Mailbag of the Little Apostle

Title

Language

English

Source

The Little Apostle of the Mountain Province 1 (1) June 1924

Year

1924

Subject

Letters

Priests--Correspondence

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

15 ftAILBAG OFTHE LITTLE APOITIE For all COl'l..,SPOHdence with "THE LITTLE APOSTLE". send your letti>rs tu The Little Api.stle, Box 1393, Jianiln. Dear Litt1e Apostles of the ~foun tain .Province: I call ~·ou, my little friends, students of catholic colleges and schools. the Little Apost1es of the Mountain Province. In you, the hope of the future of the Philippines, lies my hope for the future of the Mountain Pro\·ince. In that big provir:ce are thousands and thousands of little children, your brethren in Christ, your compatriots. Of the same race. of the same country. created by the same God and for the same heaven as you, no doubt, you have an interest in those children and you love 1 hem. \Vho does not love a poor, weak and, in a certain way, abandoned child? They are poor, these children of the "'.lonntain Province, most of them without even the means to provide for a decent cover for their body. Have you ever seen the miserable shacks in which most of them live? Do you know that they live mostly on camotes and rice with some vegetables and only now and then a little meat? And yet this is not their real poverty. What makes them the neglected of the earth, is that they are born and reared pagans. And pagans the:i- shall remain and die, if the Missionary can not reach them, teach them, and open catholic schools for them. And after such a death, what shall be their eternity? And have they not a soul made to the image of G:id as is yours'? And did not .Jesus Christ die for them too as well as for You? Does Jes us Christ not loYe them '? Does He not wish them with all 1 he loYe of His tender Heart to go to heaven? You, who help to ed uca 1 e and ch ristianize them, know ye this: that first you help them to better their material condition of life, for a better education means a less miserable life and more efforts to live according to a hig-her standard. But above all know ye that you bring at least many of them to heaven. into the outstretched arms of your Savior. After t.hat could the Lord, your judge, refuse you an ent ranee into His paradise? It will be difficult to emer hearnn without bringing a companion along. Here is your chance to bring in that companion, that "pass" which opens heaven. But you might say : I am poor myself, what can I do? Read the letter which follows and which was sent to me, not by Filipino children, but by Canadian young students. Dear Reverend Father: We received your 1etter a few days ago. We are glad to be able to send you a money order for three dol1ars which we got by sel1ing paper, iron, tires etc. \Ve are beginning over again for you, Father. \.Ve are praying for you daily, Father, that al1 our 16 best wishes in your regard may be fulfilled. We beg for an occasional remembrance at holy )Jass. Your loving boys of St. l\-Iarv's school, Kit.chener. • Is this nice letter not an evident proof that anybody, however poor, can and should do something for the poor pagan children? First, everv catholic child can pray, and the.praye.rs of pure children are all-powerful. Pleai::e. sav at least one "Our Father" a dav. fo.r the conversion of the pagans of the l\-fountain Pro,·ince. But when you say: ;•our Father, thy king-dom come". remember you talk to a Father, who is yours and the Father of the poor pagan children too, becauE<e these pagan children are vour brethren in God and. consequently, you can not call on God as your Father, without recognizing the children of the )fountain Province as vour brethren. Now brethren of one. divine family mus~ help each other materially and spiritually. Materially. Say how much do you spend a year in •)andies, and other trifles? I am not against your using candies, but a few less each month would leave you some surplus money which could help to make an Igorote's life sweeter and his eternity glorious. And at the end of the year, would you be less happy, less strong? The other day I received a letter from a little boy from the United States. It was an answer on an appeal for the fund of the Blessed Little Flower. The boy was poor. He wished to do something for God. He had received from his mother a little chicken. He raised it carefully and, when it was big, he made a raffle on it. This brought him five dollars "for your missions, Father", he wrote to me. Say, when God from heaven contemplates such a noble disinterested deed, what a reward must He have put aside for that generous American bov ·~ Ard wlwt must have been his sati~faction when that e\·ening. after he sent thP money order, he could say a lit tie more trul~-: "Our Father, who art in heaven. thy kingdom come"? Are the Filipino boys and girls less generous than the American uovs? Should they not be more generous e~en, because their gifts are intended for their own country-peopie, for the conversion of their compatriots? Thus. dear boys and girl!'. littie apostles of the .Mountain Province. in ~-ou is placed the hope of thousands and thousands of Igorote children. From you many, all of them. expect. some help for the salvation of their souls. Suppose now, you have something to sacrifice for them. How would vou send it? Send a money order, s~nd stamps even, or give it personally to the Rev. 0. Vandewalle. Add a letter. The part of' the Review entitled: "'Ihe Little Apostle's 'Mailbag" is at your disposition. In. it you will read the answer to your letter if one is required and the acknowledgement of the gift. But I dare to suggest a little more. When you have made agreat sacrifice. when you have sent let me say fiv~ pesos, then if you happen to have any picture of yourself, add a copy of it. It will be printed in these pages. Because then you are an example. Good examples must be seen and known to be imitated. This way you send your picture at a low cost to hundreds and thousands of your friends and Filipino brethren. Good-bve. dear bovs and girls. Look once over the hou8e. No iron, no tires, no paper, no bottles for sale? I am waiting for vour answer with the proof that you love your countrymen and women and, above all, God, for Whom you make the sacrifice. will reward you a hundredfold ori earth and in hea Yen. Father Vandewalle. Box 1393 Manila. CUM LICENTIA ECCLESIASTICA.

pages

15-16

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