The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-03-20
just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment censidsred or lneonsIdersts

God has made us for Himself and heaven He
has given us existence on earth to work our way
with HIS unfalllng aid, tC the goal God thus honors
us beyond expression He sets us on our own feet
he dlgnles our assigned work and ourselves with
IT. He puts us through nc mere mechanical course
but gives US the glorious and dangerous gift of free
dom OF choice. This makes our life meaningful
il puts an ennobling responsibility upon US; IT
sets us IN the way of great adventure
When our first father lost us the high privilege
OF working our way always with Gods grsce)
ana OF standing full stature in splendid manhood
and w0manhood TO do our work as diyinely planned
God not only gave back TO us what we haG LOST
IN this particular but il back for us bouoht
II back al the price Of incarnation and Redemption
God became Man and died for us He opened heaven
again to US. He gained Us the helps we need 10
get TO heaven, But He did not do our work for US:
He gained the lost opportunity of doing the
work protitsby and hopefully ourselves.
BY the Atonement and Redemption, human life
is high holy and inspriting adventure
II involves grave dangers, all adventure does But
II involves no unavoidable disaster We have TO
walk circumspectly" we have to "be on the lob"
or we shall fail in task. and suffer endless de
fea and misery. But we need not suffer defeat And
We live most loyOusy when we are alert and ener.
gehc In our task of making ourselves holy by fide-
lily to duty IN the love OF God The task we have
IS not dead burden. Our warning against weak
ness in ourselves and against temptations and op-
pressions is not depressing labor, but an enliven.
ing and invigorGting one
And, while life endures even our defeats need
not depress u.s. they need only make us the more
yiIlRant and alert God is ready with forgiveness
and rehabilitation through the wondrous sacra-
mentS. a lost battle is not necessarily lost war
We rise, dipiney aided to fight again We should
be the better soldiers for our experiences And
We should the better know our tremendous re-
sources and The unbeatable strategy of our leader
Only our own folly can cause final defeat.
Life cannot be really drab for any Catholic, no
matter how great his physical trials no matter how
straencd his material circumstances Life can only
he drab for the man who believes III Beautiful Isle
OF Somewhere. II be drab only for the man
who waits for an automatic or mechanical transfer
to some misty heaven. Life is glorious adventure
to the man who knows that he has a big job TO do,
and who goes at ii with vigor Such man kno,cs
that he win to eternal victory and endless Joy
by using the tools God furnishes for doing the
Job, And he kHorS that the outcome depends upon
himself since Gods necessary part of the job will
unfailingly be done
We bear the Cross Of Christ our Lord himself
tells us must carry that Cross, taking it
up daily N our steady and unbroken work OF fol
lowing Him, And Our Lord also calls the Cross by
the name OF yoke. and burden. Bat recall that
the burdensome yoke that is put upon oxen is
not placed there to be trouble and nuisance TO
the animals; it is put there to enable them TO do
their work, TO draw their load So the yoke of
Christ docs not burden uS for burdening's sake,
but for insufine effectiveness in our labor II bur
dens as the necessary, and necessarily heavy
armor burdened the medieval warrior: without the
armor the warrior would quickly be killed in the
hand 10 hand conflict that he waged
We heed the order, Take up my Cross daily and
follow Me" We obey the injunction. Put We on
the armor of Christ" For our toil and for our
struggle NC accept the conditions and then enter
with spirit into the business. No vague Isle Of
Somewhere for us. No dull expectancy of an auto
matically achieved heaven. No,pie in the sky.
How dresry must life be to the man who robs il
ot its meaning, and makes II a prelude to an
earned heaven. Yet il is taken for granted by many
that such dreariness is the Christian philosophy OF
life Clarence Darr0w said TO large assembly.
IF you people who say you believe really had faith
IN God, you'd all go home tonight and commit sui
eide The noted criminal lawyer under the
ealamitouSly common impression that faith in God
means assured heaven for everybody, no matter
what the present life may be.
But the Catholi, would answer Darrow by say
ing, III | should commit suicide | should 90 into
eternal hell My faith in God certainly does not lead
me to offend God by the crime of self-murder You
think life is meaningless, and merely troublesome
series OF hsrdshps and disappointments, and that
the man who looks to an after life ought to hurry
10 get into it, But life is not meaningless; nor Is
this earthly life unconnected with what the future
life will be In fact. the future depends upon the
present | take up life with Joy, | sustain its dis
appointments and nardshps the soldier takes
the blows of battle; do not surrender to degrade
ton; have assurance OF that aid which makes
ultimate defeat impossible But | dare not destroy
myself | must stay alive and enjoy the fight"
Our warning is not against flesh and blood" T"
SAYS ST Paul But If is warning And am al
ways right up in the front lines. II is high adven
ture indeed And | know what | fight for; also
know wha the outcome will be II | fight the good
fight and keep the faith