The Month, Farm Street's always interesting periodical, and the Irish Ecclesiastical Record, have come to hand. Fr. Murray's Editorial comments arc, as always, intelli
gent, informed and concise. Particularly stimulating in this issue are the views on Petain's Government, Italy's entry into the war, and an endorsement of one of our own " Week by Weeks " on Catholic citizenship.
The late Fr. Herbert Thurston's article on Pacts with the Devil discloses more of that wealth of collated knowledge and research which made this writer so outstanding a figure in Catholic letters.
Such pacts are rare and in any case do not bind, is Fr. Thurstou's conclusion after much fascinating citation of historical cases.
Fr. Martindale has contributed another of Ilk studies of the Old Testament in The Courtesy of Abraham.
In the current issue of the Irish Ecclesiastical Record of greatest interest to the layman is Mr. Denis Gwynn's Cardinal Bourne and Ireland, in which he vindicated that strangely attacked reputation of charges of snobbery, unapproachability and dislike of the Irish.
overtly oil our side: he will certainly never be overtly on the other.
Let us for heaven's sake get one thing into our heads. The Pope is the ruler of an in lisle kingdom whose subjects are to be mind wherever in this world a sea washes a shore It is in the interests of that domain Pius XII acts. It is the interests of this people which, as a master of papal diplomacy, he has studied all his life to serve and promote. He has not ceased to be a diplomat because he is now Pope as well; and the essence of diplomacy is making the best of a bad business.
" No one will ever know," said Pius XI, " what Pacelli has meant to me." Let us be chary then, about teaching thi great man his own business. When we long to hear from his lips some noble commendatiou of ourselves or condemnation of our enemies, let us at least consider that any such pronouncement might bring down upon unfortunate fellow-Catholics in other lands barbarous and murderous penalties still, thank God I unimaginable here.
Let us pray God for charity and understanding, and fortitude, not for comfort.
Thomas More on Money Grubbing
And of a truth while a man desireth riches not for any good godly purpose but for only worldly wealth, it must needs be that he shall have little conscience in the getting; but by all evil ways that he can invent shall labour to get them and then shall he either niggardly heap them up together (which is as you wot well damnable) or wastefully mis-spend them about worldly pomp, pride and flatters with occasion of many sins more. And that is yet much more damnable.