beauty. Hence the Apostle St. Paul says, "We now see through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face" (1 Cor. xiii. 12). And oh, how ravishing will not the sight of him be, who is Beauty and Loveliness itself! For all that we see in this world that can charm the eye or delight the senses, is but a spark or a ray of that Infinite Beauty who has made them what they are, and who must infinitely surpass in loveliness the creatures which he has made. Hence it is that, though the beauties of the creation,—the green fields and verdant woods, the smiling valleys and the lofty mountains, the sparkling ocean and the blue sky spangled with millions of bright stars, though these and other objects may serve to remind us of the Infinite Beauty of the God who made them, yet they can never give us a just idea of his Loveliness, which as far surpasses what we admire in them, as heaven exceeds earth, and God his creatures. Add to this, that, as all things are in God, whoever beholds God will behold in him whatever is beautiful or lovely in his creatures, particularly the incomparable splendour of the sacred humanity of Jesus, the surpassing loveliness of Mary his B. Mother, and the beauty and glory of the Saints and Heavenly Spirits. And what must not be the splendour and magnificence of the heavenly Jerusalem, that happy city where God will dwell with his chosen ones! The Apostle St. John, who was permitted to behold it in a vision, to give us some idea of it, says, that the city is of pure gold, the gates of pearls, and the walls of precious stones (Apoc. xxi.). But even the inspired words of an evangelist can give us but a faint idea of the glory and beauty of that happy abode.

In the second place, we shall not only see Almighty God in heaven, we shall also love and enjoy him. In other words, we shall both love and possess him, and possessing him, our hearts will be so filled with joy and gladness, that we shall desire nothing more. We shall then have attained the end for which God made us, and in which alone our hearts can find perfect rest. For all the pleasures of the world can never satisfy our hearts or make us truly happy. They please us but for a

moment, and then they leave behind a weariness of soul and a desire of something more; but when we shall possess Almighty God, every desire will be satisfied. In possessing him we shall possess everything, and in the enjoyment of him our souls will be ravished with every delight and with the purest joys, in comparison with which all the pleasures of this world will appear empty and worthless. Hence the holy Psalmist David cries out: "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord; they shall praise thee for ever and ever. Better is one day in thy courts above thousands. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners" (Ps. lxxxiii.). And the Apostle St. Paul, who had been raised up to the third heaven by Almighty God, on witnessing the glory of the Saints, exclaims: 66 Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him " (1 Cor. ii. 9).

Finally, what will complete the happiness of the Blessed is, that all this joy, and rapture, and delight will be theirs for evermore. No fear now of losing Almighty God by sin; no danger of sorrow, or pain, or sickness, coming in to check their happiness, or draw the tear of sorrow from their eyes. For, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away" (Apoc. xxi. 4).

Oh, my dear children, how little are all the trials, and labours, and sufferings of this short life in comparison with the eternal joys of heaven, which we purchase thereby !

TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD.

"And after six days, Jesus taketh unto him Peter, and James, and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them. And his face did

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shine as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. behold! there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking to him. "And Peter, answering, said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

"And as he was yet speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo! a voice out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

"And the disciples, hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came, and touched them, and said to them, Arise and fear not. And they, lifting up their eyes, saw no one but only Jesus" (Matt xvii.).

THE YOUNG NIVARD.

When St. Bernard and his three brothers were about to quit the world in order to serve God in the monastery of Citeaux, they first repaired to the Castle of Fontaines, to bid adieu to their aged father, and implore his blessing. As they came out of the gates of the castle, which is situated on the summit of a hill, they saw their little brother Nivard playing with other children of his age. "Goodbye, Nivard!" said Guy, the eldest of the brothers; "you will now be your father's heir, and one day master of all you see around. We leave to you all our possessions." "What!" said the child, with a wisdom beyond his years; you take heaven for yourselves and leave me earth! Assuredly this division is not equal, and I shall very soon follow you." And so indeed he did when he grew older, for he also quitted the world, and entering the Abbey of Citeaux, put himself under the direction of his brother Bernard.— Life of St. Bernard.

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ST. TERESA AND HER BROTHER RODERICK.

When St. Teresa was a little girl, not more than seven years old, she used to spend much of her time with her little brother Roderick in reading the lives of the Saints and conversing about holy things. The thought of eternity made a deep impression upon their young hearts, and they were never tired of repeating these words, "For ever, for ever, for ever! What! shall the blessed see and enjoy God for ever?" When they read the history of the monks and hermits, they wished, like them, to abandon all for God, and tried to build themselves little hermitages in their father's garden, but, being only small and weak, they were not able to finish them. It was the history of the martyrs, however, which filled them with the greatest delight. It seemed to them that the martyrs had purchased heaven very cheaply, since by short sufferings they had secured eternal joys. They wished that they could do the same, and one day set out privately from home and left the city, intending to make their way to the country of the Moors, where they hoped to be martyred for the faith. As they went along, praying with great fervour, they were met by one of their uncles, and brought back to their mother, who was in a state of the greatest distress at their unexpected absence. Teresa did not escape without a scolding, for Roderick laid all the blame on his little sister; but Almighty God was, no doubt, pleased with her innocent fervour. Though

prevented from aspiring to the crown of martyrdom, she continued to devote herself with more zeal than ever to the service of God, animating herself with these words, Eternity, eternity! This thought of eternity was like the good seed spoken of in the Gospel, which produced a hundred fold in her future life.-Life of St. Teresa.

Let us, my dear children, plant in our hearts the same good seed which made the little Teresa grow into a saint -Eternity! Eternity! Whisper to yourselves when you lie on your beds at night, or when you find yourselves tempted to sin, "If I live well, I shall be happy with God for ever. If I live badly, I shall burn for ever with the devils in the flames of hell."

Q. Shall not the wicked also live for ever?

A. Yes; the wicked also shall live and be punished for ever in the fire of hell.

The wicked also shall live and be punished for ever in the fire of hell. Their life also will be eternal, but it will not be life so much as a living death. They shall live, it is true, both body and soul, but only that every power of the soul, and every limb, and sense, and member of the body, may be tormented for all eternity in the flames of hell. Hence the Holy Scripture calls the punishment of hell the second death; the unbelievers, and murderers, and idolaters, and impure, "shall have their portion," it says, "in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Apoc. xxi. 8).

But what, my dear children, will be the nature of the torments which the damned will endure for all eternity in the prison-house of hell? Our B. Lord has revealed them to us in part, but in part only; for as it "hath not entered into the heart to conceive what things God hath prepared for them that love him," so neither is it possible for man to understand the greatness of the torments which the Infinite Justice of God has prepared in hell for those who outrage and insult him by grievous sin. We know, however, from the words of our B. Redeemer, that hell is a place of torments" (Luke xvi. 28), in other words, a place set apart for every kind of suffering; that it is an

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everlasting fire," the abode of the devil and the wicked angels (Matt. xxv. 41); moreover, that it is a dungeon of utter "darkness," "where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. xxv. 30); and, finally, that it is a place of continual suffering, where "the worm dieth not and the fire is not extinguished" (Mark ix. 45). From these terrible words of our B. Lord, we may conclude that in hell both body and soul will be alike tormented; that the body will be cast into a raging fire, kindled by the just anger of God, which will for ever burn without consuming it, and that the soul will become a prey to the most bitter anguish and remorse, and will waste herself for all eternity in unavailing fury and despair. "The wicked shall see and shall be angry," says holy David; "He shall gnash with his teeth and pine away: the desire of the wicked shall perish" (Ps. cxi. 10).

Oh, my dear children, let me ask of you, in the words of Holy Scripture, "Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? Which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" (Isa. xxxiii. 14). And which of you would choose the cruel and ugly devils to be your inseparable companions for eternity? None of you, willingly. Flee, then, from mortal sin as you would from hell itself, for he that commits mortal sin is already a child of hell.

DIVES AND LAZARUS.

"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.

"And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell.

"And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

"And Abraham said to him, Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between