absent without cause during the Elevation, because, though it occupies a very short time, it is the most solemn and most essential part of the Mass. It is a mortal sin to leave before the priest's Communion, both on account of the length and the importance of the omission. It is a venial sin, or no sin at all where there is a legitimate excuse, to arrive during the Epistle, or to leave after the priest's Communion.

The methods of assisting at Mass will vary, of course, according to each one's capacities and wants. Those who can read will for the most part follow the priest, by using the Missal, or a book containing suitable prayers. A good way is to meditate on the Passion and Death of Christ, and make acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition. Those who can neither read nor meditate may say the Rosary or other vocal prayers. But all should remember to join in the act of sacrifice, and unite with the priest in offering up the Body and Blood of Christ for these four ends: 1. For God's honour and glory, who deserves so holy a Victim; 2. In thanksgiving for all His mercies; 3. To propitiate His offended Majesty; 4. To obtain all those graces and blessings we need. For the Church does not command us to say prayers, but to hear Mass, that is, to join in the act of sacrifice. Hence we can never supply the omission of this duty by any other devotions, whether private or public. Only those who are physically or morally unable to go are justified in staying away from Mass on a Sunday. The sick, and those who have to take care of them, are of course dispensed, as well as mothers and nurses, who cannot leave their children without danger. Inclement weather, a bad state of the roads, a considerable distance from the church, e. g. three or four miles, will excuse those whose condition renders it difficult for them to surmount such obstacles. And, in general, no one is, strictly speaking, bound to encounter serious inconvenience in order to hear Mass.

Work is divided into three classes, servile, liberal, and common. Servile works are those occupations which employ the body rather than the mind, such as are usually performed by servants or uneducated persons.

Liberal works are those in which the mind is more engaged than the body; they are so called because they are prosecuted by persons in an independent position. Common works are those which are pursued by men of all classes, whether educated or not,—such as fishing, shooting, hunting, and the like.

Liberal and common work are allowed, even for the sake of gain, e. g. a person might give lessons on the Sunday in drawing, writing, reading, music, and dancing, without violating the third commandment. But all unnecessary servile works are strictly prohibited. The prohibition extends to all public transaction of business, whether of a mercantile or forensic character, and, except such things as may be needed for daily consumption, all buying and selling in shops. Observe, unnecessary servile works alone are forbidden: hence a person does not break the commandment who works to avoid any serious loss. It is lawful to reap corn, or mow hay, or to gather in fruit, when such things would be likely to suffer from bad weather. It is lawful to perform all those household duties which are necessary for cleanliness and the preparation of food. Again, we may do servile works on a Sunday to relieve the pressing needs of our neighbour, if we are actuated simply by charity, for such works sanctify rather than profane the day. "What man shall there be among you," said our Lord, "that hath one sheep, and if the same fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, will he not take hold of it and lift it up? How much better is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed on the Sabbath-day" (St. Matt. xii. 11, 12). Piety also excuses any work which the service of God or interests of religion require.

Although by hearing Mass and abstaining from servile works we keep the letter of the law, something more is required to fulfil its spirit. Why are we bidden to abstain from servile work, but in order that we may directly honour and serve God, and look after our souls. The Church wishes her children to hear sermons, to attend the public services of the Church according to the custom of the place, more or less to employ the day in prayer and works of piety. It is plainly contrary to her

intention that we should hear Mass, and spend the rest of the day in idleness or frivolous amusements. Not that innocent recreation is out of place on the Sunday; for the day is one of refreshment to the body, in order that we may the better serve God. Yet we should not forget the end of the commandment, but bear in mind that while that which is excessive or dangerous is always to be avoided, so is it in a special manner contrary to the spirit of the Lord's day.

The subject of other feasts which are included in the scope of this commandment will be dealt with under the precepts of the Church.

CHAP. LVIII.

The Fourth Commandment: "Honour thy father and thy mother." THE fourth commandment is the beginning of the second table of the law, or that which concerns our neighbour. As the first table is summed up in the precept to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, so the second table is summed up in the precept to love our neighbour as ourselves. But while the first has no limits, -we cannot go too far in loving or reverencing God,-the second, on the other hand, enjoins us to love our neighbour up to a certain point. The excellence of our obedience to the second table of the law consists in our giving to each one just that amount of love, reverence, and obedience which is his due. Moreover, we are to love God for His own sake; and loving our neighbour is only, so to speak, a branch of this love, for we are to love our neighbour also for God's sake. Hence, our neighbour is to be loved with that measure of love which is consistent with and comes from the love of God. Lest we should have any doubt of this, or lest we should think that it can lawfully interfere with the love of God, our Lord says, "He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me" (St. Matt. x. 37). And still more strongly: "If any man come to Me and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his

own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke xiv. 26); that is, if he does not hate them in comparison of Me. The much higher obligation of that which we owe to God over that which we owe to our neighbour, is important to be borne in mind in an age and country in which omissions of duty towards our neighbour are made so much more of than those towards God, whose right to the love and obedience of His creatures is scarcely recognised.

Yet if the first commandment is most important in the order of things, as enjoining the highest and greatest duty, the fourth comes first in order of time. For the duty of honouring and obeying our parents is the first that we learn, and it is only through obedience to this that we learn the still higher duty of loving and obeying God. God has so ordained that each child, as he comes into the world, should begin with the easier and obvious duty of loving and obeying his parents,—the natural authors and preservers of his being, before he goes on to the harder yet more important lesson of loving and obeying "his Father who is in heaven." And he who does not succeed in the easier duty will not be likely to do so in the more difficult one. "For he," says St. John, "who loves not his brother, whom he sees, how can he love God, whom he sees not?" (1 John iv. 20.) It may have been because this love and obedience to our parents is strictly the root and foundation of all other virtues, that a special reward was promised in the old law for its observance : "Honour thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest live long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee" (Exodus xx. 12). While, on the other hand, disobedience to parents was ordered to be punished with death.

As the first commandment of the first table begins by commanding the acknowledgment of God, and our duty towards Him as God, and the two other commandments are only a more particular enforcing of duties, which flow from and are virtually contained in the first, so, in like manner, the first commandment of the second table lays down a positive command respecting our parents, and the duty we owe to them; and the other six prohibitions that follow are only a further enlargement and fuller

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explanation of that duty. For by our neighbours are meant all those persons whom we come across and have dealings with amongst our fellow-men; and of these our parents are the first that we know, and have the greatest claims on us. The greatest duty is put before us and the lesser are included in it, just as in other commands it is for the most part the greatest sin of each kind that is forbidden by name, and the smaller species are virtually included. It is to this effect that our Lord Himself explained to His disciples how they had to keep the commandments (Matt. chap. v).

The fourth commandment divides itself into two parts. Primarily, it regards the obligations of children to their parents; and secondly, by implication, the duties which parents owe to their children.

CHAP. IIX. Of the Duties of Children to their Parents.

Two things have here to be explained: first, who are included under the word 'parents; and secondly, what duties are implied by the term 'honour.'

By parents are meant primarily our natural father and mother. But, besides these, there are many others who hold in a greater or less degree the same position with regard to us First, our ecclesiastical superiors, who stand in so similar a situation with regard to our souls as our parents do with regard to our bodies, that we call them our spiritual fathers. Secondly, all those whom we find ourselves placed under in temporal matters, as magistrates, masters, guardians, and teachers. And lastly, all whom age and character place in a high position, although they may have no direct authority over us. We find examples in Holy Scripture of all these classes of persons being called by the name of Father, and many precepts are given to treat them with respect and reverence.

The word 'honour' means to hold a person in high esteem, and it is purposely used here as enjoining all the duties which we owe to our parents and superiors. Were we told to love our parents, this would not imply reverence.