In the Introit of the Mass the justice and mercy of God is praised: Thou art just, O Lord, and thy judgment is right: deal with Thy servant according to Thy mercy. Blessed are the undefiled in the way: who walk in the law of the Lord. (Ps. cxviii.) Glory, &c.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thy people may avoid all contagion of the devil: and with a clean heart follow Thee, the only true God. Through our Lord &c.

EPISTLE. (Ephes. iv. 1 - 6.) Brethren: I who am a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called. With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity. Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all, who is blessed for ever more.

Implore God continually for the grace to accomplish and make certain your vocation by performing these virtues, recommended by St. Paul.

These words of the great Apostle of the Gentiles show clearly, that it is not a matter of indifference, whether this or that faith, this or that religion is professed. Yet in our times, poor in faith, we so often hear the assertion from so called enlightened men: "It is all the same to what religion we belong, we can be saved in any one, if we only believe in God and live uprightly." How impious is this assertion! Consider, my dear Christian, there is but one God, and this one God has sent only one Redeemer, and this one Redeemer has preached only one doctrine and established one Church. Had God wished that there should be more than one Church, then Jesus should have said so, He should have founded several Churches, nay, He should not have preached a new doctrine, founded a new, Christian Church; for the Jews also believed in one God. But Jesus cast aside heathenism and Judaism, preached only one and, indeed, a new religion, founded only one Church. Nowhere does He speak of Churches, but always of one Church. He says that we must hear this Church, and does not add, that if we will not hear this Church, we may hear some other one. He speaks of only one shepherd, one flock, and one fold, into which all men are to be brought.

In the same manner He speaks always of one kingdom of God on earth, just as there is only one kingdom of heaven; of only one master of the house and one family, of one field and one vineyard, whereby He understood His Church; of only one rock, upon which He would build His Church. On the day before His death, He prayed fervently to His Heavenly Father, that all who believe in Him, might be and remain one, as He and the Father are one, and He also gave His disciples the express command to preach His gospel to all nations, and to teach them all things, whatsoever He had commanded them. This command the apostles carried out exactly. Everywhere they preached one and the same doctrine, founded, indeed, in all places Christian communities, but which were united by the bond of the same faith. It was one of the principal cares of the apostles to prevent schisms in faith, they warned from heresy, commanded all originators of such to be avoided, and anathematised those who preached a gospel different from theirs. As the apostles so their successors.** All the holy fathers speak with burning love of the necessary unity of faith, and deny those, who remain knowingly in schism and separation from the true Church of Jesus, all claim to salvation.

Learn from this, therefore, my dear Christian, that there can be but one true Church; but if there is but one true Church, it naturally follows, that in her alone salvation can be obtained, and the assertion, that we can be saved in any creed, is false and impious. Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, speaks of only one Church, which we must hear, if we wish to be saved. He who does not hear the Church, He says, should be considered as a heathen and publican. He speaks furthermore of one fold, and He promises eternal life only to those sheep who belong to this fold, obey the voice of the one shepherd and feed in His pasture. The apostles were also convinced, that only the one, true Church makes salvation certain. Without faith it is impossible to please God, writes St. Paul to the Hebrews (xi. 6.), and this faith is only one, he teaches the Ephesians. (iv. 5.) If the apostles had believed, that any religion can save man, they would certainly not have contended so strenuously for unity, they would not have declared so solemnly, that we cannot belong to any other than to Christ alone, and that we must receive and obey His doctrine. As the apostles their successors and all the fathers agree, that there is no salvation outside of the true Church.

St. Cyprian writes: "If any one outside Noah's ark could find safety, then also will one outside the Church find it." (De unit, eccl. c. 7.) From all this it follows, that there is only one true Church which gives salvation, outside of which there can be no salvation.

But which is this Church? Certainly only the Roman-Catholic, Apostolic Church, for she alone is founded by Christ, she alone is watered with the blood of the apostles and so many thousands of holy martyrs, she alone has the marks of the true Church of Jesus, to which He has promised, that she shall, notwithstanding all the attacks of her enemies, stand to the end of the world. Those who fell away from the Church three hundred years ago, do, indeed, contend that the Church fell into error and no longer possessed the true, pure gospel of Jesus. Were they right, Jesus were to be blamed, for He founded this Church, He promised to remain with her and guide her through the Holy Ghost until the end of the world. He would, therefore, have broken His word, or He was not powerful enough to keep it. But who will say this? On the contrary, she has existed for eighteen hundred years, whilst the greatest and most powerful kingdoms have been mined (removed), and the firmest thrones crumbled away. If she were not the only true and saving Church, founded by Christ, how could she have existed so long, since Jesus said, that every plant that His Heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up? (Matt. xv. 13.) If she were not the Church of Christ, long ago would she be destroyed, but she still stands to-day, whilst her enemies who battled with her, have disappeared and shall disappear; for the gates of hell shall not prevail against her, says our Lord, and He has kept His word and will keep it, notwithstanding all the oppositions and calumnies of her implacable enemies.

You see, therefore, my dear Christian, that the Catholic Church is the only true and the only saving Church; do not let yourself be deceived by those who are neither cold nor warm, and who use these words: "We can be saved in any religion, if we only believe in God and live uprightly," and who wish to rob you of your holy faith, and precipitate you into the sea of doubt, error, and falsehood. Outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation; this hold firmly, for it is the teaching of Jesus, His apostles, and all the fathers; for this doctrine the apostles and a countless host of the faithful have shed their blood; but obey the teaching of this Church, follow her laws, make use of her help and assistance, and often raise your hands and heart to heaven to thank God for the priceless grace of belonging to this one, true Church; forget not to pray for your erring brethren, who are still outside of the Church, that the Lord may lead them into her, that His promise may be fulfilled: There will be one fold and one shepherd.


GOSPEL. (Matt. xxii. 34 - 46.) At That Time: The Pharisees come to Jesus: and one of them, a doctor of the law, asked him, tempting him: Master, which is the great commandment of the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets. And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying: What think you of Christ? whose son is he? They say to him: David's. He saith to them: How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make thy enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

What is meant by loving God?

It means to find one's pleasure, happiness, and joy in God, because He is the highest and most perfect good; to rejoice in His infinite majesty and glory, to direct one's thoughts, words, and actions towards Him as our only end, to fulfil His will in all things, and be prepared always rather to lose everything, even life itself, than His friendship.


What is meant by loving God with our whole heart, our whole soul, &c.?

These different expressions all mean, principally, the same thing, namely, that we should cling to God with a true, sincere and heartfelt love. But by our heart our will may be understood, that power by which we wish God all happiness and glory, and desire nothing more than that He be known, loved, and honored, and His will accomplished by us and by all men, most perfectly. The intellect can be taken for the soul, with which we should endeavor to arrive at the knowledge and love of God, by means of meditation on all created things, and to praise and glorify Him above all things. The mind may signify our memory, with which we continually remember God and the innumerable benefits, bestowed on us by Him, praise Him for them, thank Him, and always walk irreproachably before His face. We love God, finally, with all our strength, if we employ all the motions of our body, of the five senses, of our hands and feet, tongue, &c, in the service of God, and direct all our actions to Him as our last end.


Is it also true love, if we love God only because He is good to us?

This is grateful love, which is good and praiseworthy, but it is not perfect love, because our selflove, selfinterest, and desires are present in it.


What, therefore, is perfect love?

It is this, when we love God only, because He is in Himself the Highest Good, and most worthy of all love. In this manner we should endeavor to love Him; not through selfinterest, not through hope of reward, not through fear of punishment, but only because He, as the Greatest Good, contains all goodness and, therefore, deserves to be loved only on account of Himself. Such love St. Francis Xavier had, who very beautifully expresses this love in the following canticle which he himself composed.





Can fear exist with love?

Servile fear cannot, but filial fear may. Servile fear is rather a fear of punishment than a fear of God, or a fear of offending Him. This fear cannot agree with the love of God; for in love, writes St. Augustine (in Joann. Tr. 9.), there is no fear, for perfect love casteth out fear. (i. John iv. 18.) Filial fear, on the contrary, is a fear of offending God, the kindest of fathers. This fear leads to love and is also an effect of love; yes, it is the beginning of wisdom. (Eccl. i. 27.) This fear, therefore, we should endeavor to obtain, for it will drive sins away from us, as keepers drive off thieves (Eccl. i. 11-13); it will rejoice us with joy and gladness, with glory and splendor and a long life, and obtain for us at the hour of our death the divine blessing and a divine death.


How may we obtain a perfect love of God?

By meditating on His infinite, divine perfections, His almighty power, His wisdom, His splendor, His beauty, &c; by contemplating His bountless love for us, which He has shown us in the incarnation, sufferings, and death of His only begotten Son; by frequent practice of this virtue; by frequent prayer for it.


When should we practise the virtue of love of God?

As soon as we have come to the full use of reason, know God, and obtain an insight into reasons, why we must love Him; when the world, the devil, and the flesh, endeavor to withdraw us from the Only Good, God, by their apparent goods and pleasures; when we have separated, ourselves from God by a mortal sin; when we receive the holy Sacraments, particularly holy Communion; when we receive a particular grace from God; when we use food and drink, and other permitted enjoyments; when we contemplate God's creatures; in the hour of death; often during the day, for which purpose we may use different acts of love, as they are to be found in good prayer-books.


Why is the commandment to love God and our neighbor called the greatest commandment?

Because in it are contained all the other commandments, and in it, as Christ says, consists the whole law. He therefore, who, fulfils this commandment, fulfils the whole law, and does all that is pleasing to God; for he who loves God with his heart, does not separate Himself from God by infidelity, does not practise public or private superstition and idolatry; he does not murmur against God, he does not desecrate the name of God by cursing and swearing; he does not profane the Sabbath, because he knows, that all this is displeasing to God. On the contrary, he hopes in God, keeps Sundays and Holidays holy, and keeps all the commandments of the Church, because God wishes, that we hear the Church; he honors his parents, inflicts no evil upon his neighbor; strikes and kills no one, does not commit adultery, does not steal, calumniates no one, does not bear false witness, does not judge rashly, is not envious, full of enmity, cruel, but rather practises the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; and he does all this, because he loves God and for God's sake his neighbor as himself.


"What think you of Christ?"

Thus Christ asked the Pharisees, to convince them from their own answer, that He was not only man and not only the carnal Son of David, but also that He as the only begotten Son of God was the Lord of David and all men from eternity. (Ps. ii. 7.) -- Even to-day there are unhappily men, such as freemasons, freethinkers, and others, who like the Pharisees deny the divine nature of Christ, the Son of the living God, consider Him merely a very wise and virtuous man, and do not receive His doctrine, confirmed by so many miracles. Beware, my dear Christian, of these men who rob you of the peace the soul and the consoling hope of a future resurrection and an eternal life, together with the faith in Christ, the divine Redeemer. But if you believe Christ to be the Son of God, and our Lord, Lawgiver, Instructor, and Redeemer, follow His teaching, and do not contradict in deed, what you profess with your lips.



PRAYER. O most amiable Jesus! who hast admonished us so affectionately to love God and our neighbor, pour the fire of Thy love into our hearts, that all our deeds and actions, all our thoughts and words may begin with Thy love and be ended with it. Grant, that we may love Thee with all the powers of our body and soul, and thereby be so united to Thee, that, like St. Paul, no temptation, no tribulation, no danger, not even death, may be able to separate us from Thee. Grant us also, that we may love our neighbors, friends, and enemies as ourselves for Thy sake, and thus be made worthy to possess Thee as our Redeemer and merciful Judge.