Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1922-01-27
AN APOSTLE or LOVE

AN APOSTLE OF: LOVE
Duluth Hera}d:-It was characteris-
tic of the gentle, compassionate, loving
soul Of Benedict XIV that in his first
message as pope he sounded this high
keynote Of the purpose Of his life:
"To bring men back to the power Of
the charity Of Christi
At that moment the earth shook with
the clash Of arms and the tread Of;
marching millions. All the black forces
of hate were loose in the world and for
four years more humanity, in a chaos
Of misery and woe, was to continue
crucifying Christ anew in a new Dark
Age Of greed and hate and envenomed
passions. The new pope's message fell
on ears closed by hate to the importu-
nate message Of love; but it is mes
sage that will be heard, that cannot
die; for in it lies the only possible solu-
ton for the myriad woes Of mankind.
"There is none other name under heav-
en- given among men, whereby we must
be saved.''
In that first message Benedict XIV
truly diagnosed the sickness Of the
world-a sickness of which the World
"dA "AO OAAy Oh uSuCC CAAoAos W AdC " do
wrong with the world, he found, was
the lack of love among men; disregard
for authority; unjust quarrels between
classes; and, above all and at the root
Of all, the making of material prosper
ity the chief object of human endeavor.
In word, the world was-and is
sick from selfshncss; and love, the
Love which Christ demonstrated on
earth, is the only remedy that can heal
it. In vain self-seeking, the world is
crowding out the "kingdom of God
and His righteousness to which all
other things will be added when hu-
manity seeks it in spirit and in truth.
The pope's aim in those embatted
years was to bring men together in the
peace and understanding Of love; to
soothe as best he could the wounded
heart of humanity; to minister as he
might to the stricken. A thousand
stories are told of his compassion and
thoughtfulness. He insisted that let
tiers from the trenches should have his
personal attention. He dispensed pity
and bounty to the limit Of the Vati-
cans means. His love flowed out not
only to afflicted humanity in the mass,
but to hordes of individual cases.
There, are, it is said, thousands of ap-
pealing letters on which the pope had
inscribed, in his own hand, directions
that relief be given.
Benedict XIV, to three hundred mil
lion Catholics the world around, the
Holy Father, the Vicar Of Christ on
earth, was a comprehensive and fin
;chnI of o,+c ovid lot
tors. He was often compared to Ben
cdict XIV, Of whom Voltaire wrote:
"'This is Lambertini, the honor Of
Rome and the father of Christcndom,
who has fought the world by his writ
ings and adorned it by his virtues. -
Of him sympathetic writer has said:
Ellis is a lofty and penetrating mind.
In disposition he is strong and gentle.
Noble and aristocratic, he: counts in
his ancestry men distinguished by
birth and deeds.'' Yet withal he was
simple, unassuming, retiring. 1t is
related that when he was asked to be.
| come papal nuncio at a great court, he
pleaded that he be allowed to remain
as he was, % simple priest Of God.
Come to the mighty bishopric of
Rome during the appalling anomaly of
Christian world engaged in a pre-.
postcrous and suicidal war, he was
neutral between combatants, but a
powerful partisan of peace and love
and valiant antagonist Of war and
all it's works. And now, his message
Of word and deed inscribed on the
hearts Of mankind, he passes out o.
the mystery Of life in this world into
the certainty and peace Of life ever
lasting. A good heart; a good, loving
simple soul; humble, devoted follow
er Of the Prince Of Peace; whose peace
be unto him.