Anonymous

“ But an ungrateful son ought not to obtain an inheritance; and rather than such, we should adopt a stranger. Therefore, since thou hast been ungrateful to thy father in maintaining me contrary to his command, thou shalt never possess my inheritance." The son thus answered his uncle: "No one can be punished for executing what the law commands and compels. Now, the law of nature obliges children to assist their parents in necessity, and especially to honour them: therefore, I cannot justly be deprived of the inheritance." ”

“ My beloved, the giant is Adam, who was formed free from all corruption. The wound of which he died is transgression of the divine command. The burning candle is eternal punishment, extinguished by means of a needle—that is, by the passion of Christ. ”

“ My beloved, that emperor is our Lord Jesus Christ. The three images are three sorts of men, in whom God takes pleasure—as it is written, "Thy delight is in the sons of men." If we live piously and uprightly, God will remain with us. By the first image with extended hand, we may conceive the poor and simple of this world; who, if they have business in the halls of princes and noblemen, will prevail but little unless the hand is put forth to present a gift. ”

“ Again, Christ leads us into the desert of this world, and there, not only offers His breast to the drawn sword—but has actually died for our sins. Wherefore, remembering His love, and the sources of our own security, we ought to resist sin, and serve Him faithfully. The father delivered to his son the instrument of death: so God gives to you a sword—that is, free will, either to receive His grace and love, or to reject them. Do thou therefore act as the son did: cast from thee the sword of iniquity and malice. ”

“ The human nature was united with a harlot—that is, with iniquity, when it ate the fatal apple, contrary to the divine injunction. Wherefore it was banished by the heavenly Father. The son of the harlot is mankind, which had perished in its perverseness but for the paternal regard. ”

“ Some wretched man hath a golden beard—that is, greater riches than his father had and straightway we oppress him, either with a legal pretext or without. A just man is overborne and robbed; for they say, "We are bald," that is, we are poor; and it is fitting that he divide his riches with us: nay, he is often murdered for his property. "Covetousness," says St. Paul to Timothy, "is the root of all evil." By the third image with the golden cloak, "we are to understand men raised to great dignities. ”

“ The blood on the hand is sin, which tenaciously clings to us: as it is said, "My soul is ever in my own hands"—that is, whether it does well or ill is as openly apparent as if it were placed in the hands for the inspection and sentence of the Supreme Judge. ”

“ Notwithstanding, the soul still desires to precipitate itself, as often as it acts against the divine command. But God, who is our Father, would not willingly that we should fall, but had rather, by contrition and confession, receive us wholly to Himself, and bind us so firmly to Him, that with Him we might enjoy everlasting life. ”

“ The only son is every Christian, who is the progeny of Christ because he is descended from Him by faith. Therefore, we should not feed fat the world with pride, avarice, and other vices, if we would be the children of God. And if our desires are contrary, too surely we shall be excluded from the family of Christ, and lose our heavenly inheritance. If we maintain and cherish Christ by works of love and of piety, the world indeed will abhor us—but better is it to be at enmity with the world than forego an inheritance in heaven. ”

“ Fourthly, as a dog by barking betrays the approach of thieves, and permits not the property of his master to be invaded, so the faithful priest is the watch-dog of the great King: one who by his bark, that is, his preaching and his watchfulness, ceases not to defeat the schemes and machinations of the devil against his Lord's treasury, that is, the soul of his neighbour, which our Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed with the mighty ransom of His precious blood. ”

“ Walk across the meadows, that is, through the world, until you find one whom your soul esteems and loves—to wit, that old man, who is Christ, revealed by actions of benevolence and mercy. But, in the first place, drink of the rivulet, although it should not immediately extinguish your thirst. That rivulet is baptism, which alone is able to quench the drought occasioned by original sin. ”

“ Christ is our champion, who gave us a ring—that is, the hole in His right hand; and we ourselves may perceive how faithfully it is written—"I have loved thee, learn thou to love." Rev.i.: "Christ our mediator loved us, and washed us from our sins in His blood." He gave us another ring, which is the puncture in his left hand, where we see written, "What have I done? How much? Why?"—"What have I done?" I have despoiled myself, receiving the form of a servant. "How much?" I have made God man. "Why?" To redeem the lost. ”

“ And therefore I think that I do no wrong to kill myself for the love of my husband." The father answered, "When you said that you were bound by an oath to act thus, you should have remembered that such an obligation is not binding, because its end is deprivation of life. An oath should always be consistent with reason; and therefore yours being unreasonable is of no force. As for the other argument, that it is praiseworthy in a wife to die with her husband, it avails you not. ”

“ Because the flesh rebels against the spirit, and the spirit wars against the flesh. Do ye, therefore, as the emperor did; make two rings—the rings of memory and forgetfulness, which are prayer and fasting; for both are effective. In most countries, a ring upon the woman's finger is a token of her marriage; and when a man resigns himself to prayer and fasting, it is evidence of his being the bride of Christ. Prayer is the ring of memory, for the apostle enjoins us to "pray without ceasing." Man, therefore, makes use of periodical prayer, that God may remember his desires ”

“ Wherefore, in the commission of sin, there is a covenant established, namely, that if a man die in sin and in remote parts—that is, in hell—it is previously agreed upon by his own pride, that the sinning soul should cast itself from a high mountain—that is, from heaven down to hell: and thus it was, before the advent of our Saviour. ”

“ And thus the lamp of good works is extinguished, and the dog of conscience destroyed: and thus the soul follows the devil in the dark night of sin. These things, when our champion had heard, namely, God—because "there is no other that fights for us, but only Thou, our God"—instantly He combats with that wicked misleader the devil, gains a victory, and leads the soul to the palace of the heavenly King. The wise mediator is Christ; as the apostle says, 1 Tim. ii.: "There is one mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus." ”

“ The second image had a golden beard, and on its brow was written, "I have a beard: if any one he beardless, let him come to me, and I will give him one." The third image had a golden cloak and purple tunic, and on its breast appeared these words, in large golden characters, "I fear no one." These three images were fabricated of stone. Now, when they had been erected according to the command of the emperor, he ordained that whosoever conveyed away either the ring, or golden beard, or cloak, should be doomed to the most disgraceful death. ”

“ The first woman, that is, Justice, alleges against the sinner that by law he is subject to eternal death: but the other, that is, Divine Mercy, alleges that by contrition and confession he may be saved. ”

“ By the second image we are to understand the rich of the world, who, by the grace of God, are exalted to great wealth. So the Psalmist: "Thou raisest the poor out of the mire, and they are accused before their rivals." ”

“ First, that their tongue possess the power of a physician in healing the sick in heart, and probing the wounds of sin; being careful, at the same time, that too rough a treatment does not exacerbate rather than cure: for it is the nature of dogs to lick the body's wounds. Secondly, as a dog, by keenness of scent, distinguishes a fox from a hare, so a priest, by the quickness of his perception in auricular disclosures, should discover what portion of them appertains to the cunning of the fox—that is, to heretical and sophistical perverseness ”

“ Not content with this exhibition of maternal inhumanity, she cut it directly across the throat, from whence the blood rapidly gushed forth, and falling upon the palm of her left hand, distinctly impressed four circular lines, which no human power could erase. ”

“ The old man pointed with his finger. "There," said he, "is the springhead of the rivulet. But tell me, mine honest friend, why are you not at church, and with other good Christians hearing Mass?" The man answered, "Truly, master, our priest leads such an execrable life, that I think it utterly impossible he should celebrate it so as to please God." ”

“ Fasting may be called the ring of oblivion, because it withdraws from and forgets the enticements of the flesh, that there may be no obstruction in its progress to God. Let us then study to preserve these rings and merit everlasting life. ”

“ Afterwards, I approached the second image with the golden beard; and I communed with my own heart, and said, 'The author of this statue never had such a beard, for I have seen him repeatedly; and the creature ought, beyond question, to be inferior to the Creator. ”

“ During the reign of Cæsar a law was enacted, that if a man maltreated a woman, and overcame her by violence, it should remain with the aggrieved party, whether the person so offending should be put to death, or married to her, without a portion. Now, it fell out that a certain fellow violated two women upon the same night; the one of whom sought to put him to death, and the other to be married to him. The violator was apprehended and brought before the judge, to answer respecting the two women, according to law. The first woman insisting upon her right, desired his death ”

“ When an oath is sworn, ought it not to be faithfully maintained? I have sworn to my husband that I would destroy myself, if I survived him: therefore, it is no crime to fulfil my vow, and I ought not to be driven from your palace. Moreover, no one should be punished for that wmch is commendable. Now, since man and woman are one flesh, according to the laws of God, it is commendable for a wife to perish with her husband. ”

“ A certain emperor, no less tyrannical than powerful, espoused a very beautiful girl, the daughter of a king. After the ceremony was concluded, each solemnly vowed that the death of the one should be followed by the voluntary destruction of the other. ”

“ The father who would not redeem him is the world, wldch aids not man's escape from the evil one, but rather loves to detain him in thraldom. The daughter who visited him in prison is the Divinity of Christ united to the soul; who sympathized with the human species—and who, after His passion, descended into hell and freed us from the chains of the devil. But the celestial Father had no occasion for wealth, because He is infinitely rich and good. ”

“ But he, by the passion of Christ, is reconciled to God the Father, and fully established by the good offices and prayers of holy men, who daily pour forth their petitions to Heaven, for all the world. ”

“ A certain powerful lord sent his two sons to study, that they might, by their own assiduity, obtain a livelihood. After some time he sent letters to them, to command their return to their own country; and they returned accordingly. One of the brothers rejoiced at this, and was received with equal pleasure. He was, moreover, put in possession of a fair inheritance. But the other was much distressed at his recall. When his mother ran out to meet him, she kissed him, and while doing so bit off his lips. His sister, also, following the mother's example, bit off his nose. ”

“ For as the priest provides for the spiritual welfare of his parishioners, so the Christian is required to watch over and preserve the spiritual gifts communicated in baptism. The bad priest, through the influence of a bad example, causes many to separate from the community ”

“ The malefactor is a perverse man, disobedient to his God, and more diligent in pursuing his own carnal delights than the divine commands. He enfolds his sins in a close embrace, by whose deadly touch he is spiritually destroyed. ”

“ He deceives who takes away or diminishes a certain good. But my father is so rich that he needs not any addition. When, therefore, I had maturely weighed this matter, I procured the young man's freedom. And if my father had received a ransom for him, he had been but little richer; while you would have been utterly impoverished. Now, in acting thus, I hare served you, who refused the ransom, and have done no injury to my parent. ”

“ And they kept a dog, whose bark was loud and piercing, to rouse them from sleep. From all these circumstances, it would appear that every precaution had been taken: but, unhappily, the lady panted for the pleasures of the world. ”

“ Thirdly, as the dog is of all animals the most faithful, and ready in defence of his master or his family, so priests also should show themselves staunch advocates for the Catholic Faith; and zealous for the everlasting salvation, not of their parishioners alone, but of every denomination of true Christians, according to the words of our Lord, John x.: "A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." ”