The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-30
THE IMPORTANCE OF LITTLE
THINGS.

One of the most common causes OF
failure to attain either material pros
perity or Christian perfection is I'M
doubtedly the disregard of little
things, says "The Ave Maria" To ne
elect details in the business word is
to invite bankruptcy; to contemn small
things in the spiritual life is, accord
ing to Ecclesiasticus, ito fall by little
and little" What Arthur Helps styles
-s'an almost ignominious love of de-
tails" is an indispensable element of
success in all enterprises, temporal or
spiritual; and it is precisely because
this necessary love is so often replac-
ed by a careless or contemptuous in
difference to what are called trifles
that thoroughly successful business
men and relatively perfect Christians
are so rarely met with, and so notable
when they are.
That little things should be so COM
monty disregarded as the experience
of most of us proves them to be is
passing strange when we consider the
Importance attached to them in all di-
dactic and religious literature. Ii, IN
deed, men were always consistent, II
they reduced TO logical practice the
principles of conduct which theoret-
ically they believe to be correct, the
lesson so often inculcated from time
immemorial by profane and sacred
writer's would need no reiteration at
this period of the worlds history. AS
one poet has expressed it:
Think naught trifle, though it small
appear;
Small sands the mountain, moments
make the year,
And trifes life.
Like quotations might be extended
indefinitely, even though we confine
our attention to mere moral philoSo-
pliers. In so far, however, as fidelity
TO small things is an essential means
to Christian perfection, the Fathers
and Holy Writ itself furnish us with
instructive maXims more than sutti-
cient to convince us that we can not
afford to neglect the most trifling de-
tails. ''If thou wouldst become great, "
SAYS st. Augustine, begin with that
which is little" ''He that is faithful,
declares Our Lord, lin that which is
least is faithful also in that when is
greater; and he that is unjust in that
which is little is unjust also in that
which is greater The lives of saints
and sinners illustrate this truth.
Practically, therefore, in the spirit
ual life there is nothing so insignifi
cant as to justify our disregarding it
Little inffdelities to grace ultimately
lead to grievous lapses. Carelessness
as to slight faults of the tongue Is
the forerunner of inevitable sins
against truth and fraternal charity
Occasional pOstponements OF little
daily duties soon degenerate into sys
~ tematic neglect thereof, and trivial con
cessions to the spirit of Incidence OF
of sensuousness may result in lamen
table downfalls. A little imprudenct
in relaxing the custody of our sense:
may be the occasion of catastrophe
that will embitter whole future; ant
contempt of the little preservatlve'
against temptation is sure to be fol
lowed by weak yielding to the tempt
er. 1t is the gradual dropping o
the water that wears away the stone
The mental condition, in fine, of thos
who aim at what they call the grea
lines of a Christian life, ignoring tn
details of the Christian law-the Cos
pel-is the reverse of sanity. Nothin
is surer than that the great lines" wi
eventually be abandoned if the details
the little things, are habitually neglec
ed No act is so insignificant that
may not be supernaturalized and mad
~ a source of merit, and no Christia
can afford to disregard any sue
sources.