This page needs to be proofread.

turn aside to chastise every tiny cur that barks at him. Ask Christ why He suffered Himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter. The secret of this phenomenon is a sense of stability — a consciousness of power with perfect resignation to the workings of divine providence. The Church answers her enemies as did Christ His: " Thou shouldst have no power over Me were it not given thee from above." With Him she prays " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That is the spirit of Christ, of St. Paul, and of every true Catholic, too. As St. Peter says: " Let us so deport ourselves that by well doing we may silence the ignorance of foolish men," and withal let us have an abiding trust in the ultimate victory of justice and of truth. Let us convince ourselves from a consideration of the Church's divine origin, from her nature as an imperial power, from her absolute necessity to the existence of the State, and from the disreputable character of her opponents, that He who hath begun a good work in her will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.