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entreat him. And he answering said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandments, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends; but as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. But it was fit we should make merry and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is come to life again, he was lost, and is found.

suo: Ecce tot annis servio tibi, et numquam mandatum tuum præterivi, et numquam dedisti mihi hodum, ut cum amicis meis epularer: sed postquam filius tuus hic, qui devoravit substantiam suam cum meretricibus, venit, occidisti illi vitulum saginatum. At ipse dixit illi: Fili, tu semper mecum es, et omnia mea tua sunt: epulari autem et gaudere oportebat, quia frater tuus hic mortuus erat, et revixit: perierat et in

ventus est.

The mystery brought before us in the Epistle, is repeated in our Gospel. Again, it is the history of two Brothers; the elder is angry at seeing his father show mercy to the younger. This younger Brother has gone abroad into a far country; he has quitted his father's house, that he might be under no control, and indulge in every kind of disorder. But, when a mighty famine came, and he was perishing with hunger, he remembered that he had a Father; and, at once, he arose, and humbly besought his father to receive him, and give him the last place in that House, which, but for his own folly, might have been all his own. The father received the prodigal with the tenderest affection; not only did he pardon him, he restored him to all his family rights; nay, he would have a feast kept in honour of this happy return. The elder Brother hearing what the father had done, was indignant, and conceives the bitterest jealousy against his younger Brother. Let the Jews be jealous, if they will; let them be indignant with their God for showing his mercy to any but themselves. The time is come when all the

nations of the earth are to be called to the One Fold. The Gentiles, notwithstanding all the misery into which their errors and their passions had led them, are to receive the preaching of the Apostles. Greeks and Romans, Scythians and Barbarians, are to come, humbly acknowledging the evil of their ways, and ask to share in the favours offered to Israel. Not only are they to be allowed to eat of the crumbs that fall from the table, which was all the poor woman of Chanaan dared to hope for; they are to be made Sons and Heirs of the Father, with all the attendant rights and privileges. Israel will be jealous, and will protest; but to no purpose. He will refuse to take part in the feast; it matters not, the feast is to be. This Feast is the Pasch. The Prodigals that have come, starved and naked, to the Father's house, are our Catechumens, on whom God is about to bestow the grace of adoption.

But there are also the public Penitents, who are being prepared, by the Church, for Reconciliation; they, too, are the Prodigals, who come seeking mercy from their offended Father. This Gospel was

intended for them as well as for the Catechumens. But now that the Church has relaxed her severe discipline, she offers this Parable to all those who are in the state of sin, and are preparing to make their peace with God. They know not, as yet, how good is the God from whom they have strayed by sin: let them read to-day's Gospel, and see how Mercy exalteth itself above Judgment,1 in that God, who so loved the world, as to give his Only Begotten Son.2 How far soever they may have gone astray, or how great soever may have been their ingratitude, let them take courage; a feast is being prepared in their Father's House, to welcome them home again. The loving Father is waiting at the door to receive

1 St. James, ii, 13.

2 St. John, iii, 16.

and embrace them; the first robe, the robe of innocence, is to be restored to them; the ring, which they alone wear that are of God's family, is to be once more placed on their hand. There is a Banquet being prepared for them, at which the Angels, out of joy, will sing their glad songs. Let these poor sinners, then, cry out with a contrite heart: Father! I have sinned against heaven, and before thee; I am not now worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants. This tender-hearted Father asks only this much of them sincere sorrow for their sins, humble confession, and a firm resolution of being faithful for the time to come. Let them accept these easy terms, and he will receive them, once more, as his dearest children.

Bow down your heads to God.

Protect, O Lord, we beseech thee, thy family by thy continual goodness, that as it relieth on the hopes of thy heavenly grace, so it may be defended by thy heavenly aid. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Humiliate capita vestra Deo.

Familiam tuam, quæsumus, Domine, continua pietate custodi: ut quæ in sola spe gratiæ cœlestis innititur, cœlesti etiam protectione muniatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

This being Saturday, let us have recourse to Mary, the Queen of Mercy. Let us address ourselves to her in these devout words of a Sequence, taken from the ancient Cluny Missals. This is our request: that she would obtain for us the pardon of our sins.

SEQUENCE.

Hail, fair Star! that yieldest a ray of new Light, whereby is blotted out the shame of

our race.

O thou the singular hope of man! O thou, our Refuge! Appease thy Son, at the hour of our judgment.

Ave novi luminis
Stella promens radium,
Quo nostræ propaginis
Deletur opprobrium.

Tu sola spes hominis';
Tu nostrum refugium,
In hora discriminis
Placa nobis Filium.

Florens Jesse virgula, Vera veris primula, Salutem initians.

Rosa semper vernula, Tota sine macula, Maculosos expians.

Uterus virgineus, Fons hortorum, puteus Aquarum viventium.

Imo thronus aureus, In quo Rex æthereus Coronavit Filium.

Domus aromatica, Quam arte mirifica Fecit summus Artifex.

In qua Christus unica Sumpta carnis tunica, Consecratur Pontifex. Fons distillans oleum, Imo rorem melleum, Per amoris fistulas.

Inde surgit balneum, Purgans omne felleum, Et peccati maculas.

Mater cujus viscera Penetrarunt vulnera Patientis Filii.

Lac profer et ubera; Nos a pœnis libera Tremendi judicii. Amen.

:

Thou art the flowery Rod of Jesse thou art the true first spring-flower, bringing us our Jesus.

0 ever blooming Rose! there is not a stain upon thee, and thy Fruit taketh our stains away.

Thy virginal womb is the Fount of the Garden, the source of Him that is the Water of Life.

Yea, thou art the golden Throne, whereon the King of heaven crowned his Son.

The Palace of sweet perfumes, formed with exquisite skill by the hand of the great Artificer;

Wherein Jesus, having put on the garment of our flesh, was consecrated High Priest.

Thou art the Fount that givest forth oil, yea a dew sweet as honey; for thou art all love.

Hence came to us the Font that washeth away the bitterness and stains of sin.

O Mother! whose Heart was pierced by the wounds of thy suffering Son,

Show us a Mother's care and love; and when the dread judgment comes, deliver us from punishment. Amen.

THE

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT.

THE holy Church gave us, as the subject of our meditation for the First Sunday of Lent, the Temptation which our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to suffer in the Desert. Her object was to enlighten us with regard to our own temptations, and teach us how to conquer them. To-day, she wishes to complete her instruction on the power and stratagems of our invisible enemies; and for this, she reads to us a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke. During Lent, the Christian ought to repair the past, and provide for the future; but he can neither understand how it was he fell, nor defend himself against a relapse, unless he have correct ideas as to the nature of the dangers which have hitherto proved fatal, and are again threatening him. Hence, the ancient Liturgists would have us consider it as a proof of the maternal watchfulness of the Church, that she should have again proposed such a subject to us. As we shall find, it is the basis of all to-day's instructions. Assuredly, we should be the blindest and most unhappy of men, if,—surrounded as we are by enemies, who unceasingly seek to destroy us, and are so superior to us both in power and knowledge, we were seldom or never to think of the existence of these wicked spirits. And yet, such is really the case with innumerable Christians now-a-days; for, truths are diminished from among the children of men.1

1 Ps. xi. 2.

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