Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/114

 to trace,  in  them  a  continuity  of  ideas  and  to discover  their  appropriateness  for  the  Sundays  to which  they  have  been  assigned. The present  Sunday affords  an  excellent  example. Epiphany time  is devoted  to  the  contemplation  of  those  earlier  years of Our  Lord's  hidden  life,  whose  history  the Evangelist summarizes  thus:  "Jesus  went  down  to Nazareth  with  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  was  subject  to them." Docility, then,  is  the  season's  lesson,  and quite appropriately  the  undercurrent  of  thought  running uninterruptedly  through  the  Epistle  and  Gospel is the  lesson  of  docility. " Be  not  wise  in  your  own conceits,"  says  St. Paul to  the  Romans. " Go,"  says Christ to  the  leper  just  cleansed,  "  Go,  show  thyself  to the  priests,  and  offer  the  gift  commanded  by  MQses for  a  testimony  to  them." " Lord,  I  am  not  worthy," cries the  centurion,  "  not  worthy  that  Thou  shouldst enter  under  my  roof,  but  only  say  the  word  and  my servant  shall  be  healed."

Brethren, that  law  of  Nature  whereby  parents cherish so  great  love  for  their  offspring  holds  good also in  the  realm  of  thought,  and  explains  why  the human mind  is  so  vain  of  its  own  ideas  and  the  individual so  tenacious  of  his  own  opinions. How shallow was the  philosophy  of  the  so-called  reformers  is  nowhere more  clearly  evidenced  than  in  the  fact  that they hoped  to  hold  together  a  system  of  religion based on  the  right  of  private  judgment. But that differences should  arise  between  man  and  man,  were a small  matter  did  not  man  at  times  &gt;carry  his  conceit so far  as  to  oppose  his  opinions  to  the  decrees  of  God.