Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/78

 keep Him  before  us  as  the  Being  the  most to be  loved  and  imitated.

I may  here  say  a  word  of  one  form  of devotion  to  the  Passion:  the  devout  performing of  the  Stations  of  the  Cross. This is a  devotion  as  simple  as  it  is  beautiful;  all that is  necessary  is  to  pass  from  Station  to Station,  praying  or  meditating,  or  both,  on the  sufferings  of  Our  Lord. It is,  I  believe, the most  richly  indulgenced  devotion  in  the Church. It is  commonly  said  that  all  the indulgences given  to  the  Crusaders,  or  to those  who  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy Land, are  now  attached  to  the  Stations,  and that at  least  fourteen  plenary  indulgences  can be gained. The conditions  are  few  —  being in the  state  of  grace,  of  course,  and  a  few prayers for  the  intention  of  the  Sovereign Pontiff. Confession and  communion  are  not necessary.

With reference  to  devotion  to  the  Sacred Heart and,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  Blessed Sacrament, one  would  be  inclined  to  suggest a pious  and  joyous  celebration  of  the  great feast of  Corpus  Christi  and  its  octave,  followed, as  it  is,  immediately  by  the  feast  of the  Sacred  Heart,  since  these  two  feasts  have been formally  instituted  by  the  Church  —  the former, because  she  felt  that  she  could  not