(7) “Peacemakers.”  If persons who try to make peace and settle disputes are called the children of God, those who, on the contrary, try to stir up dissensions should be called the children of the devil.  Never tell the evil you may hear of another, especially to the one of whom it was spoken; and never carry stories from one to another:  it is contemptible, and sinful as well.  If you have nothing good to say of the character of another, be silent, unless your duty compels you to speak.  Never be a child of the devil by exciting jealousy, hatred, or revenge in anyone; but on the contrary, make peace wherever you can, and be one of the children of God.

(8) “Suffer persecution.”  Therefore, when you are badly treated on account of your piety or religion, remember you are like the martyrs of your holy faith, suffering for virtue and truth, and that you will receive your reward.

186 Q. Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost?  A. The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity.

“Fruits,” the things that grow from the gifts of the Holy Ghost.  “Charity,” love of God and our neighbor, “Peace” with God and man and ourselves.  With God, because we are His friends.  With man, because we deal justly with all and are kind to all.  With ourselves, because we have a good conscience, that does not accuse us of sin.  “Benignity,” disposition to do good and show kindness.  “Long-suffering”—­same as patience.  “Modesty, continency, and chastity” refer to purity in thoughts, words, looks, and actions.

Lesson 17 ON THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

When Our Blessed Lord redeemed us, He applied the benefits of the Redemption in the Sacrament of Baptism.  By this Baptism He freed us from sin and the slavery of the devil; He restored us to God’s grace; He reopened for us Heaven; made us once more children of God:  in a word, He placed us in the condition in which we were before our fall through the sin of our first parents.  This was certainly a great kindness bestowed upon us, and one would think we would never forget it, and never more lose God’s friendship by any fault of ours; especially when we had seen the great miseries brought upon the world by sin, and had learned something of Hell where we would have been, and of Heaven which we would have lost, if Our Lord had not redeemed us.  Our Blessed Lord saw, however, that we would forget His benefits, and again, even after Baptism, go freely into the slavery of the devil.  How, then, could we be saved?  We could not be baptized again, because Baptism can be given only once.  Our good Lord in His kindness instituted another Sacrament, by which we could once more be freed from sin if we had the misfortune to fall into it after Baptism—­it is the Sacrament of Penance.  It is called the plank in a shipwreck.  When sailors are shipwrecked