This, my

commanded him to "confirm" his brethren. dear children, happened before our Lord's Crucifixion, and refers to the heinous sin into which St. Peter fell, of thrice denying his Divine Master in the court of Caiaphas. Our Lord had previously predicted to St. Peter that his over-confidence which was joined to the neglect of prayer, would give the devil, who earnestly sought his ruin, advantage over him. But he added that he had prayed especially for him, that his faith should never fail, though his courage might; and charged him after his repentance to confirm his brethren in their faith by his holy teaching-a teaching which was to be continued in the persons of his successors throughout all ages to the end of time. "Simon, Simon," said he, "behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not; and thou being once converted confirm thy brethren" (Luke xxii. 31, 32).

Q. Is the Pope infallible?

A. Yes, the Pope is infallible.

Q. What do you mean when you say that the Pope is infallible? A. When I say that the Pope is infallible, I mean that, as Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians, the Pope cannot err when he defines a doctrine concerning Faith or Morals, to be held by the whole Church.

We come now to a most important question, namely, the Infallibility of the Pope. It is very necessary to be well instructed on this point, for you will often hear speak of it, and it is generally misunderstood and misrepresented by Protestants. What then do we mean when we say that the Pope is infallible? We simply mean that as Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians, the Pope cannot err when he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals, to be held by the whole Church. In other words, Jesus Christ has left, to guide and teach us in his place, one who, when he exercises his public office as the supreme Pastor and Teacher, cannot lead us astray or teach us falsehood. And why can he not err like other men? Because our B. Lord is always guiding and helping him by his Holy Spirit to fulfil his important office as Teacher

of the Church of God. He has to feed the sheep and lambs of Christ with the word of heavenly doctrine. He has to confirm the faith of his brethren against the errors of false teachers. It stands to reason, therefore, that our B. Saviour who has given him such an office, will help him to fulfil it. Wherefore he prayed for St. Peter the first Pope; and in his person he prayed for all future Popes that their faith likewise should never fail, but that they should have the special assistance of the Holy Ghost in teaching the Church of God. For this reason, too, he compared St. Peter to a most firm rock on which the Church should be built-that Church against which all the powers of hell should never be able to prevail.

Take notice, however, my dear children, of the last part of the answer of the catechism, for it is most important, the Pope cannot err when he defines a doctrine concerning Faith or Morals, to be held by the whole Church. In other words, the Pope is only infallible when he declares, as the Supreme Shepherd of the flock of Christ, that any particular doctrine, regarding what we have to believe or what we have to practise, is revealed by God and must be held by the whole Church. This is what is meant by defining a doctrine. It is declaring it to be part of God's Infallible Truth revealed to man, and such a doctrine must always regard Faith or Morals, that is, it must relate to what we have to believe or what we have to practise. For it is by believing what God teaches us and practising what he commands us, that we are to get to heaven, and therefore the Pope, who is the Shepherd appointed to conduct us there, has the special assistance of the Holy Spirit in regard to these two points. You see from this that our Lord's promise to the Pope does not extend to his private life. He may fall into sin or error himself like any other man-he might even die in sin and lose his soul. But he cannot teach error to the sheep and lambs of Christ, when he speaks as Shepherd of the flock to the Universal Church.

I need hardly tell you that it is the mark of a good Catholic to reverence the Pope, to love the Pope, to pray often for the Pope, and to render him exact obedience in

all that he commands. For is he not the head of the Church, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and our own spiritual father? Besides, our holy father the Pope loves us all tenderly; and though he does not know us all by name, yet he thinks of us all, prays for us all, asks after us from our Bishops, sends us his blessing, and sometimes writes us letters, which are read in all the churches, and are called "encyclical letters." Whenever, therefore, you hear Mass or go to Holy Communion, be sure to say a little prayer for the Pope, asking God to give him light and grace to govern the Church wisely, and patience to bear his many trials, for the life of the Pope has always been, from the days of St. Peter, a life of severe trial and suffering.

CONVERSION OF ENGLAND.

It is to the zeal and piety of Pope Gregory the Great that England owes its conversion from idolatry to the faith of Christ. Our first forefathers the Britons had already been converted to the Christian religion by missionaries sent from Rome by Pope Lucius, about 180 years after Christ. But a new race of barbarians, from the shores of the Baltic, had invaded England and driven the former inhabitants, the Britons, into the mountains of Wales and the Western counties. The savage conquerors, who were called Saxons and Angles, were as yet idolaters, and wherever they came they destroyed every vestige of Christianity from the face of the land. It chanced that some of their own youths were taken prisoners, sold as slaves, and found their way into the market-place of Rome. A Benedictine monk, named Gregory, who was passing by, stopped to gaze on them, and was moved with admiration on beholding their fair and noble countenances and beautiful auburn hair, which formed so great a contrast to the swarthy features and raven locks of his own countrymen. Touched with pity at their sad fate, he asked of what race they were and whence they came. 'They are Angles," was the reply, 'from the isle of Britain." "Angels you should have said, not Angles, were they only Christians," replied Gregory. "Alas, how sad it is that a nation of such promise and of form so fair should still be buried in the darkness of idolatry, and lie under the anger of God!" So saying, he returned disconsolate to his monastery, whence he soon issued to go and cast himself at the feet of the Pope, begging to be allowed to preach the gospel to his beloved Angles. Having obtained permission, he set out with great joy, but was pursued and brought back by the people of Rome, who were unwilling that a priest of such singular piety and zeal should be lost to their own city. The Pope dying soon after, Gregory was raised to the chair of St. Peter, and one of

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his first cares was to choose out a band of zealous missioners to undertake the work which he had been so anxious to accomplish in person. This little band was placed under the direction of St. Augustine, a monk of the same monastery to which St. Gregory himself had belonged.

St. Augustine and his companions, having arrived in England, met with a favourable reception from Ethelbert, King of Kent, who gave them full leave to preach in his dominions, and was himself, soon after, converted, along with all his subjects. From Kent the light of the gospel spread over the rest of England, for Almighty God blessed the labours of the devoted missioners and confirmed their preaching by numerous miracles. St. Augustine, by the advice of St. Gregory, fixed his see in the city of Canterbury, of which he became the first Archbishop. He is called the Apostle of England, because he brought us the light of the true faith; but while we love and reverence him as such, let us never forget that we owe both him and his devoted band of companions to the zeal and fatherly love of that holy Pontiff St. Gregory the Great.

ST. LEO THE GREAT AND ATTILA.

About the middle of the fifth century a horde of fierce barbarians, named Huns, led by the terrible Attila, surnamed the Scourge of God, swept over the Roman Empire, destroying everything before them, and covering the whole country with smoking ruins and the dead bodies of the slaughtered inhabitants. Flushed with victory, the savage conquerors at length advanced towards Rome, which the Roman emperors, whose armies had been everywhere defeated, had left without garrison or means of defence. In the midst of the general consternation, the holy Pontiff Leo alone ventured to go to meet the conqueror. Having arrived at the camp of the Huns on the banks of the river Mincio, Leo was admitted into the presence of Attila, and spoke to him with such courage and firmness of the account which he must one day give to God of his actions, that the savage barbarian at once granted the holy Pope all that he asked, promising to withdraw his army and leave Rome unmolested.

It is related that the followers of Attila, astonished at the respect which their terrible chieftain had paid to a Christian priest, asked him, after St. Leo's departure, what was the reason of his unusual conduct. "It was not," said he, "the person of my visitor alone which made such an impression upon me. I saw near the Pontiff a figure far more august, venerable by his white hair, and clad in priestly robes, who held a drawn sword in his hand, and seemed to threaten me, with looks and gestures of terrible meaning, if I did not undertake faithfully to execute all that had been demanded by his envoy."-Butler's Saints' Lives.

TWELFTH INSTRUCTION.

The Ninth Article, continued-The Church-Her four Marks.

Q. Has the Church of Christ any marks by which we may know her?

A. Yes; the Church of Christ has these four marks by which we may know her: she is One-she is Holy-she is Catholic-she is Apostolic.

The Church of Christ is, my dear children, as our B. Lord said, like a city seated on a mountain, which cannot be hid (Matt. v. 14). In other words, she is plain and visible to all; none can mistake her who are not wilfully blind to the truth. And with reason has our loving Saviour made it so, since he wishes all to be saved. He would not, therefore, have any one to be ignorant of the one only way which leads to eternal life.

It is for this reason that our Lord has given his Church four plain marks, by which any one may know that she is the Church which he has established to teach mankind the way to heaven. And what are these marks? They are these she is One-she is Holy-she is Catholic-she is Apostolic. These four marks are frequently spoken of in Holy Scripture, and no one who believes the sacred writings can possibly deny that the religion or Church founded by Jesus Christ must have every one of these marks. It follows, therefore, that any religion which has not got them is a false religion, the work of man, and not the Church established by our Lord.

The catechism goes on to explain these marks one by one. Listen attentively, and you will very easily see how it is the Catholic Church alone, among all religions, which possesses these four marks, and how there is not a single one of these marks to which any of the sects or false religions, which you see about you, can establish a claim. you are well instructed on this important point, my dear children, you may perhaps, one day or other, be, under God, the happy means of pointing out to some poor wan

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