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God, who loves us and desires to see us happy, cries out and makes known to all: If any man thirst, let him come to me. I will give him the Holy Ghost Who will make him blessed in this life and in the next. Riga quod est aridum! O my Jesus, I beseech Thee, give me the water of Thy love which will make me forget the earth, and live for Thee alone Who art the infinitely amiable One!
I.
Love is called a living fountain, fire, Charity. Fons vivus, ignis, Charitas. Our Blessed Redeemer said to the Samaritan woman: But he that shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst for ever (John iv. 13). Love is the water which satisfies our thirst; for he that truly loves God with his whole heart, neither seeks nor desires anything else: because in God he finds every good. Hence, happy in possessing God. he frequently exclaims with joy: My God and my All! Almighty God complains of many who seek for fleeting, miserable pleasures from creatures, and leave Him, Who is Infinite Goodness, and the Fountain of all joy: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water-(Jer. ii.. 13) Meanwhile God, Who loves us and desires to see us happy, cries out and makes known to all: If anyone thirst, let him come to me-(John vii. 37). He who desires to be happy, let him come to Me, and I will bestow upon him the Holy Ghost, Who will make him blessed, both in this life and in the next.
Domine, da mihi hanc aquam! Lord, give me of this water!-(John iv. 15). O Jesus, with the Samaritan woman I beseech Thee, give me of this water of Thy love, which will make me forget the earth, and live only for Thee alone, Who art the infinitely amiable One. Riga quod est aridum! My soul is a barren soil, which produces nothing but the weeds and thorns of sin. Oh, water it with Thy holy grace, that it may yield some fruit to Thy glory, before it leaves this world in death!
II.
He, then, that believes in Jesus Christ, and loves Him, shall be enriched with so many graces, that from his heart shall spring up fountains of holy virtues, which shall not only preserve his life, but also give life to others. And indeed this water is the Holy Ghost, the sustaining love which Jesus Christ promised to send from Heaven, after His Ascension: Now this he said of the Spirit, which they should receive who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not glorified-(John vii. 39).
The key which opens the channels of this blessed water is holy prayer, which obtains all good things in virtue of the promise: Ask and you shall receive. We are weak, and blind, and poor, and miserable, but prayer will obtain for us strength, and light, and wealth, and happiness. Theodoret says: “Prayer, though, but one, can effect all things.” He who prays receives all he asks for. God desires to give us His graces, but He desires that we should pray for them.
O Fountain of living water, O sovereign Good, how often have I deserted Thee for the defiled waters of the earth, which have deprived me of Thy love! O that I had rather died than offend Thee! But for the future I will seek after nothing but Thee, my God. Succour me, and make me always faithful to Thee. Mary, my hope, keep me always under thy holy protection.
Spiritual Reading
THE SUBLIME DIGNITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD
In his Epistle to the Christians of Smyrna, St. Ignatius, Martyr, says that the priesthood is the most sublime of all created dignities: “The apex of dignities is the priesthood.” St. Ephrem calls it an infinite dignity: “The priesthood is an astounding miracle, great, immense, and infinite.” St. John Chrysostom says, that though its functions are performed on earth, the priesthood should be numbered among the things of Heaven. According to Cassian, the priest of God is exalted above all earthly sovereignties, and above all celestial heights -he is inferior only to God. Innocent III says that the priest is placed between God and man; inferior to God, but superior to man.
St. Denis calls the priest “a divine man.” Hence he has called the priesthood “a divine dignity.” In fine, St. Ephrem says that the gift of the sacerdotal dignity surpasses all understanding. For us it is enough to know, that Jesus Christ has said that we should treat His priests as we would His own person: He that heareth you, heareth me; he that despiseth you, despiseth me-(Luke x. 16). Hence St. John Chrysostom says, that “he who honours a priest, honours Christ, and he who insults a priest, insults Christ.” Through respect for the sacerdotal dignity, St. Mary of Oignies used to kiss the ground on which a priest had walked.
The dignity of the priest is estimated by the exalted nature of his office. Priests are chosen by God to manage on earth all His concerns and interests. “Divine,” says St. Cyril of Alexandria; “are the offices confided to priests.” St. Ambrose has called the priestly office “a divine profession.” A priest is a minister destined by God to be a, public ambassador of the whole Church, to honour Him, and to obtain His graces for all the faithful. The entire Church cannot give to God as much honour, nor obtain so many graces, as a single priest by celebrating a single Mass; for the greatest honour that the whole Church without priests could give to God would consist in offering to Him in sacrifice the lives of all men. But of what value are the lives of all men compared with the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is a Sacrifice of infinite value? What are all men before God but a little dust? As a drop of a bucket . . as a little dust-(Is. xl. 15, 17). They are but a mere nothing in His sight. All nations are before him as if they had no being at all. Thus, by the celebration of a single Mass, in which he offers Jesus Christ in Sacrifice, a priest gives greater honour to the Lord, than if all men by dying for God offered to Him the sacrifice of their lives. By a single Mass he gives greater honour to God than all the Angels and Saints, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, have, given or shall give to Him; for their worship cannot be of infinite value, like that which the priest celebrating on the altar offers to God.
Moreover, in the holy Mass the priest offers to God an adequate thanksgiving for all the graces bestowed even on the Blessed in Paradise; but such a thanksgiving all the Saints together are incapable of offering to God. Hence it is that on this account also the priestly dignity is superior even to all celestial dignities. Besides, the priest, says St. John Chrysostom, is an ambassador of the whole world, to intercede with God and to obtain graces for all creatures. The priest, according to St. Ephrem, “treats familiarly with God.” To priests every door is open.
Jesus has died to institute the priesthood. It was not necessary for the Redeemer to die in order to save the world; a drop of His Blood, a single tear, or prayer, was sufficient to procure salvation for all; for such a prayer, being of infinite value, would be sufficient to save not one but a thousand worlds. But to institute the priesthood, the Death of Jesus Christ has been necessary. Had He not died, where should we find the Victim that the priests of the New Law now offer? Where find a victim altogether holy and immaculate, capable of giving to God an honour worthy of God? As has been already said, all the lives of men and Angels are not capable of giving to God an infinite honour like that which a priest offers to Him by a single Mass.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
III.-HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST AVOIDS LUKEWARMNESS AND SEEKS PERFECTION
I.
The evil of tepidity arises from the little love men have for Jesus Christ. They who are puffed-up with self-esteem; those who frequently take to heart occurrences that fall out contrary to their wishes; who practise great indulgence towards themselves on account of their health; who keep their heart open to external objects, and the mind always distracted, with an eagerness to listen to, and to know, so many things that have nothing to do with the service of God, but merely serve to gratify private curiosity; who are ready to resent every little inattention from others, and consequently are often troubled, and grow remiss in prayer and recollection who one moment are all devotion and joy, the next all impatience and melancholy, just as things happen according to or against their humour; all such persons do not love Jesus Christ, or love Him very little, and cast discredit on true devotion.
But suppose anyone should find himself sunk in this unhappy state of tepidity, what has he to do? Certainly, it is a hard thing for a soul grown lukewarm to resume her ancient fervour; but our Lord has said, that what man cannot do, God can very Well do. The things that are impossible with man, are possible with God-(Luke xviii. 27). Whoever prays and employs the means is sure to accomplish his desire.
Now, the first means is the desire of perfection. Pious desires are the wings which lift us up from earth; for, as St. Laurence Justinian says, desire “supplies strength, and lightens pain.” It gives strength to walk towards perfection, and lightens the fatigue of the journey. He who has a real desire of perfection fails not to advance continually towards it; and so advancing, he must finally arrive at it. On the contrary, he who has not the desire of perfection will always go backwards, and always find himself more imperfect than before. St. Augustine says, that “not to go forward in the way of God is to go backwards.” He that makes no effort to advance will find himself carried backwards by the current of his corrupt nature.
II.
They, then, who say, “God does not wish us all to be saints,” make a great mistake. Yes; for St. Paul says, This is the will of God, your sanctfication-{1 Thess. iv. 3). God wishes us all to be saints, and each one according to his state of life: the Religious as a Religious; the secular as a secular; the Priest as a Priest; the married as married; the man of business as a man of business; the soldier as a soldier; and so of every other state of life. Most beautiful, indeed, are the instructions which my great patroness, St. Teresa, gives on this subject. She says, in one place, “Let us enlarge our thoughts; for hence we shall derive immense good.” Elsewhere: “We must beware of having poor desires; but rather put our confidence in God, in order that, by forcing ourselves continually onwards, We may by degrees arrive where, by the Divine grace,so many Saints have arrived.” And in confirmation of this she quoted her own experience, having known how courageous souls make considerable progress in a short period of time. “Because,” said she, “The Lord takes as much delight in our desires, as if they were put into execution.” In another place she says: “Almighty God does not confer extraordinary favours, except where His love has been earnestly sought after.” Again, in another passage, she remarks: “God does not fail to repay every good desire even in this life, for He is the Friend of generous souls, provided only they do not trust in themselves.” This Saint herself was endowed with just such a spirit or generosity; so that she once even said to our Lord, that were she to behold others in Paradise enjoying Him more than herself, she would not care; but were she to behold anyone loving Him more than she should love Him, this she declared she knew not how she could endure.
We must, therefore have great courage: The Lord is good to the soul that seeketh him-(Lam. iii. 25). God is surpassingly good and liberal towards a soul that heartily seeks Him. Neither can past sins prove a hindrance to our becoming Saints, if only we have the sincere desire to become so. St. Teresa remarks: “The devil strives to make us think it pride to entertain lofty desires, and to wish to imitate the Saints; but it is of great service to encourage ourselves with the desire of great things, because, although the soul has not all at once the necessary strength, yet she nevertheless makes a bold flight, and rapidly advances.” , The Apostle writes: To them that love God, all things work together unto good (Rom. viii. 28). And the Gloss adds “even sins”; even past sins can contribute to our sanctification, inasmuch as the recollection of them keeps us more humble, and more grateful, when, we witness the favours God lavishes upon us, after all our outrages against Him. I am not capable of anything, the sinner should say, nor do I deserve anything; I deserve nothing but hell; but I have to deal with a God of infinite bounty, Who has promised to listen to all that pray to Him. Now, as He has rescued me from a state of damnation, and wishes me to become holy, and now proffers me His help, I can certainly become a saint, not by my own strength, but by the grace of my God, Who strengthens me: I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me-(Phil. iv. 13). Once, thus, we have good desires, we must take courage, and trusting in God, endeavour to put them into execution; but if afterwards we encounter any obstacle in our spiritual enterprises, let us repose quietly on the will of God. God’s will must be preferred before every good desire of our own. St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi would sooner have remained without perfection than possess it without the will of God.
O Holy and Divine Spirit, I will no longer live to myself. I will spend all the days that remain to me of life in loving and pleasing Thee.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Divine Love fertilizes the good desires, the holy purposes, and the good works of our souls, and these are the flowers and fruits which the grace of the Holy Ghost produces. O holy and Divine Spirit, I will no longer live to myself. I will spend all these days that remain to me of life in loving and pleasing Thee.
I.
Divine Love is a dew that fertilizes the soul. Thus does the Holy Church teach us to pray: May the infusion of the Holy Ghost cleanse our hearts, and fertilize them by the inward sprinkling of his dew. Love fertilizes our good desires, our holy purposes, and the good works of our souls; these are the flowers and the fruits which the grace of the Holy Ghost produces. Love is also called dew, because it cools the heat of bad desires and temptations. Hence the Holy Ghost is also called refreshment in the excess of heat, and solace in our grief. In aestu temperies; dulce refrigerium.
O Holy and Divine Spirit, I will live no longer to myself; the days which may remain to me of life, I will spend entirely in loving and pleasing Thee. On this account I beseech Thee to grant me the gift of prayer. Come, Thou, into my heart, and teach me to pray as I ought. Give me strength not to neglect prayer in the time of dryness and weariness; and give me the spirit of prayer; that is, the grace of praying to Thee in such a manner, and of offering Thee such prayers as may be most acceptable to Thee.
II.
This dew descends into our hearts in the time of prayer. A quarter of an hour’s prayer is sufficient to appease any passion of hatred or of inordinate love, however ardent it may be: He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me-(Cant. ii. 4). Holy meditation is this cellar of wine, where love is set in order, to love God above all things, and our neighbours as ourselves. He who loves God loves prayer; and he who loves not prayer will find it morally impossible to overcome his passions.
I was lost by my sins, O my God, but I now see from the favour which Thou hast shown me, that Thou desirest my sanctification and salvation; and I certainly desire to become holy, that I may please Thee, and love more ardently Thy infinite Goodness. I love Thee, my sovereign Good, my Love, and my All; and because I love Thee, I give my whole self to Thee. O Blessed Virgin Mary, protect me.
Spiritual Reading
GRANDEUR OF THE PRIESTLY POWER
The dignity of the priest is also estimated by the power that he has over the real and the mystic body of Jesus Christ.
With regard to the power of priests over the real Body of Jesus Christ, it is of Faith that when they pronounce the words of Consecration the Incarnate Word has obliged Himself to obey and to come into their hands under the sacramental species. We are struck with wonder when we hear that God obeyed the voice of Josue-The Lord obeying the voice of man-and made the sun stand when he said: Move not, 0 sun, towards Gabaon, … and the sun stood still-(Jos. x. 12-13). But our wonder should be far greater when we find that in obedience to the words of His priests-HOC EST CORPUS MEUM-God Himself descends on the altar, that He comes wherever they call Him, and as often as they call Him, and places Himself in their hands, even though they should be His enemies. And after having come, He remains entirely at their disposal; they move Him as they please, from one place to another; they may, if they wish, shut Him up in the Tabernacle, or expose Him on the altar, or carry Him outside the church. They may, if they choose, eat His flesh, and give Him as food to others. “Oh, how very great is their power,” says St. Laurence Justinian, speaking of priests; “a word falls from their lips and the Body of Christ is there substantially formed from the matter of bread, and the Incarnate Word come down from Heaven, is found really present on the table of the altar! Never did Divine goodness give such power to the Angels. The Angels abide by the order of God, but the priests take Him in their hands, distribute Him to the faithful, and partake of Him as food for themselves.”
With regard to the mystic body of Christ, that is, all the faithful, the “priest has the power of the keys, or the power of delivering sinners from hell, of making them worthy of Paradise, and of changing them from the slaves of Satan into the children of God. And God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse or give absolution, provided the penitent is capable of it. “Such,” says St. Maximus of Turin, “is this judiciary power ascribed to Peter that its decision carries with it the decision of God.” The sentence of the priest precedes, and God subscribes to it, writes St. Peter Damian. Hence St. John Chrysostom thus concludes: “The Sovereign Master of the universe only follows the servant by confirming in Heaven all that the latter decides upon earth.”
Priests are the dispensers of the divine graces, and the companions of God. “Consider the priests,” says St. Ignatius, Martyr, “as the dispensers of divine graces and the associates of God.” “They are,” says St. Prosper, “the glory and the immovable columns of the Church; they are the doors of the eternal city; through them all reach Christ; they are the vigilant guardians to whom the Lord has confided the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; they are the stewards of the king’s house, to assign to each according to his good pleasure his place in the hierarchy.” Were the Redeemer to descend into a church; and sit in a confessional to administer the Sacrament of Penance, and a priest to sit in another confessional, Jesus would say over each penitent, Ego te absolvo. The priest would likewise say over each of his penitents, Ego te absolvo, and the penitents of each would be equally absolved. How great the honour that a king would confer on a subject whom he should empower to rescue ill from prison as many as he pleased! But far greater is the power that the Eternal Father has given to Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ has given to His priests, to rescue from hell not only the bodies but also the souls of the faithful: “The Son,” says St. John Chrysostom, “has put into the hands of the priests all judgment; for having been as it were transported into Heaven, they have received this divine prerogative. If a king gave to a mortal the power to release from prison all prisoners, all would pronounce such a one happy; but the priests have received from God a far greater power, since the soul is more noble than the body.”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
IV.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION
I.
The second means of perfection is the resolution to belong wholly to God. Many are called to perfection; they are urged on towards it by grace, they conceive a desire of it; but because they never really resolve to acquire it, they live and die in the ill-odour of their tepid and imperfect life. The desire of perfection is not enough if it be not followed up by a stern resolve to attain it. How many souls feed themselves on desires alone, but never make withal one step in the way of God! It is of such desires that the Wise Man speaks when he says: Desires kill the slothful-(Prov. xxi. 25}. The slothful man is ever desiring, but never resolves to take the means suitable to his state of life to become a saint. He says: “Oh, if I were but in solitude, and not in this house! Oh, if I could but go and reside in another monastery, I would give myself up entirely to God!” And meanwhile he cannot support a certain companion; he cannot put up with a word of contradiction; he is dissipated about many useless cares; he commits a thousand faults of gluttony, of curiosity, and of pride; and yet he sighs out to the wind: “Oh, if I had but … !” or “Oh, if I could but .. , !” Such desires do more harm than good; because some regale themselves upon them, and in the meantime go on leading a life of imperfection. It was a saying of St. Francis of Sales: “I do not approve of a person who, being engaged in some duty or vocation, sighs for some other kind of life than is compatible with his actual position, or for other exercises unfitted for his present state; for it merely serves to dissipate his heart, and makes him languish in his necessary duties.”
II.
We, must, therefore, desire perfection, and resolutely take the means towards it. St. Teresa says: “God only looks for one resolution on our part, and will afterwards do all the rest Himself: the devil has no fear of irresolute souls.” For this reason mental prayer must be used, in order to take the means which lead to perfection. Some make much prayer, but never come to a practical conclusion. The Saint again says: “I would rather have a short prayer, which produces great fruits, than a prayer of many years, wherein a soul never gets further than resolving to do something worthy Of Almighty God.” And elsewhere she says: “I have learnt by experience that whoever, at the beginning, brings himself to the resolution of doing some great work, however difficult it may be, if he does so to please God, he has no reason to be afraid.”
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Divine Love is called rest in labour, in mourning comfort. A soul that loves God finds peace and contentment in all tribulations and adversities, by merely saying: This is the will of my God.
I.
Divine Love is also called rest in labour, in mourning comfort. In labore requies, in fletu solatium. Love is a repose that refreshes, because the principal effect of love is to unite the will of the lover with that of the beloved. For a soul that loves God, in every affront it receives, in every grief it endures, in every loss it suffers, it is sufficient to make it resigned to know that such things are permitted to befall it by the will of its Beloved. It finds peace and contentment in all tribulations and adversities, saying: Such is the will of my God. This is that peace which surpasseth all the pleasures of sense: The peace of God which surpasseth all understanding-(Philipp. iv. 7). St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, by merely repeating: “it is the will of God,” was immediately filled with joy.
O my God, how often, for the sake of following my own will, have I opposed Thy holy will and despised it. I grieve for this evil above every other evil. O Lord, I desire from this day forward to love Thee with my whole heart.
II.
Everyone in this world must carry his cross; but St. Teresa says that the cross is hard to those who drag it but not to those who embrace it. Thus, the Lord knows well how to strike and how to heal. He woundeth, saith holy Job, and cureth; he striketh, and his hands shall heal. The Holy Ghost, by His sweet unction, renders even ignominies and torments sweet and amiable. Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in thy sight (Matt. xi. 26). Thus ought we to say in all the adversities which befall us: So be it done, O Lord, for so hath it pleased Thee. And when the fear of any temporal calamity alarms us, let us always say: “Do with me, o Lord, whatever Thou pleasest; I will accept all as coming from Thee.” It is good, as St. Teresa advises, frequently in the course of the day to offer ourselves in this manner to God.
Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. What wouldst Thou have me to do? I will do all that Thou requirest of me. Thy will shall be my only desire, my only love. Holy Spirit, strengthen my weakness. Thou art goodness itself: how can I love any other but Thee? 0 do Thou draw all the affections of my heart to Thyself, by the sweet attractions of Thy holy love. I renounce all, to give myself entirely to Thee. Accept of me, and succour me. O Mary, my Mother, pray for me.
Spiritual Reading
THE PRIESTHOOD SURPASSES ALL OTHER CREATED DIGNITIES
The sacerdotal dignity is the most noble of all the dignities in this world. “Nothing,” says St. Ambrose, “is more excellent in this world.” It transcends, says St. Bernard, “all the dignities of kings, of emperors, and of Angels.” According to St. Ambrose, the dignity of the priest as far exceeds that of kings, as the value of gold surpasses that of lead. The reason, is, because the power of kings extends only to temporal goods and to the bodies of men, but the power of the priest extends to spiritual goods and to the human soul. “Hence,” says St. Clement, “as much as the soul is more noble than the body, so much is the priesthood more excellent than royalty.” “Princes,” says St. John Chrysostom, “have the power of binding, but they bind only the bodies, while the priest binds the soul.”
The kings of the earth glory in honouring priests: “It is a mark of a good prince,” says Pope St. Marcellinus, “to honour the priests of God.” “They willingly,” says Peter de Blois, “bend their knee before the priest of God; they kiss his hands, and with, bowed down head receive his benediction.” “The sacerdotal dignity,” says St. Chrysostom, “effaces the royal dignity; hence the king inclines his head under the hand of the priest to receive his blessing.” In the Council of Nice, the Emperor Constantine wished to sit in the last place, after all the priests, and on a seat lower than that which they occupied; he would not even sit down without their permission. The holy king, St. Boleslaus, had so great a veneration for priests, that he would not dare to sit in their presence.
The sacerdotal dignity also surpasses the dignity of the Angels. The Angels in Heaven cannot absolve from a single sin. The Guardian Angels procure for the souls committed to their care grace to have recourse to a priest that he may absolve them: “Although,” says St. Peter Damian, “Angels may be present, they yet wait for the priest to exercise his power, but no one of them has the power of the keys-that is, to bind and to loose.” When St. Michael comes to a dying Christian who invokes his aid, the holy Archangel can chase away the devils, but he cannot free his client from their chains till a priest comes to absolve him. After having given the order of priesthood to a holy ecclesiastic, St. Francis de Sales perceived, that in going out he stopped at the door as if to give precedence to another. Being asked by the Saint why he stopped, he answered that God favoured him with the visible presence of his Angel guardian, who before he had received priesthood always remained at his right and preceded him, but afterwards walked on his left and refused to go before him. It was in a holy contest with the Angel that he stopped at the door. St. Francis of Assisi used to say, “If I saw an Angel and a priest, I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the Angel.”
Besides, the power of the priest surpasses that of the Blessed Virgin Mary; for, although this Divine Mother can pray for us, and by her prayers obtain whatever she wishes, yet she cannot absolve a Christian from even the smallest sin. “The Blessed Virgin was eminently more perfect than the Apostles,” says Innocent III: “It was, however, not to her, but only to the Apostles, that the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.” St. Bernardine of Sienna has written: “Holy Virgin, excuse me, for I speak not against thee: the Lord has raised the priesthood above thee.” The Saint assigns the reason of the superiority of the priesthood over Mary; she conceived Jesus Christ only once; but by consecrating the Eucharist, the priest, as it were, conceives Him as often as he wishes, so that if the Person of the Redeemer had not as yet been in the world, the priest, by pronouncing the words of Consecration, would produce this great Person of a Man-God. “O wonderful dignity of priests,” cries out St. Augustine, “in whose hands, as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.” Hence priests are called the parents of Jesus Christ: such is the title that St. Bernard gives them, for they are the active cause by which He is made to exist really in the consecrated Host.
Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator, since by saying the words of Consecration, he creates, as it were, Jesus in the Sacrament, by giving Him a sacramental existence, and produces Him as a Victim to be offered to the Eternal Father. As in creating the world it was sufficient for God to have said: Let it be made, and it was created He spoke, and they were made-(Ps. xxxii. 9)-so it is sufficient for the priest to say, “Hoc est corpus meum,” and behold the bread is no longer bread, but the Body of Jesus Christ. “The power of the priest,” says St. Bernardine of Sienna, “is the power of the Divine Person; for the Transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world.” And St. Augustine has written: “O venerable sanctity of the hands! O happy function of the priest! He that created me (if I may say so) gave me the power to create Him; and He that created me without me is Himself created by me!” As the Word of God created Heaven and earth, so, says St. Jerome, the words of the priest create Jesus Christ. “At a sign from God there came forth from nothing both the sublime vault of the heavens and the vast extent of the earth; but not less great is the power that manifests itself in the mysterious words of the priest.” The dignity of the priest is so great, that he even blesses Jesus Christ on the altar as a Victim to be offered to the Eternal Father. In the sacrifice of the Mass, writes Father Mansi, Jesus Christ is the principal Offerer and Victim; as Minister, He blesses the priest, but as Victim, the priest blesses Him.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
V.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION
I.
The first resolution must be to make every effort, and to die rather than commit any deliberate sin whatever, however small it may be. It is true that all our endeavours, without the Divine assistance, cannot enable us to vanquish temptations; but God wishes us on our part frequently to use this violence with ourselves, because then He will afterwards supply us with His grace, will succour our weakness, and enable us to gain the victory. This resolution removes from us every obstacle to our going forward, and at the same time gives us great courage, because it affords us an assurance of being in the grace of God. St. Francis of Sales writes: “The best security we can possess in this world of being in the grace of God, consists not indeed in feeling that we have His love, but in a pure and irrevocable abandonment of our entire being into His hands, and in the firm resolution of never consenting to sin, either great or small.” This is what is meant by being of a delicate conscience. Be it observed that it is one thing to be of a delicate conscience, and another to be of a scrupulous conscience. To be of a delicate conscience is requisite to become a saint; but to be scrupulous is a defect, and does harm; and on this account we must obey our directors, and rise above scruples, which are nothing else but vain and unreasonable alarms.
II.
Hence it is necessary to resolve on choosing the best; not only what is agreeable to God, but what is most agreeable to Him, without any reserve. St. Francis of Sales says: “We must start with a strong and constant resolution to give ourselves wholly to God, and protest to Him that for the future we wish to be His without any reserve, and then we must afterwards often renew this same resolution.” St. Andrew Avellini made a vow to advance daily in perfection. It is not necessary (or every one who wishes to become a saint to make it the matter of a vow); but he must endeavour every day to make some steps forward in perfection. St. Laurence Justinian has written: “When a person is really making progress, he feels in himself continual desire of advancing; and the more he improves in perfection, the more this desire increases; because as his interior light increases each day more and more, he seems to himself always to be wanting in every virtue, and to be doing no good at all; and if, perchance, he is aware of some good he does, it always appears to him very imperfect, and he makes small account of it. The consequence is, he is continually labouring to acquire perfection without ever feeling wearied.”
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Love is strong as death-{Cant. viii. 6). As there is no created power that can resist death, so with the soul that loves God there is no difficulty that love cannot overcome. O my Jesus, send Thy Holy Spirit that He may come and strengthen me to do and suffer something for Thy love before death overtakes me.
I.
Fortis est ut mars delectio. Love is strong as death.
As there is no created power than can resist death, so to the soul that loves God, there is no difficulty which yields not to love. When the soul that loves would please its Beloved, love overcomes all losses, contempt, and sorrows: “Nothing is so hard but that it may be conquered by the fire of love.” This is the most certain mark by which to know whether a soul really loves God, its being as faithful to Him when things are adverse as when they are prosperous. St. Francis of Sales says: “God is just as amiable when He chastises us as when He consoles us, because He does both from love.”
O God of my soul, I say that I love Thee, and yet what do I do for Thy love? Nothing. It is a sign, therefore, that I either do not love Thee, or love Thee too little. Send, therefore, O Jesus, the Holy Ghost upon me, and come and strengthen me to do and to suffer something for Thy love before death overtake me. Suffer me not, O Lord, to depart out of this life cold and ungrateful, as I have hitherto been. Give me strength to love sufferings, on account of the many sins by which I have deserved hell. O my God, Who art all goodness and all love, Thou desirest to dwell in my soul, from which I have so often expelled Thee; come and take possession of it; dwell within it and make it all Thine own.
II.
When God afflicts us the most in this life, He loves us the most. St. John Chrysostom considered St. Paul bound in chains more happy than St. Paul rapt to the third heavens. Hence the holy Martyrs, in the midst of their torments, rejoiced, and give thanks to God for the great favour He conferred upon them in allowing them to suffer for His love. And the other Saints, when tyrants were wanting to afflict them, became their own tormentors by the penances which they imposed upon themselves, in order to please God. St. Augustine says: “He who loves, either does not feel the labour, or the labour itself is loved.”
I love Thee, O my Lord; and if I love Thee, Thou art with me, as St. John assures me: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him-(I John iv. 16). Since, therefore, Thou art with me, increase the flames, the chains of Thy love, that I may neither desire, nor seek, nor love any other but Thee, and thus bound by Thy love, may never separate myself from Thee any more. I desire, O Jesus, to be Thine, to be all Thine. O Mary, my Queen and advocate, obtain for me love and holy perseverance.
Spiritual Reading
GOING TO HOLY COMMUNION
Of all the Sacraments the adorable Sacrament of the altar is the most excellent. The other Sacraments contain the gifts of God, but the Holy Eucharist contains God Himself. Hence St. Thomas says that the other Sacraments have been instituted by Jesus Christ to prepare men either to receive or to administer the Blessed Eucharist, which, according to the holy Doctor, is the consummation of the spiritual life; because from this Sacrament is derived all the perfection of the soul. For all perfection consists in a union with God; and of all the means of uniting the soul to Him there is none better than Holy Communion by which, as Jesus Christ Himself has said, the soul becomes as it were one thing with Him, He that eateth my flesh . .. abideth in me and I in him -(Jo. vi. 57). Hence St. John Chrysostom says that Jesus has given His Body to us under the species of bread that we may become one thing with Him. And St.Cyril of Alexander teaches that as two pieces of wax melted together become one, so we, by Holy Communion, are similarly united with Jesus Christ.
Our Saviour instituted this Sacrament under the form of food to show that, as corporal food is changed into our flesh, so this heavenly Bread becomes one thing with us; but with this difference, that earthly food is converted into our substance, while this divine Bread transforms those who eat into Jesus Christ. This is the reason why Rupert makes our Lord say: “Eat, and you shall be by grace what I am by nature.” And this is what our Lord deigned to say one day to St. Augustine: “I will not be changed into you, but you shall be changed into me.” The principal effect of this Sacrament is to preserve in the soul the life of grace. Hence, it is called bread; for as earthly bread supports corporal life, so this heavenly Bread preserves the life of the soul which consists in the grace of God.
The Eucharist is, according to the Council of Trent, the divine medicine that purifies the soul from venial faults, and preserves it from mortal sins. Like a stream of water, this Sacrament extinguishes the ardour of the passions by which we are consumed. Let him in whose soul the flame of some particular passion is kindled approach Holy Communion, and he will find the passion altogether, or at least in a great measure, destroyed. “If any of you,” says St. Bernard, “does not experience so frequent or so violent motions of anger, of envy, or of lust, let him give thanks to the Body of the Lord that produces fruit in his soul.” The angelic Doctor teaches that the Communion gives us strength to overcome all the attacks of the devil. “It repels every assault of the demons.” St. John Chrysostom asserts that when we receive the Holy Eucharist, the devils are put to flight, and the Angels fly to our assistance. Moreover, this Sacrament infuses into the soul great interior peace, a strong inclination to virtue, and a great willingness to practise it, and thus renders it easy to walk in the path of perfection.
Holy Communion, as St. Thomas teaches, infuses divine charity into the heart. Jesus Christ protested that He came into the world for no other purpose than to kindle in our souls the holy fire of divine love. I come to cast fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?-(Luke xii. 49). The Venerable Father Olimpio, of the Order of Theatines, used to say, that there is no Mystery of Redemption more apt to inflame us with the love of Jesus Christ. than the Sacrament of the altar in which He gives Himself entirely to us, and pours forth all His love. Hence, speaking of the institution of this Sacrament, St. John says: Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them unto the end-(John xiii. i). He loved them to the end, that is, according to the commentators, he loved them to the utmost of His power. Hence the Council of Trent said that in this Sacrament Jesus “poured forth, as it were, all the riches of His divine love towards man.” Holy Communion has been called by St. Thomas “the Sacrament of love”; and by St. Bernard “the love of loves.” St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to call the day of Communion “the day of love”; and would say that a soul after Communion might exclaim with Jesus dying on the Cross: It is consummated! For after having given Himself to me, God has nothing more to give me; nor can I desire anything else from Him.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
VI.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION
I.
We must begin quickly, and not wait for the morrow. Who knows whether we shall afterwards find time or not! Ecclesiastes counsels us: Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly-(Eccles. ix. 10). What thou canst do, do it quickly, and defer it not; and he adduces the reason, why: For neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening. Because in the next life there is no more time to work, nor free-will to merit, nor prudence to do well, nor wisdom or experience to take good counsel by, for after death what is done is done. A nun of the convent of Torre de Specchi in Rome, whose name was Sister Bonaventura, led a very lukewarm kind of life. There came a Religious, Father Lancisius, to give the spiritual exercises to the nuns, and Sister Bonaventura, feeling no inclination to shake off her tepidity, began to listen to the exercises with no good will. But at the very first sermon, she was won by Divine grace, so that she immediately went to the feet of the Father who preached, and said to him, with at tone of real determination, “Father, I wish to become a saint, and quickly a saint.” And, by the assistance of God, she did so; for she only lived eight months after that event, and during that short time she lived and died a Saint.
II.
David said: And I said, now have I begun-(Ps.lxxvi. ll). So likewise did St. Charles Borromeo speak: “Today I begin to serve God.” And we should act in the same way as if we had hitherto done no good whatever; for indeed, all that we do for God is nothing, since we are bound to do it. Let us therefore each day resolve to begin afresh to belong wholly to God. Neither let us stop to observe what or how others act. They who become truly saints are few. St. Bernard says: “One cannot be perfect without being singular” If we would imitate the common run of men, we should always remain imperfect, as for the most part they are. We must overcome all, renounce all, in, order to gain all. St. Teresa said: “Because we do not come to the conclusion of giving all our affection to God, so neither does He give all His love to us.” Oh God, how little is all that is given to Jesus Christ, Who has given His Blood and His life for us! ” However much we give,” says the same Saint, “is but mire, in comparison of one single drop of Blood shed for us by our Blessed Lord.” The Saints know not how to spare themselves, when there is a question of pleasing a God Who gave Himself wholly, without reserve, on purpose to oblige us to deny Him nothing. St. Chrysostom wrote: “He gave all to thee, and kept nothing for Himself.” God has bestowed His entire Self upon thee; there is, then, no excuse for thee to behave reservedly with God. He has even died for us all, says the Apostle, in order that each one of us may live only for Him Who died for us: Christ died for all; that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them-(2 Cor. v. 15).
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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The Holy Ghost is called Sweet Guest of the Soul. This was the great promise made by Jesus Christ to those who love Him: If you love me, keep my commandments; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Paraclete that he may abide with you for ever -(John xiv. 15, 16).
I.
The Holy Ghost is called Sweet Guest of the Soul. The great promise made by Jesus Christ to those who should love Him was this: If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever-(John xiv. 15, 16). Hence the Holy Ghost will never abandon the soul, if the soul does not drive Him away: He does not forsake, unless he be forsaken.
God, then, dwells in our souls when we love Him, but He declares that He is not satisfied with us unless We love Him with our whole hearts. St. Augustine writes, that the Roman Senate would not admit Jesus into the number of their gods, because said they, He is a proud God, Who will have no other adored but Himself. And so it is; He will not admit a companion in the heart that loves Him; He must dwell there alone, and be the only object loved. And when He sees that He is not the only object loved He is jealous, as it were, as St. John Chrysostom writes, of those creatures which divide with Him a heart which He desires to have entirely to Himself. Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain? To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you-(James iv. 5).
O my God, I see that Thou desirest that I should be all Thine. I have many times expelled Thee from my soul, and yet Thou disdainest not to return to me, and to unite Thyself to me. Oh, do Thou now take possession of my whole self. I give myself this day entirely to Thee.
II.
In a word, as St. Jerome says, Jesus is jealous. Hence the heavenly Spouse praises the soul which, as the turtle dove, lives alone and hidden from the world: Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove’s-(Cant. i. 9), because He desires that the world should not take any part of that love which He desires to have entirely Himself. Again, tlte spouse is praised because she is a garden enclosed-(Cant. iv. 12). A garden closed up against all worldly love. Can it be that Jesus does not deserve all our love? “He gave His whole self to Thee,” says St. John Chrysostom, “leaving nothing for Himself” He has given Thee His Blood and His life; nothing more remains for Him to give thee.
Do Thou accept of me, 0 Jesus, and grant that, for the future, I may never live one moment deprived of Thy love. Thou seekest me, and I seek no other but Thee. Thou desirest my soul, and my soul desires no other but Thee. Thou lovest me, and I love Thee; and because Thou lovest me, bind me in such a manner to Thee, that I may never more be separated from Thee. O Queen of Heaven, pray for me.
Spiritual Reading
GOING FREQUENTLY TO HOLY COMMUNION
Which of the two, asks Cassian, is the more humble the man that communicates often or he that communicates but seldom? He answers that the person that frequently receives Jesus Christ is the more humble, because he knows his infirmities, and therefore seeks more frequently the remedy of his disease. The angelic Doctor says that though to abstain from Communion through humility and fear is pleasing to God, still the love and confidence that induce a soul to receive Him are more acceptable in His sight. Love and hope, to which the Scriptures constantly exhort us, are preferable to fear.
You will say: I do not know whether I am in the state of grace. But I ask, do you expect that an Angel will come from Heaven to assure you that you are in the state of grace? Is it not enough for you to have the assurance of your confessor? You ought to place more confidence in the testimony of the minister of God than in the revelations of all the Angels of Paradise; for in receiving a communication from Angels, there might be an illusion, but in listening to the confessor who, in your regard, holds the place of God, there is no danger of deception. Whenever, then, your spiritual Father allows you to communicate, take care not to obey the suggestions of the devil by abstaining from Communion through fear and scruples.
I cannot, you will say, bring myself to communicate often, because I constantly commit faults and never amend. The greater you perceive your infirmities to be, the more frequently you ought to seek a remedy for them in Holy Communion. “Because,” says St. Ambrose, “I always sin, I should always use a remedy.” We buttress walls that are leaning, not to make them erect but to prevent them from falling. You say that you peceive in yourself no amendment. Will you improve without the aid of Holy Communion? No; you will, on the contrary, grow worse every day. Father Granada says that “he that desires to be cured of his infirmities should not abstain from this great remedy.” The bare remembrance of having communicated in the morning, and the thought of having to communicate the next day, makes a person more watchful and more attentive to the correction of his faults. Besides, the Sacrament Itself infuses an increase of light and strength into the soul. Theologians generally assert that the Holy Eucharist produces more grace than all the other Sacraments, because it contains Jesus Christ Himself who is the Author of grace. A present that a prince makes with his own hand is more valuable than the gifts that he dispenses through the hands of others.
You will say: I feel myself distracted, cold, and without devotion. What, I ask, do you understand by devotion? If you mean sensible fervour, I say that it is not necessary: it is enough to have fervour in the will, or a determination to do what you know to be pleasing to God.
This is the true devotion and fervour that God demands of you; and though you do not feel this fervour of the will, you should, notwithstanding, communicate in order to obtain it by means of the Holy Sacrament. For if you abstain from Communion because you have not sensible fervour, you will, as Gerson says, imitate the folly of those who, when cold, refuse to approach the fire because they do not feel warm. According to St. Lawrence Justinian, this Sacrament sometimes produces its effect, though we do not perceive it. St. Bonaventure says: “Although you feel tepid, approach with confidence; for the greater your infirmity the more you stand in need of a physician.” Do not be deterred from frequent Communion because you experience more devotion when you communicate seldom than when you communicate often. He that eats but seldom eats with great eagerness but with less profit; and, if you communicate but seldom you may, perhaps, feel a little more of sensible fervour, but you will also receive less fruit; because your soul will want the food that gives strength to avoid sins and imperfections. Seek not, then, sensible devotion in your Communions. Communicate only for the purpose of uniting your soul more closely to God, and be assured that, as often as you communicate with that view, your Communions will be productive of great fruit.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
VII.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION
I.
The third means of becoming a saint is mental prayer. John Gerson writes: “He who does not meditate on the eternal truths cannot, without a miracle, lead the life of a Christian. The reason is, because without mental prayer light fails us, and we walk in the dark. The truths of faith are not seen by the eyes of the body, but by the eyes of the mind, when we meditate; he that fails to meditate on them, fails to see them, and therefore walks in the dark; and being in the dark, he easily grows attached to sensible things, for the sake of which he then comes to despise the eternal.” St. Teresa wrote as follows to the Bishop of Osma: “Although we seem to discover in ourselves no imperfections; yet, when God opens the eyes of the soul, which He is wont to do in prayer, then they plainly appear.” And St. Bernard had before said, that he who does not meditate “does not abhor himself, simply because he does not know himself.” “Prayer,” says the Saint, “regulates the affections and directs the actions”; it keeps the affections of the soul in order, and directs all our actions to God; but without prayer the affections become attached to earth, the actions conform themselves to the affections, and in this manner all runs into disorder.
II.
We read of an awful example of this in the life of the Venerable Sister Mary Crucified of Sicily. Whilst this servant of God was praying, she heard a devil making a boast that he had suceeded in withdrawing a Religious from the Community-prayer; and she saw in spirit, that after this omission the devil tempted her to consent to a grievous sin, and that she was on the point of yielding. She forthwith accosted her, and by a timely admonition prevented her falling. St. Teresa said, that whoever leaves off prayer ” very shortly becomes either a brute beast or a devil.”
O Jesus, my Love, I repent of my lukewarmness, I am determined to love Thee as much as I can, and I wish to become a saint; and I wish to become a saint for this reason, in order to give Thee pleasure, and to love Thee exceedingly in this life and the next! I can do nothing of myself, but Thou canst do all things; and I know that Thou wishest me to become a saint. I see already by Thy grace my soul sighs only for Thee, and seeks nothing else but Thee. I wish to live no more for myself; Thou desirest me to be wholly Thine, and I desire to be wholly Thine. Come, and unite me to Thyself, and Thyself to me. Thou art Infinite Goodness; Thou art He who hast loved me so much; Thou art, indeed, too loving and too lovely; how, then, can I love any thing but Thee? I prefer Thy love before all the things of this world; Thou art the sole object, the sole end of all my affections. I leave all to be occupied solely in loving Thee, my Redeemer, my Comforter, my Hope, my Love, and my All.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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As the Holy Ghost is the indissoluble bond which unites the Father and the Eternal Word, so also is He the bond that unites our souls and God. O Love, Thy bond is so strong that it is able to bind even God and unite Him to our souls!
I.
As the Holy Ghost, Who is uncreated Love, is the indissoluble bond uniting the Father and the Eternal Word, so also He unites the soul with God: “Charity is a virtue,” says St. Augustine, “uniting us with God.” Hence St. Laurence Justinian with great joy exclaims: “O love, how strong is thy bond, which is capable of binding God!” The bonds of the world are bonds of death, but the bonds of God are bonds of life and salvation: Her bands are a healthful binding-(Ecclus. vi. 31), because the bonds of God, by means of love, unite us with God Who is our true and only life.
Before the coming of Jesus Christ men turned away from God, and being attached to the earth, refused to be united with their Creator; but our loving Lord has drawn us to Him by the bonds of love, as the Prophet Osee foretold: I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love-(Osee xi. 4). These bonds are His benefits, His lights, His calls to love Him, and His promises of Heaven; but, above all, they are the gifts which Jesus Christ has bestowed upon us in giving us Himself in the Sacrifice of the Cross, and in the Sacrament of the Altar, and ultimately in sending down upon us the Holy Ghost.
My dear Jesus, Thou hast indeed done too much to oblige me to love Thee, too dearly hast Thou paid to purchase my love; too ungrateful, therefore, should I be if I were to love Thee but little, or to divide my heart between Thee and creatures, after Thou hast shed Thy Blood and laid down Thy life for me. I desire to detach myself from all things else, in order to give my whole affections to Thee. But I am too weak of myself to execute this desire; do Thou, Who inspirest me with it, give me strength to execute it.
II.
The Prophet Isaias exclaims: Loosing the bonds from off thy neck, 0 captive daughter of Zion-(lii. 2). O my soul, thou who art created for Heaven, loose from off thy neck the bonds of the earth, and unite thyself to God by the bonds of love. Have charity, which is the bond of perfection-(Colos. iii. 14). Love is a bond which unites with itself all other virtues, and makes the soul perfect. “Love,” says St. Augustine, “and do what thou pleasest.” Yes, love God and do what thou wilt, because he who loves God, carefully avoids giving any offence to his Beloved, and seek in all things to please Him.
O my Jesus, pierce my poor heart with the sweet dart of Thy love that I may ever languish with the desire of Thee, and be dissolved with the love of Thee. May I ever seek only Thee, desire only Thee, and find only Thee! O Jesus, I desire only Thee alone. Grant that I may ever repeat during life, and especially at the hour of my death: I desire Thee alone! O Mary, my Mother, pray that from henceforth I may never desire anything but God.
Spiritual Reading
GOING FREQUENTLY TO HOLY COMMUNION
You say again: I abstain from Communion to escape the censure of others that see my imperfections and rebuke me for communicating so frequently. To this pretext I answer: If you communicate with the advice of your director, and through a motive of advancing in divine love or of correcting your defects, be not disturbed by the complaints or censures of others. According to Blessed John of Avila, they who censure others for frequent Communion perform the office of the devil. Will you then pay attention to their remarks? Listen to the words of St. Francis de Sales: “If,” he says, “they ask you why you communicate so often, tell them that two classes of persons should communicate frequently, the perfect to preserve perfection; and the imperfect, to attain perfection; the strong, lest they become weak; and the weak, to grow strong; the sick to be cured, and the healthy, to prevent sickness. And as to yourself, tell them that, because you are imperfect, weak, and infirm, you stand in need of frequent Communion. Tell them that all who are free from worldly occupations, because they have the opportunity, and all who are engaged in them, because they have need of Communion, should communicate frequently.” In conclusion, he says: “Philothea, communicate often, and as often as possible, with the advice of your spiritual Father; and believe me that, as the hares on our mountains become white because they feed only on snow, so, by eating purity itself in this Sacrament you will become all pure.” To St. Frances of Rome, as she was going to Communion, the devil said: “How can you, who are so full of venial sins, dare receive the Immaculate Lamb?” Perceiving that the enemy wished to deprive her of Communion, she banished him by spitting in his face. The Blessed Virgin immediately appeared to her, and, after having praised her conduct, said that our defects, instead of being an obstacle, should be an incentive to Communion, since; in Communion, we find the remedy of all our miseries.
You will perhaps say: I have not time to prepare as I ought for Holy Communion. I answer: if your time is spent in useless occupations or discourses, then your excuse is frivolous. But if you be employed in performing the duties of your office, or of obedience, rest assured that the discharge of these duties, with a view to please God, will be an excellent preparation for Communion. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi was once engaged in making bread, when the bell rang for Communion; she instantly obeyed the call, and in an ecstasy received the Holy Sacrament. Hence she was accustomed to say to her Sisters: “Offer to God all your actions as a preparation for Communion, perform them with the intention of pleasing Him, and communicate.” Whenever the want of time arises from your being employed in the performance of your duties, in the care of the sick, or in the performance of any work of charity that cannot be deferred, you should never abstain from Communion in consequence of not having sufficient time for preparation. But be careful to avoid as much as possible all unnecessary conversations and amusements, and when you foresee that in the morning you will not have time to prepare for Communion, endeavour on the preceding evening to make some preparation, by reading a book of piety, and by making the acts that ought to be made in the morning; or rise a little before the usual hour and spend whatever time may be at your disposal in preparation for the Holy Sacrament. Oh! what great and continual progress is made in divine love by those who, with a strong desire, frequent Holy Communion! Oh! how wonderfully does the Lord draw them to His love! St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi once saw a soul suffering in Purgatory for having through carelessness omitted one Communion. And we read in her Life that she several times burst into tears because a Sister in her Community abstained from Communion through negligence. Be assured that of all your devotions there is none more dear to Jesus Christ than your Communions. For all perfection consists in a perfect union with God; and Holy Communion is the action that unites the soul most closely to Jesus, and consequently you can do nothing more pleasing in His sight. Hence, the same St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to say: “I would rather die than omit a Communion permitted by obedience.”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
VIII.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION
I.
He that leaves off prayer, will leave off loving Jesus Christ. Prayer is the blessed furnace where the fire of holy love is enkindled and kept alive: And in my meditation a fire shall flame out-(Ps. xxxviii. 4). It was said by St. Catherine of Bologna: “The person that foregoes the practice of prayer breaks the chain which binds the soul to God.” It follows that the devil, finding the soul cold in Divine love, will have little difficulty in inducing her to partake of some poisonous fruit or other, St. Teresa said, on the contrary: “Whosoever perseveres in prayer, let him hold for a certainty, that with however many sins the devil may surround him, the Lord will eventually bring him into the haven of salvation.” In another place the Saint says: “Whoever halts not in the way of prayer arrives sooner or later.” And elsewhere she writes that it is on this account the devil labours so hard to withdraw souls from prayer, because he well knows that he has missed gaining those who faithfully persevere in prayer.
Oh, how great are the benefits that flow from prayer! In prayer we conceive holy thoughts, we practise devout affections, we excite great desires, and form efficacious resolutions to give ourselves wholly to God; and thus the soul is led for His sake to sacrifice earthly pleasures and all disorderly appetites. It was said by St. Aloysius Gonzaga: “There will never be much perfection without much prayer.” Let him who longs for perfection mark well this notable saying of the Saint.
II.
We should not go to prayer in order to taste the sweetness of Divine love; whoever prays from such a motive will lose his time, or at least derive little advantage from it. A person should go to prayer solely to please God, that is, solely to learn what the will of God is in, his regard, and to beg of Him the help to put it in practice. The Venerable Father Antony Torres said: “To carry the cross without consolation makes souls fly to perfection. Prayer unattended with sensible consolations confers greater fruit on the soul. But pitiable is the poor soul that leaves off prayer because she finds no relish in it.” St. Teresa said: “When a soul leaves off prayer, it is as if she cast herself into hell without any need of devils.”
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Divine Love is that Treasure, to purchase which, the Gospel says, we should leave all things; for this love makes us partakers of the friendship of God. An infinite treasure which they that use become the friends of God.
I.
Divine love is that Treasure, to purchase which, as the Gospel says, a man should give up all things, for this love makes us partakers of the friendship of God: An infinite treasure to men, which they that use become the friends of God (Wis. vii. 14). “O men,” says St. Augustine, “whither go ye in search of good things? Seek the one only Good in Whom are all good things.” But we cannot find the only Good-namely, God-unless we renounce the things of the earth. St. Teresa writes: “Detach thy heart from creatures, and thou shalt find God.” He who finds God, finds all that he can desire. Delight in the Lord, and he will grant thee the desire of thy heart (Ps. xxxvi. 4). The human heart is continually seeking after such good things as may make it happy, but if it seek them from creatures, how much soever it may acquire, it will never be satisfied with them; but if it seek only God, God will satisfy all its desires. Who but the Saints are most happy in this world? And why? Because they desire and seek only God. A certain prince, going to the chase, saw a solitary running swiftly through the forest, and asked him what he was seeking for in that desert place. The solitary replied: “And thou, O prince, what art thou in quest of?” The prince: “I am going in quest of wild beasts.” “And I,” said the hermit, “am going in quest of God.” My God, hitherto I have sought not Thee, but myself and my own gratifications, and for these I have turned my back upon Thee, my sovereign Good. But I am consoled with the words of Jeremias: The Lord is good to the soul that seeketh him-(Lam.,iii. 25). These words assure me that Thou, my God, art all goodness towards him who seeks Thee.
II.
The tyrant offered St. Clement gold and gems if he would renounce Jesus Christ; on which the Saint exclaimed with a deep sigh: “Alas, God is put in competition with a little mire!” Happy is he who knows the value of the treasure of Divine love and seeks to obtain it! He who obtains it will divest himself of all things else, that he may possess God alone. “When the house is on fire,” says St. Francis of Sales, “all the goods are thrown out of the windows.” And Father Paul Segneri the Younger, a great servant of God, was accustomed to say that love was a thief which robbed us of all worldly affections, so that we can in all truth say: “What do I desire, but Thee alone, my God?”
My beloved Saviour, I know the evil I have committed in forsaking Thee, and I repent of it with my whole heart. I know Thou art all, infinite Treasure. I will not abuse the light. I forsake all things, and choose Thee for my only Love. My God, my Love, my All, I love Thee, I desire Thee, I sigh after Thee. Come, O Holy Spirit, and destroy in me by Thy sacred fire every affection which has not Thee for its object. Grant that I may be all Thine, and that I may conquer every thing to please Thee. O Mary, my advocate and my Mother, do thou help me by thy prayers.
Spiritual Reading
PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION
St. Francis de Sales says, that our Saviour can never be seen more amiable and more tender, in all that He has done for us, than in Holy Communion, in which He, so to say, annihilates Himself and becomes Food, that He may unite Himself to the hearts and bodies of His faithful. Therefore, the learned Gerson used also to say, that there was no means more efficacious than the Holy Communion whereby to enkindle devotion and the holy love of God in our souls.
And, indeed, if we speak of doing something agreeable to God, what can a soul do more agreeable to Him than to receive Communion? St. Denis teaches us that love always tends towards perfect union; but how can a soul be more perfectly united with Jesus than in the manner of which He speaks Himself, saying: He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him (Jo. vi. 57). St. Augustine says, that if every day you receive this Sacrament, Jesus will be always with you, and you will always advance in divine love.
Again, if there is question of healing our spiritual infirmities, what more certain remedy can we have than the Holy Communion, which is called by the sacred Council of Trent “a remedy whereby we may be freed from daily faults, and be preserved from mortal sins.”
Whence does it come, asks Cardinal Bona, that in so many souls we see so little fruit from frequent Communion, and that they constantly relapse into the same faults? He replies: “The fault is not in the Food, but in the disposition of him who receives It.” Can a man, says Solomon, hide a fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn? (Prov. vi. 27). God is a consuming fire. He comes Himself in the Holy Communion to enkindle this divine fire; how is it, then, says William of Paris, that we see so diabolical a miracle as that souls should remain cold in divine love in the midst of such flames?
All comes from the want of proper dispositions, and especially from the want of preparation. Fire immediately inflames dry but not green wood; for this latter is not fit to burn. The Saints derived great benefit from their Communions, because they prepared themselves with very great care. St. Aloysius Gonzaga devoted three days to his preparation for Holy Communion, and three days he spent in thanksgiving to his Lord.
To prepare well for Holy Communion a soul should be disposed on two main points: it should be detached from creatures, and have a great desire to advance in divine love.
In the first place, then, a soul should detach itself from all things, and drive everything from its heart which is not God. He that is washed, saith Jesus, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly (Jo. xiii. 10). Which signifies, as St. Bernard explains it; that in order to receive this Sacrament with great fruit,we should not only be cleansed from mortal sins, but our feet also should be washed, that is, we should be free from all earthly affections; for, being in contact with the earth, they excite a sort of repugnance in God, and soiling the soul, prevent the effects of Holy Communion.
St. Gertrude asked our Lord what preparations He required of her for the Holy Communion; and He replied: “I only ask that thou shouldst come empty of thyself, to receive Me.”
In the second place it is necessary, in the Holy Communion, to have a great desire to receive Jesus Christ and His holy love. In this sacred Banquet, says Gerson, only those who are famishing receive their fill; and the most Blessed Virgin Mary had already said the same thing: He hath filled the hungry with good things -(Luke i. 53). As Jesus, writes the Blessed Father Avila, came into this world only after He had been much and long desired, so does He only enter a soul that desires Him; for it is not becoming that such Food should be given to him who has a loathing for It. Our Lord one day said to St. Matilda: “No bee flies with such impetuosity to flowers, to suck their honey, as I fly to souls in the Holy Communion, driven by the violence of my love. Since, then, Jesus Christ has so great a desire to come into our souls, it is right that we also should have a great desire to receive Him and His divine love in the Holy Communion. St. Francis de Sales teaches us that the principal object a soul should have in view in communicating should be, to advance in the love of God; since He, who for love alone gives Himself to us, should be received for love.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
IX.-THE MEANS OF AVOIDING LUKEWARMNESS AND ATTAINING PERFECTION
I.
It results from the practice of prayer that a person constantly thinks of God. “The true lover,” says St. Teresa, “is ever mindful of the beloved One. And hence it follows that persons of prayer are always speak of God, knowing, as they do, how pleasing it is to God that His lovers should delight in conversing about Him, and on the love He bears them, and that thus they should endeavour to enkindle it in others.” The same Saint wrote: “Jesus Christ is always present at the conversations of the servants of God, and He is very much gratified to be the subject of their delight.”
Prayer, again, creates that desire of retiring into solitude, in order to converse alone with God, and to maintain interior recollection in the discharge of necessary external duties; I say necessary, such as the management of one’s family, or of the performance of duties required of us by obedience; because a man of prayer must love solitude, and avoid dissipation in superfluous and useless affairs, otherwise he will lose the spirit of recollection, which is a great means of preserving union with God: My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed -(Cant. iv. 12).
II.
The soul espoused to Jesus Christ must be a garden closed to all creatures, and must not admit into her heart other thoughts, nor other business, but those of God or for God. Hearts thrown open never become holy. The Saints, who have to labour in gaining souls to God, do not lose their recollection in the midst all of their labours, either of preaching, confessing, reconciling enemies, or assisting the sick. The same rule holds good with those who have to apply to study. How many from excessive study, and a desire to become learned, become neither holy nor learned, because true learning consists in the science of the Saints; that is to say, in knowing how to love, Jesus Christ; whereas, on the contrary, Divine love brings with it knowledge and every good: All good things come to me together with her-(Wis. vii. 11), that is, with holy charity. St. John Berchmans had an extraordinary love for study, but by his great virtue he never allowed study to interfere with his spiritual interests. The Apostle exhorts us: Not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise in sobriety-(Rom, xii. 8), A priest especially must have knowledge; he must know things, because he has to instruct others in the Divine Law: For the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth-(MaI. ii. 7). He must have knowledge, but unto sobriety. He that leaves prayer for study shows that in his study he seeks himself, and not God. He that seeks God leaves study (if it be not absolutely necessary) in order not to omit prayer.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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