Page:Anecdotescatechi00spiruoft.djvu/41

 ''Q. Why  must  we  take  more  care  of  our  body  than  of our  body? ''

''A. We  must  take  more  care  of  our  soul  than  of  our body because  in  losing  our  soul  we  lose  God  and  everlasting  happiness. ''

Man must  not  forget  his  highest  and  final  end. Once upon  a time  Diogenes,  the  Grecian  sage,  set  up a tent  in  the  market-place  at  Athens,  and  wrote  up outside  it:  “Wisdom  is  sold  here.”  A gentleman, seeing this  notice,  laughed  heartily  at  it,  and  calling one of  his  servants,  he  gave  him  three  sestertii  (twelve cents)  and  said  to  him: “ Go  and  ask  that  braggart how much  wisdom  he  will  let  you  have  for  three sestertii.” The  servant  went  as  he  was  desired, handed the  money  to  Diogenes,  and  delivered  his master’s message. Diogenes pocketed  the  three sestertii, and  said:  “Tell  this  to  your  master:  ‘In all your  actions  look  to  the  end.’  ” The  gentleman approved so  highly  of  this  axiom,  when  it  was  repeated to him,  that  he  caused  it  to  be  inscribed  in  letters  of gold  over  the  entrance  to  his  house,  that  both  he  himself and  every  one  who  entered  might  be  reminded of the  end  of  life. Now, no  one  ever  reminded  us mortals  of  the  highest  end  and  aim  of  our  existence more frequently  and  more  forcibly  than  Jesus  Christ did. Would that  every  Christian  kept  his  eyes constantly fixed  upon  his  final  end! Everlasting happiness — our  last  end  — should  be  the  guiding star  of  our  existence,  the  lodestone  of  all  our affections.