St Francis Xavier Academy - Gateway Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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love oaglzts tlze Wag .K Truly, love is the beacon light . - guiding man to his divine des- . tiny. God has created us out of , s love and He has sustained us through love. Real charity is as i the sun, radiant centre which streams forth on all sides the bright rays of divine truth which reveal God to man. Life is a Divine Romance with an eternity of love as its reward. Love is an endless creative process, it is also an endless voy- age of discovery. It is the spirit which delies the world with its maze of hypocrisies and vast expanse of unhappiness. The path of life is a labor of love, the conception of man and his yearning for a home whose doors are always open with welcome, these all preach charity. The foundation of Chris- tianity is based on love of God and of neighbor. If, during life, we turn to love we shall forget to be grasping because we shall desire to serve the world, rather than ourselves. But love is not entirely receiving, to be complete it must be infused with the thought of ever giving and sharing. Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not covet. These vices are not mere deprivations to help build character. Rather, they are forbidden because they are wrong, they hurt those with whom we should be living in harmony and love. They merely are small aids in keeping the greater affirmative law-That shalt love. Yes, we shall love through the care of the sick, the instruction of the ignorant and the burial of our dead. Outwardly these things are simple but to the true Christian they are the fulfillment of the law of love. Charity alone shall light the way to the solution of all the problems confronting us today. Intolerance, international discord and domestic trials, in all their con- fusion and perplexity, shall give way to a happy world if the correct path is chosen. Turn to God, directed by the beacon light of love, for In Him there is life, and the life is the light of men. ELLEN CASEY 16

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ofet your alight csjhlne How far the little candle throws its gleam So shines a good deed in a naughty world. So observed the philosopher and poet, William Shakespeare. It is a beautiful comparison, but not entirely his own, for, many centuries before the Elizabethan Age, the King of philosophy and poetry, jesus Christ, told His followers, You are the light of the world . . . men light a candle upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all who are in the houseg so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven. That mess- age He imparted to all who were to possess the Faith, not merely to those who were then His disciples. It was for us, that we may use the candle, not only to light our own path to the Eternal Light, but to attract others to its lucidity, warmth and glory. This candle, lovely and inspiring, stands in a window, the window of Charity in the House of God. It burns quietly, but lights, warms and beautifles a cold heart, and by its very simplicity and unassuming richness, enlightens the labyrinths of sin and chastises proud spirits. So can we, the present disciples of the King, take that candle, following always its light, and keep ever constant the fire of our Faith. By our words and ac- tions, throughout our lives, what- ever may be our state, we may reflect its gentle light to all with whom we come in contact. Nu- merous and frequent will come opportunities to melt the icy heart, to enkindle the lukewarm and to guide the fervent. Thus will be the candle's gleam: far- flung yet steadfast, universal yet constant, glorious yet quiet, mighty yet humble! KATHLEEN MAX. -,,.. . 18