The eve of the Passion

Vol 9 Issue 11 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
March 12, 2016 ~ Lenten Feria

1. Baptism: Means of Salvation (59)
2. Fourth Sunday in Lent
3. St. Euphrasia
4. Christ in the Home (34)
5. Articles and notices

Dear Reader:

Saint Joseph is patron of the Universal Church. As he protected Mary and Jesus from the cruelty of Herod and provided for them, the Church asks that he continue to defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Next Saturday will be his feast—the only statue to remain uncovered as the purple envelopes the church during Passiontide—and Holy Mother Church will pause pay tribute to him.

As always, enjoy the readings and commentaries provided for your benefit. —The Editor
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Baptism

Means of Salvation

Sacrament of Baptism

Saint Thomas Aquinas

The Church has always held that those to be baptized must be instructed in the faith not only in order to give their consent, but to repent of their sins and to accept the Catholic Faith. With the words of Our Lord, Going therefore, teach ye all nations followed by the wordsbaptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:19) with the emphasis again of Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (ibid. 28:20), Saint Thomas, after speaking of Circumcision in its relationship to Baptism (S. Th. III, 70) answers those who would want baptism without a preparation, excusing themselves that children do not receive instruction. Should catechism precede Baptism? Taking Scripture and the tradition of the Church in its constant understanding of the above passage with Mark 16:15-16 (Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature: He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.) and that seen in the Acts of the Apostles (e.g., Acts 2:41, 8:12, 8:31ff, and16:33 among others.) Thomas looks to Rabanus who says (De Instit. Cleric. i, 26): “Before Baptism man should be prepared by catechism, in order that the catechumen may receive the rudiments of faith.” Thomas then goes on to explain why:

Baptism is the Sacrament of Faith: since it is a profession of the Christian faith. Now in order that a man receive the faith, he must be instructed therein, according to Romans 10:14: “How shall they believe Him, of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” And therefore it is fitting that catechism should precede Baptism. Hence when our Lord bade His disciples to baptize, He made teaching to precede Baptism, saying: “Go ye . . . and teach all nations, baptizing them,” etc. (S. Th. III, 71, 1)

In the ceremony of Baptism the priest performs exorcisms over the candidate to be baptized. The question, whether exorcism should precede Baptism, is addressed because it is normally performed over the possessed and the release from Satan’s power is by Baptism or Repentance (Penance). Holy Water, too, is a sacramental to protect against evil spirits and could be used. But again Saint Thomas shows that it is tradition expressed in papal teaching by Pope Celestine (422-32) who says: “Whether children or young people approach the sacrament of regeneration, they should not come to the fount of life before the unclean spirit has been expelled from them by the exorcisms and breathings of the clerics.” (Epist. ad Episcop. Galliae; cf. D 140). Thomas goes on to explain the motive behind the various baptismal ceremonies:

Whoever purposes to do a work wisely, first removes the obstacles to his work; hence it is written (Jeremiah 4:3): “Break up anew your fallow ground and sow not upon thorns.” Now the devil is the enemy of man’s salvation, which man acquires by Baptism; and he has a certain power over man from the very fact that the latter is subject to original, or even actual, sin. Consequently it is fitting that before Baptism the demons should be cast out by exorcisms, lest they impede man’s salvation. Which expulsion is signified by the (priest) breathing (upon the person to be baptized); while the blessing, with the imposition of hands, bars the way against the return of him who was cast out. Then the salt which is put in the mouth, and the anointing of the nose and ears with spittle, signify the receiving of doctrine, as to the ears; consent thereto as to the nose; and confession thereof, as to the mouth. And the anointing with oil signifies man’s ability to fight against the demons. (Art. 2)

It may be asked that if an exorcism expels the devil, does the person receive God’s grace at that moment? And, if not, is the exorcism symbolic? Therefore it is asked, whether what is done in the exorcism effects anything, or is a mere sign?  Thomas reminds his reader that the expelling of the devil does not accomplish salvation, but only prepares the candidate to receive the grace of salvation which the evil one attempts to inhibit. Quoting Augustine, who says, Little children are breathed upon and exorcized, in order to expel from them the devil’s hostile power, which deceived man (De Symbolo I), Thomas acknowledges that the exorcism does expel the devil:

Some say that the things done in the exorcism have no effect, but are mere signs. But this is clearly false; since in exorcizing, the Church uses words of command to cast out the devil’s power, for instance, when she says: “Therefore, accursed devil, go out from him,” etc.

Therefore we must say that they have some effect, but, other than that of Baptism. For Baptism gives man grace unto the full remission of sins. But those things that are done in the exorcism remove the twofold impediment against the reception of saving grace. Of these, one is the outward impediment, so far as the demons strive to hinder man’s salvation. And this impediment is removed by the breathings, whereby the demon’s power is cast out, as appears from the passage quoted from Augustine, i.e. as to the devil not placing obstacles against the reception of the sacrament. Nevertheless, the demon’s power over man remains as to the stain of sin, and the debt of punishment, until sin be washed away by Baptism. And in this sense Cyprian says (Epist. lxxvi): “Know that the devil’s evil power remains until the pouring of the saving water: but in Baptism he loses it all.”(Art. 3)

Saint Thomas then adds an explanation of further ceremonies that prepare the candidate:

The other impediment is within, forasmuch as, from having contracted original sin, man’s sense is closed to the perception of the mysteries of salvation. Hence Rabanus says (De Instit. Cleric. i, 27) that “by means of the typifying spittle and the touch of the priest, the Divine wisdom and power brings salvation to the catechumen, that his nostrils being opened he may perceive the odor of the knowledge of God, that his ears be opened to hear the commandments of God, that his senses be opened in his inmost heart to respond.”  (Ibid.)

And Thomas reminds the reader that these ceremonies should not be neglected even if Baptism was administered urgently to the dying; for if the person lives, these ceremonies are then to be supplied.

Finally, whether it belongs to a priest to catechize and exorcize the person to be baptized? The question is not directed at the necessity or obligation of the priest to prepare the candidate, but at who has the right to fulfill the function. This falls on the Bishop, who is responsible for the Church under his care. The priest is the extension of the Bishop, who assists and has the responsibility of those under his care within a parish. The other ministers, such as lector and exorcists, are given an office, but to be used under that of the bishops and priests—that is, to assist them not replace them. Thomas therefore turns again to the tradition of the Church in the Papal teachings of Pope Nicolas I (858-67) who says, The catechizing of those who are to be baptized can be undertaken by the priests attached to each church. (Attributed to a non-extant letter to John, Bishop of Ravenna; cf. Decr. I, 87), and Pope Gregory (590-604) who says, When priests place their hands on believers for the grace of exorcism, what else do they but cast out the devils? (Hom. xxix super Ezech. [N.B., citation also not found but kept here to show the teaching held then and still today—Author]) He goes on to explain:

The minister compared to the priest, is as a secondary and instrumental agent to the principal agent: as is implied in the very word “minister.” Now the secondary agent does nothing without the principal agent in operating. And the more mighty the operation, so much the mightier instruments does the principal agent require. But the operation of the priest in conferring the sacrament itself is mightier than in those things that are preparatory to the sacrament. And so the highest ministers who are called deacons co-operate with the priest in bestowing the sacraments themselves: for Isidore says (Epist. ad Ludifred., viii.) that “it belongs to the deacons to assist the priests in all things that are done in Christ’s sacraments, in Baptism, to wit, in the Chrism, in the Paten and Chalice”; while the inferior ministers assist the priest in those things which are preparatory to the sacraments: the readers, for instance, in catechizing; the exorcists in exorcizing.

One may see, then, that it is the responsibility of the priest to prepare the candidate for baptism and the other sacraments. Those he assigns to assist are doing so under his direction and must, therefore, follow his instructions—not departing but imparting what the priest has expressed when instructing, uniting with the priest in performing the sacramentals (exorcisms), handing the priest that which he is using to administer the Sacraments. These lessor or minor orders are rarely seen in churches today where “ministrants” or “altar servers” now replace them in the immediate administration of Sacraments and catechists in the remote preparation.

This completes the section on the teachings concerning Baptism as presented by Saint Thomas Aquinas. The next section will continue with those Church documents concerning Baptism the two centuries before the Council of Trent and those Church documents of the Council of Trent directed toward the Sacrament of Baptism.

(To be continued)

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Week of Passion Sunday

Benedict Baur, O.S.B. 

The eve of the Passion

1. Eight days remain before we shall behold the spectacle of the God-man bleeding and dying on the cross. Today Good Friday already casts its shadow over us. We are led to the sanctuary of St. Stephen, the first martyr; today we should live with Christ the martyr.
2. Today the enemies of Christ have decided to put Him to death. The Pharisees have assembled, and they ask of one another, “What do we, for this man doth many miracles? If we let Him alone so, all will believe in Him.” Christ therefore must die. “It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not,” the high priest points out. “From that day, therefore, they devised to put Him to death” (Gospel). One week later they will have accomplished their wicked plan. In the Garden of Olives they will apprehend Him; they will produce false witnesses to accuse Him; they will abuse Him with their mockeries; they will drag Him before the tribunal of the Roman governor and demand His death. They will follow Him up to Calvary; they will gloat over His fall, taking a fiendish delight in His agony. They will abuse and mock Him even as He prays for them on the cross; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Too often we also place ourselves among the enemies of Christ. Is not every sin a rejection of Christ, a mockery of His commandments, and a condemnation of His principles? How often we allow our passions to overcome us and cause us to reject the commandments of Christ! We desert Him and adopt the attitude of the world and of the enemies of Christ. Lord, give me light that in the light of Thy passion I may recognize the malice and shamefulness of my sins and infidelities. Give me the grace of true sorrow for sin, and that I may never again make common cause with Thy enemies.

Christ knew all the plans of His enemies and knew exactly what the future held in store for Him. By the beatific vision, which He always enjoyed, He was fully aware of what awaited Him in His passion. He could foresee the treason of Judas and the denial of Peter; every detail of His suffering and His humiliation was ever present to Him and caused Him sorrow. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted; deliver me and save me out of the hands of my enemies and from them that persecute me. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon Thee” (Introit). “O Lord, deliver me not over to the will of them that trouble me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me” (Communion).

Now “Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but He went into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem” (Gospel). In solitude and seclusion He prepares Himself for the task that lies before Him. The same spirit of self-surrender which characterized His entry into the world, He now brings to the struggle which will force Him out of the World: “Not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Everything He does, He does of His own free will and because it is the will of His Father. “I do always the things that please Him” (John8:29). Second only to His love for the Father is His love for men, whose salvation He most earnestly desires.

After a few days of seclusion He will return to Jerusalem, and men will rejoice. The hour is approaching when He will allow His enemies to exercise power over Him. But during this period of seclusion we should live with Jesus and share His silence and His prayer. In this solitude we shall find the strength and the light to accompany Him when the day of His suffering arrives.

3. In the church of St. Stephen we join ourselves to Christ to share His condemnation and His death with the entire Church, which is despised and persecuted on earth. With Christ we, too, shall be martyrs; we shall suffer and die. In our own name and in that of the whole Church we pray: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted. Deliver me and save me out of the hands of my enemies and from them that persecute me. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon Thee. In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped” (Introit).

The more violent the persecution of Christ and His Church, the more faithful must be His friends. With the Epistle we say, “O Lord, all that forsake Thee shall be confounded; they that depart from Thee, shall be written in the earth; because they have forsaken the Lord, the vein of living waters. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved. Behold, they say to me [in scorn]: Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come. And I am not troubled, following Thee for my pastor; and I have not desired the day of man, Thou knowest . . . . Let them be confounded that persecute me; and let me not be confounded. Let them be afraid, and let not me be afraid; bring upon them the day of affliction, and with a double destruction destroy them, O Lord our God.” A ray from the sun of Easter already breaks through the night of Good Friday.

PRAYER

Mercifully pour Thy grace into our hearts, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that curbing our sinful propensities with voluntary chastisement, we may suffer in this life and not be condemned to eternal punishments.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that we who seek the favor of Thy protection, being delivered from all evils, may serve Thee with a quiet mind. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SATURDAY OF PASSION WEEK

The divine seed

1. In today’s Gospel we read about the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. “Hosanna, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel.” The bringing of Lazarus back to life had set the crowd on fire with enthusiasm for Christ. Even the pagans were flocking to see this wonderworker. But through this thin veil of triumph, Christ sees the truth. The Jews will forsake Him, and the pagans will accept Him.
2. A group of pagans comes to the apostles Andrew and Phillip, and asks to be introduced to Christ. Jesus takes this opportunity to point out the glory that will come to Him through the conversion of the Gentiles. “The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” But Christ must win this glorification through His suffering and death. “Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (Gospel). Jesus is the grain of wheat. He had to die, says St. Augustine, through the infidelity of the Jews, and rise through the faith of the pagans. “The death of the grain of wheat is therefore not its death; it is the development of its life and the creation of a new life. We, too, together with Jesus are the grains of wheat.” “If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal” (Gospel). We shall obtain the truth of Christ’s passion and achieve glorification with Him in the measure that we are as grains of wheat with Him: “If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Without apparent death the grain of wheat remains barren and sterile.

“Now [in the passion of the Lord] is the judgment of the world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself” (Gospel). From the cross the crucified Savior will draw all things to Himself; He will overcome all opposition and will draw the spirits and hearts of all peoples to Himself. Generation after generation of the pagans will come to the crucified Christ, “unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, . . . the power of God and the wisdom of God” (I Cor. 1:23 f.). All hasten to Him who was crucified, and confess, “Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God in Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Apoc. 5:9).

“It is truly meet and just . . . that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God; who didst set the salvation of mankind on the tree of the cross, so that whence came death [into the world], thence also life might rise again, and that he who overcame by the tree, might also be overcome on the tree, through Christ our Lord” (Preface of the Mass). At the foot of the cross spring up unceasing fountains of grace, the sacraments. From the cross we obtain enlightenment and inspiration. From the cross we obtain the grace for victory over evil, the power to perform good, hope for the pardon of our sins, and the assurance of grace in the future. In the cross we find consolation in trouble and suffering. The cross is the key to the kingdom of heaven.

O cross, our only hope, all hail!

This Passiontide thy balm exhale;

In loving hearts augment thy grace.

The sinner’s stains entire efface.

3. Through baptism “we are baptized in His death” (Rom. 6:3). Our sufferings, then, are joined to His and have the same meaning His had. They are made to serve the work of redemption. It is true that Christ’s work of redemption was completed with the sacrifice of Calvary; but it must be continued by us in the unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass, and in the suffering undertaken by each man. By our sufferings we “fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, . . . for His body, which is the Church” (Col. 1: 24). Our suffering has its purpose in the redemption of the world. Because we love men and the souls of men, we love the sufferings of Christ, which wrought their redemption.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself.” Many of the baptized become sick of soul, broken in spirit, and weak in faith when they are confronted with a cross. These are the weak Christians who refuse to allow themselves to be lifted up on the cross; they have failed to understand what it means to be allowed to “partake of the sufferings of Christ” (I Pet. 4:13). Neither do they understand Paul when he is filled with joy over his tribulations (II Cor. 7:4). For the good Christian, suffering on the cross means that he becomes fruitful, truly great in the eyes of God. “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to Myself,” is true of us too. Even if life offers us nothing but toil- and worry, let us be content. Even if we have showered love and care on others and receive nothing but ingratitude, let us not be overcome; we must lift ourselves above all these disappointments and above the fickleness and faithlessness of men. By accepting our daily crosses we draw down upon ourselves the grace and blessing of God. We must therefore embrace the cross that we may be drawn to Christ, and may in turn draw all things to ourselves. The cross is our salvation.

PRAYER

Let the people consecrated to Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord, grow unceasingly in the spirit of loving devotion, that being taught by sacred rites, they may abound in more precious gifts as they become more pleasing to Thy majesty.

Let Thy right hand, we beseech Thee, O Lord, guard Thy suppliant people and duly teach those purified that by present consolation they may attain the good things to come. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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March 13

ST EUPHRASIA, OR EUPRAXIA, VIRGIN (c. A.D. 420)

THE Emperor Theodosius I had a kinsman Antigonus, who died within a year of the birth of his daughter Euphrasia, and the emperor took the widow and her child under his protection. When the little girl was five years old he arranged to betroth her to the son of a wealthy senator—in accordance with the custom of the time—the marriage being deferred until the maiden should have reached a suitable age. The widow herself began to be sought in marriage, and she withdrew from court and went with Euphrasia to Egypt, where she settled down near a convent of nuns. Euphrasia, then seven years of age, was greatly drawn to the nuns and begged to be allowed to stay with them. To humour her and thinking it was only a childish fancy, her mother left her there for a little, expecting her soon to weary of the life, but the child was persistent, although she was told that she would have to fast and to sleep on the ground and to learn the whole Psalter if she remained. The abbess then said to the mother, “Leave the little girl with us, for the grace of God is working in her heart. Your piety and that of Antigonus have /581/ opened to her the most perfect way.” The good woman wept for joy, and leading her child before the image of our Lord she said, ” Lord Jesus Christ, receive this child. Thee alone doth she love and seek, and to thy service alone doth she commend herself.” Then turning to Euphrasia she exclaimed, “May God who laid the foundations of the mountains, keep you always steadfast in His holy fear”. A few days later the child was clothed in the nun’s habit, and her mother asked if she were satisfied. “Oh, mother!” cried the little novice, “it is my bridal robe, given me to do honour to Jesus my beloved.” Soon afterwards the mother went to rejoin her husband in a better world, and as the years went by Euphrasia grew up a beautiful girl in the seclusion of the convent.

In due time the emperor, presumably Arcadius, sent for her to come to Constantinople to marry the senator to whom he had betrothed her. She was now twelve years old and an heiress, but she wrote him a letter begging him to allow her to follow her vocation and requesting him to distribute her parents’ property to the poor as well as to enfranchise all her slaves. The emperor carried out her requests; but Euphrasia was sorely tried by vain imaginations and temptations to know more of the world she had forsaken. The abbess, to whom she opened her heart, set her some hard and humbling tasks to divert her attention and to drive away the evil spirits from which she suffered in body as well as in soul. Once the abbess ordered her to remove a pile of stones from one place to another, and when the task was completed she continued to make her carry them backwards and forwards thirty times. In this and in whatever else she was bidden to do, Euphrasia complied cheerfully and promptly: she cleaned out the cells of the other nuns, carried water for the kitchen, chopped the wood, baked the bread and cooked the food. The nun who performed these arduous duties was generally excused the night offices, but Euphrasia was never missing from her place in the choir, and yet at the age of twenty she was taller, better developed and more beautiful than any of the others.

Her meekness and humility were extraordinary. A maid in the kitchen once asked her why she sometimes went without food for the entire week, a thing no one but the abbess ever attempted. When the saint said she did it out of obedience, the woman called her a hypocrite, who sought to make herself conspicuous in the hope of being chosen superior. Far from resenting this unjust accusation, Euphrasia fell at her feet and besought her to pray for her. As the saint lay on her death-bed, Julia, a beloved sister who shared her cell, besought Euphrasia to obtain for her the grace of being with her in Heaven as she had been her companion on earth, and three days after her friend’s demise, Julia was taken also. The aged abbess who had originally received Euphrasia remained for a month together very sad at the loss of her dear ones. She prayed earnestly that she might not have to linger on now that the others had gone to their reward. The following morning when the nuns entered her cell they found only her lifeless body, for her soul had fled in the night to join the other two. According to Russian usage St Euphrasia is named in the preparation of the Byzantine Mass.

(Butler’s Lives of the Saints)

CHRIST IN THE HOME

BY RAOUL PLUS, S.J. (1951)

MARRIAGE

TRAINING IN OBEDIENCE

THE father is the father; the mother is the mother. Each one’s role is different; together they must harmonize.

This is particularly essential when there is question of the exercise of authority over the children.

The principal authority is centered in the father; the mother who is associated with him, shares this authority. Both have therefore according to their respective roles the mission to command; the father in a way that is not more harsh but more virile; the mother in a way that is not more easy-going—she ought to demand the same things the father requires and with the same firmness—but more gently expressed. Parental action must be common, harmonious, coordinated, directed to the same end. Extremely unpleasant conditions are created if the mother for example tolerates an infraction of an order given by the father.

The father on his part should avoid too great sternness, an uncalled-for severity of tone or what is worse, cruelty. The mother should guard against weakness and insufficient resistance to the tears of the child or the cute little ways it has discovered for avoiding punishment or side-tracking a command.

She ought to be particularly cautious not to undermine paternal authority either by permitting the children to disobey his injunctions or, under pretext of tempering the father’s severity, by countermanding his orders. It is from the father himself that she should secure the necessary relaxation of requirements if she feels he is being too rigid; never should she on her own change a decision that the father has given. Otherwise the children will soon play the father and mother against each other; they will know that they can have recourse to mamma when papa commands

something and they will be able to disregard the order. Father and mother both lose their authority in this way to their own great detriment. The wife discredits her husband in the eyes of the children and herself as well. Never should the children sense the least discord between their parents either in regard to their principles or their methods of training. Quick to exploit the rift, they will also be quick to get the upper hand. It is the ruination of obedience. The mother can blame herself for working forcefully for its destruction.

She is perfectly justified in trying to make the execution of the father’s orders more agreeable; that is quite another thing. But in this case she must justify the conduct of the father and not seem to blame him by softening the verdict.

Husband and wife are but one; he, the strength; she, the gentleness. The result is not an opposition of forces but a conjoining of forces; the formation of a single collective being, the couple.

Another point in this matter of obedience: Never let the children command the parents. How many parents, mothers especially, betray their mission! Parents are not supposed to give orders indiscriminately but wisely; when they have done this, they should not go back on a command. To command little is the mark of firm authority; but to demand the execution of what one has commanded is the mark of a strong authority.

There should be no fussiness, no irritation, only calm firmness. The child, who becomes unnerved, and certainly not without cause, before a multiplicity of disconnected orders that fall upon him from all sides, submits before a gentle and unbending authority. Calmness steadies him and unyielding firmness unfailingly leads him to obey.

CHILDREN WHO COMMAND

IF THE training of the children from babyhood has been well done, there is the happy possibility that the parents can really be masters in their own home later on. Not that they need to exercise a fierce militarism; they should rather inspire a holy and joyous liberty; but when they give a command, the children must know that there is nothing for them to do but obey.

They will give few commands, avoiding such perpetual admonitions as “Stand up straight! Don’t slouch! Do this. Don’t do that,” which irritate children to a supreme degree, weaken authority, and in time nullify the effect of any effort to command. In the whirlwind of commands and prohibitions in which they are caught, children can no longer distinguish between important issues and details. Not having the strength to observe all the directions they receive, they

decide quite practically to observe none except when a painful punishment impresses them with the need to obey.

Although the parents should give few commands, they must abide by what they have commanded and see it through. If children note that it is easy for them to wear out the patience

of those who issue commands or prohibitions, and that sooner or later they will have the victory, they will unconsciously or even through a perversity that will always increase, set about to manoeuvre more and more triumphs for themselves.

“Leave that door handle alone!” Fine. The child hears the command. A second later he is at the handle again. Again he is told to leave it alone. The child resigns himself and for some time does not go near the door. Will he make a third attempt? Why not? After the second injunction mamma generally says no more. As a matter of fact, he renews his disobedience. Mamma lets it pass. She is conquered.

She will be conquered forever.

That is just one example of ten thousand where training falls short.

But when children know that what is said goes, the temptation to defy a command does not so readily come to them; or if should it come and they yield, they know their parents will not let their disobedience pass and that they will pay the penalty; they know too that the punishment will be in proportion to the offense, neither too little or too much but exactly proportionate; they take it for granted.

Away with all fussiness however! Let children exercise some initiative. How many parents forget that they were once young and as a consequence what it means to be young.

In his book “My Children and I,” Jerome criticizes in a humorous fashion the exaggerated notions of some parents who do not want to recognize the power for frankness in boys

and girls of twelve, fourteen or sixteen years. Veronica, one of the young daughters of the home, finding that the discipline of the house was too rigid protested with the comment, “If grown-ups would be willing to listen, there are many things we could explain to them.”

She decided to write a book in which she would give parents some wise advice. “All children will buy it,” she said, “as a birthday gift for their father and mother.”

Veronica was doubtless somewhat presumptuous but not stupid. People can learn at any age. Even from their children.Even when their youthful lessons are developed from impertinence.

It is better, of course, not to need their lessons.

…

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