" B o r k e , ^JO^A J>\e- -A-oi+s. . . A d i ¿ S a i The FRUITS of LENT Compiled from the Liturgy By John J. Burke, C.S.P. » m New York THE PATTLIST P E E S S 401 Wert 59th Street THE FRUITS OF LENT C O M P I L E D F R O M T H E L I T U R G Y B Y John J. Burke, C.S.P. New York THE PAULIST PRESS 401 West 59th Street INTRODUCTORY. L E N T is a time of invitation and promise on the par t of God: of self-denial and prayer on our part. God invites us to a clearer knowledge of Himself, to more enlightened standards of action: He promises the solicitude of a Father, the all-embracing redemp- tion of a Saviour, the heavenly intimacies of Divine Love. Holy Church invites us, in the words of her Beloved, to "Come unto Him:" to participate more frequently in the Holy Sacrifice of Calvary perpetu- ated in the Mass: she sets before us the divine words of the sacred Liturgy and invites us to taste and relish and know that they are sweet; she spreads for us the heavenly banquet of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, her Lord and ours and in- vites us to feed our souls on Him Whose Flesh is meat indeed and Whose Blood is drink indeed. We must come to her table empty, if we wouid be filled: we must fast f rom the material to make place for the spiritual. We must turn aside f rom worldly pleasures, if we would enter this garden of the Lord: we must put on the wedding garment of purity by contrition and penance, if we would walk and talk with God in this earthly paradise. We must re- spond to the invitation with prayer for God's gifts. Let us ask of the Holy Spirit His gifts of reverent fear and holy piety that we may "go unto the altar of the Lord" and taste of His mercies. COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY " T H E M I S S I O N A R Y SOCIETY o r S T . P A U L T H E A P O S T L E IN T H E S T A T E OF N E W Y O R K " Deac fd l ed ASH WEDNESDAY. INVITATION: Thus saith the Lord: "Be con- verted to Me with all your heart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning. And rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God for He is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy" (Lesson: Joel ii. 12, 13). PROMISE: "I will send you corn and wine and oil and you shall be filled with them" (Lesson: Joel ii. 19). RESPONSE: Grant to Thy faithful, O Lord, that they may begin the venerable solemnities of fasting with suitable piety and perform them with tranquil devotion (Collect of the Mass). REFLECTION : "Where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also" (Gospel: Matt. vi. 21). The "treasure" God offers us is—Himself. If He is truly our "treasure," our hearts will abide with Him in piety: not only will we love Him directly, but all our loves will lead to Him, not f rom Him. Our hearts will abide with Him in tranquillity, not tossed to and fro by every impulse of desire and dislike. "He who shall meditate upon the law of the Lord day and night, shall bring forth His f rui t in due season" (Communion: Ps. i. 2, 3). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Joy in penance; i. e., work, self-denial, prayer, for the Lord says: "When thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face; that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father Who is in secret" (Gospel: Matt. vi. 17, 18). PRAYER: Incline, O Lord, the ear of Thy mercy to Thy people prostrate before Thy majesty; that as we have been refreshed by the divine gift, we may ever be sustained by heavenly aids (Prayer over the people). THURSDAY AFTER QU1NQUAGESIMA. INVITATION: "Cast thy care upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee" (Introit: Ps. liv. 23). PROMISE: Thus saith the Lord: "I have heard thy prayer and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years" (Lesson: Is. x^xviii. 5). "I will come and heal h im" (Gospel: Matt, viii. 7). RESPONSE: "Lord I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word and my soul shall be healed" (Gospel: Matt. viii. 8) . PRAYER: O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people and turn away the scourges of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins (Collect). REFLECTION: "Go and as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee: and the servant was healed at the same hour" (Gospel: Matt. viii. 13). Faith is the highest act of worship of a creature. By it we be- lieve in God's power and love without asking to see or understand. It is perfectly expressed by our Blessed Mother: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done unto me according to thy word." Because she had believed, great things were accom- plished in her. So, too, will God fill the measure of our faith with His gifts. "In Thee, O my God, I put my t rust" (Offertory: Ps. xxiv. 1-3). FRUIT OF THE D A Y : Humility, Confidence: con- fession of our unworthiness, trust in God's goodness. PRAYER: Spare, 0 Lord, spare Thy people, that whereas they have been deservedly chastiled, they may find rest in Thy compassion (Prayer over the people). THURSDAY AFTER QU1NQUAGESIMA. INVITATION : "Be ye perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (Gospel: Matt. v. 48). PROMISE: "And Thy Father Who seeth in secret, will repay thee" (Gospel: Matt. vi. 4) . RESPONSE: "How beautiful art Thou, my love, how beautiful art Thou!" (Lesson: Cant. iv. 1). PRAYER: Regard the fast we have begun, we be- seech Thee, O Lord, with kind favor; that the ob- servance we exhibit corporally, we may be able also to exercise with sincere minds (Collect). REFLECTION: "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: that you may be the children of your Father AVho is in heaven, Who maketh His sun to shine upon the good and the bad, and raineth upon the jus t and the un jus t " (Gospel: Matt. v. 44, 45). This is the exercise of Christian sincerity: to love as Christ loves in service unto death; to pray as Christ prays: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." The Church teaches us to pray "to be made partakers of His divinity, Who vouch- safed to become partaker of our humanity." "A crown of gold was upon his head wherein was en- graved holiness, an ornament of honor, a costly work" (Gradual: Ecclus. xlv. 14). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Love of our neighbor for the love of God, proved by unostentatious acts of thoughtfulness and kindness. PRAYER: Pour forth upon us, O Lord, the Spirit of Thy love; that by Thy mercy Thou mayest make those of one mind whom Thou hast fed with one celestial food (Prayer after Communion). THURSDAY AFTER QU1NQUAGESIMA. INVITATION: "He cometh to them walking upon the sea . . . and He said to them: 'Have a good heart, it is I; fear ye n o t ' " (Gospel: Mark vi. 48-50). PROMISE: "The Lord will fill thy soul with brightness . . . and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail" (Lesson: Is. lviii. 11). RESPONSE: "One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord" (Gradual: Ps. xxvi. 4) . PRAYER: Give ear, O Lord, to our supplications; and grant that we may celebrate with devout service this solemn fast, which Thou hast ordained as a salutary remedy both for our souls and bodies (Collect). REFLECTION : "While thou dost not thy own ways, and thy own will is not found to speak a word; then shalt thou be delighted in the Lord and I will lift thee above the high places of the earth" (Lesson: Is. lviii. 13, 14). Jesus comes to us to be the Way. Until we take up our cross and follow Him; until we say with Him: "Father, not my will but Thine," we cannot taste of the delights of union with God and be uplifted by Him above worldly things. "O Lord en- liven me according to Thy word that I may know Thy testimonies" (Offertory: Ps. cxviii.). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : To make God's way our way; His will our will. PRAYER: May Thy faithful, O God, be strength- ened by Thy gifts; that by partaking of them they may still continue to seek after them, and by seeking them, constantly partake of them (Prayer over the people). FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. INVITATION : "We exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. . . Behold now is the ac- ceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation" (Epistle: 2 Cor. vi. 1, 2) . PROMISE: "The Lord will overshadow thee with His shoulders and under His wings thou shalt t rus t : His t ru th shall compass thee with a shield" (Offer- tory: Ps. xc. 4, 5) . RESPONSE: "The Lord my God will I adore and Him only will I serve" (Gospel: Matt. iv. 10). PRAYER : O God, Who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly fast of Lent, grant to Thy household that what we strive to obtain f rom Thee by abstinence, by good works we may secure (Collect). REFLECTION: "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil" (Gospel: Matt, iv. 1). Our Blessed Lord submitting to the ignom- iny of temptation, offers us a two-fold consolation: First, that temptation is not sin unless we consent to i t : God permits temptation "that His power may be made perfect in our infirmity." Second, that in moments of temptation Jesus is ever with us to over- shadow, to protect, to shield. Temptation overcome by grace is an acceptable time, our day of salvation. God's promise is with u s : "He shall call upon Me and I will hear him; I will deliver him and glorify him" (Introit: Ps. xc. 15). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : T O put God above all things and to fly to Him in temptation. PRAYER : May the holy libation of Thy Sacrament refresh us, O Lord, and, purifying us from our old life, make us pass on to the fellowship of Thy saving mystery (Prayer after Communion). THURSDAY, FIRST WEEK. INVITATION : "Come ye blessed of My Father, pos- sess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Gospel: Matt. xxv. 34). PROMISE: Behold I Myself will seek My sheep and will visit them" (Lesson: Ezech. xxxiv. 11). « RESPONSE: " I will lift up my eyes, and consider Thy wonders, O Lord, that Thou mayest teach me Thy justices; give me understanding and I will learn Thy commandments" (Offertory: Ps. cxviii.). PRAYER: Convert us, O God, our Saviour: and that the fast of Lent may profit us, instruct our minds with its heavenly discipline (Collect). REFLECTION : "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me." Our Blessed Lord not only became man and died for us, but He identiiies Himself with each one of us and takes as done to Himself every good and every ill turn done to our neighbor, and conditions our reward or punishment upon our exercise of a brotherly love like unto His own. "I will seek that which was lost. . . I will bind up that which was broken. . . I will strengthen that which was weak; and that which was strong I will preserve" (Lesson: Ezech. xxxiv. 16). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : T O treat our family, our em- ployers, our employees, our co-workers as we wish our Lord to treat us. PRAYER: Being filled with the gift of Thy salva- tion, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, that as we rejoice in the experience thereof, we may also be made over by its effects (Prayer after Communion). THURSDAY, FIRST WEEK. INVITATION : "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un jus t man his thoughts, and let him return to our God, for He is bountiful to forgive" (Lesson: Is. lv. 7). PROMISE: "As the rain and snow come down from heaven. . . and soak the earth and water it and make it to spring and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be" (Lesson: Is. lv. 10, 11). RESPONSE: "Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight, O Lord" (Gradual: Ps. cxl.). PRAYER: Look down, O Lord, upon Thy family and grant that while we chastise ourselves by the mortification of the flesh, our minds may glow with a desire of Thee (Collect). REFLECTION : "From eternity and to eternity Thou art God" (Introit: Ps. Ixxxix.). God owes us noth- ing : all that we have, all that we are is His. "As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are My ways exalted above your ways and My thoughts above your thoughts" (Lesson: Is. lv. 9). But He willed to send His Word to regenerate the world of men. Jesus drives out the material, the commerèial: "My house shall be called the house of prayer, but you have made it the den of thieves," He says (Gospel: Matt, xxi. 13). Through Him all that God has, all that God is, is ours, and we may make His ways our ways, His thoughts our thoughts. FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Realization of God's rights over us; of our boundless debt. PRAYER: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we may receive thé effect of that salvation of which in these mysteries wè have received a pledge (Prayer after Communion). WEDNESDAY, EMBER DAY. INVITATION: "Come up to Me into the mount and be there; and I will give thee the commandments which I have written, that thou mayest teach them" (Introit: Ps. xxiv.). PROMISE: "Whosoever shall do the wi l l 'OF My Father that is in heaven he is My brother and sister and mother" (Gospel: Matt. xii. 50). RESPONSE: "To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust" (Introit: Ps. xxiv.). PRAYER: Mercifully hear our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty against all our adversaries (Collect). REFLECTION: God, Our Creator and Father, has given us commandments: we should know and love them: "I will meditate on Thy commandments, which I have loved exceedingly" (Offertory: Ps. cxviii.). Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, makes those His own who keep the law of His Father and theirs: furthermore He feeds us for the effort with a Bread greater than that given to Elias: we should, there- fore, keep God's commands eagerly and feed on the Bread of Life that we may be able to do so: "Arise eat, for thou hast yet a great way to go." (Lesson: 3 Kings xix. 7, 8). FRUIT OF THE DAY : Willing and exact observance of the commands of God and the Church; swift re- pentance for transgressions: "See my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins" (Gradual: Ps. xxiv.). PRAYER: Illuminate our minds, we beseech Thee, O Lord, by the light of Thy brightness that we may be able to see what WG ought to do, and have power to do what is right (Prayer over the people). THURSDAY, FIRST WEEK. INVITATION:, "Taste and see that the Lord is sweet" (Offertory: Ps. xxxiii.). "Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord all the earth" (Introit: Ps. xcv.). PROMISE: "The Bread that I will give is.My Flesh for the life of the world" (Communion: John. vi. 52). RESPONSE: "Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of Thy eye; protect me under the shadow of Thy wings" (Gradual: Ps. xvi.). PRAYER: Mercifully look down, we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon the devotion of Thy people, that they, whose bodies are mortified by fasting, may, through the frui t of good works, be refreshed in mind (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord gives us Himself to be our food: He invites, He urges, He commands us, through His Church, to nourish our souls with this Divine Food. To those who feed upon Him rever- ently, He promises protection and strength: "The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear Him and shall deliver them" (Offertory: Ps. xxxiii.). If we go to Him humbly and persistently, like the woman of Canaan, we will as surely hear the same words: "Great is thy fai th; be it done to thee as thou wilt" (Gospel: Matt. xv. 28). F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : To receive Holy Communion with strong faith and deep humility, thinking much of Christ and little of ourselves. PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to all Christian people, that they may acknowledge what they profess; and love the heavenly mystery which they frequent (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, EMBER DAY. INVITATION: "I looked for one that would grieve together with Me and .there was none: I sought one that would comfort Me and I found none" (Gradual: Ps. lxviii.). PROMISE: " I will pour out the spirit of grace and of prayers: and they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for an only son" (Lesson: Zach. xii. 10). RESPONSE: "Surely He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows. . . and by His bruises we are healed" (Tract: Is. liii.). PRAYER: Be merciful, O Lord, to Thy people; and as Thou makest them devout to Thee, mercifully re- fresh them with kind assistance (Collect). REFLECTION : Each of us is guilty of the sufferings and death of Christ, not only His avowed enemies, but those who profess discipleship, yet sin against Him by denial, by infidelity, by indifference: "With these I was wounded in the house of them that loved Me," He says. The measure of our love can never be commensurate with the measure of His infinite love which purchased for us redemption and only asks of our helplessness: "Wilt thou be made whole?" (Gospel: John v. 6). F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : To be virile in following Christ: "to arise and walk" with Him: to "sin no more, lest some worse thing happen" (Gospel: John v. 14). PRAYER: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst offer Thyself upon the cross an immaculate and voluntary holocaust to God the Father ; vouchsafe that the adorable oblation of the same Sacrifice may obtain for us pardon and glory (Prayer after Communion). W E D N E S D A Y , EMBER DAY. INVITATION: "Always rejoice. Pray without ceas- ing: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves" (Epistle: 1 Thess. v. 16, 17, 18, 21, 22). PROMISE: "The Lord hath chosen thee this day . . to keep all His commandments . . to His own praise and Name and glory: that thou mayest be a holy people" (Lesson: Deut. xxvi. 18, 19). RESPONSE: "jLift up Thy hand over the strange nations, that they may see Thy power. For as Thou hast been sanctified in us in their sight, so Thou shalt be magnified among them in our presence, that they may know Thee as we also have known Thee, O Lord" (Lesson: Ecclus. xxxvi. 3-5). PRAYER: Look down upon us, O God, our Pro- tector ; that we who are pressed down by the weight of our evils, having received Thy mercy, may serve Thee with a free mind (Collect). REFLECTION: God wishes us to accept the im- mense gift of redemption gratefully, and in all humility to serve Him joyfully, weighing, appropri- ating, rejecting according to the mind of Christ, our Redeemer. Appreciation of His greatness and His love will make us eager to have others Know Him as we know Him: it will forbid cowardly humility, or selfish piety. As God has helped us, even through us, He may help others. FRUIT OF THE DAY: A joyous spirit, based on God's goodness; zeal, based on trust in God's grace. PRAYER: Prevent, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy inspirations and fur ther them with Thy continual help: that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from Thee and through Thee be likewise ended (Gradual). SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. INVITATION: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. . . Arise and fear not" (Gospel: Matt. xvii. 5, 7). PROMISE: "This is the will of God, your sanctifica- tion . . . for God has not called us unto uncteanness, but unto sanctification; in Christ Jesus Our Lord" (Epistle: 1 Thess. iv. 3, 7). RESPONSE: "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (Gospel: Matt. xvii. 4). PRAYER: O God, Who seest us to be destitute of strength, keep us both inwardly and outwardly; that we may be defended in the body from all adversities and cleansed in our minds f rom evil thoughts (Collect). REFLECTION : Even as Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain and was transfigured befor e them, so God leads us by faith to know Jesus Christ as God, co-equal with the Father in power and majesty. We know that hearing Him, we hear God; that following Him, we need know no fear : that His strength will carry our weakness: that "in Christ Jesus" we may attain the holiness to which He calls us : "Give glory to the Lord, for He is good : for His mercy endureth forever. Who shall declare the powers of the Lord; who shall set forth all His praises" (Tract : Ps. cv.). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : T O dare to aspire to be holy: to live with God constantly in prayer; to lift our hearts to Him Incarnate; hanging on the cross, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, glorified in heaven, for "it is good for us to be here." PRAYER: "Understand my cry: hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God: for to Thee will I pray, O Lord" (Communion: Ps. v.). WEDNESDAY, SECOND WEEK. INVITATION : "If you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sin," that I am "the Beginning Who also speak to you" (Gospel: John viii. 24, 25). PROMISE : "When you shall have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am He" (Gospel: John viii. 28). RESPONSE: " I will bless the Lord, Who hath given me understanding: I will set the Lord always in my sight; for He is a t my right hand, that I be not moved" (Offertory: Ps. xv.). PRAYER: "O my God, it is not for our justification that we present our prayers before Thy face, but for the multitude of Thy tender mercies" (Lesson: Dan. ix. 18). REFLECTION: Faith in the Divinity of Christ is essential for salvation. True humility does not re- ject Christ as the Son of God under pretext of man's unworthiness, nor does it claim salvation as a reward of man's merit. True humility accepts, on faith, the great mystery of Divine Love, that the Word, with God and in God from the beginning, became Man for our salvation, lives with us, speaks to us, suffers for us, is lifted up on the cross and dies for us : on His merit and "tender mercies" true humility bases hope. FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Constantly to lift up the example of the Son of Man before us, that knowing Him more intimately, we may follow Him more closely. "O Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth" (Communion: Ps. viii.). PRAYER: Be attentive to our supplications, O Al- mighty God, and graciously bestow upon us the effect of Thy accustomed mercy, to whom Thou grantest the confidence of hopeful devotion (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, SECOND WEEK. INVITATION: Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Gradual: Ps. liv.). PROMISE: "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Gospel: Matt, xxiii. 12). RESPONSE: "The Lord is my light and my salva- tion: whom shall I fear?" (Introit: Ps. xxvi.) PRAYER: Perfect within us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, in Thy mercy, the benefits of this holy observ- ance: that those things which Thou hast appointed for us to do, we may by Thy assistance be enabled to fulfill (Collect). REFLECTION: God wants us to trust Him com- pletely: He sent Elias to a widow extremely poor to ask for food. The faith of Elias did not fal ter : God had said: "Go." He invites the woman to share his confidence: "Fear not," he said. "For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, 'the pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruise of oil be diminished' " (Lesson: 3 Kings xvii. 8-16). God also wants us to act sin- cerely; not to "say and do not," or to "bind heavy and insupportable burdens and lay them on men's shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them" (Gospel: Matt, xxiii. 3, 4) . FRUIT OF THE D A Y : Practical faith that God has given no law that may not be kept. To let no motive of expediency, nor spirit of compromise blind us to the just claims of God and our fellowmen. PRAYER: That we may be made worthy, O Lord, of Thy sacred gifts, grant us, we beseech Thee, ever to obey Thy commandments (Prayer after Com- munion) . WEDNESDAY, SECOND WEEK. INVITATION: "Can you drink the chalice that _ shall drink?" (Gospel: Matt. xx. 22.) PROMISE : "My chalice indeed you shall drink. . . Whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister . . . even as the Son of Man" (Gospel: Matt. xx. 23, 26-28). RESPONSE: "To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul; in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed; for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded" (Offertory: Ps. xxiv.). PRAYER: Favorably regard Thy people, we be- seech Thee, O Lord, and grant that we, whom Thoa commandest to abstain f rom carnal food, may also cease f rom noxious vices (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord's standard is not the world's standard. He willed to take upon Himself the common lot of man : He redeemed us through suffering. For the Christian suffering has an aton- ing worth: he accepts it with resignation, even with joy because it is the chalice his loving Lord drank first and to the dregs. Sacrifice is the spirit of Christ, so too is service. The world seeks the first place. The Son of God "emptied Himself taking the form of a servant." FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : T O walk in the higher way of Christ by readiness in self-sacrifice and loving service: to ask of God the strength to do this: "For- sake me not, O Lord . . . attend unto my help, O Lord, the strength of my salvation" (Introit:, Ps. xxxviii.). PRAYER: O God, the restorer, and lover of inno- cence, direct toward Thee the hearts of Thy servants, that being inflamed by the fervor of Thy Spirit, they may be found both steadfast in fai th and zealous in works (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, SECOND WEEK. INVITATION : "The man that trustest in the Lord • . . shall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, it shall not fear when the heat cometh . . neither shall it cease at any time to bring forth f ru i t" (Lesson: Jerem. xvii. 7, 8). PROMISE: "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me and I in Him" (Communion: John vi. 57). RESPONSE: "Help us, O God, our Saviour; and for the honor of Thy Name, O Lord, deliver us" (Gradual: Ps. Ixxviii.). PRAYER: Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the help of Thy grace; that duly applying ourselves to fastings and prayers, we may be delivered from all enemies of mind and body (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord not only sets before us a standard, an ideal. He makes it possible for us to realize it. If we root our faith in Him t He prom- ises unfailing moisture, abundant f ru i t : if we will eat of Him and drink of Him in Holy Communion, His life shall be in us. But if we prefer "good things in our life-time:" if we refuse to eat, or eat "not dis- cerning the body of the Lord," the fault of our eternal failure is ours not God's. F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : TO feed our souls constantly and devoutly on the Bread of Life, sure that God will perfect the work He has begun. PRAYER: Be present, O Lord, with Thy servants when they call upon Thee and bestow on them Thy perpetual goodness; that whereas they glory in Thee as their Author and Governor, Thou mayest gather and restore to them Thy gifts and may keep alive in them what Thou hast restored (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, SECOND WEEK. INVITATION': "The Stone which the builders re- jected, the same is become the head of the corner. By the Lord this has been done and it is wonderful in our eyes" (Gospel: Matt. xxi. 42). PROMISE: "Behold, thy Saviour cometh; behold His reward is with Him . . this beautiful one in His robe, walking in the greatness of His strength. I that speak justice, and am a defender to save" (Lesson: Is. lxii. 11; lxiii. 1). RESPONSE: "I will remember the tender mercies of the Lord, the praise of the Lord for all the things the Lord hath bestowed on us" (Lesson: Is. lxiii. 7). PRAYER: May this sacrifice, O God, both remain in us in action and we be strengthened by its opera- tion (Secret). REFLECTION : Jesus Christ ignored by some, plotted against by others, acclaimed, then rejected by the many, becomes the corner-stone of all future civilization. Thus the wisdom of God overcomes the foolishness of men. Men call Him a criminal and blasphemer and mock His helplessness. The Holy Spirit of God points Him out as a Saviour, beautiful in His royal crimson blood-robes, great of strength, treading the wine-press alone, a defender to save. "The Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself unto death: wherefore God hath exalted Him and given Him a Name which is above every name" (Introit: Phil, ii. 8). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : To strive against human re- spect. To judge by spiritual values, not externals. PRAYER : By the operation of this mystery, O Lord, may our vices be cleansed away and our just desires accomplished (Prayer after Communion). W E D N E S D A Y , SECOND WEEK. INVITATION: "Son, thou art always with Me, and all that I have is thine; but this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost and is found" (Gospel: Luke xv. 31, 32). PROMISE: "God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth" (Lesson: Gen. xxvii. 28). RESPONSE: "It is good to give praise to the Lord and to sing to Thy name, O Most High, to show forth Thy mercy in the morning and Thy t ruth in the night" (Gradual: Ps. xci.). PRAYER: Grant, O Lord, a salutary effect to our fasts; that the chastisement of the flesh, which we have taken upon us, may promote the vigoi of our souls (Collect). REFLECTION: "The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls; the testimony of the Lord is faith- ful, giving wisdom to little ones" (Introit: Ps. xviii.). It is not for us to question the ways of God. He knows souls as we do not know them; He draws them according to His wisdom. Rut while we may not question, we should study the ways of God: we must pray: "Enlighten my eyes that I may never sleep in death" (Offertory: Ps. xii.); that we may be filled with His wisdom, with His generosity in our dealings with others: that we may be satisfied to be His children, taking from His hand, in love, nothing doubting, just what He chooses to give. FRUIT OF THE DAY: Strong faith in God's provi- dence, whatever befall; genuine interest in the happi- ness of others. PRAYER: May the divine libation of Thy Sacra- ment, O Lord, be infused into the inmost recesses of our hearts; and efficaciously render us partakers of the same (Prayer after Communion). THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. INVITATION : "Be ye followers of God, as most dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us" (Epistle: Eph. v. 1, 2). PROMISE: "Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it" (Gospel: Luke xi. 28). RESPONSE: "The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, and His judgments are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb: for Thy servant keepeth them" (Offertory: Ps. xviii.). PRAYER: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, regard the desires of the humble, and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to be our defence (Collect). REFLECTION: The filial attitude toward God; the humble effort to cooperate with the abundant grace received through Christ Jesus, our sweet Oblation, brings its own reward. Our eyes are opened to the Tightness of His justice: His will becomes sweet to our taste. The pain of conflict: of opposing our will to His is removed, and interior peace reigns even under trying circumstances: "My eyes are ever towards the Lord: for He shall pluck my feet out of the snare: Look upon me, and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor" (Introit: Ps. xxiv.). F R U I T OF T H E DAY : To cultivate the spirit of being at home with God everywhere and especially to draw near Him immolated for us on the altar every minute of the day: "The sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest, where she may lay her young: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts" (Communion). PRAYER: Mercifully absolve us, O Lord, f rom all guilt and danger, on whom Thou bestowest the par- ticipation of so great a mystery (Prayer after Com- munion). WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK. INVITATION: "Let him come to me and know that there is a prophet in Israel" (Lesson: 4 Kings v. 8). PROMISE: "Wash and thou shalt be clean: And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was made clean" (Lesson: 4 Kings v. 13, 14). RESPONSE : " I have declared to Thee my life: Thou hast set my tears in Thy sight" (Gradual: Ps. lv.). PRAYER : Pour forth in Thy mercy, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that as we abstain from flesh, may also restrain our senses from all hur t ful excess (Collect). REFLECTION : Naaman wanted to be cleansed from his leprosy, yet he rebelled against the cure com- manded by God's prophet. Men often feel the weight of their sins, yet they refuse the cure established and commanded by Christ, our Lord. As for Naaman there was no other way than God's way, so too for us : we must confess our sins to the priest ordained by God to cleanse them; we must prove our con- trition by humble obedience to the ordeal of the con- fessional, by humble fulfillment of the conditions imposed, if we really desire to be cleansed. We must allow our Lord's redeeming Blood to be poured over our souls in the words of absolution if we really desire strength. F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : An increased appreciation of God's healing gif t : the sacrament of penance. To accept and welcome its humiliating necessity. PRAYER: Let Thy mercy, O Lord, assist us, that, by Thy protection, we may deserve to be delivered from the threatening dangers of our sins, and to be saved by Thy deliverance (Final Prayer) . WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK. INVITATION: "What wilt thou have Me do for thee?" (Lesson: 4 Kings iv. 2.) PROMISE: "Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven" (Gospel: Matt, xviii. 18, 19). RESPONSE: "The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength, the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me: I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord" (Offertory: Ps. cxvii.). PRAYER: Graciously hear us, O almighty and merciful God; and favorably grant to vs the gifts of salutary temperance (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord's tremendous commission to His Apostles, giving them the power to bind and to loose sins in the sacrament of penance, should be an immense consolation to us in our weakness that renders us liable to repeated falls. God's pardon will raise us up, God's power will sustain us in the way of virtue: "Lord, who shall dwell in Thy taber- nacle? or who shall rest in Thy holy hill? He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice" (Communion: Ps. xiv.). To walk without blemish is impossible to us alone, but God stands ready to give us what we ask. What shall it be? FRUIT OF THE D A Y : T O ask of God spiritual gif ts: greater purity of heart, sensitiveness of conscience: "From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord; and from those of others cleanse Thy servant" (Gradual: Ps. xviii.). PRAYER: Reing expiated by these mysteries, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may obtain both par- don and grace (Prayer after Communion.) WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK. INVITATION: "YOU shall make an altar of earth unto Me, and you shall oiler upon it your holocausts and peace-offerings . . . in every place where the memory of My name shall be" (Lesson: Exod. xx. 24). PROMISE: "Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up" (Gospel: Matt. xv. 13). RESPONSE: "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life: Thou shalt till me with joy with Thy countenance, O Lord" (Communion: Ps. xv.). PRAYER: "O Lord, be merciful to me for Thy name's sake, because Thy mercy is sweet" (Offertory: Ps. cviii.). REFLECTION : The altar God commands us to erect to Him is the altar of our hearts. Upon this altar should be offered unceasingly the holocaust of all that is not of God: that cannot be made acceptable to Him. A strong though filial fear should deter us f rom offending against the law of God; intense filial piety should make us eager to practice His precepts. But these things can only be accomplished by con- stant appeal to God's grace, by fai thful cooperation with His inspirations: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord. All my bones are troubled: and my soul is troubled exceedingly" (Gradual: Ps. vi.). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Let our speech prove our heart 's purity, for "the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth f rom the heart and those things defile a man" (Gospel: Matt. xv. 18). PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who seek the grace of Thy protection, being delivered from all evils, may serve Thee with tranquil mind (Prayer over the people), WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK. INVITATION: "Make your ways and your doings good; and I will dwell with you in this place" (Lesson: Jer . vii. 3). PROMISE: "If you will order well your ways and your doings; if you will execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; if you oppress not the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, I will dwell with you in this place" (Lesson: Jer. vii. 5-7). RESPONSE: "Thou hast commanded Thy com- mandments to be kept exceedingly: oh, that my ways may be directed to keep Thy justifications" (Offertory: Ps. cxxxvii.). PRAYER : May the blessed solemnity of Thy saints Cosmos and Damian magnify Thee, O Lord; by which Thou hast both granted eternal glory to them and help to us by Thy ineffable providence (Collect). REFLECTION: God's commandments are very ex- plicit; His law of justice is very strict, His law of charity all-embracing. We cannot sin against our fellowmen without sinning against God. His bless- ings are contingent upon our attitude towards His creatures, our brothers in Jesus Christ. To Jesus "all they that had any sick with« divers diseases brought them . . . but He laying His hands on every one of them, healed them" (Gospel: Luke iv. 40). F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : An effort to enter into the minds of others: to answer their needs; "O Lord, Thou openest Thy hand and fillest every living thing with blessing" (Gradual: Ps. cxliv.). PRAYER: May Thy heavenly mercy increase Thy obedient people, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and make them ever , servants of Thy commandments (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK. INVITATION: "Give Me to drink . . . If thou didst know the gift of God . . . thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water" (Gospel: John iv. 7, 10). PROMISE: "The water that I will give-him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life" (Gospel: John iv. 13, 14). RESPONSE: "Give me this water that I may not thirst" (Gospel: John iv. 15). PRAYER: O God, Who by the passion of Thine dnly-begotten Son, and the shedding of His blood through His five wounds, hast renewed the nature of man that was ruined by sin; grant to us, we beseech Thee, that as we venerate on earth the wounds that He received, so we may deserve to obtain the f ru i t of His most precious blood in heaven (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord vouchsafes to ask us to come to Him: to satisfy His thirst for souls: to carry on His work. He asks us to serve Him in order to give us of His abundant grace; to unite u s to Himself, that filled with Him we may show forth His beauty, may attract to Him those about us. He wants us to ask for His grace, that He may give us more than we can imagine and desire. If we do not receive, it is because we are not willing to acknowl- edge our need, our emptiness. FRUIT OF THE D A Y : Renewed confidence that God wishes us to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him. PRAYER: Refreshed with life-giving food, we be- seech Thee, O Lord our God, that we who this day devoutly venerate the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ, may ever have them impressed upon our hearts, in our life and conduct (Prayer after Com- munion) . W E D N E S D A Y , THIRD WEEK. INVITATION: "GO, and now sin no more" (Gospel: John viii. 11). PROMISE: "Neither will I condemn thee" (Gospel: John viii. 11). RESPONSE: "If I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils: for Thou art with me, O Lord" (Gradual: Ps. xxii.). PRAYER : Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that they who in afflicting their flesh, abstain from food, may, by following justice, fast from sin (Collect). REFLECTION: Christ, our Lord, came not to con- demn but to save. Because He is God of God, He offered for us an infinite, sufficient atonement to save us from the eternal punishment due to sin. Because He is Man, He offers us a perfect and possible example of how to live without sin. Yet Jesus, per- feet God and sinless Man, is more merciful to the sinner, who falls through weakness, than we im- perfect and sinful men. He is always willing to give another chance: always ready to t rust us to use more fully His many graces. But we cannot ex- pect these graces unless we turn to Him and trust Him more than ourselves. We cannot expect to win His pardon and share His perfection, unless we pre- fer trial, suffering, and even death with Him, rather than sin without Him. FRUIT OF T H E DAY: A firm purpose of amend- ment : to avoid evil, to better good: "Direct my steps according to Thy word" (Offertory: Ps. cxviii.). PRAYER : Extend, O Lord, to Thy faithful the right hand of Thy heavenly aid; that they may seek Thee with their whole heart, and deserve to obtain what they ask for worthily (Prayer over the people). FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. INVITATION: "Make the men sit down . . . And Jesus took the loaves; and . . . distributed to them ...as much as they would" (Gospel: John vi. 10, 11). PROMISE: "They that trust in the Lord shall not be moved forever. . . The Lord is round-about 'His people f rom henceforth now and forever" (Tract : Ps. cxxiv.). RESPONSE: "We are free by the freedom where- with Christ hath made us free" (Epistle: Gal. iv. 31). PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee Almighty God, that we who justly suffer for our deeds may be re- lieved by the consolation of Thy grace (Collect). REFLECTION: Everything we have in the natural order is f rom God—life, health, talents, the ability and intelligence to sustain ourselves by our labor, the fruits of the earth, by which we are nourished, the materials which afford us shelter. We have no excuse for self-sufficiency. All that we have in the supernatural order is f rom God—our soul made in His image, our re-birth as children of God, the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us in the sacrament of penance, and feeds us in Holy Communion, His grace that suggests, leads, upholds. The Lord is round about us, ready to give us as much as we will receive. FRUIT OF THE D A Y : T O open the heart to the lib- erty of God which frees from the petty and the per- sonal. "Praise ye the Lord, for He is good: sing ye to His name, for He is sweet" (Offertory: Ps. cxxxiv.). PRAYER: Grant us, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that we may celebrate with sincere homage, and ever receive with fai thful mind the holy things with which we are continually fed (Prayer after Com- munion) . i THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK. INVITATION : "Take these things hence and make not My Father 's house a house of traffic" (Gospel: John ii. 16). PROMISE: "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" (Gospel: John ii. 19). RESPONSE: "Save me, O God, by Thy name, and in Thy strength deliver me" (Introit: Ps. liii.). PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that celebrating with yearly devotion these sacred fasts, we may please Thee both in body and mind (Collect). ' REFLECTION: God made us for something higher than mere material things: business, pleasure are not the end and aim of life. We are the temples of the Holy Ghost. While it is our God-given duty, to strive for our own and the support of those dependent upon us, while recreation is useful and necessary, our business dealings, our pleasures must be worthy of • an immortal soul for whom Christ gave His body unto death and raised it u p t r iumphant on the third day. "Serve ye the Lord with gladness: come in before His presence with exceeding great joy: for the Lord He is God" (Offertory: Ps. xcix.). FRUIT OF T H E DAY : More scrupulous care to purify every action and offer it to God: "From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord: and from those of others spare Thy servant" (Communion: Ps. xviii.). PRAYER: Mercifully hear our supplications, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and to those to whom Thou givest the desire to pray, grant the help of Thy defence (Prayer over the people). i THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK. INVITATION: "If any man do the -will of Him, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God" (Gospel: John vii. 17). PROMISE: "He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory; but he that seeketh the glory of Him Who sent him, he is t rue" (Gospel: John vii. 18). RESPONSE: "Why, O Lord, is Thy indignation en- kindled against Thy people, whom Thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?" (Lesson: Exod. xxxii. 11). PRAYER : We beseech Thee, O Lord, that the fasts of this holy observance may make us to improve in holy conversation, and procure us the continual aid of Thy loving-kindness (Collect). REFLECTION : We are surrounded by estimates and standards that are not of God; consciously or unconsciously we are led into ways that are not God's ways: "They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst show them; and they have made * to themselves a molten calf, and have adored i t" (Lesson: Exod. xxxii. 8). If, in spite of all God's graces, we follow in this easy way, seeking our own glory, we lose His support, if we are "troubled at the voice of the enemy, and at the tribulation of the sinner" (Introit: Ps. liv.) and seek God's will and God's glory, we will grow in the spirit of knowledge, of counsel, of understanding. F R U I T OF T H E DAY : Let a constant desire for the glory of God direct our speech: "He put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God" (Offer- tory: Ps. xxxix.). PRAYER : Have mercy, O Lord, on Thy people, and mercifully refresh them laboring under continual tribulations (Prayer over the people). i THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK. INVITATION: "Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices . . . cease to do per- versely, learn to do well" (Lesson: Is. i. 16). PROMISE-: " I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you . . . and you shall be My people, and I will be your God" (Lesson: Ezech. xxxvi. 26, 28). RESPONSE: "The Lord anointed my eyes: and I went, and I Washed, and I saw, and I have believed in God" (Communion: John ix.). PRAYER: O God, Who grantest the reward of their merits to the just and pardon to sinners through their fasts; have mercy on Thy suppliants, that the confession of our guilt may prepare us to receive the forgiveness of our sins (Collect). REFLECTION: We are born blind: in sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ opens our eyes and gives us power to become the sons of God. Common sense obliges us to acknowledge our sin. Common gratitude forces us to acknowledge the power of Him through Whom we are made whole. Every day we expe- rience His goodness, every day we have "seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee '" (Gospel: John ix ; 37) to prompt us to good, to enable us to win the rewards He longs to pour out upon us. FRUIT OF THE DAY : Deep sense of our sinfulness with abiding confidence in our Lord's will and power to overcome evil in us : "Bless the Lord Who hath set my soul unto life" (Offertory: Ps. lxv.). PRAYER: Let the ears of Thy mercy, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy suppliants; and that Thou mayest grant the desires of those who seek, make them to ask what is pleasing to Thee (Prayer over the people), i THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK. J N V I T A T I O N J "Weep not . | . Young man I say to thee, Arise" CGospel: Luke vii. 13, 14). PROMISE: "Take up thy son" (Lesson: 4 Kings iv. 36). RESPONSE: 'Give glory to the Lord, and call upon His Name: declare His deeds among the gentiles" (Introit : Ps. civ.). PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who are chastised by votive fasts may also be gladdened with holy devotion, that our earthly affections being weakened, we may more easily ap- prehend heavenly things (Collect). REFLECTION : The compassion and loving-kind- ness of the Lord. He is Master of life and death. He lived our human life and died our human death that through Him we might rise f rom death and live again a new life. The intimacy of His union with us is tremendous. He does for us what Eliseus did for the dead child: "He put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands and bowed himself upon him, and the child's flesh grew warm" (Lesson: 4 Kings iv. 34). Thus will He restore our life, if we but turn to Him in humble penitence: "Have regard, O Lord, to Thy covenant and forget not to the end the souls of Thy poor" (Gradual: Ps. Ixxiii.). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Sorrow for every least sin. Persevering prayer for an increase of divine life in us : "As the Lord liveth . . . I will not leave Thee" (Lesson: 4 Kings iv. 30). PRAYER: O God, the Creator and Ruler of Thy people, drive away the sins by which they are as- sailed, that they may be ever pleasing to Thee, and be secure by Thy protection (Prayer over the people). i THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK. INVITATION: " I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live" (Gospel: John xi. 35, 26). PROMISE: "Did I not say to thee, that if thou be- lieve, thou shalt see the glory of God" (Gospel: John xi. 40). RESPONSE: w 'Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy blood . . and hast made us to our God a kingdom" (Introit: Apoc. v.). PRAYER: Almighty, everlasting God, Who hast ordained Thine only-begotten Son to be the Re- deemer of the world, and hast pleased to be recon- ciled unto us in His blood; grant unto us, We be- seech Thee, so to venerate with sole*»ii worship the price of our redemption, and to oe on earth so de- fended by its power f rom the evils of this present life, that we may rejoice in its perpetual frui t in heaven (Collect). REFLECTION: Again and yet again our Lord in- vites -us to perfect faith in the overwhelming power of His redemption. This stupendous fact floods the world with the sunlight of hope: for "the chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the com- munion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?" (Offertory: 1 Cor. x.) F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : T O make the immense obli- gation of Calvary and its daily perpetuation on our altars, an active principle in our daily conduct. PRAYER : Having been admitted to the holy table, O Lord, we have drawn water in joy from the foun- tains of the Saviour: may His blood, we beseech Thee, become within us a fountain of water spring- ing up to eternal life (Prayer after Communion); i THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK. INVITATION: "You that thirst come to the waters, saith the Lord; and you that have no money, come and drink with joy" (Introit: Is. Iv.). PROMISE: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (Gospel: John viii. 12). RESPONSE: "The Lord is become my firmament, and my refuge, and my deliverer: and in Him will I put my t rus t" (Offertory: Ps. xvii.). PRAYER: May the affection of our devotion be made frui t ful by Thy grace, we beseech Thee, O Lord; for then will our fasts avail us, when they are pleasing to Thy mercy (Collect). REFLECTION : When we are poor in our own esti- mation and thirst for God: when we see Him all about and around us as the all-encompassing firma- ment, then truly is life illumined with the light of heaven: then "they shall not hunger, nor thirst, neither shall the sun strike them; for He that is merciful to them shall be their Shepherd, and at the fountains of waters He shall give them drink . . . Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee; sftith the Lord Almighty" (Lesson: Is. xlix. 0, 10, 15). F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : Draw away from earthly things and look up to the firmament of God's bound- less bounties with humble joy. PRAYER: O God Who choosest rather to pity than to be angry with those who hope in Thee: grant us worthily to lament the evils we have done, that we may deserve to find the grace of Thy consolation (Prayer over the people). PASSION SUNDAY. INVITATION: "Amen, amen I say to you, if any man keep My word he shall not see death forever" (Gospel: John viii. 46, 51). PROMISE: "This is My body which shall be de- livered for you: this is the chalice of the new testa- ment in My blood. (Communion: 1 Cor. xi.). RESPONSE: "Send forth Thy light and Thy t ru th : they have conducted me and brought me unto Thy holy hill, and into Thy tabernacles" (Introit: Ps. xlii.). PRAYER: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, gra- ciously to look upon Thy family; that by Thy bounty it may be governed in body, and by Thy protection be guarded in mind (Collect). REFLECTION : "Christ being come, a high priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more per- fect tabernacle, not made with hands . . . by His own blood entered once into the Holies, having ob- tained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and of oxen . . . sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, Who, by the Holy Ghost, offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?" (Epistle: Heb. ix. 11-15.) FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : "I will confess to Thee, O Lord, with my whole hear t : render to Thy servant; I shall live and keep Thy words: enliven me accord- ing to Thy word, O Lord" (Offertory: Ps. ex. and cxviii.). PRAYER: Be present with us, O Lord our God, and defend with continual support those whom Thou hast refreshed with Thy mysteries (Prayer after Communion). WEDNESDAY, PASSION WEEK. INVITATION: "Arise, . . . and preach . . . the preaching that I bid thee" (Lesson: Jonas iii. 2). PROMISE: "If any man thirst, let him come to Me And drink. He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (Gospel: John vii. 37, 38). RESPONSE: "Let men . . . cry to the Lord with all their strength and let them turn every one from his evil way" (Lesson: Jonas iii. 8). PRAYER: Grant to us, O Lord our God, that this saving victim may purify us from all our sins, and be a propitiation for us before Thy divine Majesty (Secret). REFLECTION : God designs to use His human creatures to carry His message, to preach His doc- trines, to perpetuate His life of love and sacrifice. "The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory" (Com- munion: Ps. xxiii.), yet, in a sense, His glory is often at our mercy. Unfortunately and unjust ly Christ is often judged by Christians. The failure of Christians to act, to speak consistently with Christ's teaching is judged as His failure. The judgment is unjust , but the fault of the scandal is ours: the fail- ure of men to embrace the t ruths of Christ is largely due to the fact that we do not practice what we preach, or that, through cowardice, we do not speak Christ's t ru th when His interests are at stake. FRUIT OF T H E DAY : Strong faith begets forti tude: we will speak what we know and believe, trusting God to direct and bless our words. PRAYER: Grant to Thy people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, health of mind and body; that cleaving to good works, they may ever deserve to be defended by Thy protection (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, PASSION WEEK. INVITATION: "Expect the Lord and do manfully: let thy heart take courage and wait thou for the Lord" (Introit: Ps. xxvi.). PROMISE: "Thou servant of God, take the dinner that God hath sent thee" (Lesson: Dan. xiv. 36). RESPONSE: "Thou hast remembered me, O God, and Thou hast not forsaken them that love Thee" (Lesson: Dan. xiv. 37). PRAYER: May our fasts be acceptable to Thee, O Lord; and by expiating our sins, render us worthy of Thy grace, and conduct us at last to eternal rem- edies (Collect). REFLECTION : It is very easy to drift with the cur- ren t : if we do just what others about us do, without question, things will seem to go smoothly: "The world cannot hate you, but Me it hateth, because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil" (Gospel: John vii.). Rut to drift with the current, is not to follow Christ: it is to be of the "world" He called "evil." We must stand for the right, we must be true, be honest, just, kind not counting the cost, if we are to be children of God, brothers of Christ: we must dare the lions' den, like Daniel. FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Frequently to call to mind the suffering and persecution which befell the well- beloved Son of God in doing the will of Him Who sent Him, in order to fortify ourselves in well-doing, trusting in the Lord: "For Thou dost not forsake them that seek Thee" (Offertory: Ps. ix.) PRAYER: Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, a persevering obedience to Thy will; that in our days the people who serve Thee may increase both in merit and number (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, PASSION WEEK. INVITATION: "If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not : but if I do, though you will not be- live Me, believe the works" (Gospel: John x. 37, 38). PROMISE: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give, them life everlasting" (Gospel: John x. 27, 28). RESPONSE: "O Lord, my God, I have cried to Thee, and Thou hast healed me: Thou hast brought forth my soul f rom hell" (Gradúal: Ps. xxix.). PRAYER: We beseech Thee, O God, by the sancti- fication of this fast, mercifully to enlighten the hearts of Thy fai thful ; and grant unto those upon whom Thou bestowest the grace of devotion a favorable hearing when they call upon Thee (Collect). REFLECTION : We are under no illusion as to what are and what are not "the works of God." They are very explicitly stated: "You shall not steal. You shall not lie: neither shall any man deceive his neighbor. You shall not swear falsely by My name . . . Thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbor, nor oppress him by violence. The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide with thee until the morning. . . Respect not the person of the poor, nor honor the countenance of the mighty. . . Thou shalt not be a detractor, nor a whisperer . . . Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart. . . Seek not revenge. . . Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself" (Lesson: Levit. xix. 10-19). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : To have but one standard of conduct—God's standard. PRAYER: Listen to our supplications, O Almighty God, and graciously bestow the effect of Thy wonted mercy upon us, to whom Thou grantest the confi- dence of hopeful devotion (Final Prayer) . WEDNESDAY, PASSION WEEK. INVITATION: "Thou gavest Me no water for My feet; but she with tears hath washed My feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss; but she since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet" (Gospel: Luke vii. 41-46). PROMISE: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much: but to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less" (Gospel: Luke vii. 47). RESPONSE: "Now we follow Thee with all our heart, and seek Thy face. . . Deal with us according to Thy meekness and according to the multitude of Thy mercies" (Lesson: Dan. iii. 41-43). PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the dignity of human nature which has been im- paired by intemperance, may be restored by the practice of salutary self-denial (Collect). REFLECTION : Our Lord has given all; He asks all in return, not only service but love, intimate, alfec- tionate love. He wants us to desire His presence and to feel His absence. Incomprehensible as this is, it is undoubtedly true. When we really love, we forget self: we yield our judgment to the beloved So we should be with our soul's Beloved: "All Thou hast done to us, O Lord, Thou hast done in true judgment. . . Give glory to Thy name and deal with us according to the multitude of Thy mercy" (Introit: Dan. iii.). FRUIT OF T H E DAY : To dare to speak to God inti- mately, with respectful familiarity: to assure Him of our love and ask its increase. PRAYER: Be propitious to Thy people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that rejecting those things which dis- please Thee, they may be filled with the delights of Thy communion (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, PASSION WEEK. INVITATION: "Woman, behold thy Son. Behold thy mother" (Gospel: John xix. 26, 27). PROMISE: "It is expedient for you that one Man should die for the people" (Last Gospel: John xi 50). • ' RESPONSE: "Blessed be the Lord Who made heaven and earth, because He hath so magnified thy i ame this day that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men, who shall "be mindful of the power of the Lord forever" (Lesson: Judith xiii 24, 25). PRAYER: Mercifully infuse Thy grace into our hearts, we beseech Thee, O Lord; that refraining from sin by voluntary chastisement, we may be rather afflicted in time than condemned in punish- ment for eternity (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord gave His life for His people: He did not hesitate to ask of His dearly loved Mother to make with Him the supreme sacri- fice. He asked her to accept us as her children: to be willing to see Him die for us, since it was the will of God to redeem the world of men. What should be our gratitude to Him: what should be our appreciation of her? Gratitude craves to express it- self: to make some re turn; appreciation strives to imitate what it loves and admires. Are we truly grateful? Do we truly appreciate? FRUIT OF THE D A Y : To go to Mary, our Mother, and learn of her perfect love for, and perfect obed- ience to, the will of God. PRAYER: Let not the perpetual protection of the sacrifice we have received forsake us, O Lord; and may it ever repel f rom us all that is hur t fu l (Prayer after Communion). W E D N E S D A Y , PASSION WEEK. INVITATION: "Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit . He that loveth His life shall lose it ; and he that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal" (Gospel: John xii. 24, 25). PROMISE : "And I , if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself" (Gospel: John xii. ;32, 36). RESPONSE: "We would see Jesus" (Gospel). PRAYER: May the people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, who are dedicated to Thee increase in the affec- tions of pious devotion; that being taught by holy actions, they may increase the more in gifts, accord- ing as they become more pleasing in the sight of Thy majesty (Collect). REFLECTION: Life is not stagnation, it is action, progress. The spiritual life means progress towards God: action generated by grace. We must let the divine influence sluff off the dry, fruitless husk of self, and make alive and frui t ful the soul: we must be lifted up to union with Christ crucified. We must see Jesus as He was—poor, hard-working, prayerful, courageous, long-suffering, persecuted, despised, in- sulted, crucified, and seeing all this, we must know Him God, God showing us the best way to be the children of God. FRUIT OF THE D A Y : To make one loving step towards the Cross today by interior self-denial. PRAYER: Let Thy right hand defend Thy sup- pliant people, O Lord, and duly instruct their puri- fied minds, that by present consolation, they may arrive at future rewards (Prayer over the people). PALM SUNDAY. INVITATION: "What ! Could ye not watch one hour with Me? watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Passion: Matt. xxvi. 40, 41). PROMISE: "Rise, let us go; behold he is at .hand that will betray Me" (Passion:. Matt. xxvi. 46). RESPONSE: " I know not the Man" (Passion). PRAYER: Almighty and everlasting God, Who didst cause our Saviour to take upon Him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should imitate the example of His humility; merci- fully grant that we may deserve both to keep in mind the lessons of His patience, and also to be made partakers of His resurrection (Collect). REFLECTION: "Christ Jesus . . . emptied Him- self, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted Him" (Epistle: Phil. ii. 7-9). Have we even the mind to be like our Lord in humil- ity and obedience; do we watch with Him; do we pray; do we go courageously to meet trial and trouble, strong in the presence of God? or do we, when we have to face opposition, or trouble, deny by word and act that we are the friends of Christ? FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : Confess our disloyalty. Thank God we have not been worse: "Thou hast held me by my right hand. . . . But my steps had well-nigh slipped" (Gradual: Ps. Ixxii.). PRAYER: By the operation of this mystery, O Lord, may our vices be cleansed away, and our jus t desires fulfilled (Prayer after Communion). WEDNESDAY, HOLY WEEK. INVITATION : " I have given My body to the strikers and My cheeks to them that plucked them: I have not turned away My face from that that rebukes Me and spit upon Me" (Lesson: Is. 1. 6). PROMISE: "Who is there among you that feareth the Lord? that hath walked in darkness and hath no light? let him hope in the name of the Lord and lean upon his God" (Lesson: Is. 1. 10). RESPONSE : "Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord; to Thee have I fled, teach me to do Thy will" (Offertory: Ps. cxlii.). PRAYER: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who fail through our infirmity, in so many difficulties may be relieved by the passion of Thy Son interceding for us (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord's sacrifice was complete in those things most trying to human nature—in- sults and humiliations. How rarely do we feel called upon to endure them, yet how often the mild answer will turn away wrath, how often might a humiliation be accepted sweetly with benefit to two souls. Were we as keen about the honor of Christ as about our own, we would court humiliation &nd insult in de- fending the Tru th or the Right. Mary Magdalen converted, expressed her love and worship of her Saviour publicly (Gospel: John xii. 1-9). FRUIT OF T H E D A Y : T O accept humiliations, ex- cept f rom those under our authority, in union with our Lord and in atonement for our sins. PRAYER: Assist us, O God of our salvation, and vouchsafe that we may draw nigh with joy, to keep the memory of those mercies whereby Thou hast gra- ciously restored us to a new life (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, HOLY WEEK. INVITATION: "Where is My refectory, where I m a - eat the pascli with My disciples?" (Passion: Mark xiv. 14.) PROMISE: "Amen I say to you, one of you that eateth with Me shall betray Me" (Passion: -Mark xiv. 18). . ' " RESPONSE: "Is it I ? " (Passion: Mark xiv. 1 8 ) . PRAYER: O Almighty and everlasting God, grant us so to celebrate the mysteries of our Lord's pas- sion, that we may deserve to receive Thy pardon (Collect). REFLECTION : "It behooves us to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; in Whom is our salvation, life and resurrection; by Whom we are saved and delivered" (Introi t : Gal. vi.). If we want our Lord to come in and sup with us; if we would not betray Him, we must ask for the strength to withstand our weaker selves, even at the cost of suffering to make up what is wanting of the sufferings of Christ for His body, the Church. For, "they that sat in the gate were b u s ' - I against me; and they that drunk wine made me their song. But as for me, my prayer is to Thee, O Lord; for the time of Thy good pleas- ure, O God, in the multitude of Thy mercy" (Com- munion: Ps. Ixviii.). F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : T O make our standard in dress and amusements more fitting to a follower of Christ. PRAYER: Let Thy mercy, O Lord, cleanse us from all the deceits of our old nature, and enable us to be formed anew unto holiness (Prayer over the people). WEDNESDAY, HOLY WEEK. INVITATION: "He that is the greater among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is the leader as he that serveth. For . . . I am in the midst of you as He that serveth" (Passion: Luke xxii. 26, 27). PROMISE: "You . . . who have continued with Me in My temptations . . . I appoint to you as My Father hath appointed to Me, a kingdom" (Passion: Luke xxii. 28, 29). RESPONSE: "Lord, I am ready to go with Thee both into prison and to death" (Passion: Luke xxii. 33). PRAYER: O God, Who werl pleased that Thy Son should undergo for us the ignominy of the cross, that Thou mightest drive away from us the power of the enemy; grant to us Thy servants that we may obtain the grace of resurrection (Collect). REFLECTION: "All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was offered because it was His own will, and He opened not His mouth. . . . He hath delivered His soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and He hath borne the sins of many, and hatix prayed for the transgressors" (Lesson: Is. liii. 6-12)» Do we realize what God has done for us, and what we do for Him. F R U I T OF T H E DAY: Resolve to be obedient to a cultivated conscience: to refuse God nothing we be- lieve He asks. PRAYER : Look down, O Lord, upon this Thy fam- ily, for which our Lord Jesus Christ hesitated not to be delivered up into the hands of wicked men, and to undergo the torment of the cross (Prayer over tbs people). MAUNDY THURSDAY. INVITATION: "Know ye what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord; and you say well, for so I am: if then I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet" (Gospel: John xiii. 12-.15). PROMISE: "For as often as you shall" eat this bread and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until He come" (Epistle: 1 cor. xi. 26, 29). % RESPONSE: "The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength; I shall not die but live and shall declare the works of the Lord" (Offertory: Ps. cxvii.). PRAYER: O God, f rom Whom Judas received the punishment of his guilt, and the good thief the re- ward of his confession; grant us the effect of Thy clemency, that as our Lord Jesus Christ, in His pas- sion, gave to each a different retribution according to his desert, so He would deliver us from our old sins and grant us the grace of His resurrection (Collect). REFLECTION: Our Lord wishes us to pass on to others all He has done for us. If we receive Him worthily, with a more and more purified conscience, in each Communion we will die more to self and live the charity of Christ: charity of judgment, char- ity of word, charity of deed. F R U I T OF T H E D A Y : T O see in every one a soul for whom Christ has given His life, nay more, Christ Himself, a member of His Mystical Body. PRAYER: Refreshed with life-giving nourishment, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that what we per- form in the time of our mortality, we may obtain by the gift of Thy immortality (Prayer over the people). GOOD FRIDAY. INVITATION: " I thirst" (Passion: John xiv. 28). PROMISE: "Everyone that is of the t ru th heareth My voice" (Passion: John xviii. 37). RESPONSE: "Come and let us return to the Lord; for He hath taken us, and He will heal us : He will strike and He will cure us. . . He will raise us up and we shall live in His sight. We shall know and we shall follow on that we may know the Lord. . . He will come to us as the early and the latter rain to the earth" (Lesson: Osee vi. 1-3). PRAYER: O almighty and eternal God, Who hast revealed Thy glory in Christ to all nations, preserve the works of Thy mercy; that Thy Church spread over the wl ole world, may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Thy name (Collect). REFLECTION: "It is consummated." Our blessed Lord and Redeemer has drained to the dregs the chalice His Father has given Him to dr ink: He has died that we might live. He thirsts for our souls: for the success of His sacrifice. We alone can satisfy His thirst. Our wills can stand out against the im- mensity of His atonement and nullify its effects for us. God permits us to choose: Will we pierce the Heart of Christ, or will we slake His burning thirst for souls? FRUIT OF T H E DAY : I will love the Lord, .my God, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, with all my strength. PRAYER: O Almighty and eternal God, the conso- lation of the sorrowful, the support of the afflicted, may the prayers of those that cry to Thee in any tribulation reach Thy ears; that all may rejoice that in their necessities Thy mercy came to their relief (Collect)., HOLY SATURDAY. N INVITATION: "If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above." For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ shall appear, Who is your life, then you also shall appear with Him in glory" (Epistle: Colos. iii. 1,-4). PROMISE: "Fear not you, for I know l h a t you seek Jesus Who was crucified" (Gospel: Matt, xxviii.). RESPONSE: "They were called, and they said, Here we are; and with cheerfulness they have shined forth to Him that made them" (Prophecy VI.: Baruch iii.).* PRAYER: O God, Who dost illustrate this most holy night by the glory of our Lord's resurrection; preserve in the new progeny of Thy family the spirit of adoption which Thou hast given; that renewed in body and mind, they may exhibit in Thy sight a pure service (Collect). REFLECTION: If we truly seek Jesus Who was crucified, we need have no fear, He who seeks, finds, and finding Him, has found the solution to every problem, " ie foundation of all life. He who finds Christ crucified will rise with Him above the petty viewpoint of earth and will read the riddle of time by the light of eternity. He will shed its light cheer- fully bearing his part in the labor of life, by his little best, making all better. FRUIT OF THE D A Y : Not to stand aloof: to make our new life in Christ practical by giving the best God has given us to the service of our fellows, our country, the Church, God. PRAYER: Pour into us, O Lord, the spirit of Thy love; that by Thy mercy Thou mayest make to be of one mind those whom Thou hast nourished with the Paschal Sacraments. Amen (Prayer after Com- munion) . Ignorance is the greatest enemy of the Church. What are you doing to combat it ? T H E C A T H O L I C W O R L D has been recognized as the leading Catholic Monthly for over sixty years. It is pub- lished by the Paulist Fathers. Send in yourJ order today, f Your t sub- scription mil begin with the next number. Special Introductory Offer A Months for only ^1,00 1 ! THE CATHOLIC WORLD I 411 West 59th Street, New York, N. Y. I am enclosing one dollar. Please enter my sub- scription for four months to begin with your next issue. Name Address Lenten Pamphlets«- The Paulist Purple Series HOW A B E YOU GOING TO K E E P L E N T ? (4 page Leaflet) $2.50 p e r . thousand S . A THOUGHT A DAY FOR LENT. Rev. James M. Gillis, C.S.P. ACCEPTABLE TIME, T H E . Daily Readings fo r Lent f r o m Thomas a Kempis. i _ _ C H R I S T ' S LAST AGONY. Key. Henry E . (VKeeffe, C.S.I". DID CHRIST R I S E AGAIN? Rev.' Pau l Schanz. F B U I T S OF LENT, T H E . Compiled f r o m the Li turgy . Kev. J o h n J . Burke, C.S.P. H I S G B E E T M G S . Mother St. ,Paur. _ LENT I N PBACTICE. Rev.- John J . Burke, p.S.P.• . . LENT, I T S MEANING AND P U B P O S E . From the Li turgical Year by Dom GuSranger. s T , , n a n SELECTED PRAYEBS F O B L E N T . Rev, James M. Gillis, TENEBBAE F O B GOOD FBIDAY. » THOUGHTS ON HOLY W E E K . Selected f rom Thomas & THOUGHTS ON T H E PASSION OF J E S U S CHBIST. Bishop Rosecrans. T H E F O U R T E E N STATIONS W I T H A S K E T C H OF T H E I R ORIGIN. V. Rev. J . 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