ii. Forty-fifth Year . . The . . Irish Monthly Contributors to current issues include the following: PROFESSOR BUTLER. PROFESSOR A. E. CLERY. PROFESSOR MAX DRENNAN. MISS ALICE FURLONG. MRS. A. S. GREEN. PROFESSOR MARY HAYDEN. PROFESSOR HOUSTON, FR. KELLEHER. PROFESSOR R. A. S. MACALISTER. COL. M. Moore. A. NEWMAN. PROFESSOR G. O'NEILL. PROFESSOR J. M. O'SULLIVAN. COUNT PLUNKETT. A. J. RAHILLY. PROFESSOR W. P. F, STOCKLEY, KATHARINE TYNAN. PROFESSOR WEBB. Annual Subscription 78 Post Free. (U. S. A. $1.80). Payable in Advance to The Editor," Irish Monthly," Rathfarnham Castle, Co. Dublin. SPIRITUAL COMMON-SENSE. "T° BY "PECCAVI." O whomsoever much is given, much shall be asked of him." These words of St. Luke suggest an inevitable rendering of accounts, with an equally inevitable and unswervingly just verdict-an awe-inspiring thought if we allow it to develop in our minds. But what of those to whom not alone "much" but all has been given? Will not the inspection of the account they render of their stewardship be proportionately more searching, the verdict proportionately more severe? What, in fact, will be our position when, as Catholics, we stand each of us alone before our Divine Master in the inevitable, awful, instant of the Particular Judgment? 66 Not much," but all has been given to us with the priceless treasure of the Faith; the Omnipotent God can bestow upon us no more than we possess in Mass and Holy Communion-Himself. Alone among the peoples of earth, we, Catholics, possess Him thus; by this, we are marked as a race apart, unlike our fellows, differing from those "not of the household of the Faith" more immeasurably than the multi-millionaire differs from the man of average small means, for the wealth of the soul cannot be estimated in terms of worldly riches. And, in this knowledge, there is no hint of pride; the Faith is God's free gift to us, we cannot merit it. Far from despising those who do not share it with us, far from sinning against charity in our thoughts of them, we Catholics should draw comparisons only to our own humiliation when we see how much they often do for God out of their scanty spiritual means, and when we realise how little we do for His service, though we have all the riches of Heaven within our grasp. From the moment that we repeat our act of Faith in the teaching of the Church, we admit the truth of our spiritual wealth; but, when there is question of allowing that truth to influence our daily life, we sometimes show ourselves singularly lacking in the simple faculty of common-sense. In calm, if unthinking, defiance of God's plan, we, Catholics, labour to make our lives like those of our neighbours; to mould ourselves on the model of the world around us, whereas our Creator, by giving us the Faith, has expressly shown that He intends us to be unlike them. Common-sense warns us that, when a thing has been clearly created by the Almighty for one purpose, man courts but failure and ultimate disaster if he strive to turn it to any other. Who but a lunatic would attempt to draw water from a furnace to refresh his thirsty fields; or what reasonable man, pretending to build a house of sand would expect to be considered sane? Yet, these things can be achieved more easily than can a soul, once possessing the Faith, ever reasonably expect to resemble one without it; why, then, in the name of Eternal Wisdom, do we try to achieve this ignoble impossibility? Why not accept God's plan in our spiritual life as we accept it in our physical existence? Why not resolve to live as we are meant to live-as Catholics of whom, all having been given to us, much will be expected? Common-sense of the most prosaic kind suggests that one should prepare for any inevitable occurrence, however unpleasing the idea of it be to oneself, by rehearsal in thought, at least, if not in deed, so that the difficulties of the actual event may not be increased by one's own utter unpreparedness. If we made room for it in everyday life-disabusing our minds once and for ever of the absurd supposition that it is not "good form" to bring the affairs of our soul into the domain of practical matters-we should find in a little thoughtful consideration of the Particular Judgment just the assistance which we require to conquer that self-consciousness which is largely responsible for our pitiful efforts to "live like our neighbours" whilst every fibre of our soul is crying out against such a distortion of the Divine Plan. As human beings, we are sociable creatures, seeking naturally for the companionship of others of our kind. This tendency of our nature possibly accounts for the comparative ease with which we speak of "The Day of Judgment "-meaning the Last Day, when all mankind will meet in one vast assembly; there is a somewhat comforting suggestion of comradeship and solidarity about the picture. What we shrink from (to the unbounded satisfaction, doubtless, of his Satanic majesty) is reflection upon that instant when, in the Particular Judgment, our fate for Eternity will be decided. At the moment of death there will be no comforting, reasuring group of fellow-souls about us; each soul must face its trial alone before God, and the things of this world will appear to us in their true proportions as we see them illumined by the light of Eternity. Would it not show ordinary prudence and foresight were we to instal that heavenly searchlight now upon our life-path, and study the affairs of time by its radiance, instead of groping on in the deceptive twilight of Earth until it be too late? Surely, that would be but the exercise of practical common-sense! In the catechism of our childhood, we learn that the Sacrifice of the Mass is one and the same with that of Calvary, but how does our daily life square with that knowledge? For many of us, what is there to differentiate our morning from that of those to whom the words "Mass". and "frequent (or daily) communion" mean nothing? Our very souls shudder at the thought of resting comfortably in bed on the first Good Friday whilst our Divine Redeemer suffered and died for us; we cry out that we would have been among the faithful few who formed the tearful retinue of His heart-broken Mother. How is it, then, that we leave Him to tread anew the Way of His Passion each morning, whilst we enjoy an extra hour of repose? Where is our Faith? For some, reasons of health, distance from church, or business or household duties, clearly indicate that they do God's Will by remaining at home; but, for the generality of healthy Catholics, attendance at daily Mass, from childhood onwards, should be the rule rather than the exception. No sane medical |