GRAINS OF GOLD

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 13, 1 April 1909, Page 483

GRAINS OF GOLD

BREAD ON THE WATER. 'Twas only a .crumb, last evening, In the form of a kindly word, That you spoke to a weary companion, Only he and the dear Lord heard. 'Twas only a pleasant ' Good-morning,' To a man whose life is drear, But he understood its meaning, And knew that you meant to chcor. 'Twas only a crumb at noonday, In the coin you gave to a child ; But you gave it for sweet charity, And he understood and smiled. 'Twas only a crumb at evening, When, after a tiresome day, You gave up your seat in a street car To a woman, old and grey. 'Twas only a crumb at evening, When, instead of the concert hall, You went to the house of mourning To comfort and help them all. They're only crumbs, but without them There could not be any bread ; And the bread shall he returned to us, For so the dear Lord has said.

The acid of envy eats all happiness out of the human heart. - He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own. One's personal enjoyment is a very small thing; one's personal usefulness is a very important thing. The corruption of the age is made up of the particular contributions of every individual man. Be constant to your purpose, and desirous only of the praises which belong to patience and discretion. Only that which is highest, truest, noblest, and best will abide the test of centuries. Only that in man which stands for character, self-mastery, goodness, sanctity — the only things that -the soul when stripped of everything else takes with it — will live in glory throughout eternity. I recommend to you mental prayer, or the prayer of the heart, and especially that which has for its object the life and passion of our Lord. By making Him the fre■quent subject of yo\\r meditation, your whole soul will be replenished with Him ; v you will imbibe His spirit, and frame all your actions according to the model of His. — St. Francis de Sales.