The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-03-15

Lent good time for personal checkup by individuals,
it good time for general and public devo
ons The pull of fallen nature always within despite the
fact that have the Faith and Sacramens and the Holy Sac
rfce And the allure of the world is not diminished by our sur
whether they really Christian Catholic lives only
pagan lives with little Christian sheac on their outer surface
By our baptism We made the children of God and the
heirs of heaven BY Confirmation become mature In the service
of God and enlisted among the soldiers OF Christ As soldiers
we must fight and be ready for ever new fighting indeed
evils inoad and the rule of sn especially
own lives
Are good children of God? Are soldiers of Christ?
Children of God be- either worthy unworthy
Once born into the family nescpaby of the family We
may do the family honor bring hame but we cannot
resign from any more than we can resign from the human
out the indelble mark of Christ soldiers either in
honor dishono And Lent is the time look honestly into
conduct practical ideals know whether faithful
members of the household and sturdy soldiers in the Army
To begin interior examination let consider what
life is in ordinary suationor ordinary situation
find differs essential
pagan conduct One the best known odes of Horace
fairly decent sort Of pagan describes the typical
BY the rgars Of wintry day
Horace looks upon the snowcspped Mt soracte now
Monte San Svestro and the woods snowaden and stiff
with cold He hears the sharp winds bowling through the trees
TO heap logs the fire He calls for the jug of strong
and soft hugs secluded the ggge of the
hafproestng girl her football hero insists ring
facsimile,
Now anything about that picture? Would the
these Christian times be markedly different and
superior they confined without skis Roman
villa winter day? Would you find anything lacking in the
picture? not what religion been allowed to
plish in your life and your attitudes and your ideals?
Mind YOU question of evil conduct Nothing in
the Horaan picture necessarily asvous vile But there
certainly nothing Christian either of merely
natural empoyments and natural enjoyments But satisfy
who supernaay born into Gods family and
the task Of knowing loving and serving God? Christian
Horace offers his Christianity surely amounts to very little as
force or agency in the conduct Of life
The pagan OF life is that time seIfservice,
for fun for entertainment for good time for having ones
way and being bothered by dull duties time for money,
beds and and stylish surroundings and gesm
ing teeth and siken hair and the swift easing of all pain
time for comfort for relaxing for pleasure and still more pleas
life for the Christian is time for winning heaven
involves wachfuness, econtro penance It is the carrying
of the Cross of Christ is the unaing fidelity to prayer is
the time of seeing God in situation not glancngy but in
the of the II is the time for work for the
night cometh when work will no longer be possible
Now strange to say it the Chrstian-he faithful Christian
who lives TO the characters imposed by Baptism and Con
nation has the jolly time in this life, and is the pagan
rallies and then iolly but sinks always to the dready
dissatisfaction disappointment On the face of
things the to have the CHEEKY program and the
truly downcast SOUL the embiered life the selfish and
enyous heart the frustrated hopes you must look among pagans
and paganed Christians and not among the faithful children
of God and the loyal soldiers of Christ
But what of our examnaton Does it show us loyal and
fahfu Or paganzed? Must e have worldly good
time matter what happens to sacred and serious
duties? Must be at the ball. the cinema or the beerJoin
while immature guards children? Must
that big game involves the missing of Sunday
Mass? Must climb high socially financially at the cost
spiritual advancement? to these questions,
honestly permitted to to the primal question:
really Christians?
Worldly enjoyments forbidden They not wrong.
need be But when they absorb the whole foreground
e they the outstanding things look for
little this earth then they and they that
will do the thing caeated to dosave inn
mortal souls