which you may know, and then try to carry it out diligently; only, take care to have some plan.

If you are going to follow the words with the priest, learn beforehand what the Mass will be, and have your places carefully found. If you are going to meditate or use other devotions, have your subject chosen, and your books or your rosary beads ready.

Before I finish this long instruction, I must say a few words about High Mass, and the proper spirit in which to hear it.

Some people say: "I really don't care about music; and if I did, after all, your music is but a very poor affair; and as to these candles and vestments, I don't care whether there are ten candles or a hundred, and I don't know one vestment from another." Others say: "These things don't excite my devotion at all, on the contrary rather distract me. I can be much more devout at a simple quiet Low Mass, than I can with all your music, incense, and flowers. You really mustn't ask me to take any interest in such things."

Such opinions as these are very natural and plausible -and-very wrong and foolish. You must understand: First, These things are not in the least intended to please you, or to gratify your ears or your eyes. Secondly, They are not even intended, primarily, to put devout thoughts into your mind.

What is their meaning, then? They are a part of that solemn hymn of praise and glory, which is perpetually rising up to God from His people on earth, according to the rules laid down by His Church, in

which every Christian should be proud to have his share.

As an acknowledgment of our dependence, and a tribute of our gratitude, we desire to consecrate to Him everything which is beautiful and costly on earth, in the same spirit with which S. Mary Magdalen poured out her precious ointment.

If, therefore, you don't know a note of music, and candles are a distraction to you, you ought not to be in the least less anxious that the Church music should be performed in the best manner possible, and that the altar should be adorned with all attainable magnificence; and if you are able to contribute either your labour or your money, consider it an honour to do so; at any rate, never allow yourself to express or think the foolish idea I spoke of just now. You may be very sure that, if you do these things with the right spirit, they will be more pleasing to God than any amount of apparent devotion which may come from pleasing yourself.

I have only one more thing to speak of. This is the practice of paying for Masses. It is usual, on certain occasions, to give money to have Mass said, and this custom I had better explain.

People naturally say: "Is not this giving money for holy things, rather like simony?" and remember S. Peter's words: "Keep thy money to thyself to perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." (Acts vii. 20.) Why does the Church sanction this practice 1

You remember, that when we spoke of the ends for which the Mass is offered, I said that it was offered for certain general ends, and also for certain special or private ends.

Mass may, therefore, be said to obtain from God any object for which we pray; and no prayer can possibly be as available as the Holy Sacrifice. The special object of the Mass depends upon the priest who celebrates it. It is part of a priest's office to say Mass for his people, and not only for his people in general, but, on fitting occasions, for the special needs of individuals. "Every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God; that he may offer up gifts and sacrifice for sin." (Heb. v. 1.) A priest, therefore, has a sort of obligation to offer up Mass for those who ask for it. But how is this right to be exercised? It clearly would never do to say, that each one has a right to have Mass offered for him whenever he wishes it. The Church, therefore, naturally steps in, and lays down the conditions on which the faithful can have the Holy Sacrifice offered for them. This condition is, that they should contribute a fixed sum—that is, a sum fixed in each diocese-for the maintenance of the priest who celebrates. As they have a right to have sacrifice offered for them, so has the priest a right to "live by the altar" which he serves.

This stipend, as it is called, in England is five shillings, although half-a-crown only is commonly given by poorer people. A priest ought not, generally speaking, to say Mass for less than this: he may, of course.

say Mass for nothing, but he ought not to take less than the regular stipend. If a priest accepts a stipend for saying Mass, he is most strictly bound to celebrate according to the intention of the person from whom he receives it; if he cannot say it himself, he is bound to hand over all that he has received (for the Mass) to the priest who does in fact say it. It is therefore a heavy responsibility to undertake the burthen of saying many Masses.

The poorer classes, who generally have a very true instinct in such matters, if they wish to have Mass said, are not satisfied unless they have paid something to the priest, feeling, no doubt, justly enough, that the idea of having sacrifice offered for them ought to involve some corresponding sacrifice or self-denial on their own part, and that if it is offered for them simply at the priest's expense, when they could, if they pleased, do something on their part, they cannot, hope to derive much benefit from it.

This seems to be the explanation of the custom of the Church, but you must be ready to accept this custom, not because you understand the explanation, but because it is the custom of the Church. In small things, as well as great ones, we ought to wish never to be wiser than the Catholic Church, but as S. Paul "Not to be more wise than it behoveth to be

tells us,
wise." (Rom. xii, 3.)

INSTRUCTION IV.

ON DIFFERENT DEVOTIONS.

Divine Office.-Vespers.-Its Arrangement.-Moveable and Fixed Feasts.-Rank of Feast.-To Find Vespers.-Complin.-Benediction.-Expositions of the Blessed Sacrament.-Stations of the Cross.-Rosary.-Objections.-Honour paid to the Blessed Virgin Mary.-Mysteries of the Rosary.-Rosary Beads.-The Living Rosary.-Other Devotions to Our Lady.

In the last Instruction, I finished selling you about the Holy Mass; in this I intend to describe to you the other offices and devotions commonly used in the Church. The Mass, I said, is always substantially the same, and admits of very little change: but most of the other devotions vary in almost every church. A priest may have any kind of prayers which he thinks will suit the capacity of his people, and therefore you must take pains to understand the devotions in use in the church you attend.

I will begin by giving an account of Vespers and Complin.

These cannot, strictly speaking, be called popular devotions. They are in Latin, and are intended, in