THURSDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT. THE Station is at the Church of Saints Sylvester and Martin, which is one of the most venerable in Rome. It was originally built by Pope St. Sylvester, and still bears his name: but, in the 6th century, it was consecrated to St. Martin of Tours. In the 7th century, it was enriched with the relics of Pope Saint Martin, which were brought from Chersonesus, where he died a Martyr, a few years before. This Church was the first Title of St. Charles Borromeo. It was also that of the learned liturgiolist, the Blessed Joseph-Mary Tommasi, whose body is now venerated in this Church, and has been miraculously preserved, even to this day, in a state of incorruption. COLLECT. Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut quos jejunia votiva castigant, ipsa quoque devotio sancta lætificet: ut, terrenis affectibus mitigatis, facilius cœlestia capiamus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that the devotion which makes us punish ourselves by this yearly fast, may also make us rejoice; to the end that, suppressing in ourselves all earthly affections, we may more easily receive thy heavenly inspirations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE. Lesson from the book of : Kings. IV. Ch. IV. In those days: A Sunamitess came to Eliseus on Mount Carmel and when the man of God saw her coming towards him, he said to Giezi his servant: Behold that Sunamitess. Go therefore to meet her, and say to her Is all well with thee, and with thy husband, and with thy son? And she answered: Well. And when she came to the man of God to the mount, she caught hold on his feet; and Giezi came to remove her. And the man of God said: Let her alone, for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. And she said to him: Did I ask a son of my Lord? Did I not say to thee: Do not deceive me? Then he said to Giezi: Gird up thy loins, and take up my staff in thy hand, and go. If any man meet thee, salute him not; and if any man salute thee, answer him not; and lay my staff upon the face of the child. But the mother of the child said: As the Lord liveth, and as my soul liveth, I will not leave thee. He arose, therefore, and followed her. But Giezi was gone before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, and there was no voice nor sense; and he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: The child is not risen. Eliseus therefore went into Lectio libri Regum. IV. Cap. IV. In diebus illis venit mulier Sunamitis ad Eliseum in montem Carmeli: cumque vidisset eam vir Dei e contra, ait ad Giezi puerum suum Ecce Sunamitis illa. Vade ergo in occursum ejus, et dic ei: Rectene agitur circa te, et circa virum tuum, et circa filium tuum? Quæ respondit: Recte. Cumque venisset ad virum Dei in montem, apprehendit pedes ejus et accessit Giezi ut amoveret eam. Et ait homo Dei: Dimitte illam anima enim ejus in amaritudine est, et Dominus celavit a me, et non indicavit mihi. Quæ dixit illi: Numquid petivi filium a domino meo? Numquid non dixi tibi: Ne illudas me? Et ille ait ad Giezi : Accinge lumbos tuos, et tolle baculum meum in manu tua, et vade. Si occurrerit tibi homo, non salutes eum: et si salutaverit te quispiam, non respondeas illi: et pones baculum meum super faciem pueri. Porro mater pueri ait: Vivit Dominus, et vivit anima tua, non dimittam te. Surrexit ergo, et secutus est eam. Giezi autum precesserat ante eos, et posuerat baculum super faciem pueri, et non erat vox, neque sensus reversusque est in occursum ejus, et nun tiavit ei dicens : Non surrexit puer. Ingressus est ergo Eliseus domum, et ecce puer mortuus jacebat in lectulo ejus ingressusque clausit ostium super se, et super puerum et oravit ad Dominum. Et ascendit, et incubuit super puerum: posuitque os suum super os ejus, et oculos suos super oculos ejus, et manus suas super manus ejus: et incurvavit se super eum, et calefacta est caro pueri. At ille reversus, deambulavit in domo, semel huc atque illuc et ascendit, et incubuit super eum: et oscitavit puer septies, aperuitque oculos. At ille vocavit Giezi, et dixit ei: Voca Sunamitidem hanc. Quæ vocata, ingressa est ad eum. Qui ait: Tolle filium tuum. Venit illa, et corruit ad pedes ejus, et adoravit super terram: tulitque filium suum, egressa est, et Eliseus reversus est in Galgala. et the house, and behold the child lay dead on his bed. And going in, he shut the door upon him, and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child; and he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he bowed himself upon him, and the child's flesh grew warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house, once to and fro ; and he went up, and lay upon him, and the child gaped seven times, and opened his eyes. And he called Giezi, and said to him: Call this Sunamitess. And she being called, went into him. And he said: Take up thy son. She came and fell at his feet, and worshipped upon the ground, and took up her son, and went out. And Eliseus returned to Galgal. In this mysterious event are clustered together all the wonders of the plan laid down by God for the salvation of man. If the Catechumens were instructed in these sublime truths, it would be a disgrace in us to be ignorant of them; therefore, let us be attentive to the teachings of this Epistle. This dead child is the human race; sin has caused its death; but God has resolved to restore it to life. First of all, a servant is sent to the corpse; this servant is Moses. His mission is from God; but, of itself, the Law he brings gives not life. This Law is figured by the staff which Giezi holds in his hand, and which he lays upon the child's face; but to no purpose. The Law is severe; its rule is one of fear, on account of the hardness of Israel's heart; yet is it with difficulty that it triumphs over his stubbornness; and they of Israel who would be just, must aspire to something more perfect and more filial than the Law of Sinai. The Mediator who is to bring down from heaven the sweet element of charity, is not yet come; he is promised, he is prefigured; but he is not made flesh, he has not yet dwelt among us. The dead child is not risen. The Son of God must himself come down. Eliseus is the type of this divine Redeemer. See how he takes on himself the littleness of the child's body, and bows himself down into closest contact with its members, and this in the silence of a closed chamber. It was thus that the Word of the Father, shrouding his brightness in the womb of a Virgin, united himself to our nature, and as the Apostle expresses it, emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men,1 that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly2 than when it was given to them at the beginning. Take notice, too, of what happens to the child, and what are the signs of the resurrection wrought in him. He breathes seven times: the Holy Ghost, with his seven gifts, is to take possession of man's soul and make it his temple. The child opens his eyes: the blindness of death is at an end. Neither must we forget the Sunamitess, the mother of the child: she is the type of the Church, who is praying her divine Eliseus to give her the resurrection of her dear Catechumens, and of all unbelievers who are dwelling in the region of the shadow of death. Let us join our prayers with hers, and beg that the light of the Gospel may be spread more and more, and that the ] Philipp. ii. 7. 2 St. John, x. 10. 3 Is. ix. 2. obstacles, made by Satan and the malice of men to its propagation, may be for ever removed. GOSPEL Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam. Cap. VII. In illo tempore: Ibat Jesus in civitatem quæ vocatur Naïm et ibant cum eo discipuli ejus, et turba copiosa. Cum autem appropinquaret portæ civitatis, erce defunctus efferebatur, filius unicus matris suæ et hæc vidua erat: et turba civitatis multa cum illa. Quam cum vidisset Dominus, misericordia motus super eam, dixit, illi: Noli flere. Et accessit, et tetigit loculum (hi autem qui portabant steterunt). Et ait: Adolescens, tibi dico, surge. Et resedit qui erat mortuus, et cœpit loqui. Et dedit illum matri suæ. Accepit autem omnes timor: et magnificabant Deum, dicentes: Quia Propheta magnus surrexit in nobis: et quia Deus visitavit plebem suam. Sequel of the holy Gospel At that time: Jesus went into a city called Naim; and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude. And when he came nigh to the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city were with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her: Weep not. And he came near, and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all, and they glorified God, saying : A great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God hath visited his people. The Church, both to-day and to-morrow, gives us types of the Resurrection; it is an announcement of the coming Pasch, and an encouraging sinners to hope that their spiritual death will soon be changed into life. Before entering on the two weeks, which are to be devoted to the commemoration of our Saviour's Passion, the Church shows her children the tender mercies of Him whose Blood is to purchase our |