purest instincts of our hearts, all the best impulses of our souls and spirits, find their habitation there; and surely there too, in the atmosphere of home affections, love to our dear Lord must ever gild and glorify the love of friends and kindred round our hearth.

Ah! but is it so? If it were, surely the anxious, careworn spirit which destroys the joy of home life would disappear; surely the quarrelsome spirit which disturbs the peace of our home would be gone; surely the unsympathizing spirit which judges and condemns another man and so dispels the happiness of home life, would no longer find a place among us; surely the rebellious spirit which leads the young to disobedience and contempt of authority, and so upsets the order of our homes, would never exist there; surely the spirit of envy and jealousy, which, in the little affairs of every-day life, interrupts

the kindliness and charity of our home life, would be cast out for ever.

Even our life in the sacredness of our home, fails to testify as it should, to our love to Jesus.

We are told that "perfect love casteth out fear." Yes, because perfect love casteth out self, and love of self it is which causes us to fear where we should trust, to doubt where we should believe, to be "careful and troubled about many things" where we should be resting in perfect love and faith at our Saviour's Feet, "casting all our care on Him.

"Who is among you that feareth the Lord that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon His God."

If we love the Lord, if we realize all that He hath done for us, if we follow His sacred steps from the manger in Bethlehem to the

Cross on Calvary, can we not trust our dear ones to His care, and rest secure in the promise that He will "make all things to work together for good to them who love Him."

So only can we exorcise the anxious, careworn spirit which destroys the joy of our home life. We all know that spirit well; in every home it finds a place, and where its influence is felt, joy and gladness flee away. What are we to do? What will become of us? How can we go on? How are we to get on? How are we to live? What should we do if this were to happen, or that? Are not these the mournful burden of our constant wailing song? And the, sorrow-laden, fretful notes fill the air, and the happy songs of home are hushed; a dull, misty cloud seems to rest over our hearth, and to shut out all the brightness and the light, because we do not "trust in the Lord" and "stay upon our God."

Oh! see how often the dreaded trouble disappears, or the threatened cross turns out to be the greatest blessing, or the future we looked forward to with horror, proves, when it is present, to be the brightest season in our lives!

If, instead of moaning over possible and probable troubles, we could look away to Him "Who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows," if we loved Him, the voices of praise and thanksgiving would rise from our home-altars day by day, and the cloud of distrust, and fear, and complaining, would never cast its baneful shade over our hearths again.

Another spirit which invades our homes and makes our love grow cold, is the spirit of rebellion and disobedience. This is not confined to the younger members of our families, but each, in his degree, refuses to be controlled, refuses to submit to authority,

refuses to obey. The elders ask, Why should I give in to such or such a doctrine or precept of the Church, when my judgment does not approve it? The young ones follow their example, and say, Why should I be guided by the old-world notions of my elders ? I have better opportunities of learning and understanding than they had, and what I deem to be right, I will do.

"He went down to Nazareth, and was subject unto them." The Lord, the Maker of the universe, went with His lowly earthly parents, with the humble Maiden whose only glory and honour it was to call Him Son, and with S. Joseph her espoused husband, a carpenter, a man of no standing or repute. He went with them to their lowly village home, and for nearly thirty years He lived with them and was "subject unto them," and thus He taught us how to secure a happy and a peaceful life at home.