Christ Knocks

"Behold I stand at the gate and knock," says the Lord in the Apocalypse.

     An artist has painted this scene.  In the picture Christ stands before a door and raises His hand to knock upon it.  The artist's little son, looking at the painting, said:  "Daddy, there is a mistake in the picture."  "What mistake?" asked the father.  The boy answered:  "There isn't any latch on the door to let the man in."  "Son," replied the father, "what seems to be a mistake here, really shows the truth.  That man is the Lord God.  the door opens into the human heart.  They key is on the inside.  The door must be opened from the inside before our Lord is able to enter."

     This little episode is so true that it makes a simple yet great teaching.  The latch on the inside is our free will.  God could have made, if He wished, a different kind of world than He actually made.  He could have chosen to come otherwise than as a little weak Babe.  He could have come as a powerful king.  But as a matter of fact He chose to give us free will whereby we ourselves play a part in the Redemption.  We accept Him or refuse Him accordingly as we freely open or close the inside latch on the door of our heart.

     Unto His own He comes this Christmas just as He came the first night when the angels' voices broke out in song over the hills of Bethlehem.  Whether he finds a place in the inn of our beings or not remains our decision to make.  We are the innkeepers to have and to hold, or to turn Him away and hear recorded once again those tragic, terrifying words, "And His own received Him not."

     Walking down a prominent avenue in a great city during the Advent days just preceding Christmas, and enjoying the sights of the decorations, the holly and wreaths and festive cheer, a priest was looking particularly for scenes descriptive of the real spirit of the season.  His eye was attracted to a beautiful Madonna and Child.  It was set off by splendid a display of rich ornamentation.  This was seen in a jewelry shop of Fifth Avenue in New York City, and before the Mother and Babe was a long golden chain and cross, evidently of very great value.  Adjacent to this were many articles of shining brilliance.  And then a card neatly drawn with these words:  "Jewelry has always been considered the supreme gift."

     It was a beautiful display magnificently appointed and quite dramatically arranged.  Perhaps, that is the reason why it left the viewer in a mood for thought.  The priest could not help but think quite at variance with the inscription "jewelry - supreme gift." 

     With all due regard to the creative mind of the artist who displayed his wares and so beautifully arranged the setting with Mother and Child, with proper acknowledgment, too, that we usually measure our affection by the priceless gift we present - yet, withal, the supreme gift is not to be found in silver or gold, nor indeed is it to be discovered in anything this world prizes.  The supreme gift is Christ Himself - the Incarnate God, the Eucharistic Presence - "Greater love no man hath...."  The supreme gift is the one God gave to us over 1900 years ago, and He continues to give to us today in His Eucharistic life upon our altars.

     The "supreme gift" comes from above:  "Pour out ye heavens the dew from above and let the clouds rain the just one."  The supreme gift is love of God and neighbor.  Upon this depend all other gifts.  If I have the goods of earth I can purchase the jewels of time.  But not all the world's money can purchase pure love where it does not exist.  In this sense the God-fearing laborer is richer than the kings of earth with cold hearts - Mary and Joseph are richer than all the Herods and Pilates who wear uneasy crowns.

     Do we ever stop to think how little pure love of God there is in the world.?  By pure love of God we mean loving Him for His own sake!  When we are motivated by fear of losing heaven and deserving hell, we are moved by selfish interests rather than divine love.  This is love worthy of redemption, but it is not the highest type of love.

     When we pray to Mary, Help of Christians and Mother of Christ, we are often flying to her patronage because we know she can help us from our difficulty.  Were we to seek her company and intercessory aid even in time of joy and contentment, then, indeed we could count ourselves as true children of Mary and lovers of her Son.

     Christmas is the season of contrast.  God gives His all to us.  We bargain with Him.  Could we not hold on just a little to the jewels of earth, we ask?  They seem so priceless, so supreme!  These jewels may be silver or gold.  They may be a thousand different things!  But to all of us they represent the difference between accepting Christ or compromising Him.  "Unto His own He came and" ... we are writing the remaining lines deep down in the secret recesses of our hearts.  What are we writing? - How are we living?  We know that St. John tells us, "His own received Him not!"

     Christ knocks!  The latch is on the inside!  Only beings with free will, such as we, can open the door to the inn of our hearts - and if we do, our joy is hundredfold!

     Jesus, Mary, Joseph, comes take rest in the Inn of my Heart.
     Hewn out of the rock of my daily living, it offers but little shelter.
     Kings and queens of earth would never find time for the monotony
     of my thoughts, nor would they company themselves with such lowliness
     as my heart offers.
     Yet, You, all-holy three, are willing to dwell with me.
     Joseph, humble man of carpentry, teach me to accept God's holy will.
     Mary, mother of Christ, show yourself a mother to me.
     Jesus, Babe of Bethlehem, come into my soul Eucharistically.
     Do You, all-holy three, come, possess my heart, give peace on earth
     good will to men!

Listen - God Speaks Softly

ow in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.  And when the angel had come to her, he said: 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women.'  When she had seen him she was troubled at his word, and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be.  And the angel said to her:  'Do not be afraid, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.  And behold thou shalt conceive in they womb and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he shall be king over the house of Jacob forever; and of his Kingdom there shall be no end.'

     "But Mary said to the angel, 'How shall this happen, since I do not know man?'

    "And the angel answered and said to her:  'The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God...'

"But Mary said:  'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to they word.'  And the angel departed from her."

     This is the narrative of the Gospel according to St. Luke wherein we have the first singing of the Ave Maria  by an angel.  A virgin takes up the beautiful strains and accepts the summons of grace.  An invitation is given through an angel, and Mary is receptive and graciously accedes to God's will.

     This story of the Annunciation is related not once by many times.  In the life of every man and woman born into the world there is an annunciation of the angel of God.  God's grace is poured forth from heaven into every soul.  All too often the story is very different from Mary's.  Grace is spurned.  Souls are not found in the attitude of prayer as was Mary.  They are not on their knees.  Their hearts are not as was the immaculate heart of Mary, attuned to the loving heart of God.  The voice of the angel is drowned out by the noise of the world and the distractions of modern living.

     During these Advent days God is sending His angel of grace to drop the seed of inspiration to Christian living into our hearts.  We must till the soil by prayer and penance if the seed would take root.  We must be on our knees, like Mary, and in the silence of our chamber, in reflection must we be found if the angel is to be heard above the tumultuous riot of noise and distraction which characterizes our day.  

     The important thing about the annunciation of Mary is that she heard in silence the invitation.  She reflected and then accepted.  Acceptance of God's inspiration depends upon us.  God never, never forces our wills!  We are not conditioned by grace.  We are free to refuse.  Therein is the story of salvation.

     God comes into the world as He did at Bethlehem and knocks upon the inn of human hearts.  Angels like Gabriel are sent by God as His messengers from heaven.  They give us the gravitation of heaven.  They set a tugging or pulling of our hearts.  They move us to good by gentle reminders and holy inspirations. 

But they never force our souls !

     With every annunciation, it is sad to say, there is the possibility of a renunciation of grace.  Acceptance requires the work of a good life and the practice of virtue.  Hence, Advent penance and prayer are a prerequisite if we are to imitate Mary.  Angels' songs are sweet to contemplate.  Ave Marias are pleasant to hear.  But we must do our part and add our share to the angels' task.  We are men and women of flesh and blood and have been created just a little less than the angels.  We must strive for perfection that we may be in a position like Mary to say:  Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum -

"Be it done unto me according to thy word."

     During this final week of preparation for Christmas, let our prayer be, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."  The Psalmist reminds us, "If, today, you hear His voice, harden not your heart."

     Christmas takes us back in memory to Bethlehem and to Nazareth.  The story of Bethlehem is the tale of God's obedience.  He was obedient to the will of the Father in assuming human form in order to placate divine justice.  Mary continues the procession of divine love, she places her heart at the disposal of God's movements of grace.  Without her obedience the angel's song would have been discordant.  Without God's great act of humility in coming to Bethlehem, there would have been no Redemption.  And without man's submission to God's will in imitation of Mary's response at Nazareth there can be no peace on earth.

     Bethlehem or Nazareth is not an incident of history.  It is repeated every time God comes to hearts that are opened to receive Him.  In this year of grace as we prepare for Christmas we are making history.  There is always an annunciation, for God give grace to all creatures.  Please and pray God, may there be less renunciations!

PRAYER

O Jesus, Savior of the world, who came to men in the weakness of a Babe, teach us that the greatest lessons are learned by humble souls.  When the noice of the world would distract us, teach us to fall upon our knees, like humble shepherds and lowly fishermen.  When angels' songs break the silence of our souls, help us to be like Mary, and to say, "Speak, Lord.  Thy servant heareth.  Be it done as Thou wilt."  And lest my aspiration to higher things be but wishful thinking, help me, O Lord, to till the soil of my heart by prayer and penance, that my soul be receptive and the seed take root.

 

     

Tune In Heaven

n the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina:  under the high -priests Annas and Caiphas:  the word of the Lord came unto John the son of Zacharias, in the desert.  And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the Prophet :  'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill be brought low:  the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain:  and all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Lk. 3:1-6).

Holy Mother The Church has thus far been teaching us to prepare for the Advent of Jesus by salutary fear, by inspired courage, by joyful peace, and now, as we stand almost at the threshold of the cave of Bethlehem, we are exhorted to prepare the way of the Lord by prayer and penance.  Those who wish to enter into the very presence of God must be holy.  That is why we are urged to do penance.  Only "fools rush in where angels fear to tread."  All nature and life itself attest to the fact that mortification and penance are necessary.  On Gaudete Sunday we learned that all joy is purchased at the price of sorrow and the crown of heaven won only by a penitential carrying of a cross.

    The little seedling must be buried in the ground and die to self before it can bring forth the beauty of a rose and perfume a garden of earth.  Students must assiduously apply themselves to the task at hand if they ever wish to communicate knowledge to others.  Mothers must endanger their lives in order to replenish the earth with babes that make for us a veritable heavenly nursery.  Doctors must, by long vigils of study and work, prepare before they may be entrusted with the care of human bodies.  Priests must be sanctified and grounded in learning so as to account themselves, as St. Paul tells us in the Advent epistle, "as ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God."  Only then are they to be entrusted with the care of immortal souls.  In other words, in any life whatsoever, preparation is necessary and penance is the "divine" preparation.  "Unless the seed falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone, but if it die it beareth much fruit."  Unless we are willing to do penance and to prepare for Christ's coming, we cannot hope to be His disciples nor to find the journeying star that leads to His joyous crib.

     St. Luke warns us in the Advent Gospel, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths."  This preparation of penance is to be made, as St. John exemplified, by our actions, for actions speak louder than words.

     When a distinguished visitor is announced at your door, do you not make it a point to be sure that you are prepared to meet him?  Do you not take pains to see that the home is properly appointed and all is ready?  Holy Mother the Church announces today:  "The Lord is nigh; come, let us adore."  Christ the Lord is coming.  He is nigh even at your doorsteps.  The prophets announced His coming, and yet some of the Jews were unprepared.  The Church announces again His Advent, and will it be said of you that "unto His own He came and His own received Him not"?  Are you preparing by penance for the arrival of the King?  Is it not possible that you miss the sweet inspirations of God's grace unless you are "attuned" to God's message?

     Picture in your mind's eye a person seated at a radio or a television set that is not tuned in to a station transmitting beautiful philharmonic music.  Such a person missed entirely the program.  Picture again a Catholic not at all solicitous about the penance of Advent nor the beautiful story being told by Holy Mother Church.  Such a one is not "attuned" to the spirit of the liturgy nor to the sweet whisperings of grace and God's inspirations in the soul, and he may entirely miss the message of Advent and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

     Members of Christ's Mystical Body, hearken to the "sweetest story ever old" by the greatest mother of them all!  The story is God's becoming man.  The mother is the Catholic Church.  Today she makes a last effort to enliven our faith, to increase our devotion and our preparation by penance for the coming of Jesus Christ.  As a stimulus to our faith and devotion she asks us to look to the new crib of Bethlehem, to the altar, to the snow-white manager of a corporal.  A golden chalice rests upon it.  Perhaps, we have seen a nugget of gold when first mined from the earth.  It is dark, grimy, and covered with dirt.  Yet the miner who knows its value cherishes it, refines it, purifies and ennobles it, until one day it is returned to its proper state - shining, brilliant, pure gold!  It is, then, perhaps, molded into a chalice or ciborium and, being consecrated to God's service, it holds the sacred species of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.  Likewise, our hearts are gold, and more precious indeed since redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God.  We should therefore endeavor to purify our hearts and souls during this holy season of Advent and to sanctify them by the reception of our divine Lord in Holy Communion.

PRAYER

Blessed Saviour of men, the view of Calvary from afar is forbidding.  The way of prayer and penance is not easy.  There is only one way to Mount Calvary and that is to follow You, step by step.  To look up the hill of Calvary takes great courage of heart - so give me the grace to stay close to You and accompany You each step of the journey.  Bethlehem is but the first step to Calvary.  Take me by the hand of grace and teach me to walk with Mary, that my life may be good and worthy of redemption.

Ember Saturday

Fidelity to Christ

It was once reported to Alexander the Great that one of his soldiers had behaved cowardly in the face of an enemy.  "What is your name?" the conquering Emperor asked the trembling solider.  "Alexander," the man answered.  The Emperor then said to him:  "Do you know that is my name, too?  Either change your name or change your behavior."

How many, today could be reproached with their repudiating Christ's principles and yet retaining the name of Christian.  How many there are, today, who avow themselves followers of the Nazarene, but hardly live in accordance with the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.  they refuse to forgive as their Captain Christ forgave even His enemies as they nailed Him to a tree.

     Since the days of the so-called Reformation the world has been trying to live on the patrimony of Christian culture while denying some of the foremost teachings of Christ.  The world has tried the experiment of compromising norms- of being Christian without Christ.  The distinctly Protestant notion that human nature is corrupt and that Christ's merits simply cover up the evils present in men's souls has found many a follower.  The danger of such a belief is that it prompts men to look upon Christ as the scapegoat who was offered up for the sins of mankind as a satisfaction to the Eternal Father, forgetting that salvation requires man's co-operation.  Redemption means an application of Christ's merits to our souls.  But this requires a response on our part to God's grace.

     In such a world where men wish to be known as Christian but refuse to obey the mandates of the Christian moral code there is a great confusion and little contentment. This defection of the human mind and will has been in progress for so long a time that we have come to face a world that has lost faith in God, and consequently confidence in its fellow men.

     The State has usurped the place of God, and man becomes a mere tool and pawn of tyrants.  Humanity is asked to accept as the ideal order a State, the ruler of man's body and soul.

     Somewhere in this world there is the voice of Christ heard in His Vicar.  He speaks not only to those who recognize him as the Vicar of Jesus Christ.  He speaks to all the children of men who have need of his direction.  The Pope placed emphasis on the moral principles which alone will save the human race from destruction.  He makes a plea for the rights of the individual man upon which all well-ordered society rests.  He insists that the personal integrity of man must not be violated by any State.  For these same rights and the dignity of man are granted not by any human power, but are infused by God.

     Thus, the Victor of Christs pleads for fidelity to the Savior of the human race.  The Pope is pleading with men for a return to Christian principles and a restoration of the natural law.  Our modern world, while retaining the name of Christian, has done much to destroy the very foundations of Christian society.

     We look today, then, not for a new philosophy of life nor a new economic theory.  We look for no superman to lead us from a world threatened with destruction of wicked men.  We look only up to God and pray that the words of His lawful representatives will be heeded, so that soon peace may reign in our land and in all the world, a peace with justice gained through fidelity to Christ.  This should be our special intention on this Ember Day, for prayer can be our "widow's mite" in helping to obtain peace on earth which is the reward to men of good will.

                                                                        

RAYER

O Lord, inspire rulers and peoples with grace to see the errors of the past and to resolve to live the Christian life in the future.  Heal the discord of nations.  Grant that Your precious  blood, shed for all mankind, may prompt their hearts to forgive and to build a world where love may reign again.

                                                                         

Ember Friday

                                                      Peace and Stars

In the windows in many homes the Christmas star of Bethlehem will be companioned by the gold star of the service flag.  Side by side will appear the reminders of peace and war, of life and death.

     In a confused world men look for some blueprint that they might get started aright again, for some beam to set them back on their course, for some star with which to set their compass of life.

     Today is a well-nigh Christmas again, the day on which was born the Prince of Peace.  But, alas, the world knows no peace.  It is is confused beyond measure with threats of war, cold war, and class warfare.

     Today the Church announces again the glad tidings of joy.  In so doing, she acts not like a fool, who says, "All is well, all is well," when beneath there is a raging torrent of hatred and evil.  No!  The Church alone of all the institutions of our day is able to speak of peace, because she alone is the ambassador of the Prince of Peace.  She bears His unchanging credentials.

     The Church has experienced her Good Friday.  Like a man who has survived a dreaded disease and, having once gone down to the valley of suffering, has built up a resistance to the germ, the Church in even a  more salutary way than this has suffered her defeats in a persecution and crucifixion and she will divinely survive all the hatreds of the world which breed wars and global holocausts.

     Hence, only a divinely inspired institution like the Church of God can talk of peace in a world at war.  What assurance can men give of sustained harmony among nations?  Built upon the fallible word of man, treaties melt away like snowflakes once they fall upon the anvil fire of human perversity.  Only upon the infallible truths of God revealed through His Church can we safely rest our future security.  As a man's word with a woman in holy wedlock can be respected only when welded through God's sacrament, so the bonded word of nations wedded in treaties of peace can be lasting value only when rested upon the infallible truth of God and cemented through the Church's dispensation.
    
     Men are confused as they talk of peace and continue plans of war, but the Church is calm.  God's justice and peace must eventually reign.  Hence the Church can speak of Christmas stars over Bethlehem and gold stars in our American homes at one and the same time without confusion.  The Church can speak of resurrection even though it be Good Friday, for the Church is not of this world.  Even while the world seems to be slipping from beneath her feet can she speak of Christ and God and peace eternal.  The world shall pass away, but not so the eternal Mystical Spouse of Christ, not so all those members of that Mystical Body that share its life.  To all mothers who bear in their hearts the old star of a son's sacrifice the Church speaks of another Mother who brought life to the world beneath  Bethlehem's starry skies, of another Mother who gave life and saw it die in crucifixion and then rise again in glory.  So shall it be with all life that suffers defeat - if incorporated with the life of Christ, it shall rise again!  The stars that were blue in loyalty and have now turned gold in undying death bear hope to mothers' hearts when viewed in the light of the heavens and Bethlehem's star.  Not confusion here, but order and peace of soul is the reward for all those who find their way to the crib and the feet of Christ.

RAYER

Babe of Bethlehem, guard us against the confused error of the world mistaking earthly possession for heavenly reward.  Guide our lives by Your star.  Surrounded by temptation, circumvented by worldliness, teach us to ordain all things to our eternal end - glory to God, peace to mean of good will.

                                                                     

Third Thursday of Advent

                                              Peace Through Christ

How shall Godless men ever set this world aright? Such seek peace by means of war.  This is never a solution.  The mightier  rules simply by force and not by justice. True peace must be founded upon God as the Supreme Being and mankind as His brotherly children. If, therefore, a nation be Godless, we cannot hope to find peace by aligning our cause to it. First we must seek the Kingdom of God and His justice and all else shall be added thereunto.

     The peace of our hearts at Advent time must be a Christlike quest, for only in Christ shall we find a true foundation for our hopes.  All else is ephemeral and not lasting.  The peace of Christ is won by prayer and sacrifice.

     The peace of Christs is the peace of Christmas which follows the season of penitential Advent.  The lesson of Gaudete Sunday too, is that joy is purchased at the price of penance and heaven is won by the warriors who carry a cross.

     The peace of Christ is not the peace of one nationality lording it over another because of a mightier army or a more powerful banking system. Alas, all such power, being founded upon very unstable bases, is bound to pass away.  The peace of Christ, which is the fruit of justice, can be brought to pass only when the principles of the Master, found in the Gospels and enunciated by the Vicar of Christ, are practiced by all nations seeking our common end, namely, God's glory and man's eternal destiny. This end requires curtailment of selfish ends. It means a curbing of national pride when that pride oversteps its bounds by infringing upon the rights of other nations. Greed is the cancer that has eaten away at the very vitals of men and nations, and only the healing hand of the divine Physician can reach down and, getting at the cause of our troubles, cut it way. Human diplomacy and ingenuity can never restore peace unless it is based and founded upon God.

     This brings us to the second much needed element in the attainment of peace, namely, prayer.  Says the poet, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of," but prayer is not the fruit of a worldly generation. Prayer is man's inmost conversation with God. With so much emphasis on man and so little emphasis on God, prayer becomes a forgotten instrument in the attainment of peace. For the spirit becomes secondary to the material in the life of a modern worldling until prayer, being neglected, becomes dead and buried.

     Pope Pius XII promised France his understanding, sympathy, and encouragement in her struggle to recover from the war when he received the credentials of the French ambassador to the Holy See. It is comforting to read, too, the spiritual reflection of the ambassador, who said that since the expectations of earthly help had been vain, France was now turning toward a more enduring source of comfort. The ambassador said that France "adheres to the peace of the Holy Father as so often invoked and defended." The French people, said the Holy Father, would find nowhere "a more prompt co-operation, a more intimate sympathy, a more sincere encouragement than the common Father of all the faithful."

RAYER

Blessed Savior, who came into the world on Christmas Day to bring peace to all mankind, behold we, Your suppliant children, implore You to give us peace - the peace which the world cannot give, the peace of justice, the peace of charity, the true eternal peace of Christ which leads to everlasting life.

                                                             

Ember Wednesday

Purposeful Sacrifice

The Church asks us to accept sacrifice voluntarily and to consecrate our pains by placing them at the foot of the crucifix.  This is a pattern for Advent as well as for Lent, for both are penitential seasons.

      There is a question as old as man himself, spoken in as many languages as there are peoples in the world, and yet one that still is asked in quest of an answer:  "Why does God send me suffering?:  Sometimes the question is presented in the form of a problem:  "Why should the good suffer while the bad and the wicked seem to prosper?"  The real problem might be summed up by asking how can we reconcile suffering and sin with God's goodness; or, again, why should God the Father freely create a world and creatures that would fall away and require a Redemption in the sufferings of His only beoggtten Son?  We shall endeavor to seek
a satisfactory answer to the problem in our meditation this Advent Wednesday.

     Our holy faith alone can answer these questions.  Unaided reason is unavailing.  Search as far and as long as we will, the answer still eludes us, unless we turn to faith and revelation.  We have to look to the teachings of Christ!  The human mind can plumb no further the mysteries of God, but faith in God and our Lord Jesus Christ enables us to rise superior to the limitations of finite reasoning and see -- through the mists and shadows -- the unerring wisdom and benevolent will of God.  That is sufficient for our quest.  This was the course Christ outlined for us when He walked the earth in human form.  He did not attempt to extirpate evil from the kingdom of the world at large.  He left that for time to come.  Instead, He preached to sinners the way of penance.  He preached to Pharisees. Though He knew they were whited sepulchers with stony hearts, He tolerated them to the very end.  This is the attitude of the Church and her faithful members. Endure both the wicked and the good - "suffer both to grow until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers:  Gather up first the cockle, and bind it in bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn."

     We should remember, too, that God's goodness is not infringed upon by the possibility of evil. When man has rightly used that which God has given, him - and man always has sufficient grace to overcome evil - then God rewards him. God, therefore, fulfills all justice.

     We cannot refrain from referring to a beautiful story written on the problem of evil in the world. The novel was written by the late Owen Francis Dudley, entitled The Shadow on the Earth. The cross is the shadow on the earth.  In the narrative the author depicts two characters:  one is a cripple who has lost the use of his limbs through an accident in the Alpine Mountains; the other, a man who has become a confirmed atheist and who tries to convince the suffering companion that there is no God, and if there were, He certainly would not permit him to suffer.

     The story is beautifully worked out to a hopeful and happy conclusion, showing the childlike faith and simplicity of the cripple, whose suffering served only to confirm his faith, while the man who was more prosperous from a worldly viewpoint, grew cynical and depressed.  The spirit of the cripple was ennobled and uplifted by suffering.  The shadow on the earth, the cross, is his hope and his salvation!  One man lost his ability of going from place to place on earth through physical handicap; the other lost his faith which would have given him ability to climb toward heaven and would have pierced the clouds and given understanding of the problem of suffering.

     The cross of Christ is indeed "a yoke that is sweet and a burden that is light."  It is a blessed shadow on the earth, but the shadow of the all-protecting hand of the all-wise and provident God. For just as a cloud in the heavens sometimes obscures the sun, and leaves the earth darkened and shadowed, so oft-times a cross darkens the light of happiness in our own lives and temporarily closes out the sight of an all-wise God. Though we may temporarily fail to enjoy the shadowy clouds and raindrops and dewdrops of earth, we realize that they give growth to the things that gladden our hears and eventually become our food. Likewise, if it were not for the pain of mothers repeopling the earth with hearts of children - if it were not for the pains and crosses of life, we could never enjoy the joys and felicities that make life worth living! The answer to all our sorrows and the answer to the so-called problem of evil lies in a deeper faith a firmer trust in the goodness of God. It lies in repeating the prayer of the suffering Christ:  "Father, if Thou wilt, remove this chalice from Me:  but yet, not My will, but Thine be done."  Sacrifice, then, when purposeful, has real meaning and worth, for it leads to the peace of soul which we are seeking through Christ, our Lord.

rayer

     Dear Jesus, when my life seems to have a greater share of thorns than rose petals, teach me the lesson of Gethsemane, where You accepted the chalice through prayer to Your heavenly Father.

     My will is weak, my resolution is not firm, but strengthen them and teach me the ways and means to kneel and pray even in the darkness of Gethsemani and Calvary, that I may grow to love sacrifice as my Captain, who You are.

                                                                      

Third Tuesday of Advent

     Fear Not

Hours of mental anguish can be transmuted into hours of accomplishment by the alchemy of love, if the pain is offered in atonement for sins and in reparation for offenses committed against God.  This can be done by individuals in pain and by nations as a whole when the world is suffering the agony of war and witnessing some of the darkest hours of all human history.  Many a gold star in a service flag denotes the sacrifice of mothers who have given sons to the cause, and of families that have have lost the shepherding hand of a kindly father.
     When the moon hides the face of the sun it is an interesting phenomenon of nature to witness as the earth is darkened by shadow, but there is no one nowadays who is fearful of such an occurrence, for we have learned to know that it is only a passing eclipse and that the sun will soon give its light to cheer the heart of man.  We know that the moon is only a satellite receiving its light from the sun, and after a few fleeting moments the sun will be seen shining in all its brilliance, giving to earth its benediction of light and heat without which we would not live.

     Thus, when the darkness of war casts a shadow across the earth, eclipsing for the moment the brightness of peace, some are fearful, for they lack the assurance and light of faith which is a comfort in times of darkest mental anguish.  They have grown accustomed to living according to the way of the world.  When the lights go out all over the world there is no further hope for them beyond this vale of shadows.  It is not so, however, with the faithful.  Through prayer and a deep abiding belief the man of faith continues to place his trust not in earthly princes but in an all-provident God.  He is aware that man and not God is accountable for the woes of the world and that they are caused by sin!  Thus it is that he offers the agony of heart and the distressing moments of war in prayerful attitude to the Almighty as atonement for his sins and those of mankind.

     The man of faith, in whose heart is the grace of God, believes that Christ is the Light of the World.  Although the darkness of evil on Calvary seemed to blacken out the divine light, yet the man of faith is aware that no human power, however strong, can long withstand divinity's hand.

     The world's excitement, its race to arm men with the weapons that kill, its greed for money and for pleasure have left a deep mark upon our day and age.  Only spiritual remedies can go deep enough to effect a radical change, and only spiritual leadership can help cure our present ills.

     The speed of our day with its love for distraction has seeped way down into the very hearts and souls of men.  It is not just something characteristic of the day.  It is almost an intrinsic quality of our hearts.  It is not the plane or atom that speeds.  It is the heart of man that has learned how speedily to kill.  Spiritual ideals inculcated again in human hearts alone can root out the present evils and give the plan for a better, safer, and a more peaceful world.  A quiet visit to the sick, a prayer uttered in a wayside chapel, a helping hand, an hour made holy before the Eucharistic King, a morning prayer, a fast broken only at the altar with the Eucharistic Lord - such as these must be learned by the children of men if a more peaceful life is to be lived by the followers of the Prince of Peace.  This opportunity is offered each of us during the Advent season - to watch and pray with Christ and Mary and Joseph.

     To inculcate in the minds of the faithful the need for prayer and sacrifice, the Church has set aside special days, called Ember Days, on which these should be practiced in thanksgiving to God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.  We should prepare and resolve to perform some special act in the spirit of the Ember triduum during Advent, which begins tomorrow.

RAYER

Dear Lord,You promised not to leave us orphans and You have given us a Father on earth in our Holy Father to guide our steps and inspire our hearts.  Today we pray for him through the intercession of our Lady, Queen of Peace.  Give strength to him and abundant grace to give this world spiritual aid.