"When Pilate said to Him, ‘Dost thou not know that I have power to crucify thee?’ Jesus answered, ‘Thou wouldst have no power at all over me were it not given thee from above’ (John 19: 10). Even Judas had to wait to begin his tragic work until Our Lord dismissed him. ‘What thou dost, do quickly!"’ (John 13: 27).

"When the soldiers came to take Him, didn’t He show some special power?" Dean asked.

"Saint John says that when they came to seize Him, Jesus said, ‘I am he.’ They drew back and fell to the ground’ (John 18: 61.) When Peter drew a sword to protect Him, He told him to put away the sword. ‘Dost thou suppose that I cannot entreat my Father, and He will even now furnish me ,earth more than twelve legions of angels?’ (Matt. 26: 53). Then He worked a miracle. Peter’s sword had already cut off the right car of a servant. Christ ‘touched his ear and healed it"’ (Luke 22: 51).

"Father, Saint Peter told a lie when he said that he didn’t know Our Lord. He said that at Christ’s trial. Why didn’t Our Lord punish him in some way?" Michael asked.

"Saint Luke tells us, ‘The Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and went out, and wept bitterly’" (Luke 22: 61).

"And then on the cross Christ forgave all those who had any part in His death. My mother often tells us that," said Michael.

"On the cross there was a double forgiveness. First, ‘Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing’ (Luke 23: 34). When the repentant thief said, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,’ Our Lord said, ‘This thou shalt he with me in paradise’ (Luke 23: 43). Finally. when He gave up His spirit in death, ‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were rent, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints arose"’ (Matt. 27: 51-52).

IT seems a natural idea to us that the Saviour of mankind came to suffer, but it was inconceivable to everybody before it happened, especially to those who believed in Our Lord.

No doubt. Our Lady was the first to know, by revelation at the moment of holy Simeon’s prophecy ; but she kept it in her heart.

In the last few weeks of Our Lord’s life, when He had made sure that the apostles knew Him for the Son of God (St. Peter’s confession of faith), and had appointed a visible head for His Church He ‘steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.’ On the journey He repeatedly toll the apostles what would happen in Jerusalem - that He would be rejected by the Jewish leaders, and suffer many things, be mocked and scourged and spit upon and put to death, and the third day rise again. They simply could not believe it and when it actually began to happen it seemed the end of everything.

Afterwards, on Easter Sunday afternoon, the risen Christ walked unrecognised with two disconsolate disciples going to Emmaus. Read their account of the Passion, and His reply (Luke 24, 18-27). He went through the Scriptures reminding them of passages such as Isaias 53, 4-7, and Psalm xxi, 1, 7,8, 17, i8, 19 ; and made them see that the Passion was foretold and therefore part of God’s plan.

During the forty days He continued this ‘opening the Scriptures,’ and afterwards it formed a main theme of the apostles’ preaching: ‘How that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.’

Golgotha (‘place of the skull’) was a rocky mound outside Jerusalem. Jewish legend said that the skull of Adam was, buried there. It had been handed down from Noe to Sem, and finally to Melchisedech, priest-king of Salem, who buried it there. So when the. precious Blood flowed down from the Cross, it is pictured (in Christian art) as falling first upon our first parent whose sin made the Redeemer necessary. Hence a skull and bones are sometimes seen on a crucifix ; it is Adam, representing the human race, on Calvary as in Eden.

For many years after the Civil War an Illinois farmer used to visit a soldier’s grave at Nashville, Tennessee, tending it and planting flowers with much devotion once a year. If asked him: ‘Is that your boy ?’ he would he just lived in our town. You see, when the seven small children, and my wife was not drafted for the army, there was nobody to farm, and they would have nearly starved We were in terrible trouble about it, and the to report at camp my neighbour’s to go to the war for me. He said ending on him, so he could go better , and was wounded at Chickanunga, in hospital. This is his grave.’ Then he would inscription which he had cut with his own tombstone: He died for me.

Each of us can say of Our Lord : ‘He loved me and gave himself for me’.

One day when the little Child Jesus was playing alone in the garden He saw two archangels standing and looking at Him. One held the Cross and the nails, the other a lance and a reed with sponge on it. The Child was frightened and rushed to His Mother’s arms for protection, so quickly that one of His sandals came unfastened, He clasped her right hand in both of His, and she held Him with her left. He could still see the angel with the Cross, but His Mother seemed to think it was all right, so He did not feel frightened any more.

This is the story sometimes told about the ancient picture called ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.’

Our Lord died for us when we were His enemies. The sight of Christ on the cross made God forgive us, and makes us forgive each other.

In Florence, in the eleventh century, John Gualbert and his brother Hugo were rich young nobles. Hugo fought a duel unfairly, and John swore a blood-feud against the slayer. Riding into Florence, with some armed followers (it was Good Friday), he met the man riding alone and unarmed. ‘You at last ! Get down, I am going to kill you!’ The other knelt down and stretched his arms in the form of a cross: ‘It is Good Friday-give me my life for the sake of Christ’s holy Passion ! ‘

A wave of grace swept John’s soul, and he sheathed his sword: ‘I give you your life, and my promise of friendship too. Pray that God will forgive my sin.’ He went into the city and into the Benedictine Church of San Miniato, and knelt before a large crucifix, a changed man ; and he saw the crucified bow His head as if in approval and pardon. Filled with joy and gratitude, he went straight to the Abbot and asked to be received as a monk. Later on he founded a new order of monks at Vallombrosa in the mountains, hermit-like, with perpetual silence, and great died a saint in 1073.

What Our Lard’ did on Good Friday goes on and on, winning souls back for God.

In the War, two friends were out with a night patrol together. When the party returned under heavy fire to their trenches, one of the friends was found to be missing. By this time it was getting light, and almost certain death to be out on top, but the one friend insisted on crawling out to look for the other, and reluctantly the officer gave permission. He was watched slowly working his way into no-man’s-land, from shell-hole to shell-hole, and at last could be seen no more. When it became dusk again he crawled back and dropped into the trench, himself mortally wounded. While the stretcher-bearers were attending to him, the officer said : ‘Well, I hear you found your friend.’ ‘Yes, sir, but he only lived for a few minutes.’ ‘ I’m afraid it was hardly worth it-I wish I hadn’t let you go.’ ‘Oh, yes, sir, it was worth it. He said "Good old jack - I knew you would come !"’

Our Lord’s love for us is like that He would give His life again for each one, if it were necessary.

In 1386 the men of Lucerne and three allied cantons were fighting for their freedom against the Austrians. At Sempach there was a decisive battle, 1500 Swiss against 6000 Austrians; but the Swiss, armed with swords and halberds, tried in vain to break the Austrian line of long pikes. A knight of Unterwalden named Arnold von Winkelried said to his comrades Look after my wife and my children - I commend them to your care. Then shouting: ‘I will make a way for you!’ he rushed towards the enemy, gathered a number of the pikes with his two arms into his own breast, and fell pierced with many wounds. His comrades forced their way into the gap thus made, threw the Austrian line into confusion, and won a complete victory.

Our Lord gave His own life to make victory and freedom possible for us.

There was one occasion when Our Lord spoke beforehand of His death as an atonement for our sins, and the story also shows us that we are free to take a share in His sufferings

Read it from Matt. 20, 20-28.

In a remote town of North Africa the slave-market was being held in the square. A French missionary-father passing by, when a young black slave-girl darted the guards and flung herself on her knees before Please buy me! I will be a good slave to you Oh, please buy me !’ The missionary was touched, but said he had no need for slaves or servants.

‘You have a kind face-I will work very hard for you all life, if you will buy me, please !’

‘But I have no money to buy you with, my child.’

‘Oh, don’t go-listen ! If I am not sold to-day the dealer will give me to his uncle who is a chief, and he will so cruel to me. Please, please buy me !’

He asked the price, and the dealer agreed to wait. The missionary went home and sold his books and cloak pawned his watch and managed to raise the money. He took the slave-girl (who was in transports of joy, of course) to a convent, where she soon became a Christian. Sometimes the nuns found her troublesome, but she would obey the lightest wish of the missionary because she said to him since he had bought her, and she worshipped him like a god as long as he lived. She was a nun herself for many years till her death quite lately.

Our Lord paid ‘the price by which we were ransomed,’ we belong to Him, once already by creation, and over again by redemption.

Two boys went to stay with their uncle, an auctioneer one day he let them come with him to a sale held at an old-fashioned country-house. All sorts of people crowded into a big room, farmers and shop-keepers and parsons’ wives, dealers from London in fur-collared overcoats, smoking cigars.

Various lots of furniture and odds and ends were bid for, and went for a few hundred dollars. One grand. looking picture was put up of a military gentleman in a fine gilt frame, and the boys were sure it would fetch a lot, and were disappointed when the local inn-keeper got it for seventy dollars.

Then a dirty-looking little picture in a shabby and broken frame was put on the table. It seemed to be a portrait of a child, but you could hardly see what, it was so old ‘Lot twenty-five,’ said somebody.

‘Fifty dollars’ was the first bid, and the boys could hardly believe their ears. The London dealers sat up and began to bid against each other, and in five minutes the picture had reached thousands of dollars : at last it went for $6500.

Going back in the car, the boys asked their uncle why the dingy little picture fetched all that money.

‘Because it happens to be by a great artist. Anything from his hand is of immense value.’

‘Well, it wasn’t much to look at!’

‘Ah, it’ll look very different when the restorers have taken centuries of dirt off it. Then you’ll see its beauty. Very likely some day you’ll see it hanging in the National Gallery.’

Every human soul is of infinite value, because it is the work of God.

It is an image and likeness of God Himself, and however tarnished it may be it only needs cleaning for its beauty to be seen.

Because of this, Our Lord valued us so greatly that He bought us with the infinite price of His Precious Blood.

"Isn’t your father a newspaper reporter, John? Will you tell us what he does?" asked Father.

"He gathers the news, Father," replied John. "He is on the spot when something happens. He writes down all he sees, and sends it to the newspaper."

"That is right. He is at his best when he is an eye-witness, when he writes exactly what he sees. One of the best-reported: events in history was the resurrection of Our Lord.

"There were many reliable witnesses. Different people, in different places, at different times, report Him alive after His death. Once, it was a woman alone who saw Him. Then many women together knew He had risen. Then, two apostles found it out. Then many of them who were gathered together in one place were made aware of it. He appeared in a garden in a room, on a mountain. by the sea. He talked, He ate, He got breakfasts ready for His disciples, He allowed one of them to touch His wounds. All of them are accurate witnesses.

"You can read in Mark (16: 9) about Christ’s appearance to Mary Magdalene. When he had risen from the dead early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he: had cast seven devils. John (20; 11-18) tells us that Mary was standing outside weeping at the tomb ... She turned round and beheld Jesus standing there, and she did not know that it was Jesus. Thinking that he was the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if thou hast removed him, tell me where thou hast laid him.’ Jesus said to Mary Magdalene ‘Go to my disciples and tell to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God.’ Next, you have the record of the angel’s appearance to the other woman in the Gospels of Saint Matthew (28: 5), Mark, (15: 47) and Luke (24: 22). The heavenly visitor told them of the resurrection of Christ, when they did not find His body in the empty tomb. How Peter ran to the empty tomb is told by Luke (24: 12) and also by John (21: 2) who says that he ran faster than Peter. Both Mark (16: 12) and Luke (24:13) tell us of Christ’s appearance to the two sorrowful disciples coming down to Emmaus.

"Then there is the story of Our Lord’s visit to the apostles in the upper room, where He eats with them, instructs them about the Scriptures and bids them wait for the Holy Ghost (Luke 24: 42-49). Also, there is the account of Thomas’ doubt of the resurrection (John 20: 24-25). Finally, there is the touching scene where Christ gets breakfast for the disciples on the shore of the lake. He eats with them, and after the meal, gives Peter the first place in the government of the Church" (John 21: 15-17).

"But didn’t any ordinary people see Him?" Michael Grill asked

"Yes, indeed. Listen to the famous summary that Saint Paul makes in the beginning of the fifteenth chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians:

"A crowd of five hundred. That should be enough proof for anybody, I think," said Michael Grill, with great earnestness.

"Many think so; but there are others who, like Thomas, refuse to take anybody’s word. They must see for themselves. Our Lord knew that, so ‘He showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, during forty days appearing to them and speaking of the kingdom of God’ (Acts 1: 3).

"Christ, our Saviour, knew that everything in our Faith would depend on accepting the proof of the resurrection. That is why He was so patient and gave so many convincing proofs. Saint Paul says, ‘If Christ has not risen, vain then is our preaching, vain too is your Faith’ (1 Cor. 15: 14)

"Father, do you say that the resurrection is the greatest proof of Christ’s claim that He is God?" asked Jerome.

"That is what I said. Many boys fail to keep that in mind. The resurrection is the corner-stone upon which we build our faith. In the early Church, every Sunday was a celebration of the resurrection. The early Christians could not forget the glorious morning when Christ triumphed over death, and rose glorious and immortal from the tomb. No Catholic should ever forget it. Saint Paul wrote ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’" (1 Cor. 15: 52-57).

Matthew 28: 1-20 Mark 16: 1-18 Luke 24: 1-49 John 20: 1-29; 21: 23, I Cor. 15: 3-8.

I Cor. 15: Ezechiel 37: John 19: 25-27 Matthew 22: 23-33 John 11: 21-27 12-21, 35-44 1-10

"Father, you said you would explain about Our Lord’s ascension," said Irene. "I always feel sad when I think of it"

"The apostles were sad. He had told them He was going to His Father. ‘In a little while I am with you, and then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me and will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’ (John 7: 33). ‘I am going to the Father’ (John 14·: 13). ‘I go to prepare a place for you’ (John 1-1·: 2). ‘In my Father’s house there are many mansions I am coming again and I will take you to myself.’ He also assured them that He would not leave them orphans and that the Holy Ghost would come upon them. At the very end, just before His ascension, to make them glad, He foretold what the Holy Ghost would do for them: ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Ghost comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and even to the very ends of the earth. And then when he saith this, he was lifted up before their eyes, and a cloud took him out of their sight.’" (Acts 1: 0-9).

"The Acts of the Apostles also tells us while they were gazing up to heaven as he went, two men stood by them in white garments and said to them: ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, will coming the same way as you have seen him going up to heaven’".

"We should try and remember these word of Our Lord, so that, if we are ever tempted to despair because of the evil in the world, we might remember that God will come to sort out the good from the evil once and for all."

"Do we know when Our Lord shall come, Father?" asked Gerard.

"No, He told us to watch but He did not say when.’ You know neither the day nor the hour’ (Matt. 25: 13).

"But Father, I read in a book of prophesy that Our Lord is supposed to come during the Antichrist’s reign, so then we know when he is coming, don’t we Father ?"

"Not exactly Gerard, but He did say that His coming at the end would be a great triumph. It will prove to all men that He is God and King. Here is what He said: ‘When the Son of Man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory; and before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats’ (Matt. 2: 31). ‘Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and of the holy angels’ (Luke 9: 26). ‘The Son of Man is to come with his angels in the Glory of his Father, and then he will render to everyone according to his conduct’" (Matt. 16: 27).

"So boys if we have done evil in our life and not been sorry for it, and confessed it to a priest, then we shall deserve to receive a punishment. If we have been sorry for our evil, God will reward us. We will think of all the lost opportunities of doing good and regret not using them"

"Shouldn’t that frighten us, Father?" Michael Murnane asked.

"Well, yes, but with a fear within reason. That means we should be afraid to be in sin and to be out of God’s friendship. At the same time, we should remember Saint Paul’s words: ‘Who is he that shall condemn? Christ Jesus that died: yea that is risen also again, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.’ (Romans 8: 34). So St. Paul assures us that Christ will intercede if we have done something for God, that is, if we honestly try to be a friend of Our Lord and to do what we know is right, we will not be afraid of Jesus when He comes to judge the living and the dead."

"Saint Paul wrote also to the Hebrews. ‘He continueth for ever, hath an everlasting priesthood: Whereby he is able also to save for ever them that come to God by him; always living to make intercession for us.’ (Hebrews 7: 25). All our thoughts about Christ should be full of confidence. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever’ (Hebrews 13: 8). The resurrection and the ascension should fill the Christian heart with hope. ‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so with him God will bring those also who have fallen asleep through Jesus’ (1 Thess. 4·: 14)."

From what you have read above, answer the following questions in complete sentences, not with just a YES/NO answer.

1. The apostles were sad.
   1. Why were they sad?
   2. They were pretty sure. Of what were they sure?
   3. They were also glad. Why were they glad?

2. Our Lord gave us above some comforting statements.
   1. Which of those comforting statements of Our Lord do you like best? Write it down.
   2. Would it be a good thing to learn it by heart?
   3. Why would it be good the learn it by heart?

3. Our Lord told the apostles that they would be witnesses for Him.
   1. What does that mean?
   2. Can you be His witness, also?
   3. How can you be a witness to Christ ?

4. What message did the angels bring to the friends of Christ at his ascension?

5. Our Lord told us He will come again in triumph.
   1. When will Our Lord come in His triumph?
   2. Who will be with Him when He comes?
   3. Where will the majestic King of Glory be seated?
   4. Who will be standing before Him?
   5. How will he separate one from the other?

6. "He will render to everyone according to his conduct."
   1. What does that mean?
   2. On that day, what will we think of all the opportunities to do right and keep away from sin?

7. Michael mentioned that we should be frightened.
   1. What is meant by a "fear within reason"?
   2. What does Saint Paul tell us about this?
   3. If we honestly try to be a friend of Our Lord and to do what we know is right, will we be afraid of Jesus when He comes to judge the living and the dead?
   4. Will we be filled with great joy instead of fear?

"Maybe you are a little surprised that I asked Sister to hold the next few classes here," said Father Potter, as he faced the pupils in their beautiful parish church. "This is really the best place to hold a religion class. Who knows why?"

"One reason is because it is blessed. It’s a sacramental, Father, blessed and set aside for God’s work," Marguerite answered.

"The priest does most of his preaching and his teaching here. He would naturally pick out the best place," continued Helen.

"So many things in the church help us to keep our minds on religion. That makes it easier to learn," added Daniel.

"All good reasons," said Father; "but I have a special reason this time. Our next step in learning is to understand the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The church surroundings will help, I am sure, in such a difficult lesson. The virtues and the gifts are hidden in our souls."

"Father, remember last year; you told us stories when we were studying about grace and the Holy Ghost? That helped a lot," said Una.

"Yes, I thought that here in church we could make acts of the virtues. ‘Actions speak louder than words’ and we can learn the virtues by doing acts of the virtues; so, let someone tell me the names of the three principal virtues, the ones that help us especially to reach God."

"Faith, hope and charity are the theological virtues, Father," Alice answered.

"Correct. I’m glad that you didn’t stumble on the big word ‘theological’ which is from the Greek and means ‘having to do with God.’ Now, we shall try to make acts of the virtues that help us to get to God. Can anyone suggest an act of faith to be made right here? Making the act will make the meaning of faith real to us. Who has an idea? Remember, it has to do with something here," said Father.

"Would an act of believing that Jesus is here in the tabernacle be a good one, Father?" asked Ita.

"Yes, the best we could do in church. In fact, the pa has some hymn cards with acts of faith in the presence Jesus printed on them. Look at the one, for example, I is marked ‘Adoro Te devote.’ Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote that long ago, and it is used today as a hymn."

"They sang it the other night at Benediction, said Thomas

"Saint Thomas Aquinas had great faith in the Blessed Sacrament and expressed it earnestly in that prayer. On the Internet, I found a translation. It goes like this:

Sight, touch, and taste in Thee are each deceived;

The ear alone most safely is believed:

I believe all the Son of God has spoken,

Than Truth's own word there is no truer token.

God only on the Cross lay hid from view;

But here lies hid at once the Manhood too:

And I, in both professing my belief,

Make the same prayer as the repentant thief.

"How about one of you making a simple act of faith, then we can all say it together?"

"Would this be good, Father?" asked Maryanne. "I made it from Our Lord’s words. I bow my head and say, ‘This Thy body; this is Thy blood.’"

"Excellent. Faith is the power to believe, relying on what Our Lord has said, and you have taken His own very words Maryanne. Now for an act of hope. You, George."

"In the Hail, holy Queen, we call the Blessed Virgin:. life, our sweetness, and our hope."

"Very good, George, but I want something suggested the things you see here in church. Let me give you a hint.

Latin word for hope is ‘spes.’ That word is painted over something near us."

"There it is, Father," said Thomas. "Over the crucifix. It says, Ave, Crux, Spes Unica.’ What do these words mean, Father?"

"Hail, 0 Cross, our only hope. Those words are from a hymn, sung on the feasts of the Holy Cross. We can make a simple act of hope by looking at the image of our crucified Saviour and by saying those words. It means that we hope that, in His mercy, He will give us eternal happiness and everything needed to gain it. Now, here is one that may be a bit harder. Who can find, in the church, a practical way of making an act of charity?"

"Please give us a hint, Father," said Harry.

"Very well. Here are two for good measure. One is from Saint john’s first epistle (4: 21) ; he wrote, ‘He who loves God should love his brother also.’ So, an act of the love of neighbour is an act of the love of God. The second hint is that this act of charity is usually made on the way in or out of church."

"I know, Father," said Vincent. "It’s the poor-box for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. The sign above it says, ‘As long as you did it for one of these, you have done it for me"’ (Matt. 25: 40).

"Yes, a good act of charity would be to give something for the poor when we come to church. In the act of faith we made an act of belief in the Blessed Sacrament. The act of hope was asking for God’s mercy as we looked at the crucifix. Each act used the powers given at our Baptism: the virtues of faith, hope and charity. Next time we come, we shall think about the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

"It is of interest for you to know that the Saint Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris in 1833 by a twenty-year-old Catholic law student, Frederick Ozanam (1813-1853). His aim in establishing that charitable organisation was, as he himself described it, ‘to insure my faith by works of charity.’

Questions

1. What is the best place to hold a class in religion? Why?
1. Where are the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost?
2. What is the best way to learn about these virtues?
3. What does theological mean? What are the theological virtues?
4. What is faith? Is it difficult to make an act of faith?
5. Why is the Adoro Te devote sung? Who wrote it? Who knows it by heart? What truths of faith are in it?
6. "Faith is the power to believe, relying on what Our Lord has said." What does this mean?
7. What is hope?
8. What is the meaning of "Ave, Crux, Spes Unica"? Can we make an act of hope by saying this? Why? For what would we be hoping? From whom would we hope to obtain it?
9. What is charity? What did Saint John tell us about charity?
10. "As long as you did it for one of these, you have done it for me." What does that mean? Do we ever give to the poor? Do we give our own money or ask our parents for some to give? If our father gives us the money we give to the poor, whose act of charity is it? If we earn the money or save it from our spending allowance, whose act of charity is it?
11. When did God give us the supernatural powers which make us able to make acts of faith, hope, and charity that will be rewarded by Him with everlasting joys?
12. Who founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society?

"Everything we get from God is a gift. A gift is something we get without deserving it," began Father Potter, as the children gathered again in the church. "Did you want to say something, Mildred?"

"Father, once you told us that the Holy Ghost was God’s greatest gift."

"Yes, both Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas say that the proper name to: give the Spirit is ‘The Gift of God,’ because the Holy Ghost comes from the Father and the Son. Really, when we talk about the seven gifts, we simply mean that the Holy Ghost is in our souls, giving us everything that ]He is. The seven gifts are just seven ways in which He is good to us, just seven ways of looking at His goodness. Saint Paul says,’The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who has been given to us’ " (Romans 5 : 5).

"Father, the Catechism says that these Gifts make us more alert. What does that mean?" Fred asked.

"It means that they make us quicker to know and readier to do God’s will. In our souls, the Holy Ghost moves us so that we are more alive about God. Suppose we look for examples here. Better still, I shall point them out. First of all, will someone name the Gifts of the Holy Ghost?"

"Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord," said Michael.

"First, let us take wisdom. The word means the highest kind of knowledge, the kind that is like what the truth of God is. By the way, the examples for all these I shall take from the Stations of the Cross. They tell the greatest love story ever told. ‘Greater love than this no one has.’ Love is the work of the Holy Ghost; so along the Way of the Cross there will be many signs of the activity of the Gifts. Now let us take the Second Station. ‘Jesus Takes the Cross.’ Wisdom means thinking the way the Father thinks, and loving what He loves. Christ knew that it was the will of the Father that He should redeem us. He loved the Father’s will. ‘I do always the things that are pleasing to him’ (John 8: 29). He had told His followers, ‘The Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified’ (Matt. 26: 2). When Pilate condemns Him, and the cross is given, Our Lord accepts it with Wisdom. Because the Holy Ghost filled Christ’s soul, He was alert to know and to do the Father’s will.

"Next, we can see an example of understanding. It is the Gift that gives us a sharp view of God’s ideas. Sometimes, things look as though they were not God’s plan. The Gift of Understanding helps us to see through them, and to get to the truth. Find an example of it in the Fourth Station."

"It looks as though Christ is dying like a criminal. But the Blessed Virgin sees that He is redeeming us. Am I right. Father?" Kevin asked. "You are quite right. The Holy Ghost was in Mary’s soul. She was full of grace. He enabled her to see through the confusion. That is why, even though it was a sad occasion, the souls of Jesus and Mary were filled with peace. They had Understanding.

"The next Gift is Knowledge. It helps us to look at human beings and created things in the light of eternity. Look through the next few Stations and see whether you recognise anyone with the Gift of Knowledge."

"I think that Simon had it. A priest said once in a sermon t at Simon did not want to help Our Lord. Then, by an inspiration, he began to know what it was all about," Alice said.

"Very true. In the Gospel we read, ‘They forced a certain passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, to take up his cross’ (Mark 15: 21 Tradition tells us that it was the means of Simon’s conversion; he learned that carrying the cross was a privilege, not a punishment. He was allowed to help Our Lord."

"Did Veronica have the Gift, too?" Mildred asked.

"I think so" said Father. "The story is that a miracle happened. The suffering face of Christ was imprinted on the towel. It is a good example of the use of the Gift of Knowledge. She took Our Lord’s side, because she knew the right way to think about the sad event.

"Now, how about the Gift of Counsel? Counsel is the gift of the Holy Ghost that directs us in all things toward eternal life. It helps in things that are necessary and in things that are useful. Who sees an example of it as we move along the sad Way of the Cross?"

"Maybe, when Jesus is speaking to the women of Jerusalem," Nancy volunteered.

"Through the words of Our Lord, the Holy Ghost gave them very important advice. ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children’ (Luke 23: 28). Christ warned them that, instead of thinking of His sorrow, they should think of the great tragedy that would come to them and their children if they rejected God. Now, Michael, please review the four examples we have just had. They are examples of four Gifts given us for our minds."

"We saw Wisdom in Christ’s taking the cross. Our Lady used Understanding when she met her divine Son. Simon and Veronica had Knowledge given by the Spirit when they came to help Our Lord. The Gift of Counsel straightened out the thinking of the women of Jerusalem," said Michael.

Q. 482 How many kinds of prayer are there?

There are two kinds of prayer: mental prayer and vocal prayer.

Q. 483 What is mental prayer?

Mental prayer is that prayer by which we unite our hearts with God while thinking of His holy truths.

Vocal prayer is that prayer which comes from the mind and heart and is spoken by the lips.

Q. 485 May we use our own words in praying to God?

We may use our own words in praying to God, and it is well to do so often.

"Philip, name the remaining Gifts of the Holy Ghost."

"Fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord," the boy answered.

"Fortitude, the first one, is the Gift that gives us real confidence."

"We look to Fortitude for power to overcome the dangers we may meet in doing a good work and for help in ending it with success. I always think of Fortitude when I stand at the Twelfth station in this church. Not many churches have a Twelfth station that shows the two thieves on either side of Christ. One of these, it seems to me, had the Gift of Fortitude. His name was Dismas and he is called the Good Thief. Suppose you read the story in Saint Luke’s Gospel, chapter 23, Maryanne.

"Now one of those robbers who were hanged was abusing him, saying, ‘If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us!’ But the other in answer rebuked him and said, ‘Dost thou not even fear God, seeing that thou art under the same sentence? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what our deeds deserved; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom’ ‘ And Jesus said to him, ‘Amen, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise."

"See how the Gift of Fortitude fills Dismas with confidence right to the end. We ought to pray to Saint Dismas, the Good Thief, to use our Fortitude well.

"Now, for Piety. It is the Gift that helps us always to think of God as our Father and to think of all men as our brothers

and members of our family. I see that Gift, where our Lord makes sure that we are at home as His brothers, with our heavenly Father. He gives us Mary our Mother. A mother always makes her children ‘at home.’ Christ said to our Lady, ‘Mother, behold thy son.’ He said to John, ‘Son, behold thy mother.’

"Well, let us go to the Twelfth Station, where we have an example of how this Gift, the Fear of the Lord, works. Fear of the Lord keeps us from sin and evil, chiefly because we are afraid of losing His friendship and love; it helps us to draw close to God, to do good in order to continue to be His loving children, to remember always that He is our Creator and to, do everything in the light of that truth. Read about it, John, in the twenty-seventh chapter of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, verse fifty-four."

"‘Now, when the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things. that were happening, they were very much afraid, and they said, ‘Truly he was the Son of God."’

"See, their fear caused those men to make an act of faith while others ran away and blasphemed God. Looking at the Stations gives us pretty clear lessons on the Gifts, doesn’t it. The Gifts make men alert to discern and to love God’s will"

Read p. 166-67 of the Catechism of St. Pius X ‘The Gifts of the Holy Ghost’, and memorise them.

"Children, sanctifying grace gives to the soul not only a new kind of life, the life of God Himself, but also new powers that enable the soul to act along the line of the love of God. The supernatural virtues are habits of the soul, new powers whereby the soul gets a strong inclination to believe in God, to hope in God, and to love God. The Gifts are also habits, enabling the soul to respond easily to the suggestions of the Holy Ghost. But what are the twelve fruits?"

John, a thoughtful boy whose desk was at the back of the classroom raised his hand. "That, Father, is hard to understand."

"I shall try to explain it as simply as possible. The virtues and the gifts are habits of the soul; they help us to do good and they keep us in God’s friendship and love. The fruits, however, refer to acts done under the influence of grace and suggest the spiritual joy that comes to you when you do a good and holy work. The fruits of the Holy Ghost are the outpouring of grace on the everyday life of the person who tries to live as a chosen child of God."

"Let me take an example. You have all heard of the great Saint Francis of Assisi who lived more than seven hundred years ago. For all the seven centuries since his death (October 3, 1226) non-Catholics as well as Catholics have held his name in grateful remembrance. His life was an eloquent example of each one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost."

"What did he do, Father?"

"Our interest is mainly in what he was. He was a saint, and few saints ever gave, forth ‘the sweet odour of Christ’ more than he did. He was a remarkably happy saint. He saw all God’s creatures a s members of the one, great family of God. To him all men and women and children were his brothers and sisters. Even animals, everything that moved upon the earth, the fishes in the sea, the birds of the air-he loved them all and would not permit even the least one of them to be hurt or to suffer cruelty in any way. His entire outlook on every created thing was religious. He saw God everywhere and in everything.

"By nature he was of a happy and joyous disposition. When he decided to follow in the footsteps of Christ, this joyousness of his was lifted to the supernatural realm and thus greatly ennobled. He found excessive joy in rendering service to lepers, in helping the poor, in talking with others, and his sermons became hymns of joy. His constant joy was the fruit of the dwelling of the Holy Ghost in his soul."

"Notice, children, what called forth his joyousness. He found joy in the greatness and goodness of God. He rejoiced in that greatness and goodness as it is revealed in God’s creatures. He rejoiced in the joy of his unbroken, personal contact with God. He lived every moment under God’s eyes and in constant conversation with Him. It can truly be said of Saint Francis that his unceasing joy was in God, of God, and from God."

"Is it the same with every saint, Father?"

"Yes. Every saint shows forth the fruits of the Holy Ghost,

and if you are reading the life of any saint you can search for proofs of one or all of the fruits that come forth from the really holy soul. Saint Francis is a proof of all the fruits of the Holy Ghost but men love his memory chiefly because of his happy outlook on human life and on all God’s creation."

Q. 127 Which are some of the effects in us of the gifts of the Holy Ghost? Some of the effects in us of the gifts of the Holy Ghost are the fruits of the Holy Ghost and the beatitudes.

Q. 128 Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost?

The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity.

Subject: THE VALUE OF VIRTUE

In these talks, bring out two points:

(1) What the virtue is;

(2) Why it is valuable as shown by an example chosen from