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226 THE SACRAMENTS AND THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH.
“How shall we alleviate you? if you are heavy, we are no joiners, to
plain you off.’ At these words the people burst out in laughing.
Then two actors one representing a priest, the other an exorcist came
in and sat at the side of his bed and asked: “Why did you send
for us, son?” Genesius answered, touched by the grace of God:
“T called for you to receive the grace of Christ (by this baptism
was understood in the early church).” When they performed the
sacrament and soldiers in their theatrical play dragged him before
the emperor to be questioned about the faith of Christ, he at once
changed the scene and addressed the emperor, the soldiers and the
people, confessing that though he had since slandered the Christians
and even despised his own parents for the Christian name, he was
sorry indeed for having done so and that as proud soldier he had
come at a late hour to the adoration of the true King.” The prefect
on hearing this ordered him instantly to be beheaded.*)
This legend shows how much the pagans despised and ridiculed
the Christians and their sacraments and how necessary it was to
hide the mysteries of faith before the eyes of the pagans.
In holy Scripture seven is a sacred number. Sevenfold were
the gifts of the Holy Ghost, imparted to the holy Apostles and to
all, who receive the sacrament of Confirmation in proper dispositions,
and sevenfold are the workings of the Holy Ghost in the human
soul through the sacraments to supply the various wants of the spi-
ritual life, corresponding to those of the temporal one.
1) To live a temporal life,,.we must be born. But we are born
in the state of original sin; therefore before we live the life of grace:
we must be cleansed from that guilt — receive a spiritual birth,
which is done in Baptism.
2) As in our temporal life we are for some time weak and
helpless infants; and we have to acquire strength to render us ca-
pable of our labours and duties: so in spiritual life we are first in a
spiritual infancy and as St. Paul says nursed with milk, but we have
to become strong and perfect Christians, for which more graces
are required — and these we receive in Confirmation.
3) As in our temporal life we must be frequently supplied with
nourishing food, to maintain life and strength: so in our spiritual
life we require for its maintenance and perfection a continual supply
*) Ruinart.
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