The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-03-08
A CHILD'S CONFESSION.

A former French bishop who died in
Rome after having attained the dig
! MY OF cardinal. once told to a class
OF children who were preparing fol
their first communion the following in
cident:
l knew child, years of age. who
had grown in wisdom and in grace I'M
! der the eyes of poor but deeply relig-
lous mother. Clement-that was his
haptlsmal name-hid nothing from his
| good mother, who read in his coun-
! tsnance, beaming with candor. the an
| gelic purity of his soul. One day, how
ever, he came into her presence with a
/ sad and constrained air.
Clement, what ails your she asked.
Oh, mamma, he replied, quickly,
L have been to my duty. that's ALL"
Clement" said his mother-not with
| concern this time, but with severity
Clement you know it is not that that
! disquiets you; you have committed
some fault
But, mamma" the boy protested.
Some grave fault. Go back again to
your confesSor."
Clement went and her prayers fol-
lowed him. He. soon returned. but the
shadow which darkened his pure brow
was not dispelled, and his mothers eye
was not deceived
Clement" she said. sorrowfully,
you have not done as 1 bid
Yes, I have, mamma
oh" exclaimed the mother. Il am a
most unhappy woman! My son has not
made his confession as he ought! He
has committed a sacrilege." And she
fell to bitter weeping.
Clement loved his mother very much;
and when he heard her deep sobs he
L.
forth again to seek his confessor.
We'll my child. what is the matter?
Why do you return?"
Father. 1 have-I have forgotten
something.
What is it, my child? Tell me, and
do not give yourself so much concern
about it
'Tather, it's about Julgs-you know
Jules. He sits beside me in school,
Il know. Go on
We'll, Jules is rich; and his mother
has given him a new knife
what of that, my child?" said the
priest beginning to think the case
more grave.
"He-he showed it to me, and then
put it back in his desk. And after
ward. when Jules was not there. 1
thought l would like to see the pretty
knife again, and 1 opened the desk
very softly"
There was not much harm in that"
said the priest. breathing more freely.
Just too much curiosity, was it not?"
And l looked at the knife a long
time: and it was so pretty-so pretty"
the child stammered confusedly.
THAT you stole it, concluded the
priest, in disconsolate and reproach-
full voice.
mo, 1 did not steal it; 1 just took
it.
THAT is what 1 mean; and. my dear
child. it is all the same thing. Think
of it, And, besides. perhaps that was
not the worst. The temptation was
violent one to you. who are poor; but
what was worse was that you, who
have been so carefully raised by good
mother, you have deceived her. and
you hid your fault from me, too-or.
rather, not from me, but from the good
God whom / represent here"
The sobs of the repentant child were
the only answer to these reproaches,
and they testified to his sorrow for his
sin.
You weep" exclaimed the priest
You feel how much you have sinned!
Now go; God pardons you; but sin no
more. never more, in this manner"
oh! no. no, father! Never, never
more" cried Clement; and he kept his
word. Not only did he steal no more;
but. better still, never again did he
conceal anything from his mother or
from his confessor.
And see, children" added the good
cardinal the Importance of that act
and the reparation which he made for
it. Clement became a priest and later
a bishop, and you may well believe he
stole no more pretty little knives. He
still lives: and that child was myself.
Had it not been for my mother, what
might have become of me, Whittier
should / have drifted? Who knows?
Perhaps to the scafford, fit ending
for one who robbed his friend and
dared to deceive his confessor. So, my
dear children. you must not steal, of
course, but, above all, never conceal
anything in confession.