for God m using their power and votes m Parliament on the side of what is right and just, m getting good laws passed and so on. Carpenters, painters and other tradesmen, and, m fact, all who work can serve God m ;fcheir work by doing it honestly *' as unto the Lord and not unto men." "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. ' ' So we can all be God 's ministers, but the priesthood is the highest work of all. Lesson 51. VOCATION; A rich young man came to our Lord

Jesus .Christ one day and said, "Lord, what: good thing shall. I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Jesus told him to keep the Commandments. He replied that he had always kept the Commandments since he was a boy. Then Jesus said, "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure m heaven: and come, follow me." There are many Christians who have done what Jesus told this young man 1 to do, they have given up everything they had, and have giventheir lives? wholly to God's service. There are -"sisterhoods" of nurses who work among the poor for nothing, or work m Church hospitals. So, too, there are teaching sisterhdods; women who have given their lives to God to teach m Church schools. They do not get any salary, only their food and clothes. Our. Lord has promised that those who work for Him like this will have "treasure m Heaven." To give up everything for God and to work for him is the happiest life that anyone can live. There are "brotherhoods" for boys, too. I wonder if any of the boys and girls who read these lessons will ever do this great thing for God. If you ever think that God is calling you to serve Him m this way tell your vicar about it and he will tell you what to do. There are lots of "brothers" and "sisters" m England and some m all parts of the world. For example: The "Sisters of St. Elizabeth of Hungary are going to start a Church Hospital m Christchuvch soon. There is a school for girls m Dunedin and another one m Christchurch taught by "sisters." There are "sisters" an Auckland doing wonderful work among poor people. By and bye I hope we shall have "brotherhoods" working m New. Zealand, as they do m Australia. The boys and girls who read this lesson are not old enough, perhaps, to know plainly whether God is calling them to serve Him m this way or not r but they should ask God "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and God will by and by make His wishes plain. God calls every Christian to work for Him m some way. We call this work our "vocation." God calls people to work for Him m different ways. Do not make up your mind what you would like to be until you have asked God to guide you m choosing the way m which you can serve Him best. Exercise: Write out Hymn 356, the last verse, and Hymn 349, verse 4.