The Irish standard., 1915-06-26

w: IRISH STANDARD
the midst Of 1t all. we are not without
hope. and consolation.
There 10 Ono greater than kings and
emperors, Who wlelds a power over
them all, To Him we turn, and by the
emrits of His only Son, who died for
us, we beg of Him, in His mercy, to
breathe the spirit of His peace into
the hearts Of men, and to still, by His
word, the storm that is raging over
the world.
We must not forget, amidst all the
din and confusion of the hour, that
we have not been thrown off by God.
but that His Providence rules this
world, and If He Furnishes us for our
sins, He may spare us in His mercy.
He tells US Himself, in His Sacred
Word, that His care extends to the
minutes and most trifing things. A
sparrow does not fall to the ground
without our Father in heaven, and
the hairs of our head are numbered.
Much more does that Providence.
which reaches from end to end, in
power, and disposes all things sweet
ly, include within it's reach world.
wide calamity, such as this war. In
this faith we pray to God to bring this
war to an end, at the same time hum
bly, submitting ourselves to His Holy
Will, and accepting in the spirit Of
Penance, the punishment which He
has inflicted, or may still further in
fiiet on us.
But we must not think that God, in
any sense, is the author of this war.
He permits it, for His own divine pur-
poses, and, bad as the war is in itself,
the permission of it by God is good
and holy. .-..---.. y. a,
In His government of the world, God
has given liberty to man, so that his
service should be free and capable Of
merit. God wishes us to do right, and
helps us by His grace, and disposes
circumstances, SO as to turn us in the
true direction, but in the last resort,
He leaves us free to choose, and the
responsibility of our choice rests upon
ourselves. When, then, governments
plunge into an unjust war, theirs is
the guilt. and Gods Providence is con.
cerned to the extent that He does not
prevent their action.
But if God permits evil, He knows
how, by His Omnipotence to draw
good from it. st. Augustine puts this
truth beautifully:
"Nor would the Omnipotent God,
who has supreme power over all
things, and is infinitely good, ever al
low any evil in His works, If He were
not so great and good that He can
draw good out of evil"
That 10 a most consolina thought,
and in calamity, such az this war,
which seems 90 hopeless, it 10 re-
lief to ones soul to know that it is
under the power Of Him who permits
it, because He can turn it to the pur-
poses Of His own goodness.
In what precise way God will op.
crate. we do not know; our vision is
limited, but it is we'll for us to be able
to rest in the assurance that He is
infinite in His Power and His Good
ness, and, that this war, as all human
affairs, lies in the hands of His Prov
idence. Out of it, bad and disastrous
as it is, He will bring good, in His
own way and time.
It may be that the true purpose Of
it's permission 10 to punish human
sin. The world has been drifting
away from God.
In some countries His worship and
His Authority have been formally re-
pudiated by governments. Infidels, in
vested with a temporary power, have
had the temerity to boast that they
had extinguished the light of heaven
In mems minds, and on that account
were bound to improve their condi-
ton on earth; in others, although
disbelief has not been carried to such
a height of blasphemy, yet the We
neer of religion has been growing thin
ner, and hardly concealed the mate
rialism which it covered. Wealth, and
all that it stands for of luxury and
self-indulgence, became the prime OBJ.
ject in life, and under all this ire.
ligion and secularism, with it's indul-
gence of animal passions, there has
been working, as root Of evil, the
disastrous spread of the principles of
Darwin. Many of us remember the
shock with which we read the bold
and open profession of the grossest
materialism which was made In this
country forty years ago, by one of
Darwin's most brilliant followers. 1t
was made at a meeting of the British
association at Belfast, and, year by
year, as one reads the proceedings of
that body, one cannot help recogniz-
ing with sorrow to what an extent its
members still hold that shocking doc
trine.
It Is quite true that in recent years
there has been a considerable reac-
ton; a little more freedom of thought
is allowed us now. But the disastrous