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I. - THE LOVE AND GOODNESS OF GOD TOWARDS US
As long as God has been God He has loved us. As long as He has loved Himself He has loved us. Let us, therefore, love God, because God hath first loved us (1 Jo. iv. 10).
I.
Consider that God deserves your love, because He loved you before you loved Him, and because He has been the first of all to love you. I have loved thee with an everlasting love (Jer. xxxi. 3). Your parents have been the first to love you on this earth; but they have loved you only since they have known you. Before your father or your mother came into this world, God loved you: even before the world was created, He loved you. And how long before the creation of the world did God love you? Perhaps a thousand years, or a thousand ages? It is useless to count years or ages; God has loved you from eternity. I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee (Jer. xxxi. 3). In a word, as long as He has been God, He has loved you; as long as He has loved Himself, He has loved you. Hence the holy virgin, St. Agnes, had reason to say: "I am prevented by another Lover." When the world and creatures sought her love, she answered: No, I cannot love you. My God has been the first to love me; it is but just, then, that I should consecrate all my love to Him alone.
Thus God has loved you from eternity, and through pure love has taken you from among so many men whom He could create; He has given you existence, and has placed you in the world. For the love of you God has created so many other beautiful creatures, that they might serve you, and remind you of the love He has borne to you, and of the love you owe to Him. "Heaven and earth," says St. Augustine, "tell me to love Thee." When the Saint looked at the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the rivers, they appeared to him to speak, and say: "Augustine, love your God; for He has created us for you, that you might love Him." The Abbot de Rance, Founder of La Trappe, when he saw a hill, a fountain, or a flower, would say that all these creatures upbraided him with ingratitude to God. In holding a flower or fruit in her hand, St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi felt her heart wounded as it were by a dart of Divine love, and would say within herself: "Then, my God has from eternity thought of creating this flower or fruit, that I might love Him."
O sovereign Lord of Heaven and earth, infinite Good, infinite Majesty, Who hast loved men so tenderly, how does it happen that Thou art so much despised by them? But among these men, Thou, O my God, hast loved me in a particular manner, and hast bestowed on me special graces which Thou hast not given to so many others. And I have despised Thee more than others. I prostrate myself at Thy feet; O Jesus, my Saviour, Cast me not away from thy face! (Ps.1. 13). I should deserve to be cast off on account of my ingratitude to Thee. But Thou hast said that Thou wilt not reject a penitent soul that returns to Thee. Him that cometh to me, I will not cast out (Jo. vi. 37).
II.
Consider, moreover, the special love God has shown to you in allowing you to be born in a Christian country, and in the bosom of the true Church. How many are born among idolaters, Jews, Mohammedans, or heretics, and are all lost! The number of those who have the happiness of being born in a country where the true Faith prevails, is small, compared with the rest of mankind; and He has chosen you to be one of that small number. Oh, what an infinite gift is the gift of Faith! How many millions are deprived of the Sacraments, of sermons, of the examples of good companions, and of all the other helps to salvation which are found in the true Church! And God is resolved to give all these great helps to you without any merit on your part, and even with a foreknowledge of your demerits; for when He thought of creating you, and bestowing these graces upon you, He foresaw the insults you would offer to Him.
My Jesus, I am sorry for having offended Thee. Hitherto I have not known Thee. I now acknowledge Thee for my Lord and Redeemer, Who hast died to save me and to be loved by me. When, O my Jesus, shall I cease to be ungrateful to Thee? When shall I begin truly to love Thee with a true love? Behold, I this day resolve to love Thee with my whole heart, and to love nothing but Thee. O infinite Goodness, I adore Thee for all those who do not adore Thee, and I love Thee for all who do not love Thee. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, and offer my whole being to Thee. Assist me by Thy grace; Thou knowest my weakness. But if Thou didst bestow so many graces upon me when I neither loved nor desired to love Thee, how much greater graces should I hope for from Thy mercy now that I love Thee and desire only to love Thee! My Lord, give me Thy love, but a fervent love which will make me forget all creatures: a strong love, which will make me conquer all difficulties in order to please Thee; a constant love, which will never be dissolved between me and Thee. I hope for all graces through Thy merits, O my Jesus. And I hope for them through thy intercession, O my Mother, Mary.
Spiritual Reading
THE PRACTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES
V. - PATIENCE
St. James says that Patience is the perfect work of a soul: Patience hath a perfect work (James i. 4). It is by Patience that we are to obtain Heaven. This world is the place for meriting, and hence not a place of repose, but of labour and suffering. For this end God has given us life, that by patience we may obtain the glory of Heaven. In this world all must have their sufferings: he who suffers with patience suffers less, and is saved; he who suffers with impatience, suffers more and is lost. Our Lord does not send us crosses that we may be lost, as certain impatient souls would tell us, but that we may be saved and merit greater glory in Heaven. Sorrows, adversities, and all other tribulations received with patience, become the most beautiful jewels in our heavenly crown. When, therefore, we are in affliction, let us take comfort and thank God for them, for it is a sign that God desires to save us. He chastises us in this life, in which chastisements are light and short, that He may spare us in the next, in which chastisements are grievous and eternal. Unhappy the sinner who is prosperous in this life! It is a sign that God reserves for him an eternal chastisement.
St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi says: "Pain, however great, becomes sweet when we look upon Jesus Christ on the Cross." St. Joseph Calasantius adds: "He gains not Jesus Christ who suffers not for Jesus Christ." He, then, who loves Jesus Christ, supports with patience all external crosses, infirmities, pains, poverty, dishonour, loss of parents and friends; and all interior crosses, anguish, weariness, temptations, and desolation of spirit; and suffers all in peace. On the contrary, what does he gain, who, in tribulations, becomes impatient and angry? He does but increase his sufferings, and lays up for himself greater sufferings for another life. St. Teresa writes: "The cross is felt by those who drag it by compulsion: but not by those who embrace it with a good will." Hence, St. Philip Neri says: "In this world there is no purgatory, but a heaven or a hell: heaven for those who patiently support tribulations, and hell for those who do not." To proceed to the practice.
First -- Patience must be practised in sickness. The time of illness tests the spirit of a man whether it be gold or lead. Some are all devotion and happiness when in good health; but when visited by some illness they lose patience, complain of everything, and give themselves up to melancholy, and commit a thousand other faults. The gold turns out to be lead! St. Joseph Calasantius said: "If the sick were patient, we should hear no more complaints." Some complain and say: "But as long as I am in this state, I cannot go to church, nor to Communion, nor to Mass; in short, I can do nothing." You say you can do nothing. You do everything when you do the will of God. Tell me, why do you want to do those things you mention? Is it to give pleasure to God? This is the pleasure of God, that you should embrace with patience all you have to endure, and should leave alone everything else that you wish to do. "God is served," writes St. Francis de Sales, "more by suffering for Him than by working for Him."
If in our sickness there be danger of death, then especially must we accept it with all patience, being willing to die should the end of our life be really at hand. Neither let us speak thus: "But I am not now prepared; I should like to live a little longer to do penance for my sins." And how do you know that if you were to live longer, you would do penance and not fall into greater sins? How many there are who, after recovering from some mortal illness, became worse than they were before, and were lost; while, perhaps, if they had died then, they would have been saved! If it is the will of God that you should leave this world, unite yourself to His holy will, and thank Him for giving you the help of the holy Sacraments, and accept death with tranquillity, abandoning yourself into the arms of His mercy. This compliance with the Divine will, by accepting death, will be sufficient to insure your eternal salvation.
In the second place, we must accept also with patience the death of relations and friends. Some on the death of a relation are so inconsolable, that they leave off saying their prayers, frequenting the Sacraments, and all their devotions. Such a one goes so far as even to be angry with God and to say: "Lord, why hast Thou done it!" What rashness this is! Tell me, what does all your grief profit you? Do you perhaps think to give pleasure to the dead friend? No. You displease both him and God. He desires that through his death you become more united to God, and pray for him if he be in Purgatory.
Evening Meditation
PRAYER
II. - ITS NECESSITY
I.
Let us reflect on the necessity of prayer. St. Chrysostom says that as the body without the soul is dead, so the soul without prayer is dead. He also teaches that as water is necessary for plants, so is prayer necessary to save us from perdition. God wills that all men should be saved (1 Tim. ii. 4) -- and wills not that any one be lost. The Lord... dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any one should perish, but that all should return to penance (2 Pet. iii. 9). But He also wishes that we ask Him for the graces necessary for salvation. For on the one hand, it is impossible for us to observe the Divine commands and save our souls without the actual assistance of God; and on the other, God will not, ordinarily speaking, give us His graces unless we ask them from Him. Hence the Holy Council of Trent has declared that God has not commanded impossibilities; because He either gives us the proximate and actual grace to fulfil His precepts, or He gives us the grace to ask Him for this actual assistance. St. Augustine teaches that God gives without prayer the first graces, such as vocation to the Faith and to repentance; but all other graces, and particularly the gift of perseverance, He gives only to those who ask them. Hence theologians teach, that for adults prayer is necessary as a means of salvation; so that, without prayers, it is impossible to be saved.
Ah, my Redeemer, how have I been able hitherto to live in such forgetfulness of Thee! Thou wert prepared to grant me all the graces I should ask of Thee; Thou didst only wait for me to ask them. But I have thought only of indulging my passions, and have been indifferent to the privation and loss of Thy love and Thy graces. Lord, forget my ingratitude, and have mercy on me. Pardon me all the displeasure I have given Thee, and grant me perseverance.
II.
The Scriptures are clear. For we read: We ought always to pray (Luke xviii. 1). Pray, lest ye enter into temptation (Luke xxii. 40). Ask and you shall receive (Jo. xvi. 24). Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. v. 17). The words we ought, pray, ask, according to St. Thomas and theologians generally, imply a strict precept which binds under grievous sin, particularly in three cases. First, when a person is in a state of sin; secondly, when he is in danger of death; and thirdly, when he is in great danger of falling into sin. Theologians teach that, ordinarily, he who neglects prayer for a month, or at most for two months, is guilty of a mortal sin. The reason is, because prayer is a means without which we cannot obtain the helps necessary for salvation.
Ask and you shall receive. He who asks receives: then, says St. Teresa, he who does not ask does not receive. And before, St. James said the same. You have not, because you ask not (James iv. 2). Prayer is particularly necessary to obtain the virtue of continence. And, said the Wise Man, as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent except God gave it... I went to the Lord and besought him (Wis. viii. 21). Let us conclude that he who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray is certainly lost. All the elect are saved by prayer; all the damned are lost by neglect of prayer. And their greatest despair is, and shall be for ever, caused by the conviction, that they had it in their power to save their souls so easily by prayer, and that now the time of salvation is no more.
O God of my soul, give me the grace always to ask Thy aid not to offend Thee. Do not permit me to be, as I have hitherto been, negligent in the performance of this duty. Grant me light and strength always to recommend myself to Thee, and particularly when my enemies tempt me to offend Thee again. Grant, O my God, this grace through the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the love which Thou bearest to Him. O Lord, I have offended Thee enough. I wish to love Thee during the remainder of my life. Give me Thy love; and may this love remind me to ask Thy aid whenever I am in danger of losing Thee by sin. Mary, my hope after Jesus, through thy intercession I hope for the grace to recommend myself in all my temptations to thee and to thy Son. Hear me, O my Queen, through the love which thou bearest to Jesus Christ.
"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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II. -- GOD HAS GIVEN HIMSELF TO US.
Accursed sin robbed us of Divine grace and made us the slaves of hell, but, to the astonishment of Heaven and of all nature, the Son of God came on earth as Man in order to redeem us from eternal death and purchase for us grace and eternal glory which we had lost. He emptied himself taking the form of a servant ... and in habit found as a man (Phil. ii. 7).
I.
God has given us many beautiful creatures, indeed, but He was not content until He even gave us Himself. Christ hath loved us and hath delivered himself for us (Eph. v. 2). Accursed sin had robbed us of Divine grace, and made us the slaves of hell; but, to the astonishment of Heaven and of all nature, the Son of God came on earth as Man in order to redeem us from eternal death, and purchase for us grace and the eternal glory which we had lost. How great would be our wonder if we saw a monarch become a worm for the love of worms! But our astonishment should be infinitely greater at the sight of God made Man for the love of men. He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant ... and in habit found as man (Phil. ii. 7). God clothed in flesh! And the word was made flesh (Jo. i. 14). But the astonishment increases when we see all that the Son of God has done and suffered for the love of us. To redeem us it would have been sufficient for Him to shed a single drop of His Blood, or a single tear, or to offer a single prayer; for a prayer offered by a Divine Person would be of infinite value, and therefore sufficient for the salvation of the whole world, and of an infinite number of worlds. But, says St. Chrysostom, what was sufficient for redemption was not sufficient for the immense love that God bore to us. He not only wished to save us, but, because He loved us ardently, He wished to be loved ardently by us; and therefore He resolved to lead a life full of sorrows and humiliations, and to suffer a death the most painful of all deaths, in order to make us understand the infinite love which He entertained for us. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross (Phil. ii. 8). O excess of Divine love, which all men and Angels will never be able to comprehend! I say excess; for Moses and Elias, speaking of the Passion of Jesus Christ, called it an excess. (Luke ix. 31). St. Bonaventure called the Passion of Christ an "excess of sorrow and of love."
O my Jesus, I see that Thou couldst have done nothing more in order to compel me to love Thee; and I also see that by my ingratitude I have laboured to force Thee to abandon me. Blessed forever be Thy patience which has borne with me so long. I deserve a hell made on purpose for myself; but Thy death gives me confidence. Ah! make me understand well the claims which Thou, O infinite Good, hast to my love, and the obligations by which I am bound to love Thee. I knew, O my Jesus, that Thou didst die for me; how then, O God, have I been able to live for so many years in forgetfulness of Thee? Oh that the past years of my life were to commence again! I would wish, O my Lord, to give them all to Thee. But years do not return. Ah, grant that I may at least spend all the remaining days of my life in loving and pleasing Thee.
II.
If our Redeemer had not been God, but a friend or a relative, what greater proof of love could He have given, than to die for us? Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends (Jo. xv. 13). If Jesus Christ had to save His own Father, He could not have done more for the love of Him! If you had been God and the Creator of Jesus Christ, what more could He have done for you than sacrifice His life in the midst of a sea of torments and sorrows, for the love of you? If the most contemptible man on earth had done for you what Jesus Christ has done for you, could you live without loving him?
But what do you say? Do you believe in the Incarnation and Death of Jesus Christ? You believe these Mysteries; and do you not love Him? Or, can you think of loving anything but Jesus Christ? He came on earth to suffer and to die for you in order to make known to you the immense love which He bears you. Before the Incarnation, man might doubt whether God loved him tenderly; but how, after the Incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, can he any longer doubt that God loves him with the most tender love? And what greater tenderness of affection could Jesus show you, than to sacrifice His Divine life for the love of you? Our ears are accustomed to hear the words -- Creation, Redemption, God in a manger, God on a Cross! O holy Faith, enlighten us!
My dear Redeemer, I love Thee with my whole heart; but increase this love within me. Remind me always of all that Thou hast done for me; and do not permit me to be any longer ungrateful to Thee. No; I will no longer resist the lights Thou hast given me. Thou didst wish to be loved by me, and I desire to love Thee. And whom shall I love, if I do not love a God of infinite beauty and infinite goodness, a God Who has died for me, a God Who has borne with me with so much patience, and Who, instead of chastising me as I deserved, has changed chastisements into graces and favours? Yes; I love Thee, O God, worthy of infinite love, and I sigh and seek to live wholly employed in loving Thee, and forgetful of everything but Thee. O infinite charity of my Lord, assist a soul that ardently desires to be entirely Thine. O great Mother of God, Mary, do thou, too, assist me by thy intercession; beg of Jesus to make me belong entirely to Him.
Spiritual Reading
THE PRACTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES
V. -- PATIENCE (continued)
Thirdly: We must accept of poverty, if God sends it to us. Should you be in need of even necessaries, say, "My God, Thou alone art sufficient for me." An act of this kind would gain for you treasures in Heaven. He who possesses God has all good. And hence we should bear with patience the loss of property, the failure of our expectations, and even the loss of those upon whom we depended. We must be resigned to the will of God, and God will support us; and if He be not pleased to help us, as we desire, we must be content with what He is pleased to do, because He does it to make trial of our patience, and to enrich us with greater merits and heavenly glory.
Fourthly: We must accept with patience contempt and persecutions. You will say: "But what evil have I done, that I should be thus persecuted? Why should I suffer this affront?" Complain thus to Jesus Christ crucified and He will answer you: "And what evil have I done, that I should suffer so many torments, ignominies, and this death of the Cross?" If, then, Jesus Christ has suffered all this for the love of you, it is no great thing that you should suffer this for the love of Jesus Christ. And especially if you have ever committed a very grievous sin, reflect that for it you deserve to be now in hell, where much greater sufferings and persecutions are endured from merciless devils. If you suffer any persecutions for having done good, rejoice exceedingly. Hear what Jesus Christ says: Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake (Matt. v. 10). Let us be convinced of the truth of what the Apostle says, that he who would live united to Jesus Christ in this world must be persecuted.
In the fifth place, we must practise patience also in spiritual desolation which is the heaviest affliction for a soul that loves God. But it is in this way God proves the love of His beloved ones. At such times let us humble ourselves and be resigned to the will of God, putting ourselves entirely into His hands. Let us be most careful also not to leave off any of our devotions, our prayers, frequenting of the Sacraments, our Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, or our Spiritual Reading. As we do everything then with weariness and trouble, it seems to us to be all lost, but it is not so: while we persevere in all these things, we work without any satisfaction to ourselves; but it is all very pleasing to God.
In the sixth and last place, we must practise patience in temptations. Some cowardly souls, when a temptation lasts a long time are disheartened, and will sometimes even say: God, then, desires my damnation. No; God permits us to be tempted, not for our damnation, but for our advantage, that we may then humble ourselves the more, and unite ourselves more closely to Him, by forcing ourselves to resist, redoubling our prayers, and thereby acquiring greater merits for Heaven. And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee (Tob. xii. 13). Thus was it said to Tobias. Every temptation we overcome, gains for us fresh degrees of glory, and greater strength to resist future temptations. Nor does God ever permit us to be tempted beyond our strength: And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able; but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it (1 Cor. x. 13).
We should, indeed, beg our Lord to deliver us from temptations. However, when they come let us resign ourselves to His holy will, beseeching Him to give us strength to resist. St. Paul was troubled with carnal temptations, and he prayed to God to deliver him from them, but the Lord said to him: My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity (2 Cor. xii. 9). In sensual temptations especially, the first precaution to be taken is to remove ourselves as far as possible from all occasions, and then immediately to have recourse to Jesus Christ for help, not trusting in our own strength. And when the temptation continues, let us not cease to pray, saying: "Jesus, help me! Mary, ever Virgin, assist me!" The mere invocation of these all-powerful Names of Jesus and Mary will suffice to defeat the most violent assaults of hell. It is also of great use to make the sign of the Cross on our forehead, or over our heart. By the Sign of the Cross, St. Anthony, Abbot, overcame similar attacks of the devil. It is also a very good thing to acquaint your spiritual father with your temptations. St. Philip Neri used to say: "A temptation which is revealed is half conquered."
Evening Meditation
PRAYER
III. -- THE CONDITIONS OF PRAYER
Many pray but do not obtain the object of their prayers, because they do not pray as they ought. You ask, says St. James, and receive not, because you ask amiss (iv. 3). To pray well, it is necessary, in the first place, to pray with humility. God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble (Ibid. iv. 6). God rejects the petitions of the proud but does not allow the humble to depart without hearing all their prayers. The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds ... and he will not depart till the Most High behold (Ecclus. xxxv. 21). This holds, even in the case of sinners. A contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Ps. 1. 19). Secondly, it is necessary to pray with confidence. No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded (Ecclus. ii. 11). Jesus Christ has taught us to call God, in our petitions for His graces, by no other name than that of "Father," in order to make us pray with the same confidence with which a child has recourse to a parent. He, then, who prays with confidence, obtains every grace. All things whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you (Mark xi. 24). And who, says St. Augustine, can fear that the promises of God, Who is Truth Itself, will be violated? God, says the Scripture, is not like men, who promise, but do not perform, either because they intend to deceive, or because they change their minds. God is not as man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he said them, and will he not do? (Num. xxiii. 19). And why, adds the same St. Augustine, should the Lord so earnestly exhort us to ask His graces, if He did not wish to bestow them upon us? By His promises He bound Himself to grant us the graces we ask of Him.
But some will say: I am a sinner, and therefore I do not deserve to be heard. In answer, St. Thomas says that the efficacy of prayer to obtain graces, depends, not on our merits, but on the Divine Mercy. Every one, says Jesus Christ, that asketh receiveth (Luke xi. 10) -- that is, every one, whether he be a just man or a sinner. But the Redeemer himself takes away all fear, saying: Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you (Jo. xvi. 23). As if He said: Sinners, if you are without merit, I have merit before My Father. Ask, then, in My Name, and I promise that you shall receive whatsoever you ask. But it is necessary to know that this promise does not extend to temporal favours, such as health, and the like; for God often justly refuses these favours, because He sees that they would be injurious to our salvation. "The physician," says St. Augustine, "knows better than the patient, what is useful to him." The holy Doctor adds, that God refuses to some in His mercy, what He gives to others in His wrath. Hence we should ask temporal blessings only on condition that they shall be profitable to the soul. But spiritual graces, such as pardon of sins, perseverance, Divine love, and the like, should be asked absolutely, and with a firm confidence of obtaining them. If, says Jesus Christ, you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from Heaven give the good spirit to them that ask him? (Luke xi. 13).
II.
Above all, perseverance in prayer is necessary. Cornelius a Lapide says, that the Lord "wishes us to persevere in prayer even to importunity." This may be inferred from the following passages of Scripture: We ought always to pray (Luke xviii. 1). Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times (Luke xxi. 36). Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. v. 17). It may also be inferred from our Lord's repeated exhortations to prayer. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you (Luke xi. 9). It might be sufficient to have said ask; but no; the Lord wishes us to understand that we ought to imitate beggars, who do not cease to ask, to entreat, and to knock at the gate until they receive an alms. But final perseverance in particular, is a grace which is not obtained without continual prayer. We cannot merit this grace of perseverance; but, according to St. Augustine, it may be merited in a certain manner. "This gift," says the holy doctor, "can be suppliantly merited; that is, it may be obtained by supplication." Let us, then, if we wish to be saved, pray always, and never cease to pray. And let all confessors and preachers, if they desire the salvation of souls, never cease to exhort their penitents or hearers to prayer. And, in conformity with the advice of St. Bernard, let us always have recourse to the intercession of Mary, "for what she asks she obtains, and her prayer cannot be fruitless."
My God, I hope that Thou hast already pardoned me; but my enemies will not cease to fight against me till death. Unless Thou dost assist me, I shall lose Thee again. Ah, through the merits of Jesus Christ, I ask for holy perseverance. Do not permit me to be separated from Thee. And I ask the same grace for all who are at present in the state of grace. I hope with certainty in Thy promise, and that Thou wilt give me perseverance if I shall continue to ask it from Thee. But I fear that in my temptations I shall neglect to have recourse to Thee, and that thus I shall relapse into sin. I therefore ask of Thee the grace never more to neglect prayer. Grant that in the occasions in which I shall be in danger of relapsing, I may recommend myself to Thee, and may invoke the most holy Names of Jesus and Mary. My God, this I purpose and hope to do with the assistance of Thy grace. Hear me for the sake of Jesus Christ. O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me the grace, that in all dangers of losing God, I may have recourse to thee and thy Son.
"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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III. -- THE LOVE HE HAS SHOWN US IN HIS PASSION
I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptised, said Jesus, and how am I straitened until it be accomplished (Luke xii. 50). I am to be baptized with the Baptism of My own Blood, and I feel myself dying through a desire that My Passion and death may come soon that thus man may know the love I bear him. Ah, my Jesus, men do not love Thee because they do not think of the love Thou hast had for them.
I.
Our astonishment increases more and more when we consider the ardour with which Jesus Christ desired to suffer and die for the love of us. I have a baptism, said Jesus Christ, wherewith I am to be baptized; and how am I straitened until it be accomplished (Luke xii. 50). I am to be baptized with the Baptism of My own Blood; and I feel Myself dying through a desire that My Passion and death may soon come, that thus man may know the love I bear to him. It was this desire that made Jesus say on the night before His Passion: With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you before I suffer (Luke xxii. 15). Then, says St. Basil of Seleucia, it appears that our God cannot be satiated with loving men.
Ah, my Jesus, men do not love Thee because they do not think of the love Thou hast had for them. O God! how is it possible for a soul to live without loving God, if she considers that He died for her sake and died with so great a desire of showing His love for her? The charity of Christ presseth us (2 Cor. v. 14). St. Paul says that it is not so much what Jesus Christ has done and suffered for our salvation, as the love He displayed in suffering for us, that obliges, and, as it were, forces us to love Him. Contemplating the love which Jesus Christ exhibits in His Passion, St. Laurence Justinian exclaimed: We have seen Wisdom Itself as it were foolish, through the excess of love for us. And who could ever believe, had not Faith assured us of it, that the Creator should die for His own creatures? In an ecstasy, St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, holding a Crucifix in her hands, exclaimed: "Yes, my Jesus, Thou art foolish through love." This the Gentiles also said when they heard the Apostles preaching the death of Jesus Christ. They regarded it as a folly which could not be believed. We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling-block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness (1 Cor. i. 23). And how, said they, could a God that is most happy in Himself, and stands not in need of anyone, descend on earth to become Man and die for the love of men who are His creatures? This would be the same as to believe that a God had become foolish for the sake of men. But it is of Faith that Jesus Christ the true Son of God, delivered Himself to death for the love of us. Christ hath loved us, and hath delivered himself for us (Eph. v. 2).
Ah, my dear Redeemer, it is true that I have not loved Thee, because I have not reflected on the love Thou hast borne me! Ah, my Jesus, I have been very ungrateful to Thee. Thou hast given Thy life for me by submitting to the most painful of all deaths; and have I been so ungrateful as not even to think of Thy sufferings? Pardon me; I promise, O my crucified Love, that from this day forward Thou shalt be the only object of my thoughts and of all my affections! Ah, when the devil or the world presents me with forbidden fruit, remind me, O my beloved Saviour, of the pains Thou hast endured for my sake, that I may love Thee, and may never more offend Thee! Ah, if one of my servants had done for me what Thou hast done, I could not bring myself to displease him. And I have dared to turn my back so often on Thee Who hast died for me.
II.
He has done so that we may live no longer to the world, but only to that Lord Who has died for us. Christ died for all, that they also who live may not live to themselves, but unto him who died for them (2 Cor. v. 15). He has done it, that, by the love which He has shown us, He might win all the love of our hearts. For to this end Christ died and rose again, that he might be the Lord both of the dead and of the living (Rom. xiv. 9). Hence the Saints, contemplating the death of Jesus Christ, thought it very little to give their life and all things for the love of so a loving a God. How many nobles, how many princes have left relatives, riches, and country, and even kingdoms, to shut themselves away in a cloister, in order to live only to the love of Jesus Christ! How many Martyrs have sacrificed their lives! How many tender virgins, renouncing the nuptials of the great, have gone with joy to death, in order thus to make some return for the affection of a God who died for their sake! And what have you hitherto done for the sake of Jesus Christ? As He has died for the Saints -- for St. Lawrence, for St. Lucy, for St. Agnes, so He has also died for you. What do you intend to do during the remaining days of life which God gives you that you may love Him? From this day forward, look frequently on the Crucifix, and in looking on it, call to mind the love which Jesus Christ has borne you, and say: Then, hast Thou, my God, died for me? Do this at least, I say, and do it often; if you do, you cannot but feel yourself sweetly constrained to love a God Who has loved you so tenderly.
O beautiful flames which have obliged a God to give His life for me, come, inflame, fill my whole heart, and destroy all affections towards created things. Ah! my beloved Redeemer, how is it possible for me to contemplate Thee, either in the Manger in Bethlehem, on the Cross on Calvary, or in the Sacrament on our Altars, and not be enamoured of Thee? My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole soul. During the remaining years of my life thou shalt be my only Good, my only Love. I have unhappily lived long enough forgetful of Thy Passion and of Thy love. I give Thee all things, and if I do not give myself to Thee as I ought, take me, and reign in my whole heart. Thy kingdom come! May my heart be the servant of Thy love. May I speak of nothing else, may I sigh and desire only to love and please Thee. Assist me always by Thy grace, that I may be faithful to Thee. In Thy merits I trust, O my Jesus. O Mother of fair love, make me ardently love thy Son Who is so amiable, and Who has loved me so tenderly.
Spiritual Reading
THE PRACTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES
VI. -- CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WILL.
All sanctity consists in loving God; and the love of God consists in fulfilling His holy will. In this is our life: And life in his will (Ps. xxix. 6). And he who is united with the will of God is always in peace; for the Divine will takes away the bitterness of every cross. By saying: God wills it so; God has so willed, -- holy souls find peace in all their labours: Whatsoever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad (Prov. xii. 21). You say: Everything goes wrong with me; God sends me all kinds of misfortunes. Things go wrong with you, because you make them go wrong; if you were resigned to the will of God, all would go well, and for your good. The crosses which God sends you are misfortunes, because you make misfortunes of them; if you would accept them with resignation, they would no longer be misfortunes, but riches for Paradise. Venerable Balthazar Alvarez says: "He who in his troubles resigns himself with peacefulness to the Divine will, runs to God post-haste." Let us now come to the practice.
And first, let us resign ourselves in the illnesses that befall us. Worldly people call illnesses misfortunes, but the Saints call them visitations of God and favours. When we are ill we ought certainly to take remedies in order to be cured, but we should always be resigned to whatever God may will. And if we pray for restoration to health, let it always be done with resignation, otherwise we shall not obtain the favour. Oh, how much we gain when we are ill by offering to God all we suffer! He who loves God from his heart does not desire to be cured of his illness in order to avoid suffering, but he desires to please God by suffering. It was this love which made the scourge, the rack, and the burning pitch sweet to the holy Martyrs. We must also be especially resigned when the sickness is mortal. To accept death at such a time, in order that the will of God may be fulfilled, merits for us a reward similar to that of the Martyrs, because they accepted death to please God. He who dies in union with the will of God makes a holy death; and the more closely he is united to it, the more holy the death does he die. The Venerable Blosius declares that an act of perfect conformity to the will of God at the hour of death delivers us not only from hell, but also from Purgatory.
Secondly, we must also unite ourselves to the will of God with regard to our natural defects, as, for example, want of talent, being of low birth, weak health, bad sight, want of ability for business, and the like. All that we have is the free gift of God. Might He not have made us a fly or a blade of grass? A hundred years ago we were only nothingness. And what do we want? Let it suffice that God has given us the power of becoming Saints. Although we may have little talent, poor health, and may be poor and abject, we may very well become Saints through His grace if we have the will. Oh, how many unfortunate beings have been damned on account of their talents, their health, high birth, riches or beauty! Let us then be content with what God has done for us; and let us thank Him always for the good things He has given us, and particularly for having called us to the holy Faith; this is a great gift, and one for which few are found to thank God.
Thirdly, we must resign ourselves in all adversities that may happen to us, as the loss of property, disappointments, the death of relatives, the attacks and persecutions of men. You will say: But God does not will sin; how is it that I must resign myself when some one calumniates me, wrongs me, attacks or defrauds me? That cannot happen by the will of God. What a deception is this! God does not, of course, will the sin of such a one; He permits it; but, on the other hand, He does will the trial that you suffer at the hands of that person. So that it is our Lord Himself Who sends you that cross, though it comes to you by means of your neighbour; therefore even in these cases you must embrace the cross as coming from God. Nor let us seek to find a reason for such treatment. St. Teresa says: "If you are willing to bear only those crosses for which you see a reason, perfection is not for you."
Fourthly, we must be resigned in aridity of soul; if, when we say our prayers, receive Communion, visit the Blessed Sacrament, etc. all seems to weary and give us no comfort, let us be satisfied in knowing that we please God, and that the less satisfaction we feel ourselves in our devotions the more pleasure do we give Him. At no time can we better realise our own insufficiency and misery than in the time of aridity; and therefore let us humble ourselves in our prayers, and put ourselves with resignation into God's hands, and say: "Lord, I do not deserve consolations; I desire nothing but that Thou have pity on me; keep me in Thy grace, and do with me what Thou wilt." And thus we shall gain more in one day of desolation than in a month of tears and sensible devotion. And generally speaking, this should be the continual tenor of our prayers, offering ourselves to God, that He may do with us as He may please; saying to Him in our prayers, our Communions, and in the Visit: "My God, make me do Thy will." In doing the will of God we do everything. For this end let us accustom ourselves to have always on our lips the ejaculation Fiat voluntas tua! Thy will be done! And even in the least things we do; for instance, if we snuff out a candle, break a glass, stumble over something, let us always repeat: "May the will of God be done!" When we lose any of our possessions, or when one of our relatives dies, let us say: "O Lord, it is Thy will; it is my will also." And when we fear any temporal ill, let us say: "O Lord, I will whatever Thou willest." Thus we shall be very pleasing in the sight of God, and shall always be in peace.
Evening Meditation
HOW MUCH IT PLEASES JESUS CHRIST THAT WE SUFFER FOR LOVE OF HIM
I.
If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke ix. 23).
Jesus Christ says: If any one will come after me. He does not say to me; but, after me. The Lord desires that we should come close after Him. We must therefore walk in the same road of thorns and sufferings in which He walked. He goes before and rests not until He reaches Calvary where He dies. Wherefore if we love Him we must follow Him even unto death. Thus it is necessary that every one should deny himself; that is deny himself in everything self-love demands, and that is not pleasing to Jesus Christ.
Our Lord says further: Let him take up his cross daily and follow me. Let him take up; it avails little to carry the cross by compulsion. All sinners bear it, but without merit; to bear it with merit, we must embrace it voluntarily. His cross; under this word is implied every kind of tribulation, which is called a cross by Jesus Christ, in order that the name may render it sweet, from the remembrance that He died on the Cross for the love of us.
O my Jesus, Thou alone hast been able to teach us these maxims of salvation, all contrary to the maxims of the world; and Thou alone canst give us strength to suffer crosses with patience. I do not pray Thee to exempt me from suffering; I only pray Thee to give me strength to suffer with patience and resignation.
II.
Jesus also says his cross. Some persons when they receive spiritual consolations, offer themselves to suffer as great things as were endured by the Martyrs, -- hot irons, piercing nails and tortures; but then they cannot endure a headache, the carelessness of a friend, the ill-temper of a relative. God does not ask you to endure hot irons, piercing nails, and tortures; but He desires that you should suffer patiently this pain, this annoyance, this contempt. Some people would fain go to suffer in a desert, and perform great acts of penance; but yet they cannot endure such a one for Superior, or such a one for their companion in their duties; but God desires that we should bear that cross which He gives us to suffer, and not that which we would ourselves choose.
He says daily. Some persons embrace the cross at the beginning, when it comes to them; but when it lasts long they say, "Now I can bear no more." Yet God wills that we should go on to endure it with patience, and that we should bear it continually and even till death. See, then, that salvation and perfection consist in these three words, let him deny; we must deny to our self-love whatever is not right: let him take up; we must embrace the cross that God gives us: let him follow; we must follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ even unto death.
O Eternal Father, Thy Son has promised that whatever we ask Thee in His Name, Thou wilt give it to us. Behold, we ask this of Thee: give us grace to endure with patience the pains of this life; hear us for the love of Jesus Christ. And Thou, O my Jesus, pardon me all the offences I have committed against Thee, in that I have not been willing to suffer with patience the troubles Thou hast sent me. Give me Thy love, that it may impart strength to suffer all for love of Thee. Deprive me of everything, of every earthly good, of relatives, friends, health of body, of every comfort; deprive me even of life; but not of Thy love. Give me Thyself, and I ask no more. O most holy Virgin, obtain for me an enduring love of Jesus Christ, even till death.
"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 soul cannot exist without loving the Creator or creatures. Given a soul that is weaned of every other love, you will find it filled with Divine love. Do we wish to know whether we have given ourselves wholly to God? Let us examine ourselves whether we are weaned from every thing or not.
I.
Love is strong as death (Cant. viii. 6). As death separates us from all the goods of the world, from riches, honours, kindred, friends, and all earthly pleasures, so does the love of God, when it reigns in a heart, strip it of all affection for these perishable advantages. Therefore it was that the Saints stripped themselves of everything the world offered them, renounced their possessions, their posts of honour, and all they had, and fled to deserts or cloisters, to think upon and to love God alone.
Do we wish to know whether we have given ourselves wholly to God? Let us examine ourselves whether we are weaned from every earthly thing or not.
Some persons lament that in their devotions, prayers, Communions, Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, they do not find God. To such St. Teresa says: "Detach thy heart from creatures, and then seek God, and thou shalt find Him." Thou wilt not indeed find constant spiritual sweetness, for this God does not give without interruption even to those who love Him in this life, but bestows it only from time to time to make them fly onwards towards those boundless delights which He prepares for them in Paradise. He gives them, however, an inward peace which excels all sensual delights; that peace of God which surpasseth all understanding. And what greater delight can be enjoyed by a soul that loves God than to be able to say with true affection: "My God and my All!" St. Francis of Assisi continued a whole night in an ecstasy of Paradise continually repeating these words: "My God and my All! My God and my All!"
Love is strong as death. If a dying man were to give a sign of moving towards any earthly thing, we should then know that he was not dead; death deprives us of everything.
Divine love strips us of everything. Father Segneri, an eminent servant of God said: "Love of God is a beloved thief which robs us of every earthly thing." Another servant of God, when he had given to the poor all his possessions, and was asked what had reduced him to such poverty, took the Book of the Gospels out of his pocket, and said: "This has robbed me of everything." In a word, Jesus Christ will possess our whole heart, and He will have no companion there. St. Augustine writes that the Roman Senate refused to allow adoration to be paid to Jesus Christ because He was a haughty God Who claimed to be honoured alone; and truly as He is our only Lord, He has the right to be adored and loved with our undivided love.
II.
St. Francis de Sales says that the pure love of God consumes everything that is not God. When, then, we see in our heart an affection for anything that is not God, or for the sake of God, we must instantly banish it, saying, "Depart! There is no place for thee!" In this consists that complete renunciation which our Lord recommends, if we would be wholly His. It must be complete; that is, renunciation of everything, and especially of our friends and kindred. How many, for the sake of men, have never become Saints! David said that they who please men are despised by God. (Ps. lii. 6).
But, above all, we must renounce ourselves by conquering self-love. Cursed is self-love, that thrusts itself into everything, even our most holy actions, by placing before us our own love of pleasure! How many preachers, how many writers, have thus lost all their labours! Constantly, even in Prayer, in Spiritual Reading, in Holy Communion, there enters some end not pure, either the desire of being noticed, or of merely obtaining spiritual pleasures. We must, therefore, strive to conquer this enemy who would ruin our best deeds. We must, as far as possible, deprive ourselves of everything that pleases us. We must deprive ourselves of this pleasure, for the very reason that it is agreeable; we must do a service to this ungrateful person, because he is ungrateful; we must take this bitter medicine, because it is bitter. Self-love makes it appear that nothing is good in which we do not find our own personal satisfaction; but he that would wholly belong to God must do violence to himself whenever he is employed in anything that is according to his own pleasure, and say always: "Let me lose everything, provided I please God."
For the rest, no one is more contented in this world than he who despises all the good things of the world. The more he strips himself of such good things, the richer he becomes in Divine grace. Thus does the Lord know how to reward those who love Him faithfully. But, O my Jesus, Thou knowest my weakness; Thou hast promised to help those who trust in Thee. Lord, I love Thee; in Thee I trust; give me strength, and make me wholly Thine. In thee also I trust, O my sweet advocate, Mary!
Spiritual Reading
THE PRACTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES
VII. -- PURITY OF INTENTION
Purity of intention consists in doing everything with the sole view of pleasing God. The good or bad intention with which an action is performed renders it good or bad before God. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi says: God rewards actions according to the amount of purity of intention with which they are done." Let us examine how this virtue can be practised.
In the first place, in all our devotional exercises, let us seek God and not ourselves: if we seek our own satisfaction we cannot expect to receive any reward from God. And this holds good for all spiritual works. How many labour and exhaust themselves in preaching, hearing confessions, serving at the altar, and in doing other pious works; and because in these they seek themselves and not God, they lose all! When we seek neither approbation nor thanks from others for what we do, it is a sign that we work for God's sake: as also when we are not vexed when the good we undertake does not succeed; or when we rejoice as much at the good that is done by others, as if it had been done by ourselves. Further, whenever we have done some good in order to please God, and are praised for it, let us not torment ourselves in endeavouring to drive away vain-glory; it is enough to say: "To God be the honour and glory." And let us never omit any good action which may be edifying to our neighbour, through fear of vain-glory. Our Lord wishes us to do good even before others, that it may be profitable to them. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matt. v. 16). Therefore when you do good, have first the intention of pleasing God; and secondly, that also of giving good example to your neighbour.
In the second place, in our bodily actions; whether we work, eat, drink, or amuse ourselves with propriety, let us do all in order to please God. Purity of intention may be called a heavenly alchemy which changes iron into gold. By which is meant, that the most trivial and ordinary actions done to please God become acts of Divine love. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to say: "A person who performs all his actions with a pure intention will go straight to Paradise." A holy hermit, before putting his hand to any work, used to raise his eyes to Heaven and keep them fixed there for a short time; and when asked what he was doing, he answered: "I am taking my aim, so that I may not miss the mark." Let us also do in like manner: before beginning any action, let us make sure of our aim, and say "Lord, I do this to please Thee."
VIII. -- RULES FOR AVOIDING TEPIDITY
Souls that make no account of venial sins, and give themselves up to tepidity, without a thought of freeing themselves from it, live in great danger. We do not here speak of those venial sins that are committed through mere frailty, such as useless or idle words, interior disquietudes, and negligence in small matters; but we speak of venial sins committed with full deliberation, above all when they are habitual. St. Teresa writes thus: "From all deliberate sin, howsoever small it may be, O Lord, deliver us!" Venerable Alvarez used to say: "Those little backbitings, dislikes, culpable curiosity, acts of impatience and intemperance, do not indeed kill the soul, but they so weaken it, that when any great temptation attacks it unexpectedly, it will not have strength enough to resist, and will consequently fall." So that as on the one hand deliberate venial sins weaken the soul, so on the other they deprive us of the Divine assistance; for it is but just that God should be sparing with those who are sparing towards Him: He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly (2 Cor. ix. 6). And this is what a soul that has received special graces from God has the most reason to fear, especially if such faults spring from some passionate attachment, as of ambition, or avarice, or of aversion, or inordinate affection towards any person. It happens not unfrequently to souls that are in bondage to some passion, as it does to gamblers, who, after losing many times, risk all on a final throw and so finish by losing everything. In what a miserable state is that soul which is the slave of some passion. Passion blinds us, and lets us no longer see what we are doing. Let us now see what we have to do, in order to be able to deliver ourselves from the wretched state of tepidity.
It is necessary in the first place to have a firm desire to get out of this state. The good desire lightens our labour, and gives us strength to go forward. And let us rest assured that he who makes no progress in the way of God will always be going back; and he will go back so far that at last he will fall over some precipice. Secondly, let us try to find out the predominant fault to which we are most attached, whether it be anger, ambition, an inordinate affection to persons or things. A resolute will overcomes all with the help of God. Thirdly, we must avoid the occasion, otherwise all our resolutions will fall to the ground. And lastly, we must above all be diffident of our own strength, and pray continually with all confidence to God, begging Him to help us in the danger in which we are, and to deliver us from those temptations by which we shall fall into sin; which is the meaning of the petition, "Lead us not into temptation." He who prays obtains: Ask, and you shall receive (Jo. xvi. 24). This is God's promise, and can never fail; therefore we must always pray, always pray; and let us never leave off repeating: "My God, help me, and help me at once!"
Evening Meditation
GIVING OF OURSELVES TO GOD WITHOUT RESERVE
I.
God has declared that He loves all those who love Him: I love them that love me (Prov. viii. 17). But it is not to be supposed that God will give Himself entirely to one who loves anything in the world equally with God. At one time St. Teresa was in this state, keeping up an affection, not indeed an impure affection, but an inordinate one, for a certain relative. When, however, she divested herself of this attachment, God was pleased to say to her in a vision: "Now that thou art wholly Mine, I am wholly thine."
O my God, when will the day arrive when I shall be wholly Thine? Consume within me, I beseech Thee, by the flames of Thy Divine love, all those earthly affections which hinder me from belonging entirely to Thee. When shall I be able to say to Thee with truth: My God, Thee only do I desire, and besides Thee there is nothing that I wish for?
One is my dove, my perfect one, is but one (Cant. vi. 8). God so loves the soul that gives itself entirely to Him that He seems to love no other; and hence He calls it His only dove. St. Teresa after her death revealed to one of her sisters that God has greater love for one soul that aspires to perfection than for a thousand others that are in a state of grace, but are tepid and imperfect. O my God, for how many years hast Thou invited me to become entirely Thine, and I have refused! Death is already approaching, and shall I die as imperfect as I have hitherto lived? No, I hope that death will not find me as ungrateful as I have hitherto been. Help me; for I desire to leave all things to become entirely Thine.
II.
Jesus Christ, through the love which He has for us, has given His whole Self to us. He hath loved us, and hath delivered himself for us. (Eph. v. 2). If, then, says St. Chrysostom, "God has given Himself entirely to you and without reserve: if He has given you all, and nothing more remains for Him to give you, as indeed He has done in His Passion and in the Holy Eucharist, reason requires that you also should give yourself without reserve to Him." St. Francis de Sales says: "The heart is too little to love our bountiful Redeemer Who has loved us even to laying down His life for us." Oh, what ingratitude, what injustice, to divide our hearts, and not to give them wholly to God!
Let us then say with the Spouse in the Canticles: My beloved to me, and I to my beloved (Cant. ii. 16). Thou, my God, hast given all to me, I will give all to Thee. I love Thee, my sovereign Good. My God and my All! Thou desirest that I should be all Thine, and such do I desire to be. O Mary, my Mother, pray for me, that I may not love aught but God alone.
"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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Morning Meditation
HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SHOULD HATE THE WORLD.
St. Paul writes that Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from the present wicked world according to the will of God and our Father. (Gal. i. 4). As the lovers of God are hateful to the world, so the world ought to be hateful to him who loves God. Jesus Christ desires we should become superior to the promises and threats of the world and no longer take account of its censures or its praise.
I.
Whosoever loves Jesus Christ with true love, let him greatly rejoice when he sees himself treated by the world as Jesus Christ was treated. He was hated, scorned, and persecuted by the world, even unto an agonising death upon a shameful Cross. The world is altogether against Jesus Christ; and, therefore, hating Jesus Christ, it hates all His servants. Wherefore the Lord encouraged His disciples to suffer in peace all the persecutions of the world, saying to them that, having given up the world, they could not but be hated by the world. Ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you (Jo. xv. 19).
And as the lovers of God are hateful to the world, so the world ought to be hateful to him who loves God. St. Paul said: God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me (Gal. vi. 14). The Apostle was an odious thing to the world, as a man condemned and dead upon a cross is odious; and in return, the world was odious to St. Paul: The world is crucified to me.
Jesus Christ chose to die upon the Cross for our sins, for this end, that He might deliver us from this wicked world. Our Lord, having called us to His love, desires that we should become superior to the promises and threats of the world. He desires that we should no longer take account of its censures or its praise. We must pray God to make us utterly forget the world, and to rejoice when we see the world reject us. It is not enough, in order to belong wholly to God, that we should abandon the world; we must desire that the world should abandon us, and utterly condemn us. Some people leave the world, but they do not cease to wish to be praised by it, at least for having abandoned it. In such persons the desire of worldly estimation causes the world still to live in them.
II.
Thus, then, the world hates the servants of God, and hates their good example and holy maxims; and therefore it is necessary that we should hate all the maxims of the world. The wisdom of the flesh is an enemy to God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be (Rom. viii. 7). The Apostle says it cannot be, for this reason, that the world has no other object but its own interest or pleasure; and thus it cannot agree with those who seek only to please God.
Yea, O Jesus, crucified and dead for me, Thee alone I desire to please. What is the world, what are riches, what are honours? I desire that Thou, my Redeemer, shouldst be all my Treasure; to love Thee is my riches. If Thou wilt have me poor, I desire to be poor; if Thou wilt have me humbled and despised by all, I embrace all and receive all from Thy hands. Thy will shall ever be my comforter. This is the grace that I seek of Thee, that in every event I may never depart an instant from Thy holy will.
Spiritual Reading
THE PRACTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES
IX. -- MEANS OF ACQUIRING THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ ought to be our whole love. He is worthy of it, both because He is a God of infinite goodness, and because He has loved us to such an excess, that He died for us. Oh, what a great obligation we are under to Jesus Christ! All the good we enjoy, all our inspirations, calls, pardons, helps, hopes, consolations, sweetnesses, and loving affections, come to us through Jesus Christ. Let us see by what means we are to acquire this love of Jesus Christ.
In the first place, we must desire to have this love of Jesus Christ, and we must, therefore, often ask Him to give it to us, especially in our prayers, in our Communions, and in the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament. And this grace must also be sought through the hands of the ever-blessed Mary, from our Guardian Angel and our holy Patrons, that they may enable us to love Jesus Christ. St. Francis de Sales says that the grace of loving Jesus Christ contains all other graces in itself; because he who truly loves Jesus Christ cannot be wanting in any virtue.
In the second place, if we wish to acquire the love of Jesus Christ, we must detach our hearts from all earthly affections; Divine love will find no place in a heart that is full of this world. St. Philip Neri used to say: "The love we give to creatures is all so much taken from God."
In the third place, we must often exercise ourselves, especially when we pray, in making acts of the love of Jesus Christ. Acts of love are the fuel with which we keep alive the fire of holy charity. Let us make acts of love and complacency, saying: "My Jesus, I rejoice that Thou art infinitely happy, and that Thy Eternal Father loves Thee as much as Himself." Of benevolence: "I wish, my Jesus, that all could know and love Thee." Of predilection, as: "My Jesus, I love Thee more than all things! I love Thee more than myself!" Let us also often make acts of contrition, which are called acts of sorrowful love.
In the fourth place, if any one wishes to make sure of being inflamed with love towards Jesus Christ, let him try to meditate often on His Passion. It was revealed to a holy solitary, that no exercise was more efficacious in enkindling love, than the consideration of the sufferings and ignominy which Jesus Christ endured for love of us. I say, it is impossible that a soul, meditating often on the Passion of Jesus Christ, should be able to resist His love. It was for this that, although He could have saved us by one drop of His Blood, nay even by a single prayer, He chose to suffer so much, and to shed all His Blood, that He might attract all hearts to love Him; therefore he who meditates on His Passion does what is very agreeable to Him. Do you, then, often make your Meditation on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do so at least every Friday, the day on which He died for the love of us. For this purpose I have written many Meditations on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the Darts of Fire, which speak of the love Jesus Christ has borne us in the great work of our Redemption.
Evening Meditation
DIVINE LOVE VICTORIOUS OVER GOD HIMSELF
I.
Our God is omnipotent: who, then, will ever overcome and conquer Him? Love towards man has conquered and triumphed over Him, says St. Bernard. For His love has caused Him to die in torments upon a disgraceful Cross to secure man's salvation. O infinite Love! Unhappy the soul that loves Thee not!
What man, not a believer, passing by Calvary on that day when Jesus was dying on the Cross, and enquiring who was that criminal, crucified in such a mangled state, was told it was the Son of God, true God, equal with His Father, would not have said with the Gentiles that to believe such things was folly? "It appeared folly," says St. Gregory, "that the Author of life should die for men." If it would have appeared folly to suppose that a king would become a worm for the love of a worm, greater still would have appeared the folly of believing that God had become Man for the love of man, to die for man. This led St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi to say, concerning this immense love of God, "My Jesus, Thou lovest us to madness."
And, alas! I, a miserable sinner, have not loved God, but have many times offended Him!
II.
Christian, lift up your eyes, and behold that afflicted one upon the Cross, oppressed with grief and torments, struggling in His agony, on the point of expiring, dying for the pure love of you. Know you who He is? He is your God. And if you believe that He is your God, ask who has reduced Him to such a miserable condition. "What has done this?" asks St. Bernard. He answers: "Love has done it, regardless of its own dignity." It was love, which refuses no pain, or disgrace, when it would make itself known and exert itself for its beloved.
O Jesus, it was because Thou didst so much love me, that Thou didst suffer so much for me: if Thou hadst loved me less Thou wouldst have suffered less. I love Thee, my dear Redeemer, with my whole heart. And how can I refuse God my whole love, when He has not refused me His Precious Blood, His life? I love Thee, O Jesus, my Love, my All! Holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, help me by thy prayers faithfully to love Jesus.
"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 worldly-minded fear losing their earthly goods, fleeting and miserable things that they are, but the Saints only fear losing God Who is a Good infinite and eternal. Wherefore death is an object of terror to souls attached to the earth, while it is specially desired by those who love God; for, says St. Bernard, it is the termination of labour and the gate of life. They cry out with St. Paul: Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom. vii. 24).
I.
While we are in the body we are absent from the Lord (2 Cor. v. 6). Souls who, in this life love God alone are like noble pilgrims, destined, according to their present state, to be the eternal brides of the King of Heaven, but now live far away without seeing Him; wherefore they do naught but sigh for their departure to the country of the Blessed, where they know that their Spouse awaits them.
They know, indeed, that their Beloved is ever present with them, but is, as it were, hidden by a veil, and does not show himself. Or, to speak more correctly, He is like the sun behind clouds, which from time to time, sends forth a ray of its splendour, but displays not itself fully. These beloved brides have a veil before their eyes, which prevents them from seeing Him Whom they love. They live, nevertheless, contented, uniting themselves to the Will of the Lord Who chooses to keep them in exile, and far away from Himself; but with all this, they cannot but continually sigh to see Him face to face, in order to be more inflamed with love towards Him.
Therefore, each one of them often sweetly complains to its beloved Spouse because He shows Himself not and says to Him: "O Thou only love of my heart, since Thou hast so loved me, and hast wounded me with Thy holy love, why hidest Thou Thyself, and allowest me not to see Thee? I know that Thou art infinite Beauty; I love Thee more than myself, though I have never yet beheld Thee. Open to me Thy beautiful countenance; I would know Thee all revealed, in order that I may no more look to myself nor to any creature, and may think only of loving Thee, my highest Good."
II.
When to souls thus enamoured of God there shines forth a ray of Divine goodness and of the love which God bears them, they would wish to be dissolved and melt away for desire of Him, and though for them the sun is still concealed behind the clouds, and His fair face hidden, and their own eyes veiled, so that they cannot gaze on Him face to face; yet what shall be their joy when the clouds disperse, and the gates open, and the veil is taken from their eyes, and the fair countenance of their Beloved appears so that in the clear light of day they look upon His beauty, His goodness, His greatness, and the love He bears them!
O death, why dost thou so long delay to come? If thou comest not, I cannot depart to behold my God. It is thou that must open to me the gates, that I may enter into the palace of my Lord. O blessed country, when will the day come when I shall find myself within thy eternal tabernacles? O Beloved of my soul, my Jesus, my Treasure, my Love, my All! When will that happy moment come, when, leaving this earth, I shall see myself all united with Thee? I deserve not this happiness; but the love Thou hast shown me, and, still more, Thy infinite goodness makes me hope that I shall be one day joined to those happy souls, who, being wholly united with Thee, love Thee, and will love Thee with a perfect love through all eternity. O my Jesus, Thou seest the alternative in which I am placed, of being either united with Thee for ever, or for ever far from Thee! Have mercy upon me. Thy Blood is my hope; and thy intercession, O my Mother Mary, is my comfort and my joy. Amen.
Spiritual Reading
PREPARATION FOR DEATH
Some devout souls, with great spiritual profit to themselves, are accustomed to renew every month, after having been at Confession and Communion, the Protestation for Death, imagining themselves at the point of death and about to depart from this world. Unless you do this during life you will find it hard at death to embrace with resignation and love death and all its pains. In her last illness that great servant of God, Sister Catherine of St. Albert, of the Order of St. Teresa, sighed and said: "Sisters, I do not sigh through fear of death, for I have lived twenty-five years expecting it, but I sigh at the sight of so many Christians who spend their life in sin, leaving themselves only the hour of death to make their peace with God, when I can scarcely pronounce the Name of Jesus!"
EXERCISES FOR THE PREPARATION FOR DEATH
Preparation for a Happy Death under the Protection of St. Joseph, Patron of the Dying
Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph
1. O glorious St. Joseph, most pure Spouse of most holy Mary, even as the trouble and anguish of thy heart was great in the perplexity of abandoning thy most chaste and stainless Spouse; so, too, inexplicable was thy delight when the Angel revealed to thee the sovereign mystery of the Incarnation.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, we pray thee now, and in our last agony, to comfort our souls with the joy of a good life and of a holy death like unto thine between Jesus and Mary.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
2. O glorious St. Joseph, most blessed Patriarch, who wast selected for the office of reputed Father of the Word made Man; the grief which thou didst feel at seeing the Child Jesus born in such great poverty was suddenly changed for thee into heavenly exultation at hearing the angelic harmony, and seeing the glories of that most resplendent night.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, we beseech thee to obtain for us that, after the journey of this life is over, we may pass hence to hear the angelic praises, and to enjoy the splendours of the glory of Heaven.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
3. O glorious St. Joseph, who didst fulfil most obediently all God's commands, the most Precious Blood which the Child Redeemer shed in the Circumcision struck death into thy heart, but the Name of Jesus revived it, and filled it full of joy.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that, all vices having been taken from us during life, we may expire in exultation with the Most Holy Name of Jesus in our hearts and upon our lips.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
4. O glorious St. Joseph, most faithful Saint, who wast a partaker in the Mysteries of our Redemption, if Simeon's prophecy or that which Jesus and Mary were to suffer caused thee a mortal pang, it filled thee also with a blessed joy at the salvation and glorious resurrection of innumerable souls, which he at the same time foretold would thence proceed.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that we may be of the number of those who, through the merits of Jesus, and at the intercession of the Virgin Mother, are to rise again in glory.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
5. O glorious St. Joseph, most watchful guardian and familiar attendant of the Incarnate Son of God, how much didst thou suffer in supporting and in serving the Son of the Most High, particularly in the flight which thou hadst to make into Egypt; but how much again didst thou rejoice at having always with thee that same God, and at seeing the idols of Egypt fall to the ground!
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that, by keeping far from us hell's tyrant, especially by flying from dangerous occasions, every idol of earthly affection may fall from our hearts; and that, wholly occupied in the service of Jesus and of Mary, we may live for them alone, and die a happy death.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
6. O glorious St. Joseph, Angel of the earth, who didst marvel at beholding the King of Heaven subject to thy commands, if thy consolation at bringing Him back from Egypt was disturbed by the fear of Archelaus, yet when assured by the Angel, thou didst dwell in joy with Jesus and Mary at Nazareth.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that our hearts, unclouded by hurtful fears, may enjoy peace of conscience, and that we may live secure with Jesus and Mary, and with them may also die.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
7. O glorious St. Joseph, model of all holiness, when without fault of thine thou hadst lost the Child Jesus, thou didst seek Him for three days in the greatest sorrow, until with joyful heart thou didst possess again thy Life, finding Him in the Temple among the doctors.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, with fervent sighs we supplicate thee to interpose in our behalf, that so it may never befall us to lose Jesus by mortal sin; but that, if unhappily we ever lose Him, we may seek Him again with unwearied sorrow, until once more we find His favour, especially at the moment of our death, so that we may pass to the enjoyment of Him in Heaven, and there with thee sing His Divine mercies for all eternity.
"Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory be to the Father."
Antiph. Jesus Himself was beginning about His thirtieth year, being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.
V. Pray for us, O holy Joseph.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, who by Thy ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose the Blessed Joseph for the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother; grant, we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe out my soul in peace with you.
After which is said the following.
PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH
O Lord Jesus, God of goodness and Father of mercies, I approach to Thee with a contrite and humble heart; to Thee I recommend my last hour, and that which then awaits me.
When my feet, now motionless, shall admonish me that my mortal course is drawing to an end;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my hands, trembling and benumbed, no longer able to hold Thy crucified Image, shall let it fall from their feeble grasp upon my bed of pain;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my eyes, dim and troubled at the horror of approaching death, shall fix on Thee their languid and expiring looks;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my lips, cold and trembling, shall pronounce for the last time Thy adorable Name;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my cheeks, pale and livid, shall inspire the beholders with pity and dismay; and my hair, bathed in the sweat of death, and stiffening on my head, shall forbode my approaching end;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my ears, soon to be for ever shut to the discourse of men, shall open to hear Thy voice pronounce the irrevocable decree which shall decide my lot for eternity;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my imagination, agitated by horrid and terrifying phantoms, shall be sunk in mortal anguish; when my soul, affrighted at the sight of my iniquities and the terrors of Thy judgments, shall have to fight against the angel of darkness, who will endeavour to conceal Thy mercies from my eyes, and plunge me into despair;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my poor heart, oppressed with the pains of sickness, and exhausted by its struggles against the enemies of its salvation, shall be seized with the pangs of death;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When the last tears, forerunners of my dissolution, shall drop from my eyes, receive them as a sacrifice of expiation for my sins, that I may die the victim of penance; and in that dreadful moment,
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my friends and relations, encircling my bed, shall shed the tear of pity over me, and invoke Thy clemency in my behalf;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When I shall have lost the use of my senses, and the world shall have vanished from my sight; when I shall groan with anguish in my last agony and in the sorrows of death;
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my last sighs shall summon my soul to go forth from my body, receive them as the effects of a holy impatience to fly to Thee; and; in that moment,
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my soul, trembling on my lips, shall bid adieu to the world, and leave my body lifeless, pale and cold, receive this separation as a homage, which I shall willingly pay to Thy Divine Majesty; and in that last moment of my mortal life,
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When at length my soul, admitted to Thy Presence, shall first behold with terror Thy awful Majesty, reject me not, but receive me into Thy bosom, where I may for ever sing Thy praises; and in that moment when eternity shall begin to me,
R. Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
Let us pray.
O God Who hast doomed all men to die, but hast concealed from all the hour of their death; grant that I may pass my days in the practice of holiness and justice, and that I may deserve to quit this world in Thy holy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
After the Hymn, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and O Salutaris sung. Then follows-
THE PROTESTATION FOR DEATH
My God, prostrate in Thy Presence, I adore Thee; and I intend to make the following protestation, as if I were on the point of passing from this life into eternity.
My Lord, because Thou art the Infallible Truth, and hast revealed it to the Holy Church, I believe in the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; three Persons, but only one God; Who for all eternity rewards the just in Heaven, and punishes the wicked in hell. I believe that the Second Person, that is, the Son of God, became Man, and died for the salvation of mankind; and I believe all that the Holy Church believes. I thank Thee for having made me a Christian, and I protest that I will live and die in this holy Faith.
My God, my Hope, trusting in Thy promises, I hope from Thy mercy, not through my own merits, but through the merits of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of my sins, perseverance, and, after this miserable life, the glory of Paradise. And should the devil at death tempt me to despair at the sight of my sins, I protest that I will always hope in Thee, O Lord, and that I desire to die in the loving arms of Thy goodness.
O God, worthy of infinite love, I love Thee with my whole heart more than I love myself; and I protest that I desire to die making an act of love, that I may thus continue to love Thee eternally in Heaven, which for this end I desire and ask of Thee. And if hitherto, O Lord, instead of loving Thee, I have despised Thy infinite goodness, I repent of it with all my heart, and I protest that I wish to die, always weeping over and detesting the offences I have committed against Thee. I purpose for the future rather to die than ever to sin again; and for the love of Thee I pardon all who have offended me.
O God, I accept of death, and of all the sufferings which will accompany it; I unite it with the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, and offer it in acknowledgment of Thy supreme dominion, and in satisfaction for my sins. Do Thou, O Lord, accept of this sacrifice which I make of my life, for the love of that great Sacrifice which Thy Divine Son made of Himself upon the Altar of the Cross. I resign myself entirely to Thy Divine will, as though I were now on my deathbed, and protest that I wish to die, saying, O Lord, always Thy will be done.
Most holy Virgin, my Advocate and my Mother, Mary, thou art and wilt always be, after God, my hope and my consolation at the hour of death. From this moment I have recourse to thee, and beg of thee to assist me in that passage. O my dear Queen, do not abandon me in that last moment; come then to take my soul and present it to thy Son. Henceforward, I shall expect thee; and I hope to die under thy mantle and clinging to thy feet. My Protector St. Joseph, St. Michael Archangel, my Angel Guardian, my holy Patrons, do you all assist me in that last combat with hell.
And Thou, my Crucified Love, Thou, my Jesus Who wert pleased to choose for Thyself so bitter a death, to obtain for me a good death, remember at that hour that I am one of those dear sheep Thou didst purchase with Thy Blood. Thou who, when all the world shall have forsaken me and not one shall be able to assist me, canst alone console me and save me, do Thou make me worthy then to receive Thee in the Viaticum, and suffer me not to lose Thee for ever, and to be banished for ever to a distance from Thee, No, my beloved Saviour, receive me then into Thy sacred Wounds, for I now embrace Thee. At my last breath I intend to breathe forth my soul into the loving Wound in Thy Side, saying now for that moment: Jesus and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul.
R. Jesus and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul. O happy suffering, to suffer for God! Happy death, to die in the Lord!
I embrace Thee now, my good Redeemer, that I may die in Thy embraces. If, O my soul, Mary assists you at your departure, and Jesus receives your last breath, It will not be death, but a sweet repose.
Then follows the Tantum Ergo, etc.
Evening Meditation
MARY RENDERS DEATH SWEET TO HER CLIENTS.
I.
He that is a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is proved in distress (Prov. xvii. 17).
We can never know our friends and relatives in the days of prosperity: it is only in the time of adversity that we see them in their true colours. People of the world never abandon a person in prosperity; but should misfortune overtake him, and particularly if death be at hand, they immediately forsake him. The Blessed Virgin does not act thus with her clients. In all their afflictions, and more particularly in the sorrows of death, the greatest that can be endured in this world, this good Lady and Mother not only does not abandon her faithful servants, but as during our exile on earth she is our life, so at our last hour she is our sweetness, by obtaining for us a peaceful, happy death. For from the day on which Mary had the privilege and the sorrow of assisting at the death of Jesus her Son Who was the Head of all the predestined, it has become her privilege to assist also at their deaths. And for this reason the Holy Church teaches us to beg this most Blessed Virgin to assist us especially at the moment of our death. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
O how great are the sufferings of the dying! They suffer from remorse of conscience on account of past sins; from the fear of the approaching Judgment and from the uncertainty of salvation. Then it is that hell arms itself and spares no effort to gain the soul on the point of entering into eternity, for the devils know that only a short time remains in which to gain it, and that if they lose it then they lose it for ever. The devil is come down unto you having great wrath knowing that he hath but a short time (Apoc. xii. 12).
Oh, how quickly do the rebellious spirits fly from the presence of this great Queen! At the hour of death if only we have the protection of Mary what need we fear from all our infernal enemies? O you are indeed fortunate if at death you are bound in the sweet chains of the love of the Mother of God! These chains are chains of salvation.
O my most sweet Mother, how shall I die, poor sinner that I am? Even now the thought of that supreme moment in which I must expire and appear before the Judgment seat of God, and the remembrance of having myself so often written my condemnation by consenting to sin, makes me tremble. I am confounded and fear much for my salvation. O Mary, in the Blood of Jesus and in thy intercession is all my hope.
II.
A great lover of Mary said before expiring: "O my Father, would that you could know the happiness I now enjoy from having served the most holy Mother of God! I cannot tell you the joy I now experience!" Father Suarez in consequence of his devotion to Mary died with such peace and joy that he said: "I could not have thought that death was so sweet!" You will, without doubt, experience the same joy and contentment in death if you can then remember that you have loved this good Mother who cannot be otherwise than faithful to her children who were faithful in serving and honouring her by their Visits, Rosaries, Fasts, and still more by frequently thanking and praising her and often recommending themselves to her powerful protection.
Nor will this consolation be withheld even if you have been for a time a sinner, provided that from this day you are careful to live well and to serve this most gracious and benign Lady. Though you may have hitherto offended God she will procure you a sweet and happy death. And if at that moment you are greatly alarmed and lose confidence at the sight of your sins, she will come and encourage you as she has so many others. Let us, then, be of good heart though we be sinners; and let us feel assured that Mary will come and assist us at death, and by her presence comfort and console us, provided only that we serve her lovingly during the remainder of our life. Our Queen, addressing St. Matilda one day, promised to assist all her clients at death who, during life, had faithfully served her. "I a most tender Mother," said Mary, "will faithfully be present at the death of all who piously serve me and will console and protect them." O God, what a consolation will it be at that last moment of our lives, when our eternal lot has to be decided, to see the Queen of Heaven assisting and consoling us with the assurance of her protection!
O Consoler of the afflicted, console a poor creature who recommends himself to thee! The remorse of a burdened conscience fills me with affliction. I know not if I have sufficiently grieved for my sins. All my actions are imperfect and sullied. Hell awaits my death in order to accuse me: the outraged justice of God demands satisfaction. My Mother, what will become of me? If thou dost not help me I am lost. Wilt thou not succour me? O compassionate Virgin, console me! Obtain me true sorrow for my sins, and the strength to amend my life and be faithful to God during the rest of my days. When I am in the last agonies of death, O Mary, my hope, do not abandon me. Then, more than ever, help and encourage me that I may not despair at the sight of my sins which the devil will then place before my eyes. O my Queen, pardon my temerity and come thyself to console me by thy presence. Thou hast conferred this grace upon so many others, do not refuse it to me. If my boldness is great, greater still is thy goodness, for it seeks out the most miserable in order to console them. It is this that gives me confidence. For thy eternal glory, be it said that thou hast snatched an unhappy creature from hell to which he was already condemned and hast led him into thy kingdom. O yes, sweet Mother, I hope to have the happiness of remaining always at thy feet in Heaven, thanking and blessing and loving thee for ever! O Mary, I shall expect thee at my last hour. Deprive me not of this consolation. So may it be! Amen. Amen.
In many churches the devout Exercises for a Happy Death are performed once a month, and with great and lasting profit to innumerable souls. A Plenary Indulgence can be gained by all the faithful who assist. These Exercises can be performed privately by each in his or her own home, and, as St. Alphonsus suggests, it would be well for all to do so at least once a month. The following is the usual order of the devout Exercises publicly or privately performed.
1. The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin is recited, or the Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph.
2. Then the Sermon, or a Reading, or a Meditation on Death. See Vol I. Part 1. pp. 23, 70, 270. 274, 370. etc,: Part II, pp. 1, 16, 19, 26, 31, 34, 61, 68, 73. 87, 126, 163.
3. Then the Prayer for a Happy Death, p. 381, after which a suitable hymn is sung -- e.g. God of Mercy and Compassion, or a hymn to St. Joseph, patron of a happy death.
4. The Blessed Sacrament is then exposed for Benediction as usual, and after the O Salutaris Hostia the Protestation for Death is recited, p. 383. Then the Tantum Ergo, etc.
Plenary Indulgence, ou the usual conditions, to all who on the fourth Sunday of the month assist at this devout Exercise in any Church of the Redemptorist Fathers. The prayers, "Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph," do not essentially belong to the Preparation for Death, and may therefore be omitted, They were composed by the Ven. Father Januarius Sarnelli, C.SS.R. (one of the first companions of St, Alphonsus), who in the year 1744 died at Naples in the odour of sanctity.
"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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"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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