The Irish standard., 1910-07-09
VALUE or GENEROSITY.

Have you ever stopped to think
what an inconsistency there is in the
logic of those who refuse to support
the Church with reasonable generos-
ity? These people depend on God for
all they have or expect to have and
yet because they cannot foresee ample
provisions for their temporal welfare
they refuse to lend their support to
the Church through which they hope
to receive benefits inestimable. God
has given them what they have but
they are afraid to give anything back
to Him lest they might be left in want.
They know that He can better their
condition, that His grace is necessary
for right living but they forget that
giving is the test Of how much His
grace is merited. What a strange and
childish inconsistency to be depend
mercful and yet to hesitate to sacri-
flee anything for His sake! Who that
believes in Gods justice can conceive
of himself being made poorer by Civ
ing his last cent to God? Who that
believes in Gods mercy can conceive
of his prospects in life being rendered
less hopeful by giving freely his serv
ices to things that make for Gods
glory? Surely 1t would be the strang-
est of mysteries If giving to God is not
storing up treasures Of priceless worth
for our souls.
Every one knows how tender is the
solicitude which the mother has for
her helpless babe. The chasm that
separates us from Almighty God is
infinitely greater than that which sep
arates the wisest mother from her in
nocent child. II the mother watches
with such tender care over her little
one is it not reasonable to think that
God is watching with infinitely great
err care over us. The babe can live
without the mother but we cannot live
without God. If we show ourselves
disposed to serve with truly Christian
motives, disposed to give when we do
not see clearly how we are going to
provide for our wants, can we not hope
to be the better for 1t in the end?
If giving out of plenty is human
charity, giving out Of want is divine
charity. He Is truly a Christian prop
erly balanced and proportioned who
| gives for the love of serving. Gifts
are not valued in heaven for their
magnitude but for the proportion Of
the donors means which they repre-
sent and the spirit in which they are
given.
If you will look about you will find
that those who give most generously
are the most contented people in the
community. They may not be blessed
with singular strokes of fortune but
still they always find ways to meet
their obligations. And yet If no tenn
poral good ever resulted from gener-
Gus giving the logic of our position as
Catholics should not allow US to de-
spair In our course. We believe in
! future reckoning when every good
deed will receive it's due reward. If
| then no temporal benefit results our
spiritual bank account is being en-
larged and we have no reason to COM
plain.
OF course in the heat of the struggle
reason does not al.vays hold sway
Right must often step aside for the
qualification of SOME whim. Again
we often try to convince ourselves OF
the reasonableness of a position be-
cause of material considerations. Such
things should not be. They are pos
sible only when there is weakness OF
character. The man who has the
courage to do right even when doing
| right involves serving his enemy Is
as great as any OF the heroes of his
tory.
Our views should be broad and gen.
erous and our faith unfaltering even
when doing good does not seem tc
have any connection with being fav-
ored.