Page 35 - pastoral-letters-sjm
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St. Joseph Marello - 1892
dren seems light. That is because our works and efforts of
themselves have no worth if God does not accompany and
strengthen them with his grace. Therefore, be active around your
children, pray for them with fervor and faith, make them pray
and become used to praying, and do not count as ill spent the
time taken in assisting and helping them in the recitation of their
daily prayers. Pray assiduously for yourselves, that God may
help you in the accomplishment of the serious duty of educating
your children well; for you are raising adorers of God, and
putting their soul on the way of salvation and maintaining them
there. It is a matter of your honor, even of your good, the good
of the Holy Church and of society itself: without prayer, who
could be assured of a joyful and happy result in such an
undertaking? What we say to you, O Christian parents, we say to
everyone: whoever wishes to fulfill zealously and fully, and
especially perseveringly, all their obligations, must trust in God
and pray; a humble and trusting prayer is never rejected by the
divine goodness. Therefore, pray in these sad and calamitous
times; pray for your temporal needs and for your eternal ones.
Pray for the Sovereign Pontiff, the beloved Father of the great
Christian family; ask the Lord to keep him for many more years
for our good and in our filial affection, and to fulfill his holy
desires by rendering fruitful his efforts for the reflourishing and
spreading of the Catholic faith, as well as for the triumph of
truth and justice throughout the world. Pray for our August
Sovereign, for the Royal Family and for the State authorities;
and may your charity, Venerable Brothers and Dearly Beloved,
make you pray also for us who wholeheartedly impart our
pastoral blessing.
Acqui, February 4, 1892
Giuseppe Bishop
Pietro Peloso, priest, secretary
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