The morn of our redemption, That broke the bonds of sin, The finish of that battle Which only Christ could win. I Well then may we hail thee, Oh! happy Easter Morn, As nothing is too bright, And nothing is too gay, To Welcome Easter Morn, And Christ's great love repay. The Cross. F loving hearts were never weary If all they wished might ALWAYS be, They might be glad-but not in Thee! O LOVE, Thou art the living water for which to me the salutary entrance of Thy Heart; behold mine, take it; henceforth I wish it to be no longer at my disposal.-ST. MATILDA. ' Precious Pearls from (To be Useful.) O BE USEFUL-It is very beautiful in the sight of God and our conscience. IF TO BE AMIABLE, TO BE LOVED was not being useful to others by making life sweeter to them, we never would seek to be AMIABLE; we would content ourselves with being useful. To feel one's self, in the midst of a little family where we pass our life in labor almost indispensible to the comfort of all, to be able to say softly to one's self: "It is through me that those I love are happy." "They are praised, they are esteemed, and it is I who am the cause of the honors they enjoy." "They are contented with themselves; they imagine that they do a great deal, and that they are always successful; and of this work, this success, I have furnished the materials. It is I, who, by speaking well of them, praising them at proper times, setting off their good qualities, and hiding their faults-it is I who am the cause that everything succeeds with them." What a sweet thought, particularly when this work of USEFULNESS is accomplished so quietly, with so little noise, in the presence of God alone, that it never appears, and to the eyes of all we seem to be doing no more than others! What joy for the heart, and for eternity what a harvest of merit. My God, oh! let me add to my daily prayers that short one so little known. MAY I BE USE FUL TO SOME ONE THIS DAY. But to be happy in this work of devotion accomplished in secret, and to continue it for any length of time, a great deal of virtue is necessary; there must be in the most practical sense of the word "the habitual thought of God" which takes the place of everything, DOING GOOD is not sufficient of itself to sustain us; We all aspire to be APPRECIATED A LITTLE. That which often disturbs, and for a long time paralyzes the ardor of poor devoted hearts is that they are unconsciously too anxious to know whether their devotion is understood. They have been given too much to understand that "devotion always finds a recompense upon earth," and, not receiving a reward such as they had dreamed of, they say to themselves, I AM LOSING MY TIME. Take courage, poor hearts; commence again to smile and devote yourself. If men make you no return, either through forgetfulness, inability, or indifference, so much the better! God will reward you in heaven; and is not God's recompense worth more than that of men? BEING USEFUL is not a thing that is learned. It is a passion ALL DIVINE that comes to the heart through a special grace, which impels less to act than to remain united to God, seeking in some way to come to the aid of God in the care which He takes of others. E must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. Now, God is everywhere, and every person is His handiwork. --ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. IT is remarkable to observe how deeply we respect, adore and venerate virtue-insomuch that we all go about pretending to be virtuous; yet how little we believe in the virtue of one another? RUTH which is not charitable springs from a charity which is not true.-ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. CHERE is no man but knows more evil of himself than he does of other people. |