Evening star., 1951-11-18

human actions, no matter how
commonplace or how removed
from the eyes of men. are made
i pleasing to God meritorions O.
eternal life. This means that God.
twill and Gods plan for man are
kept constantly in mind. Wher
man has learned to direct hi.
Thoughts, his speech, and his &C.
t1ons in this way. it is a sign thai
he has mastered the great maxim
Of the moral order-"not my will
but Thine be done" 1t is an in
dication that he realizes he must
at all times be about his Fathers
business. The point of reference
in his life is no longer his owr
selfish will, for such a man sees
clealy that God holds the centra
place in his life. He also sees
that he enjoys a unique status in
that God has committed to work
which no one else can do. His
only reason for existence is to
perform that work faithfully and
diligently. This is the thought
which Cardinal Newman so beauti-
fully expressed:
| God has created me to do Him
some definite service. He has
combined some work to me which
he has not committed to another
l have my mission I have q
part in a great work; I am a link
in the chain, a bond of connection
between persons. He = has not
created me for naught, shall dc
good. I shall do His work y
tMeditations and Devotions, pp
400-40l.)
MORAL INTEGRITY.
Dong Gods work means doing
Gods will. This requires the serv-
ices OF the whole man at every
moment of every day he exists.
There is all too frequent today the
spectacle of men who divide their
lives to suit their own convenience.
Only when it serves their selfish
purpose do they conform to God S
will. Their business life, their pro-
fessional life. their life in the
home. at school, and in the COM
munity occupy separate compart-
ment unified by no central force.
Gods claims upon such men
exist, but they are not honored.
Expressions such as my life is
my own affair" or Il may do as
please" or lin politics. anything
goes are all too common today.
They betray a gross misunder-
standing OF the moral order and
the inter-linking relationships
winch find their correct measure
only in Gods will.
We must be clear on this point.
Man must either acknowledge that
a personal God exists or he must
deny His existence altogether.
There is no middle course. Once
he acknowledges that God exists,
then the claims of God are CO.
extensive with all the activities of
His creatures. To pretend that
any part Of his life can be a pri-
vate affair is to violate the most
basic claim which God has on
man.
Man is a creature. As a crea-
ture. he is subject to his Crea-
tor in all that he does. There
is no time In his life when he is
excused from obeying the moral
law. The clergyman, the educa-
tor. the doctor, the lawyer, the
politician, the employer, the en-
ploye, husbands. wives, and chill
dren are alike strictly bound. All
human rights and obligations have
their source in Gods law; other
wise they are meaningless.
MORALITY AND EDUCATION.
Morality. concerned with bring
ing human ACTIVITY into conformity
with Gods will. has, therefore. a
bearing on everything that touches
human rights and duties. 1t has a
definite place in the educational
life of a nation. The forming of
character is part of the educa-
tional process: and character
cannot be formed unless chill
dren are given a clear indica-
ton OF what is right and what
is wrong. This cannot be done
without reference to the ultimate
standard which determines right
and wrong. namely Gods law.
No state. no group of educators
may reject a truth of the moral
order to suit the claim of con-
venience. The process of determ-
lining moral values by the consent
Of the majority is false In prin-
ciple and sanction. Morality has
its source in God and it binds all
men. It cannot be adequately
taught without the motivation of
religious truth. Although the
training of children along moral