her little dwelling, she had to fly with St. Joseph into Egypt to save the life of the little Infant Jesus, whom the king’s officers were seeking to kill.  In Egypt they were strangers, among people not of their own nationality or religion, and St. Joseph must have found great difficulty in providing for them; yet they had to remain there for some time.  Then when our divine Lord was grown to manhood and could be a great comfort to His Mother, He was seized and put to death in her presence.  Her most beloved and innocent Son put to death publicly as a criminal before all her neighbors!  The same persons who insulted Our Lord would not hesitate to insult and cruelly treat His blessed Mother also.  At His death He left her no money or property for her support, but asked a friend, St. John, to receive her into his house and do Him the favor of taking care of her.  She must have often felt that she was a burden in that man’s house; that she had no home of her own, but was living like a poor woman on the charity of kind friends, for St. Joseph died before Our Lord’s public life began.  The Blessed Mother was, however, obliged to remain upon earth for about eleven years after Our Lord’s Ascension.  Thus we see her whole life was one of trials and sorrows.  Now certainly Our Lord loved His Mother more than any other son could; and certainly also He, being God, could have made His blessed Mother a queen upon the earth, rich and powerful among men, and free from every suffering or inconvenience.  If, then, He sent her sorrows and trials, it must have been because these were best for her, and because He knew that for this suffering here upon earth her happiness and glory in Heaven would be much increased; and as He wished her to have all the happiness and glory she was capable of possessing, He permitted her to suffer.  If, then, suffering was good for Our Lord’s Mother, it is good also for us; and when it comes we ought not to complain, but bear it patiently, as she did, and ask Our Lord to give us that grace.

365 Q. What is forbidden by the Fourth Commandment?  A. The Fourth Commandment forbids all disobedience, contempt, and stubbornness towards our parents or lawful superiors.

“Contempt.”  Showing by our words or actions that we disregard or despise those placed over us.  A man who is summoned to appear in court and does not come is punished for “contempt of court,” because he shows that he disregards the authority of the judge.  A thing not very bad in itself may become very bad if done out of contempt.  For example, there would be a great difference between eating a little more than the Church allows on a fast-day, simply because you were hungry, and eating it because you wanted to show that you despised the law of fasting and the authority of the Church.  The first would be only a venial sin, but the latter mortal.  So for all your actions.  An act which in itself might be a venial sin could easily become a mortal sin if you did it through contempt.  “Stubbornness”—­that is, unwillingness to give in, even when you know you are wrong and should yield.  Those who obey slowly and do what they are ordered in a sulky manner are also guilty of stubbornness.