THE LATE MONSIGNOR BENSON

New Zealand Tablet, 17 June 1915, Page 51

THE LATE MONSIGNOR BENSON

Rev. Father Bernard'Vaughan was the preacher at the formal opening of the little Catholic church at Buntingford, erected to the memory of the late Mgr. Benson, who lived close by. Cardinal Bourne attended the opening, and there was a notable gathering of clergy and laity. Father Bernard Vaughan said that more than a year before Mgr. left exile for home he had asked him to preach at the opening of Buntingford church. ‘He was-good enough to tell me,’ said Father Vaughan, that he had set his heart upon my doing so, and at once I set my heart upon complying with his wish.’ At the close of a typically forceful address, Father Vaughan added:

‘ I must return to our dear friend gone home before us. “The Friendship of Christ"—was not that his theme? And was he not a high expression of it I did not see very much of him, but we loved each other dearly, and when we did speak we could open our hearts each to each, and he always responded to what 'I felt is the great secret of sanctity—personal love of our Lord. Do you know, it is a great object lesson, his death? He wore himself out through the love of Jesus Christ. He realised himself as far as God permitted him as an instrument in the hands of Christ, for the conversion and the sanctification of souls. Hence his literary production, hence his wondrous array of sermons, hence his guidance of souls, hence his unwearied letterwriting. .“ Do less," I once said to him, " and perhaps you would do better work and be spared for a longer life." But you cannot check the rays of the sun, you cannot stop an avalanche, you cannot hold up a great cataract ; you might as well go on the main line between London and Edinburgh and try to stop an express train as try to stop him. He had to go. The fire was burning, and he was racing, and on he raced till he slowed into the eternal terminus.

‘ No man puts anything into another which he does not take out of himself, lie gave of himself always. He gave till there was none more to give, and so he sank down and died, lie was finished. But there was a beautiful spirit about him; there was lie wonderful hope of boyhood. lie was such a boy and yet so strong a man. He was so simple. lie could go almost mad in the worship of a flower picked up in the field, which others would tread heedlessly under foot : he was always in song, always chirping, warbling like a bird, promising a glorious summer. No matter who appealed to him he seemed to have time for them : he took an interest and gave his sympathy. He had a wonderful power of sympathy. He must have got it from our Lord’s love, for there is nobody so sympathetic as the Master. Sometimes when we try to advance and make a little progress in spirituality some of us are perhaps inclined to be hard with others and ready to break the bruised reed and quench the smoking flax. But not so Robert Hugh Benson. He could not understand how anybody could

be unkind, and it hurt him intensely when people

brought him news of how he was misrepresented and his works mishandled. lie could scarcely understand

it. He did not live in that atmosphere, but in the sun-

shine of the risen day. And so we have lost one who has done so much, not only for the Catholic world, but also for the non-Catholic world. lie is a real loss; I was going to say almost a calartiity. His life was short; but what a psalm! —not the Miserere, but “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He has done for thee.” That was his psalm of life, and this is what you and I wantnot to be pessimists, but to have the optimism of Robert Hugh Benson: to go about laden with the burden of sunshine and tell people to lift up their blinds and open their windows and let the light and warmth of God’s sun into their homes and into

their lives. , ‘ There is a great light quenched and the blinds are drawn, and we feel he has left the chambers of our

soul dark. . Let us learn our lesson from him, to lavish' the love we have for Jesus Christ, upon: the service of our Lord, and to go on untiring, doing our best. ... * Remember, as he said, we must not let our retigion be like that of so many to whom' it is an elegant outburst of graceful philosophy., a- pleasant scheme of conjecture. Let it be with us, as it was with him, a passionate love of the Divine Master, love which overflows upon the brethren. If we live thus, we shall fulfil that twofold commandment of the Old and the New— Love the Lord, with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves." ’ ~ * . J-"''