GOSPEL

MOVIES
(Third series)

SIN

by

Placidus Kempt, O. S. B.

THE GRAIL

ST. MEINRAD, INDIANA



PRICE TEN CENTS

Reprinted from THE GRAIL, published

with episcopal approbation.

Cum permissu Superioris

Copyrighted 1942

All rights reserved



PREVIEW

Christ sent His disciples “TWO BY TWO
into every town and place where he himself

was about to come” (St. Luke 10:1). For the

conversion of our soul “Grace” (Series I) must

be paired with that kind of “Faith” (Series

II) that we see exemplified in the lives of the

twelve Apostles. Thus equippedf we are ready
to “drive out the devils” from the land of our

soul. For Jesus gave them “power to cure

sicknesses and to cast out devils” (St. Mark

3 :15).

Satan and his infernal helpers cannot enter

the castle of our soul unless we let down the
bars of our consent to his suggestions by our

own free will. As long as we keep the door of
our heart barred by a firm will all is well.

But there are traitors within the walls of our

soul which tend to break down our resistance
,

to weaken our will, and cause us to surrender

God's castle for a momentary sinful gratifica-
tion. These are the seven capital or “head”

sins or vices
y
the fatal roots of all our sins.

Their hideousness and treachery is herewith

thrown on the screen for your benefit.

* * *

The “Special Feature” is intended as an ex-

amination of conscience for married men, to be
served as lettuce leaves in his luncheon sand-

wich but which may be tasted with profit also
by the one who prepares this tasty titbit.

Placidus Kempt
,
O.S.B.

Operator



Bawled

Oven

T he nameof St. Paul
is ever added to

those of the oth-

er twelve Apos-

tles. Although

he did not see

the Lord in the

flesh, we shall

nevertheless let

him introduce

the third circle of persons who came within

the beneficient influence radiating from the

Savior, the divine-human dynamo of light

and power.

This influence in the case of Saul meant

nothing less than the electrocution of his

pride, the finding of his real self. Thrown

from his high horse by the light from heav-

en, he is made to bite the dust, is made to

realize what he is. He, who a moment be-

fore was “breathing out threatenings and

- 4 -



slaughter against the disciples of the Lord”

(Acts 9:1), now himself becomes a humble

disciple. Trembling and astonished he

asks, “Lord, what wilt thou have me do?”

(Acts 9:6)

There is in man an honorable and an ig-

noble pride. St. Paul possessed only the

former after the light from heaven had

bowled over and shattered the latter. He

was proud, honorably proud, as the veteran

soldier is proud of his record, his campaign,

his hard-won medals for bravery, his vic-

tories, his captain. He gloried in his like-

ness through suffering and humiliation to

his Captain and Lord. He gloried in his

position as one of the chosen instruments

of the Gospel
;

he was joyously and

mightily proud of his position as an Apos-

tle of Christ.

St. Paul was too great a man, too noble

to have even a speck of ignoble pride. His

pride was based upon an accurate self-

knowledge and appreciation of himself. The

same self-knowledge could not but be hum-

ble. He confessed that humility time and

time again. It is only a great spirit that

can be so humble as to record his own de-

ficiencies and failures. Little men hide

them; spiritual giants tell them, and in

the telling delieneate their greatness.

- 5 -



Gold Mead

and

^fot 3bed4&i£

S
IMON, a

proud
Pharisee, in-

vited Jesus to

dine with him.

It was a cold

dinner. In

cold disdain

the host ac-

corded h i s

Guest a frigid

reception. The very air of the spacious

dining hall seemed to be the icy breath of

an air-chilling device. Pride is that way.

Its head, like a snow-capped mountain peak,

“Anger resteth in the bosom
of a fool.” —Eccles. 7:10.

- 6 -



protrudes above the clouds, lost in self-con-

templation. But it has a low boiling point.

Simon was no exception.

Listen! “Simon, I have somewhat to say

to thee.”
—

“Master, say it!” (St. Luke

7:40). Pointing to the sinner at His tear-

laved Feet, Jesus condemns His host on a

triple count,—no water for His Feet; no
kiss for His Cheek; no oil for His Head.

Simon’s blood boiled as the Master served

him his dessert. His temperamental tem-

perature soared out of sight. His pride re-

fused to take the well-deserved rebuff.

Humbled, his anger rose.

Pride is weakness
;

anger is greater

weakness. Pride is folly
;

anger is greater

folly. Pride has a hollow head (inflated

judgment)
;
anger has a weak heart (gela-

tinous will power), for it “rests in the

bosom of a fool.” Unless you wish to swell

the ranks of fools, bind and gag Devil

Number Two, ANGER, as the Lord com-

manded Cain, the first time this demon

reared its head on the virgin earth,
—
“Thou

shalt have dominion over it.” (Gen. 4:7)

It is strange but true, and oh, the happi-

ness it brings to you and others—you can
refuse to get angry

,
no matter what men

do to stir the slumbering embers. Try it!



BnaJze

in the

MRS. Pre-cise was
entertaining

with a dinner.

With a sense

of serene satis-

faction her
sparkling eye

ran the circuit

of the table,

and

—

oh, hor-

rors !—came to rest on the plate of the
gentleman on her right just in time to see

a leaf of lettuce move, and a green, homed

head protrude with peering black eyes.

The holder of the plate had seen it, too, and

deftly buried alive the greenrobed spy with

a dab of mashed potatoes.

“I command thee, go c*ut of
him.” —St. Mark 9:24.

If you will lift a leaf in the garden of

your soul you may discover a “snake in the

grass,” the offspring of the one in paradise,

of the genus ENVY. “By the envy of the

- 8 -



devil death came into the world.”—Wisd.
2:24. Envy is close of kin to jealousy.

“Green-eyed” jealousy wishes to retain

something that belongs to ourselves, or that

we think ought to belong to us; while

envy is a sort of madness which cannot en-

dure to see the prosperity of others.

Anger quickly boils over and explodes;

envy seethes within, manifesting itself ex-

teriorly in the same way as the dumb spirit

in the possessed boy, who “foamed, gnashed

with his teeth, and pined away.” Accord-

ing to St. Gregory the Great, “when the

heart is attacked with this malady (envy),

the external symptoms soon attest its

gravity. A pallid hue spreads itself over

the countenance, the eyes are cast down, the

mind is troubled, and the agitation often

communicates itself to every member of the

body. Such persons can enjoy nothing,

because they are eating away their own

hearts, and every success gained by their

neighbor is a source of suffering to them.”

The Holy Ghost says: “Envy is the rot-

tenness of the bones.”—Prov. 14:30.
There is but one remedy for the complete

extirpation of this camouflaged snake in

the grass—to plant your heel firmly upon
its head as soon as you spy it, and to bury

it deep in the dust of humility.

- 9 -



fyilamentl

weary house-

wife, sinking

exhausted into a

chair at the end

of fall house-

cleaning, raises

her head to get

the kink out of

w HENthe

“A whip of cords.”
—St. John 2:15.

her back, she sees that a little black devil,

Mrs. Spider, is already a jump ahead of her

and is again spinning the silken meshes of

her death trap. Tomorrow morning all will

be in readiness for welcoming the unwary

insect visitor. Flimsy filaments ! Little

cords! Yet, like Judas's halter, they

strangle their victims. The skilful spider

spins her web from her own substance, at-

taching it to some suitable object with a bit

of homemade glue. Then she spreads over

the silken meshes a viscid fluid to hold fast

- 10 -



the careless victim by feet or wings. Yet,

she is never caught in her own trap. The

spider is a jump ahead of man.

Man, created for heaven, with all his

vaunted intelligence permits the tendrils

of his heart to attach themselves to earthly

goods. These initial cobweb-strands soon

grow into threads, cords, ropes, until his

soul is as helpless as a fly in a spider's web.

Entangled in the meshes of avarice, “he

that is greedy of gain troubleth his own

house."—Prov. 15:17. Besides being trou-
bled by the care to hoard what he has, the

avaricious man is consumed by the raven-

ous craving for more, but “a covetous man

shall not be satisfied with money."—Eccles.
5:9. This burning thirst, like that of the

drunkard, is but a telltale symptom of an

eternal thirst, for neither the covetous nor

drunkards “shall possess the kingdom of

God."—I Cor. 6:10. “Nothing is more
wicked than the covetous man," says Eter-

nal Truth (Ecclus. 10:9), since “covetous-

ness is the service of idols."—Col. 3:5.
Each evening, when you clean the room

of your soul by means of a careful examina-

tion of conscience, keep your sound eye

—

the one not affected by the cataract of

greed—open for poisonous spiders and
deadly cobwebs.

- 11 -



<
7<4e jbevil'd.

^cuujJite'i'4'

jbawsuf.

I
N THE

fireproof

vault of the

lower regions

is kept a copy

of Satan's dia-

ry. One of the

entries there

reads : “Time

and place un-

known, the

Devil takes

Godlessness to wife." Of this infernal wed-

lock, according to an ancient writer, many

daughters have been born. Because these

are of noble lineage, they are given in mar-

riage to men of equal rank in life. Pride

is wedded to sons of the nobility. Greed

becomes the better half of merchants
;

and

so on. But “proud Papa" is eager to give

away wanton Lust to any and all suitors

- 12 -



indiscriminately. With her hand he prom-

ises a fitting dowry.

Lust will invite you to keep company

with her in the dark lest you see her slimy,

serpentine form. She tries to make her-

self attractive as far as sin can. Reared

in an atmosphere of idleness and sensual

pleasures, given to the reading of salacious

novels, attending strip-tease acts and sug-

gestive movies, pampered by sensual pleas-

ure and all luxury, well versed in all the de-

grading arts, she is well fitted to play her

seductive role. She uses B. 0. (brimstone

odor) for perfume. Her kiss is poisonous.

Her embrace is deadly. Over her features

she throws a thin veil of momentary sen-

sual gratification.

If her hand is already in one of yours,

use the other free one to pull the veil from

her diabolic form. One look at her in the

broad daylight of reason will make you

hesitate to pronounce your tragic “I will;”

and if you heed the promptings of your

best man—Faith—you will seek an ever-
lasting divorce before the fatal marriage.

And her dowry? If you want her and

take her to wife, you will have to call for

it at her father's home. A warm welcome
and reception awaits you there.

- 13 -



2>ui

o* 2>le

HolyScrip-
ture has not

preserved for

us a sample of

Adam's daily

menu cards,

but it contains

the clear pre-

scription o f

his Creator

and Physician, Who knew what was bene-

ficial to man's body and soul. God “com-

manded him, saying: “Of every tree of

paradise thou shalt eat; but of the tree

of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt

not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt

eat of it, thou shalt die the death."—Gen.
2:16-17. Clearly, there is a right and

wrong manner of eating. We must eat to

live, but not live merely to eat.

- 14 -



From Satan's conversation with Eve we

sense that, at the time of the above com-

mand, he must have been hidden in the

luxuriant shrubbery of the garden of pleas-

ure in order to study this new creature at

close range and to analyze his tastes. “The

way to a man's heart is through his stom-

ach." Hence Satan selected Eve, who had

been made from near that region of Adam's

anatomy, to sample and serve the tasty (be-

cause forbidden) titbit to her acquiescing

husband. It was “diet or die." He “did

eat" and “he died."—Gen. 3:6; 5:5.

Since that first, highly successful experi-

ment, Satan has cunningly played his role

as fastidious epicure and gorging gorman-

dizer and gastronome. Once he has in-

duced man to make “his god his belly,"

the unsated maw of hell will in the end de-

vour his soul. Well does the Holy Ghost

caution us : “In many meats there will be

sickness, and greediness will turn to choler.

By surfeiting many have perished."

—

Ecclus. 37 :33. Drive out this devil? How?

“This kind (of devils) is not cast out but

by prayer and fasting."—St. Matth. 17:20.
Fasting means temperance, and “he that is

temperate shall prolong life."—Ecclus.
37:34.

- 15 -



'WilUho+teA

and

/ZachhaneA.

“Rise . . and walk.”

—St. John 5 :8.

gard who
‘

Prov. 13:14.

willeth and

C hicken-heart-
ed people
have their

wishbone
where their

backbone
ought to be.

To this class

belongs the

slothful slug-

willeth not.”

—

Of him the Holy Ghost says : “Fear (of

hardships) casteth down the slothful: and

the souls of the effeminate shall be hungry.

The slothful hideth his hand under his arm-

- 16 -



pit, and will not so much as bring it to his

mouth. Desires kill the slothful: for his

hands have refused to work at all.”—Prov.
18:8; 19:24; 21:25.

Sloth is running true to form when it

brings up the rear of the list of capital sins

or tendencies to evil. It puts the brakes on

the soul which, in the car of the body,

should “go up on high.” There is a devil

in its spark plug. Sloth causes not merely

the omission of much good, but, what is

worse, the commission of much evil. Sloth

paralyzes and corrupts all the powers of

the soul and at the same time arouses all

evil desires. In its stagnant waters all

manner of evil creatures and spiritual rot-

tenness breed.

The paralytic at the Pool of Bethsaida is

a type of sloth. For thirty-eight years he

lay beside the pool that could have restored

him to health because he had no man to

help him into the water. His malady was

not self-inflicted, hence Jesus said to him:

“Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” To the

slothful, who needs but a firm will (his

man) to cure himself, Jesus also says:

“Arise, leave your bed of idleness, and

work .
11

Clean the spark plug and get going,

for Sloth Leads On To Hell.

- 17 -



^b&oile<i

Jlcuft

IKE a
bat out

of hell! We are

told that mil-

lions of bats

leave the fa-

mous Carlsbad

caverns each

evening at

sunset, fly over

the Rio Gran-

de, and consume some eleven and a half

tons of insects during the night. Thus

these horrid creatures fulfil a very useful

mission. We do not make house pets of

bats, nor do we become chummy with the

devil, but we should not forget that he does

us more good than harm if we view his

temptations in the right light.

“My name is Legion.”
—St. Mark. 5 :9.

- 18 -



The devil's tastes are clearly shown in

the incident of the demoniac in the country

of the Gerasens. When Jesus commanded

the unclean spirit to go out of the man, the

devil, whose name was Legion
—
“many dev-

ils were entered into the man"—besought
Him that they might enter into a herd of

about 2000 swine feeding on the mountain.

When Jesus gave them permission to do so

they entered into the hogs, and the herd

ran violently down a steep place into the

sea and perished in the waters.

The devil would have us perish in the

bottomless lake of hell. But there is ever

to be had for the asking the divine help

with which we can turn his efforts for our

destruction into occasions of merit and fu-

ture glory. It is resistance to his sugges-

tions, by doing just the opposite, that caus-

es us to perform many good works that

we might otherwise have omitted.

The Gerasens besought Jesus to depart

from their coasts because they feared Him

and had lost their pork. The cured man

asked to accompany Jesus, but received

the commission : “Return to thy house and

tell how great things God hath done to

thee." Give thanks each time for grace

received to overcome a temptation. Thanks-

giving is the echo of petition.

- 19 -



*7he hbeail'd.

I
F THE
devil would

a-shopping go,

what costume

would be buy

for his mas-

querade ball ?

St. Paul tells

us (2 Cor. 11:

14)

:

“Satan

himself trans-

formeth himself into an angel of light
”

Under this assumed mask he hides his

hideous features.

When he comes to offer us an invitation

to his ball there are two ways of dealing

with him. The first is to refute his specious

arguments by God's own word, as Jesus did

in the desert. However, as the devil has a

very high degree of intelligence, for he

once stood very near to God, and can “quote

Scripture to suit his own purpose,” we,

r \

“Begone, Satan
!"

—St. Matth. 4 10.

- 20 -



with our limited intelligence and lack of

four thousand years’ experience, might be

easily worsted in this duel of words. An

easier and safer way of dealing with him

is to give Old Nick the “boot” as St. Ber-

nard did, that is, to ignore him and his ar-

guments completely. We read that on one

occasion the holy Abbot was blacking his

boots. Of a sudden, for not even the mo-

nastic enclosure can keep him out, St. Ber-

nard saw in the mirroring sheen of his

boots the reflected image of the devil. When

the latter suggested that it was far below

the dignity of the abbot to be engaged in

so menial a task, St. Bernard, without even

raising an eyelash—kept on polishing his
boots.

An easy way to see through the devil’s

mask is to recall that he always suggests

something of pleasure or profit to us con-

trary to the will and command of God. He

suggests that God wants us to be happy

and enjoy ourselves. He does, but in the

way that He directs, the only way to true

joy. When next the devil comes to offer

you an invitation to his ball, where those

who have accepted dance to “hot” tunes and

infernal jazz, but win no prize for their

eternal marathon,—look through his di-
aphanous mask and ignore him.

-21



Special Feature

^The ^Woman

3AOU Qavest <S\te

Y
ES, CASTING the blame on others be-

gan in the garden of Eden, when a man,

his wife, and a devilish snake had defied

the clear prohibition of God. Had Adam

blamed himself for eating of the forbidden

fruit, he would have put the blame where it

belonged. He does not blame Eve, his wife,

for heeding the deviPs suggestion, nor for

offering him a bite of the deadly fruit. In-

stead, he seeks to cast the blame for his sin

upon God Himself. Note, de does not say;

“the woman whom I chose to be my wife”—

because he had choice of no other. Neither

was his consent asked about having a part of

his body fashioned into a helpmate for him-

self, who was to stick to his ribs as close as

the adipose tissue to his bodily framework.

No, he blames the Creator. He says: “the

woman THOU gavest me,” as though he would
say: “Why did you not make her of ‘sterner

- 22 -



stuff’, with a little more backbone and less

eye and ear?”

The modern man is more advantageously

situated. He can at least choose his own help-

mate. If he makes a bad selection he has no

one to blame but himself. To help him in his

choice the Holy Ghost assures him in the Book

of Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-sixth chapter:

“Happy is the husband of a good wife: for

the number of his years is double.” (v. 1)

“A virtuous woman rejoiceth her husband, and

shall fulfill the years of his life in peace.”

(v. 2) “A good wife is a good portion, she

shall be given in the portion of them that fear

God, to a man for his good deeds.” (v. 3)

“The grace of a diligent woman shall delight

her husband, and shall fat his bones.” (v. 16)

“A holy and shamefaced woman is grace upon

grace.” (v. 19) “As the sun when it riseth

to the world in the high places of God, so is

the beauty of a good wife for the ornament

of her house.” (v. 21)

Of the wicked woman Eternal Truth says

in the same chapter, verses 8 to 10: “A jealous

woman is the grief and mourning of the

heart. With a jealous woman is a scourge of

the tongue which communicateth with all. As

a yoke of oxen that is moved to and fro, so

also is a wicked woman: he that hath hold

of her, is as he that taketh hold of a scorpion.”

And in chapter 25, verses 19 and 23: “A man

will choose any plague . . . but the wickedness

- 23 -



of a woman. And there is no anger above the

anger of a woman. It will be more agreeable

to abide with a lion and a dragon, than to

dwell with a wicked woman.”

The husband is the “head” of the family,

the wife is the “heart.” If the head selects a

bad heart, married life will be a continuous

chain of headaches and heartaches. The

chances are that, if a wife of a man’s choice

turns out to be a disappointment to him, he,

not she, needs a bit of remodeling. The hus-

band may have failed to realize the extent of

his obligations to his “better half.” All these

duties are summed up in the word “love,”

—

true, persevering love, love purified and sanc-

tified by the Catholic faith.

God demands that a husband show his wife

this true, Christian love. He bids St. Paul

say: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ

also loved the Church, and delivered Himself

up for it.” (Eph. 5:25) What a sublime Ex-

emplar for all men! How deep and sincere,

how strong and persevering, how pure and

holy, how ready for sacrifice, how self-sacri-

ficing was and still is the love of Christ for

His Church! For her He has shed the last

drop of His Precious Blood upon the Cross.

Out of love for the Church and her children He

remains day and night in the small, poor

tabernacles on the altars of her churches and

chapels. Daily in the Holy Sacrifice of the

Mass and in the Sacraments He applies to

- 24 -



her the merits and graces that He has ob-

tained for her by His bitter Passion and Death.

At all times He has defended her against and

protected her from the powerful attacks of

Satan and his helpers here on earth. Always

He is long-suffering and patient with the weak-

nesses and shortcomings that manifest them-

selves in the Church because of human frailty.

Such an all-embracing love a husband should

have towards the wife that he chose to be his

partner for life.

A true, constant, Christian love is demanded

of the husband by his relation to his wife.

Repeatedly he has promised her this love,

promised it in words that bind him with the

grave responsibility of a thrice holy oath be-

cause they were spoken in a most solemn

manner at the steps of the altar at the im-

portant moment when he offered her his hand

in holy and inseparable wedlock. On that

solemn occasion he promised to be to her the

best and truest friend all the days of his life.

He promised to provide for her, to protect her

and to make her happy. For his sake his

wife has left father and mother from whom

she had received daily tokens of tender love.

She has given him her whole heart, has en-

trusted her whole life to him. She lives only

for him and his children; she will care for

him and them with all the powers of her

soul. Would it not be unchristian, yes, in-

human, if the husband on his part would not

- 25 -



be as devoted to her by constant fidelity and

wholehearted love?

Again, true and constant love for his wife is

demanded of the husband by his own happi-

ness and the welfare of his entire family. If

the husband is cold and lacking in love for his

wife, she also by degrees will grow cold to-

wards him. If love moves out of married life,

then discord and disagreements of every kind

move in—to stay. Life then becomes a bur-
den, each cross of married life becomes a

double burden, yes, grows ten times heavier.

The children in the family grow up to be a

constant worry and disappointment to their

quarreling parents. All gaudy show, all money

and wealth, all prominent positions, all pleas-

ures and parties cannot restore love, can not

restore peace to such a family. Only where

love and peace reign will the members of a

family be content and happy.

If a Christian husband loves his wife in a

true, God-willed manner, he will permit her

to perform her religious duties conscientious-

ly. He will even spur her on to do so, should

this be necessary. He is glad to see her per-

form her daily prayers regularly, to see her

go to Mass on weekdays, if her household

duties permit it, to receive the sacraments

often and devoutly. He is convinced that the

solid piety of his wife will redound to his own

good and that of his children. Rightly does

Holy Writ liken a pious and religious wife

to a grape vine that delights its owner with

- 26 -



luscious and abundant fruit. “Blessed art

thou and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife

as a fruitful vine on the sides of thy house.”

—Psalm 127 : 2-3. It has been well saidy
“Where God has built Himself an altar in the

hearts of a husband and his wife, their whole

house becomes a house of God—a church.”
True love will cause the husband to be

friendly, obliging, and thoughtful. “Love is

patient, is kind,” says St. Paul (I Cor. 13:4).

Love wants to cause joy. But that can be

effected only by friendliness, graciousness, and

true goodness of heart. How many families

would have remained delightful sanctuaries of

peace and happiness, how many wives would

always have fulfilled their duties most com

scientiously and sacrificed themselves for their

children, if their husbands had always under-

stood how to practice self-restraint and to be

meek and patient in their relations with them.

Let the husband avoid in his words and actions

anything that smacks of hardness or apathy.

A loving spouse will gladly use every op-
portunity to cause his wife pleasure. He will

offer her gifts on the red letter days of her

life. These little tokens of affection, however

small they may be, tighten the bond of affec-

tion between husband and wife. A married
man once made a mission. The missionary

examined the conscience of his hearers on how

often they had given little tokens of affection

to their wives. He suggested that they take

home a box of candy or some other little gift to

- 27 -



their wives that very evening. One man,

much pricked by his conscience on this very

point, decided to turn over a new leaf and

stopped in a drug store on the way home to

purchase a box of candy for his wife. On

being met by her at the door of his home and

being asked what the box was that he offered

her, he stammered in the effusion of his affec-

tion: “A box of candy for you.” “Lord,” she

cried out, “here I thought you were making

the mission and you come home drunk.”

If a husband truly loves his wife he will

patiently endure and charitably condone her

faults and imperfections. To fume and scold

her for her shortcomings merely makes matters

worse. Throw one stone upon another and

there will be a report and the sparks will fly.

Throw a rock into a heap of wool and there

will scarcely be a sound and no sparks. The

same is true with human beings. The sensible

man will accomplish ten times more with his

wife by a few words spoken in meekness and

self-control than the hothead will accomplish

by his harangues of an hour’s duration. St.

Francis of Sales contends that “you can catch

more flies with a drop of honey than with a

whole barrel of vinegar.”

If your wife is thoughtless, talkative, con-

tentious, angry, etc., you should strive most

earnestly to bring about a reform in her. But

that can be effected only by means of patience,

meekness, and kindness. A conflagration is

not extinguished by heaping more fuel on the

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fire, nor by pouring oil upon it. Every human

being has his or her weakness. Hence it will

happen that the sun of marital happiness will

often be obscured by little disagreements and

quarrels. But the sun must never set on such

a family war. If a door squeaks on its hinges

a little oil will make it swing easily and noise-

lessly. When contentions arise in your mar-

ried life pour on a little oil of love. You may

be right or wrong; offer your wife your hand

in reconciliation. If your pride wants to

rebel, recall that you have placed the wedding

ring on the ring finger of your wife's hand,

from which, it is said, a vein runs to the heart,

the seat of love. By mastering your feelings

you will at the same time conquer the heart

of your wife. At another time she will be

eager to be the first to offer her hand to you

as a token of forgiveness. Love seeks to carry

joy and sorrow on either shoulder. Married

people, who truly love each other must be like

a pair of eyes—one always looks in the same
direction as the other. The husband, the

stronger partner, must bear the heavier bur-

den, and, if he cannot take all grief from his

wife he will at least make every effort to

console her, to lessen her suffering in what-

ever way he can.

True love will cause the husband to care

conscientiously according to his means for the

proper upkeep of his wife with regard to food

and clothing. He considers this a serious and

holy duty. In this sense St. John Chrysostom

- 29 -



writes: “A husband shall care for his wife as

Christ cares for the Church; let him not

shirk this duty even if he must suffer every-

thing possible for her sake.” Long before him,

St. Paul had written to the Ephesians: “Hus-

bands, love your wives, as Christ also loved

the Church . . . He that loveth his wife loveth

himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh,

but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also

Christ doth the Church.” (5:25, 28, 29) And

to Timothy he writes: “If any man have not

care for his own, and especially of those of

his house, he hath denied the faith, and is

worse than an infidel.” (I Tim. 5:8)

A man will experience the purest and holiest
joys in the bosom of his family. Love of wife

and children will cause the husband to seek

his recreation and relaxation with them, and

not away from home with strangers and

dangerous companions. The modern home has

been defined as “a sleeping place near the

garage.” In some families the members see

one another so seldom that when on rare oc-

casions they do meet at the dinner table they

almost need an introduction to each other.

The auto has done much to draw a man away

from his family to seek enjoyment and diver-

sion outside the family circle. The wife and

children also enjoy the fresh air and change

of scenery. Why not take them along in the

“family” car? A couple was once blown out

through the roof of their house by a cyclone.

When recounting the weird happening the re-

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porter remarked that it was “the first time

they had gone out together in twenty years.”

You are married to your wife until death

divorces you. You have given her alone the

right to your body, just as she has given you

the exclusive right to hers. No other woman

must share - your attention or affection. “A

man shall leave father and mother, and shall

cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in

one flesh” (Gen. 2:24) Adultery is a serious

violation of the marriage promise made in

the sight of God and ratified by the Church.

The adulterer severs the bond that God has

destined to unite and bind most closely human

society. He commits the greatest injustice to

his wife; he destroys the peace of the home,

hinders the good education of the children,

destroys the happiness of the whole family by

drawing down God’s curse and punishment

upon it. “Do not err,” says St. Paul, “adul-

terers shall not possess the kingdom of

heaven.” (I Cor. 6:9) The old Roman poet

says: “Resist the beginnings.” This counsel

on the lips of our Blessed Savior is : “I say to

you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to

lust after her, hath already committed adultery

with her in his heart.” (St. Matt. 5:28) Look

at yourself in the mirror of the above truths

and you will see what may still be lacking

to make you a model husband. If you are

such, she who is “one flesh” with you will

also be a model wife. God gave her to you

to keep her good and to make her better.

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PAMPHLETS

GOSPEL MOVIES

(four pamphlets)

1. Grace

2. Faith

3. Sin

4. Wed In Christ

MEDITORIALS

(one pamphlet)

one copy lOcj:

twelve copies $1.00

hundred copies $6.50

postpaid

THE GRAIL

St. Meinrad, Indiana





THE GRAIL

St Meinrad

Indiana