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

[Stone]

Thursday – Fifth Week After Easter

Morning Meditation

“BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT.”

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. O happy commerce! We renounce the goods of this earth, which are but mire, and we receive in exchange the graces of God and eternal rewards more precious than the purest gold.


I.

From the Sacred Scriptures we learn that the reward of poverty is most certain, and great beyond measure. It is most certain, because Jesus Christ has said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven-(Matt. v. 3). To the other Beatitudes, Heaven is promised only as a future reward. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land-(Matt. v. 4) Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God-(Matt. v. 8). But to the poor in spirit God’s kingdom is promised as a present recompense: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Because, to those that are truly poor in spirit the Lord gives very great helps, even in this life. Hence Cornelius a Lapide says that since, by the decree of God, the kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor, they have a full right to it. The reward ot poverty is very secure, and great beyond conception. “The less we have here,” says St. Teresa, “the more we shall enjoy in God’s kingdom, in which the mansion of each is proportioned to the love with which we shall have imitated the life of Jesus Christ.” “O happy commerce,” exclaims St. Peter Damian, “where clay is given away and gold received.” O happy traffic! We renounce the goods of earth, which are but mire, and we receive in exchange the graces of God and eternal rewards more precious than the purest gold.

O my Jesus, if hitherto my heart has been attached to the goods of this world, Thou henceforth shall be my only Treasure. O God of my soul, Thou art a Good infinitely greater than any other good, and dost deserve infinite love. I esteem and love Thee, therefore, above all things, and even more than myself. Thou art the only object of my affections. I desire nothing in this world. If I had my desire, it would be to possess all the treasures and kingdoms of this world for the purpose of renouncing them all and depriving myself of them for the love of Thee. Come, O my Love, come and consume in me every affection that is not for Thee.


II.

The poor in spirit shall also have the honour of sitting with Jesus Christ as the judges of the world. Behold, says St. Peter to Jesus, we have left all things and have followed thee: what, therefore, shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you shall also sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel-(Matt. xix. 27, 28). God has promised eternal glory hereafter, and a hundredfold in this life, to all who abandon earthly goods for His sake. And every one that hath left house .. or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting-(Matt. xix. 29). This promise is fufilled in all the poor in spirit who, because they desire nothing on earth, possess all riches: As having nothing and possessing all things-(2 Cor. vi. 10). The Redeemer has justly compared riches to thorns-(Matt. xiii. 22), for in proportion to their abundance riches torment the soul by cares, by fears, and by the desire of increased possessions. Hence St. Bernard says that while the avaricious, because their desire of riches is never satiated, like mendicants, thirst after the goods of this world; the poor in spirit, because they wish for nothing upon earth, despise Mammon. “The avaricious man, like a mendicant, hungers after earthly things; the poor man, like a prince, contemns them.” Oh, how great is the happiness of him who desires and possesses nothing upon earth! He enjoys true peace-a blessing more valuable than all worldly goods, which can never content a soul destined to be made happy only by the possession of God.

O my God, grant that in future I may regard only Thee, think only of Thee, and sigh after Thee alone! The love that made Thee die on the Cross for me, makes me die to all my inclinations and desire only Thy holy grace and love. My dear Redeemer, when shall I be entirely Thine as Thou art mine? Oh, take me and make me live only for Thy glory. Trusting in the merits of Thy Blood, O my Jesus, and in thy intercession, O my Mother Mary, I hope for all things.

Spiritual Reading

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

XXIV.-MARY IS OUR SWEETNESS; SHE RENDERS DEATH SWEET TO HER CLIENTS

He that is a friend loveth at all times; and a brother is proved in distress-(Prov. xvii. 17), says the Book of Proverbs. We can never know our friends in the time of prosperity; it is only in the time of adversity that we see them in their true colours. People of the world, never abandon a friend as long as he is in prosperity; but should misfortunes overtake him, and more particularly should he be at the point of death, they immediately forsake him. Mary does not act thus with her clients. In their afflictions, and more particularly in the sorrows of death, the greatest that can be endured in this world, this good Lady and Mother not only does not abandon her faithful servants, but, as during our exile she is our life, so also is she at our last hour our sweetness, by obtaining for us a calm and happy death. For from the day on which Mary had the privilege and sorrow of being present at the death of Jesus, her Son, who was the Head of all the predestined, it became her privilege also to assist at their deaths. And for this reason the holy Church teaches us to beg this most blessed Virgin to assist us, especially at the moment of death: Pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death!

Oh, how great are the sufferings of the dying! They suffer from remorse of conscience on account of past sins, from fear of the approaching judgment, and from the uncertainty of their eternal salvation. Then it is that hell arms itself and spares no efforts to gain the soul which is on the point of entering eternity; for it knows that only a short time remains in which to gain it, and that, if hell then loses it, it loses it for ever. The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time-(Apoc. xii. 12). And for this reason the enemy of our salvation, whose charge it was to tempt the soul during life, does not choose at death to be alone, but calls others to his assistance, according to the Prophet Isaias: Their houses shall be filled with serpents-(Is. xiii. 21). And indeed they are so; for when a person is at the point of death the whole place in which he is is filled with devils who all unite to make him lose his soul.

It is related of St. Andrew Avellino that ten thousand devils came to tempt him at his death. The conflict that he had in his agony with the powers of hell was so terrible that all the good Religious who assisted him trembled. They saw the Saint’s face swelled to such a degree from agitation that it became quite black, every limb trembled and was contorted; his eyes shed a torrent of tears; his head shook violently; all gave evidence of the terrible assault he was enduring on the part of his infernal foes. All wept with compassion and redoubled their prayers, and at the same time trembled with fear on seeing a Saint die thus. They were, however, consoled at seeing that often, as if seeking for help, the Saint turned his eyes towards a devout picture of Mary, for they remembered that during life he had often said that at death Mary would be his refuge. At length God was pleased to put an end to the contest by granting him a glorious victory; for the contortions of his body ceased, his face resumed its original size and colour, and the Saint, with his eyes tranquilly fixed on the picture, made a devout inclination to Mary (who it is believed then appeared to him) as if in the act of thanking her, and with a heavenly smile on his countenance tranquilly breathed forth his blessed soul into the arms of Mary. At the same moment a Capuchin nun, who was in her agony, turning to the nuns who surrounded her, said: “Recite a ‘Hail Mary,’ for a Saint has just expired.”

Ah, how quickly do the rebellious spirits fly from the presence of this Queen! If at the hour of death we have only the protection of Mary, what need we fear from all our infernal enemies? David, fearing the horrors of death, encouraged himself by placing his reliance on the death of the coming Redeemer and on the intercession of the Virgin Mother. For though, he says, I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, . . . thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me-(ps. xxii. 4). Cardinal Hugo, explaining these words of the royal Prophet, says that the staff signifies the Cross, and the rod is the intercession of Mary; for she is the rod foretold by the Prophet Isaias: And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root-(Is. xi. 1). “This Divine Mother,” says St. Peter Damian, “is that powerful rod with which the violence of the infernal enemies is conquered.” And therefore does St. Antoninus encourage us, saying: “If Mary is for us, who shall be against us?”

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXX-“CHARITY IS KIND”-HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES MEEKNESS

I.

Oh, how much more is to be gained by meekness than by harshness! St. Francis de Sales said there was nothing more bitter than the bitter almond; but if made into a preserve it becomes sweet and agreeable: thus corrections, though of their nature very unpleasant, are rendered pleasant by love and meekness, and so are attended with more beneficial results. St. Vincent de Paul said of himself that in the government of his own Congregation he had never corrected anyone with severity, except on three occasions, when he supposed there was reason to do so; but that he regretted it ever afterwards because he found it turned out badly; whereas he had always admirably succeeded by gentle correction.

St. Francis de Sales obtained from others whatever he wished by his meek behaviour; and by this means he managed to gain the most hardened sinners to God. It was the same with St. Vincent de Paul, who taught his disciples this maxim: “Affability, love, and humility have a wonderful efficacy in winning the hearts of men, and in prevailing on them to undertake things most repugnant to nature.” He once gave a great sinner to the care of one of his fathers to bring him to sentiments of true repentance; but the father, in spite of all his endeavours, found his labour fruitless, so that he begged the Saint to speak a word to him. The Saint accordingly spoke with him, and converted him. That sinner subsequently declared that the singular sweetness of Father Vincent had worked upon his heart. Therefore it was that the Saint could not bear his missionaries to treat sinners with severity; and he told them that the infernal spirit took advantage of the strictness of some to work the greater ruin of souls.

Kindness should be observed towards all on all occasions and at all times. St. Bernard remarks that certain persons are gentle as long as things fall out to their taste; but scarcely do they experience some opposition or contradiction than they are instantly on fire, like Mount Vesuvius itself. Such as these maybe called burning coals, but hidden under the ashes. Whoever would become a Saint must, during this life, resemble the lily among thorns, which, however much it may be pricked by them, never ceases to be a lily; that is, it is always equally sweet and serene. The soul that loves God maintains an imperturbable peace of heart; and she shows this in her very countenance, being ever mistress of herself, alike in prosperity and adversity, according to the lines of Cardinal Petrucci: “Of outward things he views the varying guise, While in his soul’s most inmost depth Undimmed God’s image lies.”

Adversity brings out a person’s real character. St. Francis de Sales very tenderly loved the Order of the Visitation, which had cost him so much labour. He saw it several times in imminent danger of dissolution, on account of the persecutions it underwent; but the Saint never for a moment lost his peace, and was ready, if such was the will of God, to see it entirely destroyed; and then it was that he said: “For some time past the trying 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 earnest of the immediate union of my soul with God that, in truth, they form the sole desire of my heart.”

O my Jesus, I, too, abandon myself to Thee. I love Thee with my whole heart; I love Thee more than myself. I have offended Thee in times past; but now I bitterly repent of it, and I would willingly die of grief. Oh, draw me entirely to Thyself! I renounce all sensible consolations; I wish for Thee alone, and nothing more. Make me love Thee, and then do with me what Thou wilt. O Mary, my hope, bind me to Jesus; and grant me to live and die in union with Him, in order to come one day to the happy kingdom, where I shall have no more fear of ever being separated from His love!


II.

Whenever it happens that we have to reply to some one who insults us, let us be careful to answer with meekness: A mild answer breaketh wrath-(Prov. xv. 1). A mild reply is enough to quench every spark of anger. And in case we feel irritated it is best to keep silence, because then it seems only just to give vent to all that rises to our lips; but when our passion has subsided, we shall see that all our words were full of faults.

And when it happens that we ourselves commit some fault we must also practise meekness in our own regard: to be exasperated at ourselves after a fault “is not humility but a subtle pride, as if we were anything else but the weak and miserable things that we are. St. Teresa said: “The humility that disturbs does not come from God, but from the devil”. To be angry with ourselves after the commission of a fault is a fault worse than the one committed, and will be the occasion of many other faults: it will make us leave off our devotions, prayers, and communions; or if we do practise them they will be done very badly. St. Aloysius Gonzaga said that we cannot see in troubled waters, and that the devil fishes in them. A soul that is troubled knows little of God and of what she ought to do. Whenever, therefore, we fall into any fault, we should turn to God with humility and confidence, and, craving His forgiveness, say to Him, with St. Catherine of Genoa: “O Lord, this is the produce of my own garden! I love Thee with my whole heart, and I repent of the displeasure I have given Thee. I will never do the like again; grant me Thy assistance!”

O blessed chains that bind the soul to God, enfold me still closer, and in links so firm that I may never be able to loosen myself from the love of my God! My Jesus, I love Thee! O Treasure, O Life of my soul, to Thee I cling, and I give myself wholly unto Thee! No, indeed, my beloved Lord, I wish never more to cease from loving Thee. Thou Who, to atone for my sins, didst allow Thyself to be bound as a criminal, and so bound to be led to death through the streets of Jerusalem. Thou Who didst consent to be nailed to the Cross, and didst not leave it until life itself had left Thee-oh, suffer me not ever to be separated from Thee again; I regret above every other evil to have at one time turned my back upon Thee, and henceforth I purpose by Thy grace to die rather than to give Thee the slightest displeasure.