Pythagoras forbade his disciples to ask anything in particular of God. The shortest and best prayer which we can address to him, who knows our wants and our ignorance in asking, is this: Thy will be done.

PATRIOTISM

EITHER Montaigne in writing his Essays,' nor Descartes in

N building new worlds, not Burnet in framing an antedilu

vian earth, no, nor Newton in discovering and establishing the true laws of nature on experiment and a sublimer geometry, felt more intellectual joys than he feels who is a real patriot, who bends all the force of his understanding, and directs all his thoughts and actions to the good of his country. When such a man forms a political scheme, and adjusts various and seemingly independent parts in it to one great and good design, he is transported by imagination, or absorbed in meditation, as much. and as agreeable as they; and the satisfaction that arises from the different importance of these objects, in every step of the work, is vastly in his favor. It is here that the speculative philosopher's labor and pleasure end. But he who speculates in order to act, goes on and carries his scheme into execution. His labor continues, it varies, it increases; but so does his pleasure, too. The execution, indeed, is often traversed by unforeseen and untoward circumstances, by the perverseness and treachery of friends, and by the power and malice of enemies; but the first and last of these animate, and the docility and fidelity of some men make amends for the perverseness and treachery of others. Whilst a great event is in suspense, the action warms, and the very suspense, made up of hope and fear, maintains no unpleasing agitation in the mind. If the event is decided successfully, such a man enjoys pleasure proportionable to the good he has done a pleasure like to that which is attributed to the Supreme Being on a survey of his works. If the event is decided otherwise, and usurping courts or overbearing parties prevail, such a man has still the testimony of his conscience, and a sense of the honor he has acquired, to soothe his mind and support his courage. For although the course of State affairs be to those who meddle in them like a lottery, yet it is a lottery wherein no good man can be a loser; he may be reviled, it is true, instead of being applauded, and may suffer violence of many kinds.

I

551 will not say, like Seneca, that the noblest spectacle which God can behold is a virtuous man suffering, and struggling with afflictions; but this I will say, that the second Cato, driven out of the forum and dragged to prison, enjoyed more inward pleasure, and maintained more outward dignity, than they who insulted him, and who triumphed in the ruin of their country.

ST. BONAVENTURA

(1221-1274)

t. Bonaventura, celebrated as one of the great preachers of the Franciscan order and one of the greatest doctors of the Western church, was born in Tuscany in 1221. He studied under St. Francis and, on going to Paris, under the "Irrefragable Doctor," Alexander Hales, who said of him, "I think Adam could not have sinned in that young man." Entering the Franciscan order at twenty-three years of age, he was promoted step by step until he became Cardinal Bishop of Albano. In the Council of Lyons and thereafter he did much to effect the union of the Eastern and Western churches, attempted with some promise of permanent success at that time. He died in June 1274. The celebrity which his sermons gave him during the Middle Ages makes them interesting as examples of the style and taste of his time.

WR

THE LIFE OF SERVICE

MAY notice that Jesus Christ proposed to us in the Gospel four very notable things to be received, namely: the Cross, in the chastisement of our evil natures; his Body in Sacramental Communion; the Holy Ghost in mental unction; the Penny in eternal remuneration.

The Cross is the mortification of the flesh; they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts. He takes up the Cross who accepts a penance, who enters into religion, who determines to pass through the sea of this world into the Holy Land, that is, the Land of the Living; and he receives the remission of all his sins. There are four things which urge us to take up this Cross. The first is the irrefutable example of our Lord Jesus Christ; "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross." For it is a glorious thing that the servants should be configured to the likeness of their Lord. The second is invincible help; for the Lord is the helper of them that are signed with the Cross. The Psalmist says: "Thou, Lord, hast holden me and comforted me." Thou hast holden me against the evil of sin, and hast comforted me against the evil of punishment. Wherefore, when the sign of the Cross

appears in a church, there also has been the anointing with oil, because there ought to be in ourselves external triumph and internal unction. Many see our Cross, but see not our unction.

The third is inviolable privilege. For the privilege of them that have taken the Cross is to be in the special guardianship of the Pope. But this is often violated; it is not so in our Cross; stay not the men on whom ye find the sign Tau. From henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. The fourth is a reward that cannot be lost. Many return from the Holy Land, who, by negligence and evil living, lose their reward. It is not so with those that are here signed; they that were sealed out of every people stood before the throne. On this Cross, O Christian soul, thou must hang without intermission, as Christ did, who would not be taken down from the Cross while he lived. So neither must thou be from thy life of penitence or of religion. Let us listen to no one, brethren, neither to man nor to spirit, who would persuade us to come down from the Cross; let us persist in remaining on the Cross, let us die on the Cross, let us be taken down by the hands of others and not by our own, after his example who said on the Cross, "It is finished." So do thou also remain to the end on the Cross, and thus at the termination of thy life, when thou art about to give up the ghost, thou mayest say: "It is finished; I have kept the rule which I vowed, obedience, penitence, the commandments of God, I have kept them all, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course."

Of the second: Take, eat, this is my body. But in what manner we are to receive the body of Jesus, we read: and when Joseph had received the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Thou must, therefore, receive from the altar the body of Jesus with the same fervor and devotion with which Joseph received it from the Cross. The altar, by its four corners, sets forth the Cross. Thus do thou wrap our Lord's body in clean linen. "He wraps Jesus in clean linen, who receives him with a pure mind." Now purity is well set forth by linen, which is in its nature most white, and thereby sets forth how pure we should be in our souls. It is written: "Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk." Purity of heart is the milk, by which God and the angels are delighted. A fly or dust shows itself at once in milk; so in a pure conscience, any, the smallest stain, cannot be hid. And, as a fly is quickly cast forth by any

one who is drinking milk, so the busy fly of impure thought is cast out from a pure conscience. Much it displeases the devil, much it pleases God and the angels, when you eject the fly of the devil from the milk of the heart. "It is the part of demons to inject evil thoughts; it is our part not to consent to them." For, as often as we resist, we conquer the devil, we glorify the angels, we honor God; it is impossible to say how great is the joy of the angels when one heart is converted to God; so on the other hand, neither can we express the grief with which demons are then afflicted, they, who are ever lying in ambush to deprive us of our salvation.

Of the third it is thus written: Receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is here given to the Disciples when the doors were shut, as the oil was multiplied in the vessels borrowed from the neighbors when the doors were also shut. Note the history. The oil is the grace of the Holy Ghost. In the Psalm it is said: "God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness." Vessels which are lifted by the hand are the virtue and examples for which we look in the saints who now dwell in this world, and which we collect into the house of our soul, as if we borrowed vessels from our neighbors; but those vessels are empty, so far as we are concerned, if we imitate not those examples of the saints by the grace of the Holy Ghost. Whereas, on the other hand, the virgins that were wise took oil in their lamps, as it is written. "The doors of our senses are sight, taste, hearing, touch, smell, and thy mouth is the gate." Unless these doors be cleansed against unlawful thoughts, the oil of grace will not be multiplied in the house of thy soul. Enter into the closet of thy mind and shut the door on all things except the Lord, and that which assists in seeking him.

Of the fourth: They likewise received every man a penny. The penny is eternal life, which is not given save to those who labor in the vineyard, that is in penitence or religion; in which vineyard we must not only labor, but also triumph over that lion the devil, which is prefigured in Samson; then Samson came to the vineyard of Timnath, and behold a young lion roared against him. That lion he conquered, and afterwards found honey in his mouth. Honey is the sweetness of the consolation of the Holy Ghost. "My spirit is sweeter than honey." You see then that the honey of grace is not given save to them that fight, nor is the penny of glory bestowed save on them who labor in the vineyard.