The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-21

90 49VOs
the higest value in teaching the SUI
preme mystery Of Catholic faith. 1t
prepared the minds of Christ's follow
ers for the miracle Of the Holy Eu-
charist, recalling the fact that the d.
vine power which created all things
out of nothing is able to multiply the
same substance for the food of a vast
multitude.
1t is therefore all the more significant
that our Lord did not forget the
humble virtue of frugality in the per-
lection of this august lesson.
Even if to-day's incident had no
bearing on the mystery of the Holy
Eucharist, if, as appears on the face
of the recital, our Lord had been
teaching the one lesson so splendidly
fulfilled by all sorts and conditions
of men in the great San Francisco fire,
the lesson Of compassion and help for
the homeless and hungry, His COM
mand to gather up the fragments re-
naming would be most significant
and helpful lesson.
Wastefulness is a common trait of
later-day Americans. The nation
has name for extravaganza through
out the civilized world. Following on
great act Of charity. waste seems
to carry with it scarcely thought
of reproach. Things which come easily
are easily dissipated.
| This attitude finds no approval in
the words or example of the poor Man
of Nazareth. Accustomed from earliest
| childhood to the grinding exactions of
| direst poverty, the virtue of frugality
had become second nature to Him.
| And when, as to-day, He manifested
His dominion over the inexhaustible
resources of miraculous supply, He did
not forget the virtuous propriety of
| saving the fragments left over from
the feast.
If Christians took this lesson faith
fully to heart it would be much easier
for them to escape the bitterness and
despair which so often accompany
poverty following close on the heels
of modern wastefulness. And, natural
ly. they would thus be saving them
selves from the grievous menace to
| spiritual hopefulness and peace which
is contained in the bitterness of
poverty.
| Besides, no man lives for himself
| alone. We are always considered by
| our Heavenly Father as our brother's
keeper. And if we are not called upon
to suffer poverty as the just penalty
OF our own extravaganza, we may be
very sure that some one else will
suffer from it. Wilful waste brings
| woful want, if not to us, then to some
who would otherwise share in our
frugal abundance. Our neglect of fru-
gality is always an actual robbery of
the poor whom we have always with
us. And some day the terrible Judge
will call us to account for the hunger
and nakedness Of 1.-The least Of these,
my brethren
We should not stop with the ma
| terial significance of to-days lesson.
| In the spiritual order it is of far more
Importance. Faith and all the bless
ings founded OH faith, is divine gift
as surely as was the food distributed
by Christ to the multitude in the
bountifully through the channels insti-
tuted by our Savior at the cost of His
lifes blood
| \ little reflection will convict us Of
wasteful extravaganza in spiritual
things exceeding our heedlessness OF
material welfare. 1t is common
practice, for example, to allow Il SER
mon to go in one ear and come out
the other. Few think of gathering up
the fragments that remain and saving
them for future use through medita-
ton and prayer. The same may be
said of all the other means of grace.
1t is especially true of the ordinary
method of receiving the sacraments of
Confession and Holy Communion. De-
vout meditation and Thanksgiving for
these supreme gifts is almost a for
gotten custom. Much is lost in this
! way-wasted.
In spiritual things as in material
faithful frugality means future abund-
ance. And in spiritual things always
as in material, the old saw holds
"Wilful waste brings woful want"
| A Catholic Salvation Army.
/ The Salvation Army idea is not a