St. Anthony Mary Claret: The Golden Key to Heaven

[Stone]

Meditation 27. Jesus Proves on the Cross His Love for His Enemies

Preparatory Prayer as on page x

Composition of Place — Envision Jesus nailed to the Cross and enduring His greatest pains. You hear Him pray to His Father on behalf of those who crucify Him.

Prayer of Petition — O my Jesus and my Master! I beg of Thee the grace not only to forgive my enemies, but to love them and do good to them.


First Point

Jesus showed an astonishingly great love for His enemies. Go back in your thoughts, my soul, to Calvary, and ponder with attention Jesus' Love for His enemies. See Him suspended from three nails on an infamous gibbet. He is wounded all over, dripping with blood, plunged in a sea of pain, and is close to breathing His last. See, also, the throng of people of every age, condition, and state — young and old, lords and ladies and common people, Hebrews and Gentiles, scribes and pharisees, elders of the people and high priests — and these people, instead of having pity (which only a few show at the sight of pain), are all burning with an implacable mortal hatred for Him. As we ponder the more noteworthy circumstances of this hatred, consider whether it should have been hard and difficult for Him to love a people so savage and inhuman.

The first circumstance was the triumphant glee of His enemies — Here, my soul, you should not consider Jesus as a mere man, but as both God and Man (as indeed He was), to Whose gaze everyone's heart lay bare, as He saw even their most secret thoughts. As He hung suffering on the Cross, what evil did He not find in the hearts of those cruel people? He perceived some who rejoiced at the sight of Him nailed to the Cross, who were congratulating themselves on the arrival, at last, of the hour they had hoped for — the hour of seeing the One they accused of being a seducer, an impostor, a deceiver, hanging from a Cross. He perceived that others were approving the sentence passed against Him, and were judging that it was quite just (because they thought He was a scoundrel and blasphemer) to be assigned no other execution than one on a cross. He saw that these men took great delight and danced, as it were, with glee at seeing Him suffer, at seeing Him refused the smallest relief for His thirst, at seeing men rather increase His thirst and add to His torments by giving Him gall and vinegar to drink. He perceived others impatiently awaiting His death and wanting His Name blotted out from everyone's memory. All of this Jesus saw, and saw it in the hearts of the very ones for whom He came down from Heaven to earth, leaving an immensely happy condition and submitting to human miseries. Yes, He saw these things in the hearts of those on whose behalf He had worked so many miracles and for whom He was dying. At the sight of all this, what must have been the quality of His love for such people?

The second circumstance was the jeers and insults of His enemies — When someone is in his death agony, having been turned over to an executioner to be put to death, it is an act of compassion to show him sympathy . . . something that is not refused even the most wayward criminal. When a criminal is presented on the gallows, no matter how deserving of death he may be, a great silence is observed by everyone, and even the hardest hearts show him some indications of pity and compassion; and the more painful the execution to which the man is condemned, the more apparent is this sympathy. But Jesus was not counted worthy of this much. The more cruel His pains were and the more savage the execution procedures, so much the more bitter were the jeers, so much the more cutting was the mockery with which He was insulted by His enemies.

"Bah!" some were saying, "If You boasted that You would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, show Your Power now and rescue Yourself from the Cross!" Others argued, "If You made such a boast of being the Son of God and of always trusting in Him, why does He not come now to deliver You?"

The third circumstance was His enemies' stubbornness — It would not have been difficult for Jesus to love His enemies if in the end they had recognized and detested their sin; but the obstinacy of these wicked people was too great. The elements, even though they were lifeless, bore witness to Jesus' innocence. The sky shrouded itself with mourning. The sun grew dark. Boulders cracked in pieces. The veil of the temple ripped into two parts. The earth trembled and quaked. The people were eyewitnesses of these astounding events; but in spite of them, they did not stop abusing Him. Rather, becoming even more furious against the Lord, they kept mocking Him, cursing Him and blaspheming Him. They did not cease tormenting Him until they saw that He was dead. And yet Jesus bore it all with an heroic patience. And even forgetting His Pains and the many abuses they were vomiting forth against Him into His very Face in His agonizing condition, turning to His Eternal Father He pleaded with Him and took up their defense, so that He might obtain pardon for their wicked behavior . . .

Could a love be found that resembles this? It would not have been hard for Jesus to love His enemies if He had foreseen that they would stop hating Him, at least after His death. But He could not even have this consolation. He foresaw that most of them would make a joke of all those miracles which would be worked on His behalf after His Resurrection. He foresaw that they would persecute even to death His Apostles, who were to proclaim His Name. He foresaw that they would continue in their obstinacy until death and that they would blaspheme forever in hell even more than the demons do. It surely must have been a very hard thing for Jesus to love a people so unjust and evil. But in spite of all this, instead of giving Himself over to anger and seeking vengeance for His extremely painful, degrading death, He ceased not from loving even the most sinful ones, nor from wishing that His Divine Blood might give life to those who had shed it so brutally . . .

My soul, enter within yourself here, and see who those persons are whom you find it difficult to love. Are they, by any chance, false witnesses who have falsely accused you in court? Are they cruel characters who have sometimes made you drink the gall and vinegar of pain, hardship, privation and injustice? Are they assassins who are thirsty for your blood and want to nail you, like Jesus, to a cross?

Ah! There may be someone perhaps who gives you an unpleasant look. There may be someone who lets a thoughtless word escape from his mouth. And will you have difficulty loving these persons, after seeing Jesus love even His unmerciful persecutors? Compare well your enemies with those of Jesus.


Affective Acts

(1) Shame — O Jesus! O most lovable Jesus! I marvel at Thy generous charity, and at the sight of it I know how weak mine is. In Thy Heart Thou preserved a love that remained steadfast in the midst of every outrage. With Thy vision Thou dost perceive those who harbor for many years in their hearts a hatred for Thee that is more than diabolical. Thou dost recognize those who curse and blaspheme Thee as if Thou were the greatest criminal in the world. Thou knowest those who make a boast of reducing Thee to this condition in which Thou become unrecognizable, and those who jeer at Thee and mock Thee when Thou art in the throes of the most horrible torment.

With Thy Own eyes Thou seest them; with Thy Own Ears Thou hearest them; and all the hate and raving of their hearts is quite known to Thee. But all this is not enough to cool off Thy Love, nor does Thy Heart yield to a shadow of irritation, nor do Thy lips utter one word of grumbling, nor do Thy hands make any move to take revenge. Instead, Thou lovest them all. Thou dost press them all to Thy bosom. Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood for them all. Not one dost Thou shut out from Thy Heart. This is how strong and generous Thy love is, O my Jesus. And mine? Ah, it is a love that does not deserve to be called love, because any petty injury is enough to cripple it, and sometimes it manages to extinguish it and perhaps to change it into hatred.

(2) Repentance — In this light, I am a man truly lacking love! Oh, what a sad, distressing thought! — That I am a man who is poor and needy as regards love! And yet, who am I? I am a soul chosen from among thousands and thousands to follow Jesus. I am a Christian soul who spends so much time daily meditating on the example of Jesus Christ, Who even loved those who crucified Him. In spite of all this, I am a creature poor and needy with regard to love! This is so, after so many years of my life as a Christian have passed, after so many insights, graces, and interior inspirations, after so many aids and opportunities! Ah! What reason I have to detest my sluggishness!


Second Point

In view of the circumstances in which He loved His enemies, Jesus' love was something astonishing. Up to now the circumstances we have considered have been the hate, the rabidness and the unheard of savagery that His enemies displayed against Jesus. Now, my soul, ponder the circumstances of that love Jesus showed them at the very time of their rage. I do not doubt that a consideration of these two points will supply the weightiest motives for admiring a love so immense.

The first circumstance was the time in which He prayed for those who were crucifying Him — Jesus needed to say a number of things from the Cross: to His Eternal Father, to commend His Spirit to Him; to His beloved Mother, to entrust Her to His Disciple John; to John, to charge him with the care of His afflicted Mother; to bystanders, to ask relief in His extreme thirst. But for whom did He give first attention when He spoke? Ah! His sorrowful Mother would wait, the faithful disciple would hold off; Jesus' personal affairs would be forgotten; and the first words would be directed to His Eternal Father in favor of His enemies, begging pardon for them: "Father, forgive them." (Lk. 23:34). What love! What wonderful love!

The second circumstance was His enemies' malice — This was growing more and more on each occasion, the more ardent Jesus' love appeared to be. One might think that, before setting about to obtain the pardon of His enemies, Jesus would wait until they first recognized the enormous misdeed they had committed and with humility and regret begged for pity and mercy. But His Charity was of another quality, which did not allow Him to wait until they recognized their great fault; but He at once became their Mediator with the Eternal Father to obtain their forgiveness. I love them, Jesus said; and because I love, I intercede. I love and I intercede at the very moment in which I hear their ridicule and blasphemy, and I see their hate and experience all the effects of their rage and fury. I love them and I intercede for them and I offer all My Blood for them . . .

What do you say, my soul, at the sight of a love of this fine quality?

The third circumstance was the reason which Jesus presented in His prayer — It is undeniable that the Jews had committed against Jesus an injustice of the most horrible, abominable kind, choosing for Him the most cruel kind of death. The miracles that He had worked and which they had seen with their own eyes, the blamelessness of His life, known even to the Gentile prefect (Pontius Pilate), the very accusations which they had invented and had produced at the trial — all in an evident way proved their bad will. In spite of this, Jesus prayed for them, and to excuse them He pointed to their ignorance, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Lk. 23:34). It was as if He wanted to say, "Father, I do not say that they have not sinned. I only say that their impiety can be pardoned, that ignorance plays a great part in it. Otherwise they would never have treated Me this way. Therefore I beg Thee, My Father, to forgive them as I forgive them, and that Thou love them as I love them. . ."

Oh, the wonderful love of Jesus for His enemies, which moved Him to love them with such love! My soul, you, too, learn to love the person that has offended you, and, if you please, look at your enemies with those eyes with which Jesus looked at His enemies from the Cross and it will become very easy for you. What did Jesus find in His enemies that could incline His Heart to love them? Ah! He saw in them the weakness of fallen nature that is prone to evil from birth. He saw in them precious souls fashioned to His Own Image and Likeness and called to share His Glory. He saw in them the most profound designs of His Heavenly Father, Who, by the very hands of His enemies, offered Jesus the chalice which He, the Father, had prepared. Finally, He saw that very great number of sins for which He had freely obliged Himself to make due payment to Divine Justice and which that Justice was punishing in Him by means of His enemies. These reasons were the strongest ones that persuaded Him to earnestly plead and intercede with His Eternal Father, to win for them the forgiveness of the great crimes that they had committed.


Affective Acts

(1) Repentance — Ah, my Jesus! Now I understand the true cause of the difficulty I have always experienced in loving people by whom I have been offended. The cause is that I have never looked at them with those eyes with which Thou looked at Thy enemies; and this is also the true cause of my bad state. If only I had always regarded people who offended me as persons by whose hands my Heavenly Father was offering me the chalice He had prepared for me; if only I had always regarded them as persons whom Divine Justice was using to punish my sins — ah! — how many perfect acts of love might I not have made up to now, and how closely my heart would come to resemble Thy loving Heart! But now — what is the state of my heart? What kind of charity do I have? Ah, my beloved Redeemer, let me be silent and hide myself from Thy eyes, because the great shame I feel restrains me from talking to Thee and looking at Thee. But what would be the benefit of being silent and hiding from Thee? It is better that I sincerely confess my folly and humbly beg the forgiveness of Thy Mercy. Ah, my Jesus! I have certainly reflected on the outstanding ways in which Thou hast been an example of love. I have admired this and have praised it. But when have I taken up the task of imitating it?

(2) Resolution and Prayer of Petition — Then, will I always behave as I have, O my Jesus? No, please! For the attitude I now feel is, by Thy Grace, different, and my heart feels changed. What I propose is to love those who have offended me with all my heart, to bear meekly and silently the injuries that are done to me, and I will make it a special endeavor to return good for evil. This is the way Jesus loved. It is the way I, too, should love, and indeed, choose to love. But how will I do it without a light to clear up my mind and a powerful impulse, a help, to give strength to my courage? I turn to Thee, my Beloved, my Crucified, my only Teacher of Love. I call upon Thee by that wonderful meekness with which Thou forgave Thy enemies, by that affectionate prayer Thou made on their behalf, by that Precious Blood which Thou shed for them. Grant me a charity that extends to all men, a charity that gives me strength to patiently suffer and bear everything, a charity that is always moving me to react to the evil done to me, by rendering some good turn that matches it. Amen.


Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.

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Meditation 28. Conclusion of the Fourth Section on the Illuminative Way, and the Step Preparing for the Unitive Way

Preparatory Prayer as on page x

Composition of Place — Imagine you see Jesus on Calvary, nailed to the Cross, and on Mount Tabor transfigured, and you hear the Eternal Father's Voice saying, ". . . This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him." (Mt. 17:5).

Prayer of Petition — O my Jesus, I beg to fulfill all that Thou art teaching me by word and example.


First Point

Truths one must keep before oneself — Now, my soul, we have already reached the most important point on which depends your whole welfare in the spiritual life. This point is that one must tread in the footsteps which Jesus Christ left before us, and keeping Him faithful company, patiently bear the desolation and affliction in one's spirit, pain and hardships in one's body, outrages, injuries, ill-will and persecution from whatever source they come. One who has no willingness to walk this road will never find God, and much less will he come to a pure and perfect love for Him — which is the object of these spiritual exercises and for which we must adjust our whole life. Consider the following truths; then, with attentive reflection and determination, resolve once and for all to enter with generous heart on this road with your Crucified Redeemer and to continue on it as long as it pleases Him.

First Truth — The road of suffering is the noblest road that a soul can take. There were two purposes for which the only-begotten Son of God came down from Heaven. The first was to offer His Heavenly Father a sacrifice whereby He would be paid a supreme honor, and which would both be worthy of His Father's Infinite Greatness and serve as a just satisfaction for the sins of the world. In this way Christ fulfilled the role of Redeemer.

The second purpose was to give man an example of that perfect holiness for which one should strive. What was the road Jesus picked to carry out these two purposes? No other than the road of suffering — a suffering that started from the first instant of His Incarnation within His Mother, and did not end until His death. One rightly says, then, that either this is the noblest road, or that Jesus Christ has not given men an example of the most perfect holiness.

Second Truth — The road of suffering is the most profitable one a soul can walk. One cannot explain in a few words the very precious fruits one gains on the road of suffering. I will mention only two. Whenever God wants to admit a soul to union with Him and make it share the sweetness of His holy love, He requires chiefly two things of it. These are perfect purity of heart and perfect possession of the virtues. Now, for gaining these two things, no other way better suited can be found than that of suffering. As for the purity of heart, it appears impossible to doubt that by this road one may obtain it; for as the soul finds on it nothing to satisfy itself but God alone and His Divine good pleasure, little by little it learns detachment from creatures, it learns to disesteem all creatural satisfaction and consolation, and to turn all the affections of the heart to the Supreme Good in Whom alone it can find all that can content one's desires . . .

By this same road one also arrives at perfect possession of the virtues; for as the soul cannot fulfill all its duty in time of suffering without exerting extraordinary and heroic effort, thereby overcoming all the perverse inclinations opposing the virtues, these virtues become more deeply rooted in the heart and gain new luster and perfection. Thus souls which are led along the road of suffering, more quickly reach an intimate union and familiarity with God.

Third Truth — The road of suffering is the most secure one that a soul can walk. There have been persons favored by God with very sublime lights imparted to their minds and lofty consolations given their spirit, who seemed to touch the summit of holiness, and who led a life more angelic than human; but as they were not well enough proved and established in virtue, especially in humility, they became puffed up over their favors, and fell headlong from the heights where they stood, into the depths of total ruin.

One should fear none of this for a soul that travels the road of suffering. It is always profitable, always safe. For on it the most perfect virtue is practised — humility, submission, meekness, charity, resignation to the Divine good pleasure; and with these a solid foundation is laid upon which can then be built the greatest graces and most sublime holiness.

This is the true imitation of Jesus Christ, and the way He has taught us by His doctrine and example; and it never fails.


Second Point

Practices

After you have reflected well on these truths, my soul, learn the practices you must observe along the road of suffering.

First Practice — Using the power of prayer, impress deeply upon your mind certain maxims and truths which can lift up our hearts in time of suffering . . . These, for example, can be:

(1) I can never suffer enough to pay a fair price for gaining God; for though I suffered all imaginable pains for a thousand years, this would be nothing in comparison with that Good.

(2) I can never suffer as much as I deserve for my sins; and no matter how much I suffer, it will never be a hell of suffering, though that is what my guilt deserves.

It is good to meditate on these truths very often and with enough attention for them to be thoroughly familiar to us and so that we may keep them before us on all occasions that come up.

Second Practice — Suffer in silence little day by day troubles, and in this way gather courage and be prepared to endure other greater things. On these occasions it is well to do the following:

(1) Call to mind one or other of the maxims given here.

(2) Keep perfect silence. Do no grumbling, no matter what the trouble is.

Third Practice — During your greater and lengthier misfortunes, offer yourself to God as a victim. To carry this out, you need to do these things:

(1) Start off in the morning submitting perfectly to God's Will and to all that God provides, and confirm this submission during the day.

(2) Every hour offer to God with the pure intention of pleasing Him and with earnest love, the sufferings you are undergoing.

(3) Never grumble about God's arrangements nor about anyone.

(4) As you practise these acts with humble patience and childlike confidence in God, patiently await the time He has appointed to deliver you.

These practices, O my soul, amount to the eminent virtues in which lie the true imitation of Jesus Christ and which open the way to intimate union with God. If you choose to practise them without delay, offer yourself humbly to your Lord and tell Him earnestly:

Resolution — O Jesus! O my dear Jesus! What a scene is presented to me when I see Thee hanging on the Cross! One Who is by nature Joy and Blessedness, is afflicted unto death! One Who is Innocence and Infinite Holiness is condemned to die! One Who is Infinite Majesty, is placed on a cross in company with two notorious criminals! . . . He Who is Immense Love, is hated! . . . And Thou didst suffer all this for me!

For my sake there is that Blood that flows in torrents from Thy Innocent Body! For my sake are all those aches, torments, and insults which Thou suffered . . . I believe all this, O my Jesus.

And yet — alas! oh, the detestable mischief in my heart! — and yet I still fail to love Thee. Ah, I know quite well the tragic cause of this. It all comes from my great self-love, my unwillingness to do any violence to myself, my unwillingness to suffer. When I love myself this way, no room remains in my heart to love Thee.

O my soul, will you forever persist in this condition? Will you not ever die to your selfishness? Will you not, O my soul, resolve to bear your sufferings for your Crucified Lover? O my God, how tragic and shameful my life would be for me if I did not so resolve!

I have deserved to burn in eternal fire; and am unwilling to suffer a small hardship; I have deserved to live in eternal despair down in hell, and I am unwilling to bear a little desolation of spirit. I have deserved to be forever hated by creatures, and I am unwilling to suffer a little contempt.

I have deserved to dwell forever in company with demons and damned souls, and I am unwilling to put up with frailty in my neighbor, even when perhaps he is blameless. How shameful this is of me! At the same time, what ingratitude this is toward Thee, O my Jesus! But may Thou be blessed!

For now, enlightened by Thy Grace, I know the evil of my ways up to now. I call on Heaven to witness my sorrow for my lukewarm past and the resolution I now take to faithfully follow in Thy Footsteps, O my Jesus! Do Thou strengthen me.


Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.

[Stone]

Meditation 28. Conclusion of the Fourth Section on the Illuminative Way, and the Step Preparing for the Unitive Way

Preparatory Prayer as on page x

Composition of Place — Imagine you see Jesus on Calvary, nailed to the Cross, and on Mount Tabor transfigured, and you hear the Eternal Father's Voice saying, ". . . This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him." (Mt. 17:5).

Prayer of Petition — O my Jesus, I beg to fulfill all that Thou art teaching me by word and example.


First Point

Truths one must keep before oneself — Now, my soul, we have already reached the most important point on which depends your whole welfare in the spiritual life. This point is that one must tread in the footsteps which Jesus Christ left before us, and keeping Him faithful company, patiently bear the desolation and affliction in one's spirit, pain and hardships in one's body, outrages, injuries, ill-will and persecution from whatever source they come. One who has no willingness to walk this road will never find God, and much less will he come to a pure and perfect love for Him — which is the object of these spiritual exercises and for which we must adjust our whole life. Consider the following truths; then, with attentive reflection and determination, resolve once and for all to enter with generous heart on this road with your Crucified Redeemer and to continue on it as long as it pleases Him.

First Truth — The road of suffering is the noblest road that a soul can take. There were two purposes for which the only-begotten Son of God came down from Heaven. The first was to offer His Heavenly Father a sacrifice whereby He would be paid a supreme honor, and which would both be worthy of His Father's Infinite Greatness and serve as a just satisfaction for the sins of the world. In this way Christ fulfilled the role of Redeemer.

The second purpose was to give man an example of that perfect holiness for which one should strive. What was the road Jesus picked to carry out these two purposes? No other than the road of suffering — a suffering that started from the first instant of His Incarnation within His Mother, and did not end until His death. One rightly says, then, that either this is the noblest road, or that Jesus Christ has not given men an example of the most perfect holiness.

Second Truth — The road of suffering is the most profitable one a soul can walk. One cannot explain in a few words the very precious fruits one gains on the road of suffering. I will mention only two. Whenever God wants to admit a soul to union with Him and make it share the sweetness of His holy love, He requires chiefly two things of it. These are perfect purity of heart and perfect possession of the virtues. Now, for gaining these two things, no other way better suited can be found than that of suffering. As for the purity of heart, it appears impossible to doubt that by this road one may obtain it; for as the soul finds on it nothing to satisfy itself but God alone and His Divine good pleasure, little by little it learns detachment from creatures, it learns to disesteem all creatural satisfaction and consolation, and to turn all the affections of the heart to the Supreme Good in Whom alone it can find all that can content one's desires . . .

By this same road one also arrives at perfect possession of the virtues; for as the soul cannot fulfill all its duty in time of suffering without exerting extraordinary and heroic effort, thereby overcoming all the perverse inclinations opposing the virtues, these virtues become more deeply rooted in the heart and gain new luster and perfection. Thus souls which are led along the road of suffering, more quickly reach an intimate union and familiarity with God.

Third Truth — The road of suffering is the most secure one that a soul can walk. There have been persons favored by God with very sublime lights imparted to their minds and lofty consolations given their spirit, who seemed to touch the summit of holiness, and who led a life more angelic than human; but as they were not well enough proved and established in virtue, especially in humility, they became puffed up over their favors, and fell headlong from the heights where they stood, into the depths of total ruin.

One should fear none of this for a soul that travels the road of suffering. It is always profitable, always safe. For on it the most perfect virtue is practised — humility, submission, meekness, charity, resignation to the Divine good pleasure; and with these a solid foundation is laid upon which can then be built the greatest graces and most sublime holiness.

This is the true imitation of Jesus Christ, and the way He has taught us by His doctrine and example; and it never fails.


Second Point

Practices

After you have reflected well on these truths, my soul, learn the practices you must observe along the road of suffering.

First Practice — Using the power of prayer, impress deeply upon your mind certain maxims and truths which can lift up our hearts in time of suffering . . . These, for example, can be:

(1) I can never suffer enough to pay a fair price for gaining God; for though I suffered all imaginable pains for a thousand years, this would be nothing in comparison with that Good.

(2) I can never suffer as much as I deserve for my sins; and no matter how much I suffer, it will never be a hell of suffering, though that is what my guilt deserves.

It is good to meditate on these truths very often and with enough attention for them to be thoroughly familiar to us and so that we may keep them before us on all occasions that come up.

Second Practice — Suffer in silence little day by day troubles, and in this way gather courage and be prepared to endure other greater things. On these occasions it is well to do the following:

(1) Call to mind one or other of the maxims given here.

(2) Keep perfect silence. Do no grumbling, no matter what the trouble is.

Third Practice — During your greater and lengthier misfortunes, offer yourself to God as a victim. To carry this out, you need to do these things:

(1) Start off in the morning submitting perfectly to God's Will and to all that God provides, and confirm this submission during the day.

(2) Every hour offer to God with the pure intention of pleasing Him and with earnest love, the sufferings you are undergoing.

(3) Never grumble about God's arrangements nor about anyone.

(4) As you practise these acts with humble patience and childlike confidence in God, patiently await the time He has appointed to deliver you.

These practices, O my soul, amount to the eminent virtues in which lie the true imitation of Jesus Christ and which open the way to intimate union with God. If you choose to practise them without delay, offer yourself humbly to your Lord and tell Him earnestly:

Resolution — O Jesus! O my dear Jesus! What a scene is presented to me when I see Thee hanging on the Cross! One Who is by nature Joy and Blessedness, is afflicted unto death! One Who is Innocence and Infinite Holiness is condemned to die! One Who is Infinite Majesty, is placed on a cross in company with two notorious criminals! . . . He Who is Immense Love, is hated! . . . And Thou didst suffer all this for me!

For my sake there is that Blood that flows in torrents from Thy Innocent Body! For my sake are all those aches, torments, and insults which Thou suffered . . . I believe all this, O my Jesus.

And yet — alas! oh, the detestable mischief in my heart! — and yet I still fail to love Thee. Ah, I know quite well the tragic cause of this. It all comes from my great self-love, my unwillingness to do any violence to myself, my unwillingness to suffer. When I love myself this way, no room remains in my heart to love Thee.

O my soul, will you forever persist in this condition? Will you not ever die to your selfishness? Will you not, O my soul, resolve to bear your sufferings for your Crucified Lover? O my God, how tragic and shameful my life would be for me if I did not so resolve!

I have deserved to burn in eternal fire; and am unwilling to suffer a small hardship; I have deserved to live in eternal despair down in hell, and I am unwilling to bear a little desolation of spirit. I have deserved to be forever hated by creatures, and I am unwilling to suffer a little contempt.

I have deserved to dwell forever in company with demons and damned souls, and I am unwilling to put up with frailty in my neighbor, even when perhaps he is blameless. How shameful this is of me! At the same time, what ingratitude this is toward Thee, O my Jesus! But may Thou be blessed!

For now, enlightened by Thy Grace, I know the evil of my ways up to now. I call on Heaven to witness my sorrow for my lukewarm past and the resolution I now take to faithfully follow in Thy Footsteps, O my Jesus! Do Thou strengthen me.


Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.

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Section V

Meditation 29. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Commentary — In order to understand the purpose of this, the fifth section (Meditations 29 through 35), it is well to consider the sequence of these exercises. In the beginning we made our meditation on our Last End, which is to love God perfectly in this life and to enjoy Him hereafter in the next; and we resolved to seek this End at any cost.

To achieve this, we must first weep for our sins, uproot our evil inclinations, and keep our hearts free from stain. This is something one is to accomplish in the meditations of the first and second sections (Meditations 1 through 15).

Then we must imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ and adorn our souls with the virtues which He taught us by His Doctrine and example. This we do with the meditations of the third section (Meditations 16 through 20).

However, as we cannot put this into practice without great difficulty and without dying to self, we set forth in the fourth section (Meditations 21 through 28) the consideration of Our Divine Savior's Passion and Death in order to make the task easier.

After the soul has done all this and reached the stage of completely dying to self, it will then enter into perfect love for God, in which our last end here on earth consists. This perfect love for God will be the matter for the meditations that will be made in this fifth section.

The meditation on Our Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection will make up the introduction to this, so that, with a reflection on this tremendous benefit, we will make light of earthly things, will have a love for suffering, will strengthen the resolves we have made, and enable ourselves to enter into perfect friendship and communion with God.


Preparatory Prayer as on page x

Composition of Place — Picture to yourself the risen Christ — beautiful, glorious, triumphant — and consider that you hear Saint Paul's voice saying, "We suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him." (Rom. 8:17).

Prayer of Petition — Grant me, O Lord, the joy and gladness of keeping Thee company, and the strength to imitate Thee in the patience with which Thou suffered Thy pains and hardships, so that I will share in Thy Glory.


First Point

As great and horrifying was the bitterness of Christ's Passion, likewise great was the gladness and glory of the victory of His Resurrection. Four principal things that Jesus experienced in His Passion were bitter. They are: terrible bodily pain; extreme affliction in His Soul; unheard of abuse to His Honor; the unbelievable ill will of His enemies. Now we will consider, my soul, the blessings into which these bitter elements turned.

(1) Jesus arose with wonderful bodily beauty. In order to form an idea of this beauty, my soul, consider first that if the glorified body of any one of the saints were to replace the sun in the sky, it would give such light that all the world would be illuminated with a brightness greater beyond comparison than that of the present sun, bright as it is.

Second, consider that if God gathered into one body the combined beauty of all the saints, this beauty would fade away to a pin point beside the beauty of the single Body of Jesus Christ. Yet this is that Body which, three days previously, was the target of cruelty and barbarity, and appeared as the body of a leper, made into one wound.

(2) The Risen Jesus had immense joy in His Soul. To understand this joy, reflect, my soul, that just as the bitter pain which Jesus' Soul experienced in the garden of Gethsemane was such that, were it distributed among all human hearts, it would be enough to cause their death, likewise the joy which He experienced in His Resurrection was such that, if it were parcelled out to everyone in the world, it would be enough to take their lives away, so powerfully delightful would be the sweetness with which these hearts would be flooded. Such was the joy that penetrated the Soul of Christ.

(3) Jesus Christ arose infinitely exalted in dignity. Ah! What a difference now, my soul! Jesus is the Glory of the angels who came down from Heaven to take delight in the Glory of His Resurrection. He is the joy of the ancient Fathers, who all kneel to honor and praise Him as their Redeemer. He is Judge of the living and the dead; and so the saints and the damned alike will reverently adore Him on that day of General Judgment.

He is the crown of those who will reach Heaven. Everyone among them will ceaselessly bless Him for all eternity. Yes, this is the glorious sight that Jesus presents for those who see Him on that day — that Jesus who three days previously was treated like a fool by Herod, ridiculed as a mock king by soldiers, nailed to a cross like a criminal by the Hebrews.

(4) As He rose again, Jesus achieved the happy status of Someone universally loved. I am not speaking of that love with which all the blessed angels burned for Jesus on that day; nor do I speak of the love of the Fathers in limbo, who had access to His most Sacred Heart and took their delight in it. I speak only of the love with which everyone in Heaven was penetrated.

There, for all eternity, there will not be a single moment in which they fail to consider Jesus, nor an instant in which they fail to praise and bless Him; nor will they ever cease to tenderly love Him.


Affective Acts

(1) The joy of the glory of Jesus — Now Thy Suffering has ended, O my Jesus! At last, the day of Thy Glory has dawned and Thy Most Holy Body, now the jewel of all paradise, shines forth more than all heavenly bodies. Thy Soul has been plunged into joy, Thy Most Sacred Heart is a sea of delight. We see Thy Name adored by Heaven and earth. Thou art the joy of all the saints, are fondly desired by all of us pilgrims on earth and by those beholding the glory of Heaven.

I rejoice at Thy Glory and Blessedness and take my delight in it more than if it were my own. I am glad for Thee with all my heart. Let gladness and joy crown Thee forever. It is Thy due to be rewarded with such great glory, Thou Who, with great longsuffering, chose to die for the glory of Thy Eternal Father.

(2) Desire for a similar blessedness — Oh, what happiness would be mine if I should have the fortune some day to also rise again gloriously! Who could ever express my joy at seeing the beauty of Jesus' Face with my own eyes, of hearing His kind voice, of loving Him and being loved by Him, of embracing Him and being embraced, of being forever in His company, and of never being separated from it for all eternity! Oh, what good fortune! It is Thou that shall be the object of all my desires and the goal of all the affections of my heart!


Second Point

Holy considerations and resolutions that should be drawn from this meditation — After having reflected well on Jesus Christ's Resurrection, turn your gaze, O my soul, on yourself and apply yourself to making these considerations:

First Consideration — Just as it is certain that Jesus Christ rose glorious from the grave, it is also certain that one day you will rise glorious if you imitate His example. After Jesus suffered so much in the flesh, it is your place, says the Apostle, to arm yourself with like sentiments, realizing that He Who raised up Jesus Christ will also raise you up with Jesus Christ.

Oh how full of consolation is this doctrine! How well able it is to banish all sadness from the heart! The eyes with which you see on earth, you will open one day to paradise! With those hands of yours you will one day embrace Jesus! With those ears of yours you will one day hear the melodies of the angels! With that mouth you now have you will one day taste the heavenly sweetness! With those feet of yours you will one day walk above the stars!

Second Consideration — As it is certain that by His Cross and Passion Jesus obtained the glory of His Resurrection, it is likewise certain that there is no better way to reach the same glory than by the Cross and by tribulation. This is what the Apostle teaches us also. These are his words: "If we be dead with Him . . . if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him . . ." (2 Tim. 2:11-12).

O my God, what then will I think of my past afflictions and reverses? "O blessed sorrows!" I will say; "O blessed afflictions! which have earned for me such great glory!"

Third Consideration — The more we resemble Jesus in His Sufferings, the more we will be like Him in the glory of His Resurrection. Listen again to the Apostle to the Gentiles when he says, "If we be dead with Him . . . if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him."

Note carefully, my soul, these two words, if . . . also; for they mean that the more one suffers with Jesus on earth, the more he will rejoice with Him in Heaven in the Resurrection; the heavier are the hardships borne in company with Jesus on earth, the more splendid will be the glory one reaches in the Resurrection. (cf. Rom. 8:17).

In view of this truth, in what way, my soul, do our troubles, our humiliations under contempt, our desolations and pains, appear to us? Are they not some of the most loving designs of God, the most effective means for reaching holiness, the most beautiful inheritance of Jesus Christ, the surest pledge of our resurrection and of our eternal and immortal glory?

Yes, it is truly so; for Jesus Christ has taught this to us. And you will afflict yourself and call yourself unfortunate if these things come upon you? Oh, how blind you would be! You should rather raise your hands to Heaven and bless the Divine Mercy if God is so generous with you. If men rose up against you and heaped insult and injury upon you and mistreated you in other more outrageous ways, then know, O my soul, that these are just the means whereby God would fulfill in you His loving designs.

They would be putting in your hands the most beautiful means for your sanctification. They would be the means that would make you like your crucified Lord, would increase your glory in Heaven, and would fashion for you the crown that you would wear forever on your head.

Yes, without the slightest doubt that is what they would be. Jesus Christ teaches us so. And — I have regarded them as loathsome? Alas! O evil self-love! How many beautiful and excellent truths you have hidden from me until now! How far you have pushed me aside and have taken me off the road of holiness, the road that follows Jesus Christ!


Affective Acts

(1) Faith — It is true, Jesus is alive. He has risen from the dead. He has entered into His Glory, and now, in His Body and His Soul He is enjoying a sea of delight. Indeed there can be no doubt, and I believe it, O my Jesus. I believe it because Thou hast told it, Who are the Truth by Thy very nature. Furthermore, I will also live forever if I follow Jesus. I will be victorious over death and will enter into the heavenly Jerusalem, and these eyes of mine will see Jesus my Redeemer.

Yes, I am sure of it and I believe it, O my Jesus; for Thou, Who art the eternal Truth, hast revealed it. Furthermore, I will then receive the reward for all the pains I will have suffered. For a momentary grief I will have eternal blessings. For having borne insult, I will receive an eternal glory. For a brief bit of sorrow, I will gain eternal joy. Indeed there is no doubt, and I believe this because Thou, the Infallible Truth, have declared it. O Holy Faith, what stupendous truths you show me and what consolation you give to my heart!

(2) Repentance — O brilliant light of Faith, how I must reproach myself in what I see! If it is true that God grants a special reward for every mortification, hardship, and pain that we suffer, how many of these rewards have I not forfeited by my impatience and self-love? If it is true that all the humiliations, injuries and insults which we have patiently borne for love of Him, God will reward in the Resurrection with a crown of special glory, how many crowns have I not forfeited by my pride and vanity?

If it is true that for every act of resignation during trials and interior desolations, God will grant a special blessedness, of how many such blessings have I not deprived myself by my faintheartedness and laziness? Yes, I have forfeited all these benefits! And why? Oh! How this loss should fill me with bitterness! What abundant, bitter tears I ought to shed! But console yourself, O my soul, because, knowing how Jesus entered into His Glory, you too can enter with Him by following, and you can repair this loss. Kneeling at Thy feet, O my Jesus, I resolve to do this.


Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.

[Stone]

Meditation 30. On the Love of God

Preparatory Prayer as on page x

Composition of Place — Imagine that you are in God's Presence and that all angels and saints are interceding for you.

Prayer of Petition — My God and Lord, grant me a clear knowledge of the Divine benefits, so that, knowing them and being grateful for them, I may love and serve Thy Divine Majesty in all things.


First Point

God deserves to be loved for the infinite goodness and affection with which He has loved and favored us until now. In order to understand the depths of this goodness and affection, consider their circumstances. Collect your thoughts, my soul, and pay attention as much as you can in order to consider well three things:

(1) God's kindness and affection toward you is eternal — Just as God never had a beginning, but always existed, likewise His kindness and love for you, my soul, had no beginning and is as ancient as God Himself; that is, it is eternal. In Holy Scripture God tells us: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore have I drawn thee." Jer. 31:3.

Bring to your mind another age of two thousand years ago and tell me, What were you then? You were simply nothing. And what was God doing then? Ah, He was loving you, and with the very love that moved Him then to shed all His Blood for you.

Go back with your mind to a time just before the creation of the world and again tell me, my soul: What was there then? There was absolutely nothing, neither Heaven nor earth nor angels nor men — nothing. And God at that time, what was He doing? He was engaged in loving you. He loved you so much that for love of you He created Heaven and earth — earth, to serve as your dwelling place in this short life; Heaven, so that you might rule in a kingdom there for all eternity in the next life.

Go back further with your thoughts, my soul, and plunge into that beginningless period as far back as you can, and tell me: What was there then? There was nothing but God alone, infinitely glorious and infinitely happy in Himself and all by Himself (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost). And what was He doing during all that immense eternity?

He was — if you do not know — He was occupied in loving you, and there was never a moment in which He was not thinking about you, and in which He was not settled in His choice to die for your sake and in His wish to have you share all His goods, all His riches, all His happiness for ever and ever. Is this not a wonderful, amazing instance of kindness and love?

(2) God's kindness and affection for you is generous — In order to convince you of this truth it is not necessary to list one by one the favors God has granted you. Just the mystery of the Incarnation, which you might bring to mind, would be enough to make this well understood.

Suppose that an official in the service of a prince has by trickery robbed him and taken a large sum of gold which had been entrusted to him. Suppose that the man has been convicted for this and has been condemned to prison, to continue his life in tears and grief until he has paid back all of the theft.

Imagine that a rich, highly respected man, in order to put this unfortunate one at liberty, sells all of his own property and makes full payment to the prince, and then, finding himself extremely poor, he is forced into the unpleasant lot of going to work in a shop in order to earn by the sweat of his brow what is necessary so that he will not die of hunger.

Would this not be a wonderful, amazing example of love? Now do you know, my soul, to whom this illustration refers? Who was the unfortunate prisoner? Who was his merciful rescuer? Think about it, my soul, and consider it attentively . . . Mankind is the prisoner, and the Word, the Son of God, is the rescuer.

(3) God's kindness toward you is patient and constant — Turn your gaze, my soul, into the prison of hell and see a sight that you have never seen! What do you see? You see a numberless throng of condemned souls who burn in the flames of a devouring fire. Then, behold, Jesus comes down from Heaven, and out of the many souls that are suffering He picks just one, and drawing it out of hell He joins it again to its body and gives it a period of time for repentance.

What do you say, my soul, at seeing this? Do you not admit that Jesus' love for that soul is incomprehensible? Perhaps you will remark, "That soul deserved hell just as much as the others. It deserved it even more than a thousand others who were less sinful." Yet all the others remained imprisoned down in hell for all eternity.

Only this one was drawn out; or, what is even greater, just this one has been kept from falling into hell. To this soul alone is the favor done; to this one alone is a period given for repentance. Oh, how great, how special, must be the affection with which Jesus loves this soul!

Now will you, perhaps, have a fear of deceiving yourself, my soul, if you recognize yourself in that chosen soul? And what fear should there be? Is it not certain that thousands of souls who have sinned less than you, are in hell, who have not made bad use of as many aids as you have, who have not treated lightly as many graces as you have treated lightly and have disregarded, who have not grown as hard in lukewarm dispositions as you have, and who have yet been condemned for all eternity, whereas you are still alive, plentifully supplied with all kinds of grace and with Divine favors?

You have been indeed favored, but not with the favoritism some might presume; for Christ admonishes us: "And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more." (Lk. 12:48)¹ Should not one say of you what the Jews said when they watched Jesus weep over Lazarus — "See, see how much He loved him?"


Affective Acts

(1) Confession and admiration for the love of God — Everything belonging to Thee, my God — Thy very Being as well as Thy deeds — all deserves our admiring praise. But yet nothing seems to me as much to deserve it as the special love Thou hast for me. Ah, and what is this love? Thou art an Infinite Being Who has had no beginning and will have no end. The history of Thy Life covers no less than an entire eternity into the past; and during that immense time there was never a moment in which I was not the object of Thy love.

Thou loved me with an eternal love. Thou loved me with a love more energetic, more powerful, than can be described. For where has Thy love for me not led Thee? Thou camest down from Heaven to earth and were born a poor Babe in a stable for beasts. Thou didst live a life of hard labor and earned Thy bread by the sweat of Thy brow, and Thou finally finished Thy days fastened to a cross like a criminal. What was it that moved Thee to do all this for me, if it was not love?

Thou hast loved me with a most patient love; and even though I had committed a countless number of sins and had made bad use of limitless means of salvation that Thou had prepared for me, and had treated lightly Thy numberless mercies — yet all these outrages of mine had not the power to extinguish Thy love nor even chill it.

And Thou lovest me even now, and lovest me with the fondness with which Thou hast loved me through all eternity. Oh how wonderful God is! O God of immense love and mercy! How truly dost Thou deserve my love — and deserve that I love Thee with all my powers! And if I could choose to love Thee with an infinite love, Thou would certainly deserve that I do so!

(2) Repentance and love — How ungrateful I have been toward God when I should have loved Him with all my heart! I recognize it. I admit it. O my loyal Lover and my God, my ingratitude is very great and I supremely detest it. I have loved those who have shown me a so-called generosity. I have not loved God, to Whom I am in debt for all that I am and all that I possess.

I have loved those who have done nothing for me, and I have not loved God, Who has gone so far as to die on the Cross for me. Yes, I recognize my ingratitude. I detest it and repent of it. I now have other sentiments and other desires.

Thou hast conquered, O Divine Lover, Thou hast conquered! My heart will no longer be mine. I give it irrevocably to Thee for always and for eternity. I will love Thee from this moment on. I will love Thee alone. And as I have been neglectful in loving Thee in the past, I will love Thee with all the more zeal and devotion in the future.


Second Point

God deserves to be loved because of what He stands ready to do for you in the future out of infinite goodness and love. What is it that God is ready to do for you, my soul? Ah! He would give Himself entirely to you. If you do not understand the greatness of this gift, of this marvel of love, then put to use all your intellectual powers and put what effort you can to the task of looking into the depths of a mystery which is the most comforting of the mysteries of our holy religion.

(1) To possess God is to gain the fulfillment of all our desires — At the moment when the soul separates from the body (at death), a supernatural light, a sudden clear perception, makes the soul recognize that God is the Supreme and Only Good and is its supreme and only real source of happiness and well-being.

Following immediately upon this light, there is such a strong desire to enjoy this Only and Supreme Good, this Only and Supreme Happiness, that being without It causes the greatest pain that damned souls suffer in hell . . .

In fact, to satisfy this powerful desire, God joins the worthy soul closely to Himself, and as He makes it enjoy all the vastness of His Divinity, He causes it to feel in an instant a boundless satisfaction and to remain plunged deep in an ocean of delight.

(2) To possess God is to contemplate God and love Him — There will not be a moment in all eternity in which this soul does not see God and does not discover as it sees Him, the infinite treasures of His Almighty Power, of His Goodness, His Beauty, and His other perfections which charm it with a boundless delight. Throughout all eternity there will not be an instant in which it does not feel continually on fire with new flames of love which raise it to Divine heights of infinite joy.

(3) To possess God is to possess an infinite happiness — The happiness with which you will be blessed in Heaven, my soul, will be the very happiness with which God Himself is blessed. Understand this fact well. You will enjoy the very pleasures, the very sweetness, the very contentment that God enjoys. But to what extent will this be so?

Listen, my soul, to something amazing, which is yet an undeniable truth. Just a faint ray from that eternal happiness would be enough to fully delight all the condemned souls with a joy greater beyond comparison, than all the painful punishments which they now suffer. Just a tiny sample of that boundless bliss would be enough to fill all those who are chosen for salvation, with gladness to an overflowing degree.

Just a little drop from that measureless ocean of joys would be capable of giving an eternal blessedness to all creatures together, even if a greater number were newly created than there are grains of sand on all seashores. In short, these joys are of such a nature and so great that they are enough to satisfy God Himself, Who is capable of experiencing infinite happiness.

(4) To possess God is to be loved by God with an infinite loving kindness — God never looks upon the good soul except as His tenderly beloved child, whom He wants to enrich with all the treasures of His goodness, like a bride in whom He finds all His delight and satisfaction.

There is no tenderness, no loving kindness on earth that can be compared with the tenderness of God's loving kindness. For, as God is an Infinite Power which infinitely surpasses all human powers, it is equally true that He is an Infinite Love which goes infinitely beyond all degrees of human tenderness and kindness. Yes, it is He alone Who can receive a soul into His Heart and give it a drink from the stream of those sweet delights which no creature can give and which the human mind hopes in vain to comprehend.

(5) To possess God means to live as long as God lives and to be happy as long as God is happy — God's Happiness is a happiness that has no end and undergoes no interruption nor does it ever grow less. O my soul, your happiness will possess these same properties.

(1) Your happiness will be without end. As many years will pass as there are grains of sand on all seashores, atoms in the air, drops in all waters of springs, rivers, and oceans. But in all that long time not even half, not even the smallest fraction of this happiness will have passed away, for it will be eternal and without end.

(2) It will be a happiness without interruption; for in each moment you will always find in God new perfections. As God is Infinite Beauty, there will remain in Him an endless expanse to see which you will not yet have seen. As He is Infinite Goodness, always some other benefit will remain which you are yet to gain, and in each instant you will feel yourself burning with new flames of love for Him. As He is Infinite Delightfulness, always some other endless expanse will remain which you will not yet have enjoyed, and every moment you will meet new streams of joy and pleasure.

(3) It will be a bliss that never grows less. You will truly have very ardent desires to taste more of God, and it will be apparent to you that you are not overfed with Him; but you will always have the satisfaction of tasting Him fully and will always enjoy Him with total possession.


Affective Acts

(1) Love — O my Supreme and Only Good, how blind I have been until now! I have not known Thee nor Thy love. Now I know Thee and I know Thy love. What can I do but try to duly respond to a love so wonderful and immense, and return another love which is small indeed, but more sincere than up to now? My God, look at me kneeling to pay Divine Honor to Thee, to offer the sacrifice of my whole heart. It is a sacrifice I owe to Thy boundless Goodness and Love. I love Thee, and I love Thee with all my affections, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength.

I hate and detest all those affections and inclinations which are not directed to Thee . . . I love Thee alone, my Sovereign Good. Only Thee do I want to love as long as I live; and I will prefer Thy Honor, Thy Will, Thy Good Pleasure, to all creatures, even those that I hold as dearest in the world.

(2) Desire to love God perfectly — But no matter how much I love Thee, no matter how much I do as I have resolved to do, what is such a love of mine in comparison with the love with which Thou hast loved me? It is really nothing. Ah! I wish I could squeeze into my heart all the love which all the saints have for Thee. I would wish, yes, I would wish singly to make the acts of love of all Angelic Spirits, so as to love Thee with their acts of love, O my Sovereign Good and Loyal Lover.

But of what use will these desires of mine be unless Thou, Who art the Supreme Good and thus deserve infinite love, enkindle in my heart a truly perfect flame of love? O God of Love, have pity on me and make me experience Thy Almighty Power today in my favor; for I crave nothing else and desire no more than to love Thee with all my being.


Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.


Footnote

¹ Translator's Note — This very traditional doctrine of inequality of God's mercy and bounty is explained and defended on Scriptural and Patristic authority by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (Sermoni Compendiati, serm. XV, which is translated on page 123 and following of Sermons of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, published by Tan Books, Rockford, Ill., 1982).