tion of the sacraments. the theologians say, “ex opere operato,” and that are rewarded hereafter with eternal glory. Thus, for instance, if I am in the state of grace, and confess my sins again with true sorrow and contrition, and am again absolved from them, I merit a new degree of sanctifying grace and heavenly glory, not merely on account of my contrition and humble confession, but also through the virtue of the sacrament, which immediately through the merits of Christ, without any work of mine so far, confers new merit on me. Of all the other sacraments the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar has most power in this respect when one receives it worthily; partly because its proper effect is to increase sanctifying grace in the soul, partly because Jesus Christ, who comes to us, God and Man, as our Guest, for our good, acts on the occasion like a wealthy prince who, as beseems his high personality, gives away not copper money, but gold and silver, and that too with the utmost liberality; and that we may all the more easily enjoy His generosity He has made this sacrament the easiest of all to be received, penance alone excepted. Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders can be received validly but once in a life-time, and Extreme Unction but once during the same dangerous illness; Matrimony can be received but once, except one of the married couple dies. But the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and Penance can be repeated and received as of ten as we wish,—every month, every week, nay, frequently during the week. What else can be the object of such a beautiful invention of the divine generosity if not to entice us to receive that sacrament often, that we may thus drink more deeply at the living fountain of grace, enrich our souls more and more with merit, and make our future glory in heaven greater and greater?
Our merits cannot be lessened by venial sin.
Sixthly, what should be a source of great consolation for us, God has ordained that the merits which we have accumulated by our good works during life, or that have been granted us out of the treasure of Christ in the reception of the sacraments, can never be lessened in the least by any venial sin or imperfection or fault whatever. Mark this, my dear brethren. Venial sin is an offence against God and deserves temporal punishment, but it does not take away sanctifying grace either in part or altogether, even if our small sins surpassed in number the sands on the sea-shore. All the sanctifying grace that we have once collected and accumulated belongs to us always, as long as we do not make