The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 52, 27 December 1923, Page 53

The Family Circle

THE DAWNING OF THE YEAR. All ye who love the springtimeand who but loves it well When the little.birds do sing, and the buds begin to swell! — Think not ye ken its beauty, or know its face so dear, Till ye look upon old Ireland in the dawning o' the year! For where in all the earth is there any joy like this, When the skylark sings and soars like a spirit into bliss, While the thrushes in the bush strain their small brown mottled throats, Making all the air rejoice with their clear and mellow notes; And the blackbird on the hedge in the golden sunset glow Trills with saucy, side-tipped head to the bonny nest below; And the dancing winds lips down through the leaves of the boreen, And all the world rejoices in the wearin o' the green! For 't is green, green, green, where the ruined towers are gray, And it 's green, green, green, all the happy night and day; Green of leaf and green of sod, green of ivy on the wall, And the blessed Irish shamrock with the fairest greeWof all. There the primrose breath is sweet, and -the yellow gorse is set, A crown of shining gold on the headlands brown and wet; Not 'a nook of all the land but the daisies make to glow, And the happy violets pray in their hidden cells below. And it's there the earth is merry, like a young thing newly made Running wild amid the blossoms in the field and in the glade, Babbling ever into music under skies with soft clouds piled, Like the laughter and the tears in the blue eyes of a child. But the green, green, green 0 't is that is blithe and fair! In, the fells and on the hills, gay and gladsome as the air, Lying warm above the bog, floating brave, on crag and glen, Thrusting forty banners high where another land has ten. Sure Mother Nature knows of her sore and heavy grief, And thus with soft caress would give solace and relief; Would fold her close in loveliness to keep her from the cold, And clasp the mantle o'er her heart with emeralds and gold. So ye who love the springtime,—and who but loves it well When the little birds do sing, and the buds begin to swell! — Think not ye ken its beauty or know its face so dear Till ye meet it in old Ireland in the dawning o' the year! Mary Elizabeth Blake. ST. JOHN, THE EVANGELIST. The disciple "whom Jesus loved," as' sacred history calls him, was becomingly the apostle of love. Better than any of the other writers he pierces the mystery of the ineffable tenderness of the Divine Master, as in the report of the Saviour's address to the apostles after the last supper. His three epistles are only a eulogy of love and a recommendation of its exercise above all things. Towards the end of his life, too feeble to preach in the usual way, he still admonished his hearers in the familiar words: "Little children, love one another. It is the Lord's commandment. If you fulfil it, it is enough." Like the other gifts and graces of God, love can be perverted and debased. There is even a semblance of it that often passes for the reality. ■'' In-/this form it is often spoken of in terms of praise, yet it is only a barren philanthropy, however humanly generous and devoted are those who practise it. It lacks "the essential strain which alone can give it life and faithfulness —the love of God. Take that away'and the right love of man can scarcely be maintained.. Man r a bundle of defects and miseries, is but little lovable in himself.", To love him efficaciously, it is necessary to see him in God and to cherish him for God.

How can there be a brotherhood of men, if there is no agreement among them on the fatherhood 'of God? And how shall this agreement ever be reached and put into practise apart from Christ, true God and true man, Creator and Redeemer, authoritative Master and Brother, who alone had the words of eternal life, and who died that menmight live? Such was St, John's lofty conception of love. His gospel and his epistles are full of it. Never had there been such urging of its necessity among men. "Let us love one another, for charity is of God. Every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is charity, By this hath the charity ot God appeared towards us, because God hath sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we.may live by Him. . . If God hath so loved us, we also ought to lore one another." (I. St, John, 4, 7 foil.). THE EPIPHANY: LESSONS OF THE FE4ST _ The Feast of the Epiphany is filled with sweet lessons that have chastened and cheered hearts in all generations The word Epiphany itself means manifestation (says a writer in the Pilot, Boston). In the Oriental liturgy many manifestations of Our Lord are commemorated on this day —His Birth, His Baptism, His Transfiguration, His changing of water into wine at Cana, and His manifestation to the Magi. Something of this multiple manifestation has still survived, for in the Office recited daily by every priest there is mention of at least three Epiphanies or manifestations—the Magi, the Baptism, and the miracle at Cana To-day," runs the antiphon to the Benedictus, "the Church is joined to her celestial spouse, because in Jordan Christ doth wash her sins, the Magi hasten with gifts to the royal marriage feast, and the guests exult in the water turned to wine." In the popular mind, however, the Epiphany has come to mean the visit of the Three Kni«rs from the Ens'-. who had seen in a star Heaven's sign of the new-born King, and had come to adore Him. Who and how many the Magi were is shrouded in mystery They came out of the East, offered their gifts, and disappeared as mysteriously as they came. Popular tradition has restricted their number to three, probably from the number of the gifts enumerated in the Gospel narrative. The Roman Martyrology mentions their names as Gasper, Melchior and Balthasar.

Uncertainty there may be in regard to their names, number, and habitat. But there is no uncertainty in regard to the supernatural character of their guidance, and the circumstances of their visit. These are clearly set forth in Holy Scripture. They came from the East. They followed a star, which miraculously led them'onward until it rested over the dwelling place of the Infant Saviour. They adored the new-born King, offered their gifts of a o ld frankincense, and myrrh; then, warned by an angel in their sleep, they departed by a circuitous route to circumvent the plans of the wicked Herod. Coming from the distant East, the Magi travelled a distance of about a thousand miles, and consumed nearly a year in the journey. That they were not of the Chosen People and came to find the Messiah shows that some inkling of the birth of a Child that would usher in the dawn of a new era must have existed in the minds of those outside of Palestine. The Magi are the representatives of those outside the Faith, who bravely follow right reason showing them the light of faith which guides them to the House of God. To-day the light of* the true faith shines forth in the Church of Christ, like the star that guided the Magi. Noble-hearted missionaries in pagan lands, and earnest Catholics in the strongholds of civilisation, are keeping the lamp of faith brightly burning for poor wayfarers to see arid to follow it. The gifts brought by the Magi have been interpreted by the Fathers of the Church as a threefold profession of faith. The offering of myrrh, which preserves the body from coi motion, indicated that the Magi recognised the human nature in Christ: the offering of incense, which was used before kings and royalty, showed that ths<adored Him as God; and the offering of gold was a manifestation of the Kingship of Christ that deserved the most precious offering known at that time by mankind.

•"' The Epiphany has been called the feast of converts. It teaches lis through its beautiful symbolism that there are still millions in the dark and dreary country of unbelief who are willing to come to Christ if proper light is given to them. We should pray fervently that the hands of missionaries abroad should be strengthened, and generously assist them in their heroic endeavors to spread the faith. We should continuously offer our gifts to God — the myrrh of sincere repentance, the gold of perfect love, and the incense of fervent prayer our lives, shining with Christian virtues, may be the star that will guide souls from the far country of error and sin to the sweet presence of Christ in His Church. THE POSTMAN'S PONDERINGS. Old Lady (to postman): "Do you know, my good man, that during all the years you have been coming to this house, I have wondered, as I have watched you making your daily rounds in the heat of summer and the rigors of winter, just what you were thinking about? You always seem to be philosophising as you plod along in silence, apparently buried in sober reflection and at peace with the world. Do you ever let your thoughts roam at will through that bag, and play among its contents: missives wet with tears; messages of joy; tender words of love; shattered hopes; and high ambitions realised ? Tell me, upon what 'do you ponder? What do you think of, day by day, hour after hour, step by step?" Postman: "My poor feet." SMILE RAISERS. Father: "Helen, isn't it about time you were entertaining the prospect of matrimony?" Daughter: "Not quite, father. He doesn't call until eight o'clock." A man with two women friends mounted tho omnibus, going on top, whilst bis companions went inside. Presently up came the conductor. "Which," he inquired, "is the gentleman with two insides?" V "It was a very successful concert," she said. "My voice filled the hall, didn't it?" "Indeed it did," replied her candid friend, "and I saw several people leaving to make room for it." The hostess of a children's dance was saying good-bye to her guests. A dainty little girl of six, after mentally noting the lady's formula of leave-taking, and anxious to say the correct thing, ingeniously forestalled her hostess with: "Good-night, Mrs. . I hope I have enjoyed myself." "What do you make a week?" said a magistrate to an Italian organ-grinder. "Four pound, sare." "What! Four pounds for grinding an organ?" "No, sare; not for da grind—but for da shut up and go away." * A Dutchman was relating his marvellous escape from drowning when thirteen of his companions were lost by the upsetting of a boat, and he alone was saved. "And how did you escape their fate?" asked one of his hearers. "I didn't go mit the pote," was the Dutchman's placid reply.