Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, 29 December 1910, Page 2131

Friends at Court

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK’S CALENDAR January 1, Sunday.—Feast of the Circumcision. „ 2, Monday.—Octave of St. Stephen. ~ 3, —Octave of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. ~ 4, Wednesday. —Octave of the Holy Innocents. ~ 5, Thursday. —Vigil of the Epiphany. ~ 6, Friday. —Feast of the Epiphany. ~ 7, Saturday. Within the Octave. Feast of the Epiphany. From the fourth century the Epiphany, or Manifestation of Our Lord, has been regarded as one of the greatest ■of ecclesiastical solemnities. Three events in the life of ■our Blessed Saviour are commemorated on this day (l) 'The manifestation of the Infant Redeemer to the wise men from the East. (2) The Baptism of our Lord at the hands •of St. John, when a voice from heaven was heard declaring, This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’ i(3) The changing, of the water into wine at the marriage ’feast of —the first miracle by which Christ showed His divine power. ~ GRAINS OF GOLD THE NEW TIME. It changes now, the new for old, As stars their courses in the sky; And 1 await the hour foretold, Content to live, content to die. Along the plain a glimmer falls Where Love has passed from life and me; Yet through the dusk are trumpet calls, And murmurs of a joy to be. Lord of the Promise, Thy command With storm or sunshine sweeps the sea; What holds the New Year in His hand , Is welcome gift if sent from Thee, Let evil drop from me as shade Rolls downward from the morning star, And in the pathway Thou hast made I seek the light where angels are. For if my will were wrought to-night, The stream of Time should bear me where The gardens of the blessed light A glory that devours despair. 'No large, growth in holiness was ever gained by one vyho did not take time to be often alone with God. * ff you would have the rivers whose streams make glad rthe city of God run through your heart, you must get into the vale of humility. Here is one thing we shall never regret, early or late: to be patient with those near us and dependent on us, and to do what we can do to make them happy. Life is the capital God gives us when He starts us off in the world, and he who invests it in a wise and profitable manner will make his fortune for eternity. ; Gossip has made wounds for which there seemed no balm; it has injured reputations with an entirely unmerited stain. Many a life has gone scarred to the grave by the breath of thoughtless meddlers and tattlers, A true woman is not given to wounding another. Womanhood should seek to shield, not to strike, even the fallen. With ‘life so full of stirring events, what time have you to listen to a set of idle talkers actuated more often than not by a spirit of malice and envy? It is not always the blameless who is most eager to condemn. The sinless hand rarely, if ever, casts the first stone. Work! The word sounds irksome to youth bent on pleasure. But, rightly understood, there is duty and pleasure in it. There is a gospel of work which should be ingrained into the very thought of life. Blow upon blow shapes the horse’s shoe on the anvil. Step by step the mountain top is reached. If we would get the most out of life we must throw our whole selves into its endeavor and determine to make a noble thing of it. To an industrious and ambitious person there is music in the world’s looms and hammers and wheels. It is the melody of honesty and industry blending into a chorus of achievement. God calls us to faithful service. Every honest occupation is God’s work—a delight to Him and a- blessing to the workers.