The author begins: "In the midst of contradictory beliefs of every description, the world is at a loss to know what should be accepted as true. Theories are conceived, as it were, over night; long-established customs are abandoned; doctrines of unquestionable authenticity are ruthlessly overthrown, - in a word, chaos reigns in the world of thought and deed. But one institution retains the stability of centuries; and men and women of judgment hopefully turn their eyes to her, the one whom ages and changes have not altered-the Roman Catholic Church. It is with the hope that this book may aid Catholics to remain faithful to the Church and stand by her in these difficult times, and that it may be the means of attracting the many, who are sincere in their efforts to find a trustworthy guide through the maze of beliefs and unbeliefs, to a more thorough investigation of the 'Catholic Church, that it is given to press." In the chapter on the Church as a Sign of Contradiction, the author writes: "Simeon, the seer, some nineteen hundred years ago took a little infant in his arms and made the remarkable statement, "Behold this child is set for the fall and resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted," a bystander might have ridiculed the thought that the child of apparently unknown parents could ever rise to such heights as to be the occasion of the success and failure, the rise and fall of individuals as well as of nations. And yet this Child, the Son of God, has been a sign of contradiction, and has exerted a tremendous influence upon the nations of the world and their destinies."

My association with converts has taught me that they are so much happier in the True Faith if they are familiar with the devotions and practices that are essentially Catholic. Experience has also demonstrated that not a few who were born and reared in the Faith betray a lack of thorough instruction, or have simply forgotten the meanings and purposes of many Catholic practices. For such readers I have endeavored to gather in the following pages the most salient features of Catholic life. My aim has been to give interesting and profitable reading in plain words. And thus I hope that this book will find favor with all classes of Catholics. In our busy American life we lose so easily our hold on the things that are eternal. There is, therefore, all the more need that from time to time we refresh our souls with the contemplation of the service, the wealth of consolation, and the brilliant hopes for the future which are afforded us by the beautiful devotions and practices of our religion. Let us consider this on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary: "To me it has been one of the most baffling mysteries of the world that the propriety of honoring and venerating the Mother of God should ever have been brought into question. On that memorable day when the Saviour hung on the cross, a bruised and crushed victim for the world's crimes, some of the last words spoken by Him were addressed to His Mother and St. John: "Woman, behold thy son. After that He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother." (John xix. 26-27.) It has always been the belief of Christians that hereby the Blessed Redeemer constituted His Mother as the Mother of all Christians, and placed the faithful of His Church under her special guidance and protection. But one might object that this interpretation is forced and not implied in the words. If not, how can we explain that Our Lord chose such an important moment, if He merely desired to provide for His Mother. An ordinary human being makes many requests upon his deathbed because he realizes that he will be unable to counsel and provide after the hand of death has touched him. But surely, no one will suggest that Our Saviour just happened to think of the needs of His Mother as He saw death approaching. No indeed. The solemnity of the occasion, as well as the publicity of the act indicated that here was something important and of interest not only to those who stood beneath the cross, but to the whole world."

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.