The Irish standard., 1892-11-26

Int - hath, and bsyethE that deldr a
Mark, chap. is, y. !, This = not |
sin,b9ject 81 merely partial interest you;
IL Is ono Of vital, OF persona, q Individual
Importance. There 10 no one present.
whom it does not immediately concern;
no one who will not ia the course OF e /
few YET RS either lament his Indifference,
or rejoice in bis attention to this trans ls
cendant affair. When God made man. lal'
He certainly made him for some end and
purpose, for God never does anything
except when he has some end in view,
and as every thing that God does is done
for good end, surely then He must
have made man for happy destiny.
The end for which God intended man
was that man might know Him, love
Him and serve Him in this life, and be
happy with Him forever in the next; and
unless man cc-operates with God for
that end, man must suffer the loss OF his
eternal salvation. 5u
This cooperation, which is essential
for the salvation Of us all. requires two
Wills, two distinct actions, the will and
action Of God, our will and our action
corresponding with him; if you respond
promptly to His divine will, God will
grant you the graces by which you may
| be saved. You can be saved only by
His graces; but if you do not with your
own hands lay hold of these gra 90 and
correspond with them, there is no saliva
tion FOR you. For instance, if you saw
! man falling INTO the sea, and you offered
him your assistance, and if he accepts it,
you are able to save him, you are willing
to save him, you are anxious TO save
him; you have put actually into his
hands the means by which he may be
saved; but If he refuses to lay hold OF the
means of salvation, if he refuses the gift
which you have offered him, you cannot
force him, and so he is lost through his
own fault. So it is, my friends, with
many who refuse to consider the i'm
portance Of their salvation. They be-
come excessively engaged in the tenn
poral affairs of this life, so much so, that
they forget that they had beginning
| and that they will surely have an end.
They forget also that there is q God,
who is watching every thought, word
and action of theirs, and who is entering
the same either to their credit or dis
credit, on the book of eternal life.
Surely then, we should stop in this
mad haste for the goods of this earth, if
only for moment which may be the
saving Of our souls from everlasting
misery, and contemplate the goods which
we should store up for our eternal life,
How foolish are men who are entirely
occupied on earth in building for them
selves q miserable home, which will
perish in time, and who never place one
stone for the foundation of a perpetual
home with God. They resemble the
rich man mentioned in the Gospel &C
cording to St. Luke (chap. H., v. 49,,
who, having gathered an abundant har-
vest from his fields, said to himself:
s;5oul, thou hast much goods laid up for
many years, take thy rest, eat, drink,
make good cheer. But God said to him,
Chou fool, this Night do they require
| thy soul of thee; and whose shall these
| things be which thou hast provided" ~
So you see, my friends, it does not profit
man to gain the transitory goods OF
this earth, which will eventually fade
away, and lose his soul. Yet how often
| do mon go SO far in pursuit of the goods
and pleasures of this life that it may
called madness, for may call it such,
when they forget their duty to God, and
when they never give one thought to the
Importance of their salvation. They
never stop to consider whether their life
in the next world will be a'1ife of happi-
ness or Of misery. Such men Ego so far
as to say ssit viii bs TIME enough to at,
tend to their spiritual welfare, when the
time comes" But do they know when
the time will be, or how they will die?
Can they tell whether thsy will have
time to oonsidertne Importance Of their
salvation, or not2 ~ May snot God, with
just indignation, ssEike such men, dead
without momeat's warning, ahdspast
their souls into the abyss of heeAE2 2 Are
there any present who cauN4:sglll tSwhsql OF
how they will die? 4s2o, NY friends, fol
as St. Paul says: For, ourselves know
perfectly, that the day ofshe Lord shall
SO come. as thief inYthe might It will
be we'll for each and evslyone Of us to
have our lamps trimmed and full of OIL
for no one knows when the bridegroom
will come. You may attempt to fill your
lamps when it is too late and return tc
find the gate closed against you, then
our Lord will say: ''Amen. Amen, I say
to you, know you not; then and no,
till then, will you feel that anguish Of
| soul o,,1 n<,>,oo;aroa for8ro< Lo:~-