Cold War Against the Spirit
"Gathering the fragments . . ." was an easily understood directive in economy: let nothing be wasted. At the moment when the great throng had been miraculously fed and were comfortably posed to listen to the sermon of Christ, the inclination may well have been to disregard the left-overs. Our Lord cautioned that wastefulness is never countenanced. There is no justification for dissipating food or anything else in careless squander.
If the socio-economic doctrine of Christ is pointed up in that simple directive: "Don't waste," how much more in the economy of spiritual needs where divine grace is the commodity, whose evaluation does not fluctuate. Never waste a grace however insignificant it may appear. It is a direct gift out of the heart of God and, by that very fact, invaluable.
"Gather the fragments that are left over, lest they be wasted" may be applied in a spiritual sense, emphasizing the need to value all graces as personal miraculous gifts of Christ to us, so necessary in sustaining our hungering souls. Feeding the crowd in the desert called for a vast multiplication of a few loaves and fishes. A generous portion, much beyond their immediate need, was provided by the Master. However, he intended and said so, that not even a fragment be thrown away.
From the summit of Calvary that same Lord created and multiplied to infinity a food productive of eternal life and health for every created human being. Some partake, some don't; some drastically restrict the quantity of intake, wasting the rest. The necessary graces admitting one to the household of Christ too often go a-begging; too often indeed, they are left dormant and unused, and so, for want of activation, their subjects remain undernourished. This is a palpable waste of food more needed than bread and fish.
Strength and power emanating from the theological potentials of faith, hope, and charity reach to immeasurable possibilities, while neglect of them does deprive one of needed spiritual energy. Certainly he stands to lose what may be called fringe benefits, concomitant graces, fragmentations as it were, from the sturdy habitual graces flowing from the sacrament of baptism and the innumerable actual graces so generously offered by Christ through his Church. No two souls are absolutely alike, and the quantity and quality of graces bestowed are not identical. But out of the abundance of salvific treasure there is more than enough to satisfy all in the matter of salvation and of sanctification. It is in the manner of distribution and use that great differences are noted. When carelessness, or indifference, or positive wilfulness governs the individual, there will assuredly be a waste or dissipation of God's graces. How many there are for whom Christ will have died in vain! How pathetically numerous the souls who are satisfied with the barest minimum of sustaining and actual graces!
HISTORY OF SPIRITUAL WASTEFULNESS
Today's world-wide posture with its harrowing frustrations is the story of spiritual wastefulness. Aid from God is judged unnecessary by too large a segment who place reliance upon human nature alone. Interest in things of the soul, spiritual values, and the security of eternity—none are given precedence over temporal well-being. Secularism with its selective morals, negative dogmas, and worship of the idol, Man, has invaded not only the area of philosophy, but has brashly trespassed on the sacred domain of theology. Modern intellectual inflation exaggerates the potential of the human mind and turns skeptical eyes upon all principles, dogmas and rulings of God calling for submission, unless they meet the "scientific" test. In areas of behavior, the moral code becomes a thing for the popular mind to decide and makes relative all moral obligation. The supernatural motive for obedience being absent, grace from heaven is easily dispensed with. With self-aggrandizement the supreme motive in this very complex and confused nature, does one wonder at the failures and sin resulting from the prodding of a weakened nature seeking relief? Ask the crippled creatures of intemperance, temper, and lust or any other capital weakness. Their histories read alike. Endeavoring to go it alone, neglecting, even wasting graces offered, they were wholly unequal to the task. A composite picture of present-day man, Catholics included, does not offer assurance of abundant graces being abundantly used. The hour is late, later than we think in this cold war against the spirit. Must it be that the prodigals exhaust the entire output of husks and dissipate all spiritual substance before realizing the sad wastefulness?
Prodigality as shown by Christ in establishing a treasury of graces for humankind is matched by the Holy Spirit in bountiful distribution. There is, there always will be, a superabundance of this manna from heaven, and it is there for the asking. Because of this abundance of grace, however, we dare not belittle its need and carelessly set it aside.
This item 6130 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
