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Page 16 text:
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THE AGNITA THE WHITE OF PURITY By Elizabeth M. Smith In a world so torn by strife and hatreds, it may seem almost ridiculous to mention the fact that man is forever seeking happiness. In truth, however, these very conflicts prove our point, because the desire for happiness is actually a cause of man's many difficulties with his fellow man. It should not be this way, but selfish-thinking and greedy, crafty people, in their search for the best which life has to offer, have forced countless false or misdirected means upon themselves and everyone else. In the never-ending struggle man is seeking happiness, a gift from God, but he wants to seek it in his own way and not in the way God directs him to seek it. In this respect, man acts like a very dull and slow-thinking child who wants to play a game according to his own plan and not according to the recognized rules that make the game what it is. In spite of world conflict, national and international differences, and individual likes and dislikes, it is possible to find joy on this earth, for joy, in its perfection, can be found only in God, in whom all possible happiness, as it were, is fused into one Supreme Being. Happiness, then, springs from right living: that is, the acquiring of the virtues that lead to perfection. Perfection brings with it the quality of purity. White is used to signify absolute purity, for, as white comprises all colors, so purity blends virtues. The possibility of our possess- ing the characteristics that engender and strengthen purity is al- ways present, but we must work and make sacrifices to obtain them. We are all familiar with the illustration of the prism. A beam of sunlight passing through it is broken up into its component colors, even though we see only some of these colors, and these but dimly. Let us suppose—to carry out the illustration of the prism that the white ray of God's perfect purity, the only true happiness, were to be broken up through the prism of this world, and give us a view, a rather dim view, of the colors which represent the joys of life, just as no one, seeing one color in the prism, regards it as the only color existing, so no thinking person, experiencing a single joy of life, considers it total joy and happiness. At times, however, while groping in the gloom of sorrow for something bright, for some kind of hope to lift the clouds, we give too much attention to minor pleasures and disregard the more sure avenues to happiness. Today, perhaps because of world con- ditions, trivialities are over-emphasized and given too prominent a place in the minds of our people: thus, they crowd out the more important things that lead to the happiness for which we are really seeking. 8
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Page 17 text:
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THE AGNITA The condition itself' is undesirable, but the results often prove drastic, for, with dulled mind and blurred vision, we become in- capable of distinguishing between the white of purity and the at- tractive pleasures which eventually lead to the black of despair. We dare not hope for God’s assistance in our present need, unless we mend our ways. Tragedies like Korea will continue until man realizes what he must search and pray for, and then do so. I am sure that what each one of us would like is the possession, or right to the possession, of perfect happiness, freedom from oppression, and all things that are rightly considered good. But what we fail to realize is that the attainment of all these lies in purity. Instead of begging God to grant us gay and joyous hearts, let us beg Him for purity in thought, word, and act. Then we shall have our joy— a “jov no man can take from us.” Yes, without doubt, this is clearly the only path, the long, difficult, but beautiful path, to happiness and to God. lo seek out the path of happiness and remain on it, we shall find it quite helpful to concentrate on the good to be done and the virtues to be acquired rather than on the evil to be avoided. Life, goodness, joy, happiness, all the things mankind really wants are positive, so our aim should be positive, and like St. Paul let us “hold fast what is good.” We, the Class of “53, combine the white of purity with the green of hope for our class colors. We wish to dedicate our lives to God, the author of life, so that one day we may see Him in the clear, white light ol His infinite purity. Green reminds us that we may hope for the grace to lead this kind of life. Hope assures us that purity of heart is available to all who ask for it. Aided by both hope and purity, a person, a country, a nation, a world can find wondrous peace and joy. GREEN FOR HOPE By John A. Mihalik This our twentieth century boasts of its fast moving means of transportation, its almost immediate methods of communication, its assembly line production, and its hardly believable types of bombs. All of these admit of man s ambitions, progress, and success. On the other hand, this same century records in its annals the struggle for security, the destruction bv warfare, and the tur- moil of world confusion which seem to challenge man’s confidence, couraee, and endurance. The incentive which gives rise to the former achievements and the endurance which survives under the latter is attributable, in a great measure, to that characteristic in man which we refer to as hope. The hope that inspires the determination to destroy what is thought to be evil and to exert energv, interest, and talent in the 9
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