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MtfRICAM UTMWiUmK CO,N'
" Neither cast ye your pearls before swine." — St. Matt, vii : 6
BEAUTIFUL PEARLS
OF
CATHOLIC TRUTH
CONTAINING THE
Teachings of the Holy Catholic Church
AND
THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
AS INTERPRETED BY
THE ONE TRUE CHURCH FOUNDED BY OUR DIVINE SAVIOUR
INCLUDING
THE HISTORY OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE: LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN: GOSPEL
STORY OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD; GROUNDS OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE: LIFE
AND WRITINGS OF ST. PETER: FAITH AND HOPE; FAITH AND REASON, ETC.
TOGETHER WITH
BIOGRAPHIES OF ILLUSTRIOUS SAINTS
THE STATIONS OR HOLY WAY OF THE CROSS: DISCOURSES UPON THE SACRAMENTS, THE HOLY
ANGELS, TEACHINGS OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES, THE HOLY ROSARY, THE
CONFESSION, INVOCATION OF SAINTS, ETC., ETC.
FROM THE WRITINGS OF THE FOLLOWING DISTINGUISHED AUTHORS:
Rt. Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, LL.D., His Eminence Cardinal Henry Edward Manning. Rt. Rev.
Thomas O'Gorman, D.D., Rev. Arnold Damen, S.J.
AND OTHER EMINENT CATHOLIC WRITERS OF EUROPE AND AMERICA
TO WHICH IS ADDED A SKETCH OF THE APOSTLE OF TEMPERANCE, FATHER MATHEW AND TOTAL ABSTINENCE FROM A CATHOLIC POINT OF VIEW
PROFUSELY EMBELLISHED WITH SUPERB ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLORS, PHOTOTYPE AND WOOD ENGRAVINGS
1^ • r'Vl
HENRY SPHAR .s, CO.
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1897, by
THOMAS M. FITZGERALD,
In the office of the Librari:in of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
All Rights Reserved.
lOAt) STACK
SPECIAL NOTICE.
The publishers will not offer this book for sale in Book-Stores. It is published exclusively for subscribers, and can only be obtained by or- dering it of our authorized representatives who have secured agencies for this great work. It will on no account be sold at less than regular sriuted orices.
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Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/beautifulpearlsoOOoreirich
Krom Catholic Church News, Washington, D. C.
We have received a copy of " Beautiful Pearls of Catholic Truth," from the writings of Cardinal Manning, Bishop O' Gorman, Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, Rev. Arnold Damen, S. J., and other eminent writers of Europe and .\merica. The volume is profusely embellished with illustrations in colors, phototypes, and wood engravings. Among the colored illustrations are the Stations of the Cross, which occupy a page each. The life of the Blessed Virgin by Rev. Bernard O'Reilly is illustrated with woodcuts as are many other articles.
Apostolic Delegation, 201 I Street N. W., Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir :
I received the copy of the " Catholic Pearls " which you so kindly sent to me.
I feel very grateful to you for your kindness, and I hope your book will be of great utility for the Catholic people.
With esteem, I remain
Yours sincerely,
Y//^'
a>
-SB
m
CHRIST TAKING LEAVE OP HIS MOTHER
HOLY WOMEN AT THE TOMB OF CHRIST
SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST
THB STATIONS;.
OR.
THH HOLY WAY OF THB CROSS.
THE ANTIPHON.
T.'B beseech Thee, O Lord ! to assist and direct our actions by Thy powerful grace, and all our prayers and works may always btgin and end with Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
A PREPARATORY ACT OF CONTRITION.
O Jesus, treasure of my soul, infinitely good, infinitely merciful, behold me prostrate at Thy sacied feet! Sinner as I am, I fly to the arms of Thy mercy, and implore that grace which melts and converts — the grace of true compunction. I have offended Thee, adorable Jesus I I repent; let the favor of my love equal the baseness of my ingratitude. This Way of the Cross, grant me to offer devoutly in memory of that painful journey Thou hast travelled for our redemption, to the Cross of Calvary, with the holy de.<iign to refonn my morals, amend my life and gain these indulgences granted by Thy vicars on earth. I apply one for ray miserable soul, the rest in suffrage for the souls in purgatory, particularly N. N. [Here mention the souls for whom you intend to apply them.] I begin this devotion under Thy sacred protection, and in imitation of Thy dolorous Mother. Let then this holy exercise obtain for me mercy in this life, and glory in the next. Amen. Jesus 1
^tatt0n I.
Christ is sentenced to death by Pilate. V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
rv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
UR gracious Redeemer, after suffering blows and blasphemies before Annas and Caiphas, after the cruel scourging, insulting contempts and bloody crown of piercing thorns, is unjustly condemned to death. This iniquitous sentence your Jesus accepted with admirable humility. Innocence embraces condemnation to free the guilty. Reflect that your sins were the false witnesses that condemned Him ; your stub- born impenitence the tyrant that extorted from Pilate the bloody sentence. Propose now seriously an amendment of life, and while you reflect on the horrid injustice of Pilate, who condemns innocence, lest he should not appear a friend of Caesar, arraign yourself for your many sins of human respect ; think how often you have offended God for fear of displeasing the eye of the world, and turning to your loving Jesus, address Him rather with tears of the heart than with expressions of the tongue in the following
Prayer.
Mangled victim of my sins ! O suffering Jesus ! I have deserved those bloody scourges, that cruel sentence of death ; and yet Thou didst die for me, that I should live for Thee. I am convinced that if 1 desire to please men, I cannot be Thy servant. Let me then displease the world and its vain admirers. I resign myself into Thy hands. Let love take possession of my heart ; let Tiy eyes behold with contempt everything that can alienate my affections from Thee ; let my ears be ever attentive to Thy word ; let me through this painful journey accompany Thee, sighing and demanding mercy. Mercy ! Jesus ! Amen. Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
Vou pious Christians who do now draw near. With relenting hearts now lend a tear. Your Lord behold with great humility. Sentenced to die on Mount Calvary .
Station I.
Christ is sentenced to death by Pilate.
Station II.
AMfMCUl UTHOGftAMliC CO.H
Chj^ist takes the Cross on his shoulder.
Station n.
Christ takes the Cross on his shoulder.
V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world.
j^HIS second Station represents the place where your most amiable Redeemer is clad in his usual attire, after His inhuman executioners had stripped Him of the purple garment of derision with which Hewas clothed, when as a visionary king they crowned Him with plaited thorns. The heavy burthen of the Cross Is violently placed on His mangled shoulders.
Behold your gracious Saviour, though torn with wounds, covered with blood, a man of griefs, abandoned by all — with what silent patience He bears the taunts and injuries with which the Jews insult Him. He stretches out His bleeding arms, and tenderly em- braces the Cross. Reflect with confusion on that sensitive pride which is fired with im- patience at the very shadow of contempt — on your discontented murmurs in your lightest afflictions — and your obstinate resistance to the will of Heaven in the crosses of life, which are calculated to conduct you. not to a Calvary of Crucifixion, but to joys of eternal glory ; and from your heait unite in the following
Prayer.
EEK AND HUMBLE Jesus ! my iniquity and perverseness loaded Thy shoulders with the heavy burthen of the Cross. Yet I, a vile worm of the earth, O shameful ingratitude! fly even the appearance of mortification, and every- thing which would check the violence of my passions ; and if I suffered, it was with a murmuring reluctance. I now, O Saviour of the world ! detest my past life, and by Thy grace am determined no more to offend Thee mortally. Let me only glory in the Cross of my Lord, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. Lay then on my stubborn neck the cross of true penance ; let me, for the love of Thee, bear the adversities of this life, and cleave inseparably to Thee in the bonds of perpetual charity. Amen. Jesus.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us 1
No pity for the Lamb was to be found ; As a mock King my loving Lord they crown'd. To bear the heavy cross He does not tire, To save my soul from everlasting fire.
^tatian III
yesiis falls the first time under the Cross.
V , We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. Iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CI?c IHystery.
^HIS third Station represents how our Lord Jesus Christ, overwhelmed by the weight of the Cross, fainting through loss of bloody falls to the ground the first time.
Contemplate the unwearied patience of the meek Lamb, amidst the insulting blows and curses of His brutal executioners ; while you, impatient in adversity and infirmity, presume to complain, nay, to insult the Majesty of Heaven, by your curses and blasphemies. Purpose here firmly to struggle against the impatient sallies of temper ; and beholding your amiable Jesus prostrate under the Cross, excite in yourself a just hatred for those sins, which rendered insupportable that weight, with which your Saviour, for love of you, was burthened, and thus address your afflicted Jesus :
Prayen
LAS, MY Jesus ! the merciless violence of Thy inhuman executioners, the excessive weight of the Cross, or rather the more oppressive load '^f my sins, crush Thee to the earth. Panting for breath, exhausted as 1 hou art. Thou dost not refuse new tortures for me. Will I then refuse the light burthen of Thy commandments ; will I refuse to do violence to my perverse passions and sinful attachments ; will I relapse into those very crimes for which I have shed false and delusive tears ! O Jesus ! stretch Thy holy hand to my assistance, that I may never more fall into mortal sin ; that I may at the hour of death secure the important affair of my salvation. Amen, Je.sus.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
' From loss of blood He fell unto the ground.
No comfort for my Lord was to be found, He rose again beneath their cruel blows, And on His bitter way unmurmering goes.
Station III.
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Jesus falls the fir,st time undef^the Gnoss.
Station IV.
Jesus carrying the Cross, meets his most afflicted Mother.
»<CAN uTMowuvwc ea,»t
^tatim TV,
yesus carrying the Cross, meets His most afflicted Mother,
V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
Iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
(EI?e Znystery,
'HE fourth Station represents to your contemplation the meeting of the deso- late Mother and her bleeding Jesus, staggering under the weight of the Cross. Consider what pangs rent her soul, when she beheld her beloved Jesus covered with blood, dragged violently to the place of execution, reviled and blasphemed by an ungrateful, outrageous rabble. Meditate on her inward feelings, the looks of silent agony exchanged between the Mother and the Son ; her anguish in not being permitted to approach, to embrace and to accompany Him to death. Filled with confusion at the thought that neither the Son's pains nor Mother's grief have softened the hardness of your heart, contritely join in the following
Prayer,
MARY ! I am the cause of thy sufferings. O refuge of sinners ! let me par- ticipate in those heart-felt pangs, which rent thy tender soul, when thou didst behold thy Son trembling with cold, covered with wounds, fainting under the Cross, more dead than alive ! Mournful Mother ! fountain of love ! let me feel the force of thy grief that I may weep with thee, and mingle my tears with thine, and thy Son's blood. O suffering Jesus ! by Thy bitter passion, and the heart-breaking com- passion of Thy afflicted Mother, grant me the efficacious grace of perseverance ! Mother of Jesus, intercede for me 1 Jesus, behold me with, an eye of pity, and in the hour of my death receive me to the arms of Thy mercy ! Amen, Jesus. Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
Exhausted, spent, see Jesus onward go, With feeble step, in anguish faint and slow. At last His grief-worn Mother He can see Exclaiming : My Son, my heart is rent for Thee.
^tottan y.
Chriil assisted by Simon the Cyrenean to carry the Cross < V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
tv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
*HE fifth Station represents Christ fainting, destitute of strength, unable to carry the Cross. His sacrilegious executioners compel Simon the Cyrenea,* to carry it, not through compassionate pity to Jesus, but lest he should expire in their hand, before they could glut their vengeance by nailing Him to the Cross. Consider here the repugnance of Simon to carry the Cross after Christ ; and that you with repugnance, and by compulsion, carry the Cross which Providence has placed on your shoulders. Will you spurn the love of your Jesus, who invites you to take up your Cross and follow Him ? Will you yet with shameless ingratitude refuse the Cross, sanc- tified by His suffering ? Offer up devoutly the following
Prayer*
SUFFERING Jesus! to what excess did Thy impious executioners' cruelty proceed ! Beholding Thee faint under the Cross, apprehensive of Thy death before they could complete tlieir bloody intentions, they compel Simon to carry the Cross that Thou mightest expire on it in the most exquisite torture. But why should I complain of the cruelty of the Jews or the repugnance of Simon ? Have I not again crucified Thee by my crimes ? Have I not suffered with fretful impa- tience the light afflictions with which Thy mercy visited me ? Inspire me now, my Jesus, to detest and deplore my sinful impatience, my ungrateful murmurs, and let me with all my heart cheerfully accompany Thee to Mount Calvary ; let me live in Thee, and die in Thee. Amen, Jesus.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us I
The furious Jews when Jesus fainting fell Simon to bear His Cross, by force compel; Afflictions bear like Job most patiently, And follow the Lamb with great humility.
Station V.
AMEOICAN UTMOAAAPtllC Oi.x *
Christ ASSISTED by Simon the Gyrenean to carry the Cross.
Station VI .
im«M»AM'cCa.ti*
Veronica presents a handkerchief to Christ
Station YI.
Veronica presents a handkerchief to Christ. V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. Jtv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
(El?e ZHystery.
I^HE sixth Station represents the place where the pious Veronica, compassion- ating our agonizing Redeemer, beholding His sacred face livid with blows and covered with blood and sweat, presents a hanc terchief, with which Jesus wipes his face. Consider the heroic piety of this devout woman, who is not intimidated by the pres- ence of the executioners, or the clamors of the Jews ; and the tender acknowledgment of Jesus. Reflect here, that though you cannot personally discharge the debt of humanity to your Saviour, you can discharge it to His suffering members, the poor. Though you cannot wipe away the blood and sweat from the face of Jesus, you can wipe away the tear of wretchedness from the eye of misery. Examine, then, what returns you have made for the singular graces and favors your bountiful Jesus bestowed on you ; and conscious of your ingratitude, address your injured Saviour in the following
Prayer*
^^ JESUS, grant me tears to weep my ingratitude. How often have I, infatu- ated wretch, turned my eyes from Thee and Thy sufferings, to fix them on _^ the world and its vanities ! Let me henceforth be Thine without division. Stamp Thy image on my soul, that it may never admit another love. Take possession of my heart on earth, that my soul may take eternal possession of Thee in glory. Amen, Jesus!
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
Veronica pressed through to meet our Lord, His streaming face a napkin to afford, Lo, on its texture stamped by power divine His sacred features breathe in every line.
^tatic»n yn.
yesus falls under the Cross the second time.
V , We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
(Ct^e 2Tiystcry.
'HE seventh Station represents the gate of Jerusalem, called the gate of Judg- ment, at the entrance of which our Saviour, through anguish and weakness, falls to the ground. He is compelled by blows and blasphemies to rise.
Consider your Jesus prostrate on the earth, bruised by His fall, and ignominiously treated by an ungrateful rabble. Reflect that your self-love and pride of preference were the cause of this humiliation. Implore, then, grace to detest sincerely your haughty spirit and proud disposition. It was your reiterated sins which again pressed Him to the ground. Will you then sin again, and add to the afflictions of your gracious Saviour?
praycn
MOST Holy Redeemer ! treated with the utmost contempt, deprived of fame and honor — led out to punishment — through excess of torments, and the weakness of Thy delicate and mangled body, Thou didst fall a second time to the earth. What impious hand has prostrated Thee ? Alas, my Jesus ! I am that impious, that sacrilegious offender : my ambitious pride, my haughty indigna- tion, my contempt of others humbled Thee to the earth. Banish for ever from my mind the unhappy spirit of pride. Teach my heart the doctrine of humility, so that detesting pride, vain glory and human respect, I may forever be united with Thee, my meek and humble Jesus. Amen.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
Prone at the city gate He fell once more, To save our erring souls He suffered sore ; On His great mercy let us always call, Since our vain pride has caused His triple falL
Station VII.
UIHPOOAPHrC CO ^
Jesus falls under, the Gross the second time.
vancff- efMT.r'v. '^>
Station VIII.
Ghf^ist consoles the Women of Jerusalem who wept over him.
Station Vni.
Christ consoles the Women of yerusalem, who wept over Him.
V . We adore Thee O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee, rv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
!HIS Station represents the place where several devout women meeting Jesus, and beholding Him wounded and bathed in His blood, shed tears of com- passion over Him.
Consider the excessive love of Jesus, who, though languishing and half dead through the multitude of His torments, is nevertheless attentive to console the women who wept over Him. They merited that tender consolation from the mouth of Jesus, " Weep not over me, but over yourselves and your children." Weep for your sins, the sources of my affliction. Yes, O my soul I I will obey my suffering Lord, and pour out tears of compunction. Nothing more eloquent than the voice of those tears which flow from the horror of those sins. Address Him the following
Prayer*
JESUS, ONLY BEGOTTEN SoN OF THE Father ! who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes, that I may day and night weep and lament my sins ? I humbly beseech Thee by these tears of blood Thou didst shed for me, to soften my flinty bosom, that tears may plentifully flow from my eyes, and contrition rend my heart, this hardened heart, to cancel my crimes and render me secure in the day of wrath and examination, when Thou wilt come to judge the living and the dead, and demand a rigorous account of Thy blood. Amen, Jesus. Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
With tears of love the women they did weep. Compassionating our Redeemer sweet ; Weep for your sins who caused Him here to be O Lamb of God Thy mercy show to me.
^tattan IX.
yesus falls under the Cross the third time.
V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. rv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world,
(EI?c IHystcry,
^HIS Station represents the foot of Mount Calvary, where Jesus Christ, quite destitute of strength, falls a third time to the ground. The anguish of His wounds is renewed.
Consider here the many Injuries and blasphemous derisions thrown out against Christ, to compel Him to rise and hasten to the place of execution, that His inveterate enemies might enjoy the savage satisfaction of beholding Him expire on the Cross. Consider that by your sins you daily hurry Him to the place of execution. Approach Him in thought to the foot of Mount Calvary, and cry out against the accursed weight of sin that prostrated Jesus, and had long since buried thee in the flames of hell, if His mercy and the merits of His passion had not preserved thee.
Prayer*
CLEMENT Jesus ! I return Thee infinite thanks for not permitting me, ungrateful sinner, as Thou has permitted thousands less criminal, to die in their sins. I. who have added torments to Thy torments, by heaping sin on sin, kindle in my soul the fire of charity, fan it with Thy continual grace into perseverance, until, delivered from the body of this death, I can enjoy the liberty of the children of God and Thy co-heirs. Amen, Jesus ! Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
On Calvary's height a third time see Him fall, Livid with bruises that our sight appal. O gracious Lord, this sufferedst Thou for me. To save my soul from endless misery.
Station IX.
AftmtMi UTHOORAPHtC CO.N
Jesus falls under the Gf^oss the third time .
Station X.
Jesus is stripped of his Gaf^mentsand offef^edVinegaf?, and Gall.
^taiwn X*
yesus is stripped of His Garments, and offered Vinegar and GaM.
V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. rv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
£Ct?e ttlystery.
!HIS Station represents how our Lord Jesus Christ ascended Mount Calvary, and was by His inhuman executioners stripped of His garments. The skin and congealed blood are torn off with them, and His wounds renewed.
Consider the confusion of the modest Lamb, exposed naked to the con- tempt and derision of an insulting rabble. They present Him with vinegar and gall for a refreshment. Condemn here that delicacy of taste, that sensual indulgence, with which you flatter your sinful body. Pray here for the spirit of Christian mortification. Think how happy you would die if, stripped of the world and its attachments, you could expire covered with the blood and agony of Jesus.
Prayer.
Buffering Jesus ! I behold Thee stnpt of Thy garments, Thy old wounds renewed, and new ones added to the old. I behold Thee naked in the pres- ence of thousands, exposed to the inclemency of the weather ; cold, tremb- ling from head to foot, insulted by the blasphemous derisions of the spectators. Strip, O mangled Lamb of God ! my heart of the world and its deceitful affections. Divest my soul of its habits of sensual indulgence. Embitter the poisoned cup of pleasure, that I may dash it with contempt from my lips, and through Christian mortifica- tion arrive at Thy never fading glory. Amen, Jesus. Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
O Queen of angels, how thy heart did bleed To see thy Son stripped naked here indeed, And to the vile and cruel throng exposed, Who round Him now in furious hatred closed
3ttttwn XL
Christ is nailed to the Cross.
V • We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. Iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
(n?e JTtystcry*
.HIS Station represents the place where Jesus Christ, in the presence of Hia afflicted mother, is stretched on the Cross, and nailed to it. How insufferable the torture — the nerves and sinews are rent by the nails.
Consider the exceeding desolation, the anguish of the tender Mother, eye-witness of this inhuman punishment of her beloved Jesus. Generously resolve then to crucify your criminal desires, and nail your sins to the wood of the Cross. Contemplate the suffering resignation of the Son of God to the will of His Father, while yoa are impa- tient in trifling afflictions, in trivial disappointments. Purpose henceforth to embrace your cross with ready resignation to the will of God.
Prayer.
PATIENT Jesus ! meek Lamb of God ! who promised, " When I shall be
exalted from earth I will draw all things to myself," attract my heart to Thee,
and nail it to the Cross. I now renounce and detest my past impatience.
Let me crucify my flesh with its concupiscence and vices. Here burn, here
cut, but spare me for eternity. I throw myself into the arms of Thy mercy. Thy will
be done in all things Grant me resignation, grant me Thy love, I desire no more.
Amen, Jesus.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us I
You Christian hearts now join with Mary's grief; Heaven and earth behold! deny relief; Hrr heart was pierced with bitter grief to see H»r loving Jesus nailed unto a tree.
Station XI.
AMCniCAM UTHOGRAmiC CO.N
Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
Station XII.
AMfMCM UTHOMAFHtC CAItV
Christ is exalted on the Cross and dies.
Station Xn.
Christ is exalted on the Cross, and dies.
V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. fv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
!HIS Station represents the place where Jesus Christ was publicly exalted or. the Cross between two robbers, who, for their enormous crimes, were executed ?)^ with the innocent Lamb.
Consider here the confusion of your Saviour, exposed naked to the profane view of a blasphemous multitude. Imagine yourself at the foot of the Cross. Behold that sacred body streaming blood from every part. Contemplate the divine countenance pale and languid, the heart throbbing in the last pangs of agony, the soul on the point of separation ; yet charity triumphs over His agony ; His last prayers petition forgiveness for His enemies : "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." His clemency is equally extended to the penitent thief: " This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." He recommends in His last moments His disconsolate Mother to His beloved St. John. He recommends His soul to His heavenly Father, and bowing down His submissive, obedient head, resigns His spirit. Turn your eyes on the naked, bloody portrait of charity. Number His wounds. Wash them with tears of sympathizing love. Behold the arms extended to embrace you. Love of Jesus I thou diest to deliver us from eternal captivity.
Prayer,
SUFFERING Son of God ! I now behold Thee in tlie last convulsive pangs of death — Thy veins opened. Thy sinews torn. Thy hands and feet, O Foun- tain of Paradise ! distilling blood. I acknowledge, charitable Jesus, that my reiterated offences have been Thy merciless executioners, the cause of Thy bitter sufferings and death. Yet, God of mercy, look on my sinful soul, bathe it in Thy precious blood ! Let me die to the vanity of the world, and renounce its false pleasures. Thou didst pray, my Jesus, for Thy enemies. I forgive mine. I embrace them in the bowels of Thy charity. I bury my resentment in Thy wounds. Shelter me in the day of wrath in the sanctuary of Thy side. Let me live, let me die, in my crucified Jesus. Amen.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us I
Behold the streams of blood from every part, Behold the sharp lance that pierc'd His Sacred Heart ; On Calvary's Mount behold Him naked hang, To suffer for our sins pain's utmost pang.
Christ is taken down from the Cross.
V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. Iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the worlH
d?e mystery.
>HIS Stition represents the place where Christ's most sacred body was taken down from the Cross by Joseph and Nicodemus, and laid in the bosom of His weeping Mother.
Consider the sighs and tears of the Virgin Mother, with what pangs she embraced the bloody remains of her beloved Jesus. Here unite your tears with those of the disconsolate Mother. Reflect that your Jesuj wouM not descend from the Cross until He consummated the work of redemption ; and that at His departure from, as well as at His entrance into the world, He would be placed in the bosom of His beloved Mother. Hence learn constancy in your pious resolutions ! cleave to the standard of the Cross. Consider with what purity that soul should be adorned which receives, in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucliarist, Christ's most sacred body and blood.
Prayer*
T LENGTH, O Blessed Virgin 1 Mother of sorrow ! thou art permitted to embrace thy beloved Son. But alas ! the fruit of thy immaculate womb is all over mangled, in one continued wound. Yes, O Lord ! the infernal fury of the Jews has at length triumphed ; yet we renew their barbarity, crucifying Thee by our sins, inflicting new wounds. Most afflicted mother of my Redeemer, I conjure thee by the pains and torments thou sufferedst in the common cause of Salvation, to obtain for me, by thy powerful intercession, pardon of my sins, and grace to weep with a sympathizing feeling, thine and thy Son's afflictions. As often as I appear at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, let me embrace Tliee, my Jesus, in the bosom of my heart. May I worthily receive Thee as the sacred pledge of my salvation. Amen, Jesus.
Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us I
When from the Cross they took this blessed fonu. His Mother cries, my Son, I am forlorn ; My child is dead, you virgins join with me. Bewail in tears my love's sad desiiny.
Station XIII
AMCmCM UntOCHAMIC CO.MV
Christ is taken down ff^omthe Cross.
Station XIV.
m-fHitiH i.r.-ji;i»*WiiCa).1
Christ is laid in the Holy Sepulchre.
Station XIV.
Christ is laid in the Holy Sepulchre, V . We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee. Iv. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the uond.
d?e IHystcry,
.HIS Station represents Christ's Sepulchre, where His oiessed body was laid with piety and devotion.
Consider the emotions of the Virgin — her eyes streaming with tears, her bosom heaving with sighs. What melancholy, what wisttul looks she cast on that monument where the treasure of her soul, her Jesus, her all, Jay entombed. Here lament your want of contrition for your sins, and humbly adore your deceased Lord, who, poor even in death, is buried in another's tomb. Blush at your dependence on the world, and the eager solicitude with which you labor to grasp its. perishable advantages. Despise henceforth the world, lest you perish with it.
Prayen
"HARITABLE Jesus, for my salvation Thou performedst the painful journey of the Cross. Let me press the footsteps marked by Thee, gracious Redeemer — the paths which, through the thorns of life, conduct to the heavenly Jerusalem. Would that Thou wert entombed in my heart, that being united to Thee, I might rise to a new life of grace, and persevere to the end. Grant me, in my last moments, to receive Thy precious Body, as the pledge of immortal life. Let my last words be Jesus and Mary, my last breath be united to Thy last breath on the Cross ; that with a lively faith, a firm hope and ardent love, I may die with Thee and for Thee ; that I may reign with Thee for ever and ever. Amen, Jesus. Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. Glory, &c. Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us !
You pious Christians, raise your voices, raise, And join with me to sing your Saviour's praise. Who shed His blood for us and died in pain. To save our souls from hell's eternal flame.
(lortclusion.
^ ^ ^,|i^OMPASSIONATE Jesus ! behold with eyes of mercy this devotion I have endeavored to perform, Jm Vy)^#r in honor of Thy bitter passion and death, in order to obtain remission of my sins, and the pains ^1 (WfM) incurred by them. Accept of it for the salvation of the living and the eternal repose of the J ^^^^ faithful departed, particularly for those for whom I directed it. Do not, my Jesus, suffer the ineffable price of Thy blood to be fruitless, nor my miserable soul ransomed by it, to perish. The voice of Thy blood is louder for mercy than my crimes for vengeance. Have mercy then, O Lord 1 have mercy, and spare me for Thy mercy's sake I Amen, Jesos.
CONTENTS.
Comprehensive History of the Books of the Holy Catholic Bible.
The Parables of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Illuminated Plate of the Ten Commandments.
Scripture Illustrations of Scenes in the Lives of the Patriarchs, Prophets and Kings of the Old Tes- tament.
Scenes and Incidents in the Life of Christ.
Cities and Towns of the Bible.
Scenes in the Life of St. Paul.
Life of the Blessed Virgin Marv.
Illuminated Plate of the Seven Sacraments.
Illuminated Portrait of Pope Leo XIII.
Fourteen Illuminated Plates of the Stations or Holy Way of the Cross.
Family Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths.
Life and Writings of St. Peter.
Illuminated Plate of the I,ord's Prayer.
Grounds of the Catholic Doctrine, Contained in the Profession of Faith.
Faith and Hope. — Meditations for a Month.
Gospel Story of the Passion of Our Lord.
The Blessed Sacrament, the Centre of Immutable Truth.
The Holy Rosary.
The Holy Angels.
The Ceremonies of Holy Week Explained.
Four Illuminated Tabernacle Plates: — The Furniturk OF THE Tabernacle ; The Tabernacle in the Wil- derness; The Molten Sea; High Priest in "Linen Robes " and in " Garments of Beauty and Glory."
The Teaching of the Twelve.
Invocation of the Saints.
Practical Advice on Confession.
How TO Help the Sick and Dying.
The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order.
Legends of St. P'rancis.
St. Antony of Padua.
St. Ignatius Loyola.
St. Thomas Aquinas.
Father Damien, the Apostle of the Leper.<;.
Father Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance.
Total Abstinence from a Catholic Point of View.
The Little Sisters of the Poor.
Faith and Reason.
Sayings of Brother Giles, one of the First Disciples OF St. Francis of Assisi.
How Catholics Come to be Misunderstood.
The Church or the Bible : Which was Appointed by Christ to Teach Mankind the True Religion ?
The One True Church. — The Only Church that Christ Established k the Catholic Church.
The Great Truths — Short Meditations for the Season of Advent.
Pearls from the Hidden Treasures of Holy Mass
The Reunion of Christendom.
The Sacred Heart.
The Ministry of Jesus.
Saint Mary Magdalen and other Women of the New Testament.
Bible Atlas — Showing the Countries Mentioned in THE Bible.
INS
i
A Comprehensive History
OF THE BOOKS OF
THE HOLY CATHOLIC BIBLE
Written Expressly for this Edition
BY
REV. BERNARD O'REILLY, L D. (LAVAL.)
Author of '• . -I^roic Women of the Bible and the Church," "A Life of Pius IX.," "The Mirror of True Womanhood,"
" True Men as we Need Them," etc., etc.
The Whole Beautifully Illustrated with Appropriate and Select Scripture Subjects.
Copyright, 18&4.
INTRODUCTORY.
Most dear to the hearts of children in a family blessed with the i>est of parents and brought up to the practice of all that is most ennobling, is every monument of the dead or absent father's love.
Were it so to happen that such a father, whose whole life had been one of self-sacrifice and incomparable devotion to the interest of his dear ones, should bequeath them in dying, not only a share forever in his wealth and honor, but his last will and testament to be kept continually before their eyes in the home he had created for them — how would they not reverence this ever-present memo- rial of their worshipped parent's loving care? How would they iiot, in perusing every line and word of this last declaration of a father's tender forethought, find their own hearts moved by its un- dying eloquence — as if a hidden fire lived in each word to warn their own souls to gratitude, to generosity, and to all nobleness of life? This is precisely what we have in that Book of books, the Bible.* What we know of God's dealings with man proves Him to be much more of the parent than of the lord and master. Indeed when the Son came down in person to redeem and to teach the world. He taught us to call the Infinite God, with whom He is eter- nally one in the unity of the Godhead, by the sweet and endearing name of Father.
This was only restoring the supernatural relation which existed between God and man from the beginning of the latter's creation. For it is a doctrine of the Catholic faith, that Adam was raised by his all-bountiful Creator to the aivine rank of adopted child of God. This rank with its privileges and prospective glory Adam forfeited by his sin; and this rank Christ, the Second Adam, restored to us, thus repairing the ruin caused by our first parent.
And because the Heavenly Father's purpose was, from the begin- ning, to raise us all up in Christ to the dignity from which we had fallen in Adam, therefore His wisdom provided means by which Adam and his descendants could still recover a claim to their lost rank and inheritance. A Saviour was promised them in Christ;
*The word "bible" is of Greek origin. The Egyptian reed papyrus (ancient Egyptiat V/») was called pj^xoj, i}'i/os, by the Greeks, and from its inner- most bark or cuticle, covering the p^j<, was made the papyrus or paper which, when written upon, was denominated /JijSjloj. A bundle of these scrolls was given Ihe name of 3i/3j.tov — and the nomin.ntive plural /3tf3xta, was adopted by the Latins, and employed to designate what we now call the BiBLE, that is, the col •ction of inspired books of both the Old and the New Testaments.
and they were required to believe in that Saviour, to hold fast to that promise, to profess that faith openly, and fulfil all the other condi- tions required by their Divine Benefactor as distinguishing those who were to have a share with the future Redeemer and Restorer.
This new covenant or testament, made by our merciful Father between Himself and Adam with his posterity, was preserved and cherished among the descendants of Seth, who were, in view of their living faith in the one true God and the promised Saviour, called '■ the Sons of God " in the midst of a sinful world. It was this same living faith that saved Noe and his sons from the flood which swept their guilty brethren off the face of the earth. And when they came forth from the Ark, or ship, in which the hand of God had guarded them, their Preserver renewed His covenant with them, and once more enjoined, with increased solemnity, the duty of holding on invincibly to the Faith of Adam, of Abel, of Seth,