The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-03
WEEP NOT!

Now that the holiday joys are over,
we hear the voice of Christ from His
Gospel telling us to weep not 1t
is the counsel of Him Who wept much
for us, of Him Whose sacraments are
a comfort, Whose laws are the stars
of salvation-the bright and happy
/ explanation of life here and the har
bingers of joys hereafter.
We often hear from worldlings
! that religion is a sad thing, its mind
gloomy, it's manners right, its pen
ances heartless. They would fain
have it as repulsive as the wrinkled
face of age Swallowed by misfortune.
Nothing is farther from the truth.
| Religion in it's wisdom has it's
Kyrie, but it has also its Gloria; it
! has acts of contrition, but it has too,
| it's acts of love. Over it's principles
is the brightness of the face of Christ,
| saying weep not" It's monasteries
are not tombs; it's converts have on
| them the glow of Easter morn; it's
churches are the lustrous fonts of
hope, where the weak get strength,
the strong hope and the hopeful go
on smiling to an Eden of delight.
Wherever we have the truth of
Christ we have always the happy
face, the light heart, the merry caper,
the CHEEKY and witty word. Could
| land suffer more than Ireland? And
yet because of the Faith, she has the
| smile as we'll as the tear, sometimes
| Ii, ,pic lirl1f &c,
| on the other. Is there a spot on
earth where there is more of revelry
| and song of the happiest and noblest
kind holy as the figures of David
cut in ecstatic measure before the
| Ark-happy as the lark that sings
| high at heavens gate as if competing
with the angels within. Is there
| land under the sun that can give
| such rousing cheer and such roar
| ing laugh? And why? Because the
weep not of Christ has given His
| beloved disciple among the nations a
big heart, a pure mind, a hopeful
| temper.
! Christ's weep not" still is forceftll.
It's counsel needed is shown in the
contented face of the nun, in the calm
| of hoary Catholic age as well as In
the face of childhood rising from
| prayer with eyes liquid in beauty as
| the waters of baptism, with mind
reverential that has seen and felt its
God.
So, over the wide world, if we seek
for true joy, we will always find it
near the truth of that Master Who
gave the gentle word weep not"
On the contrary, if we hunt fictitious
pleasure, we will behold it in the
votaries of world that is far from
Christ.
What fun is there in the hypocriti-
cal talking-out-of-a-bo manner of
one of society's drawing rooms?
Mistrust of each other, falsehood in
speech, artificiality of manner, and a
straight-jacketed procedure moving
in circles and squares make the mis-
spent evening look like vice on dress
parade, granted that immortality has
left enough dress to parade. How
different from the gatherings Of
devoted Catholics in Christian lands.
The innocent raillery, the quips of
wit, the whole-souled banter, the
riotous delights, all proclaim the
beauty and the power of Christs
weep not Heed the blessed word
and let it expand heart narrowed
by ugly care, brighten a mind soured
mayhap with misfortune, and make
beautiful soul shut in from Christs
sunshine.
Religion is given to beget happiness,
as well as to exalt and refine Be
ours the obligation to show in our
lives that, while we are conscious
that earth is not Heaven and that we
find little to evoke even a smile if
the world is considered, yet that we
enjoy and make merry in the thought
and feeling that earth is a stepping
stone to land of infinite and perfect
delights, where no eyes are red from
TEARS, no cares harass the heart. no
misconceptions blind the mind, no
| sin distigures the soul:
-CakhOhc Columbian.