The bow of work
LIII. The Serious side of life
1.The smiling, careless, innocent days of childhood are but brief; swiftly do they pass away, almost before the young man has begun to learn how great is their value, and to prize them as he ought. Too soon is he compelled to part from the innocent games which gladden a child's heart, and from the merry companions with whom he has spent the greater part of the bright morning of life. Now he is obliged to venture forth, and make acquaintance with the serious side of life.
What is the serious side of life? It is the season of work. Work! Let not the name terrify you on account of the harshness of its sound: the word is not nearly so forbidding and repulsive as it appears at first sight. You must not, as is so often the case, couple with the word "work" an idea of weariness, misery, toil, and humiliation, as connected with a slavish occupation. For work, in the . proper sense of the term, includes everything which, unlike the fruit on the tree, does not come to maturity of itself. Work belongs especially to the duties of young men; among his spiritual weapons, I include the bow of work. Therefore do you, my friend, arm yourself with this bow when you sally forth to make acquaintance with the serious side of Life.
"In the worlds broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
"Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury it's dead!
Act - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead.
"Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait."
2. What is the right view of labor? Since man is made in the image of God, he shares in a way in His creative activity. Understand my meaning! Of course, I do not intend to say that he can bring something out of nothing . but he is capable of giving to matter another form, and by the light of his intelligence to rise to the knowledge of higher things.
Now all this is brought about by means of exertion, effort, work. Such work is twofold, being both mental and physical. Both kinds of work are indispensably necessary for the well-being of human society; they may be termed its body and soul. In this, and in some of the succeeding chapters, we shall direct our attention almost exclusively to the latter kind, to physical labor.
3. You also, my young friend, will have to experience the grave meaning of the words which God addressed to our first parents in paradise, immediately subsequent to the fall: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken " (Gen. iii. 19). Work is a law of existence, ordained by God Himself. Every one who refuses to comply with this law incurs the risk of losing, not only his higher vocation here upon earth, but also the crown which is held out to him on a happier shore - the crown of eternal glory in heaven. Therefore you must not hesitate, for a single instant to submit willingly to the law of labor, and thus to take the serious side of life in a serious spirit. "Six days shalt thou labor and shalt do all thy works," said God to the people of Israel by the mouth of Moses. On one day of the week man ought to rest from his work, as far as the honor of God or the love of his neighbor does not imperatively demand it. This is required by the third commandment, which God gave of old on Mount Sinai.
4. St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians . "If any man will not work, neither let him eat." If you remain idle and slothful, and refuse to work, you rebel against the infinitely wise ordinance of God, and frustrate the end of your creation, as far as in you lies.
Hence it is easy to understand why the saints in all ages have been so very industrious. Never allow a single day to pass without sowing, by means of some useful work, a grain of seed in the furrows of time, which may spring up and bear fruit in eternity.
Listen, also, to what the Holy Ghost says to the idle man in the Book of Proverbs: " Go to the ant, O sluggard, consider her ways and learn wisdom. Which although she hath no guide, nor master, nor captain, provideth her meat for herself in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Thou wilt sleep a little, thou wilt slumber a little, thou wilt fold thy hands a little to sleep and want shall come upon thee" (Prov. vi. 6-1 1). But not only external and material want shall come upon the slothful man, but, what is infinitely worse, spiritual destitution also, the famine of the soul, for idleness is the parent of all vice. Flee from it therefore, and always bear in mind that;
Swiftly time speeds on its way,
Though we fain would bid it stay;
Employ it well, work while you may,
Night soon succeeds to life's brief day.
LIV. The worth and dignity of labor
1.THE interior of the peaceful house of Nazareth was familiar with strenuous physical labor. Could we have looked in, whom would we have found there engaged at work? Jesus Christ Himself, the God-Man, His foster-father, St. Joseph, and Mary, His virginal mother. From this we may judge the worth and dignity of labor. But men have not always esteemed the value of labor. The ancient heathen considered bodily labor to be altogether contemptible. The man who was free-born felt it to be a disgrace to put his hand to work; even the most enlightened among the Greeks and Romans expressed, in no doubtful terms, their supreme contempt for bodily labor.
2. And throughout the whole of heathendom we encounter this aversion to labor this contempt for work. The North American Indian likes to leave work to women, as did the Teutons in days of old.
But since work was necessary, if men were to eat and live, they conceived the idea of slavery. They went so far as to regard common laborers as a separate and degraded class of beings; they considered them as but little superior to the brutes. Laborers or slaves were mere animated machines, which might be treated in any manner which seemed good to their owners. They were bought and sold, like any other kind of merchandise; they were cast off, i.e., put to death, as soon as they were no longer of any use. It was seriously doubted Whether slaves really possessed a human soul! Such was the view which the heathen took of workmen and work.
3. Then Jesus Christ appeared, the God-Man and Redeemer. He did not choose for His foster-father an emperor who occupied the throne of the Roman Empire, nor a member of the Roman senate, nor one of the sages of those days.
No; He chose a man who had spent his whole life in hard labor, a carpenter, an artisan, whose workshop was the place he loved best, next to the temple of God.
What a distinction for work does this fact furnish! The greatest honor which God could confer upon any man, He conferred upon an artisan, upon the carpenter, St. Joseph of Nazareth! "My ways are not your ways," is what the voice of the Son of God proclaimed to the whole world even from the manger.
4. And we may go yet further! He Himself, the incarnate Son of God, willed to labor in the workshop of St. Joseph, until He was thirty years old. And Mary, His most blessed mother, was no fashionable lady, going from place to place in search of amusement and pleasure, delighting in dress, or wasting time in reading silly romances. No, we behold her in the peaceful house at Nazareth, engaged in such domestic occupations as became the wife of an artisan.
Since that day what a different aspect does work assume, viewed in the light of the Catholic faith, and in view of the humble workshop of Nazareth, where Jesus Christ Himself, the God-Man, cheerfully and uncomplainingly helped his foster-father with his work, handling to this end the saw, the hatchet, and the plane.
5. Heltinger expresses himself ably on this subject in his "Christian Apology": "Christ, the Son of the carpenter, ennobled work, once and forever, and even the lowest kind of manual labor. The ancient command: 'In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat thy bread,' was hallowed by Him, was changed into a blessing, a service rendered to God, and an expression of love to Our Lord.
And those who were the first to proclaim His doctrines, gained their livelihood by the work of their hands, and by so doing condemned, once and forever, that idleness which devours the fruit of other men's toil After this, work ceased to be a disgrace, and the Fathers of the Church can scarcely find words enough in which to proclaim the praises of labor. It is indeed a penance for sin, but for the will which is weakened by sin and inclined to evil, it is a shield against temptation; it is a tonic to strengthen man's moral nature, a task performed in the service of Christ, a means of practising every virtue, a school of sanctification, a pledge of rich reward at the hand of God, a well-spring of peace, the honor and the joy of man; for by continuous activity and unceasing effort a man lives a real life, and becomes like to God."
6. Such, briefly expressed, is the worth and dignity of labor. Learn to honor it and to follow it zealously. Regard your work, be it easy or difficult, lofty or lowly, as a precious memorial, a valuable relic, of the holy house at Nazareth. There, indeed, your work also has been ennobled and sanctified; there it received the patent of nobility, which, in so far as you prize it highly as a valuable jewel, will be for you a source of riches and happiness while you sojourn upon earth, and, what is the most important point, will render you a favorite of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and gain for you the right to an eternal reward. Therefore:
Art thou weary, by thy work opprest,
Go to Christ and there thou shalt find rest
Show Him thy toil -stained hands and see
His hands that toiled and bled for thee.
The trials of the workman
"I will hedge up thy way with thorns" (Os. ii. 6)
THE words of the prophet, "I will hedge up thy way with thorns," apply in a greater or less degree to all men; for it was said to the father of the human race and to all his posterity: "Cursed is the earth in thy work: with labor and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee" (Gen. iii. 17, 18). Hence it is that thorns spring up everywhere, in the mansions of the rich as well as in the hovels of the poor. Yet there are some states in life where they seem to grow more luxuriantly than in others. Most of you, if not all of you, are in the employ others, and this is one of the states in life that has its abundance of thorns.
1. The thorns of the workman may be turned into roses by his being contented with his calling. Contentment with one's calling can be obtained by looking at the world as it is. It is an abode of trials, sufferings, a valley of tears. "The days of man," says Job, "are like the days of a hireling" (Job vii. 1). And the author of the "Imitation of Christ" tells us that mortal life is full of miseries, all signed around with crosses (Imit. bk. 2, c. 12). It is not only the state of the workman that has its trials - every state in life has its own difficulties and thorns; there is none where t.he sky is perpetually serene and where roses bloom forever. In other paths besides the one you pursue thorns are found to wound the feet of the wayfarer; indeed, they are often of a size of which you have no conception. Many a thorn of which you know nothing is found in the path of the priest, the doctor, the lawyer, the father of a family. Even in the highest ranks of society tears flow in abundance, and "he that weareth purple and beareth the crown" (Ecclus. xl. 4) is often crushed to the ground by a heavy burden. Cast your eyes upon the world round about you, compare your work with the work of others more heavily burdened, compare your trials with theirs, and do not complain about your state in life, but be content. Let us also remember that men often conceal their troubles from the world, and that many a man hides a sore heart behind a smiling countenance.
Another source of content is found in looking up to God, whose will we perform. Our holy faith teaches us that there is a divine providence that disposes all things: "He ordereth all things sweetly" (Wis. viii. i) "The eyes of the Lord are upon the ways of men, and He considereth all their steps" (Job xxxiv. 21). Holy Scripture teaches us that God disposes all things, especially the Ways of man; it must, then, be God's will that we be in the state of life that we find ourselves in. What a consolation for us! As we work, we are doing the will of God. Then again, contemplate the Son of God. He in whom were all things created in heaven and on earth humbled Himself, "taking the form of a servant" (Phil. ii. 7). The first thirty years of His life were spent in the workshop of His foster-father, St. Joseph. Ought not this consideration make you contented with your lot?
2. Another means of turning the thorns of your calling into roses is found in this, that your work may be made meritorious for heaven. Such roses never fade. Nothing is easier than this, for God in His mercy counts to our merit a cup of cold water given in His name. How much more meritorious than a cup of cold water will be your daily labors and trials if offered up to Him! St. Paul exhorts us; "Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance" (Col. iii. 23, 24). If you work for God, not merely for men, all your labors and trials will become valuable for eternity, and will merit for you the "inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that can not fade, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. i. 4). The wages you earn upon earth are indeed small, but the reward you may receive for them in heaven is incomprehensibly great. In this manner the thorns in your way may be changed into roses that never fade, and which will be woven into a crown to be placed on your brow for all eternity.
3. There are many workmen who are honest, conscientious, and careful in the performance of their duties, and who are for this reason trusted and loved by their employers. On the other hand, we must also admit that there are many complaints made to-day about workmen, and that these complaints are not without some foundation.
Workmen often take no interest in the welfare of their employers; they seem to believe that there must necessarily exist opposition between them instead of a friendly co-operation. Hence they perform their work merely to satisfy their employer sufficiently to retain their situation, and have no intelligent interest in the advancement of his business. That bond which in former times united employers and workmen so that they became almost like members of the same family, the employer looking after the best interests of his workmen, and the workmen looking upon the business of their employer as if it were their own, has for the most part ceased to exist.
Most of the complaints that we hear about workmen would be silenced if they would turn with more earnestness to their holy faith. It is faith that teaches us the nobility of work; by faith we learn that work is commanded us by God. God Himself instituted labor. "Six days thou shalt work" (Ex. xx. 9). "Hate not laborious work, nor husbandry ordained by the Most High" (Ecclus. vii. 16). "Endeavor to work with your own hands, as we commanded you" (1 Thess. iv. 11). That which God has commanded can assuredly be nothing ignoble or vile. Moreover, work has been sanctified by the example of the Redeemer Himself, who came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister" (Mark x. 45). For thirty years the Son of God helped Joseph in his work as carpenter. In the light of our holy faith the calling of a workman is certainly a noble one. By the light of faith workmen obtain a better understanding of their duties in life, and the first step toward fulfilling them is to know them. Faith leads men to be honest and conscientious in their work.
4. Conscientiousness is a powerful means of removing the faults commonly complained of in workmen. This springs from faith; worldly motives are generally insufficient to make men truly conscientious. If a workman is conscientious, there is seldom any cause for complaint; he will be diligent in his work, and he will have the interest of his employer at heart; he sees in his work the fulfilment of God's will, and is not disturbed by little difficulties and trials that spring up from time to time; he is willing to make a sacrifice for God's sake.
It is mainly because faith is dying out amongst men that all the countless troubles between laborers and employers arise. Both sides are possessed with a spirit of greed and selfishness; none is willing to consider fairly the just claims of the other, and hence each is continually endeavoring to take unfair advantage of the needs of the other. It is only Christianity that can remedy the evils of the times. What we need is more believing and conscientious workmen and employers. Take in good part the admonitions I have addressed to you; in what I have said I have had nothing but your own welfare at heart Be upright and honest, so that your employers will have no reason to complain of you, and you will obtain that which is due to you more easily than by opposition and discontent. Every one must admire an honest, diligent workman and will be anxious to recognize his just claims by retaining him. Your calling is not without trials, but you would find just as many, and perhaps greater ones, in every other calling. And do you not know that there is One who counts the drops of sweat upon your brow, and who recompenses every sacrifice? " I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their hands," saith the Lord (Jer. xxv. 14). The workman who is animated with faith and who performs the duties of his calling conscientiously will one day hear the word of Our Lord: "Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. xxv. 23).
There is One who sees your life,
Knows your labor, knows your strife
One who feels with all your sadness,
And will turn it into gladness.
LVI. How ought you to work?
1.In the ear of every young man there sounds the call of his heavenly Father, summoning him to go forth and work in the vineyard of this world. The young man ought to learn to labor well and earnestly, and even to take delight in his work.
Experience teaches us that industrious young people who love their work, and do it well, are almost invariably pious and moral. It is on this account the highest praise for a young man, if it can be said of him with justice that he is industrious, never weary of his work, and always occupied in some useful manner. Employ your time well; be industrious; love your work, it will bring you a blessing both here and hereafter. But mark well, how you ought to work.
2. First of all, and b;fore all else, see that you labor for the honor and glory of God; and to this end, every morning at least, before you begin your work, direct your intention. Say with a fervent heart: " Omnia ad majorem Dei gloriam! " "All for the greater glory of God!" As often as you begin a piece of work, say: " In the name of Jesus!"
3. But a good intention is not enough; you must also perform your work in a state of sanctifying grace; you must take care that your conscience is not burdened by any serious sin. By means of a good intention alone, your work does indeed possess something of a supernatural nature, and tends to prepare you for an amendment of life; but while you remain in the state of mortal sin, it can not earn for you a reward in heaven.
If, therefore, an eternal reward is to be paid you for your work from the treasury of God, it must bear, besides the imprint of a good intention, the stamp of sanctifying grace.
4. And yet one thing more is needful; you must perform your work with patience. He who, while at work, grows impatient, murmurs and complains, is false to the good intention with which he began; his work is no longer done for the honor of God, and therefore loses all claim to an eternal reward.
Wherefore murmur riot, do- not complain, much less utter words of cursing. Even if you look at the matter from a purely natural point of view, does your work get on any better if you yield to impatience? Can you finish it more quickly if you break out' into oaths and imprecations? Most certainly not!
On the contrary, if you are patient about your work, and perform it for the love of God, you will certainly do it with zeal and industry; you will not grow morose and indifferent if you can not complete your task as speedily as you hoped to do. You will not allow yourself to be hindered in your work by useless chatter; no, you will perform it as well as you can - cheerfully and faithfully. You will perform every action as if it were your last, and as if, immediately thereafter, you were to be summoned to appear before God, and give a strict account to Him.
5. The Blessed Baldomer has taught us by his example how one's daily work may be begun and ended in a manner pleasing to God. He was a locksmith, and employed numerous apprentices. He was much given to prayer, and a lover of work. As a master he held fast to the ancient and admirable custom of beginning everything with God. He arose each morning with his mind on God, and invariably performed his morning devotions with scrupulous care, remembering the old and most true saying, that everything depends on the blessing of God.
He was a daily attendant at Mass, for he bore in mind the divine promise: "Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you." "In the name of God," he said as he began his work, and then hammered away busily, until evening came, and after the burden and toil of the day, he laid his tools aside with a heartfelt ejaculation of, "Thanks be to God!" In. this way Baldomer not only gained a fortune, but accumulated a treasure of merit for eternity.
6. Do you also work in a similar fashion. Employ yourself usefully at every moment of the day, in order that the devil "who goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," may never find you idle. This is the best way to spoil his little game. Once more let me exhort you: Be very careful to perform your work with a good intention, and in a state of grace. Also strive to be always patient, in order that one day you may purchase, with sterling coins of the realm, an entrance into heaven.
Cease to lament, O troubled heart,
What do you gain when you complain?
For work and prayer we know impart
The best relief to earthly grief.
LVII. Work and wages
1.Social questions are very prominently brought forward in the present day.
In regard to this subject, the foreground is occupied by complaints concerning the unfortunate relations between capital and labor, between work and wages. Lamentations are rife on the one hand, where it is asserted that the workman may toil and wear himself out, and yet receive a pittance which scarcely suffices to keep the wolf from the door, and which renders it almost impossible to procure the necessaries of life, considering the present high price of provisions.
On the other side the lamentations are just as loud. Workmen can never be satisfied; they demand shorter hours and higher wages, and on account of the excess of production and eager competition it becomes necessary to dispose of goods at a merely nominal price.
2. And who is in the right? No one can seriously assert that our present social conditions are particularly favorable. But the fundamental cause of all these complaints lies in the fact that human society is, in the present day, no longer permeated by a truly Christian spirit.
If in our modern times we had made as much progress in this spirit as we have in discoveries of every kind, there would not be all these complaints. The workman would not have to complain of exploitation and treatment unworthy of a human being on the part of the masters, nor would the latter complain of insolence and excessive claims on the part of the former.
The Christian spirit renders the master just, and more than just, toward the workman, the workman contented, modest, and respectful; the Christian spirit renders the master the father of those whom he employs, and makes them to a certain extent his equals. Yes, if the Christian spirit had governed every strata of society, conditions would have been far more satisfactory; in spite of steam power and machinery we should have more independent workmen. However, if you, young man, belong to the working classes, you must constantly bear in mind the fact that dependence is not degradation. But it forms part of the scheme or economy of divine providence, that many, very many human beings do, and must live in this or a similar state of dependence.
If this lot has perhaps fallen to your share, see that you do not complain and murmur against the providence of God, and indulge in discontent in regard to your lot; do not consider this dependence to be something degrading, unworthy of a human being, and therefore to be spoken of with contempt. You may, and you should, strive to raise yourself to an independent position, through industry, energy, perseverance, prayer, and the use of lawful means. But to do this by defiance, insubordination, chicanery, unjust demands and actions, would be to rise up against the law and ordinance of God; would be a sin.
4. In all your circumstances, in the midst of trials and hardships, fail not to place your trust in God. " He hath care of you" In His own good time and way He will reward you, if you labor for love of Him, if you do all things, as the Apostle admonishes us, " in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." The demands of workmen in the present day aim only at a just rate of payment. It is otherwise with the reward which God metes out, and which we can merit by our labor, if this is performed in a state of grace, and with a good intention.
God does, indeed, measure out the reward with exactitude, so that no particle of meritorious labor shall remain unrewarded, but he measures it out in rich and overflowing fulness. He rewards everything, not with princely or royal munificence, but with divine bounty, as becomes His divine majesty.
This is told us by St. Paul, in the memorable words with which I conclude this chapter: "For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory."
If thy fortune seem to fail
And thy efforts nought avail,
Chase away all doubt and gloom,
Bravely then thy work resume.
Riches of a higher sphere
Are gained by patient suffering here.
Hard though be thy lot
Christian workman, murmur not;
Soon the light shall dawn
Which ushers in a brighter morn.
LVIII. Work and the Sunday rest
1.Under the old dispensation God laid a very special stress on the observance of the Sabbath; while Israel was in the desert, He ordained by the mouth of Moses that any one who violated this commandment should incur the penalty of death. We, who live under the new dispensation, have to keep the Sunday holy. In the first place we must abstain from servile work on the Lord's Day.
2. The Sunday rest is, however, no arbitrary requirement for the working man, but a command of nature. A human being is not capable of incessant exertion, like a mere inanimate machine, and even the latter wears out, if constantly used. Scientists, and even medical men who are destitute of religious beliefs, and unchristian governments, have publicly proclaimed their conviction that one day of rest in the week is a necessity; they have unanimously asserted how highly important it is that Sunday should be generally observed as a day of rest.
3. And there is, moreover, something beautiful and elevating in the Sunday rest and Sunday celebration. As soon as he awakes on the Lord's Day, the truly Christian workman feels that he has been transported into a different atmosphere. The cheerful peal of the church bells sounds pleasantly in his ear. He puts on his Sunday coat instead of his dusty blouse, and repairs to church with a joyful heart, in order there to unite with all his fellow -Christians in the worship of God, his supreme Lord and Master. Great and small, high and low, rich and poor, are on the same footing in the house of God, and the meanest workman is conscious that within those walls his dignity as a Christian outweighs marble palaces, high offices of state, kingly titles, and imperial diadems, making them all to appear as mere tinsel.
4. Yet does many a man imagine in his blindness and thirst for gain that Sunday labor is of advantage to him, and increases his store of money. How short-sighted I If you. my friend, could reckon up the number of those - if indeed any such could be found who have become rich through working on Sunday, and also those who, in spite of working on Sunday, or, to speak more correctly, because they worked on Sunday, have come to beggary; then would the mere consideration of worldly advantage restrain you from desecrating the day of the Lord. Everything depends on the blessing of God; the curse of God, on the contrary, brings to nought the fairest hopes and wisest calculations. Can not God send down, in the space of one brief hour, lightning and hail, sickness and death? Does His hand not know how to strike the guilty?
5. A certain judge in his youth had be longed to a society composed of young men who habitually desecrated Sunday, either by work, or excesses of different descriptions. Later in life, however, he had been converted and had amended his ways.
He was, on one occasion, called to pass sentence of death upon a criminal who had been a member of the same society. The judge trembled to think of the danger he had incurred, and asked the unfortunate man before him what had become of his associates of former days. "Your Honor," replied the criminal, "except yourself and me, there is not one left alive; all the others have perished on the gallows, or met some form of violent death."
6. That is but one instance out of very many which prove that, as He formerly did under the old dispensation, God heavily punishes those who violate the Sabbath. Be very careful, my friend, not to desecrate Sunday, either by work, or by indulgence in sinful pleasures. Live in accordance with your faith; be a true and loyal Catholic; then will you live a happy life, and die a peaceful death.
Sunday
This day the glorious Trinity
Creation's work began;
This day the world's Creator rose,
O'ercoming death for man.
So, while on this His holy day,
At this most sacred hour,
Our psalms amid the stillness rise,
May He His blessings shower.
Father of lights! keep us this day
from sinful passions free;
Grant us, in every word, and deed,
And thought, to honor Thee.
Assist us, Purity divine,
Within our hearts to quell
Those evil fires which, cherish'd here,
Augment the Barnes of hell.
Saviour, of Thy sweet clemency,
Wash Thou our sins away;
Grant us Thy peace - grant us with Thee
Thine own eternal day.
LIX. Success
"In all thy works be excellent" (Ecclus. xxxiii. 23). If success does not come, it shall not be for want of effort on my part. A good Catholic standing high in his profession or business is a great support to the Church. His example shows that the life of the world to come does not mean the wrecking of the life that now is. But is there not danger of vainglory in the pursuit of success? To this question St. Ignatius makes answer as follows: " When a good soul thinks of doing something that may turn to the glory of God within the area of activity that the Church allows, and thereupon encounters some temptation not to do it, the tempter alleging specious pretexts of vainglory, then the soul should raise its gaze to its Creator and Lord, and if it sees that the thing is not contrary to God's service, it ought to take the very opposite course to the course suggested by the tempter, and say with St. Bernard: I did not begin for you, and I will not leave off for you" Besides, success in any profession is not attained except by hard work, and hard work is a wonderful cure for vainglory. Hard work crowds out thoughts of vanity. Work is hard because we are weak. Hard work reveals our weakness and humbles us. Real hard work is not work done with facility and zest, as when a healthy lad runs his mile. Real hard work is gone through in spite of reluctance and pain, and occasional inability to proceed: it is as the limping, hobbling gait of a lame man. The advantages that men are born with, or come in for without labor, or possess henceforth in comfortable security without further need of effort, such are the advantages most likely to turn a man's head with vainglory. Still, labor as we may, some of us will never attain success in this world. God has His own way of treating every soul. Some He leads to heaven by the road of temporal success, but many by the way of failure, poverty, and humiliation, the same by which Himself, as man, mounted to His heavenly throne. Never was there to human eyes such an utterly hopeless failure as Christ crucified. Accused, found guilty, and condemned, dying the death of a felon and of a slave, deserted by His friends, mocked by His enemies, apparently forsaken by God, and His wonder-working powers taken away from Him - in this plight our blessed Saviour closed His eyes, beholding with His last glance what appeared to be the ruin of His work and the failure of His mission. After suck an example, no Christian need be surprised at disaster. There must be other avenues to heaven than the way of the "prosperous gentleman." I will work hard to succeed in my profession; and if; with all my hard work, I fail and die a ruined man, still this hope is stored up in my breast (Job xix. 27), that my Saviour will love me the better for my failure, and that I shall be the nearer Him on that account in paradise. - From Ye are Christ's.
'Tis not in mortals to command success,
But we'll do more, Sempronius; we'll deserve it.
- Addison.
"Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly" (Eccles. ix. 10).
"Who is the man that desireth life: Who loveth to see good days?
" Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."
"Turn away from evil and do good: seek after peace and pursue it" (Ps. xxxiii. 13-15).
" Exhort your hearts, and confirm you in every good work and word" (2 Thess. ii. 16)
"If thou do well, shalt thou not receive?" (Gen. iv. 7).
" For He (the Lord) will render to a man his work, and according to the ways of every one, He will reward them " (Job. xxxiv. 11).
"The Lord will reward me according to my justice, and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:
"Because I have kept the ways of the Lord: and have not done wickedly against my God (Ps, xvii. 21, 22).