The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-05-21
PRAYER.

The theme of Father Czerwinski's sermon
at St. Casimir's Roman Catholic Church, yestcr.
day morning, was prayer, basing his lnstruc-
ton on the assurance of Jesus that what we ask
in His name we shall. receive. He urged the
Importance and the practicabihty of reliance
on Divine help. 1t was an eloquent and force
full appeal for the exercise of common sense.
1t may be that if we all had more confidence IN
Divine help, we would need less human aid II
we be of that persuasion we do not hesitate to
assert the political teachings of William Jen-
ming Bryan, but for some reason or other we
seem to think that it requires some sort OF ex-
PLANTATION or apology when we advance the
teaching of Jesus Christ for practical use in
everyday life.
Of course it is obvious that either there is
nothing whatever to prayer, or that there is
everything in the world to it. We are not dis
posed to argue on that question. We leave it
to the Individual determination of each reader.
His determination will be controlled largely by
his belief and his experience His inclination
to follow the exhortation of Father Czerwinski,
and employ prayer in the daily conduct of his
life, will we fear, be more or less modified by
the course he has marked out for his daily life.
There are things we cannot expect God to do.
AS the boy in the Sunday School class suggest
ed God couldn't make a stone so heavy that He
couldn't lift it. We should hardly expect the
bootIegger to get much Divine aid for the sue
cessful prosecution of his business through
prayer We know of no reason why Divine
guidance should not be available for the bust
ness Of editing a newspaper, and indeed we
know more than one paper that it seems to US
ought to have it. as@
Prayer is something we most frequently con
slider from the academic angle. We recall an
l.. e. n
with unbounded respect who was greatly con-
cerned one summer, many years ago, with the
apparent neglect of the water faucet by the
weather. bureau The drought of the season
was something ftiphtfuI. He never let an OPP
portunity at private or public prayer go by
without beseeching Divine relief for the parch-
ed and suffering earth. One beautiful Wednes-
day evening he started for the rnidWeek meet
ing of prayer, when his good wife came run
ming to the door with an umbrella for him. He
surveyed the pleasant and balmy skies and
said he didn't think he'd need the umbrella, as
it didn't look as if it would rain. Then" said
his good wife, Of deep and abiding faith, don't
go down there and pray for rain if you haven't
faith enough toscarry an umbrella" "a
Father CzerWinski, however, gave US a
thought about the answer to prayers and its
proper office in the human life, that is dis
ClHClIy u6lplul. ne uOGS uOI put LIE value VI
prayer on the basis of the categorical answer
to the particular request of the individual. 1t
may or not be answered that way. Whether
it is or not depends more on the wisdom of the
request than on the efficacy of prayer. We love
our child quite as much when we refuse the
plea for one more piece of candy as we do when
we give it to her Maybe the reason many of
our prayers are not answered is that we ask
for too much candy too often. srs ~
But the practical and helpful thought Father
Czerwinsk gave us was that in all. sincere >and
reverent prayer there is touch with the In
finite from which we cannot fail to receive a
spiritual uplift that is of lasting and perna-
nent benefit. AT any rate this is certain-it
was a sermon that made you feel better after
you had heard it. 1t may not start so very
many people to praying who do not pray, but
it cannot fail to enrich the spiritual expert
ence of all those who heard it. This, we take
it is what good sermon is for. sa .
THE WHTTEWASH BRUSH