The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-02-27

7
prayers and is careless about Church.
| lie is wise father who will take his
| turn in looking after the children on
Sundays and days of obligation, in
order that his wife may attend one
service in Gods house; for she will
come back refreshed in mind, body
and soul, while his home and his chill
dren as well as himself will be the
happier.
| Let us remember, however, that
Jesus is not forgetful OF domestic
difficulties. There is no greater mis-
| take than to think that Christ lays
down rules impossible to be kept in
| the Catholic family and that he is
| totally oblivious of things that make
up the ordinary life of a man. Christ
shows full recognition Of those lit
| tie accidents and domestic incidents
that disturb our peace and shade our
sunshine. He speaks in his parallels
OF the anxiety of owing a long bill
and the inability of paying it, of the
satisfaction of the man who gets a
good discount for ready cash, of the
chronic invalid at home and the size
of her doctors bills, of the money
dropped in the dark and the trouble
of the poor cottagar to find it, OF the
OK that fell into the cistern on Sun
day and had to be saved while other
men were going to Divine service,
and of the widows law suit. But
Christ has made all drudgery blessed
and all domestic duty beautiful by
the fact that lie has shared all with
us. At the same time He has made it
plain that worry is foolish and wrong
and shows want of confidence in God.
Again, no one before Jesus, spoke
so tenderly of children. He has a
wonderful understanding of the heart
of a parent. Suffer the children to
come unto me-" Parents and those
who represent them ought to bring
their children to Jesus, and try to be
real blessing to those little ones by
word and example. To lead children
to Jesus is the highest ideal of Chris
tan education. 1t was Christ who
told the excited parents, Jairus and
his wife, whose child had just been
raised from death, that she would be
much better for a meal. And COM
manded that something should be
given her to eat mark V. A.. 1t
was really a mothers instinct, and it
was the Saviour's No one thought
of child as Jesus did, and it is due
to Him that children to-day are
thought Of with such tenderness; and
we pity the man or woman who is
not stirred at the thought of chill
: dren's sufferings. This gives us hint
as to our attitude to children i'll our
families. Nothing makes home
healthier than laughter and few
things help to make it holier than
sanctified joy. Long faces are no GER
tificate of spirituality or sanctity.
1 Children are often depressed for mere
exuberanee OF spirit. Let us remem-
Iber that it was the Pharisees who
tried to stop the children shouting,
they were cheering Jesus. They tried
to check their singing even though
it was psalm of David. The whole
of the fifteenth Chapter of st. Luke
is full of eXuberant JOY and rebuke
of the Pharisaic cynicism which hated
to see sinners happy with the Saviour
; 1t is the height of indecency to re-
fuse to rejoice when God has given
His blessing Christs closing prayer
on earth was that his people might
have their prayers answered so that
their cup might be full to the brim
with His joy.
, And so Christ in Catholic homes
, will mean perpetual sunshine, it will
, mean joyous meal-times, joyous work
f joyous holidays and, joyous family
prayers. 1t will mean that the mother
: is brighter and more tranquil and that
, child-care is more faithful and tender
= So let us never forget that il We
S are too busy in our common tasks tc
t remember Christ, we are not in {
position to make our home life the
3 best in possibility, in atmosphere ant
I in achievement. Only as home duty
recognizes Christ, and all things are
| done heartily as TO the Lord, shall We
+ make gladness in our own hearts ant
G in His. at was meet says the ia
9 Their, that we should rejoice"
r. p. X. in THE Catholic Wdtchmdn''