88 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

n ALUMNIS SCHOLARUM CATHOLICARUM STATUUM FOEDERATORUM AMERICAE SE-

PTENTRIONALIS AD SOLLICITANDAM CARITATEM ERGA PUEROS INDIGENTES

EUROPAE ET ASIAE ORIENTALIS, NE FAME PEREANT.*

Dear children, you nave heard many times-at home and school and

in church-how happy it always made Our Lord to stop and talk with

little ones like you ; boys and girls He hoped and prayed would grow up

to be strong and holy members oí the big and wonderfully holy family

He began to build, when He carne to live with men long ago in His home

with Mother Mary and St. Joseph.

But Our Lord did more than just stop and talk with His little ones.

Fe prayed with them, and enjoyed their games and happy laughter.

He answered their questions,-some of them very serions questions,

that only a child can ask. He dried their tears and settled their little

quarrels; for He had come to bring all men together, and not to tear

them apart. He shared with them what little He had to eat ; for though

He was a " carpenter's son " 1 and poor from the day He was bora,

He knew, and wanted them to know, that the bread and other good

things of life were meant for all of G od's children, the needy ones espe-

cially ; and that the Father in Heaven blesses you even more, when you

give than when you receive.

Catholic school-children will not need to be told that Our Lord is the

Teacher, as well as the Friend of the little ones in His family. They

are His pupils as well as the innocent lambs of His flock. He teaches

them from His Sacred Heart, in language children can easily under-

stand, His one great lesson ; the one lesson we cannot learn from books,

but only from Him, whether we are young or old, parents or teachers,

priests or bishops, présidents or kings, or just plain children : His one

great lesson of love. " You will not be happy, and Our world will not

be happy ", you can almost bear Him say to the chiHren as they gather

about Him in the green meadows of Galilée, " unless you love one anoth-

er; unless you love every one of your neighbours near and far, what-

ever may be the colour of his skin, the country he lives in, the language

he speaks; unless you love him all the more, the more he needs your

love ; unless you love him well enough to pray for him always, to suffer

a little and save a little for him sometimes, when you know he is in

* Datus die 14 mesis Februarii a. 1948 . 1 MATTH., 1 3 , 5 5 .