The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-02-27
CHRIST AND THE CATHOLIC
FAMILY.

Holy Gospels be found in every fam
lily and that all the Christians should
cultivate the habit OF reading q pas
sage each day so as TO live in a worthy
manner and to make themselves
agreeable to God in all things, for it
is too true that all evils and errors
arise from ignorance and failure to
practise it."
So spoke the Holy Father Pope
Benedict Nv scarcely had he assembled
the throne Of the fisherman.
Let us then take few passages
from the book of the Holy Gospels
and see their application i'll general
way to us as members of Catholic
families. And entering into house,
he would that no man should know
il, and he could not be hid" Matt
VII. 24D ChristS presence is impossi-
BILE to conceal. If He really is pres
ent in the home it is bound to be found
out ST. Mark notes this as fact Of
frequent occurrence. In Galilean
village, in the town Of Cdpharnaum, in
the town OF Tyre, Christ tried to hide
Himself and failed. Men discovered
Him in a house, even though He had
fled thither seeking quiet. "And
when He is in the house, He performs
wonders and charges them Of the
household that they should tell no
man. But the more He charged them
so much the more great deal did
they publish it," Matt. VII. 36)
These things may be taken as a
parable of human hearts and Catholic
homes. st. Paul fervently prayed
for his Ephesian converts that Christ
might make His home in their hearts.
1t was a noble petition. Christ eX-
ats the human body into an edifice
both royal and sacred, it is palace and
temple in one. If Christ is i'll the
home or if the head Of a household
is indwelt by Christ. the life of the
home is sure to reflect it. The pres
cnce of Christ in such a family could
not he hid. Christ himself is the
head Of the home, the unseen Listener
to every conversation the unseen
Host at every NEAL the unseen Wit
ness to every action in that family.
Immediately the presence of Christ
is felt in the Catholic family, the very
word duty" is melloWed. Each
household charge is Slorified, the
cooking and cleaning, the busting and
sweeping-all these become royal
privilege and holy service when once
this thought of the great presence oil
Christ in the home possesses the
members of the family.
Christs obvious sympathy with
household tasks is one of the most
striking feature and humani2ing influ-
ences in the beautiful Gospel, story.
The kingdom Of Heaven is like to an
householder" He not infrequently
compares Himself to the master of a
house, doing just what many another
master is doing, hiring extra workmen
for the vineyard in times of pressure
watching over the growth of the crops
planning hospitality and sending out
invitations for feast, locking up the
house at night and refusing admission
to suspicious characters, dlSmSSln2
unworthy and rewarding satisfactory
servants. He speaks of the house
mother, sweeping out the rooms, ano
making bread He alludes to the af
fairs of the household as naturally as
He talks Of the things of heaven: the
corn grinding, the drawing of water
the patching of the torn raiment, the
going out to market, the Importance
Of getting good measure into the
basket. He mentions the economy O
getting an extra bird into the bargain
if the housewife spends two farthing'
instead of one He sympathizes Will
the hospitable man whose bread sup
ply is low, when the guest arrive!
late at night or whose wine runs shor
at Il wedding breakfast
This is the Lord of Glory Who came
down to walk this earth with us, ant
talks of the same things as we do
and as His touches make them sacred
forever. 1ge shall not be afraid to lie
this Christ into our Catholic homes
and allow Him to make all the works
Of orr ordinary household sacred.
# is q commonplace with us tina
Jesus was always at work. Jesus
worked, and has thereby made Worl
holy and taught us to work willingly
each one at his own business, and Il
he ashamed of no kind of labour
PERHAPS we seldom realize that thu
distinguishing feature of Christ
work was the quietness of His indus
try. He was ever busy. 1t is Will
MS almost proverbial that hcuse-worl
and worry go together. But let II
learn that Christ would not have it sc
Let us remember that Christ said tina
the Gentiles worried because they dit
mot know the Father. for worry is ;
lack OF trust in Gods fatherly fore
Thought and care. In the house 0
Bethany Christ approved OF Mar,
and rebuked Martha. Martha
Martha, thou art careful and troubled
about many things Surely He wa
not eNalting listening above labour
nor contrasting the sacred with thu
secular to the disadvantage of the lat
ter. If Christ appears a little msym
pathetic with Martha, the careful
housewife. it is less because she Il
busy than because she worked in
restless and uneasy state of mind
Had He not on other occasions warned
His followers that the worries of this
life choke the word of God and make
it unfruitful! 1t was because Martha
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