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Jesus said of Himself: I am the good shepherd. The work of a good shepherd is nothing more than to guide his flock to good pastures, and to guard them from wolves. But what shepherd, O sweet Redeemer, ever had mercy like Thee! What shepherd would ever give his life for his sheep? Thou alone, because Thou art a God of infinite love, canst say: I lay down my life for my sheep.
I.
Thus spoke Jesus of Himself: I am the good Shepherd -(John x. 11). The work of a good shepherd is nothing more than to guide his flock to good pastures, and to guard them from wolves; but what shepherd, O sweet Redeemer, ever had mercy like Thee? What shepherd has ever given his life to save his flocks and deliver them from the punishment they had deserved?
Who in his own self bore our sins in his body upon the tree; that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice; by whose stripes you were healed-(l Peter ii. 24). To heal us of our sicknesses this good Shepherd took upon Himself all our ills, and paid our debts in His own person, dying in agony upon a Cross. It was this excess of love towards us, His sheep, which made St. Ignatius, the Martyr, burn with desire to give his life for Jesus Christ, saying: ” My Love is crucified! What! has my God been willing to die on a Cross for me, and cannot I desire to die for Him?” And, in truth, was it a great thing the Martyrs did in giving their lives for Jesus Christ, when He died for love of them? Oh, how that death endured for them by Jesus Christ made sweet to them all their torments-stripes, piercing nails, fiery plates of iron, and most agonizing deaths!
But the love of this Good Shepherd was not satisfied with giving His life for His sheep; He desired also, after His death, to leave them His flesh itself, first sacrificed upon the Cross, that it might be food and pasture of their souls. “The burning love He bore to us,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “induced Him to unite and make Himself one thing with us.”
Remember, then, my Jesus, that I am one of those sheep for whom Thou hast given Thy life. Ah! cast on me one of those looks of pity with which Thou didst once regard me, when Thou wast dying on the Cross for me. Look on me and change me, and save me. Thou hast called Thyself the loving Shepherd, Who, finding the lost sheep, takes it with joy and carries it on His shoulders, and then calls His friends to rejoice with Him. I love Thee, my Good Shepherd; never permit me to be again separated from Thee.
II.
When this Good Shepherd sees a sheep lost, what does He not do, what means does He not take, to recover it? He does not cease to seek it until He finds it. If he shall lose one of them doth he not go after that which was lost until he find it-(Luke xv. 4). And when He has found it, rejoicing He places it upon His shoulders, that it may be lost no more; and, calling to Him His friends and neighbours, i.e., the Angels and Saints, He invites them to rejoice with Him for having found the sheep that was lost. Who, then, will not love with all his affections this good Lord Who shows Himself thus loving to sinners who have turned their backs upon Him, and destroyed themselves of their own accord?
O my Saviour, worthy of all love, behold at Thy feet a sheep that was lost! I had left Thee, but Thou hast not abandoned me; Thou hast left no means untried to recover me. What would have become of me if Thou hadst not thought of seeking me? Woe is me! How long a time have I lived far from Thee. I Now, through Thy mercy, I trust that I am in Thy grace; and as I first fled from Thee, now I desire nothing but to love Thee, and to live and die embracing Thy feet. But while I live I am in danger of leaving Thee; oh, bind me, chain me with the bond of Thy holy love, and cease not to seek for me so long as I live on this earth. I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; seek thy servant -(Ps. cxviii. 176) O Mary, thou advocate of sinners, obtain for me holy perseverance.
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
VI.-HOW MUCH OUR CONFIDENCE IN MARY SHOULD BE INCREASED BECAUSE SHE; IS OUR MOTHER
O blessed are they who live under the protection of so loving and powerful a Mother! The Prophet David, although she was not yet born, sought salvation from God by dedicating himself as a son of Mary, and thus prayed: Save the son of thy handmaid-(Ps. lxxxv. 16). “Of what handmaid?” asks St. Augustine, and he answers, “Of her who said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” “And who,” says Blessed Cardinal Bellarmine, “would ever dare to snatch us from the bosom of Mary, when we have taken refuge there? What power of hell, or what temptation, can overcome us if we place our confidence in the patronage of this great Mother, God’s Mother and ours?” There are some who say that when the whale sees its young in danger, either from tempests or pursuers, it opens its mouth and swallows them. This is precisely what Novarinus asserts of Mary: ” When the storms of temptations rage, the most compassionate Mother of the faithful, with maternal tenderness, protects them as it were in her own bosom until she has brought them into the harbour of salvation.”
O most loving Mother! O most compassionate Mother! Be thou ever blessed! And ever blessed be God, who has given thee to us for our Mother, and for a secure refuge in all dangers of this life! Our Blessed Lady herself, in a vision, addressed these words to St. Bridget: “As a mother, on seeing her son in the midst of the swords of his enemies, would use every effort to save him so do I, and will do, for all sinners who seek my mercy.” Thus it is that in every engagement with the infernal powers we shall always certainly conquer by having recourse to the Mother of God, who is also our Mother, saying and repeating again and again: We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God.” Oh, how many victories have not the faithful gained over hell by having recourse to Mary with this short but most powerful prayer! Thus it was that the great servant of God, Sister Mary Crucified, of the Order of St. Benedict, always overcame the devils.
Be of good heart, then, all you who are children of Mary. Remember that she accepts as her children all those who choose to be so. Rejoice! Why do you fear to be lost when such a Mother defends and protects you? ” Say, then, oh my soul, with great confidence: I will rejoice and be glad; for whatever the judgment to be pronounced on me may be, it depends on and must come from my Brother and Mother.” “Thus,” says St. Bonaventure, “it is that each one who loves this good Mother, and relies on her protection, should animate himself to confidence, remembering that Jesus is our Brother, and Mary our Mother.” The same thought makes St. Anselm cry out with joy, and encourage us, saying: “O happy confidence! O safe refuge! The Mother of God is my Mother! How firm, then, should be our confidence, since our salvation depends on the judgment of a good Brother and a tender Mother.” It is, then, our Mother who calls us, and says, in these words of the Book of Proverbs: He that is a little one, let him come to me-(Prov. ix. 4). Children have always on their lips their mother’s name; and in every rear, in every danger, they immediately cry out: Mother! Mother! Ah, most sweet Mary! Ah, most loving Mother, this is precisely what thou desirest: that we should become children, and call on thee in every danger, and at all times have recourse to thee, because thou desirest to help and save us, as thou hast saved all who have had recourse to thee.
Evening Mediation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST.
XII.-HOW MUCH JESUS CHRIST DESERVES TO BE LOVED BY US ON ACCOUNT OF THE LOVE HE HAS SHOWN US IN INSTITUTING THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR
I.
This Sacrament of the Eucharist, above all others, inflames our souls with Divine love. God is love (l John iv. 8). And He is a fire which consumes all earthly affections in our hearts. He is a consuming fire (Heb. xii. 29). It was for this very purpose, namely, to enkindle this fire, the Son of God came upon earth. I am come to cast fire on the earth; and He added that He desired nothing but to see this fire enkindled in our souls: And what will I but that it be kindled-(Luke xii. 49}. And oh, what flames of love does not Jesus Christ light up in the heart of everyone who receives Him devoutly in this Sacrament! St. Catherine of Sienna once saw the Host in a priest’s hand as a globe of fire; and the Saint was astonished that the hearts of all men were not burned up and, as it were, reduced to ashes by such a flame. Such brilliant rays issued from the face of St. Rose of Lima, after Communion, as to dazzle the eyes of those who saw her; and the heat from her mouth was so intense that a hand held near it was scorched. It is related of St. Wenceslaus that by merely visiting the churches where the Blessed Sacrament was kept, he was inflamed by such an ardour that his servant, who accompanied him, did not feel the cold if, when walking on the snow, he trod in the footsteps of the Saint. And St. John Chrysostom says that the most Holy Sacrament is a burning fire; so that when we leave the altar we breathe forth flames of love which make us objects of terror to hell.
O God of love, O infinite Lover, worthy of infinite love, tell me what more canst Thou do to make men love Thee? It was not sufficient for Thee to become Man, and to subject Thyself to all our miseries; not sufficient to shed all Thy Blood for us in torments, and then to die overwhelmed with sorrow, upon a Cross, destined for the most shameful malefactors. Thou didst, at last, oblige Thyself to be hidden under the species of bread and wine. to become our food, and be united with each one of us. Tell me, I repeat, what more canst Thou do to make Thyself loved by us? Ah, wretched shall we be if we do not love Thee in this life! And when we shall have entered into eternity what remorse shall we not feel for not having loved Thee! My Jesus, I will not die without loving Thee, and loving Thee exceedingly!
II.
The spouse of the Canticles said: He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me-(Cant. ii. 4}. St. Gregory of Nyssa says that Communion is precisely this cellar of wine in which the soul becomes so inebriated with Divine love that she forgets and loses sight of creatures; and this is that languishing with love of which the spouse again speaks: Stay me up with flowers: compass me about with apples, because I languish with love-(Cant. ii. 5). Some one will say: ” But this is the very reason why I do not communicate frequently, because I see that I am so cold in the love of God.” Gerson answers such a one by saying: “Do you, therefore, because you are cold, willingly keep away from the fire? Rather, because you feel yourself cold, should you so much the more frequently approach this Sacrament, if you really desire to love Jesus Christ.” “Although it be with lukewarmness,” wrote St. Bonaventure, “still approach, trusting in the mercy of God. The more one feels himself sick, the greater need has he of a physician.”
In like manner, St. Francis de Sales: “Two sorts of persons ought to go frequently to Communion: the perfect in order to remain so; and the imperfect, in order to become perfect.” But for frequent Communion it is at least necessary to have a great desire to become a Saint and to grow in the love of Jesus Christ. Our Lord said once to St. Matilda: “When you go to Communion desire all the love which a soul has ever had for Me, and I will receive your love according to your desire.”
My Jesus, I am sorry and am pained for having so greatly offended Thee. But now I love Thee above all things. I love Thee more than myself, and I consecrate to Thee all my affections. Do Thou, who inspirest me with this desire, give me also grace to accomplish it. My Jesus, my Jesus, I desire nothing of Thee but Thyself. Now that Thou hath drawn me to Thy love, I leave all, I renounce all; and I bind myself to Thee: Thou alone art sufficient for me. O Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me, and make me a Saint! Add this also to the many wonders you have done in changing sinners into Saints.
"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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St. Bernard says the tongue of a detractor is a three-edged sword. It destroys the reputation of the neighbour; it wounds the souls of those who listen to the detraction; and it kills the soul or the detractor himself by depriving him of Divine grace. If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly -(Eccles. x. 11).
I.
To practise fraternal charity in words, you must, above all, abstain from every species of detraction. The talebearer, says the Holy Ghost, shall defile his own soul, and shall be hated by all-(Ecclus. xxi. 31). Yes, he shall be an object of hatred to God and to men, and even to those who for their own amusement applaud and encourage his slanderous language. Even they shall shun him; because they justly fear that as in their presence he has detracted others, so before others he will slander them. St. Jerome says that some who have renounced other vices cannot abstain from this. “They who have abandoned other sins continue to fall into the sin of detraction.” Would to God that even amongst those consecrated to God there were not to be found some whose tongues are so sharp that they cannot speak without wounding the character of a neighbour! God grant that such people may not meet the fate of a certain slanderer, who, according to Thomas Cantimpratensis, died in a fit of rage, and in the act of lacerating his tongue with his teeth. St. Bernard speaks of another slanderer. who attempted to defame the character of St. Malachy; his tongue instantly swelled and became filled with worms. In this miserable state the unhappy man died after seven days.
But how dear to God and to men are those who speak well of all! St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say that if she knew anyone who had never in his whole life spoken ill of a neighbour, she would have him canonised. Be careful, then, never to utter a word that savours of detraction. Above all, be on your guard against every expression that is in the slightest degree apt to injure the character of your Superiors. By speaking ill of them, you would destroy in your companions the spirit of obedience, as you would diminish respect for their judgment and authority. The sin of detraction is committed, not only by imputing to others what is not true, by exaggerating their defects, or by making known their hidden faults, but also by representing their virtuous actions as defective, or by ascribing them to a bad motive. Is is also detraction to deny the good works of others, or to question their claims to the just praise bestowed upon them. To render their calumnies more credible, some people begin by praise and end with slander. Such a person, they say, has a great deal of talent, but he is proud; he is very generous, but at the same time very vindictive.
Ah, my God, look not upon my sins, but upon Jesus, Thy Son, Who has sacrificed His life for my salvation. For Jesus’ sake have pity upon me, and pardon all the offences I have committed against Thee, but especially those I have committed by my want of charity towards my neighbour. Destroy in me, O Lord, whatever displeases Thee, and give me a sincere desire to please Thee in all things.
II.
Let it be your care ever to speak well of all. Speak of others as you would wish to be spoken of by others. With regard to the absent, observe the excellent rule of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi: “Never to utter in their absence what you would not say in their presence.” And should you ever hear someone speak ill of others, be careful neither to encourage his uncharitableness nor to appear pleased with his language; otherwise you will partake of his guilt. You should either reprove him, or change the subject of conversation, or withdraw, or, at least, pay no attention to him. Hedge in thy ears with thorns, says the Holy Ghost; hear not a wicked tongue -(Ecclus. xxviii. 28). Against detraction, hedge in your ears with thorns, that it may not enter. Whenever, then, you hear a person speak ill of others, it is necessary to show, at least by silence, by your countenance, or by downcast eyes, that you are not pleased with the conversation. Conduct yourself always in such a way that no one will in future dare attack the character of another in your presence. And when it is in your power, charity requires of you to take the part of the person who is detracted. Thy lips are as a scarlet lace-(Cant. iv. 3). My spouse, says the Lord, I will have thy lips as a scarlet lace; that is, according to the explanation of St. Gregory of Nyssa, your words must be full of charity, so as to cover as much as possible the defects of others, or at least to excuse their intention, if their actions be inexcusable. “Excuse the intention,” says St. Bernard, “if you cannot excuse the act.” The Abbot Constabile, as Surius relates, was called “The covering of his brethren.” For this holy monk, as often as he heard anyone speak of the defects of others, sought to cover and excuse them. Such, too, was the practice of St. Teresa. Of her Religious used to say that in her presence their character was secure, because she would defend them.
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
VII.-THE GREATNESS OF THE LOVE THE MOTHER BEARS US
Since Mary is our Mother, we may consider how great is the love she bears us. Love towards our children is a necessary impulse of nature; and St. Thomas says that this is the reason why the Divine law imposes on children the obligation of loving their parents, but gives no express command that parents should love their children; for nature itself has so strongly implanted it in all creatures that, as St. Ambrose remarks, “we know that a mother will expose herself to danger for her children,” and even the most savage beasts cannot do otherwise than love their young. It is said that even tigers, on hearing the cry of their cubs taken by hunters, will go into the sea and swim until they reach the vessel in which they are. Since the very tigers, says our most loving Mother Mary, cannot forget their young, how can I forget to love you, my children? And even, she adds, were such a thing possible as that a mother should forget to love her child, it is not possible that I should cease to love a soul that has become my child: Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will I not forget thee-(Is. xlix. 15).
Mary is our Mother, not, as we have already observed, according to the flesh, but by love: I am the mother of fair love-(Ecclus. xxiv. 24); hence it is the love only that she bears us that makes her our Mother; and therefore a writer remarks that “she glories in being a Mother of love, because she is all love towards us whom she has adopted for her children.” And who can ever tell the love that Mary bears us miserable creatures? Arnold of Chartres tells us that” at the death of Jesus Christ she desired with immense ardour to die with her Son, for love of us”; so much so, adds St. Ambrose, that whilst “her Son was hanging on the Cross, Mary offered herself to the executioners,” to give her life for us.
But let us consider the reason of this love; for then we shall be better able to miderstand how much this good Mother loves us. The first reason for the great love that Mary bears to men is the great love that she bears to God; love towards God and love towards our neighbour belong to the same commandment, as expressed by St. John: this commandment we have from God, that he who loveth God love also his brother-(l John iv. 21); so that in proportion as the one becomes greater the other also increases. What have not the Saints done for their neighbour in consequence of their love towards God! Read only the account of the labours of St. Francis Xavier in the Indies, where, in order to aid the souls of these poor barbarians and bring them to God, he exposed himself to a thousand dangers, clambering amongst the mountains, and seeking out these poor creatures in the caves in which they dwelt like wild beasts. See a St. Francis de Sales, who, in order to convert the heretics of the province of Chablais, risked his life every morning for a whole year, crawling on his hands and knees over a frozen beam, in order that he might preach to them on the opposite side of a river; a St. Paulinus, who delivered himself up as a slave in order that he might obtain liberty for the son of a poor widow; a St. Fidelis, who, in order to draw the heretics of a certain place to God, persisted in going to preach to them, though he knew it would cost him his life. The Saints, then, because they loved God much, did much for their neighbour; but who ever loved God as much as Mary? She loved Him more in the first moment of her existence than all the Saints and Angels ever loved Him, or will love Him. Our Blessed Lady herself revealed to Sister Mary Crucified that the fire of love with which she was inflamed towards God was such that if the heavens and earth were placed in it they would be instantly consumed; so that the ardours of the Seraphim, in comparison with it, were but as fresh breezes. And as amongst all the blessed spirits there is not one that loves God more than Mary, so we neither have, nor can have, anyone who, after God, loves us as much as this most loving Mother; and if we concentrate all the love that mothers bear their children, husbands and wives one another, all the love of Angels and Saints for their clients, it does not equal the love of Mary towards a single soul. Father Nieremberg says that the love that all mothers have ever had for their children is but a shadow in comparison with the love that Mary bears to each one of us; and he adds that she alone loves us more than all the Angels and Saints put together.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XIII.-ON THE GREAT CONFIDENCE WE OUGHT TO HAVE IN THE LOVE JESUS CHRIST HAS SHOWN US AND IN ALL HE HAS DONE FOR US
I.
David placed all his hope of salvation in his future Redeemer, and said: Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth-(Ps. xxx. 6). But how much more ought we to place our confidence in Jesus Christ, now that He has come and has accomplished the work of Redemption! Hence each one of us should say, and repeat again and again with greater confidence: Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.
If we have great reason to fear everlasting death on account of our sins against God, we have on the other hand far greater reason to hope for everlasting life through the merits of Jesus Christ, which are infinitely more powerful for our salvation than our sins are for our damnation. We have sinned, and have deserved hell; but the Redeemer has come to take upon Himself all our offences, and to make satisfaction for them by His sufferings: Surely he hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows-(Is. liii. 4). . In the same unhappy moment in which we sinned, God had already written against us the sentence of eternal death; but what has our merciful Redeemer done?
Blotting out the handwriting of the decree which was against us … the same he took out of the way, fastening it to the cross-(Col. ii. 14). He cancelled by His Blood the decree of our condemnation, and then fastened it to the Cross, in order that, when we look at the sentence of our damnation for the sins we have committed, we may at the same time see the Cross on which Jesus Christ died and blotted out this sentence by His Blood, and so regain hope of pardon and everlasting life.
II.
Oh, how far more powerfully does the Blood of Jesus Christ speak for us, and obtain mercy for us from God, than did the blood of Abel speak against Cain! You are come to Jesus, the mediator of the New Testament, and to the sprinkling of blood, which speaketh better than that of Abel-(Heb. xii. 24). As if the Apostle had said: “O sinners, happy are you to be able, after you have sinned, to have recourse to Jesus crucified, Who has shed all His Blood in order to become the Mediator of peace between sinners and God, and to obtain pardon for them! Your iniquities cry out against you, but the Blood of the Redeemer pleads in your favour; and the Divine justice cannot but be appeased by the voice of this Precious Blood.”
It is true that we shall have to render a rigorous account to the Eternal Judge of all our sins. But who is to be our Judge? The Father hath committed all judgments to the Son-(John v. 22). Let us comfort ourselves; the Eternal Father has committed our judgment to our own Redeemer. Therefore St. Paul encourages us, saying: Who is he that shall condemn? Christ Jesus who died . . . who also maketh intercession for us–(Rom. viii. 34). Who is the Judge to condemn us? It is that same Saviour Who, in order not to condemn us to everlasting death, vouchsafed Himself to be condemned and to die; and not content with this. at this moment intercedes with His Father for our salvation. Hence St. Thomas of Villanova says: What do you fear, O sinner, if you detest your sin? How will He condemn you, Who died in order not to condemn you? How will He cast you from Him, if you return to His feet, He Who came from Heaven to seek you at the very time you were flying from Him?
"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 sowers of discord are objects of abomination in God’s sight: Six things there are which the Lord hateth and the seventh his soul detesteth him that soweth discord among brethren-(Prov. vi. 16, 19}. An uncharitable word that proceeds from passion may be excusable, but how can the Almighty bear with him who sows discord and disturbs the peace of a community?
Hast thou heard a word against thy neighbor? Let it die within thee-(Ecclus xix. 10).
I.
Be careful never to mention to anyone that another has spoken ill of him: for tale-bearing of this kind sometimes occasions disputes and aversions which last for a long time. Oh! how frightful the account which tale-bearers must render to God! The sowers of discord are objects of abomination in His sight.
Six things there are which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth . . . him that soweth discord among brethren-(Prov. vi. 16, 19). An uncharitable word that proceeds from passion may be excusable. But how can the Almighty bear with him who sows discord and disturbs the peace of a community? Listen to the advice of the Holy Ghost: Hast thou heard a word against thy neighbor? Let it die within thee (Ecclus. xix. 10). The words that you hear against another must not only be kept to yourself, but must even die and be buried within you. You must be careful, then, never to give the slightest intimation of what you have heard. For a single word, a nod, a simple hint, may lead others to a knowledge, or at least to a suspicion, of the faults that were mentioned to you.
Some appear to suffer the pangs of death until they have disclosed the secrets communicated to them; as if these secrets were so many thorns that wound their very heart until they are drawn out. You should never mention the hidden defects of others to anyone except to Superiors, and not even to them unless the reparation of the injury done to the community, or the good of the one who has committed the fault, require that it should be made known to the Superior.
Moreover, in your conversation you must be careful never to wound, even by jests, the feelings of another. Jests that offend a neighbour are opposed to charity, and to the words of Jesus Christ: All things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them-(Matt. vii. 12). You certainly would not like to be made an object of derision and of mockery before your companions. Abstain then from casting ridicule on others.
Endeavour also to avoid as much as possible all disputes. Sometimes trifles give occasion to arguments that end in disputes and injurious language. There are some who violate charity by proposing, through the spirit of contradiction, certain topics of debate which give rise to useless disputation. Strive not, says the Wise Man, in a matter which doth not concern thee-(Ecclus. xi. 9).
II.
But some will say that in every debate they defend the right side of the question, and that they cannot listen in silence to assertions utterly destitute of foundation. I answer in the words of Blessed Cardinal Bellarmine: “An ounce of charity is of more value than a hundred cartloads of reason.” Blessed Egidius used to say that in such controversies to submit is to conquer; because submission evinces a superiority in virtue and preserves peace. Surely the preservation of peace is of far greater importance than the empty honour of a wordy victory. Hence St. Ephrem used to say that to maintain peace he always yielded to his adversary in disputation. St. Joseph Calasanctius, therefore, advises “all who desire peace never to contradict anyone.”
But, if you love charity, endeavour to be affable and meek to all. Meekness is the characteristic virtue of the lamb; it is the beloved virtue of Jesus Christ, Who, through a love of meekness, took the appellation of Lamb. In your conversation and intercourse with others be agreeable not only to those over you, but to all, and particularly to those who have offended you, who oppose your wishes, or displease you by their roughness of manner, or by their forgetfulness of past favours. Charity is patient: beareth all things-(l Cor. xiii. 4, 7). Whoever, then, bears not with the defects of his neighbour cannot have true charity. The most perfect souls are not free from all defects. You yourself are subject to faults; and notwithstanding your manifold imperfections you expect to be treated with charity and compassion You therefore should, according to the advice of the Apostle, compassionate the defects of others. Bear ye one another’s burdens-(Gal. vi. 2). A mother, because she loves them, submits in patience to the insolence of her children. It is by the manner in which you bear the burdens others impose on you that you are to judge whether you love your neighbour with true charity.
Oh! with what charity did the Redeemer bear with the rudeness and imperfections of His disciples during the whole time He lived with them! With what charity did He wash the feet of the traitor Judas! With what patience has He borne even to the present moment with your sinfulness and ingratitude! And will you refuse to bear with the defects of your neighbours? The physician while he loves a patient loathes his disease; and if you have charity you must love your neighbours and at the same time hate their faults. But you will say: What am I to do? I have a natural repugnance to the society of such a person, and feel it painful to hold intercourse with him. My answer is: Have more fervour and more charity, and all such antipathies will vanish.
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
VIII.-THE GREATNESS OF THE LOVE THIS MOTHER BEARS US
Our Mother Mary loves us much, because we were recommended to her by her beloved Jesus when He, before expiring, said to her: Woman, behold thy son! for we were all represented in the person of St. John, as we have already observed: these were His last words; and the last recommendations left before death by persons we love are always treasured and never forgotten. But again, we are exceedingly dear to Mary on account of the sufferings we cost her. Mothers generally love those children most the preservation of whose lives has cost them the most suffering and anxiety; we are those children for whom Mary, in order to obtain for us the life of grace, was obliged to endure the bitter agony of herself offering her beloved Jesus to die an ignominious death, and had also to see Him expire before her own eyes in the midst of the most cruel and unheard-of torments. It was, then, by this great offering of Mary that we were born to the life of grace; we are therefore her very dear children, since we cost her so great suffering. And thus, as it is written of the love of the Eternal Father towards men, in giving His own Son to death for us, that God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son-(John iii. 16). “So also,” says St. Bonaventure, “we can say of Mary that she has so loved us as to give her only-begotten Son for us.” And when did she give Him? She gave Him, says Father Nieremberg, when she granted Him permission to deliver Himself up to death; she gave Him to us when, others neglecting to do so, either out of hatred or from fear, she might herself have pleaded for the life of her Son before the judges. Well may it be supposed that the words of so wise and loving a Mother would have had great weight, at least with Pilate, and might have prevented him from sentencing a man to death whom he knew and had declared to be innocent. But no, Mary would not say a word in favour of her Son, lest she might prevent that death on which our salvation depended. Finally, she gave Him to us a thousand and a thousand times during the three hours preceding His Death and which she spent at the foot of the Cross; for during the whole of that time she unceasingly offered. With the extreme of sorrow and the extreme of love, the life of her Son on our behalf, and this with such constancy that St. Anselm and St. Antoninus say that if executioners had been wanting she herself would have crucified Him in order to obey the Eternal Father Who willed His Death for our salvation. If Abraham had such fortitude as to be ready to sacrifice with his own hands the life of his son, with far greater fortitude would Mary, far more holy and obedient than Abraham, have sacrificed the life of hers. But let us return to the consideration of the gratitude we owe to Mary for so great an act of love as was the painful sacrifice of the life of her Son, which she made to obtain eternal salvation for us all. God abundantly rewarded Abraham for the sacrifice he was prepared to make of his son Isaac; but we, what return can we make to Mary for the life of her Jesus, a Son far more noble and beloved than the son of Abraham? “This love of Mary,” says St. Bonaventure, “has indeed obliged us to love her; for we see that she has surpassed all others in love towards us, since, she has given to us her only Son, Whom she loved more than herself.”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XIV.-ON THE GREAT CONFIDENCE WE OUGHT TO HAVE IN THE LOVE JESUS CHRIST HAS SHOWN US AND IN ALL HE HAS DONE FOR US
I.
Now, if we fear, on account of our frailty to fall under the assaults of our enemies, against whom we must continually wage war, behold what we have to do, as the Apostle admonishes us : Let us run to the fight proposed unto us: looking on Jesus the author and finisher of faith, who having joy proposed unto him, underwent the cross, despising the shame-(Heb. xii. 1, 2). Let us go out to the battle with great courage, looking at Jesus crucified, Who from His Cross offers us His assistance, the victory, and crown. In past times we fell into sin because we did not consider the wounds and the pains endured by our Redeemer, and so we did not have recourse to Him for help. But if for the future we set before our eyes all He has suffered for love of us, and how He ever stands ready to assist us when we have recourse to Him, it is certain that we shall not be conquered by our enemies. St. Teresa said, with her wonted generosity: “I do not understand the fears of certain persons who say: The devil, the devil! so long as we can say: God, God! and make Satan tremble.” On the other hand, the Saint assures us that if we do not place all our confidence in God, all our own exertions will be of little or no avail. “All our exertions “-these are her own words-“are of little use if we do not give up entirely all trust in ourselves, and place it altogether in God.”
Oh, what two great Mysteries of hope and love for us are the Passion of Jesus Christ and the Sacrament of the Altar!-Mysteries which we could have never believed, had not Faith assured us of them. That God Almighty should deign to become Man, shed all His Blood, and die of sorrow upon a Cross and why? To pay for our sins and gain salvation for us rebellious worms! And then His own very Body, once sacrificed upon the Cross for us, this He vouchsafes to give us for our Food, in order to become wholly united with us! O God, how should not these two Mysteries consume with love the hearts of all men! And what sinner is there, be he ever so abandoned, who can despair of pardon, if he repent of the evil he has done, when he sees a God so full of love for men and so inclined to do them good? Hence St. Bonaventure, full of confidence, said: ” I will have great confidence, firmly hoping that He Who has done and suffered so much for my salvation will deny me nothing that I have need of.” How can He refuse to give me the graces necessary for my salvation, Who has done and suffered so much to save me?
II.
Let us go therefore, the Apostle exhorts us, with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid-(Heb. iv. 16). The Cross is the throne of grace on which Jesus sits to dispense graces and mercy to all who come to Him. But we must have recourse to Him at once if we would find seasonable aid for our salvation: for there will come a time, perhaps; when we shall no longer be able to find it. Let us go quickly, then, and embrace the Cross of Jesus Christ, and let us go with great confidence. Let us not be frightened by the sight of our miseries; in Jesus crucified we shall find all riches, all grace: In all things you are made rich in him . . . so that nothing is wanting to you in any grace-(l Cor. i. 5, 7). The merits of Jesus Christ have enriched us with all the Divine treasures, and have made us capable of every grace we can desire.
St. Leo says that “Jesus has brought us by His death more good than the devil has done us harm by sin.” And by these words he explains what St. Paul said before him, that the gift of Redemption is greater than sin, and that grace has overcome the offence. Not as the offence, so also is the gift: where sin abounded, grace hath abounded more-(Rom. v. 15, 20). From this the Saviour encourages us to hope for every favour and every grace through His merits. And see how He teaches us the way to obtain all we want from His Eternal Father: Amen, amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you -(John xvi. 23). Whatever you desire, He says, ask for it of the Father in My Name, and I promise that you shall be heard. And, indeed, what shall the Father be able to deny us when He has given us His only-begotten Son, whom He loves as Himself? He that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how hath he not also, with him, given us all things?-(Rom. viii. 32). The Apostle says, all things; so that no grace is excepted, neither pardon, nor perseverance, nor holy love, nor perfection, nor Paradise-” all, all, He has given us.” But we must pray to Him. God is all liberality to those who call upon Him: Rich unto all that call upon him-(Rom. x. 12).
"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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To understand how powerful is the intercession of St. Joseph with Jesus Christ, we need only know what the Gospel says, and he was subject to them-(Luke ii. 51). For thirty years, then, the Son of God most carefully obeyed Joseph and Mary. Joseph had only to indicate his will by a word or a sign, and he was immediately obeyed by Jesus. This humility of Jesus in obeying teaches us that the dignity of St. Joseph was above that of all the Saints, with the exception of the Divine Mother.
I.
Let us consider what St. Teresa says or the confidence we should have in the protection of St. Joseph; she says: “Our Lord seems to have granted power to other Saints to help in one necessity; experience proves that this Saint helps us in all; and our Lord wishes us to understand that, as on earth He was subject to Joseph, so also in Heaven He refuses him nothing that he asks. Other persons whom I advised to recommend themselves to St. Joseph have experienced this. I never knew anyone who served him, by practising some particular devotion in his honour, who did not always make progress in virtue. I entreat those who do not believe what I say to try it themselves. I cannot understand how it is possible to think of the Queen of Angels and of all the labours she underwent during the childhood of Jesus, without returning thanks to St. Joseph for all the Services he rendered at that time to the Mother and the Son.” We can, therefore, imagine that we hear our Lord, when He sees us afflicted in the midst of our miseries, address us all in the words in which Pharaoh addressed his people at the time of the famine in Egypt: Go to Joseph-(Gen. xli. 55) if you desire consolation.
My holy patron, St. Joseph, I choose thee, after Mary, for my principal advocate and protector. I promise to honour thee every day by some special devotion, and by placing myself under thy protection. I am unworthy of being thy servant; but through the love which thou dost bear to Jesus and Mary, accept me for thy perpetual servant. Through the sweet company of Jesus and Mary which thou didst enjoy during life, protect me during my whole life, that I may never be separated from God by losing His grace.
II.
We should especially be devout to St. Joseph in order that the Saint may obtain us a good death. He, on account of having saved the Infant Jesus from the snares of Herod, has the special privileges of delivering dying persons from the snares of the devil. Moreover, on account of the services he rendered for so many years to Jesus and Mary, having by his labours provided them a dwelling and food, he has the privilege of obtaining the special assistance of Jesus and Mary for his devout clients at death.
My holy protector, St. Joseph, on account of my sins I deserve a bad death; but if thou defendest me I shall not be lost. Thou wast not only a great friend of my Judge, but thou wast also His guardian and adopted father; recommend me to thy Jesus, Who loves thee so much. I place myself under thy protection; accept me for thy perpetual servant. And by that holy company of Jesus and Mary which thou didst enjoy on earth, obtain that I may never more be separated from their love; and, in fine, by the assistance of Jesus and Mary, which thou hadst at death, obtain for me, that at my death I also may have the special assistance of Jesus and Mary. Most holy Virgin, by the love which thou didst bear to thy holy spouse St. Joseph, help me at the hour of my death.
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
1-THE GREATNESS OF THE LOVE THIS MOTHER BEARS US
Another motive for the love of Mary towards us arises from the fact that in us she sees souls that have been purchased at the price of the death of Jesus Christ. If a mother knew that a servant had been ransomed by a beloved son at the price of twenty years of imprisonment and suffering, how greatly would she esteem that servant on this account alone! Mary well knows that her Son came into the world only to save us poor creatures, as He Himself protested: I am come to save that which was lost-(Lukexix.10). And to save us He was pleased even to lay down His life for us: becoming obedient unto death-(Phil. ii. 8). If, then, Mary loved us but little, she would show that she valued but little the Blood of her own Son, which was the price of our salvation. To St. Elizabeth of Hungary it was revealed that Mary, from the time she dwelt in the Temple, did nothing but pray for us, begging that God would hasten the coming of His Son into the world to save us. And how much more must we suppose that she loves us, now that she has seen that we are valued to such a degree by her Son, that He did not disdain to purchase us at such a cost!
Because all men have been redeemed by Jesus, therefore Mary loves and protects them all. It was she who was seen by St. John in the Apocalypse, clothed with the sun: And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun-(Apoc. xii. 1). She is said to be clothed with the sun because, as there is no one on earth who can be hidden from the heat of the sun, so there is no one living who can be deprived of the love of Mary.
There is no one that can hide himself from its heat-(Ps. xviii. 7); that is, as Blessed Raymond Jordano applies the words, “from the love of Mary.” “And who,” exclaims St. Antoninus, “can ever form an idea of the tender care that this most loving Mother takes of all of us ” “offering and dispensing her mercy to everyone” ; for our good Mother desired the salvation of all, and co-operated in obtaining it. “It is evident,” says St. Bernard, “that she was solicitous for the whole human race.” Hence the custom of some of Mary’s clients, which consists in asking our Lord to grant them the graces that our Blessed Lady seeks for them, succeeds most advantageously. They say: Lord, grant me that which the most Blessed Virgin Mary asks for me. “And no wonder,” says Cornelius a Lapide, “for our Mother desires for us better things than we can possibly desire ourselves.” The devout Bernardine de Eustis says that Mary “loves to do us good and dispense graces to us far more than we to receive them.” On this subject Blessed Albert the Great applies to Mary the words of the Book of Wisdom: She preventeth them that covet her, so that she first showeth herself unto them-(Wisd. vi. 14). Mary anticipates those who have recourse to her by making them find her before they seek her. “The love that this good Mother bears us is so great,” says Richard of St. Laurence, ” that as soon as she perceives our want she comes to our assistance. She comes before she is called.”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XV.-ON THE GREAT CONFIDENCE WE OUGHT TO HAVE IN THE LOVE JESUS CHRIST HAS SHOWN US AND IN ALL HE HAS DONE FOR US
I.
The Blessed John of Avila has left us many beautiful thoughts on the great confidence we should have in the merits of Jesus Christ. “Do not forget,” he says “that Jesus Christ is the Mediator between the Eternal Father and ourselves; and that we are beloved by Him, and united to Him by such strong bonds of love that nothing can break them, so long as a man does not himself dissolve them by some mortal sin. The Blood of Jesus cries out and asks mercy for us; and cries out so loudly that the noise of our sins is not heard. The death of Jesus Christ hath put to death our sins: o death, I will be thy death!-(Osee xiii. 14). Those who are lost are not lost for want of means of satisfaction, but, because they do not avail themselves of the Sacraments as the means of profiting by the satisfaction made by Jesus Christ.”
Jesus has taken upon Himself the affair of remedying our evils, as if it had been personally His own affair. So that He has called our sins His own, although He did not commit them, and has sought pardon for them; and with the most tender love has prayed, as if He were praying for Himself, that all who should have recourse to Him might become objects of love. And as He sought, so He found, because God has so ordained that Jesus and ourselves should be so united in one, that either He and we should be loved or He and we hated: and since Jesus is not and cannot be hated, in the same way, if we remain united by love to Jesus, we also shall be loved. By His being loved by God, we are also loved, seeing that Jesus Christ can do more to make us loved that we can do to make ourselves hated; since the Eternal Father loves Jesus Christ far more than He hates sinners.”
My God, I love Thee; and because I love Thee I repent above all things for having offended Thee. In order not to lose a passing satisfaction, I have been willing, wretch that I am, to lose Thee so often, O Infinite Good! This thought torments me more than any pain: but it is a consolation to me to think that I have to do with infinite goodness, that knows not how to despise a heart that truly loves. Oh, that I could die for Thee, Who didst die for me! My dear Redeemer, I confidently hope for eternal salvation in the life to come, and in this life I hope for holy perseverance in Thy love; and therefore I propose always to ask it of Thee. And do Thou, by the merits of Thy Death, give me perseverance in praying to Thee. This, too, I ask and hope of you, O Mary my Queen!
II.
Jesus said to His Father: Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me-(John xvii. 24). Love has conquered hatred; and thus we have been pardoned and loved, and are secure of never being abandoned, so strong is the tie of love that binds us. The Lord said by Isaias: Can a woman forget her infant? And if she should forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee in my hands-(Is. xlix. 15, 16). He has graven us in His hands with His own Blood. Thus we should not trouble ourselves about anything since everything is ordained by those hands which were nailed to the Cross in testimony of the love He bears us.”
“Nothing can trouble us on which Jesus Christ cannot reassure us. Let the sins I have committed surround me, let devils lay snares for me, let fears for the future accuse me; by demanding mercy of the most tender Jesus Christ, Who has loved me even until death, I cannot possibly lose confidence; for I see myself so highly valued that God gave Himself for me. O my Jesus, sure haven for those who seek Thee in time of peril! O most watchful Pastor, he deceives himself who does not trust in Thee, if only he has the will to amend his life! Therefore Thou hast said: “I am here, fear not; I am He Who afflicts and Who consoles. Some from time to time I place in desolations which seem equal to hell itself; but after a while I bring them out and console them. I am thine Advocate, Who have made thy cause My own. I am thy Surety, Who am come to pay thy debts. I am thy Lord, Who redeemed thee with My Blood, not in order to abandon thee but to enrich thee, having bought thee at a great price. How shall I fly from him who seeks Me, when I went forth to meet those who sought to outrage Me? I did not turn away My face from him who struck Me; and shall I from him who would adore Me?
How can My children doubt that I love them, seeing that out of love for them I placed Myself in the hands of My enemies? Whom have I ever despised that loved Me? Whom have I ever abandoned that sought My aid? Even I go seeking those that do not seek Me. If you believe that the Eternal Father has given you His Son, believe also that He will give you everything else which is infinitely less than His Son. Do not think that Jesus Christ is forgetful of you, since He has left you, as the greatest memorial and pledge of His love, Himself in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
O my Jesus, my Love, what joyful hope does Thy Passion give me! How can I possibly fear I may not receive from an Almighty God Who has given me all His Blood, the pardon of my sins, Paradise, and all other graces that I require! Ah, my Jesus, my Hope and my Love, Thou, in order that I might not perish, didst give Thy life; I love Thee above every good, my Redeemer and my God. Thou gavest Thyself entirely to me; I give Thee my whole will, and with it I repeat that I love ‘Thee, and I will always’ say I love Thee, I love Thee! So I always desire to say in this life, so I wish to die, breathing forth my last sigh with this dear word on my lips: My God, I love Thee! that from that moment I may commence a love towards Thee which shall last without cessation for all eternity.
"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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Father Alvarez used to say that virtue is weak till it is proved by ill-treatment from others. It is by the manner in which she bears with contempt and insult that a soul shows whether she abounds or fails in charity. O my God! What a sad thing to see certain souls, who practise mental prayer and frequent the Sacraments, so sensitive to every mark of disrespect or inattention!
I.
Let us consider how meekness is to be practised. In the first place, endeavour with all your might to restrain every motion of anger. In the next place, you must be careful to abstain from all disagreeable words, and to avoid all roughness and haughtiness of manner; for rude conduct is sometimes more offensive than insulting language. Should a person ever treat you with contempt, suffer it in patience for the love or Jesus Christ, who for the love of you has borne with far greater insults. My God! what a misery to see certain souls, who practise mental prayer and frequent the Sacraments, so sensitive to every mark of disrespect or inattention! Sister Mary of the Ascension, as often as she received an affront, went immediately before the Blessed Sacrament, and said: My Spouse, I bring you this little present; I beg you to accept it, and to pardon the person by whom I have been offended. Why do you not imitate this holy Religious? To preserve charity you must suffer all things. Father Alvarez used to say that virtue is weak till it is proved by ill-treatment from others. It is by the manner in which she bears with contempt and insult that a soul shows whether she abounds or fails in charity.
Should anyone ever address you in the language of passion, or even of insult and reproach, answer with sweetness, and his anger will be instantly appeased. A mild answer breaketh wrath-(Prov. xv. 1). St. John Chrysostom says: “Fire cannot be extinguished by fire, nor wrath by anger.” Do you imagine that by replying with acrimony to those who speak to you in anger you will calm passion? On the contrary, you will provoke it, and will also violate charity. Let your answer to every word of anger be full of sweetness, and the fire of passion will be instantly extinguished. Sophronius relates that two monks having missed their way on a journey, entered by chance into a field in which seed had been just sown. The man who was intrusted with the care of the field burst into a fit of rage and heaped upon them every epithet of reproach. At first they were silent, but seeing that their silence served only to inflame his anger they exclaimed: “Brother, we have done wrong; for God’s sake pardon us.” This humble answer calmed his passion and filled his soul with sorrow for his conduct. He immediately asked pardon of the monks for his injurious language-he even left the world afterwards and joined them in the cloister.
II.
You will sometimes think it right and even necessary to repress by a sharp answer the forwardness of another, particularly if you are a Superior, and he be wanting in respect for you; but be assured that such sharpness proceeds from passion rather than from reason. I know that anger is sometimes lawful. Be angry, says the Psalmist, and sin not-(Ps. iv. 5). But to be angry and not to sin is very difficult in practice. Whoever abandons himself to anger exposes his soul to imminent danger. Hence St. Francis de Sales wisely teaches in his Philothea, that however just the occasions of anger may be, its motions should be repressed. “It is better,” says the Saint, “to have it said of you that you are never angry, than that you were justly angry.” St. Augustine says that anger once allowed to enter the soul is banished with difficulty; and therefore he strongly recommends us to stifle it in its very origin. A certain philosopher called Agrippinus, having lost his property, said: “If I have lost my goods I will not lose my peace.” Let such be your language as often as you receive any offence. Is it not enough for you to have received an affront? Do you wish, moreover, to lose the peace of your soul by yielding to anger? The disturbance of mind occasioned by anger will be far more injurious to you than the insult that you have received. St. Augustine says that he who yields to passion on every occasion of insult is his own chastiser. Disquiet of soul, even when it arises from a regret for a fault, is always injurious. For, as St. Aloysius used to say, it delights the devil to fish in troubled waters.
I have said that when someone speaks to you in the language or tone of passion or contempt you should answer with sweetness. But I now say that whenever the soul is disturbed it is better to be silent; for passion will then make harsh expressions appear just and reasonable. But when peace returns you will see that your language was altogether unjustifiable. St. Bernard says that anger draws over the soul a dark veil which renders her incapable of distinguishing what is right from what is wrong.
When the person who has offended you comes to ask pardon, be careful not to receive him with a stern countenance, nor to show discontent or want of respect by your words or looks. But whenever you offend or displease another, endeavour at once, by all means in your power to make satisfaction to the person, and to remove from his heart all feelings of aversion towards you. St. Bernard says that “humility alone is the reparation of wounded charity.” Self-humiliation is the most efficacious means of repairing the violation of charity. Whenever, then, you offend against charity, humble yourself immediately, overcome by force your natural repugnance to humiliation: the longer you defer the reparation of the fault you have committed, the more your repugnance to make reparation will increase. If, says the Redeemer, thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee; leave there thy offering before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming, thou shalt offer thy gift -(Matt. v. 23, 24). If you come to the altar to offer your gift, to receive the Holy Eucharist, or to attend Mass, and remember that you have offended a brother, retire from the altar and be reconciled to him.
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
X.-THE GREATNESS OF THE LOVE THIS MOTHER BEARS US
Mary is so good to all, even to the ungrateful and negligent, who love her but little and seldom have recourse to her, how much more loving will she be to those who love her and often call upon her! She is found by them that seek her-(Wisd. vi. 13). “Oh, how easy,” says Blessed Albert the Great, “it is for those who love Mary to find her, and to find her full of compassion and love!” In the words of the Book of Proverbs, I love them that love me-(Prov. viii. 17), she protests that she cannot do otherwise than love those who love her. And although this most loving Lady loves all men as her children, yet, says St. Bernard. “she recognises and loves”-that is, she loves in a more special manner those who love her more tenderly. Blessed Raymond Jordano asserts that these happy lovers of Mary are not only loved but even served by her; for he says that those who find the most Blessed Virgin Mary find all; for she loves those who love her, nay more, she serves those who serve her.
In the Chronicles of the Order of St. Dominic it is related that one of the friars named Leonard used to recommend himself two hundred times a day to this Mother of Mercy, and that when he was attacked by his last illness he saw a most beautiful queen by his side who thus addressed him : “Leonard, wilt thou die, and come and dwell with my Son and with me?” “And who art thou?” he replied. “I am,” said the Most Blessed Virgin, for she it was, “I am the Mother of Mercy: thou hast so many times invoked me. Behold, I am now come to take thee; let us go together to Paradise.” On the same day Leonard died, and, as we trust, followed her to the kingdom of the blessed.
“Ah, most sweet Mary!” exclaimed St. John Berchmans, of the Society of Jesus, “blessed is he who loves thee! If I love Mary I am certain of perseverance, and will obtain whatever I wish from God.” Therefore the devout youth was never tired of renewing his resolution, and of repeating often to himself: “I will love Mary; I will love Mary.”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XVI.-HOW MUCH WE ARE OBLIGED TO LOVE JESUS CHRIST
I.
Jesus Christ as God has a claim on all our love; but by the love which He has shown us He wished to put us, so to speak, under the necessity of loving Him, at least in gratitude for all He has done and suffered for us. He has greatly loved us that we might love Him greatly. “Why does God love us but that He may be loved?” wrote St. Bernard. And Moses had said the same: And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God . .. and love him -(Deut. x. 12). Therefore the first command which He gave us was this: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart-(Deut. vi. 5).
And St. Paul says that love is the fulfilling of the law: Love is the fulfilling of the law-(Rom. xv. 10). For “fulfilling” the Greek text has the “embracing of the law”-love embraces the entire law. And who indeed, at the sight of a crucified God dying for our love can refuse to love Him?
Those Thorns, those Nails, that Cross, those Wounds, and that Blood call upon us, and irresistibly urge us to love Him Who has loved us so much. One heart is too little wherewith to love this God so enamoured of us. In order to requite the love of Jesus Christ, it would require another God to die for His love. “Ah, why,” exclaims St. Francis de Sales, “do we not throw ourselves on Jesus Christ to die on the Cross with Him Who was pleased to die there for the love of us?” The Apostle clearly impresses on us that Jesus Christ died for us for this end, that we might no longer live for ourselves but solely for that God Who died for us: Christ died for all, that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them-(2 Cor. v. 15).
II.
And the recommendation of Ecclesiasticus is here to the point: Forget not the kindness of thy surety; for he hath given his life for thee-(Ecclus. xxix. 19). Be not unmindful of Him Who has stood surety for thee; Who, to satisfy for thy sins, was willing to payoff, by His death, the debt of punishment due from thee. Oh, how desirous is Jesus Christ that we should continually remember His Passion! And how it saddens Him to see that we are so unmindful of it! Should a person endure for one of his friends affronts, blows, and imprisonment, how afflicting would it be for him to know that that friend afterwards never gave it a thought, and cared not even to hear it spoken of! On the contrary how gratified would he be to know that his friend constantly spoke of it with the warmest gratitude, and often thanked him for it. So it is pleasing to Jesus Christ when we preserve in our minds a grateful and loving recollection of the sorrows and death He underwent for us. Jesus Christ was the desired of the ancient Fathers; He was the desired of all nations before He was yet come upon earth. Now, how much more ought He to be our only desire and our only love, now that we know that He is really come, and are aware how much He has done and suffered for us-so that He even died upon the Cross for love of us!
"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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In the Heart of Jesus we receive every good, every grace we desire. To the heart of Jesus we are debtors for all the graces we have ever received-the graces of Redemption, the graces of Vocation, of light, of pardon; the grace to resist temptation and to bear contradictions patiently. The Sared Heart is rich unto all who call upon it.
I.
It is characteristic of good-hearted people to desire to make everybody happy, and especially those most distressed and afflicted. But who can ever find one who has a kinder heart than Jesus Christ? He is infinite Goodness, and has therefore a sovereign desire to communicate to us His riches: With me are riches: With me are riches … that I may enrich them that love me-(Prov. viii. 18, 21). He for this purpose made Himself poor, as the Apostle says, that He might make us rich: He became poor for your sakes, that through his poverty you might be rich-(2 Cor. viii. 9). For this purpose also He chose to remain with us in the most Holy Sacrament, where He remains constantly with His hands full of graces, as was seen by Father Balthazar Alvarez, to dispense them to those who come to visit Him. For this reason also He bestows Himself on us in Holy Communion, giving us to understand thereby that He cannot refuse us any good gifts, since He even gives Himself entirely to us: How hath he not also, with him, given us all things-(Rom. viii. 32). For in the Heart of Jesus we receive every good, every grace we desire: In all things you are made rich in Christ … so that nothing is wanting to you in any grace-(1 Cor. i. 5, 7).
Ah, my Jesus, Thou hast not refused to give me Thy Blood and Thy Life, and shall I refuse to give Thee my miserable heart? No, my dearest Redeemer, I offer it entirely to Thee. I give Thee all my will; do Thou accept it, and dispose of it at Thy pleasure. I can do nothing, and have nothing; but I have this heart which Thou hast given me, and of which no one can deprive me. I may be deprived of my goods, my blood, my life, but not of my heart. With this heart I can love Thee; with this heart I will love Thee.
I beseech Thee, O my God, teach me a perfect forgetfulness of myself; teach me what I must do to arrive at Thy pure love, of which Thou in Thy goodness hast inspired me with the desire. I feel in myself a determination to please Thee; but in order to put my resolve into execution, I expect and implore help from Thee. It depends on Thee, O loving Heart of Jesus, to make entirely Thine my poor heart, which hitherto has been so ungrateful, and -through my own fault deprived of Thy love. Oh, grant that my heart may be all on fire with the love of Thee, even as Thine is on fire with the love of me. Grant that my will may be entirely united to Thine, so that I may will nothing but what Thou willest, and that from this day forth Thy holy will may be the rule of all my actions, of all my thoughts, and of all my desires. I trust, O my Saviour, that Thou wilt not refuse me Thy grace to fulfil this resolution which I now make prostrate at Thy feet, to receive with submission whatever Thou mayest ordain for me and my affairs, as well in life as in death. Blessed art thou, O Immaculate Mary, who hadst thy heart always and entirely united to the Heart of Jesus; obtain for me, O my Mother, that in future I may wish and desire that which Jesus wills and thou willest.
II.
We must understand that we are debtors to the Heart of Jesus for all the graces we have received-graces of Redemption, of Vocation, of light, of pardon, the grace to resist temptations, and to bear patiently with contradictions; for without His assistance we could not do anything good: Without me you can do nothing-(John xv. 5). And if hitherto, says our Saviour, you have not received more graces, do not complain of Me, but blame yourself, who have neglected to seek them of Me: Hitherto you have not asked any thing … ask, and you shall receive-(John xvi. 24). Oh, how rich and liberal is the Heart of Jesus towards everyone that has recourse to Him! Rich unto all that call upon him -(Rom. x. 12). Oh what great mercies do those souls receive who are earnest in asking help of Jesus Christ. David said, For thou, o Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon thee-(Ps. lxxxv. 5). Let us therefore always go to this Heart and ask with confidence, and we shall obtain all we want.
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
XI.-THE GREATNESS OF THE LOVE THIS MOTHER BEARS US
Oh, how much does the love of this good Mother exceed that of all her children! Let them love her as much as they will, Mary is always amongst lovers the most loving, says St. Ignatius the Martyr. Let them love her as did St. Stanislaus Kostka who loved this dear Mother so tenderly that in speaking of her he moved all who heard him to love her. He had made new words and new titles with which to honour her name. He never did anything without first turning to her image and asking her blessing. When he said her Office, the Rosary, or other prayers, he did so with the same external marks of affection as he would have done had he been speaking face to face with Mary; when the Salve Regina was sung, his whole soul, and even his whole countenance, was all inflamed with love. On being one day asked by a Father of the Society who was going with him to visit a picture of the Blessed Virgin, how much he loved Mary, “Father,” he answered, “what more can I say?-she is my Mother.” “But,” adds the Father, “the holy youth uttered these words with such tenderness in his voice, with such an expression of countenance, and at the same time it came so fully from his heart, that it no longer deemed to be a young man but rather an angel speaking of the love of Mary.”
Let us love her as Blessed Hermann loved her. He called her the spouse of his love, for he was honoured by Mary herself with this same title. Let us love her as did St. Philip Neri, who was filled with consolation at the mere thought of Mary, and therefore called her his delight. Let us love her as did St. Bonaventure, who called her not only his Lady and Mother, but to show the tenderness of his affection, even called her his heart and soul: “Hail, my Lady, my Mother; nay, even my heart, my soul!”
Let us love her like that great lover of Mary, St. Bernard, who loved this sweet Mother so much that he called her “the ravisher of hearts”; and to express the ardent love he bore her added: “for hast thou not ravished my heart, O, Queen?”
Let us call her our beloved, like St. Bernardine of Sienna, who daily went to visit a devotional picture of Mary, and there, in tender colloquies with his Queen, declared his love; and when asked where he went each day, he replied that he went to visit his beloved.
Let us love her as did St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whose love for Mary burnt so unceasingly that whenever he heard the sweet name of his Mother mentioned his heart was instantly inflamed and his countenance lighted up with a fire that was visible to all.
Let us love as much as St. Francis Solano did, who, maddened as it were, but with a holy madness, with love for Mary, would sing before her picture, and accompany himself on a musical instrument, saying that, like worldly lovers, he serenaded his most sweet Queen.
Finally, let us love her as so many of her servants have loved her who never could do enough to show their love. Father John of Trexo, of the Society of Jesus, rejoiced in the name of “slave of Mary,” and as a mark of servitude went often to visit her in some church dedicated in her honour. On reaching the church he poured out abundant tears of tenderness and love for Mary; then, prostrating, he licked and rubbed the pavement with his tongue and face, kissing it a thousand times, because it was the house of his beloved Lady. Father James Martinez, of the same Society, who, for his devotion to our Blessed Lady on her feasts, was carried by Angels to Heaven to see how they were kept there, used to say: “Would that I had the hearts of all Angels and Saints to love Mary as they love her. Would that I had the lives of all men, to give them all for her love!”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XVII.·-HOW MUCH WE ARE OBLIGED TO LOVE JESUS CHRIST
I.
For this purpose He instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist on the day preceding His death, and gave us the injunction that as often as we should be nourished with His most sacred flesh we should be mindful of His death: Take ye, and eat; this is my body … This do for a commemoration of me . . . For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice you shall show the death of the Lord until he come-(l Cor. xi. 24, 26). Wherefore the holy Church prays: ” O God, Who under this wonderful Sacrament has left us a memorial of Thy Passion,” etc. And she also sings: “O sacred Banquet, in which Christ is taken, the memory of His Passion is renewed,” etc. Hence we may gather how pleasing to Jesus Christ are they who think frequently of His Passion, since it was for this very purpose that He left Himself in the Holy Sacrament upon our Altars. in order that we may bear in continual and grateful remembrance all that He suffered for us, and by this means evermore increase our love towards Him. St. Francis de Sales called Mount Calvary” the mountain of lovers.” It is impossible to remember that mount and not love Jesus Christ Who died there for love of us.
II.
Oh, God, and how is it that men do not love this God, Who has done so much to be loved by men! Before the Incarnation of the Word, man might have doubted whether God loved him with a true love; but after the coming of the Son of God, and after His dying for the love of men, how can we possibly doubt of His love? “O man,” says St. Thomas of Villanova, “look on that Cross, on those torments, and that cruel death which Jesus Christ has suffered for thee: after so great and so many tokens of His love, thou canst no longer entertain a doubt that He loves thee, and loves thee exceedingly.” And St. Bernard says that” the Cross and every Wound of our Blessed Redeemer cry aloud to make us understand the love He bears us.”
In this grand Mystery of man’s Redemption, we must consider how Jesus employed all His thoughts and zeal to discover every means of making Himself loved by us. Had He merely wished to die for our salvation it would have been sufficient had He been slain by Herod with the: other children; but no, He chose before dying to lead during thirty-three years, a life of hardship and suffering; and during that time, with a view to win our love, He appeared in several different guises. First of all as a poor child born in a stable; then as a little boy helping in the workshop; and finally, as a criminal executed on a Cross. But before dying on the Cross we see Him in many different states, one and all calculated to excite our compassion, and to make Himself loved: in agony in the garden, bathed from head to foot in a sweat of blood; afterwards in the court of Pilate, torn with scourges; then treated as a mock king, with a reed in His hand, a ragged garment of purple on His shoulders and a crown of thorns on His head; then dragged publicly through the streets to death, with the Cross upon His shoulders; and at length on the hill of Calvary, suspended on the Cross by three iron nails. Tell me, does He merit our love or not, this God Who has vouchsafed to endure all these torments, and to use so many means in order to captivate our love? Father John Rigouleux used to say: “I would spend my life weeping for love of a God Whose love induced Him to die for the salvation of men.”
"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
MARY’S CHASTITY
“Of all the combats in which we are engaged,” says St. Augustine, “the most severe are those of chastity: its battles are daily, but victory rare.” May God be ever praised, however, Who in Mary has given a great example of this virtue! And, O how powerful is the name of Mary in conquering all temptations against holy purity!
I.
Ever since the fall of Adam, the senses being rebellious against reason, chastity is, of all virtues, the most difficult to practise. St. Augustine says: “Of all the combats in which we are engaged, the most severe are those of chastity; its battles are daily, but victory rare.” May God be ever praised, however, Who in Mary has given us a great example of this virtue!
“With reason,” says Blessed Albert the Great, “is Mary called the Virgin of virgins; for she, without the counselor example of others, was the first to offer her virginity to God.” Thus did she bring all virgins who imitate her to God, as David had already foretold: After her shall virgins be brought … into the temple of the King-(Ps. xliv. 15) Without counsel and without example. Yes; for St. Bernard says: “O Virgin, who taught thee to please God by virginity, and to lead an Angel’s life on earth?” “Ah,” replies St. Sophronius, ” God chose this most pure Virgin for His Mother, that she might be an example of chastity to all.” Therefore does St. Ambrose call Mary “the standard-bearer of virginity.”
By reason of her purity the Blessed Virgin was also declared by the Holy Ghost to be beautiful as the turtle dove: Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove’s -(Cant. i. 9). “Mary,” says Aponius, “was a most pure turtle-dove.” For the same reason she was also called a lily: As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters-(Cant. ii. 2). On this passage Denis the Carthusian remarks that “Mary was compared to a lily amongst thorns, because all other virgins were thorns, either to themselves or to others; but that the Blessed Virgin was so neither to herself nor to others”; for she inspired all who looked at her with chaste thoughts. This is confirmed by St. Thomas, who says that the beauty of the Blessed Virgin was an incentive to chastity in all who beheld her. St. Jerome declared that it was his opinion that St. Joseph remained a virgin by living with Mary; for, writing against the heretic Helvidius, who denied Mary’s virginity, he says: “Thou sayest that Mary did not remain a virgin. I say that not only she remained a virgin, but even that Joseph preserved his virginity through Mary.”
Blessed John of Avila says that “many who were tempted against purity preserved themselves chaste by devotion to our Blessed Lady.” Oh, how specially powerful is the name of Mary in conquering all temptations to impurity! O most pure Mary, deliver me from it. Grant that in all my temptations I may always have recourse to thee, and invoke thee as long as the temptation lasts.
II.
St. Gregory of Nyssa says that so much did the Blessed Virgin love this virtue that, to preserve it, she would have been willing to renounce even the dignity of Mother of God. This we may conclude from her answer to the Archangel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?-and from the words she afterwards added: Be it done to me according to thy word-(Luke i. 34, 38), signifying that she gave her consent on the condition that, as the Angel had assured her, she would become a Mother only by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost.
Saint Ambrose says that whoever has preserved chastity is an Angel, and that he who has lost it is a devil. Our Lord assures us that those who are chaste become Angels: They shall be as the angels of God in heaven-(Matt. xxii. 30). But the impure become as devils, hateful in the sight of God. St. Remigius used to say that the greater part of adults are lost by this vice. Seldom, as we have already said with St. Augustine, is a victory gained over this vice. But why? It is because the means by which it may be gained are seldom made use of, namely, fasting, avoidance of the occasions of sin, and prayer. Ah, my Immaculate Queen, fair dove, and the beloved of God, disdain not to cast thine eyes on the many stains and wounds of my soul. Behold me, and pity me! God Who loves thee so much denies thee nothing; and thou knowest not how to refuse those who have recourse to thee. O Mary, to thee I have recourse. Pity me. Mother inviolate, pray for us!
Spiritual Reading
SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
XII.-THE GREATNESS OF THE LOVE THIS MOTHER BEARS US
Oh, that all would come to love Mary as did Charles, the son of St. Bridget, who said that nothing in the world consoled him so much as the knowledge that Mary was so greatly loved by God. And he added that he would willingly endure every torment rather than allow Mary to lose the smallest degree of her glory, were such a thing possible; and that if her glory were his, he would renounce it in her favour, as being far more worthy of it.
Let us, moreover, desire to lay down our lives as a testimony of our love for Mary, as St. Alonso Rodriguez desired to do. Let us love her as did those who even cut the beloved name of Mary on their breasts with sharp instruments, as did Francis Binanzio and Radagundis, wife of King Clothaire; or as did those who could imprint this loved name on their flesh with hot irons in order that it might remain more distinct and lasting, as did her devout servants Baptist Archinto and Augustine d’Espinosa, both of the Society of Jesus, impelled thereto by the vehemence of their love.
Let us, in fine, do or desire to do, all that it is possible for a lover to do who intends to make his affection known to the person loved. For be assured that the lovers of Mary will never be able to equal her in love. “I know, O Lady,” says St. Peter Damian, ” that thou art most loving, and that thou lovest us with an invincible love.” I know, my Lady, that among lovers thou lovest the most, and that thou lovest us with a love that can never be surpassed.
St. Alonso Rodriguez, of the Society of Jesus, once prostrate before an image of Mary, felt his heart inflamed with love towards this most Holy Virgin, and burst forth into the following exclamation: “My most beloved Mother, I know that thou lovest me, but thou dost not love me as much as I love thee.” Mary, as it were, offended on the point of love, immediately replied from the image: “What dost thou say, Alonso? What dost thou say? Oh, how much greater is the love that I bear thee than any love thou canst have for me! Know that the distance between Heaven and earth is not so great as the distance between thy love and mine.”
St. Bonaventure, then, was right in exclaiming: Blessed are they who have the good fortune to be faithful servants and lovers of this most loving Mother. “Blessed are the hearts of those who love Mary; blessed are they who are tenderly devoted to her. Yes, for in this struggle our most gracious Queen never allows her clients to conquer her in love. She returns our love and homage, and always increases her past favours by new ones.” Mary, imitating in this our most loving Redeemer Jesus Christ, returns to those who love her their love doubled in benefits and favours.
Then will I exclaim, with the enamoured St. Anselm, “May my heart languish and my soul melt and be consumed with your love, O my beloved Saviour Jesus, and my dear Mother Mary! But, as without your grace I cannot love you, grant me, o Jesus and Mary, grant my soul, by your merits and not mine, the grace to love you as you deserve to be loved. O God, Lover of men, Thou couldst love guilty men even unto death. And canst Thou deny Thy love and that of Thy Mother to those who ask it?”
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
XVIII.-HOW MUCH WE ARE OBLIGED TO LOVE JESUS CHRIST
I.
“Love is a great thing,” says St. Bernard. A great thing, a precious thing is love. Solomon, speaking of the Divine wisdom, which is holy Charity. called it an infinite treasure; because he that possesses Charity is made partaker of the friendship of God: For she is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use become the friends of God-(Wisd. vii. 14). The angelic doctor, St. Thomas, says that Charity is not only the queen of all virtues, but that wherever she reigns she draws along with her, as it were in her train, all other virtues, and directs them all so as to bring us in closer union with God; but Charity is properly that which unites us with God. As St. Bernard tells us: “Charity is a virtue uniting us with God.” And, indeed, it is over and over again signified in the Holy Scriptures that God loves whoever loves Him: I love them that love me-(Prov. viii. 17). If anyone loves me . . . my Father will love him; and we will come to him and make our abode with him-(John xiv. 23). He that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him-(l John iv. 16). Behold the beautiful union which Charity produces; it unites the soul with God. Moreover, love supplies strength to practise and to suffer everything for God: Love is strong as death -Cant. viii. 6). St. Augustine writes: ” Nothing is so hard that cannot be subdued by the fire of love.” Wherefore the Saint says that where we love, either the labour is not felt, or if felt, the labour itself is loved: "In that which is loved either there is no labour, or the labour is loved.”
II.
Let us hear from St. John Chrysostom what are the effects of Divine love in those souls in which it reigns: “When the love of God has taken possession of a soul it produces an insatiable desire to work for the Beloved; insomuch that however many and however vast the works she does, and however prolonged the duration of her service, all seems nothing in her eyes, and she is afflicted at doing so little for God; and were it permitted her to die and consume herself for Him she would be most happy. Hence it is that she esteems herself an unprofitable servant in all that she does; because she is instructed by love to know what God deserves, and sees by this clear light all the defects of her actions, and finds in them motives for confusion and pain, well aware how mean is all she can do for so great a Lord.”
“Oh, how those persons delude themselves,” says St. Francis de Sales, “who place virtue in anything else but loving God! Some,” writes the Saint, “put perfection in austerities. others in alms, others in prayer, others in frequenting the Holy Sacraments. For my part, I know of no other perfection than that of loving God with our whole heart; because all the other virtues, without love, are but a mere heap of stones. And if we do not perfectly enjoy this holy love, the fault lies with us because we do not, once for all, come to the conclusion of giving ourselves wholly to God.”
"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
Posts: 10,834
Threads: 5,866
Joined: Nov 2020
"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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