content on Sunday with hearing Mass; he will also be present at the other services of the Church, namely, the afternoon or evening prayers and Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament. The beautiful service of Benediction is, indeed, after the Mass, one of the most excellent of all devotions, for in it we gather together at the feet of our Blessed Lord, present upon the altar, to lay before him our sorrows, our trials, and our wants, to enjoy the sweetness of his presence, and receive his loving blessing. Never, if you can help it, be absent from Benediction; to assist at it devoutly brings peace and joy to the soul, and is the source of the choicest graces. Those, however, who, through distance from chapel or other causes, are unable to attend the afternoon or evening service, will do well to supply for it, as far as possible, by reciting at home the rosary or other prayers.

In the second place, we learn from the catechism that we cannot better sanctify the Sunday than by approaching to the holy Sacraments. For it is by Confession and the Holy Communion that our souls become purified from sin and united to God, nor can we keep the Lord's day in a manner more befitting, than by inviting the Lord himself into our souls, and entertaining him there by a devout Communion. Oh, how sweet and happy are those Sundays which we consecrate to God by approaching worthily to the Holy Sacraments! To such days may the words of the Psalmist be well applied, "Better is one day in thy courts, O Lord, above a thousand." May you, my dear children, who have made your first Communion, often enjoy this happiness. Nourished frequently with the Bread of Life, you will grow strong in the grace and love of God, you will learn to despise the world and its vanities, to fix your thoughts and affections on heaven, and to keep yourselves pure and innocent in the midst of a wicked world. And do you who have not yet received our B. Lord, beg of him earnestly, whenever you assist at Mass, to come at least spiritually into your hearts, and to prepare them by his grace for that loving visit which he is about to pay you on the great day of your first Communion.

The third means of sanctifying Sunday is attendance at

religious instruction. I have already told you, in explaining the first commandment, that it is the duty of every Christian to be instructed as fully as possible in the truths of religion. Now, there is no day more suitable for the fulfilment of this duty than Sunday, when our minds, being no longer distracted by worldly occupations, are better able to fix themselves on the things of God. The Church has wisely provided for this want by the establishment of Sunday schools and the public Catechism, which it is the duty of every Catholic child to attend. Neither are grown-up persons excused from the duty of obtaining religious instruction. The sermon at the late Mass, and the discourse at the evening Benediction, are the principal means afforded to them of fulfilling this obligation. Hence those Catholics who content themselves with hearing an early Mass upon Sunday, and, through sloth or indifference, attend no other service, cannot, generally speaking, be excused from sin on account of their wilful neglect of religious instruction.

I may here remark, my dear children, that there are some young people who, when they have been admitted to their first Communion, think that they have no longer any occasion to attend the Sunday school, or assist at Catechism. They forget that the truths of religion cannot be too deeply impressed upon our minds. Moreover, there is always something fresh to be learned about Almighty God, and the more we know of him the better shall we love him, and the more faithfully shall we fulfil our duty to him. Follow, therefore, in this the wishes of your parents and the advice of your pastor. And when at length you have grown up and completed your instruction, many of you will, I trust, be able to show your gratitude and love to God by helping in the work of the Sunday school, and by instructing those who are ignorant of the truths of religion. How happy will you be if you are able to assist in teaching others how to know and love our Good God; and how great and glorious will be your reward hereafter, according to the words of the prophet Daniel, "They that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity" (Dan. xii. 3).

In the last place, we are taught to make the reading of good books one of the chief exercises by which to sanctify the Sunday. For there is hardly anything that is likely to make a deeper impression on our hearts, or lead us more powerfully to the love and service of God, than the attentive perusal of works of piety--such, for example, as those in which the life of our B. Lord or of his Saints is set before us for our imitation, or in which we are taught to meditate on the truths of eternity, or are instructed in the doctrines of our faith. I would earnestly advise you all to provide yourselves by degrees with a small library of good religious books. Among others, I would recommend the New Testament, the History of the Bible, that excellent little work the Think Well On't, the Poor Man's Catechism, and the Sufferings of Jesus, by St. Alphonsus Liguori. To these might be added a few volumes of the Lives of the Saints, and some book of devotion to our B. Lady. These excellent works are not like the silly tales and magazines of the day, the greater part of which do nothing but fill the mind with idle and dangerous thoughts, and are only read to be thrown aside; they are full of spiritual wisdom and useful instruction, and every time they are read, bring fresh profit to the soul. It is impossible for any one to go far astray who is fond of reading religious books, for the good instructions they contain will powerfully serve to restrain him from sin, and keep him in the path of virtue. There are many Saints now in heaven who owe to the reading of some Saint's Life, or other religious book which Providence threw in their way, their conversion from a sinful and worldly life to one of penance and heroic virtue. Of this you will see an example in the history of St. Ignatius Loyola.

CONVERSION OF ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA.

The great St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus, was born of a noble family, and followed in his youth the profession of arms in the service of the king of Spain. The character of Ignatius was open, generous, and courageous; he was, however, vain of his personal appearance, fond of pleasure, and full of worldly and ambitious thoughts. He ardently longed to distinguish himself in the service of his king, and to gain for himself the esteem and applause of the

world. An opportunity soon occurred to put his courage to the test. The city of Pampeluna was besieged by the French army, and, owing to the death of his superior officer, it fell to the lot of Ignatius to direct the defence. On this occasion he gave proof of great and noble qualities. Though at the head of but a small force, he scorned every proposal to surrender, encouraged the drooping spirits of the soldiers, and led them in person to attack the besiegers. In the engagement he was wounded by a cannon ball, which shattered his leg, and he was carried back helpless to the fortress.

After the surrender of the city Ignatius was permitted to retire to his own home, the Castle of Loyola, where he remained for many months helpless and confined to his bed. To while away the time, he desired his attendants to bring him some romances or tales of chivalry, but they could find no such books in the castle. They brought him, however, a volume of the Lives of the Saints, which they had met with in their search. Ignatius at first laid it impatiently aside, as ill suited to his taste; but seeing that no other book could be procured, he at length opened and began to read it. By degrees his attention became awakened, and he could not help admiring the noble generosity of men who had sacrificed fortune, worldly honour, and even life itself in the service of God. He soon began to compare their lives with his own, to reflect on the emptiness and vanity of all that passes with time, and to understand how wisely the Saints had acted in preferring the service of the King of Heaven to that of an earthly monarch. From that time Ignatius resolved to occupy himself no longer with the vain pursuit of earthly glory, but to devote himself to the great work of obtaining the victory over his own passions and promoting the glory of his Heavenly Master. Accordingly upon his recovery he retired into solitude, where he gave himself up to the practice of penance and prayer. Soon after he laid the foundation of the illustrious order of the Jesuits, the members of which, by the great works which they have performed for the education of youth and the preaching of the Gospel, have so well fulfilled those words which St. Ignatius took as the rule and motto of his life, "Ad majorem Dei Gloriam— All to the greater Glory of God."—Life of St. Ignatius.

ST. AUGUSTINE'S EXPERIENCE OF THE USE OF GOOD

BOOKS.

A certain courtier, a friend of St. Augustine, was one day walking near the city of Triers with three of his gay companions, when two of them, who were officers in the Emperor's army, chanced to enter a cottage which was the dwelling-place of some devout servants of God. Here they perceived upon the table a copy of the life of the great St. Anthony the hermit, which one of them opened through curiosity. Attracted, says St. Augustine, by something which caught his eye, he began to read, and reading, to admire, and admiring, to burn with the desire of imitating so noble and heroic an example. At length inflamed with what he read, and burning with

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a holy zeal, he cried out to his companion, "Tell me, I pray, with all the pains we take, what does our ambition aspire to? Have we any greater hopes at court than to arrive at the friendship and favour of the Emperor? And when this is obtained, how long will it last? But behold, if I please, I can become this moment the friend and favourite of God, and remain so for ever." So saying, he paused; but having read a little further, he again exclaimed, 'Behold, now I bid adieu to former hopes, and am fully resolved to have no other pursuit but that of serving God. I begin from this very hour, in this very place. As for you, if you do not imitate my example, at least do not hinder my resolution." The other replied that, so far from hindering him, he wished to stand by his side in so noble a warfare. Accordingly, taking leave of their companions, they remained in the cottage; upon receiving news of which, the two young ladies to whom they were engaged, consecrated their virginity to God.

This example, which was related to St. Augustine by his friend Pontitianus, at a time when his mind was still wavering between the force of truth and the violence of his passions, raised immediately a mighty conflict within his breast. Agitated by his feelings, and drawn by the grace of God, he retired into the garden to pray. Here he poured forth the anguish of his heart with bitter sighs and tears, when suddenly he heard the voice of a child frequently repeating these words, "Tolle lege; tolle lege;-take and read; take and read." Upon this, rising up in amazement, he went to fetch the book of St. Paul's Epistles, which he had left hard by, and opening it, he lighted upon the words, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh and its concupiscences." He read no further, nor had he need; for at the end of these lines a new gleam of confidence and security streamed into his heart, and all the darkness of his former hesitation was dispelled. He immediately went in and told the good news to his mother, St. Monica, who was transported with joy. He then put himself under the care of St. Ambrose, who shortly after conferred upon him the sacrament of Baptism.-Butler's Saints' Lives.

TWENTY-EIGHTH INSTRUCTION.

The Fourth Commandment-What it commands-Duties of Children to their Parents-namely, Love, Honour, and Obedience-The Duties we owe to our Pastors, Rulers, Teachers, and Employers-Obligation of contributing to the support of our Pastors.

Q. What is the Fourth Commandment?

A. The Fourth Commandment is, "Honour thy father and thy mother."