ness in this respect contrast unfavourably with the behaviour of the Gentiles mentioned above?

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. Our Lord foretells His approaching Death, CONSIDERATION. Our Lord, having granted the request of the Gentiles, foretells in their presence and in that of the multitude His approaching death, speaking of it under the guise of a parable, which would shortly be made clear to them. The hour is come,' He said, 'that the Son of Man should be glorified. Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it bringeth not forth much fruit.' Thus our Lord speaks of His death and of its fruit, the conversion of the Gentiles.

APPLICATION. What a lesson for ourselves! Our Lord gave His life for the salvation of souls, and we will not suffer; we would choose another road to heaven for ourselves and others than the royal road of the Cross. What extraordinary blindness! AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III. Jesus is troubled.

CONSIDERATION. 'Now is My soul troubled,' continues our Lord. Wherefore was He thus troubled ! It was at the thought of the cruel and shameful death which awaited Him. But He goes on, 'Father, save Me from this hour;' and then adds, 'Father, glorify Thy name.' A voice therefore came from heaven: 'I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.'

APPLICATION. We learn from this that the trouble we feel at some prospective humiliation or affliction is not an imperfection, still less a fault, since our Lord Himself experienced it. But do we do as He did― sanctifying it by prayer and submission to the holy will of God?

COLLOQUY.

NOVEMBER 21.

OUR BLESSED LADY'S PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE.

1st Prel. Imagine our Blessed Lady, almost an infant, offering herself in the Temple.

2d Prel. Ask for grace to imitate her generosity.

POINT I. Mary gives herself to God without delay. CONSIDERATION. The Church this day celebrates the presentation of our Blessed Lady in the Temple, whither she was brought by her parents at the age of three years, and confided to the care of the pious women employed in the service of the Temple, and whom, according to custom, she was to assist and remain with until she should be of marriageable age. But the holy child entertained views widely different. Enlightened by grace from above, she had already chosen to belong to God alone, and had bound herself to Him by a vow of virginity-the first of all the daughters of Judah!

APPLICATION. You esteem our Blessed Lady happy in having such pious parents, and in understanding at so tender an age the privilege of thus consecrating herself to God. But had you not also a holy mother, who offered you to the Lord in your infancy, and thus inspired you in later years with the idea of ratifying that offering of your own free will? But if not, at least you gave yourself entirely to God on the day of your first communion. Have you always been faithful? Have you not, little by little, lost sight of your promises? Perhaps bad example has led you into sin, or you may have long lived in certain habitual sins. What an injury to God! what an injury to yourself! AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. Mary gives herself to God without reserve. CONSIDERATION. Our Blessed Lady's sacrifice on the day of her presentation was perfect and entire. She gave up everything for the love of God-the society of

her parents, the goods of the world-all, even the most innocent pleasure of sense, and, by her vow of virginity, the hope cherished by so many of the women of Judah of becoming the mother of the promised Messiah. Her liberty only remained; and that too she gave up, St. Anselm tells us, by a promise of obedience to the highpriest Zachary. Thus her sacrifice was entire, and, what is more, perfect from the love and fervour with which she made it.

APPLICATION. We also have offered ourselves wholly and entirely to God and His love by our religious VOWS: We ought each day to renew this offering of ourselves, because the obligations it involves recur each day; but do not we do so without much reflection, perhaps making certain reserves as to the use of our tongues, our eyes, or our other senses, or as to the affections of our hearts, which we divide between God and the creature?.

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III. Mary gives herself irrevocably to God.

CONSIDERATION. Mary never sought to take anything back from the offering she had made; but day by day she made it more complete, more agreeable to God, thereby imprinting upon it the seal of perfection. The Almighty in return poured out fresh graces upon her, and Mary faithfully corresponded with each and all. This may serve to make us understand how truly the Archangel Gabriel saluted her as 'full of grace,' ' blessed among women,' on the day of the Annunciation. But who can form an idea of the treasures of grace, acquired during the long course of years which followed the Incarnation, with which our Lady entered the courts of the heavenly Jerusalem?

APPLICATION. How far we are from imitating the constancy of our Blessed Mother! how faithless are we to our best-grounded resolutions! We seem to only make promises to God for the purpose of breaking them.

Let us blush for our weakness, and take advantage of this festival to give ourselves entirely and irrevocably to God.

COLLOQUY.

NOVEMBER 22.

THE EVENTS OF MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK: OUR LORD CURSES THE BARREN FIG-TREE.

1st Prel. Imagine our Lord cursing the barren fig-tree. 2d Prel. Ask that you may bring forth abundant fruits of salva tion.

POINT I. Our Lord's Hunger.

CONSIDERATION. On the evening of Palm Sunday our Lord returned to Bethany, but returned to Jerusalem on the following day. On His way_thither, St. Matthew relates that He was hungry. It seems probable that our Lord had fasted all the day before, and must therefore have been greatly suffering from want of food.

APPLICATION. Our Lord we know frequently fasted, and the Holy Spirit no doubt specially mentions His hunger in this place for the encouragement of those who imitate His example and suffer likewise. But it is rather the spiritual than the bodily hunger of our Lord that we should here consider. How can we relieve it? By the fruit of our good works and virtues we may set before Him daily an abundant feast. But do you do so? Do not your days bring forth little but vain and barren projects? Humble yourself, and redouble your fervour.

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. Our Lord finds no fruit on the Fig-tree. CONSIDERATION. In the words of St. Mark, 'And when He had seen afar off a fig-tree having leaves, He came, if perhaps He might find anything on it; and

when He was come to it He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the time for figs.' This barren tree offers a striking image of the Jewish nation, whose religion now only consisted in outward forms and in a blind adherence to the letter of the law, without imbibing its spirit or practising the virtues it prescribed.

APPLICATION. The fig-tree also is an image of those weak and lukewarm Christians who neglect the practice of good works, and content themselves with mere prayers and outward practices, and also of the religious who has lost the spirit of his state, who performs all his exercises and actions mechanically, without the heart or mind taking part in them. Let us examine ourselves, and fear lest we fall into this state, as we may so easily do through negligence and dissipation. AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III. Our Lord curses the barren Fig-tree.

CONSIDERATION. 'And He saith to it [the fig-tree], May no fruit grow on thee henceforth for ever! And immediately the fig-tree withered away; and the disciples seeing it wondered, saying, How is it presently withered away!'

APPLICATION. How much greater will be the astonishment of the sinner, surprised by death in the midst of his vain projects of future conversion, when he hears the fearful words, 'Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,' and finds his regrets useless, and the time for bringing forth works of penance gone for ever! Let this thought inspire us with zeal for the conversion of sinners, and also for our own conversion and sanctification.

COLLOQUY.

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