Meditations When my heart is sad and lonely. And the day seems dark and long. And I'm far from home and kindred, Mingling with the busy throng. There's a thought comes welling upward From the bottom of my heart, One that gives me faith and courage. And helps me to perform my part. Is it for the proud and haughty. Whom we find among our race? Or for the poor and humble To receive God's saving grace? There are many humble servants In the work of truth today. But more who seek for riches, And who turn the poor away. Why is it some have plenty Yet they never seem to think Who has granted them these blessings Who filled the cup from which they drink? They never thank the giver For his gifts bestowed each day; Yet they'll meet this Holy Father, And, it may be, hear him say, "Did'st thou do the good thou mightest With the wealth I gave to thee? Did'st though help the sorrow stricken? Or forgottest them and me?" Let us follow our dear Master, And prepare to meet Him there, In those bright and holy mansions, Which He said He would prepare. Florence Judkins. THE ACORN 17 Faith and Works By AARON TRACY '07 Faith taken as a mere belief, or in a passive sense, is not sufficient as a means of salvation, although a great many have believed and now believe that it is. Christ and his apostles strongly declare against it. Christ taught that works were essential to any profession whatever and that they made one's faith stronger. He said, "Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him." James, in bearing out the above truth, says: "What doth it profit my brothers, though a man say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith and I have works, and I will show thee my faith by my works." The words of John may also be added to this. "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know that we are in him." So any man who will use common sense, and will read the remarks of Christ and his apostles, can plainly see that works along with faith are essential to salvation, and that faith is of no use to us, in our everyday life, unless we have works with it. There are evil effects which result if one only believes and does not act. This may be illustrated by the story of the Russian lady. She, sitting in her box at the opera, saw a play in which certain characters were oppressed, beaten and cast out. It was such a horrible thing that it brought tears to her eyes. She wept bitterly, while at the same time, her driver, who sat outside, froze to death. She could imagine that the play was real, even weep to see such a thing acted out, but the real thing, occurring right before her, failed to arouse her to action. Then, the air castles which we build, but fail to carry out are harmful. Let us build our air castles and carry them out, not tomorrow, but today, because today is ours. "If we would make our lives worthy of us, grand and noble, solid and impregnable, we must forsake our castles of dreaming for strongholds of doing."