"St. Thomas was archbishop of Canterbury. Pray for all bishops of Christ's Church, that they may have a true zeal and piety answerable to their charge.

He was forced into banishment, where he lived a great example of all virtue. Neither could the sufferings of his relations, or any considerations of flesh and blood, move him to yield in the least point of his duty for their relief. Pray that you may make the like good use of all kinds of suffering. Pray for constancy in all your duties, and that no human respects may ever prevail on you to do an injury to your conscience.

As a good shepherd, St. Thomas gave his life for his sheep, being barbarously murdered in his own cathedral at vespers. Pray that all prelates and pastors may largely partake of this apostolic spirit, in giving their study and care, their labours and whole lives for their flock: that living in a perpetual renunciation of private interest, satisfaction, and ease, for the good of their flock, they may be thus prepared for the same to surrender their lives.

There are two kinds of examination of conscience, both of which are good. One is done at fixed times by some arrangement with one's self honestly adhered to. The other kind of examination is spontaneous. In this latter case the conscience won't let you pass an hour, or even a minute, without undergoing scrutiny. In the former case you examine your conscience, and in the latter your conscience examines you. I have met numbers of persons who need never examine their consciences when preparing for confession : they live habitually in the Divine presence and are ready at all moments to perform the highest spiritual duties. I think it was one of the St. Catharines who was kneading dough to make bread for the community when the bell rang for Communion; she went up and received our Lord with the dough sticking to her hands and then went back to her batch of bread and she was excellently well disposed for Communion. St. Francis of Sales, from the evenness of character which he attained, must have had this gift of consciousness of the Divine presence in a high degree.

Brethren, I wish all of you had something of this high gift. But for most of us I may truly say that the examination of conscience which will benefit us will be that made at set times; of course, at confession. But no practice will produce better results for persons of good sense than having fixed times at which we shall go over the actions of the day. And on New Year's Day, of all day's in the year, we should take account of our conduct towards God and our neighbor and ourselves, and make good resolutions for the future. The fact is that on a day like this the old year rises and demands examination. Sometimes we say, "The past is gone." But in truth there is no such good luck as that. It would be a very good thing for some of us if the past could be politely bowed out with the old year. But there it is, fixed for ever. The past year is an account book turned over to God's court to witness for or against us; let us try and get a favorable balance out of it. At any rate, let us know the truth about it.

These were the first victims of Jesus Christ. Offer yourself a sacrifice to Him, who was born to become a sacrifice for you. If your life be not in danger from the cruelty of enemies, be your own spiritual executioner, by dying to all that is contrary to the law of God. Thus will you become the victim of Christ; and this you are to pray for this day.

In these Holy Innocents, you see the fury of their enemies become the means of making them eternally happy. Pray that you may make this good use of whatever you suffer and remember that suffering, joined with innocence, is the way of the Gospel and of Christ, and such as leads to glory.

These children were cut off in the state of innocence. A day proper for all parents to pray for their children, that God would preserve them in their innocence, and rather take them out of this world, in that state of security, than permit them to grow up, if He foresees that they will take to evil ways, and be rebels against Him.

In these first victims of Christ, who were murdered by Herod, the Church honours persecuted and oppressed innocence, gives thanks for their glory, and teaches all the faithful that whatever malice God permits the wicked to exercise against the just, it is for the good of those who suffer it. So that to wonder at the sufferings of the innocent, is the effect of very weak reasoning, such as does not understand the conduct of Almighty God. For very often there is no other reason why He permits them to suffer than because they are innocent. This consideration ought to moderate in Christians all excesses of grief and disquiet, when they are under any kind of affliction. For as the malice of persecutors has been the advantage of the martyrs, who, if they had suffered less, would have been less glorious; so every occasion of trouble, if submitted to with patience, may be as the seed of glory. It may not be the scourge of anger, but the mercy of a loving father, designing by such steps to exercise and perfect His children, for obtaining an eternal rest. This is a lesson which these suffering innocents give to all Christians; and an encouragement to wait with patience under all the appointments of God, in hopes of the recompense which he has promised.

Last Supper, Juan de Juanes 

"Saint John having been the most beloved disciple of Jesus, and having loved to repose on the bosom of his divine Master; we may well study on this his festival, how to regulate our love of creatures, so that we may never be separated by them from the love of our Creator and Redeemer. Though we have permitted us in this life, the use of creatures; though they are allowed in their due degree and the being pleased with them cannot be separated from that use which is permitted; yet to love them is dangerous, and exposes the soul to the hazard of resting on them instead of on Christ. It is, therefore, a nice point to use and enjoy creatures and the goods of this life, and yet not to love them; at least, not so as to prejudice that love and rest which we ought to have in Christ. Yet thus it ought to be, because we are not to transgress the eternal decrees of God; who having given all creatures for our use and convenience, allows us not to give our hearts to them, but has reserved these for himself.

There is no less difficulty on the other side, as to things that displease us. For though we are here in this life exposed to variety of necessities; though we see ourselves destitute of all human comfort; though we suffer loss of goods and friends; though we see the world armed against us; though there be a succession of evils attending our whole lives; yet it is not allowed us, under the oppression of the most weighty afflictions, to lose our comfort and rest in Christ, but in His breast we are ever to repose. Those are the conditions for obtaining the love of Jesus, hard enough to our corrupt nature, and yet not to be dispensed with.

A supernatural wisdom, and the Spirit of God, directed St. Stephen in all his disputes with the enemies of his faith. Pray for the same heavenly assistance, both for yourself and all others, as often as charity to your neighbour and duty to truth shall oblige to the like engagements: and remember that patience and moderation best become the advocates of truth.

He bore with the malice of his adversaries with a wonderful courage: pray that this may be a pattern to you and all others, when called to any part of these trials.

St. Stephen prayed for his enemies who stoned him. Pray and endeavour that the like charity may ever accompany you, and all others, under the most severe provocations. Be constant in practicing it in ordinary trials; this is the surest way of not failing in greater.

St. Stephen having been chosen by the apostles one of the first deacons, his diligence and fidelity to his charge were edifying to the faithful. His power in working great wonders and miracles rendered him eminent to all people, so that he became the instrument of great conversions; the number of disciples multiplying very considerably in Jerusalem, and a great number of the Jewish priests becoming obedient to the faith. This zeal of his, thus happy in so plentiful a harvest of souls, gave disturbance to the enemies of his faith; and exciting their envy, led them to unwarrantable resolutions of obliging him to silence by their false reasoning; and if this should prove ineffectual, of accomplishing their designs by false accusations and malice. Here is a consoling example of a disciple's zeal, and one as terrible of blind and obstinate passion.

Whoever undertakes to be Christ's disciple, must expect opposition. Happy they, who by their zealous labours, or edifying regularity in themselves and their families, give occasion to adversaries to be jealous of them, and put them upon malicious contrivances to lessen their fame to the world, to prevent the fruit of their good example. Such as these are the sweet odour of Christ. Their piety, labours, and justice ascend like incense before him. They are blessed in what they do, and more blessed still in what they suffer; being in both true followers of their Master, whose character is comprised in these few words, of doing good to all, and suffering evil from all with patience.

"ON a Day when God the Father speaks to us by His only Son, the Eternal Word, it cannot be less than presumption in man to speak. He ought rather in silence to give ear to what is spoken to him from Heaven, and to contemplate with admiration the wonders and mercies of this day. It is the day, when the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, made man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, was born of her in the stable of Bethlehem, and came in this humble manner to be the world's Redeemer. Approach then in spirit, Christian soul, to the manger: stand there awhile, and receive the instructions which He thence gives you.

But first, while you hear the angels saluting Him with a celestial hymn, and see the shepherds informed from Heaven, making their offerings, and adoring Him as their God, join with them, and confess Him to be your God also. Behold Him, and learn how much you are indebted to the goodness of your God, and the infinite mercy of your Redeemer. The whole world lay under the guilt of sin, and nothing but an eternal banishment from the sight of God, joined with everlasting punishment, was the unavoidable consequence of such guilt. Man was lost; and being through sin an enemy to God, it was not in his power to reverse his fate. For what could rebellious clay do to satisfy an injured God? The debt is infinite, and the unhappy debtor, poor of himself, through his offence, is become still more miserable, wretched, and worse than nothing. And though there wants not mercy ready to forgive, yet there is justice too, which must be satisfied. What remedy then for man, but to be delivered to the executioner, and cast into prison, there to abide, miserable for ever? And thus it was to be. But behold the mercy of your Redeemer; the second Person of the Blessed Trinity offers Himself to become man, that so He may be capable of being made a sacrifice for the sins of men, a sacrifice of infinite value, and more than equal to the guilt. For this end, when the fulness of time was come, ordained by God, for the accomplishment of this work of mercy, He is born of the Virgin Mary, an infant, and yet true God and man! This is the mystery, this the mercy, which the Church at present commemorates, and which you are humbly to adore with love and gratitude.