Twenty-first Day.
The second duty of the husband and wife is conjugal love. The word conjugal means joined together, because husband and wife are united to bear the same burden. The Apostle says: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for it.”—Ephes. v. 25. Husband and wife are individuals whom God has joined in inseparable companionship. The greatest bond between mankind, and the sweetest one, is conjugal love, of which we are thinking on this day consecrated to the Holy Family. Keep this great duty before your eyes and never forget it, for it is easily destroyed. It is from that love, too, that should spring your children, who are to grow up to take your place in the Church and the State. These children you are to bring up in the fear and love of God, faithful to the Church and their fatherland. A tremendous responsibility!
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Twenty-second Day.
The husband is the main worker in the family, so that his duty is to provide for his family by his industry and economy. He must look for employment [pg 088] and strive to keep it, so as to have a never-failing source of income, by which his people may live in comparative comfort. There are husbands who will allow their wives and children to work, while they themselves live idle lives, which is the fashion of the untutored Indian. Not only must the husband work, but he must live in economy, and not throw his money away foolishly in gaming or in drunkenness. The most frequent cause of a husband and father's failure to provide for his family is drunkenness. Drunkenness causes woe, sin, sorrow and shame. Drunkenness besots the mind, and makes of an intelligent being a brute in his passions, and a fool in his actions; it extinguishes the spirit of God in him, all sentiments of religion are lost, the Church of God is despised and disgraced. Drunkenness does as much harm as the greatest vices, bringing ruin with it whenever indulged in.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.