THE

No. 28.

PUBLISHED WEEKLY,

UNDER THE INSPECTION OF CATHOLIC DIVINES.

AND the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.

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MEDITATIONS.

[TRANSLATED PROM THE FRENCH. BY A CATHOLIC Yamst.]

AUGUST 24. On the Dispositions which a Christian should have when he asks Temporal Favours from God.

I. HE ought to await the effect of his prayers with the most perfect indifference.

Be satisfied with exposing your wants to God, and abandon yourself to his providence. He knows what is good for you, and you do not; he sees farther than the present; he knows what can save you, and render you happy or miserable for the future, and you are ignorant of it. Imitate, then, the simplicity of the two sisters of Lazarus, who in the extremity of their brother's illness confined all their prayer to a representation of his state to Jesus Christ." Lord," said they, "he whom you love is sick." It was enough for them to know that Jesus Christ loved their brother, and that he was made acquainted with his illness; they depended for the rest on his wisdom and bounty.

II. He ought to fear when his prayers are heard.

When every thing succeeds with you, when it seems that all the worldly treasures of God's power are open to your desires, take care, then, not to say like the happy sinners of whom the Prophet Zachary speaks: "Behold, I am rich, I am contented and satisfied; every thing smiles on me, every thing prospers with me.God must love me since he has made me happy in this world;" because this false bliss, which you look upon as a mark of his love is, perhaps, an effect of his anger.

AUGUST 25.-On the Prayers which we offer to God for our Spiritual Necessities.

1. When our prayers regard our temporal wants.

They are nearly always blind and inconsiderate, because we know not what we ask, and when they concern our spiritual necessities they are generally false and deceitful, because we do not sincerely desire what we ask. You beg of God the grace to overcome your vicious habits, but you do not desire to overcome them. If you sincerely desired it would you not do something to second your petitions to God? Do you not know that he commands you to do what lies in your power; Jubet facere quod possis; and to ask of him by prayer what you are unable to accomplish: Petere quod non possis. If you confine yourself to what is in your power without having recourse to God for your deficiency, he will chastise your presumption; and if you are satisfied with praying for your deficiencies without doing what lies in your power, he will punish your omission.

II. The first condition that our prayers may be heard is, that we sincerely desire what we ask.

"Wilt thou be made whole," said Jesus to the paralytic man

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spoken of in the Gospel: Vis sanis fieri? You beg of God to heal your spiritual diseases, and he says to you, "Do you sincerely desire to be made whole? will you give up the object of your passions?" No; you ask of God the salvation of your soul, and you still persist in your sinful habits, and make no effort to reform your life; these are the true dispositions of your heart, and if you persevere to live with them you will die in your sins.

AUGUST 26.-On Judging our Neighbour.

I. "Judge not," says our Lord, "and you shall not be judged." This admonition is addressed to those only who judge of others without any necessity; for we are allowed, and even commanded to judge of the conduct and works of others when there is a just reason for doing so; it even becomes a duty on many, from their station in life, to examine into the manners and faults of those under their charge. A father, for example, is justified in judging of the conduct of his children; a master of his servant; and persons in authority of those under their command: they certainly are not permitted to judge them rashly, superficially, or unjustly; but they may and ought to examine how they discharge their relative duties, and judge of them accordingly. It often happens that those who are in authority dispense themselves from this obligation, through a spirit of sloth and negligence that makes them very culpable in the sight of God.

II. Judgment is necessary to guard us against sinners and falsc prophets.

To

Jesus Christ said, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." avoid these persons it is necessary to know their works that you may judge of them; for their designs are dangerous, and their conduct ambiguous. "Shun them," says St. Augustine," let your suspicions of them be founded on justice and reason: but do not condemn them, fearing your suspicions might be caused only by appearances."

AUGUST 27.-On Doubts.

I. "You distrust men," said our Saviour to his disciples, (Caveta ab hominibus) not in the ordinary transactions of life, but in all that is called interests, promises, or engagements. Men will often say to you the contrary of what they think, for they are naturally disposed to dissimulation and deceit; omnis komo mendax, more especially when their own interests are concerned; you ought, then, to doubt of them only by the interest they may or may not have in persuading or flattering you.

II. On doubts which are not contrary to Christian simplicity. Our Saviour says to us, "Be simple as doves;" Estote simplices sicut columbæ: but he adds at the same time, "be prudent as serpents;" Estote prudentes sicut serpentes. Give no one reason to

doubt of your sincerity; but you may sometimes justly doubt of theirs; always adhere to truth, be simple and without artifice to all. but do not think that every one will be so to you; in this you will mitate the simplicity of the dove, and the prudence of the serpent. AUGUST 28.-On Suspicions.

I. We must distinguish between judgment, doubt, and suspi

cion.

To doubt is not to give full credit to any circumstance. Suspicion inclines you to believe the circumstance without being certain of it; but judgment asserts and decides on it; doubt says it may or may not be so; suspicion imagines there is a reason for believing it; but judgment confidentially affirms it. Doubt has for its object uncertainty; suspicion probability, and judgment the certain knowledge of a fact.

II. Suspicion is not more criminal than doubt.

When you remain in uncertainty, without passing judgment on the circumstance, the likelihood which is only the appearance of truth is sufficient to justify suspicion, but nothing less than certain truth should authorize judgment.

AUGUST 29.-On the Limits we should place to Doubts and Suspicions. I. Either may be carried to excess.

It is a very great fault to entertain doubtful and suspicious thoughts of persons, without a real cause, and having solid grounds for them; and to be daily and habitually mistrusting others, doubting when we have a certainty, and suspecting when there is not the least cause for suspicion. These are feelings we should endeavour to overcome in ourselves, for they are contrary to reason, charity, and the dictates of religion.

II. When suspicion and doubt rest on uncertainty and probability,

We must call ourselves to a strict account in the examination of our conscience for the unjust thoughts which have occupied our mind in reflecting on the actions, and characters of those with whom we have an intercourse or with whom we are obliged to live.

AUGUST 30.-On the Circumstance that makes our Judgments rash.

1. We judge rashly when we form our opinion only on doubts or suspicions, or that we say from our own conjecture that a man is guilty of a fault or addicted to a vice he may be innocent of; necessity, knowledge, and justice, are three essential conditions to form our judgment on, and if any of these be wanted our judg ment will be rash.

II. We may say that virtue is so rare among men, that we run no risk of rash judgment by judging ill of them.

If this maxim were true it would follow that all were equally vicious, and that the conduct and actions of all were equally bad;

now this is not the case, for some persons are not as culpable as others; and even the bad actions of one man may not be as criminal as the bad conduct of another; we expose ourselves, then, to the danger of forming a rash judgment, when we decide indiscriminately on their intentions and conduct.

LAITY'S DIRECTORY FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. August 24.-SUNDAY, fourteenth after Pentecost, Mass of St. Bartholemew, apostle, com. of Sunday. Pref. of apostle. Gospel of Sunday at the end.-Red.

August 25.-MONDAY.

Mass of St. Lewis, king and confessor, 2d orat.

a cunctis, 3d ad libitum.-White.

In the D. of Derry, com. of the Oct. 3d orat. Concede.

August 26.-TUESDAY. Mass of St. Zepherinus, P. and M. 2d orat. Fidelium Deus omnium, 3d a cunctis.

In the D. of Derry, Mass of St. Philip Beniti (from 23d) com. of the Oct. and of St. Zephirinus.-White.

In the DD. of Ross and Kilfenora, Mass of St. Jane Francis de Chantal, (from the 21st) com. of St. Zephirinus.-White.

In the Town of Galway, Mass of the Invention of St. Stephen (from the 3d) 2d orat. of St. Zephirinus, 3d a cunctis.—Red.

August 27.-WEDNESDAY. Mass of St. Joseph Calasanctius, C.-White. August 28.-THURSDAY. Mass of St. Augustine, B. and D. com. of St. Hermes, M. Creed.-White.

In the D. of Derry, com. of the Oct. and of St. Hermes.

August 29.-FRIDAY. Mass of the Decollation of St. John Baptist, com. of St. Sabina.-Red.

In D. of Derry, com. of Oct. and St. Sabina.

August 30.-SATURDAY. Mass of St. Fiacrius, C. com. of SS. Felix and Adanctus, MM.—White.

In the D. of Derry, Mass of the Oct. day of St. Eugenius, com. as above. -White.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CATHOLIC PENNY MAGAZINE."

IRISH CATHOLIC MARTYRS.

SIR,-The example and sufferings of the martyrs and intrepid confessors of the faith, are justly proposed to us in order to excite our fervour, and induce us, if not to shed our blood, at least to endeavour to imitate the lives of those generous heroes, who despised all worldly honours and riches, the blandishments and allurements of the enemies of truth, nay life itself, rather than abandon. an iota of our holy religion.

The following sketch of the martyrdom of the Right Rev. Terentius Albertus O'Brien, O. P. elected bishop of Emly, 1644, by Pope Urban VIII. and who suffered for the faith at Limerick, on the Eve of All-Saints'-Day, 1651, is taken from the relation of his martyrdom.

The illustrious and Right Rev. Terentius Albertus O'Brien, O. P.