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 shall condemn  it;  because  she  came  from  the  end  of  the  earth to hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  and,  behold,  a greater  than Solomon is  here."

Praise of  the  Mother  of  God.  The  pious  woman  who  praised the Mother  of  Jesus  is  a figure  of  the  Catholic  Church,  whose  children love, honour  and  bless  the  Mother  of  God. Now, our  Lord,  in  answering this  holy  person,  said  that  all  those  are  blessed  who  hear  the word of  God  and  keep  it  But  no  one,  either  among  angels  or  men, ever had  a faith  so  great,  or  virtues  so  many,  as  the  Mother  of  the Redeemer. Hence her  throne  in  heaven  is  above  the  thrones  of  the angels and  Saints,  and  next  to  that  of  her  Divine  Son. By the  woman’s praise, Mary’s  own  prophetical  words,  as  uttered  in  the  Magnificat, were partially  fulfilled:  “Behold,  alt  generations  shall  call  me  blessed."

The sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  was  committed  by  the  Pharisees in this  manner,  that  against  the  dictates  of  reason  they  ascribed  our Lord’s miracles  to  the  power  of  the  devil. They calumniated  Him, saying that  He  was  in  league  with  the  devil; whereas  it  was  they  who, by their  persecution  of  Jesus,  were  serving  the  ends  of  Satan. Being full of  the  spirit  of  pride  and  of  envy,  they  refused  to  believe  in  our Lord’s divine  power. They wilfully  and  obstinately  resisted  their  reason, which, outwardly  convinced  by  His  stupendous  miracles,  and  inwardly illuminated by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  urged  them  to  such a belief. Rather than  recognize  the  truth  that  God  was  with  our Lord, they  had  recourse  to  the  most  foolish  evasions  and  lies. This wilful resistance  to  God’s  grace  hardened  the  Pharisees  in  obstinacy and impenitence,  till  finally  it  drove  them  to  deicide. They sinned against the  Holy  Ghost  in  a fourfold  manner:  they  envied  Jesus  on account  of  His  superior  wisdom  and  power  of  working  miracles;  they resisted that  which  they  knew  to  be  true;  they  were  obstinate  in  their opposition to  our  Lord;  and  they  were  hardened  into  a state  of  final impenitence.

Impenitence, and prayers  for  impenitent  sinners. Our  Lord  says of sins  against  the  Holy  Ghost  that  they  cannot  be  forgiven. This means that,  when  a man  continually  resists  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost, he falls  by  degrees  into  a condition  of  soul  not  far  removed  from  that of the  fallen  angels  or  devils. The devils  are  hardened  in  sin,  in resistance  to,  and  hatred  of  God:  their  perverted  will  is  incapable  of conversion,  so  that  for  them  redemption  is  impossible. Now, so  long