POINT II. Jesus, touched with compassion, raises the Dead.

CONSIDERATION. The crowd which went before Jesus stopped silently at the entrance of the town before the funeral procession, which was coming out at the same moment. Every eye was fixed on the desolate mother, who was weeping and crying out with anguish; whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, He said to her, Weep not. And He came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it stood still.' Then, speaking in that tone of authority which belonged to Him as the Master of life and death, He said, 'Young man, I say to thee, Arise.' And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak; and He gave him to his mother.

APPLICATION. When you see the sweetness and tenderness of the Heart of Jesus for a stranger who had asked nothing from Him, ought you not to blush at your want of confidence in Him? How often you are heard to say, 'I try in vain to be as fervent again as I once was; or I strive in vain to bring back this young man, or this sick person, or this hardened sinner, to the right path: it will require nothing less than a miracle.' That may be ; but why hesitate to ask for this miracle of grace? why doubt that you will obtain it? Is it not doing an injury to the Heart of Jesus to believe that He will do less for the life of a soul than that of the body? It is supposed by many of the Fathers that in our Lord's mind the bodily resurrection which He wrought at the gates of Naim was a figure of those spiritual resurrections which the Apostles and their successors were to accomplish in every quarter of the world. And then it was because of his mother that Jesus raised the dead man. Be careful, when you desire to obtain any great favour, to implore the intercession of your Mother, of Mary, and you will feel

redoubled confidence.

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III: Jesus blessed by the Crowd.

CONSIDERATION. When the multitude who sur rounded Him saw the miracle He had wrought, 'there came a fear on them all;' and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet is risen up among us, and God has visited His people.'

of power

APPLICATION. God is continually working miracles and goodness, both in the order of nature and grace. We must not merely look on at them, but, imitating these good people, show our gratitude by praising and blessing God, and by trying, when occasion offers, to inspire others with the same feelings of admiration and gratitude. How have you acted in this respect?

COLLOQUY with our Blessed Lady.

JULY 28.

RETURN OF THE DEVIL; OR FALLING BACK INTO SIN.

1st Prel. Imagine you see a house invaded for the second time by an enemy.

2d Prel. Beg for grace to know and to avoid the snares of the devil.

POINT I. The Devil driven out.

CONSIDERATION. Magdalene, when she had once been delivered from the seven devils who possessed her, never gave them admittance again. All do not imitate her. Our Lord warns us against this terrible misfortune, and unveils to us the machinations of the devil: When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none.' The insult of his expulsion will not let him rest. He wearies himself to find out the means of regaining what he has lost, and is determined to overcome every obstacle. 'Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out.'

APPLICATION. Do we take as much trouble to keep ourselves in grace and fervour as the devil does to rob us of them? Alas, scarcely have we gone back to God by a good confession, or regained fervour by a good retreat, than we lose our compunction, become dissipated, delude ourselves by a false security, and have no fear of the enemy, who is watching us, and lying in wait for the moment when he can take us by surprise. How often have we fallen back into sin! How many means of sanctification have we lost which might have been prevented if we had been on our guard, watching and praying! What does experience say to you in this respect?

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. The Devil returning.

CONSIDERATION. The devil does not confine himself to plans and resolutions: he takes the most violent means, bringing against us, if necessary, an infernal legion, and coming, he findeth it, says our Lord, empty, swept and garnished (by grace). Then he goeth and taketh seven other spirits more wicked than himself. This means many others more crafty, more wily than himself, who attack us on all sides, in all ways, by joy and sorrow, by pleasure and pain, by prosperity and adversity, by love and by hate, by presumption and by despondency or despair.

APPLICATION. The devil carefully watches our state and the dispositions of our hearts, whilst we either neglect to examine ourselves, or do it very superficially. The devil does not rely on his own strength, but seeks for help; whilst we, confiding too much in ourselves, do not, even in the most violent temptations, run for aid to God and to the Saints. Our pride prevents us from manifesting ourselves to our spiritual directors, and seeking aid and counsel from them; and pride separates us from God, and deprives us of the grace we

need to sustain us. How terrible is this! It is thus that we also come to the assistance of our greatest enemy. AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III. The Devil triumphant.

CONSIDERATION. When by presumption, or negligence, or weakness, we have opened our hearts to the devil, what takes place? He enters in and dwells there, says our Lord, and the last state of that man is made worse than the first. Why is this? Because, by repeated sin, the horror of it diminishes, the withdrawal of so much grace weakens the soul, and light and faith are darkened, bad habits are formed, and become, as St. Austin said, speaking from experience, a second nature-Fit habitus peccandi, et habitus fit altera natura. It is the greatest misery that can befall us.

APPLICATION. Let us try to understand this misery. Let us have a lively fear of a habit even of venial sin, and especially of a state of lukewarmness. It is so difficult to get out of it, more so for a religious than for a secular, who is less familiar with holy thoughts, and less guilty of ingratitude towards God. When such a thing takes place, says St. Bernard, 'I look upon a change as more wonderful than the raising of the dead to life.' Let us see how we stand, what we have to fear, what remains for us to do.

COLLOQUY.

JULY 29.

OUR LORD'S TEACHING ON FAMILY TIES.

1st Prel. Imagine you see Jesus instructing the people, and receiving an invitation to come to His Mother and His brethren.

2d Prel. Beg for a detachment from all undue natural affection

for your relations.

VOL. II.

E

POINT I. Relationship of Jesus Christ, and with Jesus Christ.

CONSIDERATION. An apparently accidental incident interrupted our Lord's discourse. People came to tell Him that His Mother and other near relatives were come from Nazareth, and stood without seeking to speak to Him. And one said to Him, Behold Thy Mother and Thy brethren stand without, seeking Thee. But He answering him that told Him, said, Who is My Mother, and who are My brethren? And stretching forth His hand towards His disciples, He said, Behold My Mother and My brethren,' or those who stand to Me in the place of mother and brethren.

APPLICATION. What does our divine Lord teach us by this? That when the glory of God, the salvation of souls, or our own sanctification is in question, we ought to forget all that attaches us to earth, and that, when necessary, we should sacrifice the affection we have for our relations to the obedience and fidelity we owe to God. In other words, we ought to love our relations and friends only in God, for God, and as God. This is the meaning of that rule which bids the religious to try and turn the affection which they naturally and lawfully have for their parents, brothers, and sisters into a spiritual love. Have you conformed to these rules of conduct?

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. How we can become Brethren of Jesus Christ.

CONSIDERATION. For whosoever shall do the will of My Father that is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.' He that does the will of God can become the brother of Jesus Christ in this sense-1 -that by his conformity in all things with the will of God, which is also that of Jesus, he possesses a perfect fraternity of thoughts and feelings with Him; in this