Sixth Saturday in Lent.

DEJECTION ON FALLS.

PASSAGE FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE.

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

REFLECTIONS.

My son, patience and humility in adversities are more pleasing to me, than much comfort and devotion in prosperity.

"Why art thou so grieved for every little matter spoken against thee? Although it had been much more, thou oughtest not to have been moved.

"But now let it pass; it is not the first that hath happened, nor is it any new thing; neither shall it be the last, if thou live long.

"Thou art courageous enough so long as nothing adverse befalleth thee.

"Thou canst give good counsel also, and canst strengthen others with thy words; but when any tribulation suddenly comes to thy door, thou failest in counsel and strength. Observe then thy great frailty,

of which thou too often hast experience in small oc

currences.

"It is notwithstanding intended for thy good, when these and such like things happen unto thee.

"2. Put it out of thy heart, the best thou canst, and if it touch thee, yet let it not deject thee nor perplex thee long.

"At least bear it patiently, if thou canst not joyfully. Although thou be unwilling to bear it, and conceivest indignation thereat, yet restrain thyself, and suffer no inordinate word to pass out of thy mouth whereby Christ's little ones may be offended.

“The storm which is now raised shall quickly be appeased, and inward grief shall be sweetened by the return of grace.

666

"I yet live,' saith the Lord, and am ready to help thee, and to give thee greater comfort than before, if thou put thy trust in Me, and callest devoutly upon Me.'

"3. Be more patient, my soul, and gird thyself to greater endurance. All is not lost, although thou do feel thyself very often afflicted or grievously tempted. "Thou art a man, and not God; thou art flesh, and not an angel.

"How canst thou look to continue alway in the same state of virtue, when an angel in heaven hath fallen, as also the first man in paradise.

"I am He who will strengthen with health them that mourn, and do raise up unto divine glory those that know their own infirmity.

"4. O Lord, blessed be Thy word, more sweet unto my mouth than honey and the honeycomb.

"What should I do in these so great tribulations

and straits, unless Thou didst comfort me with Thy holy discourses?

as I

may

"What matter is it how much or what I suffer, so at length attain to the port of salvation? "Grant me a good end, grant me a happy passage out of this world.

"Be mindful of me, O my God, and direct me in the right way to Thy kingdom. Amen."

PRAYER.

"O God of mercy, pardon all the sins of our proud and prejudicate understandings, our wilful ignorance and voluntary neglect of the instruments of salvation, the weakness and imperfection of our faith, and our trifling notices of things; our distrust of Thee, and our confidence in the creatures, our superstitious fancies and foolish opinions, our weak conjectures and easiness to believe, our superstitions and jealousies of Thee, and our wicked sentences and evil reportings concerning Thy actions and Thy attributes; our relying upon dreams, and our not relying on Thy word, our love of being abused in our persuasions, and our believing doctrines for our interests and passions, and weak enquiries and confident opinions; our doubtings and trepidation in the day of temptations, and our unreasonable confidences, boastings, and presumptions, when we are prosperous, easy, and untempted.

"Lord be merciful to our sins, for they are very many. Amen.”

PASSAGE FROM OUR LORD'S PASSION.

"As they led Him away, they laid hold upon one

Cimon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus."

MEDITATION.

"It is supposed our blessed Lord bore His cross, as St. John describes Him, through the city; and that when they had come to the gate of the city, He was unable to support it; when the circumstances take place which the other Evangelists record. And probably He was at this time unable to support His cross, and even unable to support Himself also. For it may be observed, that St. Mark afterwards changes the expression, and speaks of their bearing' Him to the place of execution; which, considering the circumstantial accuracy of St. Mark's words, and that he himself, as well as the other two Evangelists, had before used the other term, and said that they led Him out, would induce one to suppose that our Lord was too weak to proceed without support. But even at this moment of His extreme weakness we cannot but adore, with awe and wonder, His divine charity, which makes even His weakness to school us in heavenly wisdom. For now, when He fainted under the weight of His cross, and, from the sufferings of body and mind which He hath undergone, was unequal to sustain this burden, yet even here He ceased not, by a mysterious lesson, to teach His true followers, and to remind them of that admonition which He had so often inculcated upon them,—'That he who would be His disciple must bear the cross, and come after Him and follow Him;' that as He is 'King, those who would reign with Him must also suffer with Him;'

setting before us in lively action that to which He has exhorted us by St. Paul: 'Let us go forth to Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.' O wonderful and exceeding charity, unspeakable watchfulness of divine teaching! O blessed privilege, to 'fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ!' For who can approach so near Him as to bear His cross, and not partake of that ineffable goodness that surrounded Him? And who was the man of Cyrene? What good deed of faith had he done to Christ, or to Christ's little ones, that he, of all the sons of Adam, should have been deemed worthy to be admitted to this, the first and greatest of all honours ?-Who he was, excepting the name, we know not, nor what he had done; for God withdraws from the sight of men, and hides in His own presence those whom He most delights to honour. All that we know is, that as they were going, and led Him away, they found a man of Cyrene, by name Cimon, as he was coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus; on him they laid hands as he was passing by, and compelled him to their service, that he might bear His cross; and they placed it upon him, to bear it after Jesus."

PASSAGES FROM THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF HOLY PERSONS.

Life of St. Perpetua-continued.

"On the evening before their martyrdom they supped in public, as was the custom. And when the people were pressing to see them, Saturus said, 'Surely tomorrow will suffice, good friends, to gaze on us. Yet mark our countenances well, that ye may know them again at the awful day of doom.'