Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood,

ye have no life in you.'

'Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that chalice.' (1 Cor. xi. 28.)

The chalice of blessing, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ.' (1 Cor. x. 16.)

And above all, our Saviour attaches 'remission of sins to "this" -His blood of the New Testament,' rather than to the sacrament of His body. Really, your Reverence, I cannot but think that what our (Rhemish) Bible says of our adversaries is truer of us—'Our adversaries neither follow Christ nor S. Paul in one portion of the sacrament, and in the other they contemn Christ and his Church much more impudently and damnably.'

R. P.—All this is very fine and clever; but, Malcolm, is not the blood received, when you receive the body?

M.-I know nothing about that-I know a part is not the whole -I know that Christ did not institute the sacrament in both kinds for nothing. It is no place to argue by human wisdom, where God has plainly commanded.

R. P.-Where is it commanded?

M.-Sure it is for you to show authority for our Church separating from the Catholic Church in this matter, not for me, who wish to see things done as they were done for the first 1400 years after Christ. Good night, your Reverence.

NOTICES OF MEMORABLE DAYS IN THE MONTH.

ADVENT.

WITH the great revival of catholic truth amongst us, it were to be expected that a due observance of Advent should find its place; for although there are few amongst our elder brethren who cannot remember how stedfastly their parents sorrowed with their Lord in Lent and Passion-tide, yet the same cannot be said of Adventwatchfulness. Indeed, the whole Western Church in this respect has need to blush as contrasted with the severe discipline of the Eastern. Scarcely two hundred years ago a Greek writer thus speaks of the strictness of his Church: The second quadragesimal period is so called, because they fast forty days before the birth of

Christ. They fast on these days-first in honour of Christ; secondly, because Moses fasted forty days, and was then found worthy to speak with God, and receive the tables, as an example to us. We now fast the same number of days, that we may meet Christ, born for our sins, as did the Magi with gifts.' As in other cases of loss to our own souls, so it has been the sinful violation of Episcopal and Presbyteral engagements, which has made the season of Advent a profitless portion of the ecclesiastical year; for although in this country we have only to point to our persecutions in the last century as an excuse for our losing our first love in this and other respects— yet that time is too long passed away to be an apology for the Scottish priesthood now. As Daily Matins and Even Song were abandoned, so our people ceased, unless they privately made up for the neglect of their clergy, to hear those passages of the evangelical prophet, which tell of the triumphs and glory of Christ in His Church. Very absurd is it for those clergy and laity who affect to labour under dread of Rome thus to act. With what face can they find fault with the Roman priesthood for saying the services in Latin, and so withholding their means of edification from the people, while they refuse to give our people the opportunity of profiting by the vernacular? Thus it is, as often through the most miserable inconsistency and scandalous perjury, that the provisions of our Church for the benefit of her children are defeated-and her silence through Advent makes her actually inferior to the unknown tongue of the Roman Church. Still more strange does this seem, if we remember that our Church has changed the character of her Advent. She puts it before her children in a more penitential garb. She has made another Lent of this season by the selection of severe Sunday lessons, omissions of joyful antiphons and hymns, and alterations to a more mournful character of some of her Collects, and Epistles, and Gospels. It cannot be that our Church did this for nought. It does surely look as if they who drew up our Liturgy had a foretaste, even in their time, of the sad estate of Christians in these days. Probably, no more striking case could be made out than this, of a Church making special provision for her people, and of the people utterly repudiating Yet thus much is certain, that as individually we have become less and less strict, the Church, as by a voice from God, at this season is uttering a cry of warning and rebuke. It is for priests and people to consider whether they will violate their sacerdotal and baptismal duties respectively in disobeying their mother.

it.

We may

hope, by now beginning to make an effort to enter into this penitential season, to realise the true Advent feeling-that mixture of love and fear, duly and healthfully compounded, which is the essence of Christianity. We cannot respond to the Behold I come quickly,' Even so come Lord Jesus,' except we are strictly and severely preparing for that coming. They only fear too much and love too little, who do not so prepare. So look we forward to the token of Christ's love-His humiliation for us in His coming in the flesh-purifying ourselves by prayer, fasting and almsgiving, in order to meet Him who was born undefiledly of the holy Mary, Ever Virgin, that we may not despair nor tremble over much, when there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth, distress of nations with perplexity, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.'

S. THOMAS.

I like always, when a festival of a saint comes, to try to discern wherein consists its suitableness with the season. Methinks, as planets round the Sun, so these lesser holy days revolve about those which commemorate Christ's birth, Epiphany, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. Here we celebrate a saint who preaches to us the blessedness of faith. 'Thomas, because thou hast seen thou hast believed; blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.' Very suitable is this exhortation to faith if we consider how much we need it at this season-God Incarnate, a pure Spirit become FleshThe Word become an Infant-The Almighty become Weakness— Immortal become Mortal-Our Judge become our Mediator. All these wondrous truths demand a large measure of faith. Without faith we cannot receive these sayings, nor comprehend them. So go to the manger of Bethlehem and behold there the child Jesus cradled on straw, with the ox and the ass sharing his couch—and yet to regard Him as above all other infants-nay, to adore Him with the shepherds and wise men from the East, requires the exercise of great faith. So, again, to have a continual and abiding sense that this world is passing away, and we ourselves with it, and that the hour of Christ's coming is quickly approaching, is what the infidel ridicules. He says 'So have mankind been waiting ever since Christ died, and yet He is not come.. He will never come, because the world

has so long been vainly looking for Him.' Say we with the disciples -Lord, increase our faith,'- May we behold Thy Divinity as we hear of Thee in Thy manhood, hungry, thirsty, weary, weeping, suffering and dying. May we feel Thee dwelling in our hearts, drawing up our humanity to Thy eternal Godhead. Amen.

CHRISTMAS EVE.

Delay not with some cold-hearted Catholics to celebrate the feast of the nativity till late on Christmas morning. Begin at midnight, seeing that it is the time when the Saviour was born,-join thyself to the shepherd's keeping their flocks by night, and the glory of the Lord shall shine about thee as it did about them. Enter with them into the stable at Bethlehem, and fall upon thy knees before Jesus in the cradle of straw. Therefore is it that the Eucharist is to be celebrated at daybreak, that thou mayest transfer Jesus in the cradle to thy heart by the communion of His body and blood. Let this humiliation of Jesus melt thee to self-abasement; let His poverty and misery stay in thee all desires for riches, splendour and honour, and even comforts.

CHRISTMAS DAY.

Alas! is it

Endeavour to enter into the mystery of this festival with all thy might. Consider that this day God and man were visibly reconciled, thyself and God by the union of the two natures in the person of Christ. Listen to the joyful voices of the celestial host proclaiming the birth of thy Deliverer with no less gladness than captives would feel at the sound of the trumpet which marks the coming of the mighty victor, who approaches to set them free. Thou hast been re-born in baptism through this birth of thy Man-God. The seed of eternal life from thence derived has been sown in thee. not because that life is cold and dead that birth of Jesus, as thou oughtest to do? festival only as a carnal holyday, and not as a spiritual service ? If thou didst feel thy daily sins to be indeed a burden, how couldst thou not but be glad at the coming of Him, who redeems thee from them? Mayest thou so rejoice at the presence of the infant Jesus, that thou shalt not fear as do others when He will come to be thy Judge. So contemplate His humility now, that thou mayest not dread His glory then. To behold His childish tears for thee now,

thou rejoicest not at the That thou keepest the

that thou mayest not go then into wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever. So gaze on His weakness now, that thou mayest not fear His power then. See His love and embrace it now, that hereafter

thou shalt not tremble at His vengeance.

6

like hearts, for of such is the kingdom.'

fied the estate of children.

Holy Babe, grant us child

Thy childhood has sanctiMay we be purified by Thy innocence,

so as to return to that righteousness in which Thou didst array us by the washing of regeneration.

S. STEPHEN.

Thou, O blessed saint, teachest us by thy bright example that suffering and death is the path even for us mortals whereby to follow Jesus. Prince of martyrs, we envy thee as we see thee amidst the stony shower falling asleep in Jesus. Others-thousands of others have since willingly devoted themselves thus to the service of the Crucified One. But thou wast the first who dared in the strength of Christ to meet the fury of the oppressor and rage of the persecutor, and show how a Christian could die, and in dying imitate his Master, by praying for his murderers to be forgiven. Onward, then, let us press to meet Stephen, the crown of Crossbearers. How shall we, with such an example set before us, shrink from bearing our testimony to the truth, from a cowardly fear of reproaches, misrepresentations and falsehoods! Surely we are not meet to bear the name of Christ, if we follow what is fashionable and popular, rather than what is true and austere, even though it bring us scorn, ridicule and moral suffering of all sorts. Who knows if we carry the Cross like Stephen patiently and forbearingly, but some Saul may be granted to our prayers, and, moved by the sight, to take it up after us ?

S. JOHN.

Who envies not John lying on the Saviour's breast, drinking in therefrom deep draughts of Divine love, never to be extinguished by the coldness of old age? Adorable heart of my Saviour, draw Thou me to Thee with the same indissoluble cords of love, wherewith Thou didst for ever entrance this Apostle and Evangelistkindle Thou in me the dying embers of charity, and fan them into a flame which shall burn for ever! O Christian, seek to love God as thou hast never as yet loved Him. Thou hast loved things of earth with unbounded and mad affection-follow now the virgin disciple,