believing in any of these things. Will you do so, Geraldine?" "For your sake, papa," said she, "I will not mention that you are a Catholic, and I will not, unless I am asked, say that I am one." "But this is not enough," said the General. "It is too much !" cried Geraldine, in one of her bursts of long-repressed emotion. "Did you imagine that in becoming a Catholic all the moral qualities of my character, and all the powers of my soul and intellect, would not become Catholic also? Did you hope to see me doubting, fearing, cringing, prevaricating before scoffers, when the glorious privileges of the Church were opened to me? That, enrolled by my baptism and confirmation into the communion of saints, I should admit them only on private occasions, and when secure from intrusion, as worldlings do their poor and shabby relations? If so, you may well be disappointed! English Catholics, of these days of pseudo-liberality, may expect me to forget that Jesus Christ promised his Church that her children should, in his name, and by his power, work miracles even greater than those he had performed while on earth. They may hope that I shall give some ingenious turn to the conversation when these miracles are recounted-but no! Silence is all I can yield to filial obedience. My father will not ask for more!" Geraldine fell on her knees, and the General, who next to Protestant ridicule dreaded a scene, raised her kindly, soothed her with the assurance that he had only spoken in raillery, and a reconciliation was effected. CHAPTER IV. Gentiles! with fix'd, yet awful eye, Nor slight the warning sound; HYMNS FOR LENT-KEEBLE. THE Convert to Catholicity is asked, in sincere grief and astonishment, how any mind of real spirituality can adopt a religion so burdened with empty forms as the Catholic Church? But are those forms indeed empty? If so, no rational being would be burdened with them! Once, however, believing firmly that in each outward form is contained the inward spiritual gift, and there can be no torpor, no impatience felt in the external proofs of devotion and love rendered to his God by the fervent Catholic. Once believing truly in the sanctity of holy places, and that the divine blessing and the unseen ministry of the heavenly host do more especially attend the temples of the Deity, it is then no empty form which leads the Catholic to a daily attendance in the house of prayer. Once in the full confidence of faith, believing that in the "daily sacrifice" offered up in commemoration of that once perfected on the cross, and in perpetual acknowledgment that without this our high priest, without this our holy victim, we are cast out, and our God is a consuming fire. Once believing that in this mystery our adorable Redeemer is miraculously present with us, and where, then, is the "empty form," to the pious Catholic, in the sacred service of the mass? These had been our heroine's replies to the venerable Mrs. Leonard, whose concern at her having embraced a religion apparently less vital, pure, and interior than Protestantism, had led her to remonstrate against the change, and endeavour to reclaim her. "This very temple-this basilica of St. Peter's," said Mrs. Leonard, "was it not for its erection that Leo X. authorised the selling of indulgences, and aroused the mighty Luther? How can you feel ardour and devotion within its walls?" 66 'I do feel most truly and painfully in connexion with that subject," replied Geraldine; "for, alas! into what holy work has the enemy of souls not endeavoured to thrust himself, that he might mar the pure offering of man to his Creator? But I must, my dear friend, correct an error, which you, in common with many charitable and pious Protestants, entertain, relying upon Protestant history, apparently trustworthy. The practice of commuting the canonical penances enjoined by the primitive Church, for alms-deeds, had long prevailed. Leo the Tenth granted an indulgence, which, you know, is not a pardon for sins, no more than it is a prospective permission to commit sin, to such as contributed to the erecting of the most magnificent temple ever raised to the honour of the Deity. That there were great and manifold corruptions in the lives of the clergy, and probably in the discipline of the Church, I readily admit, and, that a consequent falling off of piety prevailed among the laity, is proved, by their rapacity in seizing on Church property, and their readiness to embrace systems of faith, which showed a path to Heaven, less beset with restraint and self-denial. I would even admit, although no proof exists of the fact, that the autho rised commissioners employed to dispense the indulgences, misrepresented their design and effect, for the sake of profit or influence, thus throwing disgrace on the seat of verity and apostolic descent, by selling, as it were, the spiritual gifts of the Church. And let us grant that it was thus-let us concede, that the warning to God's ancient people, the Jews, might have been applied to the rulers of His Christian Church. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.' We cannot then wonder, that, when corruption thus prevailed in the Church, reformers should arise to attack those abuses, and in this, I find them fully justified: would, that here they had stopped! but, from the abuses, they proceeded to attack the faith of the Church, in which they were not justified. They sacrilegiously put their hand to the ark: and, thus it was, that as in the revolt against the wilful Rehoboam, a second Jeroboam was permitted to arise, and call aloud, To your tents, O Israel!' and following this analogy, we cannot but perceive, first, in the instance of rebellion against the kingly power, that, although God permitted this scourge and punishment to befall the anointed king of Judah, yet His spirit accompanied not the ten tribes who revolted; the Lord of glory was not born amongst them. They are still scattered and hidden, till the day of grace shall gather them in. While, to the two faithful tribes who remained steadfast, were sent the prophets: amongst them the miracles wrought: and, at length was heard, Arise! shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!' Thus may we consider God to have permitted a deserved rebuke and humiliation to His Catholic Church, in the bereavement of the northern nations: the estrangement, contempt, and even hatred, of the tribes' who have revolted against her. Yet has her Divine spouse not deserted her: with her alone remains the mystery of His real presence: with her alone are His miracles wrought: and to her alone can be applied, Behold, I will make thy enemies to come and adore before thy feet, and they shall know that I have loved. thee.'" During the early part of Lent, Geraldine had been occupied in gleaning from works lent her by the Rev. Dr. Wharton, and the Abate Zaccaria, all that could throw light and interest on the approaching solemn commemorations, and she was therefore now still better enabled to understand and appreciate those attendant ceremonies, which to the superficial observer must be tedious, and to the prejudiced Protestant, mere empty form and idle show. On the eve of the fifth Sunday in Lent, which is the fortnight before Easter, commenced the commemorative history, or mystical representation of our blessed Redeemer's sufferings. The ornaments in all the Churches were either covered or removed, and the crosses veiled with the mournful and penitential covering of violet.* In early times the catechumens who had been found worthy, were baptized on the eve of Easter, and admitted, on the glorious day of the resurrection, to the adorable sacrament of the risen body, soul and divinity of Christ. Those also who had been excluded from the blessings of the altar, and compelled to do public penance for public crimes, the rest of the faithful likewise, who by fasting, prayer, and alms, had sought reconciliation through the sufferings and death of Christ, and expected to be joyful partakers of his resurrection, by the chan *The author is principally indebted for the following descriptions to the Right Reverend Dr. England's explanations of the ceremonies of the holy week. |