The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-01-03

grows OLD, ones VlrtuOuS principles
must have become firmly grasped and
established There is as much differ
ence between new departure in clean
living and maturity of virtue as be-
tween green and ripe apples.
Perseverance lies in making this
New Years Day as good day as we
would wish the next New Years Eve
to be- Form often this good thought"
lit is st. Francis de Sales who warns
us-"that you are walking in this
world between Paradise and hell; that
your last step will place you in an
eternal Dwelling, and that to make the
last we'll you must try to make all the
others WE'LL" Letters to Persons in
the World, Mackey, p. 1927
Nor need the depth of former weak
ness alarm us about future fidelity if
present resoluteness but inspires our
purpose. ST. Augustine tells us that he
was long hindered in his conversion
by the thought that he had lived in
unbridled enjoyment of sensual pleas
ures till beyond thirty years of age;
vice, he feared, had grown into his ma
ture too deep to be rooted out. But,
he says, God gave him to see the con-
| trary by the consideration of the many
others who, rising out of similar
misery, had become saints. After
wards he wondered at his delusion.
Nor need the shame of previous re-
lapse make us downcast. The apostles
in the ardor of their faith promised to
die with Christ; Peter said he had
rather die than run away, "And in like
manner also said they ALL" mark
xiv, 3D. In the actual temptation
His disciples leaving Him, all fed
away" mark xiv, 5O) Yet in due
time they became the principal heroes
of Church of Martyrs.
Be resolute and trust in God. In the
early prosecutions history tells us
there was a devout Christian of
Smyrna named Pionius, and he was cut
to the heart that some of his friends
fell away and under torture adored
idols. At last he heard that his turn
had come-the soldiers were at the
door. He quickly took a rope which
he had made ready and he knotted it
about his neck. Brought before the
pagan Judge, he was asked, why have
you put that rope around your neck?''
He answered, 81 have tied it about my
neck to show you that my mind is
made up to stand up firmly for Jesus
Christ" And thus he was led to his
martyrdom. What a good example is
this, not that we need externally imi
tate the rope, but that bound in
spirit" (Acts Xxx, 22) we may interiorly
fetter our waywardness, binding the
Cross of Christ upon our very souls in
our good resolutions. And if this ap
plies to such mortal conflicts as in
volve our friendship with God, it like
wise concerns our struggle for prog
ress in Christian perfection.
II.
You must not expect to become {
saint in four days" was the counsel o.
holy man to a respondent disciple O.
his. One good encouragement is the
very fact that God has now forgiven u:
our sins; for it is harder thing tt
find than to keep treasure, to save
than to perfect soul. Pardon is {
greater miracle than perseverance
For" says the apostle, "if when We
were enemies we were reconciled tt
God by the death of His Son, mucl
more, being reconciled, shall we b.
saved by His life" (Rom. v, TO-
Christ's death and life, these worl
together, the one to save from eter
nal death, the other to perfect un
to eternal life. If you see founda
ton laid with timbers lying at hant
cut and squared, you look about yo'
for builder, and you expect a build
; ing. So it is with our faith and our re
pentance and our pardon and our as
piration for better things; and thes
are just the Lords gathering of tn
; divine materials for our perseverance
and our perfection, because we Ear
Gods building" q Cor. iii, 81, and HI
has not gathered the elements of GU
spiritual construction and perfection il
vain.
One may even mark his progress b.
a sense of failure, which is sometime
more apparent than real. We know O
a holy man who said: Il have studio
meekness in the School of Jesus Chris
for many years, and my heart is ia
= from being satisfied with the progress
it has made; and yet all of us kneV
:, him to be the meekest and gentlest c
Christians. No sign of progress is be
!. ter than a candid avowal Of fallin
short of our standard. Thus our Savio
taught His favorites: when 20
shall have done all these things ths
are commanded you, say: We are III
profitable servants Ouke xvii
100
n Let us bear in mind that final pc
IT severance is a separate grace, to b
5, identified with none other, be it tn
n holiness even of a saint. 1t is equal
y certain that, except by miraculor
p revelation, it's possession cannot
IS known But we are no less sure tn;
IS it is a grace which is offered to a
Is Jesus gave His hand to the exec
le toner to be nailed, and He gave
n again to the apostle Thomas to
D. kjssad-the same hand and with tt