Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/584

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

men who would probably be negligent Catholics were it not for the Society. In the providence of God, it is, furthermore, a most potent factor in maintaining belief in the Divinity of Christ among the men in America" ("Manual of the Holy Name Society").

In many dioceses of the country the Holy Name Society is officially established, and in the diocese of Pittsburg its introduction has recently been made obligatory in every parish.

The author of Auxilium Infirmorum says: "We must bear the office and spirit of the Holy Name of Jesus, which means Saviour.

"We must be the saviours of one another, healing the wounds of one another, bearing one another's burdens, and we shall in our measure be worthy not only of the name of Christ, the anointed of the Lord, but also of the name of Jesus, Saviour, Who went about doing good.

"How are we to heal others? First, by keeping in good spiritual health ourselves, lest we be told: ^Physician, heal thyself! ' By lives of regularity, by regular prayer, and regular sacraments; by lives that keep ever in touch with God, that look to God, that are spent in His presence, and are filled with work done for His cause. Thus shall we spread the light of truth, and make the force of good example felt: thus shall we make a protest against the disease of sin, and reparation to the Sacred Heart.

"And in our active work for others, how shall we heal their wounds?

"By kindness; by always being kind — kind in word, kind in thought, kind in deed; never speaking scandal, never picking holes, covering every wound and failing with the clean linen of charity, that the heart of mankind may beat less heavily, that the world of men may rejoice more fully in God, its Saviour, who bore the name of Jesus, and wished the spirit of that name to be uppermost in the lives of all. Each one may ask himself: Is my life spiritually healthy and sound, vigorous and regular? Do I go about