The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-31
LIFE: NOVICE MASTER.

Did you ever think of life as
novice master? 1t gives you penances
to bear, and your right acceptance OF
them will entitle you to final admit
lance into the order of the Church
Triumphant.
What are these penances? What is
the right acceptance of them? In the
March Missionary, Walter Elliott, c.
S. P, in his department of All Alone
with the Missionary" answers these
questions in this original way:
/ What had Lazarus done?-he that
died outside the rich mans gate.
What vigils did he keep but beggar's
inevitable night wanderings? What
charity to the poor? since he was
most miserable pauper himself.
Works of mercy, pity, or zeal he had
done none at all. All we know is that
he suffered a beggars misery with a
brave heart: and it came to pass that
the beggar died, and was carried by
angels into Abraham's bosom duke
16:20-22) Beggar or prince, let man
but lay hold of his opportunities for
self-denial, and be these few or many,
if he endure them because Gods prov
idence sends them-such man, we
insist, will chasten his corrupt nature
and instruct his foolish nature till he
is fitted like Lazarus for the COM
pany of angels For the most part
God alone will know of this unrelent-
ing subjugation of self, self that is cor
rupt, self that is silly: endurance OF
temptations; resignation to dryness OF
spirit even the desolate feeling OF
abandonment by heaven; overcoming
foolish affections; resisting blind an
tipathies tumbling down ones castles
in the air and shaking Off ones day
dreams; keeping good temper with
toothache, or fit of Indigestion.
There seems to be no heroism in all
this. Your father confessor will not
check and chide you for going to eX-
cess. But yet all this is true Chris
tian fortitude, and it can be elected
only by a man of sincere spiritual
purpose Such opportunities are
never wanting; and by courageously
other restrictive discipline, is the soul
made worthy for union with it's God.
After all, Gods providence is our head
novice master.
"And this leads to yet higher virtue
by winning nobler motive. For If
one thus willingly bears the cross of
Christ on his shoulder he soon feels in
his soul the charity of Christ for mems
salvation. This love of souls is the
deep motive of many forms of self
denial. Lovingly to bear undesirable
family conditions is an exquisite
mingling of modification and brother
ly love. Often our noblest victory is
won over our irascble temper ins the
interests of peace in the family circle:
all day and every day-a common
enough heroism - to be battling
against a sense of injury from the
| unkindness, yea, the injustice of those
whom God would have us love. Many
one covets the cloister as nObler
arena of. virtue, whilst winning as
bright crown as any cloister can
bestOw by enduring the misery of be-
| ing domiciled as an unWelcOme guest
or poor relation.
"There is more virtue in us than we
imagine, could we only discern our
right virtue: the trouble with most of
us is that we want to have one virtue
and God wants us to have another.
Now for nearly every single one of us
the right virtue is bearing some kind
of inevitable suffering for Christ's
sake; and that again means for the
sake of those whose destiny is cast
with our own. Be faithful to mortifi-
lscation and to interior recollection,
wrote Father Hecker to friend, and
you will be surprised to see what big
game you will scare up in the great
hunting ground of your soul. You will
| find every kind of wild beast: lions,
tigers, bears, apes, swine, wildcats,
| foxes. Did you know it? You killed a
tiger in that act of being reconciled
| to your enemy, which you wrote to
me about Many one, did he but
know it, could make his own the
words of st. Paul to his beloved
friends. Now whether we be in
tribulation, it is for your exhortation
and salvation: or whether We be COM
forted, il is for your consolation. 4
| l2 Cor 4 .6l.