NO. 253. 254. 255. 256. 257. 258. A. D. 1800 Pius VII. (Chiaramonte), Cesena. 1878 NOTE. The Roman Pontiffs.-The number of Popes from St. Peter to Leo XIII. inclusively, without counting the Antipopes, is commonly said to be 258. Of this number, 82 are venerated as saints, 33 were martyred: 104 have been Romans, and 103 natives of other parts of Italy; 15 Frenchmen, 9 Greeks, 7 Germans, 5 Asiatics, 3 Africans, 3 Spaniards, 2 Dalmatians, 1 Hebrew, 1 Thracian, 1 Dutchman, I Portuguese, I Candiot, and 1 Englishman. Nine pontiffs have reigned less than 1 month, 30 less than one year, and 11 more than 20 years. Only 6 have occupied the pontifical chair over 23 years. These are St. Peter, who was supreme pastor in Rome (besides the seven years of his pontificate in Antioch) 25 years, 2 months, 7 days; Sylvester I., 23 years, 10 months, 27 days; Adrian I., 23 years, 10 months, 14 days; Pius VI., 24 years, 6 months, 3 days; Pius VII., 23 years, 5 months, 6 days; and Pius IX., who celebrated his thirtieth year in the pontifical chair June 19, A.D. 1876, and reigned 31 years, 7 months, 21 days. Chapter XXV. The Sign of the Cross. HIS holy sign, the "sign of the Son of man" (St. Matt. xxiv. 30), is made use of by the Catholic Church in all the sacraments to show us that they derive all their virtue from the cross; that is, from the death and passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The pious custom of signing oneself with the sign of the cross is in frequent use among Catholics. The sign of the cross is made upon ourselves in the following manner : We first place the extended fingers of our right hand on our forehead, saying: "In the name of the Father;" then, putting them on our breast, we say, "and of the Son;" then on our left shoulder, and immediately after on our right shoulder, while we say, "and of the Holy Ghost." We then join both hands upon our breast, and say, “ Amen.” It is honorable to disregard human respect, to profess outwardly what we are, namely, followers of Jesus Christ. This is what we do when we make the sign of the cross, as this sign recalls to the mind of all persons present the mystery of our redemption, wrought by our Lord and Saviour on the cross, and in which redemption we believe and trust. *Pronounced Petchee, The cross is the natural emblem, and, as it were, the distinguishing banner of Christians. Every Christian, therefore, like St. Paul, ought not to be ashamed to sign himself with it, but ought to "glory in the cross of Christ." (Galatians vi. 14.) Should a feeling of shame come over you whilst making this sign, banish it by recalling to mind those words of Jesus Christ: “For he that shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of man shall be ashamed, when He shall come in His majesty, and that of His Father, and of the holy angels." (St. Luke ix. 26.) For these reasons, and also for the edification of others, it is commendable and useful for Christians to make the sign of the cross. The sign of the cross is also an excellent act of faith in the two fundamental truths of the Christian religion, namely, in the mystery of the holy Trinity, one God in three persons, and in the mystery of the incarnation. For by saying, in the "name," in the singular number, we profess to believe that there is only one God. By saying, "of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," we profess to believe that in one God there are three divine persons. By the form of the cross, which we trace with our right hand from our forehead to our breast, and then across from the left shoulder to the right shoulder, we profess to believe that the Son of God is our Redeemer, who wrought our redemption by dying for us upon the cross. 66 By the word " Amen" (so be it), we mean to confirm and seal, as it were, our belief in the said fundamental truths. The sign of the cross was used in the first five centuries even more frequently than it is now. Passages could be quoted from Lactantius, from Eusebius of Cæsarea, from St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Ephrem, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Ambrose, and from St. John Chrysostom, all of them fathers of the fourth century, to prove it. But I will quote only two passages. Tertullian, who wrote in the second century, says: "At every fresh step and change of place, whenever we come in or go out, when we put on our sandals, or wash, or take our meals, or light our lamps; whether we are about to recline or to sit down, and whenever we begin a conversation, we impress on our forehead the sign of the cross" (Ad omne progressum atque promotum, ad omnem aditum et exitum, ad calceatum, ad lavacra, ad mensas, ad lumina, ad cubicula et sedilia, quandocumque nos conversatio exercet, frontem, crucis signaculo terimus). (De Corona Militis, chap. iii. 4.) St. Jerome, a father of the fourth century, addressing the Roman lady, Eustochium, writes: "Before every action, at every step, let your hand form the sign of the cross." (Epistola xviii. ad Eustochium, titulo iv.) St. Basil asserts as a noted fact that the practice of making the sign of the cross was introduced by the Apostles. (Book on the Holy Ghost, chap. xxxvii.) Let us, therefore, in imitation of the ancient Christians, be fond of making the sign of the cross before doing anything of any consequence. It will be like directing our intention to do that thing for God. It will be the token of putting our whole trust in the merits of Jesus Christ which he earned on the cross, and of our invoking God's help through those merits. Chapter xxv. On Prayer. RAYER is "the raising up of the mind and heart to God," begging His aid and blessing. It forms a considerable part of the worship we owe to God. It may be useful to give an outline of the Catholic teaching on this subject. Although God gives some graces without being asked, such as the first moving graces of faith, and the grace of prayer, He has other graces, necessary for salvation, in store only for those who humbly ask for them. It is therefore necessary for those who have the use of reason to pray. To make use of prayer is not only a counsel but a divine precept: "Watch ye and pray," our Lord directs, "that ye enter not into temptation." (St. Matt. xxvi. 41.) "We ought always to pray and not to faint." (St. Luke xviii. 1.) Therefore, to neglect prayer altogether for any great length of time would not only be dangerous but a grievous sin. There are certain occasions in life in which we are especially bound to pray: as when pressed by a strong temptation which we feel we have not the strength to overcome; or when in evident danger of death; or when we have to receive a sacrament, for the due reception of which sacrament prayer is required by way of preparation; or in time of great public calamity; and, in general, when there is a particular need of divine assistance. Let us not say, "God is infinite goodness, He knows all our wants, He will grant us what is needful without our asking for it." God requires that we should ask, not because He has need of knowing our wants, or because He is not ready to help us, but that we may, by asking, show our humility and dependence on Him, and enjoy the advantage and honor of praying to Him. It is a part of the cherished duty of princes and princesses to present |