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

[Stone]

Monday – Fourth Week after Pentecost

Morning Meditation

VI.-HOW TO CONVERSE CONTINUALLY AND FAMILIARLY WITH GOD

As soon as you fall into any fault, raise your eyes to God, make an act of love, and with a humble confession of your fault, hope most assuredly for His pardon, saying to Him : Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick. Between friends who sincerely love, it often happens that when one has displeased the other and then humbles himself and seeks pardon, their friendship becomes thereby stronger than ever.


I.

As soon as you fall into any fault, raise your eyes to God, make an act of love, and with humble confession of your fault, hope assuredly for His pardon, and say to Him: Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick -(Jo. xi. 3), that heart which Thou dost love is sick, is full of sores: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee-(Ps. xl. 5). Thou seekest after penitent sinners; behold, here is one at Thy feet, who has come in search of Thee. The evil is done already; what have I now to do? Thou wilt not have me lose courage: after this my sin Thou dost still love me, and I too love Thee. Yes, my God, I love Thee with all my heart; I repent of the displeasure I have given Thee; I purpose never to offend any more. Thou Who art that God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion-(Ps. lxxxv. 5), forgive me; make me to hear what Thou didst say to Magdalen: Thy sins are forgiven thee-(Luke vii. 48), and give me strength to be faithful unto Thee for the time to come.

That you may not lose courage at such a moment, cast a glance at Jesus on the Cross; offer His merits to the Eternal Father; and thus hope with certainty for pardon, since for your sake He spared not even his own Son-(Rom. viii. 32). Say to Him with confidence: Look on the face of thy Christ-(Ps. lxxxiii. 10). My God, behold Thy Son, dead for my sake; and for the love of that Son forgive me! Attend well, devout soul, to the instruction commonly given by masters of the spiritual life. After unfaithful conduct you must at once have recourse to God, though you may have repeated your unfaithfulness a hundred times in a day. But after having recourse to the Lord, be at once in peace. Otherwise, whilst you remain cast down and disturbed at the fault you have committed, your converse with God will be small; your trust in Him will fail; your desire to love Him grow cold; and you will be little able to go forward in the way of the Lord. On the other hand, by having immediate recourse to God to ask forgiveness, and to promise Him amendment, your very faults will serve to advance you further in the divine love. Between friends who sincerely love, it often happens that when one has displeased the other and then humbles himself and asks pardon, their friendship thereby becomes stronger than ever. Do you likewise; see to it that your very faults serve to bind you yet closer in love to your God.


II.

In any kind of doubt, either on your own account or that of others, never cease to act towards your God with a confidence like to that of faithful friends, who consult together on every matter. So should you take counsel with Him, and beseech Him to enlighten you that you may decide on what will be most pleasing to Him: Put those words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart-(Judith ix. 18). Lord, tell me what Thou wouldst have me to do or to answer; and thus will I act. Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth-(1 Kings iii. 10).

Use towards God also the freedom of recommending not only your own needs, but also those of others. How agreeable will it be to God that sometimes you forget even your own interests to speak to Him of the advancement of His glory, of the miseries of others, especially of those who groan in affliction, of those souls, His spouses, who in Purgatory sigh after the vision of Himself, and of poor sinners who are living destitute of His grace. For these especially say to Him: Lord, Thou Who art so amiable and worthy of infinite love, how dost Thou, then, endure to see such a number of souls in the world, on whom Thou hast bestowed so many favours, and who yet will not know Thee? Ah, my God, object of all love, make Thyself known, make Thyself loved! Hallowed be thy name! Thy Kingdom come! May Thy Name be adored and loved by all! May Thy love reign in all hearts! Ah, let me not depart without granting me some grace for those unfaithful souls for whom I pray.

Spiritual Reading

CORAM SANCTISSIMO

TWENTY-SIXTH VISIT

Rejoice, and praise, O thou habitation of Sion; for great is he that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel-(Is. xii. 6). O God, and what joy ought not we men to conceive, what hopes and affections, in knowing that in the midst of our land, in our churches, near our homes, the Holy of Holies, the true God, dwells and lives in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar! He Who by His presence alone renders the Saints in Heaven blessed! He Who is Love itself! “It is not so much that He has love, as that He is Love itself,” says St. Bernard. This Sacrament is not only a Sacrament of love, but is Love itself, it is God Himself, Who for the immense love He bears His creatures calls Himself, and is, Love itself; God is Love-(1 Jo. iv. 16).

But I hear Thee complain, O my Sacramental Jesus: I was a stranger and you took me not in-(Matt. xxv. 43); that Thou camest on earth to be our Guest for our good, and that we have not welcomed Thee. Thou art right, Lord, Thou art right; and I am one of those ungrateful creatures who have left Thee alone, without even visiting Thee. Chastise me as Thou pleasest; but not by depriving me of Thy presence, which is the chastisement I deserve; no, I will repair my fault, and the indignities which I have heaped upon Thee. From this day forward I will not only visit Thee often, but will remain with Thee as long a time as I can. O most compassionate Saviour, be pleased to make me faithful to Thee; and grant that I may also, by my example, excite others to keep Thee company in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I hear the Eternal Father Who says: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. A God, then, finds all His complacency in Thee: and shall not I, a miserable worm, find mine in dwelling with Thee in this valley of tears! O consuming Fire, destroy in me all affection for earthly things; for they alone can render me unfaithful and take me away from Thee. Thou canst do it if Thou wilt: Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Thou hast already done so much for me, do this also: banish from my heart all love which does not tend towards Thee. Behold, I give myself all to Thee; I now dedicate all the remainder of my life to the love of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Thou, O Sacramental Jesus, hast to be my comfort, my love in life, and at the hour of my death, when Thou wilt come to be my Viaticum and my Guide to Thy blessed kingdom. Amen, amen. So do I hope; so may it be!

Ejac. When, O my Jesus, shall I behold Thy beautiful Face!


AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee; never permit me to be separated from Thee.


VISIT TO MARY

In thee, our own most holy Mother, we find the remedy for all our woes; in thee we find strength in our weakness; for St. Germanus calls thee, the “strength itself of our weakness;” in thee we find a door by which to make our exit from the slavery of sin; for St. Bonaventure calls thee “the gate of liberty.” In thee we find our certain peace: for the same Saint calls thee, “the safe repose of men.” In thee we find relief in our miserable life, for thou art “the solace of our pilgrimage,” as St. Laurence Justinian calls thee. In thee, in a word, we find divine grace and God Himself, for St. Bonaventure calls thee “the throne of God’s grace” ; and St. Proclus, “the bridge by which God descends to men”; that happy bridge by which God, Who had been driven to a distance by our sins, returns to dwell by His grace in our souls.

Ejac. O Mary, thou art my strength, my deliverance, my peace and salvation!


Concluding Prayer

Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord, and Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I have recourse today I, who am the most miserable of all. I render thee my most humble homage, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now, particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love thee, O most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. I place in thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to thy care. Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love of Jesus Christ. From thee I hope to die a good death.

O my Mother, for the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, but especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in Heaven, blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen. So I hope. So may it be.

Evening Meditation

THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXXIX.-HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST WISHES WHAT JESUS CHRIST WISHES

I.

If we were conformed to the Divine will in every trouble, we would undoubtedly become saints, and be the happiest of mankind. This, then, should form the chief object of our attention, to keep our will in unbroken union with the will of God in every occurrence of life, be it pleasant or unpleasant. It is the admonition of the Holy Spirit: Winnow not with every wind-(Ecclus. v. 11). Some people resemble the weathercock, which turns about with every wind that blows. If the wind is fair and favourable to their desires, they are all gladness and condescension; but if there blow a contrary wind, and things fall out againt their desires, they are all sadness and impatience; this is why they never become saints; and this is why their life is unhappy, for in the present life adversity will always befall us in a greater measure than prosperity. St. Dorotheus said that to receive from the hands of God whatever happens is a great means to keep ourselves in continual peace and tranquillity of soul. And the Saint relates that on this account the Ancient Fathers of the Desert were never seen angry or melancholy, for they accepted whatever happened to them joyfully, as coming from the hands of God. Oh, happy the man who lives wholly united and abandoned to the Divine will! He is neither puffed up by success nor depressed by reverses; for he well knows that all alike comes from the self-same hand of God. The will of God is the single rule of his own will; thus he only does what God wishes him to do, and he only desires what God does. He is not anxious to do many things, but to accomplish with perfection what he knows to be acceptable to God. Accordingly, he prefers the minutest obligations of his state of life to the most glorious and important actions, well aware that in the latter self-love may find a great share, whereas in the former there is certainly the will of God.


II.

Thus we, too, shall be happy when we receive from God all the dispositions of His Providence in the spirit of perfect conformity to His Divine will, utterly regardless whether or not they coincide with our private inclinations. The saintly Mother de Chantal said: “When shall we come to relish the Divine will in every event that happens, without paying attention to anything else but the good pleasure of God, from Whom it is certain that prosperity and adversity proceed alike from motives of love and for our best interests? When shall we resign ourselves unreservedly into the arms of our most loving heavenly Father, entrusting to Him the care of our persons and our affairs, and reserving nothing for ourselves but the sole desire of pleasing God?” The friends of St. Vincent de Paul said of him while he was still on earth: “Vincent is always Vincent.” By which they meant to say that the Saint was ever to be seen with the same smiling face, whether in prosperity or in adversity. He was always himself, because, as he lived in total abandonment of himself to God, he feared nothing and desired nothing but what was pleasing to God. St. Teresa said: “By this holy abandonment that admirable liberty of spirit is generated which those who are perfect possess, wherein they find all the happiness in this life which they can possibly desire; inasmuch as, fearful of nothing, and desirous or wanting for nothing in the things of this world, they possess all.”