The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-03

be uuenched" (Ecclus. xxxviii. IA
q little prayer and quick retreat
from danger. It is often but little
spot that tells the danger of a mortal
disease; and sometimes the venom
of it is hardly perceptible at all.
Little acts of kindness are rewarded
with heaven; and yet sometimes little
kindnesses between persons of diff
ferent sexes are snare, unless rigid
self-mastery tempers every lightest
act and prayer disciplines ones very
glances and gestures, most of all ones
thoughts. After the catastrophe it is
vain to say, couldn't help it. For
/ the sin was rather in the criminal
self-trust of the first steps than in
the final surrender to the enemy
Another help is restraint of bodily
comfort. Nor is this help against
sensual temptations only, for weaken
ing of bodily force for love of Jesus
Crucified reduces pride of heart also
In the lives of the Fathers of the
Desert it is related of the Abbot Mar
carius that he was once sorely
| tempted by a restless demon to quit
his solitude and go to Rome and serve
the sick in the hospitals. Detecting
in this the faint Of vainglory, the
saint prayed hard against it. When
j it yet continued he filed two great
baskets with sand, strapped them to
| his shoulders and journeyed thus
through the wilderness. He met a
friend who begged to relieve him,
and was refused; and then he said:
'eWhat does this mean?" Macarius
answered: 81 am tormenting my tor
mentor When he got back to his
cell in the evening he was utterly ex-
hausted in body, but his soul was
wholly freed from the temptation.
The attack of some devils can only be
overcome by the counter attack of
two faithful allies-according to our
1 Saviour: 'This kind can go out by
nothing but prayer and fasting"
mark tx 28l. My brethren, this
should have some bearing on your
asking to be dispensed from the fast
and abstinence prescribed by the
Church.
st. Vincent de Paul early in his
career agonized for months under an
awful spell of temptation to apos-
tacy, the evil one seeming to have
half-possessed his innermost faculties.
The saint wrote out an Act of Faith,
signed it, and sewed it into his
clothes next to his heart. AS he felt
the terrible allurement rising within
him, he pressed his hand upon this
sign manual of his loyalty to God,
and then he felt temporary relief.
Finally heaven inspired him with a
complete remedy. 1t was fervent
promise to Jesus Christ that if He
would release him from the devils
persecution, he would devote his en-
tire life to the care of the poor. I'm
der the stress of temptation we must
realize that we are fighting for God,
Who is concerned with our victory
more than we are ourselves. The
good King Josaphat was dismayed at
the multitudes of Ammon and of
Moab arrayed against him. And God
sent a prophet who said to him:
"Fear We not, and be not dismayed
at this multitude; for the battle is not
yours but Gods e Par. XXX 15).
Along with prayer we are coun-
selled to use the relics of Gods
saints for routing the demon, or to re-
cite aloud certain passages Of holy
Scripture, as our Saviour did in the
desert. And both the Church S
counsel and our own experience prove
the good of using holy water, the
crucifix, and devout pictures. Only
fair-weather Christians make light OF
such simple expedients. But their
benefit is well known to those whose
religious life is more experimental
These accept the Church's injunctions
with faith, and their own experience
soon demonstrates her wisdom. We
need hardly recommend our Blessed
Lady's intercession, for it is the we'll
t proven help Of all the tempted, but
especially when one is fighting for the
holy virtue of purity.
4 The malice of the demon here and
4 there wins victims. But most OF
J. these, let us hope, are afterwards
3 rescued from his clutches, whilst in
!. the vast multitude of cases his temp
5 tations serve but to strengthen faith
3 and love in our hearts, just as the
e stormy winds deepen the roots and
e tougher the fibre of tree growing
e in the open. What doth he know
r who hath not been tried?" exclaims
e the Wise Man (Ecclus. xxxiv 81.
+ We have seen a great rock on q
/ mountain side. SO nicely balanced
e that child can move it back and
: forth for the space of few inches
d but only to that extent, for its i'm
: mense weight is firmly fixed to its
t base. So with the true Christian. He
/ is moved by all that allures the
g senses and beguiles the heart
|, ed, but only little and for brie
p moment His foundation is in "the
j, everlasting hills" FPS. lxxvi 81 of the
b divine love, and no earthquake car
; stir him from his steadfastness tt
!: God.
Let us say in conclusion that oul
J. Saviour's provision of trust and con
fidence given in the sacrament o
Penance is never better appreciated
= than by soul deeply, terribl.
q tempted. He knows that all tempta
n lions against faith, or chastity, o
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