fjOPSO^OS

HESE

HUMAN
Ills /

By

Rev. Michael X. Frassrand, C.S.P.

New York

THE PAULIST PRESS

401 West 59th Street



Nihil Obstat:

Arthur J. Scanlan, D.D.,

Censor Librorum,

Imprimatur:

^ Patrick Cardinal Hayes,
Archbishop of New York.

New York, May 27, 1933.

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN THE U. S. A.

BY THE PAULIST PRESS, NEW YORK, N. Y.



THESE HUMAN ILLS!
By Rev. Michael X. Frassrand, C.S.P.

every age some people get only bitterness out

of life. Sickness, poverty, loneliness and

other ills are so common that even in ordinary

times complete escape from them is impossible.

Some of these may be over-powered and sup-

pressed to a certain extent in one place, only to

become doubly menacing in another. Sorrows,

like life and death, are wrapped up in humanity,

and are so common that, except in extraordinary

times, the healthy and smiling world scarcely

recognizes the part that is sick and sad. We of

today have been overtaken so completely by one

of these human ills that the happy world of our

childhood seems to be gone beyond return. We
are the victims of a double share of this world’s

bitterness. With some it has destroyed confidence

in their fellowman; with others it has destroyed

hope in God.

Even though depression is the subject upper-

most in the minds of the people, it is not by any

means the worst calamity that has overtaken man.

It has not been accompanied by plagues such as,

at other times, have carried away every second

person
;
there has been no unusual amount of sick-

ness; there has been no famine. Our sorrows arise

largely out of a collapsed financial system; our

pocket-books have been hurt; we have been left in

debt, our property mortgaged, our laborers out of



2 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

jobs, our cities filled with the poor. These are the

depression’s chief terrors; hunger and want today,

and uncertainty about tomorrow make this the

greatest curse of our age. Although it is not the

deepest affliction that man has had to face, it is a

bitter and a tragic experience.

Fpr radicals disgruntled with the whole of cre-

ation, and for demagogues who believe they are

the beginning and end of all happiness, we see no

way out. These think of life in the terms of

money, pleasure, freedom from everything. The

prosperity of an earlier day doomed, they have

nothing to look forward to. But the world is still

filled with hope and promise for the man who looks

beyond the material store-houses of this earth for

comfort. Things, bad for some, may prove bless-

ings for others. A curse of the world may be a
blessing of God. Better days await the believing!

An Ancient Depression

Nineteen hundred years ago the Son of God

came upon this earth of ours and found a people

burdened far more heavily than anything we have

ever known. If we may speak figuratively, they

hardly knew the glory of the sunlight. The skies

were overcast with persistent mists and fog. The

sun was hidden, and so long had the darkness

lasted that they had grown accustomed to it.

They surely hoped for something better but

scarcely expected ever to see it. The darkness was

the poverty of the common people; their total



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 3

helplessness under the heel of their masters; sick-

ness and disease that had to be borne patiently

until death in the burial places and in the moun-

tains away from relatives and friends. It is re-

markable how men can accept the inevitable. In

the Palestine that saw Christ, men had bowed their

necks to the yoke and trudged along life’s way

broken in spirit. Into this darkness the Light of

the World came. Our Blessed Savior was the

Light 1

These poor helpless people were the special

objects of Christ’s boundless sympathy. For them

He labored, and with them He lived, partaking

of their humble joys and entering into their sor-

rows. Search the records and we find no miracles

for the haughty pharisee
;
no raising up from death

sons and daughters of wicked kings; no special

blessings for regiments of cruel soldiers. But be-

hold Him addressing a poor blind man who had

been excommunicated from synagogue services;

stand by the country roadside and see the power of

His love in action as He returns to a grieving

widow the greatest earthly gift that could be given

her, the life of her only son I Observe His response

to the cry of the heart of an embarrassed woman

prostrate at His feet: ‘‘Go in peace, thy sins are

forgiven thee.” And see the earth quiver and sur-

render its dead at His cry in behalf of two grief-

stricken sisters: “Lazarus, come forth!”

A multitude of other sorrowing souls felt His
presence among them. Truly the sun had ap-



4 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

peared in the skies; the long day of darkness was

over. The Son of God had come, and the true

Light of the world dispelled the gloom. There was

no more weeping for the poor widow of Naim; no

longer a feeling of loneliness and desertion in the

heart of Mary of Magdala; no longer that despair

of better things among the poor of the land. The

heavy yoke that for so long a time had pressed

them down had been lifted. The slow heavy step

of these down-trodden people had been quickened

;

eyes dimmed by their sorrows had been bright-

ened; joy had returned to the land. Did they not

have Him? There was no soul which He could

not re-enliven
;
no broken heart that He could not

heal.

He Has Not Abandoned Us

It is true that after His work upon this earth

had been completed, He returned to His heavenly

home. But He has not abandoned us. In that

greatest of all acts which consumed His life upon

the cross, a new bond between God and the world

was established. Just as among us, suffering pro-

duces the strongest bond and the deepest love that

we know, so the agony on the cross has bound

Christ to mankind with an everlasting love.

Leaving this world. He could not forget it. Yes,

it had persecuted Him, but for it He had suffered;

we had become His children; children for whom

He had paid the highest price. " Such a world as

that which produced a Calvary cannot be forgot-



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 5

ten. The earth is filled with Him; nature seems to

be more buoyant and joyful because of His near-

ness. His delights are to be with the children of

men.

“I will not leave you orphans,” He promised

before departing from us. He could not leave the

world as He had found it. The widow, the poor,

the sick, the persecuted, the depressed had won a

permanent place in His affections. He had spent

long hours with them and sleepless nights treading

the rough paths of Palestine in search of them. As

Calvary that tormented Him must ever remain a

place rich in sacred memories, and the most

blessed spot of the whole world, so the heavily-

laden and grief-stricken children for whom He

lived and died must ever remain dear to His divine

Heart. He simply could not leave them orphans.

Orphans have no home of their own; nowhere

in particular to go; no father upon whom to lean

in time of need, no mother in whom to confide.

They must bear their pains, and suffer their wants

alone. They have their burdens, their hours of

loneliness, their desolate empty hearts and there is

no one to whom they may go. To save us from
that sad predicament, Christ brought forth the

great mystery of remaining upon earth while

taking possession again of His heavenly home.

Never again would He abandon man, and leave him

an orphan. He remained a companion in time of
loneliness; to advise us in time of trouble; to con-

sole us in the hour of affliction.



6 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

He Looks at the Heart

Surely He did not love the poor outcast of

Jerusalem or Jericho more than the outcast of New

York or Chicago; He did not feel deeper sympathy

for the poor widow who had lost her only son than

for the poor widow of today who must follow her

child to its burial; no keener concern for the ten

lepers than for the sick and dying in our tenement

districts; no greater affection for the little children

who surrounded Him than for the poor children

who play on the sidewalks of our busy streets. He

was on earth during the reign of Herod, but He

loved those whom Herod oppressed no more than

the lowly and oppressed under any other despot.

The proof of His universal love, that is, love for all

people at all times, is found in His teaching. He

had no favorites among the races
;
he promised no

tribe or nation choice places in heaven. He sent

His messengers into the whole world and com-

manded that His Gospel be taught until the end of

time.

Our Blessed Master is concerned with the inte-

rior disposition of a person rather than with the

accidental circumstances of race, color, or age. It

is the heart that counts
;
He looks at the mind, the

will, and by these inward things judges whether one

is worthy of His gifts.

This means that Christ is upon earth, and here

for you. He is waiting for you to call upon Him

as they of old cried out in their helplessness:

“Jesus, have mercy on us!”



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 7

Go in Search of Him

Christ sees your troubles and He is grieved by

them even more than you are. No affliction can

escape His searching eye, and none can get by His

opened Heart. Yet it has never been His custom

to intrude. He has never gone where He was

not wanted
;
He has never forced Himself upon the

attentions of any one. He waits for the invitation.

Mary Magdalen did not wait for Jesus to go in

search of her; she went to Him. Yes, and when it

was a very difficult thing to do. She made a tre-

mendous sacrifice in order to lay her heart bare

before Him; she humiliated herself before curious

spectators, and before the whole world. Still the

story of that sacrifice is told! The ten lepers

would have died in their wretchedness had they

waited for Jesus to go in search of them. He

passed within shouting distance; they had to do

the rest. They raised their voices in a piercing cry:

“Lord, make us clean!” Leprosy was associated

with uncleanliness of which any one might be

ashamed. Had they hidden back of that shame

and failed to cry out we would have no account of

the cure of the ten lepers. It is well that we re-

member that those who were able to walk went in

search of Christ, and invalids unable to make their

own way were carried to Him.

We must, then, go in search of Him, explain
our purpose and cry for His mercy. We must lay
our hearts bare before Him and speak as they of
old spoke: “Son of David have mercy on me; Lord,



8 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

that I may be made whole! See these hands of

mine, Lord, they are knotted and calloused from

work; and now I can work no longer. See these

children of mine. Lord, I have no means of feeding

and clothing them. Lord, see this problem; it has

subdued me
;
all is confusion, and I know not which

way to turn. Jesus, see this empty desolate heart,

this broken spirit. Lord, all is darkness and I need

some one to show me the way!”

Blessed Are They Who Trust in Him

There are remarkable differences between those

who Hope in God and those who rely only upon

themselves. The latter lose their capital and they

are overwhelmed with grief. They are unwilling

to work, and ashamed to beg; they enter the long

night with no daylight ahead. The suicide page

tells an appalling tale. On the contrary, those who

rely upon God may feel heart-broken over the loss

of wealth, friends, health but the night before them

is not an unending one. They see in the distance the

first rays of the rising sun, and in patience wait for

the day. These look beyond their own powers for

a solution of the problems of humanity; they trust

in God.

Hope sweetens the disposition; distrust em-

bitters it. If pleasant living were the highest am-

bition of life the man who can believe, hope, and

wait is the more blessed. In times of unusual dis-

tress he alone can wear a persevering smile.

But there is a real foundation for this trust



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 9

even where worldly blessings are concerned. Listen

to Christ, He speaks to you: “Be not solicitous for

your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body,

what you shall put on. . . . Behold the birds of the

air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap nor

gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feed-

eth them. Are not you of much more value than

they? . . . and for raiment why are you solicitous?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;

they labor not neither do they spin. But I say to

you not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed

as one of these. How much more are you, O ye of

little faith! Be not solicitous therefore, ... for

your Father knoweth that you have need of all

these things.”

These words addressed to you are from Him

who fed the multitudes on the hillside. They are

the everlasting guarantee of His watchfulness over

the poor and helpless ones of this earth.

Why then be alarmed over tomorrow and the

next day? Not even Christ would advise you to

ignore the future; yet while exercising prudence

toward it the present day is the day of days. Too

much concern over tomorrow and thereafter en-

courages greed and unscrupulous methods of ac-

cumulating wealth. It produces the oppressor, the

despot, the miser.

Consider the miser, how he hoards the gain of

his labor, and after living poorly himself leaves his

fortune to be squandered by undeserving children

and relatives. Consider also the person who is for-



10 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

ever concerned about his health; he takes all the

joy out of living by constantly diagnosing his own

ills, and telling others about them. He keeps him-

self in bad health by the very means employed to

lengthen his life. These men and women are con-

cerned with this world and its life, far more than

with the. comforts and riches of eternal life. They

are solicitous about the things of this world, and

spend their days as though they alone were mas-

ters of destiny. The Gospel Parable of the lilies of

the field consists of so many idle words. They have

no abiding belief in Christ’s promise to watch over

His own. They distrust God and hope only in

themselves.

We Must Do Our Share

It would be unfair and tempting of divine Prov-

idence to throw all the responsibility of supplying

food, clothing and shelter upon God. Common

sense demands a personal cooperation with Him.

The saying: “God helps those who help them-

selves,” contains more than a grain of truth. God

does not throw bundles from heaven; He does

not assume all the responsibility for your happi-

ness in this life. Presuming that He does or should

is to deprive man of his purpose. Laziness is so

detested in heaven that it is reckoned one of

the capital sins. In what way then does God pro-

vide for us? Remember the birds of the parable:

“They neither sow nor do they reap nor gather

into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 11

them.” God has provided the food; the birds

must search for it. He has provided it plenti-

fully. So with us; He has blessed the world, and

provided it with a wealth of choice blessings. We

must hunt them out, and put them into useful

form. “In the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat

bread.” This means work, tireless application of

our energies to duty; perseverance. God blesses

the labor and makes it fruitful.

A farmer must break the soil, carefully sow the

seed, and cultivate the growing plants in order to

produce grain. If he should allow his fields to

grow up in weeds, his grain to rot in his graneries,

he will starve in the midst of plenty. He will per-

ish through sloth. He must labor, and God will

cooperate with him and bless his labor. A car-

penter, a bricklayer, a typist, must be equally

energetic; these have talents which must be used.

To put the blame for poverty and all its ills upon

God is to miss the point entirely. This implies a

presumption that is entirely out of harmony with

man’s purpose on earth.

A misunderstanding of God’s providence easily

leads one away from Him. How often we hear it

said: “Well, I cannot get what I want; things have

gone so hard with me
;
I prayed for something and

God would not grant it, so I have stopped praying

altogether.” And another will say: “I doubt the

goodness of God, and question even His exist-

ence, because of my many troubles.” But, is it

God who has made troubles for you, or is it man?



12 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

Did He lay the heavy hand of poverty on you, or

did man? Look back carefully and apportion the

responsibility. Is it not possible that you must

bear a part of the blame? Have you exercised all

your talents according to your ability? God does

not spend Himself going about society, inflicting

this one with hardship, blessing that one with com-

forts. We have made our mistakes; we have
squandered our talents; we have wasted ourselves

in unprofitable channels. We look for some ex-
cuse for our failures, some one to blame. There has

been too much presumption on God’s providence.

Presuming upon God’s mercy and despair of it

are the extremes. Somewhere between these two

a happy medium is to be found; that medium ac-

cording to better authority than mine is: “work as

though all things depended upon yourself, and

hope in God as though all things depended upon

Him.”

The First Requisite for Divine Help

Our Divine Master spoke words to this effect:

“Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all

these things shall be added unto you.” In our dis-

tress we are looking for these things; cessation of

grief, legitimate comforts, peace of mind, happi-

ness. We certainly are justified in desiring these

blessings, but we must not make them the one goal

of our striving. We must remember that God put

them in the last place, saying: “Seek ye first the

kingdom of heaven.”



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 13

No real seeker after heaven, to my knowledge,

has had to complain for lack of the “other things.”

Those seeking first the kingdom of heaven, have

found this world, if anything, too fascinating, too

rich in its offerings. Their battle has been against

the good things of the world. Men trying to live

poorly like Christ have found riches everywhere;

going into the desert to live alone with God, they

have found multitudes coming out to them; appar-

ently wearing out their bodies in fasting and absti-

nence, they have lived unusually long lives. The

real seekers after the kingdom of heaven have

found these things in such abundance as to be dis-

tracted thereby. Trying to get away from the

world, the world has pursued them relentlessly.

Once we grasp this stubborn persistence of the

world to overwhelm the seekers of the kingdom

of heaven, we can grasp the more quickly Christ’s

words of advice to discouraged and oppressed peo-

ple: “Be not solicitous for your life, what you shall

eat, nor for your body what you shall put on . . .

for after all these things do the heathens seek!”

Desserts for the Deserving

Has it ever occurred to you that individuals

who are most deserving of God’s good things ask

the least of Him? And that the least deserving ex-

pect the most of Him? Job was a worthy man, but

his cry was: “The Lord hath given and the Lord

hath taken away.” He would not ask anything of

the Lord. The Christ-like man or woman, in some



14 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

desperate situation, repeats: “If it be God’s will;

if it be God’s will.” Such a one has the greater

right to the use of the blessings of this world, yet

exercises caution in seeking such favors.

The unworthy ask the most and expect the

most. It is not likely that they will weigh a propo-

sition and say: If it be God’s will. They are not

concerned a great deal whether it is God’s will or

not. God must needs give to them generously,

or they complain. Consider for a moment the

number of persons who are stretching the laws

of God to the breaking point, excusing them-

selves with: “We must do this because we are

poor; I had to do that because I was out of work!
”

Yet, these very ones know that they need God’s

blessings in abundance, while doing everything

possible to show their unworthiness. Instead of

giving up all manner of wrong-doing in order to

win Divine favor they do the things that are wrong

to escape the hardships of a difficult situation. One

says: “I turned to burglary to provide for my fam-

ily.” Another: “I have violated God’s marriage

laws because we were poor.” Here are but two of

many examples that might be given of persons who

profess to be in great need of God’s mercy, and yet

do everything to cause Him to withhold it. They

have little consideration for God, yet expect God

to have great consideration for them. Their first

love is given to the good things of the world. They

love the gifts
;
they have only a secondary interest

in the Giver of the gifts. The words of Christ:



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 15

“Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven,” they have

ignored.

We poor mortals consider it folly to heap

gifts upon the unworthy. We would soon with-

draw our support from one who loved our gifts

but despised and persecuted us. I should say:

Oh! it is not worth while, I have done much for

that man; money I gave him; valuable time in-

structing and advising him; I have done every-

thing for him and he has yet to show me an act of

appreciation! God is equally sensitive to our un-

worthiness. Why should He work miracles for

those who return only offense?

Dangers in Worldly Blessings

God in His infinite wisdom knows that earthly

blessings are not always best for man. It would

require more books than the world contains to re-

cord the stories of failure that have been charged

against success. Only the recording angels could

tabulate such statistics.

Individuals, nations, groups, have all suffered

from prosperity. Even the indestructible Church

has had its most trying days in times of greatest

temporal wealth. She has been strongest in times

of persecution and widespread depression. Na-

tions have been weakest when outwardly they gave

the impression of greatest strength. When ancient

Rome ruled the world, and her eagle was the stand-

ard in every army of the world, she was then in the

advanced stages of decay. When Spain ruled the



16 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

world in the early sixteenth century, she was weak

and tottering at home.

Too many good things weaken character, and

encourage a let down in discipline. Without a

doubt we can trace many of our own ills to this

human tendency. Surely we have been a people

blessed with temporal goods. Our country has

been in the estimation of the whole world, the land

flowing with milk and honey. Even our poor peo-

ple would be considered “well off” in other lands.

We have never known real want. Our fertile and

extensive farm lands have produced abundantly;

our mineral supplies, timber, coal have made us

an independent, a rich nation. Truly, there have

been some destitute people in our midst all the

time, but they were simply a shiftless lot in a land

of opportunity. The nation has been rich with this

world’s goods.

As a consequence of this wealth we have sur-

rendered ourselves to the comforts and ease that it

produced
;
we have let down the bars of discipline

;

we have simply followed the multitude; we have

been carried along by the current, almost to the ex-

tent of surrendering body and soul to the destroy-

ing germ of earthly success. Individuals surren-

dered their individuality; strong men surrendered

their strength
;
virtuous men surrendered their vir-

tue. Things have gone too nicely; no one had to

worry. Finally, we reached the breaking point;

conditions permitted much stretching of principles.

The time came when principles could be stretched



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 17

no further; their elasticity was gone. They broke,

and mighty was the reaction. Everything seemed

to go together and suddenly; a smiling happy land

one day gave way on the next to sorrow and gloom.

Success had failed!

A Blessing in Disguise

This failure often witnessed in the history of

nations is equally common to prosperous individ-

uals. A person trained in childhood and youth to
practice the principles of honesty, modesty, char-

ity, is often strongly tempted to discard these vir-

tues upon the acquisition of position, wealth, power.

Trained to look to God for help and protection in

this life, he will come to feel that he can protect

himself without help from on high. Educated

along the lines of strict justice, he will become an

unscrupulous oppressor, once he reaches a position

of authority. Encouraged to look upon poverty as

Christ-like, he will despise his poorer brethren once

money fills his coffers. Imbued with the Christian

sense of modesty and charity, he will scorn these

virtues as old-fashioned and out of date in a pleas-

ure-seeking world. Money, praise, power, posi-

tion; these are the successes of this world; but be-

fore God and before man worldly success is often

the beginning of sorrow!

Is it not within the scope of God’s providence

to prevent such catastrophes? His designs are not

according to the plans of man. He has planned a

life for each of us that will eventually lead us to



18 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

Him. Unless we interfere with these plans He

shall be life’s crowning success. If we could once

grasp the depth of His love, we could understand

better why that love at times prompts Him to pre-

vent our failure. He may see here a very worthy

person, or a group of persons, or a whole nation

headed toward the precipice through worldly suc-

cess. Like a brave man saving a despairing soul

from self-destruction, God will offer a way out. He

will offer a helping hand. He may intrude Himself

in time to prevent the calamity. His interference

may itself take a severe form. But nothing short

of severity would accomplish His purpose. A gen-

tle hint would be lost.

Our world-wide depression is more than a hint;

it is an affliction. But if it brings about a return to

Christian principles in business, social and family

life it will prove a blessing. Temporarily it seems

to be a curse, but in reality the bitter medicine

alone can prevent death. It may, therefore, be ac-

cording to the will of a kindly Providence.

Individuals find too much prosperity a danger-

ous plaything. With them it is like a loaded

weapon in the hands of a child. Shall we forbid

God the right to take this dangerous thing away

from us? Should a child complain and despise the

father who snatches the loaded gun from his hand?

Perhaps this is the answer to those who say they

have prayed and prayed for some material thing

without receiving an answer from heaven. Per-

haps, that very thing would be to their detriment



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 19

in the final summing up of things. Perhaps this is

the answer to the questions : why has this affliction

come upon me? why this sickness? why this loss of

property? position? It is possible that God has de-

prived you of some dangerous toy. Here and now

you may not see the reason for divine interference,

and you may in all honesty think that continued

earthly success will do you no spiritual harm. But

in spite of that honest conviction you are mistaken.

We know that St. Paul prayed to the very last that

God might not allow success to go to his head. He

prayed that “having preached to others he might

not become a castaway.” And the Apostle gave

some words of warning on the subject: “He that

thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest

he fall.”

It is true then to say that earthly goods, which

after all belong to God, are oftentimes dangerous

things in the hands of man. They mean earthly

success, but too often spiritual failure. It is an act

of mercy for God to withhold from us the things

that lead to our ruin.

The Triumph of Failure

Since we must view things in the light of

eternity and not of the passing moment only, we

can see the glory of failure. St. Therese of Lisieux

failed as far as this world is concerned. She failed

in life; it was wasted; she accomplished nothing,

was frowned upon by her equals, died at an early



20 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

age by the slowly consuming but persistent germ

of tuberculosis. But what a failure! Her name is

written in the heavens; hers was a glorious life,

even though the world could not see the glory of it.

The most spectacular of all failures in human

history was that of the Son of God. He calmed the

turbulent seas, but He did not silence the tumul-

tuous multitude surging around the palace of

Pontius Pilate; He raised the son of the weeping

widow of Naim, and called Lazarus from the tomb

but surrendered His own life on the gibbet of the

cross. It was His divinity that made a world

tragedy of Calvary; it was His greatness that made

the crucifixion so base and humiliating. No sim-

ilar failure could happen on this earth unless

God should come back to us and subject Himself

to the whims and folly of man. But that was tri-

umphant failure ! It was by Calvary and the cross

that He conquered; without the tomb there could

have been no resurrection. His defeat was His

victory; His failure was His glorious triumph! He

had won the heart of mankind

!

It is not necessary to go to the Gospels or

even to the lives of the saints to find the triumph

of failure. The Catholic Church when worship-

ing in the catacombs, and persecuted everywhere

was a failure. But out of that failure came the

Church’s power among the nations. In the six-

teenth century an impartial observer might have

said that she had failed again, and this time more

completely than ever before. But out of that fail-



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 21

ure came a vigorous life that had not been known

since the missionary days of St. Paul.

When some time ago a Catholic with legitimate

ambition dared reach for the highest honors in our

land, he was defeated. It was a crushing defeat.

But lovers of truth, honesty, tolerance and fair play

have said that his failure was more honorable than

his opponent’s victory. That was a glorious de-

feat. It did more to bring narrowmindedness, in-

tolerance and hate to the forefront than any other

single event in our national history.

This strange paradox is not found only in great

movements and with great figures, but is prominent

in the life stories of the obscure. From the hidden

places and from among the unknown come the

world leaders. Poverty and simplicity have given

the world its genius. In medicine, science, archi-

tecture, music, art, literature, the humble classes

have carried off the honors. Progress is therefore

one of the glories of the poor. Obscurity has been

crowned with fame!

Granting, as we must, that the crown of eternal

glory is the greatest success one can have, no one

will ever know how many have won that reward

through earthly failure. Some have been brought

to a keen realization of God’s eternal truths

through sickness and disease. Physical health col-

lapsed and out of the wreckage spiritual health re-

vived. When the world ceased to give happiness,

they looked in time to find the happiness of heaven.

Others have pursued the long path of life in a sim-



22 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

plicity seldom disturbed by the thoughts of worldly

greatness. The world declares that they have lived

in vain; they have lived useless, wasted lives. But

again, out of the waste they have raised up eternal

dwelling places. 'Many have been brought to their

senses by sudden financial losses. In their distress

the world will offer nothing more than a passing

word of sympathy; having failed they must step

aside. But this failure may be the crowning suc-

cess of life. Out of those commercial ruins thrones

may be erected before the angels and God.

God Chastiseth Whom He Loveth

Every pain, every deprivation, every want, is

filled with bitterness. But it is not God’s will that

anyone should find a primrose path to heaven. No

such road to heaven has ever been constructed
;

the

Lord Himself tells us that the path is narrow and

strait. He also says that to be His disciple one

must take up his cross daily. To certain classes

who comprised the “big ones” of the earth Christ

said: “You have received your reward.”

It is true that the more one relinquishes in

this life for the love of God, the more he will

possess in the life to come. Poverty, hardship and

pain are the world’s instruments for making

heaven’s joys. God does not spare those who want

these joys in their fullness. He loves such souls

who must in turn prove their love. No saint listed

in the Church’s calendar for the admiration and



THESE HUMAN ILLS! 23

imitation of the faithful has lived in the abundance

of this world’s goods. Man does not prove his love

for God in the midst of plenty; but rather by his

faithfulness when life is empty and the world

dreary. “The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath

taken away, but blessed be the name of the Lord”

is the prayer of His chosen ones. He allows them

to perfect themselves in the crucible of self-denial.

The sinner reclining in the warm sunlight of plenty

can bless God
;
but it requires the saint to raise his

voice to bless God from the shadows. God has

given to His favorite ones the opportunity of reach-

ing Heaven’s highest places; He has done this by

sending them more crosses that ordinary life im-

poses. He has permitted some actually to experi-

ence the pain and the shame of Calvary. St. Fran-

cis of Assisi was blessed by bearing on his body the

• stigmata of Christ’s passion.

God Chastiseth His Enemies

We have read from the Scriptures of the fall of
Lucifer; of the tower of Babel; of the penances of

Nineveh; of Tyre and Sidon. There are no boun-

daries to God’s mercy except it come into conflict

with His justice. But when His justice exhausts

His patience He manifests His displeasure before

men. There is no valid argument against such a

visitation now.

For a good many years man has been in the

process of building another tower of Babel
;
he has

gone about as far in trying to become like God as



24 THESE HUMAN ILLS!

the once beautiful Lucifer; he has grown ac-

customed to the habits of Tyre and Sidon. Per-

haps these moderns could teach the ancients les-

sons in self-assertion. Has God’s patience been ex-

hausted again? If so we are due for a severe

lesson. Since man has persisted in boasting that

he can run the world a little better than God, per-

haps God has accepted the challenge, and this

world-wide collapse is simply the falling of the

tower of Babel. Since the Almighty may employ

any method that appeals to His divine Mind for

humiliating His enemies, perhaps, this time He will

not send fire and brimstone from the heavens, but

will let men fall in the tangled mess which they

themselves have produced.

He Has Not Deserted the Worthy

Even though God may be standing by watching

the great of the earth fall into their own snare. He

has not forgotten the little ones. They may feel

neglected and even deserted, but their plight is not

half so intolerable as that of the “great ones” who

still make an outward show but inwardly are filled

with grief and disillusion. God is near His own

and knows them. He grieves that they must suffer

with the unworthy. He is waiting nearby to cheer

them and to bring peace into their households. He

is waiting for the day when He can call His own

from this vale of tears to that land where He “shall

wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Apoc. vii. 17).



and Catholic Home

— The Question Box
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