Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-06-28
OWES SEEING POWER.

3eNe 0urying.- xiv. s.
\ SIhe most beautiful things ever done
49, been those done by women. Men
gave done heroic acts. so have women.
Bnt ia the heroism of women there has
often been q sweet and enhancing beau
~ that has covered the hard, rigorous.
Severe lines of naked heroiSm. Tender
ness and love have been the setting of
then heroic deeds. ami the rugged. heroic
act which would in man stand forth in a
cold isolation is entWined by woman with
sweet attractivCneSs that warns while
1t inspires. Their love wraps round some
stern act of self-d2uial or sclf-sacu6ce
as the softnesS of the yclvety moss COW
Crs the gnarled and rugged oak. The
words | have quoted in the text refer 10
such an act of woman, one doubtless of
large seif-6enial. but SO peryadcd by self
forgettal love, 50 lost in a passion OF
selfabandonmcut. that one in gazing on
the moving picture is Swayed by the
beauty, love and gracious kindliness Of
the act. rather than impressed by It's
heroism.
But, furthermore. the heroic act TO
which l refer reads us another lesson
than that of beauty. Ii teaches pro-
fonndy the seeing power of love. Look
at the picture as St. Mark, the gospel
thinner, paints it, and see this lesson.
The Savior is dining with Simon in
bethany. \ proud company is doubtless
present. He is receiving at meat after
the manner of the Orientals. and a sim
ple-hearted loving being, not learned in
controversies about duty, or wise in the
oretic ethics or exercised in subtle qucs-
tions of conduct, comes into the room
with box of precious ointment of spike
nard She is only woman who was
devoted to Christ She loved the great
Spiritual Being before her. and she want
ed to express her love in some way that
might be somewhat adequate All love
wants to express itself. 1t is Of the very
nature of love to express itself. And
this adoring woman. full of this deep.
pure, spiritual love of the Savior, must
tell 1t out in some way that would meas
ure to some degree her feelings, though
whatever means she used she knew she
could not tell it all.
There she stands with her simple low
ing heart, about to do a heroic act which
VIII make her, Dameless as she is in the
Gospel story, yet famous for all time
and so she bends over the Lord. and with
one swift gesture of love breaks the ala
baster box and pours the precious oint-
ment on his head. raining down tears on
his feet in the swelling torrent of her
love, and then using her long hair as a
towel, wipes his feet, kisses them, and
anoinfs them with the ointment The rap
ture. the humility, the beauty, the innate
heroism of that act will ever lie safely
IN hn hor -
for the human heart will not LET il die.
And then cold. calculating prudence be-
gins its work in the minds Of the unhe
role company about. 1T was a foolish
act" say the wise economists among
Simon's guests. But the woman was no
political economist she only loved. why
was not this ointment sold for so much
and given to the poor? Is not our dear
Lord always considering the poor Why
is this ointment thrown away, just for
nothing:'
Beauty? Many do not understand The
word. Heroism? Many don't know it
when they see it. Many do not estimate
at it's value the diyineness of loves pas
sion and loves beauty, because they
have it not. They cannot see these val
ues. because love does not give them the
seeing power Thrift. economy. saving.
yes, all that is good. but not good when
at the expense Of things better
All! the Master valued the beautiful,
generous act Of the SHINING yet loving
woman at It's true worth. for Christ him
self had. beyond all human measurement.
the preventing insight Of love. lie com
mended her act, lifted it up for universal
admiration, for an eternal fame. Her
spirit, with all its past sin, was kindred
to him. The oracle in her heart was bet
ter in the eyes of Christ than the oracle
in their prudent heads And she, TOO,
with the same piercing gaze OF love, had
ever grown prophetic in her beautiful
act, and had seen deeply into her Lords
future as killed by his enemies. 1t sees
fore and aft, and is alive TO the present.
The power of love is always that Of the
seer And Christ recognized that great
gift in the loving woman, that gift of
wonderful insight through love, defend
ed her. and said: she hath done what
she could; she hath amounted me to my
burning
But now wing your thought wider and
speed from this heroic act Of beauty and
Of grace, TO Gods nature and character
of love. Did you ever ask why God
loves man? God loves man because il is
Gods nature to be full OF love. and Gods
love is but Gods insight into mans value.
DO not tell me that man is worthless in
the sight Of God How could God be
love, as we know he is, and yet not have
the piercing gaze that sees his own inn
age, even il ohscured. in man? We do
not love men. because the weedy growth
of our selhshness chokes off our love.
But not so with God, for he loves all
men. That truth is radiant in the Ola
and New Testaments, and flashes out and
CLEANS in glowing colors all through
Gods revelation Of himself. No one is
excepted from Gods love.
We look ont on the world and see men
in the densest ignorance, swayed by dis
tinctive passions, drowned by the can
Ger Of selfshness, utterly unlovable. But
having no love. we do not see deep
enough. Loves insight wanting, we have
no measure OF moral or spiritual values.
We miss the divine 10 man, which Gods
love discovers, and which his grace grad
ually brings even 10 blunt human gaze.
When we look into our own hearts, and