St Agnes High School - Agnita Yearbook (West Chester, PA)

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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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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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THE AGNITA attainment of what appears good is often the natural virtue of hope. This hope comes, not necessarily from faith, but from the strong desire to succeed, to conquer, to possess. It is true that this natural virtue of hope in man is God-given, but the individual himself is not often aware of it, or, at least, he is indifferent as to its source. There is, besides, that supernatural virtue ol hope which sancti- fies the good actions, efforts, and desires of man. It is one of the three theological virtues infused in man s soul at Baptism. It dif- fers from natural hope insofar as its Source, God, is recognized and all its expectations are directed to Him. This very hope, repre- sented in our liturgical symbolism by the color green, is of the great- est benefit to man—it assures him that, while employing his own efforts, talents, or skill to reach his goal, he may, and should, call upon Divine aid which has been promised him for the asking. It is likewise this same virtue that enables man to have con- fidence in the leaders who direct his spiritual, political, social, in- dustrial, or educational life. Yes, it is confidence that gives him strength to endure, energy to attempt, and patience to suffer when his rights or privileges are threatened. Knowing what he should rightfully expect on this earth, man constantly strives to obtain it. The well-informed man, however, knows that full happiness cannot be had here on earth: therefore he does not expect it as a reward for his efforts, but hopes to enjoy it in the life to come with God. We know that Our Creator, in His Divine Providence, gives us not only our existence, but assistance in the shaping of our lives. Although the future is to Him as the present, He, in His mercy and goodness, does not reveal it to us. Knowledge of the future would, at times, be rather discouraging: whereas, if we are unaware of all that we shall have to cope with in the days to come, we are more likely to be optimistic and inclined to approach our work more courageously and cheerfully. 1 hus, we enjoy the sunshine of suc- cess when it comes and are totally unaware of the cloud of failure or sorrow that is, perhaps, close behind. Hope satisfies an inward desire which s natural to the soul. Christian hope shows the presence of solid virtue. Of the many different virtues wh ch help man live a good life, hope, as it were, stands as the central point that holds the others together. It is the virtue that is common to the rich and the poor, the leader and the follower, the freeman and the slave, the learned and the ignorant. Without hope, strength and zest are robbed of their enduring and protective shield. Hope serves as a guiding light along life’s path. It is the sign- post at the crossroads of presumption and despair, both of which result from excessiveness and leave their victims helpless unless these vices are uprooted before they become firmly fixed in the heart of the individual. Through the study of Christian Doctrine, we learn the place hope should have in our lives. It is this virtue that fans into full light the other virtues: it is the spark that sets 10