In April, 1879, Maria Dubouis writes to Mademoiselle J. M. (in answer to her questions as to whether any papers still existed about Notre Dame des Anges, and whether anything had been heard of N—). Maria replied that Pauline Marie had destroyed all the papers about Notre Dame des Anges for fear of compromising her enemies, except a few left in the hands of R. P. G. and that N and his wife were both dead. Maria added that Pauline Marie's heart was in their little chapel and a phial of her blood, and that the blood was as liquid as when it was first put in. Her body was buried in the Cemetery of Loyasse, in the family vault.

Who can count the graces that ever flow from the sanctuaries of Mary? Blessed are they who live and die beneath their shadow. Even in this century of unbelief, names have been wafted to us from over the sea to our desecrated Dowry of Mary, of those whose lives bear marvellous witness to our Lady's special grace. Who has not heard of the saintly Curé of Ars, who studied for the priesthood and was ordained at Lyons? of his wondrous life at Ars for forty years, a ministry begun by leading his whole flock in pilgrimage to the shrine of Mary at Fourvières? Is not the name of Eugénie Smet, a native of Lyons and foundress of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, becoming venerated among us? We have heard, too, of Frederick Ozanam, who was one of the founders of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He passed most of his short life at Lyons, a pure and holy soul, with a sweetness of Mary's grace about him. And may we not also trace the same delicate power reflected in the life of her, of whom we have been writing, who lived truly under the shadow of the sanctuary of Fourvières, Pauline Marie Jaricot, the foundress of the Propagation of the Faith and the Living Rosary, and the courageous leader of a forlorn hope?

M. L.

May Hymn.

WELCOME in the joyous May,
Nature making holiday!

Welcome sunshine after shade,
Leafy nook and grassy glade,
Daisies springing 'neath the tread,
Blossoms bursting overhead,

Music of the truant bird,

Bleating flock and lowing herd,

Breezes breathing through the leaves,

Laughing morns and blushing eves,

Nature making holiday,

Welcome in the joyous May!

Mother Maiden, Mother mine, All the joyous May is thine; Sunshine beaming from thine eyes Lights the earth and lights the skies; Praise of thine the lark is pouring, Soaring, singing-singing, soaring; Swallows twittering in the eaves, Scented zephyr, rustling leaves Breathe in tones that never vary, Mary, echoes answer Mary; Thine are all the streams that flow, All the dainty flowers that blow; Thine the lily and the rose, Every blade of grass that grows; All the joyous May is thine, Mother Maiden, Mother mine!

Dur Lady in Paschal Time,

THE HOLY GHOST is the true Author of the Sacred Scriptures, guiding the thoughts and guarding the words of the inspired writers. He cannot speak either foolishly or at haphazard in other words, no sentence in the Bible is either unmeaning, or inopportune, inserted through inadvertence, or surprise, or any kind of chance. And, as He cannot say too much, so also He cannot say too little in other words, there are in the Bible no accidental omissions. Whatever is said in the original text, or in a faithful translation, is said on purpose; whatever is omitted, is omitted on purpose. There are many passages difficult to comprehend, there are many passages which the unwary wrest to their destruction; but the passages which are difficult to us, are not in themselves incomprehensible; and, although it may be in the Divine intention that some should remain unexplained for a long time, or even till the last great day, yet in the end all will be made clear-both in the meaning of the words and in the purpose for which they were written. To say of any portion of Holy Writ that, because we cannot catch its meaning, it therefore has no meaning, is one very obvious method of "wresting it to our destruction," for it is to "change the truth of God into a lie;" and, on the other hand, to say that it is much to be regretted that the New Testament does not impart more copious information about the words and deeds of Christ and His Apostles, is dangerously like a declaration that we are more competent than the Holy Spirit to decide how much it is expedient that we should know. In this matter it is only the pure and simple truth to say that "whatever is, is right."

After this explanation, it will not seem paradoxical to assert that the silence of Scripture is not less significant than its utterance. It was not without the fullest consciousness and the most deliberate purpose that He, Who inspired the prophets to note down centuries beforehand many minor details of the Life, Passion, and Death of Christ our Lord, nevertheless refused to communicate to after ages even a brief narrative of the years spent in Egypt and at Nazareth in holy conversation and most fruitful toil, while Jesus through every moment of priceless value was advancing "in wisdom and age and grace before God and man." What pictures of Heaven on earth have been thus withdrawn from mortal gaze, what treasures of bright example have been denied to pious contemplation! The saints would have studied every act and movement of their Lord and God; they would have gathered up with reverent care and pondered lovingly, as Mary and Joseph did, each syllable framed by the lips of Jesus in obedience to the impulse of His Sacred Heart, had they been permitted to share that vision of peace. And not only was our Lord Himself admirable in that Hidden Life of thirty years, but His Blessed Mother also, conforming herself in such manner as a creature may to the infinite holiness of her Divine Son, was all the time a model of perfect sanctity. Ascetic writers could have spoken with more persuasive force and heavenly unction of the interior life of Mary, if instead of being left to infer what it must have been, they had received a positive intimation of what it actually was, as it unfolded itself in word and glance and gesture to Jesus and to Joseph; for this at least we know, that in Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the realities of grace go beyond the words and thoughts of men on earth.

All the fruit that might have been derived by saintly souls from the contemplation of the daily life of the Holy Family was present in its last detail and its full significance to the mind of God, and yet the Divine Author of the Bible in His wisdom chose to withhold the information.

T

He knows all, and He makes known very little.

He

knows how much we desire to know more, and He rewards the desire, but not by satisfying it. He could speak, and He is silent-silent by preference, and with a reason.

In the mysteries of the Resurrection we observe a signal instance of this Divine economy of silence. Not many words are vouchsafed to us to tell of the sublime instruction imparted during those Forty Days to St. Peter and the College of Apostles, but not one single word is said of any visit paid by Jesus to the Mother of His Heart. Can it be that from her alone He kept Himself aloof? The very instinct of our faith forbids any supposition of the kind. And Catholics are not content to say that our Lord most certainly appeared to His Blessed Mother, though Holy Scripture is silent on the subject, but they feel convinced that, when St. Mark says that the first appearance was granted to Mary Magdalene, he never for one moment meant us to believe that another and a far greater Mary had not even before that been clasped to the Sacred Heart with fond embrace. St. Ignatius is so sure of this that he considers it unreasonable to entertain a doubt about it, declaring that Holy Scripture supposes in its readers common sense. St. Mark is speaking of the apparitions which may be called official, those which were made to the pre-ordained witnesses of His Resurrection. It was no part of his duty as Evangelist, it was not the intention of the Holy Ghost, to describe in the sacred page for edification' sake the tenderness of that first meeting of Jesus Crucified and the dear Mother who had stood weeping at the foot of the Cross, faithful to the end. But it is not enough to say that the consolations granted to our Blessed Lady in the restoration of the presence of her Son in His glorified Humanity, are not recorded. They are intentionally suppressed. There is a deep meaning in the omission, and this meaning we can in part conjecture.

Our Blessed Lady, as Catholics know and feel, and