fidence by exposing their faults or speaking of their private affairs. A servant who cheats his master, wastes his goods, allows others to rob him, or betrays his secret faults, is guilty of a sin of treachery as well as of injustice, since he abuses his master's confidence in order to injure him.

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The Apostle St. Paul, in instructing his disciples on this subject, tells them that they should obey their earthly masters not through interest or fear, but for the love of God and because such is the Divine Will. He bids them look upon Jesus Christ in the person of their masters, and labour diligently in their service, since by so doing they are serving God and not men. Servants," he says, "be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh-as to Christ, not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but as the servants of Christ, doing the Will of God from the heart, with a good will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men" (Eph. vi. 5, 6). Oh! how diligently would servants labour, and how much merit would they gain, if they would profit by this beautiful instruction, and do all their work to please, not so much their earthly as their Heavenly Master! The remembrance that His all-seeing eye is ever upon them, and that even the least work done to please Him will not pass unrewarded, would be at the same time a powerful motive to incite them to industry and diligence, and also a sweet consolation in all the labours and trials to which their state and condition are subject.

Q. Are we bound in conscience and justice to contribute to the support of our Pastors?

A. Yes it is just, and commanded by God, that we should contribute to the support of our Pastors; for St. Paul says, "The Lord hath ordained that they who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel" (1 Cor. ix. 14).

In this answer the catechism teaches us that it is the strict duty of every Christian to contribute towards the support of his pastors, and this for two reasons-in the first place, because justice requires it, and secondly, because it is the Will of God, and our B. Lord has expressly commanded it.

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In the first place, it is just. What, indeed, can be more just and reasonable than that the faithful, who receive so many spiritual blessings through the ministry of their priests, should contribute towards their temporal support? The priest is, as St. Paul calls him, a man of God" (2 Tim. vi. 11), that is, one who devotes himself entirely to the service of God, and this principally by labouring for the salvation of his fellow-men. Hence, though living in the midst of the world, he is, as it were, separated from the world; he does not marry, he does not engage in any worldly business or pursuit, but gives himself up entirely to the worship of God and the care of his flock. He is occupied continually in praying for his people, offering for them the holy Mass, hearing their confessions, instructing them in their duties, administering to them the Sacraments, visiting and consoling them on the bed of sickness or death. He expends his time, his health, his strength, in the service of his people, often exposes himself to danger, and not unfrequently, like the Good Shepherd, lays down his life for his flock. Surely, then, nothing can be more just and reasonable than that the faithful under his charge should cheerfully and readily contribute towards his support.

In the second place, it is, to use the words of St. Paul, expressly ordained, or commanded by Christ, that those who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel, that is, should receive all that is necessary for their support from those to whom they preach. In another place, the same Apostle exhorts his disciples to fulfil faithfully this duty, which they owe to their pastors, "Let him," he says, "that is instructed in the word communicate to him that instructeth him in all good things" (Gal. vi. 6), that is, in the good things of this world. If you read the holy Gospel, you will find that our B. Lord did not himself disdain to be dependent, in a manner, for the necessaries of life on those to whom he preached. Thus he abode with Martha and Mary, and also with Nicodemus, sat down to eat with Matthew and Simon the Pharisee, and was ministered to by the holy women who followed him during his public preaching. Hence, too, in sending his disciples to the

different cities of Israel to announce his coming, he bade them take with them neither purse nor scrip, that is, neither money nor provisions, but remain with those to whom they preached, eating and drinking what was set before them (Luke x.) In the Old Law it was commanded by God himself, that certain cities and lands should be set apart for the dwelling-place and maintenance of the priests and Levites (Jos. xxi.); they were, moreover, entitled, in virtue of their sacred office, to receive a portion of the sacrifices offered, and also the firstfruits and the tithes, which were a tenth part of the produce of the harvests and the flocks (Numb. xviii.; Deut. xviii.) In former ages of the Church, when all were united in the one faith, a similar law respecting tithes generally prevailed; money, also, and lands were left by pious benefactors for the support of the clergy. In this country, however, as in many others, the Church has been robbed of all her possessions and endowments by the sacrilegious hand of the spoiler, at the time of the socalled Reformation, and her clergy have been left dependent for their subsistence on the voluntary offerings of the faithful.

You will ask me, perhaps, in what manner Catholics can best fulfil the strict obligation which they are under of contributing towards the support of their pastors. They can do so in many ways; for example, by the payment of entrance money at the church doors, by renting sittings or pews, and by making any private offering, or giving to any public collection for this object. They will also help greatly to relieve the burden which often presses heavily on the shoulders of their clergy if they give generously towards the expenses of the mission, the support of the schools, or the paying off of any debt which may remain on the Church. To these objects all are bound to contribute according to their means. If they are rich, they must give liberally, for they are but the stewards of that God who has given them their riches, and who will demand an account of the same; but even if they are poor, they are not excused from giving something out of the little they possess towards the service of God and the

support of his ministers. From the example of the poor widow in the Gospel we see that the humble offerings of the poor are often more pleasing in the sight of God than the most valuable gifts of the rich.

THE WIDOW'S MITE.

"And Jesus," says the holy Gospel, “sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much.

"And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing.

And calling his disciples together, he saith to them, Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they that have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living" (Mark xii. 41, &c.)

There is a beautiful history related in Scripture, of the hospitality shown by a poor widow woman to the prophet Elias, during the severe famine which afflicted the kingdom of Israel in the reign of the wicked King Achab. You will see from it how pleasing to God and how sure to draw down the Divine blessing are such acts of charity exercised towards his ministers. Indeed, the Almighty regards as done to himself what we do to those whom he sends in his Name, according to the words of our Lord, "He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me" (Matt. x. 40).

ELIAS AND THE WIDOW OF SAREPHTA.

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"The word of the Lord," says the Holy Scripture, Elias, saying, Arise, and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians, and dwell there, for I have commanded a widow woman to feed thee.

"He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks; and he called her, and said to her, Give me a little water in a vessel that I may drink. And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying, Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she answered, As the Lord God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die. And Elias said to her, Fear not, but go in and do as thou hast said, but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth cake, and bring it to me, and after that make for thee

and thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 'The pot of meal shall not waste nor the cruse of oil be diminished until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth.' She went, and did according to the word of Elias, and he eat, and she and her house, and from that day the pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord.

"And it came to pass after this that the son of the woman fell sick, and the sickness was very grievous, so that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elias, What have I to do with thee, thou man of God? Art thou come to me, that my iniquities should be remembered, and that thou shouldst kill my son? And Elias said to her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him into the upper chamber where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried to the Lord and said, O Lord my God, hast thou afflicted, alas, the widow with whom I am after a sort maintained, so as to kill her son? And he stretched and measured himself upon the child three times, and cried to the Lord and said, O Lord my God, let the soul of this child, I beseech thee, return into his body. And the Lord heard the voice of Elias, and the soul of the child returned into him, and he revived. And Elias took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber to the house below, and delivered him to his mother" (3 Kings xvii.)

TWENTY-NINTH INSTRUCTION.

The Fourth Commandment concluded-Duties of Parents, first, as regards the bodies; secondly, as regards the souls of their children-Duties of masters and other superiors-What the Fourth Commandment forbids -Contempt, stubbornness, and disobedience-Secret Societies.

Q. What is the duty of parents towards their children?

A. The duty of parents towards their children is to provide for them, to instruct and correct them, and to give them a good Catholic education.

In the last instruction I explained to you the duties which children and those who are under authority owe to their parents and superiors. To-day we come to speak of the obligations of parents, and of the duties, which those who are placed in authority over others owe to those under their charge.

There is nothing more to be desired, my dear children,