The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-11-08
SPIRITUAL READING.
1t Enables Us to Live With the Saints
Dangers in Light Reading.

|
tleship of Prayer for this month is
Spiritual Reading.
''The sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God
| On this text Rev. Walter Elliott,
G.. S. P, writes as follows:
The Word of God here referred to,
my brethren, is both spoken and writ
ten, for we call hearing a sermon
hearing the word of God; and the
Holy Scriptures are Gods word by
excellence-whose power is that of a
sword, "a living and effectual sword,
reaching unto the division of the soul
and the spirit a discerner
of the thoughts and interests of the
heart" (Heb. iv. 12). Holy Church in
sists on our hearing this divine book
read every Sunday at Mass. And for
the reading of the New Testament
daily, our Holy Father, the Pope,
grants plenary indulgence. That lit
tie book should be known by heart
by every one of us, at least the four
Gospels. l had rather know that
divine narrative by rote than all the
tables of the arithmetic. Mark it as a
sign of predestihation to eternal life
| if you are habituated to so much as
fifteen minutes daily reading of this
supreme book of all literature, filled
as it is with the maXims of good
life, book whose author is God and
whose eloquence is the charm of all
devout souls. Besides the Scriptures,
there is a vast world of holy Itera-
ture. The writings of the saints and
of sanity men and women are, accord
ing to St. Augustine, letters from
Paradise" from God, news of
God and of His heroes. Why this is
heavenly beatitude by anticipation.
A Help for Prayer.
The Christian child has his cate
chism at his finger tips, which trains
him to the main principles and prac-
tees of his faith. Should not the
grown-up Christian have his manuals
of proficiency equally well possessed
They are the four Gospels. Some
complain that they are wholly dis
tracted in their prayers, the souls
thoughts being far off from the
tongues utterance. But the soul is
often better served by the eye than
by the tongue. No man can easily
read of Christ without praying to
Him. An ideal prayer is that of read.
ing holy things aloud, when the whole
man is living petition to God, the
| h0 ordo ~ uniOo
proclaiming them, and the mind
sending them upward to the mercy
seat, IAN oblation and an odor OF
sweetness in the sight of the most
High" (Ecclus. xxxv. 81.
SANITY Companions.
Consider the benefits of reading
about the saints. 1t is wonderful
comfort to have good company in the
journey of life; and it is also a nee
essary corrective of our defects, espe
cially of those which gnaw at the
root of such essential virtues as
charity and chastity. We are con
stantly rent asunder with contrary
emotions We no sooner float into q
peaceful harbor, free at last from the
storms of passion and the pirates Of
the high seas, than we are beset by
land pirates of evil examples, and
fooled by the decisions of the world
fretfulness and cowardice within and
fraudulent claimants of our love with
out. But when even single one Of
our favorite saints sounds the max
inns of the Gospel in our souls ears
we are treasured. We are so feeble
natured that the invitations Of
Christ's love need their echoes in the
voices of His and our dearest friends
if they would catch and hold our at
tentioD All heaven seems sometimes
necessary to draw us upward towards
God. The efficacy of religious attrac
tions depends often on ones familiar
ity with the saints in his more recol
lected moments-familiar knowledge
of their writings, our mind picture
gallery of their heroic deeds. WheI
one has read so much about holy per
} sonages that he can speak of then
with a feeling of confidence as: M!
saints, my angels, he is mingling at
J fectionately and very proftably among
: Christ's almoners. Sensible and con
!, vincing proofs of their protection
J their guidance in even particular mat
: tiers of daily care and responsible.
will not long be wanting to him wht
/ is fond of reading about them.
If one is working at delicate tasl
| of painting or embroidery, and an
other comes between him and tn
: window, he says: You are STANDING
: in my light" In this case sunshin
! is private property-"my light" Blu
: if anyone were himself made of light
: then if he stands in "our light it i
4 all the better for us. Thus is GU
, Saviour in His divine generation cal
Y ed by Holy Church Light of light,
c and st. John says of Him: In Hir
was life, and the life was the light o
/ men" John j, A.. He both gives hi
Y man light to us and He transmits t
e us that of the Godhead, which shine
. upon us in and through Him. NOV
s this marvellous enlightenment of on
, souls our Lord shares with His saint:
: for the Apostle gives thanks to Go
e the Father, Who hath made us worth
4 to be partakers of the lot of tn
: saints in light" (Col. l. 12). A hol
t soul, whether living here or in tn
f hereafter, is Gods light for our soul!
t The light of the saints shines abov
n +bo noooc IF boIv hicfnYv Tn fiji