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. — (James iv., 15).
Meditation 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 our 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!
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: SALVE REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE! 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 endeavoring 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
Meditation 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 this 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!
Meditation II:
Morning Meditation: “HE HATH CALLED AGAINST ME THE TIME”
Someone 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 to-day, tremble lest you die an unhappy death.”
Meditation 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 to-day to confess your sins, death may this day overtake you in sin, and to-morrow there may be no hope of salvation for you. The devil regards the whole of our life as very short, and therefore he loses not a moment of time, but tempts us day and night. The devil 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 xxxii., 22). And you say: I will not go to Confession to-day; I will think of it to-morrow. 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 to-day, 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.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: SALVE REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE! HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY!
XIV. MARY IS THE MOTHER OF PENITENT 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 the 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
Meditation 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.
Meditation II:
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.
Meditation 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 any one 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.
Meditation II:
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 committed 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 Canaanitish 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
Meditation 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.
Meditation II:
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.
Meditation 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 in 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. — (Matt. 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? — (1 John iii., 17). By alms is understood not only in 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).
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: 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 tee 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
Meditation I:
Now in the same manner as God has treated His beloved Son, so does He treat every one 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.
Meditation II:
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.
Meditation 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 recue 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 every one, when able, to save his neighbour from ruin. And, says Ecclesiasticus, he gave to every one of them commandment concerning his neighbour. (Ecclus. xvii., 12).
Meditation II:
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., 1). 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 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 brace.” 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., 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
Meditation 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 of 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.”
Meditation II:
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.
Meditation 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 art 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 of ours when, speaking by Isaias, He says: Behold, I gave 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.
Meditation II:
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
Meditation 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?
Meditation II:
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!
Meditation 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 any one, 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.
Meditation II:
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 supereffulgent 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
Meditation 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 every one 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.
Meditation II:
