fort poor, sinning man, and to assure him of His own omnipotent power and good will to cleanse him from the leprosy of the soul, proceeds to heal by His miraculous power the leprosy of body, as the evangelists relate in the following passages:

"And when Jesus was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy came to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down, said to Him: If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus having compassion on him, stretched forth His hand: and touching him, saith to him: I will: Be thou made clean. And when he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. And he strictly charged him, and forthwith sent him. away: And He saith to him: See thou tell no one: but go, show thyself to the high-priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. But he being gone out, began to publish, and to blaze abroad the word, so that Jesus could not openly go into the city, but was without in desert places, and they flocked to Him from all sides to hear Him and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. And Jesus retired into the desert and prayed."

2. THE CENTURION'S SERVANT

"And when Jesus had finished all His words in the hearing of the people, He entered into Capharnaum. And the servant of a certain centurion, who was dear to him, being sick, was ready to die. And when he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto Him the ancients of the Jews, desiring Him to come and heal his servant, saying: Lord, my servant lieth at home sick, and is grievously tormented. And when they came to Jesus, they besought Him earnestly, saying to Him: he is worthy that thou shouldst do this for him: for he loveth our nation: and he hath built us a synagogue. And Jesus went with them, saying: I will come to him and heal him. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends to Him, saying: Lord, trouble not Thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof. For which cause neither did I think myself worthy to come to Thee: but say the word and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, go, and he goeth: and to another, come, and he cometh: and to my servant, do this, and he doth it. Which Jesus hear

ing, marveled: and turning about to the multitude that followed Him, He said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel. And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast believed so be it done to thee. And the servant was healed at the same hour, and they who were sent, being returned to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick."

With what touching simplicity the centurion expresses his strong and fervent belief in Christ. He is Lord and Master of the elements, of sickness and health; and as the soldier hearkens to the command of his officer, so do the elements recognize and obey the voice of this their Creator. What a cause of confusion to the Jews is this profession of faith in the power of Jesus Christ, coming from the lips of a Roman soldier!

CHAPTER XVI

JESUS RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON TO LIFE

Luke vii. 11-18

SPIRIT and matter are equally subject to the divine will. Hence even death is obedient to Christ. He has but to appear upon a scene of death, where all seems to be hopelessly lost, where proud man shudders at his own helplessness, and acknowledges his weakness, and by the exercise of His miraculous power, He restores hope and comfort, changing the wail of lamentation into joyful canticles of praise and gratitude. "And it came to pass afterward that He went into a city that is called Naim: and there went with Him His disciples and a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy toward her, He 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 gave him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all, and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us, and, God hath visited His people. And this rumor of Him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the country round about. And John's disciples told him of all these things.'

The evangelists assure us that Christ raised the dead to life on three different occasions. First, in the case of the young man of Naim; secondly, of the daughter of Jairus; and again in the case of Lazarus. The young girl had only just died, the young man was being borne to his grave, and Lazarus had lain four days in the tomb. So from the different stages of decay and corruption of soul will Christ raise the sinner to spiritual life, if he but listen to the call of divine grace. He restored the widow's son because touched at the sight of her tears, the daughter of Jairus because moved to compassion by the grief of the father, and Lazarus because of his sympathy with the bereaved and desolate sisters. Contemplate the tender compassion of our blessed Lord, and learn from Him to sympathize with your afflicted brethren. But as Christ's sympathy was a living and practical one, so be not satisfied to heave a sigh or shed a tear, but extend your hand in help to the afflicted. Show your Christian sympathy, not by words alone, but by substantial aid.

CHAPTER XVII

THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN COME TO JESUS. HE
PRAISES JOHN AND DEPLORES THE WANT
OF FAITH AMONG THE JEWS

Matt. ix. 2-30; Luke vii. 19-35

1. JOHN'S DISCIPLES ASK JESUS IF HE IS THE MESSIAS "AND when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, he called to him two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus, saying: Art thou He that art to come, or look we for another? And when the men were come unto Him, they said:

John the Baptist hath sent us to Thee, saying: Art thou He that are to come, or look we for another? (And in that same hour, he cured many of their diseases, and hurts, and evil spirits, and to many that were blind He gave sight.) And answering, He said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, to the poor the gospel is preached; and blessed is he whosoever shall not be scandalized in Me."

John sent his disciples to Jesus for their own sake, for he himself had heard God's testifying voice at the baptism in the Jordan and had recognized his Saviour. But it was necessary for his disciples to hear the glad tidings of salvation from Jesus' own lips, and thus be drawn to believe in and to follow Him.

2. JESUS PRAISES JOHN

"And when the messengers of John were departed, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are in costly apparel and live delicately, are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see? a prophet? Yea I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is He of whom it is written: Behold I send My Angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say to you: Amongst those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is the lesser in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you will receive it, he is Elias that is to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

John the Baptist is the Elias, inasmuch as he preceded and prepared the way for the first coming of Christ upon earth, as Elias himself will one day go before Him when He shall come to judge mankind.

3. JESUS COMPLAINS OF THE UNBELIEVING JEWS

The scribes and Pharisees were not ready to receive either the stern severity of John, or the gentle benignity of Jesus. Like silly children, they wish to have things according to their

fancy, and get angry and sulky because the play does not suit them.

"And all the people and the publicans hearing Jesus, justified God, being baptized with John's baptism. But the Pharisees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by Him. And the Lord said: Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and what are they like? They are like to children sitting in the market-place, and speaking one to another, and saying: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have mourned, and you have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say: He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking, and you say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a drinker of wine, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by all her children," that is, recognized and admitted by all those who have the good will and truly childlike disposition.

"Then began He to upbraid the cities, wherein were done the most of His miracles, for that they had not done penance. Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you: It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. And thou Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted up to heaven? thou shalt go down even unto hell; for if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in thee, perhaps it had remained unto this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

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'At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and He to whom it shall please the Son to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light."