Bishop Buddy Scrapbook 1938-1940

LEAVENWORTH DIOCEf.;E MISRIONARY, MARCH-APR.IL ISSUE

In the Idylls of the King, Tenny- son allows that much-suffering, heroic King Arthur to depart, not to a place of transitory bliss, but because he "ever wore the white flower of a blameless life," the noble ruler sets out for "The island-valley of Avilion; Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow. Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies Deep-meadoweJ, happy, fai r with orchard-lawns And bowery hallows crowned with summer sea," to live an immortal life with those who have been faithful to God, to duty, and to the still, sm)all voice of conscience. Calderon, the most renowned of Spain's poets, in his masterpiece, "The Steadfast Prince," points from the countless graves in the city of the dead to the everlasting homes of redeemed souls in the city lighted by God's countenance. It is this vision of immortality which lends hope to the bereaved mother in the sad hour when the memory of her departed child weighs heavily upon her heart. The death of a godless pagan warrior on the field of battle is a loss and a defeat, even if victory crown the standard under which he fights. But the death of a Saint Sebastian, or of any Christian soldier in the grace of God, is a victory, even though the battle has been lost. Over the field of carnage is wafted the word of Christ, the King of the ages: "I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live." "Death, where is thy sting?" Death is no permanent separ ation. There will be a reunion on a brighter day. Those who have departed this life in the grace of God do not yearn to return to the land of shadow. In the light of God's countenance they realize the true values of t hings of time and of eternity, and do not wish their lives prolonged for a single mo- ment because God does not wish it so. They are awaiting us ann will recog- nize us after these transitory years.

There is something substantial about it, something genuine." A pretty compliment, indeed. The grand old Church has been receiving compli- ments like that for nineteen hundred years. -Catholic Advance. The Catholic Church, because of her experience of almost two thou- sand years, and also because of her divine commission, has ever recog- nized the importance of providing adequate facilities for the physicial, intellectual, moral and social training of the children entrusted to her care. She realizes and demands that to do this work properly there must be a deeply sane religious background where the child may learn the part which God and God's grace will play in the years from adolescence to maturity. This religious background must be present not only in the home, but also in the school, the playground and the social world because the child cannot be raised in any one or these alone but must participate in the ac- tivities of all of them. The task of Catholic teachers is therefore a solemn and a serious one and second cnly to that of the child's parents, and only too often they must assume an added responsibility which careless parents reject. The Great Poets Find Inspiration in the Vision of Immortality (Rev. Albert Muntsch S. J.) It is no mere coincidence that the greatest poets of all times have de- veloped in their best works themes that momentarily lift the veil hiding the hereafter and thus afford a vision of immortality. The inspired seer, Dante, the most eloquent interpreter of man's longing for immortal life, owes his world-wide fame to a work which pierces the bourns of sense and time and directs our vision to the eternal throne of God. Parsifal, the youthful hero of a poem by one of the greatest of medieval court-singers, goes through life on an ideal quest- the quest of the Holy Grail, the sym- bol of immortal longing in the heart of man for the blessed vision of God in t he eternal homeland.

Priest Declares the Principles of Christ Are Needed Today St. Louis, Mo.-In his series of ser- mons on the Lord's Prayer, Father Leo J. Steck, speaking at the St. Louis cathedal, told how Washington, and Lincoln sought God's aid in prayer. Father Steck concluded his sermon with these observations: If the virtues and principles of Christ were practiced, the causes that produce Communism\ would fade into oblivion. Christ gave us the remedy and the cure. His saints practiced it with success. St. Francis of Assissi, of wealthy parents, sold all he had and gave to the poor. Father Dempsey Praised "Father Dempsey of our own city not only preached charity, but prac- ticed it. Such men and their follow- ers are doing more to save Christian- ity than all the tirades against Com- munism and the Communist. RP.- move the cause, and yuu won't have to worry about the effect. Every true Catholic has been a missionary; every one must be a mis- sionary. Some are called upon to give their personal services to the apostolate, either .at home or abroad; others must work to spread the di- vine truth among the members of their families and among their friends and neighbors; all must support with- in their means both Home and Fore- ign Missions. At last the frozen north has pro- duced a painter. Twok Aden Ahgu- puk-fine name! He paints pictures of t he Eskimos and their dog teams, seal and bear hunters, and the arctic landscape. A thing we would like Ahgupuk to do is to paint a picture of one of the Catholic mission churches up there, r emotest north outpost of Catholic- ism. And this reminds rn!e of what an officer of the Canadian Mounted Police sai_d to me last summer: "I spent fifteen years in the cold Hudson Bay region. The best people I met there were the Catholic priests and Sist ers. I t ake my hat off to them. The Catholic Church is a power .