St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for Fourth Week after Easter

[Stone]

Third Sunday After Easter



Morning Meditation

“A LITTLE WHILE AND NOW YOU SHALL NOT SEE ME “-(Gospel of Sunday. John xvi.)

There is nothing shorter than time, and yet nothing more valuable. There is nothing shorter, for the past is no more, the future is uncertain, the present only a moment. Jesus Christ said: A little time and now you shall not see me. We may say the same of our life which, according to St. James is a vapour which appeareth for a little while-(iv. 15).

I.

The time is short, says the Apostle, St. Paul, it remaineth that … they that weep be as though they wept not; that they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that used this world, as if they used it not-( 1 Cor. vii. 29, 31). Since, then, the time we have to remain on this earth is short, the Apostle tells those who weep that they ought not to weep, because their sorrows shall soon pass away; and those who rejoice, not to fix their affections on enjoyments, because they shall soon have an end. Hence he concludes that we should use this world, not to enjoy its transitory goods, but to merit eternal life.

Son, says the Holy Ghost, observe the time-(Ecclus. iv. 23). Son, learn to preserve time, which is the most precious and the greatest gift that God can bestow upon you. St. Bernardine of Sienna teaches that time is of as much value as God; because in every moment of time well spent the possession of God is merited. He adds that in every instant of this life a man may obtain pardon of his sins, the grace of God, and the glory of Paradise. Hence St. Bonaventure says that “no loss is of greater moment than the loss of time.”

But, on his part, St. Bernard says that though there is nothing more precious than time, there is nothing less valuable in the estimation of men. You will see some persons spending four or five hours in play. If you ask them why they lose so much time, they answer: To amuse ourselves. Others remain half the day standing in a street, or looking out from a window. If you ask them what they are doing, they will say in reply that they are passing the time. And why, says the same Saint, do you lose this time? Why should you lose even a single hour which the mercy of God gives you to weep for your sins, and to acquire Divine grace?

O time, despised by men during life, how much will you be desired at the hour of death, and particularly in the other world! Time is a blessing we enjoy only in this life; it is not enjoyed in the next; it is not found in Heaven nor in hell. In hell the damned exclaim with tears: “Oh that an hour were given to us!” They would pay any price for an hour or for a minute in which they might repair their eternal ruin. But this hour or minute they never shall have. In Heaven there is no weeping; but, were the Saints capable of sorrow, all their wailing should arise from the thought of having lost in this life the time in which they could have acquired greater glory, and from the conviction that this time shall never more be given to them.

O God of my soul, what should be my lot at this moment hadst Thou not shown me so many mercies! I should be in hell among the fools to whose number I have belonged. I thank Thee, O my Lord, and I entreat Thee not to abandon me in my blindness. I feel that Thou dost tenderly call me to ask pardon and to hope for graces from Thee. Yes, my Saviour, I hope Thou wilt admit me among Thy children. Father, I am not worthy to be called Thy child! I have sinned against Heaven and before Thee!


II.

St. Francis Borgia was careful to employ every moment of his time for God. When others spoke of useless things, he conversed with God by holy affections; and so recollected was he that, when asked his opinion on the subject of conversation he knew not what answer to make. Being corrected for this, he said: I am content to be considered stupid rather than lose my time in vanities.

Some will say: What evil am I doing? Is it not, I ask, an evil to spend your time in amusements, in conversations, and useless occupations which are unprofitable to the soul? Does God give you this time to waste it? Let not, says the Holy Ghost, the part of a good gift overpass thee-(Ecclus. xiv. 14}. The labourers of whom St. Matthew speaks did no evil; they only lost time, remaining idle in the streets. But they were rebuked: Why stand you here all the day idle?-(Matth. xx. 6}. On the day of Judgment Jesus Christ will demand an account, not only of every month and day that has been lost, but even of every idle word spoken. Every idle word that men shall speak they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment-(Matth. xii. 36}. He will likewise demand an account of every moment of the time which you will lose. According to St. Bernard, all time not spent for God is time lost. Hence the Holy Ghost says: Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work nor reason . . . shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening. What you can do today defer not till tomorrow; for on tomorrow you may be dead, and may be gone into another world where you shall have no more time to do good, and where you shall only enjoy the reward of your virtues or suffer the punishment due to your sins. Today if you shall hear his voice harden not your hearts-(Ps. xciv.}. Obey His call today; for it may happen that on tomorrow time will be no more for you, or that God will call you no more. All our salvation depends on corresponding with the Divine calls, and at the time that God calls us.

O my God, enlighten me! Give me to understand that the only evil is to offend Thee, the only good to love to spend the remainder of my days in serving Thee. O Mary, my hope, do thou intercede for me.

Spiritual Reading

SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!

XIII.-MARY IS THE MOTHER OF PENITENT SINNERS

Our Blessed Lady told St. Bridget that she was the Mother not only of the just and innocent, but also of sinners, provided they were willing to repent. Oh, how prompt does a sinner who is desirous of amendment and flies to her feet find this good Mother to embrace and help him, far more so than any earthly mother! St. Gregory VII wrote in this sense to princess Matilda, saying: “Resolve to sin no more and I promise that undoubtedly thou wilt find Mary more ready to love thee than any earthly mother.”

But whoever aspires to be a child of this great Mother must first abandon sin, and then may hope to be accepted as such. Richard of St. Laurence, on the words of Proverbs, up rose her children-(Prov. xxxi. 28}, remarks that the words up rose came first, and then the word children to show that no one can be a child of Mary without first endeavouring to rise from the fault into which he has fallen; for he who is in mortal sin is not worthy to be called the son of such a Mother. And St. Peter Chrysologus says that he who acts in a different manner from Mary declares thereby that he will not be her son. “He who does not the works of his Mother abjures his lineage.” Mary humble and he proud; Mary pure and he wicked; Mary full of charity and he hating his neighbour. He gives thereby proof that he is not, and will not be, the son of his holy Mother. The sons of Mary, says Richard of St. Laurence, are her imitators, and this chiefly in three things-in chastity, liberality, and humility; and also in meekness, mercy, and such like.

Whilst disgusting her by a wicked life, who would dare even to wish to be the child of Mary? A certain sinner once said to Mary, “Show thyself a Mother”; but the Blessed Virgin replied, “Show thyself a son.” Another invoked the Divine Mother, calling her the “Mother of mercy”; and she answered: “You sinners, when you want my help, call me ‘Mother of mercy,’ and at the same time do not cease by your sins to make me a ‘Mother of sorrow and anguish.’ He is cursed of God, says Ecclesiasticus, that angereth his mother -(Ecclus. iii. 18). “His mother, that is, Mary,” says Richard of St. Laurence. God curses those who by their wicked life, and still more by their obstinacy in sin, afflict this tender Mother.

I say by their obstinacy; for if a sinner, though he may not as yet have given up his sin, endeavours to do so, and for this purpose seeks the help of Mary, this good Mother will not fail to assist him, and make him recover the grace of God. And this is precisely what St. Bridget heard one day from the lips of Jesus Christ, Who, speaking to His Mother, said: “Thou assistest him who endeavours to return to God, and thy consolations are never wanting to anyone.” So long, then, as a sinner is obstinate, Mary cannot love him; but if he, finding himself chained by some passion which keeps him a slave of hell, recommends himself to the Blessed Virgin, and implores her, with confidence and perseverance, to withdraw him from the state of sin in which he is, there can be no doubt but this good Mother will extend her powerful hand to him, will deliver him from his chains, and lead him to a state of salvation.

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XIX.-HOW MUCH WE ARE OBLIGED TO LOVE JESUS CHRIST

I.

Our Lord said one day to St. Teresa: “Everything which does not give pleasure to Me is vanity,” Would that all understood well this great truth! “For the rest, one thing is necessary.” It is not necessary to be rich in this world, to gain the esteem of others, to lead a life of ease, to enjoy dignities, to have a reputation for learning: it is only necessary to love God and to do His will. For this single end has He created us, for this He preserves our life; and thus only can we gain admittance into Paradise. Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm-(Cant. viii. 6). The Lord thus speaks to all His espoused souls. Put Me as a seal upon Thy heart and upon thine arm, in order that all thy desires and actions may tend to Me; upon thy heart, that no other love but Mine may enter there; upon thine arm, in order that all thou dost may have Me for its sole object. Oh, how quickly does that soul speed onwards to perfection which in all her actions regards but Jesus crucified, and has no other desire than to gratify Him!


II.

To acquire, then, a true love of Jesus Christ should be our only care. The masters of the spiritual life describe the marks of true love. Love, say they, is fearful, and its fear is none other than that of displeasing God. It is generous, because, trusting in God, it is never daunted even at the greatest enterprises for His glory. It is strong, because it subdues all its evil appetites, even in the midst of the most violent temptations, and of the darkest desolations. It is obedient, because it immediately flies to execute the Divine will. It is pure, because it loves God alone, and for the sole reason that He deserves to be loved. It is ardent, because it would inflame all mankind, and willingly see them consumed with Divine love. It is inebriating, for it causes the soul to live as it were out of herself, as if she no longer saw, nor felt, nor had any more perception of earthly things, bent wholly on loving God. It is unitive by producing a close union between the will of the creature and the Will of the Creator. It is longing, for it fills the soul with desires of leaving this world, to fly and unite herself perfectly with God in her true and happy country, where she may love Him with all her strength.

[Stone]

Monday – Fourth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

“HE HATH CALLED AGAINST ME THE TIME.”

Some one will, perhaps, say: “I am young. Later on I will give myself to God.” “How can you promise yourself another day,” says St. Augustine, “when you know not whether you shall live another hour?” “If,” says St. Teresa, “you are not prepared to die today, tremble lest you die an unhappy death.”


I.

Someone will, perhaps, say: I am young. Later on I will give myself to God. But remember that the Gospel tells us that Jesus Christ cursed the fig-tree which He found without fruit, although the season for figs had not yet arrived. It was not the time for figs-(Mark xi. 13). By this the Saviour wished to signify that man at all times, even in youth, should produce fruits of good works; and that otherwise, like the fig-tree, he shall be cursed, and shall produce no fruit for the future. May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee any more forever -(Mark xi. 14). Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day for his wrath shall come on a sudden-(Ecclus. v. 8). If you find your soul in the state of sin, delay not your repentance nor your Confession. Do not put them off even till tomorrow; for, if you do not obey the voice of God calling you today to confess your sins, death may this day overtake you in sin, and tomorrow there may be no hope of salvation for you. The devil regards the whole is come down unto you having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time-(Apoc. xii. 12). The enemy, then, never loses time in seeking to bring us to hell: and shall we squander the time God has given us to save our souls? You say: “I will hereafter give myself to God.” But “why,” answers St. Bernard, “do you, O miserable man, presume on the future, as if the Father placed time in your power?” Why do you presume that you will hereafter give yourself to God, as if He had given to you the time and opportunity of returning to Him whenever you wish? Job said with trembling that he knew not whether another moment of his life remained: For I know not how long I shall continue, and whether after a while my maker may take me away-(Job Xii. 22). And you say: I will not go to Confession today; I will think of it tomorrow. St. Augustine says: “How can you promise yourself another day when you know not whether you shall live another hour?” “If,” says St. Teresa, “you are not prepared to die today, tremble lest you die an unhappy death.”

O my God. I give Thee thanks for giving me time now to bewail my sins, and to make amends by my love for all the offences I have committed against Thee.


II.

St. Bernard weeps over the blindness of those negligent Christians who squander the days of salvation, and never consider that a day once lost shall never return. At the hour of death they shall wish for another year, or for another day; but they shall not have it: they shall then be told that time shall be no more-(Apoc. x. 6), What price would they then not give for another week, for a day, or even for an hour, to prepare the account which they must then render to God? St. Laurence Justinian says that for a single hour they would give all their property, all their honours, and all their delights. But that hour shall not be granted to them. The priest who attends them shall say: Depart, depart immediately from of our life as very short, and therefore he loses not a this earth; for you time is now no more. “Go forth, O Christian soul, from this world”

What will it profit the sinner who has led an irregular life to exclaim at death: Oh, that I had led a life of sanctity! Oh, that I had spent my years in loving God! How great is the anguish of a traveller who, when the night has fallen, perceives that he has missed the way, and that there is no more time to correct his mistake! Such shall be the anguish at death of those who have lived many years in the world, but have not spent them for God. The night cometh when no man can work -(John ix. 4). Hence the Redeemer says to all: Walk whilst you have light, that the darkness overtake you not-(John xii. 35). Walk in the way of salvation, now that you have the light, before you are surprised by the darkness of death in which you can do nothing. You can then only weep over the time you have lost.

He hath called against me the time-(Lam. i. 15), At the hour of death conscience will remind us of all the time we have had to become Saints, and which we have employed in multiplying our debts to God. It will remind us of all the calls and of all the graces God has given us to make us love Him, and which we have abused. At that, awful moment we shall also see that the way of salvation is closed forever. In the midst of this remorse, and of the torturing darkness of death. the dying sinner shall say: O fool that I have been! O life misspent! O lost years in which I could have gained treasures of merits and become a Saint! But I have neglected it, and now the time of saving my soul is gone forever! But of what use will these wailings and lamentations be, when the scene of this world is about to close, the lamp is on the point of being extinguished, and when the dying Christian has arrived at that great moment on which eternity depends?

O my God, what will become of me in the last moment of my life? O Jesus, Who didst die for my salvation, suffer me not to be lost for ever! Suffer me not to lose Thee, my only Good. No, my God, I will not lose Thee. If I have hitherto forfeited Thy friendship, I am sorry for it, and I sincerely repent of it. I will never lose Thee more.

Spiritual Reading

SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDlAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!

XIV.-MARY IS THE MOTHER OF PENlTENT SINNERS

The doctrine that all prayers and works performed in a state of sin are sins was condemned as heretical by the sacred Council of Trent. St. Bernard says that although prayer in the mouth of a sinner is devoid of beauty, as it is unaccompanied by charity, nevertheless it is useful and obtains grace to abandon sin; for, as St. Thomas teaches, the prayer of a sinner, though without merit, is an act which obtains the grace of forgiveness, since the power of impetration is founded, not on the merits of him who asks, but on the Divine goodness, and the merits and promises of Jesus Christ, who has said, Every one that asketh, receiveth-(Luke xi. 10). The same thing must be said of the prayers offered to the Divine Mother. “If he who prays,” says St. Anselm, ” does not merit to be heard, the merits of the Mother, to whom he recommends himself, will intercede effectually.”

Therefore St. Bernard exhorts all sinners to have recourse to Mary, invoking her with great confidence; for though the sinner does not himself merit the graces which he asks, yet he receives them, because this Blessed Virgin asks and obtains them from God, on account of her own merits. These are his words, addressing a sinner: “Because thou wast unworthy to receive the grace thyself, it was given to Mary, in order that, through her, thou mightest receive all.” “If a mother,” continues the same Saint, “knew that her two sons bore a mortal enmity to each other, and that each plotted against the other’s life, would she not exert herself to her utmost in order to reconcile them? This would be the duty of a good mother. “And thus it is”, the Saint goes on to say, “that Mary acts; for she is the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of men. When she sees a sinner at enmity with Jesus Christ, she cannot endure it, and does all in her power to make peace between them. O happy Mary, thou art the Mother of the criminal and the Mother of the Judge; and being the Mother of both, they are thy children, and thou canst not endure discords amongst them.”

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XX.-HOW MUCH WE ARE OBLIGED TO LOVE JESUS CHRIST

I.

No one teaches us so well the real characteristics and practice of Charity as the great preacher of Charity, St. Paul. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians he says, in the first place, that without Charity man is nothing, and that nothing profits him: If I should have all faith, so that I could move mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing -(1 Cor. xiii. 2, 3). So that even should a person have Faith strong enough to remove mountains, like St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, but had not Charity, it would profit him nothing. Should he give all his goods to the poor, and even willingly suffer Martyrdom, but be wanting in Charity-should he do it, that is, for any other end than that of pleasing God, it would profit him nothing at all.

O most lovely and most loving Heart of Jesus, miserable is the heart which does not love Thee! O God, for the love of men Thou didst die on the Cross, helpless and forsaken, and how then can men live so forgetful of Thee!

O love of God! O ingratitude of man! O men, O men! do but cast one look on the innocent Son of God, agonising on the Cross and dying for you, in order to satisfy the Divine justice for your sins, and by this means to allure you to love Him. Observe how, at the same time.

He prays His Eternal Father to forgive you. Behold Him, and love Him! Ah, my Jesus, how small is the number of those that love Thee! Wretched, too, am I, for I also have lived so many years unmindful of Thee and have grievously offended Thee, my beloved Redeemer! It is not so much the punishment I have deserved that makes me weep, as the love which Thou hast borne me.


II.

St. Paul gives us the marks of true Charity, and at the same time teaches us the practice of those virtues which are the daughters of Charity; and he goes on to say: Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up, is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in inquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things-(l Cor. xiii.). Let us, therefore, consider these holy practices, that we may thus see if the love which we owe to Jesus Christ truly reigns within us; as likewise that we may understand in what virtues we should chiefly exercise ourselves, in order to persevere and advance in this holy love.

O sorrows of Jesus! O ignominies of Jesus! O Wounds of Jesus! 0 death of Jesus! 0 love of Jesus! Rest deeply engraved in my heart, and may your sweet recollection be for ever fixed there, to wound me and inflame me continually with His love. I love Thee, my Jesus; I love Thee, my sovereign Good; I love Thee, my Love and my All; I love Thee, and I will love Thee for ever. Oh, suffer me never more to forsake Thee, never more to lose Thee! Make me entirely Thine; do so by the merits of Thy death. In this I firmly trust. And I have a great confidence also in thy intercession, O Mary, my Queen; make me love Jesus Christ, and make me also love thee, my Mother and my hope!

[Stone]

Tuesday – Fourth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

“WHILST WE HAVE TIME, LET US WORK GOOD.”

Death may not, perhaps, come upon us for twenty or thirty years; but it may come very soon; perhaps in a year or a month. And still we lose our time, and, instead of adjusting our accounts, we go on multiplying our sins, which will merit the sentence of eternal death. While we have time, let us work good.

I.

Be you then also ready; for, at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come-(Luke xii. 40). The Lord says: “Be ready.” He does not tell us to prepare ourselves when death approaches, but to be ready for His coming; because when we are thinking least of death the Son of man will come and demand an account of our whole life. In the confusion of death it will be most difficult to adjust our accounts so as to stand guiltless before the tribunal of Jesus Christ. Death may not perhaps come upon us for twenty or thirty years; but it may also come very soon, perhaps in a year or in a month. If anyone had reason to fear that a trial should take place on which his life depended, he certainly would not wait for the day of the trial, but would, as soon as possible, employ an advocate to plead his cause. And what are we doing? We know for certain that we must one day be judged, and that on the result of that judgment depends not on temporal, but eternal life. We also know that that day may be very near at hand; and still we lose our time, and, instead of adjusting our accounts, we go on daily multiplying our sins which will merit the sentence of eternal death.

If, then, we have hitherto offended God, let us henceforth endeavour to bewail our misfortune for the remainder of our life, and say continually with the penitent King Ezechias: I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul-(Is. xxxviii. 15). The Lord gives us the remaining days of life that we may make up for the time that has been badly spent. Whilst we have time, let us work good.-(Gal. vi. 10). Let us not provoke the Lord to punish us by an unhappy death; and if, during the years that are passed, we have been foolish and have offended Him, let us now attend to the Apostle exhorting us to be wise for the future, and to redeem the time we have lost.

O Lord, how wretched I have been in having for so many years gone after the vanities of the world and left Thee, my sovereign Good! But from this day forward I desire to possess Thee as my only Treasure, as the only Love of my soul.


II.

See, therefore, brethren, how you walk circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil . . . understanding what is the will of God.-(Ephes. v. 15,17). The days are evil. According to St. Anselm, the meaning of these words is that the days of this life are evil, because in them we are exposed to a thousand temptations and to the danger of eternal misery; therefore, to escape perdition, all possible care is necessary. “What,” says St. Augustine, “is meant by redeeming the time, unless, when necessary, to submit to temporal loss in order to gain eternal goods?” We should live only to fulfil with all diligence the Divine will; and, should it be necessary, it is better to suffer in temporal things, than to neglect our eternal interests.

Oh, how well did St. Paul redeem the time he had lost! St. Jerome says that, though the last of the Apostles, he was, on account of his great labours, the first in merits. “Paul, the last in order, but the first in merits, because he laboured more than all.” Let us consider that, in each moment, we may lay up greater treasures of eternal goods. If the possession of all the land round which you could walk, or of all the money you could count in a day, were promised you, would you lose time? Would you not instantly begin to walk over the ground, or to reckon the money? You now have it in your power to acquire, in each moment, eternal treasures; and will you notwithstanding, waste your time? Do not say that what you can do today you can also do tomorrow; because this day will be then lost to you, and shall never return. You have today; but perhaps tomorrow will not be given you.

I give Thee thanks, O my God, for having waited for me. What would have become of me had I died one of those nights in which I went to rest under Thy displeasure! But as Thou hast waited patiently for me, it is a sign that Thou wishest to pardon me. Pardon me, then, O my Jesus! I am sorry, and I will never sin again.

Spiritual Reading

SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!

XV.-MARY IS THE MOTHER OF PENITENT SINNERS

This most benign Lady only requires that the sinner should recommend himself to her, and purpose amendment. When Mary sees a sinner at her feet, imploring her mercy, she does not consider the crimes with which he is loaded, but the intention with which he comes; and if the intention is good, even should he have commiitted all possible sins, the most loving Mother embraces him, and does not disdain to heal the wounds of his soul; for she is not only called the Mother of Mercy but is so, truly and indeed, and shows herself such by the love and tenderness with which she assists us all. And this is precisely what the Blessed Virgin herself said to St. Bridget: “However much a man sins, I am ready immediately to receive him when he repents; nor do I pay attention to the number of his sins, but only to the intention with which he comes: I do not disdain to anoint and heal his wounds; for I am called, and truly am, the Mother of Mercy.”

Mary is the Mother of sinners who wish to repent, and as their Mother she cannot do otherwise than compassionate them; nay, more, she seems to feel the miseries of her poor children as if they were her own. When the Canaanite woman begged our Lord to deliver her daughter from the devil who possessed her, she said: Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David, my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil-(Matt. xv. 22). But since the daughter, and not the mother, was tormented, she should rather have said, “Lord, take compassion on my daughter” and not have mercy on me: but no, she said have mercy on me, and she was right; for the sufferings of children are felt by their mothers as if they were their own. And it is precisely thus, says Richard of St. Laurence, that Mary prays to God when she recommends a sinner to Him who has had recourse to her; she cries out for the sinful soul: “Have mercy on me!” “My Lord,” she seems to say, “this poor soul that is in sin is my daughter, and therefore, pity not so much her as me, who am her Mother.”

Would that all sinners had recourse to this sweet Mother, for then certainly all would be pardoned by God. “O Mary,” exclaims St. Bonaventure in rapturous astonishment, “thou embracest with maternal affection a sinner despised by the whole world, nor dost thou leave him until thou hast reconciled the poor creature with his Judge”-meaning, that the sinner, whilst in the state of sin, is hated and loathed by all, even by inanimate creatures; fire, air, and earth would chastise him, and avenge the honour of their outraged Lord. But if this unhappy creature flies to Mary, will Mary reject him? Oh, no, provided he goes to her for help and in order to amend she will embrace him with the affection of a Mother, and will not let him go, until, by her powerful intercession, she has reconciled him with God and reinstated him in grace.

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXI. "CHARITY IS PATIENT.” -THE SOUL THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES TO SUFFER

I.

This earth is the place for meriting, and therefore it is a place for suffering. Our true country, where God has prepared for us repose in everlasting joy, is Paradise.

We have but a short time to stay in this world; but in this short time we have many labours to undergo: Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries-(Job xiv. 1). We must suffer, and all must suffer: be they just or be they sinners, each one must carry his cross. He that carries it with patience is saved; he that carries it with impatience is lost. St. Augustine says the same miseries send some to Paradise and some to hell: “One and the same blow lifts the good to glory and reduces the bad to ashes.” The same Saint observes that by the test of suffering the chaff in the Church of God is distinguished from the wheat: he that humbles himself under tribulations, and is resigned to the will of God, is wheat for Paradise; he that grows haughty and is enraged, and so forsakes God, is chaff for hell.


II.

On the day when the cause of our salvation shall be decided, our life must be found conformable to the life of Jesus Christ, if we would enjoy the happy sentence of the predestined: For whom he foreknew he also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son (Rom. viii. 29). This was the end for which the Eternal Word descended upon earth, to teach us, by His example, to carry with patience the cross which God sends us: Christ suffered for us, wrote St. Peter, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps-(l Pet. ii. 21}. So that Jesus Christ suffered on purpose to encourage us to suffer. O God! what a life was that of Jesus Christ! a life of ignominy and pain! The Prophet calls our Redeemer despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows-(Is. liii. 3}. A man held in contempt, and treated as the lowest, the vilest among men, a man of sorrows; yes, for the life of Jesus Christ was made up of hardships and afflictions.

[Stone]

Wednesday – Fourth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

CHARITY PRACTISED IN WORKS

My little children, says St. John, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth-(1 John iii. 18). Some say they sincerely love their neighbours, but they will not submit to inconvenience for the sake of any of them. To fulfil the precept of charity it is not enough to love our neighbour in words; we must love him in deed and in truth.

I.

Some say they sincerely love all their neighbours, but they will not put themselves to inconvenience for the sake of any of them. My little children, says St. John, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and truth. The Scripture tells us that alms deliver men from death, cleanse them from sin, and obtain for them the Divine mercy and eternal life. Alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting-(Tob. xii. 9).

God will relieve you in the same manner in which you give relief to your neighbour. With what measure you mete it shall be measured to you again-(Matth. vii. 2). Hence St. John Chrysostom says that the exercise of charity to others is the means of acquiring great gain with God. “Alms is, of all acts, the most lucrative.” And St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to say that she felt more happy in relieving her neighbour than when she was wrapt in contemplation. “Because,” she would add, “when I am in contemplation God assists me; but in giving relief to a neighbour I assist God”; for, every act of charity we exercise towards our neighbour, God accepts as done to Himself. But, on the other hand, as St. John says, can he who does not assist a brother in want be said to love God? He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him?-(l John iii. 17). By alms is understood not only the distribution of money and other goods, but every succour given to a neighbour in order to relieve his wants. It is related of St. Teresa that she was accustomed to perform every day some act of charity towards her sisters in Religion, and whenever she was unable to do so during the day she would be careful at night to show light to the sisters who might be passing in the dark before her cell. The Saints were full of charity and compassion to all who required their assistance. The just are merciful and show mercy-(Prov. xiii. 13).


II.

The exercise of special charity towards the sick is also very pleasing to God. Serving them has far greater merit than serving those who are in health. The sick stand in greater need of assistance than those who are well. They are afflicted by pain, melancholy, and the fear of death, and are sometimes even abandoned by all. Oh, how pleasing it is to God to labour to console them in their afflictions! St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi assisted and served the sick, and desired to live in some hospital in order to be always employed in an office so pleasing to God. “If you wish to know,” Father Anthony Torres used to say, “whether the Spirit of God reigns in a community, ask how the sick are treated.” All who tend to perfection practise charity towards the sick. Be careful, then, to relieve the sick by alms, or by little presents, and to serve them as well as you can, at least by endeavouring to console them by your words, by exhortations to practise resignation to God’s will, and to offer Him all their sufferings. Do not look for thanks; but bear with their complaints, impatience, and rudeness. The Lord Himself will reward your charity. It is related in the Chronicles of the Teresians that Sr. Isabella of the Angels was seen ascending to Heaven immediately after death and carried by Angels amid great splendour. She said to a Religious to whom she appeared afterwards that God had bestowed that glory on her for her charity towards the sick.

Spiritual Meditation

SALVE, REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!

XVI.-MARY IS THE MOTHER OF PENITENT SINNERS

In the Second Book of Kings-(2 Kings xiv. 5), we read that a wise woman of Thecua addressed King David this wise: My lord, I had two sons, and for my misfortune one killed the other; so that I have now lost one and justice demands the other, the only one that is left; take compassion on a poor mother, and let me not thus be deprived of both. David, moved with compassion towards the mother, declared that the delinquent should be set at liberty and restored to her. Mary seems to say the same thing when God is indignant against a sinner, who has recommended himself to her. “My God,” she says, ” I had two sons, Jesus and man; man took the life of my Jesus on the Cross, and now Thy justice would condemn the guilty one. O Lord, my Jesus is already dead, have pity on me, and if I have lost the one, do not make me lose the other also.”

Most certainly God will not condemn those sinners who have recourse to Mary, and for whom she prays, since He Himself commended them to her as her children. The devout Lanspergius supposes our Lord speaking in the following terms: “I recommended all, but especially sinners to Mary, as her children, and therefore is she so diligent and so careful in the exercise of her office that she allows none of those committed to her charge, and especially those who invoke her, to perish, but, as far as she can, brings all to Me.” “And who can ever tell,” says the devout Blosius, “the goodness, the mercy, the compassion, the love, the benignity, the clemency, the fidelity, the benevolence, the charity, of this Virgin Mother towards men? It is such that no words can express it.”

“Let us, then,” says St. Bernard, “cast ourselves at the feet of this good Mother, and, embracing them, let us not depart until she blesses us, and thus accepts us for her children.” And who can ever doubt the compassion of this Mother? St. Bonaventure used to say: “Even should she take my life, I would still hope in her; and, full of confidence, would desire to die before her image and be certain of salvation.” And thus should each sinner address her when he has recourse to this compassionate Mother; he should say: “My Lady and Mother, on account of my sins I deserve that thou shouldst reject me, and even that thou shouldst thyself chastise me according to my deserts; but shouldst thou reject me, or even take my life” I will still trust in thee, and hope with a firm hope that thou wilt save me. In thee is all my confidence; only grant me the consolation of dying before thy picture, recommending myself to thy mercy, then I am convinced that I shall not be lost, but that I shall go and praise thee in Heaven in company with so many of thy servants who left this world calling on thee for help, and have all been saved by thy powerful intercession.”

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXII. "CHARITY IS PATIENT.” -THE SOUL THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES TO SUFFER

I.

Now in the same manner as God has treated His beloved Son, so does He treat everyone whom He loves, and whom He receives for His son: For whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth-(Heb. xii. 6). For this reason He one day said to St. Teresa: “Know that the souls dearest to My Father are those who are afflicted with the greatest sufferings.” Hence the Saint said of all her troubles that she would not exchange them for all the treasures in the world. She appeared after her death to a soul, and revealed to her that she enjoyed an immense reward in Heaven, not so much for her good works as for the sufferings she cheerfully bore in this life for the love of God; and that if she could possibly entertain a wish to return upon earth, the only reason would be in order that she might suffer more for God.


II.

He that loves God in suffering earns a double reward in Paradise. St. Vincent de Paul said that it was a great misfortune to be free from suffering in this life. And he added that a Congregation or an individual that does not suffer, and is applauded by all the world, is not far from a fall. It was on this account that St. Francis of Assisi, on the day that he had suffered nothing for God, became afraid lest God had forgotten him. St. John Chrysostom says that when God endows a man with the grace of suffering, He gives him a greater grace than that of raising the dead to life; because in performing miracles man remains God’s debtor; whereas in suffering, God makes Himself the debtor of man. And he adds that whoever endures something for God, even had he no other gift than the strength to suffer for the God Whom he loves, would obtain for himself an immense reward, Wherefore he affirmed that he considered St. Paul to have received a greater grace in being bound in chains for Jesus Christ than in being rapt to the Third Heaven in ecstasy.

[Stone]

Thursday – Fourth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

CHARITY TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOUR’S SOUL

He who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way shall save his soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins-(James v. 20). Would it not be cruelty in him who would see a blind man walking over a precipice and not admonish him of his danger and thus rescue him from temporal death? But it would be still greater cruelty to neglect, when able, to deliver a neighbour from eternal death.


I.

The most perfect charity consists in zeal for your neighbour’s spiritual good. To relieve the spiritual necessities of a fellow-man, or to contribute to his spiritual welfare, as far excels the exercise of charity towards his body as the dignity of the soul transcends the lowly condition of the flesh. Charity towards the soul is practised, in the first place, by correcting our neighbour’s faults. St. James declares that he who causes a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins -(James v. 20). But on the other hand, St. Augustine says that he who sees a neighbour destroying his soul, by giving way to anger against a neighbour, or by insulting him, and neglects to correct him, sins more grievously by his silence than the other does by his insults and contumely. “You,” says the Saint, “see him perish, and care not; your silence is more criminal than his reproachful language.” Do not excuse yourself by saying that you know not how to correct him. St. John Chrysostom tells you that for correcting the faults of others charity is more necessary than wisdom. Make the correction at a seasonable time, with charity and sweetness, and it will be profitable. If you are a Superior, you are bound by your office to correct those under you; if not, you are bound in charity to administer correction as often as you expect fruit from it. Would it not be cruelty in him who should see a blind man walking over a precipice not to admonish him of his danger, and thus rescue him from temporal death? But it would be still greater cruelty in you to neglect, when able, to deliver a neighbour from eternal death. If you prudently judge that your advice would be unprofitable, be careful at least to make known the fault to some other person who will be able to apply a remedy. Do not say, This is not my business; I will not take any trouble about it. This was the language of Cain. Am I, said he, my brother’s keeper-(Gen. iv. 9). It is the duty of everyone, when able, to save his neighbor from ruin. And, says Ecclesiasticus, he gave to everyone of them commandment concerning his neighbour-(Ecclus. xvii. 12}.


II.

St. Philip Neri says that, when necessary, God wishes that we omit mental prayer in order to assist a neighbour, particularly in his spiritual necessities. St. Gertrude desired one day to entertain herself in prayer, but a work of charity was to be performed, and therefore the Lord said to her: Tell me, Gertrude, do you intend that I should serve you, or that you should serve Me?”

“If,” says St. Gregory, “you go to God, take care not to go alone to Him.” And Saint Augustine says: “If you love God, draw all to the love of God.” If you love God you should take care not to be alone in loving Him, but should labour to bring to His love all your relatives, and all those with whom you have intercourse.

To appear devout, mortified, devoted to mental prayer and to frequent Communion, in order to give good example to others, in order to induce others to do likewise, is not an act of vanity, but an act of charity, very pleasing to God. 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).

Endeavour, then, to assist all according to the best of your ability, by words, works, and particularly by prayers. Many Doctors, along with St. Basil, teach, that by the words Amen I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you–(John xvi. 23), Jesus Christ promises to hear our prayers, not only for ourselves, but also for others, provided they do not place a positive obstacle in the way. Hence, in the common prayer, in your Thanksgiving after Communion, and your Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, you should never omit to recommend to God all poor sinners, infidels, and heretics, and all that live without God.

How pleasing to Jesus Christ are the prayers of His spouses for sinners! He once said to the Venerable Sister Seraphina de Capri: “Assist Me, O My daughter, to save souls by your prayers.” To Mary Magdalen de Pazzi he said: “See, Magdalen, how Christians are in the hands of the devil; unless my elect by their prayers deliver them, they will be devoured.” Hence the Saint used to say to her Religious: “My sisters, God has not separated us from the world only for our own good, but also for the benefit of sinners.” And on another occasion she said: “My sisters, we have to render to God an account for so many lost souls: had we recommended them to God with fervour, perhaps they would not be damned.” Hence we read in her life that she did not allow an hour of the day to pass without praying for sinners. Oh, how many souls are sometimes converted, not so much by the sermons of priests as by the prayers of Religious! It was once revealed to a preacher that the fruit which he produced was not the effect of his sermons, but of the prayers of a lay-brother who assisted him at the pulpit. Be careful, also, to pray for priests, that they may labour with true zeal for the salvation of souls.

Spiritual Reading

VITA, DULCEDO! HAIL, OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS!

XVII. MARY IS OUR LIFE, BECAUSE SHE OBTAINS FOR US THE PARDON OF OUR SINS

To understand why the holy Church makes us call Mary our life we must know that, as the soul gives life to the body, so does Divine grace give life to the soul; for a soul without grace has the name of being alive but is in truth dead, as it was said of one in the Apocalypse,

Thou hast the name of being alive and thou art dead -(Apoc. iii. I). Mary, then, in obtaining this grace for sinners by her intercession, restores them to life. See how the Church makes Mary speak, applying to her the following words of Proverbs: They that in the morning early watch for me shall find me-(Prov. viii. 17). They who are diligent in having recourse to me in the morning, that is, as soon as they can, will most certainly find me. In the Septuagint the words shall find me are rendered “shall find grace.” So that, to have recourse to Mary is the same thing as to find the grace of God. A little further on she says, He that shall: find me shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord-(Prov. viii. 35). “Listen,” exclaims St. Bonaventure on these words, “listen, all you who desire the kingdom of God: honour the most Blessed Virgin Mary, and you will find life and eternal salvation.”

St. Bernardine of Sienna says that if God did not: destroy man after his first sin, it was on account of His singular love for this holy Virgin, who was destined to be born of this race. And the Saint adds that he “has no doubt but that all the mercies granted by God under the old dispensation were granted only in consideration of this most Blessed Lady.”

Hence St. Bernard was right in exhorting us “to seek for grace, and to seek it by Mary”; meaning, that if we have had the misfortune to lose the grace of God, we should seek to recover it, but we should do so through Mary; for, though we may have lost it, she has found it; and hence the Saint calls her “the finder of grace.” The Angel Gabriel expressly declared this for our consolation when he saluted the Blessed Virgin saying, Fear not, Mary, thou hast found grace-(Luke i. 30). But if Mary had never been deprived of grace, how could the Archangel say that she had then found it? A thing may be found by a person who did not previously possess it; but we are told by the same Archangel that the Blessed Virgin was always with God, always in grace, nay, full of grace. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee -(Luke i. 28). Since Mary, then, did not find grace for herself, she being always full of it, for whom did she find it? Cardinal Hugo, in his commentary on the above text, replies that she found it for sinners who had lost it. “Let sinners, then,” says this devout writer, “who by their crimes have lost grace, address themselves to the Blessed Virgin, for with her they will surely find it; let them humbly salute her, and say with confidence, “Lady, that which has been found must be restored to him who has lost it; restore us, therefore, our property which thou hast found.” On this subject, Richard of St. Laurence concludes, “that if we hope to recover the grace of God we must go to Mary, who has found it, and finds it always.” And as she always was and always will be dear to God, if we have recourse to her we shall certainly succeed.

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXIII. "CHARITY IS PATIENT.”-THE SOUL THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES TO SUFFER

I.

But patience has a perfect work-(James i. 4). The meaning of this is that nothing is more pleasing to God than to see a soul suffering with patience all the crosses sent her by Him. The effect of love is to liken the lover to the person loved. St. Francis de Sales said: “All the Wounds of Christ are so many mouths which preach to us that we must suffer for Him. The science of the Saints is to suffer constantly for Jesus; and in this way we shall soon become Saints.” A person that loves Jesus Christ is anxious to be treated like Jesus Christ,–poor, persecuted and despised. St. John beheld all the Saints clothed in white and with palms in their hands: Clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands-(Apoc. vii. 9). The palm is the symbol of Martyrs, and yet all the Saints did not suffer Martyrdom; why, then, do all the Saints bear palms in their hands? St. Gregory replies that all the Saints have been Martyrs either of the sword or of patience; so that, he adds, “we can be Martyrs without the sword if we keep patience.”


II.

The merit of a soul that loves Jesus Christ consists in loving and in suffering. Hear what our Lord said to St. Teresa: “Think you, My child, that merit consists in enjoyment? No; it consists in suffering and in loving. Look at My life, wholly embittered with afflictions. Be assured, My child, that the more My Father loves any one the more sufferings He sends him; they are the standard of His love. Look at My Wounds; your torments will never reach so far. It is foolish to suppose that My Father favours with His friendship those who are strangers to suffering.” And, for our consolation, St. Teresa makes this remark: “God never sends a trial but He forthwith rewards it with some favour.” One day Jesus Christ appeared to the Blessed Baptista Varani, and told her of three special favours which He is wont to bestow on cherished souls: the first, not to sin; the second, which is greater, to perform good works; the third, and the greatest of all, to suffer for His love. So that St. Teresa used to say, whenever anyone does something for God, the Almighty repays him with some trial. And therefore the Saints, on receiving tribulations, thanked God for them. St. Louis of France, referring to his captivity among the Turks, said: “I rejoice, and thank God more for the patience which He accorded me in the time of my imprisonment than if He had made me master of the Universe.” And when St. Elizabeth, princess of Thuringia, after her husband’s death, was banished with her son from the kingdom and found herself homeless and abandoned by all, she went to a convent of the Franciscans and there had the Te Deum sung in thanksgiving to God for the signal favour of being allowed to suffer for His love.

[Stone]

Friday – Fourth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST OUR HOPE

What art thou afraid of, O sinner? How shall He condemn thee penitent, Who dies that you may not be condemned? Behold, He says, I have graven thee upon my hands. I keep thee engraven upon My hands in these Wounds I have suffered for thee, Love Me and have confidence.

I.

Oh, how great is the hope of salvation which the Death of Jesus Christ imparts to us: Who is he that shall condemn? Christ Jesus who died, who also maketh intercession for us-(Rom. viii. 34). Who is it, asks the Apostle, that has to condemn us? It is that same Redeemer Who, in order not to condemn us to eternal death, condemned Himself to a cruel death upon a Cross. From this St. Thomas of Villanova encourages us, saying: What dost thou fear, sinner, if thou art willing to leave off thy sin? How should that Lord condemn thee, Who died in order not to condemn thee? How should He drive thee away when thou returnest to His feet, He Who came from Heaven to seek thee when thou wert fleeing from Him? “What are thou afraid of, sinner? How shall He condemn thee penitent, Who dies that you may not be condemned? How shall He cast thee off returning, Who came from Heaven seeking thee?” But greater still is the encouragement given us by this same Saviour or ours when, speaking by Isaias, He says: Behold, I have graven thee upon my hands; thy walls are always before my eyes-(Is. xlix. 16). Be not distrustful, My sheep; see how much thou didst cost Me. I keep thee engraven upon My hands in these Wounds which I have suffered for thee; these are ever reminding Me to help thee, and to defend thee from thine enemies: love Me, and have confidence.

Yes, my Jesus, I love Thee and feel confidence in Thee. To rescue me, yea, this has cost Thee dear; to save me will cost Thee nothing. It is Thy will that all should be saved, and that none should perish. If my sins cause me to dread, Thy goodness reassures me, more desirous as Thou art to do me good than I am to receive it. Ah, my beloved Redeemer, I will say to Thee with Job: Even though Thou shouldst kill me, yet I will hope in Thee, and Thou wilt be my Saviour-(Job xiii). Wert Thou even to drive me away from Thy Presence. O my Love, yet I would not leave off from hoping in Thee, Who art my Saviour. Too much do these Wounds of Thine and this Blood encourage me to hope for every good from Thy mercy. I love Thee, O dear Jesus; I love Thee, and I trust in Thee.


II.

The glorious St. Bernard one day in sickness saw himself before the Judgment-seat of God, where the devil was accusing him of his sins, and telling him that he did not deserve Paradise: “It is true that I deserve not Paradise,” the Saint replied, “but Jesus has a twofold title to this kingdom in the first place, as being by nature Son of God; in the next place, as having purchased it by His Death. He contents Himself with the first of these, and the second He makes over to me; and therefore it is that I ask and hope for Paradise.” We, too, can say the same; for St. Paul tells us that the will of Jesus Christ to die, consumed by sufferings, had for its end the obtaining of Paradise for all sinners that are penitent and resolved to amend. And hence the Apostle subjoins: Let us run … to the fight proposed unto us, looking on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith, who, having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame-(Heb. xii. 1, 2). Let us go forth with courage to fight against our enemies, fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ, Who, together with the merits of His Passion, offers us the victory and the crown.

He has told us that He is gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us: Let not your heart be troubled … I go to prepare a place for you-(John xiv. 1, 2). He has told, and is continually telling His Father that since He has consigned us to Him, He wishes us to be with Him in Paradise: Father, those whom thou hast given me, I will that where I am they also may be with me-(John xvii. 24). And what greater mercy could we have hoped for from the Lord, says St. Anselm, than for the Eternal Father to have said to a sinner, already for crimes condemned to hell, and with no means of delivering himself from its punishments: Take thou My Son, and offer Him in thy place? And for the same Son to have said: Take Me, and deliver thyself from hell? What greater mercy can we imagine than that to one who, being a sinner, cannot redeem himself, God the Father should say: Accept of My only begotten Son, and deliver Him over to be punished in thy stead; and that the Son should say: Take Me, and redeem thyself?

Ah, my loving Father, I thank Thee for having given me this Thy Son for my Saviour; I offer to Thee His death; and, for the sake of His merits, I pray Thee for mercy. And ever do I return thanks to Thee, my Redeemer, for having given Thy Blood and Thy Life to deliver me from eternal death. “We pray Thee, therefore, help Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood.” Help, then, us, Thy rebellious servants, since Thou hast redeemed us at so great a cost. O Jesus, my one and only Hope, Thou dost love me. Thou hast power to do all things; make me a Saint. If I am weak, do Thou give me strength; if I am sick, in consequence of the sins I have committed, do Thou apply to my soul one drop of Thy Blood and heal me. Give me love of Thee and final perseverance, making me die in Thy grace. Give me Paradise; through Thy merits do I ask it of Thee, and hope to obtain it. I love Thee, O my most lovely God, with all my soul; and I hope to love Thee always. Oh, help a miserable sinner who wishes to love Thee alone!


Spiritual Reading

VITA, DULCEDO! HAIL, OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS!

XVIII. MARY IS OUR LIFE, BECAUSE SHE OBTAINS FOR US THE PARDON OF OUR SINS.

Mary says, in the eighth chapter of the sacred Canticles, that God has placed her in the world to be our defence: I am a wall: and my breasts are as a tower -(Cant. viii. 10). And she is truly made a mediatress of peace between sinners and God: Since I am become in his presence as one finding peace. On these words St. Bernard encourages sinners, saying: “Go to this Mother of Mercy and show her the wounds which thy sins have left on thy soul; then will she certainly entreat her Son, by the breasts that gave Him suck, to pardon thee all. And this Divine Son, Who loves her so tenderly, will most certainly grant her petition.” In this sense it is that the holy Church, in her almost daily prayer calls upon us to beg our Lord to grant us the powerful help of the intercession of Mary to rise from our sins: “Grant Thy help to our weakness, O most merciful God; and that we who are mindful of the holy Mother of God may, by the help of her intercession, rise from our iniquities.” With reason, then, does St. Laurence Justinian call her “the hope of malefactors,” since she alone is the one who obtains them pardon from God. With reason does St. Bernard call her “the sinners ladder,” since she, the most compassionate Queen, extending her hand to them, draws them from an abyss of sin, and enables them to ascend to God. With reason does an ancient writer call her “the only hope of sinners,” for by her help alone can we hope for the remission of our sins.

St. John Chrysostom also says “that sinners receive pardon by the intercession of Mary alone.” And therefore the Saint, in the name of all sinners, thus addresses her: “Hail, Mother of God and of us all; Heaven where God dwells; throne, from which our Lord dispenses all grace; glory of our Church, assiduously pray to Jesus that in the Day of Judgment we may find mercy through thee, and receive the reward prepared by God for those who love Him.”

With reason, finally, is Mary called, in the words of the sacred Canticles, the dawn: Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising?-(Cant. vi. 9). Yes, says Pope Innocent III, “for as the dawn is the end of night and the beginning of day, well may the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was the end of vices, be called the dawn of day.” When devotion towards Mary begins in a soul it produces the same effect that the birth of this most Holy Virgin produced in the world. It puts an end to the night of sin, and leads the soul into the path of virtue. Therefore St. Germanus says: “O Mother of God, thy protection never ceases, thy intercession is life, and thy patronage never fails.” And in a sermon the same Saint says that to pronounce the name of Mary with affection is a sign of life in the soul, or at least, that life will soon return there.

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXIV. "CHARITY IS PATIENT.” -THE SOUL THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES TO SUFFER

I.

St. Joseph Calasanctius used to say: “All suffering is slight to gain Heaven.” And the Apostle had already said the same: The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us-(Rom. viii. 18). It would be a great gain for us to endure all the torments of all the Martyrs during our whole lives in order to enjoy one single moment of the bliss of Paradise. With what readiness, then, should we embrace our crosses, when we know that the sufferings of this transitory life will gain for us an everlasting beatitude! That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory-(2 Cor. iv. 17). St. Agapitus, while still a mere boy in years, was threatened by the tyrant to have his head covered with a red-hot helmet; on which he replied: “And what better fortune could possibly befall me than to lose my head here, to have it crowned hereafter in Heaven?” This thought made St. Francis exclaim: “I look for such a meed of bliss, That all my pains seem happiness.”

But whoever desires the crown of Paradise must needs combat and suffer: if we suffer, we shall also reign-(2 Tim. ii. 12). We cannot get a reward without merit; and no merit is to be had without patience: He is not crowned, except he strive lawfully-(2 Tim. ii. 5). And the person that strives with the greatest patience shall have the greatest reward.

What a strange thing it is! When the temporal goods of this world are in question, worldlings endeavour to procure as much as they can; but when it is a question of the goods of eternal life, they say: “It is enough if we get a little corner in Heaven!” Such is not the language of the Saints; they are satisfied with anything whatever in this life, nay more, they strip themselves of all earthly goods; but concerning eternal goods, they strive to obtain them in as large a measure as possible. I would ask which of the two act with more wisdom and prudence?


II.

But even with regard to the present life it is certain that he who suffers with most patience enjoys the greatest peace. It was a saying of St. Philip Neri that in this world there is no Purgatory; it is either all Paradise or all hell: he that patiently supports tribulations enjoys a Paradise; he that does not do so suffers a hell. Yes, for, as St. Teresa writes, he that embraces the crosses sent him by God feels them not. St. Francis de Sales, finding himself on one occasion beset on every side with tribulations, said: “For some time back the severe oppositions and secret contrarieties which have befallen me afford me so sweet a peace that nothing can equal it; and they give me such an assurance that my soul will ere long be firmly united with God that I can say with all truth that they are the sole ambition, the sole desire of my heart.” And, indeed, peace can never be found by one who leads an irregular life, but only by him who lives in union with God and with His blessed will. A certain missionary of a Religious Order, while in the Indies, was one day standing to witness the execution of a person under sentence of death, and already on the scaffold; the criminal called the missionary to him, and said: “You must know, Father, that I was once a member of your Order. Whilst I observed the rules I led a very happy life; but when, afterwards, I began to relax in the strict observance of them, I immediately experienced pain in everything; so much so that I abandoned the Religious life and gave myself up to vice, which has finally reduced me to the melancholy pass in which you at present behold me.” And in conclusion he said, “I tell you this that my example may be a warning to others.” The venerable Father Lewis da Ponte said: “Take the sweet things of this life for bitter, and the bitter for sweet; and so you will be in the constant enjoyment of peace. Yes, for though the sweet are pleasant to sense they invariably leave behind them the bitterness of remorse of conscience, on account of the imperfect satisfaction which, for the most part, they afford; but the bitter when taken with patience from the hand of God, become sweet and dear to the souls who love Him.”

[Stone]

Saturday – Fourth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

HAVING RECOURSE TO MARY

“The Queen of Heaven is so gracious and liberal,” says St. Andrew of Crete, “that she recompenses her servants with the greatest munificence for the most trifling devotions.” “But,” says St. Bernard, “perseverance alone will merit a Crown.” Oh, how many are there now in hell who would have been saved had they only persevered in the devotions they once practised in honour of Mary!

I.

“The Queen of Heaven is so gracious and liberal,” says St. Andrew of Crete, “that she recompenses her servants with the greatest munificence for the most trifling devotions.” Two conditions, however, there are:

The first is that when we offer her our devotions our souls should be free from sin; otherwise she would address us as she addressed a wicked soldier spoken of by St. Peter Celestine. This soldier every day performed some devotion in honour of our Blessed Lady. One day he was suffering greatly from hunger when Mary appeared to him and offered him some most delicious meats, but in so filthy a vessel that he could not bring himself to taste them. “I am the Mother of God,” the Blessed Virgin then said, “and am come to satisfy thy hunger.” “But, O Lady,” he answered, “I cannot eat out of so defiled a vessel.” “And how,” replied Mary, “canst thou expect that I should accept thy devotions offered to me with so defiled a soul?” On hearing this the soldier was converted, became a hermit, and lived in a desert for thirty years. At death the Blessed Virgin again appeared to him and took him herself to Heaven.

We say it is morally impossible for a client of Mary to be lost; but this must be understood on condition that he lives either without sin, or, at least, with the desire to abandon it; for then the Blessed Virgin will help him. But should anyone, on the other hand, sin in the hope that Mary will save him, he thereby would render himself unworthy and incapable of her protection.

Ah, my Queen, continue to guard me from hell; for what will thy mercy and the favours thou hast shown me avail me if I am lost? If I did not always love, now at least after God I love thee above all things. Never allow me to turn my back on thee or on God, Who, by thy intercession, has granted me so many graces. Love me, O Mary, my hope; save me from hell. But save me first from sin which alone can condemn me to it.


II.

The second condition is perseverance in devotion to Mary: “Perseverance alone,” says St. Bernard, “will merit a crown.” When Thomas a Kempis was a young man he used every day to have recourse to the Blessed Virgin with certain prayers; he one day omitted them; he then omitted them for some weeks, and finally gave them up altogether. One night he saw Mary in a dream: she embraced all his companions, but when his turn came she said: “What dost thou expect, thou who hast given up thy devotions? Depart, thou art unworthy of my caresses.” On hearing this Thomas awoke in alarm, and resumed his ordinary prayers. Hence, Richard of St. Laurence with reason says that he who perseveres in his devotion to Mary will be blessed in his confidence and will obtain all he desires. But as no one can be certain of this perseverance, no one before death can be certain of salvation. The advice given by St. John Berchmans, of the Society of Jesus, deserves our particular attention. When this holy young man was dying, his companions entreated him, before he left this world, to tell them what devotion they could perform which would be most agreeable to our Blessed Lady. He replied in the following remarkable words: Any devotion, however small, provided it is constant. Oh, how many are now in hell who would have been saved had they only persevered in the devotions they once practised in honour of Mary!

O my Mother, in thee have I placed all my hopes; from thee do I expect every grace. Alas, miserable wretch that I am! I have hitherto fallen because I have not had recourse to thee. I now hope that, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and thy prayers, I have obtained pardon. But I may again lose Divine grace; the danger is not past; my enemies do not sleep. I know that thou wilt help me, and that with thy help I shall conquer if I recommend myself to thee: but this is what I fear, that in time of danger I may neglect to call upon thee and thus be lost. I ask thee, then, for this grace, that in the assaults of hell I may always have recourse to thee by saying: O Mary help me! My Mother, permit me not to lose my God!


Spiritual Reading

VITA, DULCEDO! HAIL, OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS!

XIX. MARY IS OUR LIFE, BECAUSE SHE OBTAINS FOR US THE PARDON OF OUR SINS

We read in the Gospel of St. Luke that Mary said, Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed-(Luke i. 48). “Yes, my Lady,” exclaims St. Bernard, “all generations shall call thee blessed, for thou hast begotten life and glory for all generations of men.” For this cause all men shall call thee blessed, for all thy servants obtain through thee the life of grace and eternal glory. “In thee do sinners find pardon, and the just perseverance and eternal life.” “Distrust not, O sinner,” says the devout Bernardine de Bustis, “even if thou hast committed all possible sins: go with confidence to this most glorious Lady, and thou wilt find her hands filled with mercy and bounty. “Because, he adds, “she desires more to do thee good than thou canst desire to receive favours from her.”

St. Andrew of Crete calls Mary the pledge of Divine mercy; meaning that when sinners have recourse to Mary that they may be reconciled with God, He assures them of pardon and gives them a pledge of it; and this pledge is Mary, whom He has bestowed upon us for our advocate, and through whose prayers, by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, God forgives all who have recourse to her. St. Bridget heard an Angel say that the holy Prophets rejoiced in knowing that God, by the humility and purity of Mary, was to be reconciled with sinners and to receive those who had offended Him to favour. “They exulted, foreknowing that our Lord Himself would be appeased by thy humility and the purity of thy life, O Mary, thou super-effulgent star, and that He would be reconciled with those who had provoked His wrath.”

No sinner, having recourse to the compassion of Mary, should fear being rejected; for she is the Mother of Mercy and as such desires to save the most miserable. Mary is that happy ark, says St. Bernard, “in which those who take refuge will never suffer the shipwreck of eternal perdition.” At the time of the deluge even brutes were saved in Noe’s Ark. Under the mantle of Mary even sinners obtain salvation. St. Gertrude once saw Mary with her mantle extended and under it many wild beasts-lions, bears, and tigers-had taken refuge. And she remarked that Mary not only did not reject but even welcomed and caressed them with the greatest tenderness. The Saint understood hereby that the most abandoned sinners who have recourse to Mary are not only not rejected, but that they are welcomed and saved by her from eternal death. Let us, then, enter this ark, let us take refuge under the mantle of Mary, and she most certainly will not reject us, but will secure our salvation.

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXV."CHARITY IS PATIENT.”-THE SOUL THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES TO SUFFER

I.

Let us be convinced that in this valley of tears true peace of heart cannot be found except by him who endures and lovingly embraces sufferings to please Almighty God: this is the consequence of that corruption in which all are placed through the infection of sin. The condition of the Saints on earth is to suffer and to love; the condition of the Saints in Heaven is to enjoy and to love. Father Paul Segneri the Younger, in a letter which he wrote one of his penitents to encourage her to suffer, gave her the counsel to keep these words inscribed at the foot of her Crucifix: Tis thus one loves! It is not simply by suffering but by desiring to suffer for the love of Jesus Christ that a soul gives the surest signs of really loving Him. And what greater acquisition, said St. Teresa, can we possibly make than to have some token of gratifying Almighty God? Alas, how ready are most men to take alarm at the bare mention of crosses, of humiliations, and afflictions! Nevertheless there are many souls who find all their delight in suffering, and who would be quite disconsolate did they pass their time on this earth without suffering. The sight of Jesus crucified, said a devout person, renders the cross so lovely to me that it seems to me I could never be happy without suffering; the love of Jesus Christ is sufficient for me in all circumstances. Jesus advises everyone who would follow Him to take up and carry his cross: Let him take up his cross and follow me-(Luke ix. 23). But we must take it up and carry it, not by constraint and against our will, but with humility, patience, and love.


II.

Oh, how acceptable to God is he that humbly and patiently embraces the crosses He sends him! St. Ignatius of Loyola said: “There is no wood so apt to enkindle and maintain love towards God as the wood of the cross”; that is, to love Him in the midst of sufferings. One day St. Gertrude asked our Lord what she could offer Him most acceptable, and He replied: “My child, thou canst do nothing more gratifying to Me than to submit patiently to all the tribulations that befall thee.” Wherefore the great servant of God, Sister Victoria Angelini, affirmed that one day of crucifixion was worth a hundred years of all other spiritual exercises. And the Blessed John of Avila said: “One Blessed be God! in ill success is worth more than a thousand thanksgivings in prosperity.” Alas, how little men know of the inestimable value of affliction endured for God! The Blessed Angela of Foligno said that “if we knew the just value of suffering for God, it would, become an object of plunder”; which is as much as to say that each one would seek an opportunity of robbing his neighbour of the occasions of suffering. For this reason St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, well aware as she was of the merit of sufferings, sighed to have her life prolonged rather than to die and go to Heaven, “because,” said she, “in Heaven one can suffer no more.”