Meditación matutina: EL CORAZÓN DE JESÚS ANHELA NUESTRO AMOR
Jesús no nos necesita. Es igualmente feliz, rico y poderoso, con o sin nuestro amor, y sin embargo nos ama tan intensamente que desea nuestro amor tanto como si el hombre fuera su Dios. Esto llenó tanto de asombro a Job que gritó: ¿Qué es el hombre para que lo engrandezcas? ¿O por qué pones en él tu corazón?
Meditación I:
Jesús no nos necesita. Es igualmente feliz, rico y poderoso con o sin nuestro amor; y, sin embargo, como dice Santo Tomás, nos ama tan intensamente que desea nuestro amor tanto como si el hombre fuera su Dios, y su felicidad dependiera de la del hombre. Esto llenó tanto de asombro al santo Job, que exclamó: ¿Qué es el hombre para que lo engrandezcas? ¿O por qué pones en él tu corazón? — (Job vii. 17).
What! can God desire or ask with such eagerness for the love of a worm? It would have been a great favour if God had only permitted us to love Him. If a vassal were to say to his king: “Sire, I love you!” he would be considered impertinent. But what would one say if the king were to tell his vassal, “I desire you to love me?” The princes of the earth do not humble themselves to this; but Jesus, Who is the King of Heaven, is He Who with so much earnestness demands our love: Ama al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón. — (Matt. xxii. 37). So pressingly does He ask for our hearts: Hijo mío, dame tu corazón. — (Prov. xxiii. 26). And if He is driven from a soul, He does not depart, but stands outside the door of the heart, and calls and knocks to be allowed to return: Me paro en la puerta y llamo. — (Apoc. iii. 20). Jesus beseeches the soul to open to Him, calling her sister and spouse: Ábreme, hermana mía, mi amor. — (Cant. v. 2). In short, He takes a delight in being loved by us, and is quite consoled when we say, and repeat often: “My God! My God, I love Thee!”
Queridísimo Redentor mío, te diré con San Agustín: Tú me mandas que te ame, y me amenazas con el infierno si no te amo; pero ¡qué infierno más espantoso, qué desgracia más grande puede sucederme que ser privado de tu amor! Si, pues, quieres aterrorizarme, amenázame sólo con que viva sin amarte, pues esta sola amenaza me aterrorizará más que mil infiernos. Si, en medio de las llamas del infierno, los condenados pudieran arder con Tu amor, oh Dios mío, el mismo infierno se convertiría en un Paraíso; y si, por el contrario, los Bienaventurados en el Cielo no pudieran amarte, el Paraíso se convertiría en un infierno.
Veo, en efecto, mi amadísimo Señor, que yo, a causa de mis pecados, merecía ser abandonado por Tu gracia, y al mismo tiempo condenado a ser incapaz de amarte; pero aún así comprendo que Tú continúas ordenándome amarte, y también siento dentro de mí un gran deseo de amarte. Este mi deseo es el don de Tu gracia, y viene de Ti. Oh, dame también la fuerza necesaria para ponerlo en práctica, y haz que, desde hoy, te diga con insistencia y desde el fondo de mi corazón, y que te repita siempre: Dios mío, te amo. ¡Te amo! ¡Te amo!
Meditación II:
The great desire of Jesus’ Heart to be loved by us is the effect of His own great love for us. He who loves necessarily desires to be loved. The heart requires the heart; love seeks love: “Why does God love, but that He may be loved,” said St. Bernard; and God Himself first said: What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God, . . . and love him? — (Deut. x. 12). Therefore He tells us that He is that Shepherd Who, having found the lost sheep, calls all the others to rejoice with Him: Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost. — (Luke xv. 6). He tells us that He is that Father Who, when His lost son returns and throws himself at His feet, not only forgives him, but embraces him tenderly. Jesus tells us he that loves Him not is condemned to death: He that loveth not abideth in death. — (1 John iii. 14). And, on the contrary, that He takes him who loves Him and keeps possession of him: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him. — (1 John iv. 16). Oh, will not such invitations, such entreaties, such threats, and such promises move us to love God Who so much desires to be loved by us?
Thou, then, desirest my love, O Jesus. I also desire Thine. Blot out, therefore, from Thy remembrance, O my Jesus, the offences that in past times I have committed against Thee; let us love each other henceforth forever. I will not leave Thee, and Thou wilt not leave me. Thou wilt always love me, and I will always love Thee. My dearest Saviour, in Thy merits do I place my hope; oh, do Thou make Thyself to be loved forever, and loved greatly, by a sinner who has so greatly offended Thee.
O Mary, Immaculate Virgin, do thou help me; do thou pray to Jesus for me.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DECIMOPRIMERA VISITA
“Let us be careful,” says St. Teresa, “never to be at a distance from Jesus, our beloved Shepherd, or to lose sight of Him: for the sheep which are near their shepherd are always more caressed and better fed, and always receive some choice morsels of that which he himself eats. If by chance the shepherd sleeps, still the lamb remains near him and either waits until his slumber ends, or itself wakens him; and it is then caressed with new favours.”
Redentor mío, presente en este Santísimo Sacramento, mírame junto a Ti. El único favor que te pido es el fervor y la perseverancia en tu amor. Te doy gracias, oh santa fe, porque me enseñas y me aseguras que en el divino Sacramento del altar, en ese Pan celestial, no existe el pan, sino que mi Señor Jesucristo es todo, y que está allí por amor a mí. Señor mío y Todo mío, creo que Tú estás presente en el Santísimo Sacramento; y aunque desconocido a los ojos de la carne, por la luz de la santa Fe te discierno en la Hostia consagrada, como Monarca del Cielo y de la tierra, y como Salvador del mundo. Ah, mi dulcísimo Jesús, así como Tú eres mi esperanza, mi salvación, mi fuerza, mi consuelo, así también quiero que Tú seas todo mi amor, y el único objeto de todos mis pensamientos, de mis deseos y de mis afectos. Me regocijo más en la suprema felicidad que Tú disfrutas, y disfrutarás para siempre, que en cualquier cosa buena que pudiera tener en el tiempo o en la eternidad. Mi suprema satisfacción es que Tú, mi amado Redentor, eres supremamente feliz, y que Tu felicidad es infinita. Reina, reina, Señor mío, sobre toda mi alma; te la doy toda a Ti; que Tú la poseas siempre. Que mi voluntad, mis sentidos, mis facultades sean todos siervos de tu amor, y que nunca en este mundo sirvan más que para darte satisfacción y gloria. Así fue tu vida, oh primera amante y Madre de mi Jesús. María Santísima, ayúdame, alcánzame la gracia de vivir en adelante, como tú viviste siempre, en la felicidad de pertenecer sólo a Dios.
Eyac. Jesús mío, que yo sea todo Tuyo, y que Tú seas todo mío.
VISITA A MARÍA
Bienaventurado el hombre. . . que vela cada día a mis puertas, y espera a los postes de mis puertas.. — (Prov. viii. 34). Blessed is he, who, like the poor who stand before the gates of the rich, is careful to seek for the alms of graces before the doors of the mercy of Mary! And thrice blessed is he, who, moreover, seeks to imitate the virtues which he remarks in Mary, and more especially her purity and her humility.
Eyac. Esperanza mía, ¡socorro!
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
XXIV. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO NO DESEA OTRA COSA QUE A JESUCRISTO
Meditación I:
¡Oh, qué seguridad hay en la vida oculta para quienes desean cordialmente amar a Jesucristo! Jesucristo nos dio el ejemplo, viviendo oculto y despreciado durante treinta años en un taller. Y con el mismo fin de escapar a la estima de los hombres, los santos fueron a esconderse en desiertos y cuevas. Decía San Vicente de Paúl que el amor a aparecer en público, a que se hable de nosotros en términos elogiosos, a que se alabe nuestra conducta, a que se diga que triunfamos admirablemente y que hacemos maravillas, es un mal que, al mismo tiempo que nos desentiende de Dios, contamina nuestras mejores acciones y resulta el más fatal inconveniente para la vida espiritual.
Whoever, therefore, would make progress in the love of Jesus Christ, must absolutely give a death-blow to self-esteem. But how shall we inflict this blow? Behold how St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi instructs us: “That which keeps alive the appetite for self-esteem is the occupying a favourable position in the minds of all; consequently the death of self-esteem is to keep oneself hidden, so as not to be known to anyone. And till we learn to die in this manner, we shall never be true servants of God.”
Oh Jesús mío, concédeme el deseo de agradarte, y haz que me olvide de todas las criaturas y también de mí mismo. De qué me sirve ser amado por todo el mundo, si no soy amado por Ti, el único amor de mi alma. Jesús mío, Tú viniste al mundo para ganar nuestros corazones; si yo no puedo darte mi corazón, ten a bien tomarlo y llenarlo de tu amor, y no permitas que me separe más de Ti. Te he dado la espalda en el pasado; pero ahora que soy consciente del mal que he hecho, me aflijo por ello con todo mi corazón, y ninguna aflicción en el mundo puede afligirme tanto como el recuerdo de las ofensas que tantas veces he cometido contra Ti. Me consuela pensar que Tú eres la Bondad Infinita; que no desdeñas amar a un pecador que Te ama. Mi amado Redentor, oh dulcísimo Amor de mi alma, hasta ahora Te he despreciado, pero ahora al menos Te amo más que a mí mismo. Te ofrezco mi persona y todo lo que me pertenece.
Meditación II:
In order, then, to be pleasing in the sight of God, we must avoid all ambition of appearing and of making a parade in the eyes of men. And we must shun with still greater caution the ambition of governing others. Sooner than behold this accursed ambition set foot in her convent, St. Teresa declared she would prefer to have the whole convent burnt, and all the nuns with it. So that she signified her wish, that if ever one of her Religious should be caught aiming at superiorship, she should be expelled from the community, or at least undergo perpetual confinement. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi says, “The honour of a spiritual person consists in being put below all, and in abhorring all superiority over others.” The ambition of a soul that loves God should be to excel all others in humility, according to the counsel of St. Paul: In humility let each esteem others better than themselves. — (Philipp, ii. 3). In a word, he that loves God must make God the sole object of his ambition.
O my dear Jesus, I have only one wish: to love Thee and to please Thee. This forms all my ambition; accept of it, and be pleased to increase it, and exterminate in me all desire of earthly goods. Thou art indeed deserving of love, and great indeed are my obligations of loving Thee. Behold me, then, I wish to be wholly Thine; and I will suffer whatever Thou pleasest, Thou Who for love of me didst die of sorrow on the Cross! Thou wishest me to be a saint; in Thee I place my trust. And I also confide in thy protection, O Mary, great Mother of God!
Meditación matutina: EL CORAZÓN DOLORIDO DE JESÚS
Mi alma está triste hasta la muerte. El principal dolor que tanto afligía al Corazón de Jesús no era la visión de los tormentos y de la infamia que los hombres le preparaban, sino la visión de su ingratitud hacia su inmenso amor. Y, sin embargo, la visión de todos estos insultos no le impidió dejarnos esta prenda, Él mismo en el Santísimo Sacramento.
Meditación I:
Es imposible considerar cuán afligido estaba el Corazón de Jesús por amor a nosotros y no compadecerse de Él. Él mismo nos dice que su Corazón estaba abrumado de tal dolor, que sólo esto habría bastado para quitarle la vida y hacerle morir de puro dolor, si la virtud de su Divinidad no hubiera impedido, por milagro, su muerte: Mi alma está triste hasta la muerte. — (Mark xiv. 34). The principal sorrow which afflicted the Heart of Jesus so much, was not the sight of the torments and infamy men were preparing for Him, but the sight of their ingratitude towards His immense love. He distinctly foresaw all the sins we should commit after all His sufferings and such a bitter and ignominious death. He foresaw, especially, the horrible insults men would offer to His adorable Heart, which He has left us in this most Holy Sacrament as a proof of His affection.
Mi adorado y queridísimo Jesús, he aquí a Tus pies a quien ha causado tanto dolor a Tu amable Corazón. Oh Dios mío, ¿cómo podría yo afligir a este Corazón, que tanto me ha amado, y que nada ha escatimado para hacerse amar por mí? Pero consuélate, te diré, oh Salvador mío, pues habiendo sido herido mi corazón, por tu gracia, con tu santísimo amor, siente ahora tanto pesar por las ofensas que te he hecho, que quisiera morir de pena. Oh, ¿quién me dará, Jesús mío, ese dolor por mis pecados que Tú sentiste por ellos? Padre eterno, te ofrezco la pena y el aborrecimiento que tu Hijo sintió por mis pecados; y, por Él, te suplico que me des una pena tan grande por las ofensas que he cometido contra Ti, que pueda llevar una vida afligida y triste al pensar que una vez desprecié tu amistad.
Meditación II:
O my God, what insults has not Jesus Christ received from men in this Sacrament of love! One has trampled Him under foot, another has thrown Him into the gutter, others have availed themselves of Him to pay homage to the devil! And yet the sight of all these insults did not prevent Him leaving us this great Pledge of His love. He has a sovereign hatred of sin; hut still it seems as if His love towards us had overcome the hatred He bore to sin, in as much as He was content to permit these sacrileges, rather than to deprive souls that love Him of this Divine Food. Shall not all this suffice to make us love a Heart that has loved us so much? Has not Jesus Christ done enough to deserve our love? Ungrateful that we are, shall we still leave Jesus forsaken on the altar, as the majority of men do? And shall we not unite ourselves to those few souls who acknowledge Him, and melt with love even more than the torches melt away which burn round the tabernacle? The Heart of Jesus remains there, burning with love for us; and shall we not, in His Presence, burn with love for Jesus?
O my Jesus, do Thou give me from this day forth, such a horror of sin, that I may abhor even the lightest faults, considering that they displease Thee Who dost not deserve to be offended much or little, but dost deserve an infinite love. My beloved Lord, I now detest everything that displeases Thee, and in future I will love only Thee, and all that Thou lovest. Oh, help me, give me the strength, give me the grace to invoke Thee constantly, O my Jesus, and always to repeat to Thee this petition: My Jesus, give me Thy love! Give me Thy love! Give me Thy love! And thou, most holy Mary, obtain for me the grace to pray to thee continually, and to say to thee: O my Mother, make me love Jesus Christ.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DUODÉCIMA VISITA
Dios es caridad; y el que permanece en la caridad, permanece en Dios, y Dios en él.. — (1 John iv. 16). He who loves Jesus dwells with Jesus, and Jesus with him. Si alguno me ama... mi Padre le amará; y vendremos a él, y haremos morada con él. — (John xiv. 23). When St. Philip Neri received the Holy Communion as Viaticum, on seeing the Most Blessed Sacrament enter his room, he exclaimed: “Behold, my Love! Behold all my good! Hasten and give me my Love!” Let each one of us, then, say here in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: Behold my Love! Behold the object of all my love for my whole life and for all eternity!
Puesto que, Señor mío y Dios mío, has dicho en el Evangelio que quien te ama será amado por Ti, y que Tú vendrás y habitarás en él, y nunca más lo abandonarás, te amo por encima de cualquier otro bien. Ámame, pues, Tú también, porque yo estimo más ser amado por Ti que todos los reinos del mundo. Ven y fija Tu morada en la pobre casa de mi alma de tal manera que no te alejes más de mí. No te vayas, si no eres expulsado; pero como ya lo he hecho, puedo volver a hacerlo. ¡Ah, nunca permitas que se perpetre en el mundo un acto tan nuevo de maldad, una ingratitud tan horrible, como que yo, que he sido tan especialmente favorecido por Ti, y que he recibido tantas gracias, vuelva a echarte de mi alma! Pero esto podría suceder. Yo, pues, Señor mío, deseo la muerte, si así te place; para que muriendo unido a ti, viva unido a ti para siempre. Sí, Jesús mío, eso espero. Te abrazo, te estrecho a mi pobre corazón, concédeme amarte siempre y ser siempre amado por ti. Sí, mi amabilísimo Redentor, siempre te amaré, y tú siempre me amarás. Confío en que nuestro amor será siempre mutuo, oh Dios de mi alma, y esto por toda la eternidad. Amén.
Eyac. My Jesus, I desire always to love Thee, and always to be beloved by Thee.
VISITA A MARÍA
Los que trabajan por mí no pecarán. — (Ecclus. xxiv. 30). He, says Mary, who endeavours to honour me shall persevere to the end. Los que me expliquen tendrán vida eterna — (Ecclus. xxiv. 31); and those who endeavour to make me know and loved by others, will be of the number of the Elect. Promise, then, that whenever you can, be it in public or in private, you will speak of the glories of Mary, and of devotion to her.
Eyac. Haz que pueda alabarte, Virgen santísima.
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
"La caridad no busca lo suyo".
XXV. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO BUSCA DESPRENDERSE DE TODA CRIATURA
Meditación I:
Quien quiera amar a Jesucristo con todo su corazón, debe desterrar de su corazón todo lo que no es Dios, sino sólo amor propio. Este es el sentido de esas palabras, no busca lo suyono buscarnos a nosotros mismos, sino sólo lo que agrada a Dios. Y esto es lo que Dios exige de todos nosotros cuando dice: Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón. — (Matt. xxii. 37). Two things are needful to love God with our whole heart: (1) To clear it of earth; (2) To fill it with holy love. It follows that a heart in which any earthly affections linger can never belong wholly to God. St. Philip Neri said, “that as much love as we bestow on the creature, is so much taken from the Creator.” In the next place, how must the earth be purged away from the heart? Truly by mortification and detachment from creatures. Some souls complain that they seek God and do not find Him; let them listen to what St. Teresa says: “Wean your heart from creatures, and then seek God, and you will find Him.”
Meditación II:
The mistake is, that some indeed wish to become Saints, but after their own fashion; they would love Jesus Christ, but in their own way, without forsaking those diversions, that vanity of dress, those delicacies in food: they love God, but if they do not succeed in obtaining such or such an office, they live discontented; if, too, they happen to be touched in point of esteem, they are all on fire; if they do not recover from an illness, they lose all patience. They love God; but they refuse to let go that attachment for the riches, the honours of the world, for the vainglory of being reckoned of good family, of great learning, and better than others. Such as these practise prayer and frequent Communion; but inasmuch as they take with them hearts full of earth, they derive little profit. Our Lord does not even speak to them, for He knows that it is but a waste of words. In fact, He said as much to St. Teresa on a certain occasion: “I would speak to many souls, but the world keeps up such a noise about their ears that My voice would never be heard by them. Oh, that they would retire a little from the world!” Whosoever, then, is full of earthly affections cannot even so much as hear the voice of God that speaks to him. But unhappy the man that continues attached to the sensible goods of this earth; he may easily become so blinded by them as one day to forsake the love of Jesus Christ; and because of his attachment to these transitory goods, he may lose God, the Infinite Good, for ever. St. Teresa said: “It is a reasonable consequence, that he who runs after perishable goods should himself perish.”
Meditación matutina: EL CORAZÓN COMPASIVO DE JESÚS
Oh Jesús mío, Tú perdonas a los pecadores penitentes, y no rehúsas darles en este mundo todo en la Sagrada Comunión, y en el otro todo en la gloria eterna. ¿Dónde, pues, se encuentra un corazón tan amable y tan compasivo como el Tuyo, oh mi amadísimo Salvador?
Meditación I:
¿Dónde encontraremos un corazón más compasivo y tierno que el Corazón de Jesús, o que se apiade más de nuestras miserias?
Esta piedad le indujo a descender del Cielo a esta tierra; le hizo decir que Él era aquel Buen Pastor que vino a dar su vida para salvar a sus ovejas. Para obtener el perdón de nuestros pecados, no se escatimó, sino que se sacrificó en la Cruz, para satisfacer con sus sufrimientos el castigo que se nos debía. Esta piedad y compasión le hace decir incluso ahora: ¿Por qué moriréis, casa de Israel? Volved y vivid. — (Ezech. xviii. 31). O men, He says, my poor children, why will you damn yourselves by flying from Me? Do you not see that by separating yourselves from Me you are hastening to eternal death? I desire not to see you lost; do not despair; as long as you wish to return, return and you shall recover your life: Volved y vivid.
O compassionate Heart of my Jesus, have pity on me. Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on me. I say now, and beseech Thee to give me the grace always to say to Thee: “Most Sweet Jesus, have mercy on me!” Even before I offended Thee, my Redeemer, I certainly did not deserve any of the favours Thou hast bestowed upon me. Thou hast created me, Thou hast given me so much light and knowledge; and all without any merit of mine. But after I had offended Thee, I not only did not deserve Thy favour, but I deserved to be forsaken by Thee and cast into hell. Thy compassion has made Thee wait for me and preserve my life even when I had offended Thee. Thy compassion has enlightened me and offered me pardon; it has given me sorrow for my sins, and the desire of loving Thee; and now I hope from Thy mercy to remain always in Thy grace.
Meditación II:
This compassion even makes Jesus say that He is that loving Father Who, though He sees Himself despised by His son, yet, if the son returns a penitent, He cannot reject him, but embraces him tenderly and forgets all the injuries He has received: I will not remember all his iniquities. — (Ezech. xviii. 22). It is not thus that men behave; for though they may forgive, yet they nevertheless retain the remembrance of the offence received, and feel inclined to revenge themselves; and even if they do not revenge themselves, because they fear God, at least they always feel a very great repugnance to converse or entertain themselves with those persons who have injured them.
O my Jesus, Thou dost pardon penitent sinners, and dost not refuse in this world to give them everything in Holy Communion during their life, and everything in the other world in eternal glory, without retaining the slightest repugnance towards being united for ever to the soul that offended Thee so often. Where, therefore, is to be found a Heart so amiable and compassionate as Thine, O my dearest Saviour?
O my Jesus, cease not to show Thy compassion towards me. The mercy which I would implore of Thee is that Thou wouldst grant me light and strength to be no longer ungrateful towards Thee. No, O my Love, I do not expect that Thou shouldst again forgive me if I again turn my back against Thee; this would be presumption, and would prevent Thee from showing mercy to me any more. For what pity, O Jesus, could I expect from Thee if I were so ungrateful as to despise Thy friendship again, and to separate myself from Thee. No, my Jesus, I love Thee and I will always love Thee; and this is the mercy which I hope for and seek from Thee: “Permit me not to be separated from Thee! Permit me not to be separated from Thee!”
And I beseech thee, also, O Mary, my Mother, permit me not to be ever again separated from my God.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DECIMOTERCERA VISITA
Mis ojos y mi corazón estarán siempre allí. — (3 Kings ix. 3). Behold, Jesus has verified this beautiful promise in the Sacrament of the Altar, wherein He dwells with us night and day.
Señor mío, ¿no hubiera bastado que permanecieras en este Sacramento sólo durante el día, cuando hubieras podido tener adoradores de tu presencia que Te hicieran compañía; pero por qué permanecer también toda la noche, cuando todas las iglesias están cerradas, y cuando los hombres se retiran a sus casas, dejándote completamente solo? ¡Ah, sí! Ya te comprendo: el amor te ha hecho nuestro Prisionero; el excesivo amor que nos profesas te ha atado de tal modo a la tierra, que ni de noche ni de día puedes dejarnos. Ah, amabilísimo Salvador, sólo este refinamiento del amor debería obligar a todos los hombres a permanecer siempre cerca de Ti en el sagrado Tabernáculo, y a permanecer contigo hasta que se vean obligados a dejarte; y cuando lo hagan, todos deberían dejar al pie del altar sus corazones y afectos inflamados de amor hacia un Dios Encarnado que permanece solo y encerrado en un Tabernáculo, todo ojos para verlos y atenderlos en sus necesidades, y todo corazón para amarlos, y que espera el día venidero para volver a ser visitado por sus amadas almas.
Sí, Jesús mío, te complaceré; te consagro toda mi voluntad y todos mis afectos. Oh Majestad infinita de Dios, Te has dejado en este divino Sacramento, no sólo para estar presente con nosotros y cerca de nosotros, sino principalmente para comunicarte a Tus amadas almas. Pero, Señor, ¿quién se atreverá a acercarse a Ti para alimentarse de tu carne? ¿Y quién, por el contrario, puede mantenerse a distancia de Ti? Por eso te escondes en la Hostia consagrada, para entrar en nosotros y poseer nuestros corazones. Ardes en deseos de ser recibido por nosotros y te alegras de estar unido a nosotros. Ven, pues, Jesús mío, ven; deseo recibirte dentro de mí, para que seas el Dios de mi corazón y de mi voluntad. Todo lo que hay en mí lo entrego, mi querido Redentor, a tu amor; satisfacciones, placeres, voluntad propia, todo te lo entrego a Ti. Oh Amor, oh Dios de amor, reina, triunfa sobre todo mi ser; destruye y sacrifica todo lo que hay en mí que sea mío y no Tuyo. No permitas, oh Amor mío, que mi alma, que, habiéndote recibido en la Sagrada Comunión, está llena de la Majestad de Dios, vuelva a apegarse a las criaturas. Te amo, Dios mío, Te amo y Te amaré sólo y para siempre.
Eyac. Atráeme con las cadenas de tu amor.
VISITA A MARÍA
St. Bernard exhorts us, saying: “Let us seek for grace, and let us seek it through Mary.” “She,” says St. Peter Damian, “is the treasurer of divine graces.” She can enrich us, and she desires to do so. She therefore invites and calls us, saying: El que sea pequeño, que venga a mí. — (Prov. ix. 4). Most amiable Lady, most exalted Lady, most gracious Lady, look on a poor sinner who recommends himself to thee, and who places all his confidence in thee.
Eyac. Volamos a tu patrocinio, ¡oh Santa Madre de Dios!
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
XXVI. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO BUSCA DESPRENDERSE DE TODA CRIATURA
Meditación I:
St. Augustine informs us that Tiberius Caesar desired that the Roman Senate should enroll Jesus Christ among the rest of their gods; but the Senate refused to do so on the ground that He was too proud a God and would be worshipped alone without any companion. It is quite true; God will be alone the object of our adoration and love; not indeed from pride, but because it is His just due, and because too, of the love He bears us. For as He Himself loves us exceedingly, He desires in return all our love; and He is therefore jealous of anyone else sharing the affections of our hearts, of which He desires to be the sole possessor: “Jesus is a jealous lover,” says St. Jerome; and He is unwilling, therefore, that we should fix our affections on anything but Himself. And whenever He beholds any created object taking a share of our hearts, He looks on it, as it were with jealousy, as the Apostle St. James says, because He will not endure a rival, but will remain the sole object of all our love: ¿Creéis que la Escritura dice en vano: Envidiar codicia el Espíritu que mora en vosotros. — (James iv. 5). The Lord, in the sacred Canticles, praises His spouse, saying: Mi hermana, mi esposa, es un jardín cerrado. — (Cant. iv. 12). He calls her un jardín cerrado because the soul which is His spouse keeps her heart shut against every earthly love, in order to preserve all for Jesus Christ alone. And does Jesus Christ, perchance, not deserve all our love? Ah, too much, too much has He deserved it, both for His own goodness and for His love towards us. The Saints knew this well, and for this reason St. Francis de Sales said: “Were I conscious of one fibre in my heart that did not belong to God, I would forthwith tear it out.”
Meditación II:
David longed to have wings free from all lime of worldly affections, in order to fly away and repose in God: Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest? — (Ps. liv. 7). Many souls would wish to see themselves released from every earthly trammel to fly to God, and would in reality make lofty flights in the way of sanctity, if they would but detach themselves from everything in this world; but whereas they retain some little inordinate affection, and will not use violence with themselves to get rid of it, they remain always languishing in their misery, without ever so much as taking a single forward step. St. John of the Cross said: “The soul that remains with her affections attached to anything, however small, will, notwithstanding the many virtues she may possess, never arrive at Divine union; for it signifies little whether the bird be tied by a slight thread or a thick one; since, however slight it may be, provided she does not break it, she remains always bound, unable to fly. Oh, what a pitiful thing it is to see certain souls, rich in spiritual exercises, in virtues and Divine favours yet, because they are not bold enough to break off some trifling attachment, they cannot attain to Divine union. For this union there is needed only one strong and resolute flight to break effectually that fatal thread, for when once the soul is emptied of all affections to creatures, God cannot help communicating Himself wholly to her.”
Meditación matutina: EL CORAZÓN AGRADECIDO DE JESÚS
Jesús ha ofrecido por nosotros todos Sus méritos, todos Sus sufrimientos, todas Sus ignominias, toda Su Sangre y Su misma vida; de modo que estamos bajo no una sino infinitas obligaciones de amarle. Desgraciadamente somos agradecidos con los mismos animales. ¿Cómo es posible que seamos tan ingratos con Dios?
Meditación I:
El Corazón de Jesús es tan agradecido, que nuestro Señor no puede contemplar las obras más insignificantes hechas por su amor -nuestra más pequeña palabra dicha para su gloria, un solo buen pensamiento dirigido a agradarle- sin dar a cada una su propia recompensa. Es, además, tan agradecido que siempre devuelve el ciento por uno: Recibirás el ciento por uno. — (Matt. xix. 29).
Los hombres, cuando son agradecidos y recompensan cualquier beneficio que se les hace, lo recompensan una sola vez; se despojan, por así decirlo, de toda obligación, y luego no piensan más en ello. Jesucristo no actúa así con nosotros, pues no sólo recompensa cien veces en esta vida cada acción que realizamos para agradarle, sino que en la otra vida la recompensa infinitas veces a lo largo de la eternidad. ¿Y quién será tan negligente que no haga cuanto pueda para agradar a este Corazón tan agradecido?
Dime, oh Jesús, qué quieres que haga, pues estoy dispuesto a hacerlo todo con tu ayuda. Creo que Tú me has creado. Tú has dado Tu Sangre y Tu vida por amor a mí. Creo también que por mí Tú permaneces en el Santísimo Sacramento; Te doy gracias por ello, oh Amor mío. Oh, no me permitas ser ingrato en el futuro por tantos beneficios y pruebas de Tu amor. Oh, átame, úneme a Tu Corazón, y no me permitas, durante los años que me quedan, ofenderte ni entristecerte más. Te he desagradado demasiado, oh Jesús mío, ya es hora de que Te ame ahora. ¡Oh, que volvieran aquellos muchos años que he perdido! Pero ya no volverán, y la vida que me queda puede ser corta; pero sea corta o larga, Dios mío, deseo gastarla toda en amarte a Ti, mi soberano Bien, que mereces un amor eterno e infinito.
Oh María, Madre mía, que nunca más sea ingrato con tu Hijo. Ruega a Jesús por mí.
Meditación II:
But, O my God, how do men try to please Jesus Christ? Or rather, I will say, how can we be so ungrateful towards this our Sayiour? If He had shed only a single drop of Blood, or one tear for our salvation, we should be under infinite obligation to Him; because this drop and this tear would have been of infinite value in the sight of God towards obtaining for us every grace. But Jesus would employ for us every moment of His life. He has offered for us all His merits, all His sufferings, all His ignominies, all His Blood, and His life; so that we are under not one, but infinite, obligations to love Him.
But, alas! we are grateful even towards animals: if a little dog shows us any sign of affection, it seems to constrain us to love it. How, then, can we be so ungrateful towards God? It would seem as if God’s benefits to men change their nature, and become ill-usage; for, instead of gratitude and love, they earn only offences and injuries. Do Thou, O Lord, enlighten these ungrateful ones, to know the love Thou bearest them.
O my beloved Jesus, behold at Thy feet an ungrateful sinner. I have been grateful, indeed, towards creatures; but to Thee alone I have been ungrateful – to Thee, Who hast died for me, and hast done the utmost that Thou couldst do to oblige me to love Thee. But the thought that I have to do with a Heart full of goodness and infinite in mercy, of One Who proclaims that He forgives all the offences of the sinner who repents and loves Him, consoles me and gives me courage. My dearest Jesus, I have in times past offended Thee and despised Thee; but now I love Thee more than everything – more than myself.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DECIMOCUARTA VISITA
Amabilísimo Jesús, Te oigo decir desde este Tabernáculo, en el que Tú estás presente, Este es mi reposo por los siglos de los siglos; aquí habitaré porque lo he elegido. — (Ps. cxxxi. 14). Since then, Thou hast chosen Thy dwelling on our altars in the midst of us, remaining there in the most Holy Sacrament, and since Thy love for us makes Thee there find Thy repose, it is but just that our hearts also should ever dwell with Thee in affection, and should find all pleasure and repose in Thee. Blessed are you, O loving souls, who can find no sweeter repose in the world than in remaining near to your Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament! And blessed shall I be, my Lord, if from this time forward I find no greater delight than in remaining always in Thy presence, or in always thinking of Thee, Who in the Most Holy Sacrament art always thinking of me and of my welfare.
Ah, my Lord, and why have I lost so many years in which I have not loved Thee? O miserable years, I curse you; and I bless thee, O infinite patience of my God, for having for so many years borne with me, though so ungrateful to Thy love. And still, notwithstanding this ingratitude, Thou waitest for me; and why, my God, why? It is, that one day, overcome by Thy mercies and by Thy love, I may yield wholly to Thee. Lord, I will no longer resist, I will no longer be ungrateful. It is but just that I should consecrate to Thee the time, be it long or short, which I have still to live. I hope for Thy help, O my Jesus, to become entirely Thine. Thou didst favour me so much when I fled from Thee and despised Thy love; how much more may I hope that Thou wilt favour me, now that I seek and desire to love Thee? Give me, then, the grace to love Thee, O God worthy of infinite love. I love thee with my whole heart; I love Thee above all things: I love Thee more than myself, more than my life. I am sorry for having offended Thee, O infinite Goodness. Pardon me, and with Thy pardon grant me the grace to love Thee much in this life until death, and in the next life for all eternity. O Almighty God, show the world the greatness of Thy power, in the prodigy of a soul ungrateful as mine has been, becoming one of Thy greatest lovers. Do this by Thy merits, my Jesus. It is my ardent desire, and I resolve thus to love Thee during my whole life. Do Thou, Who inspirest me with this desire, give me also the strength to accomplish it.
Eyac. Jesús mío, te doy gracias por haberme esperado hasta ahora.
VISITA A MARÍA
St. Germanus, addressing the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, says: “No one is saved but through thee; no one is delivered from evils but through thee; there is no one on whom any gift is bestowed but through thee.” Therefore, my Lady and my hope, if thou dost not help me I am lost, and shall be unable to bless thee in Heaven. But Lady, I hear all the Saints say that thou never abandonest those who have recourse to thee. He only is lost who has not recourse to thee. I, then, miserable creature that I am, have recourse to thee, and in thee place all my hopes.
Eyac. María es toda mi confianza, es todo el fundamento de mi esperanza.
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
XXVII. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO BUSCA DESPRENDERSE DE TODA CRIATURA
Meditación I:
Quien quiera poseer enteramente a Dios debe entregarse enteramente a Dios: Mi amado para mí, y yo para él — (Cant. ii. 16), says the Sacred Spouse. My beloved has given Himself entirely to me, and I give myself entirely to Him. The love which Jesus Christ bears us causes Him to desire all our love; and without all He is not satisfied. On this account we find St. Teresa thus writing to the prioress of one of her convents: “Endeavour to train souls to total detachment from everything created, because they are to be trained for the spouses of a King so jealous that He would have them even forget themselves.” St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi took a little book of devotion from one of her novices, merely because she observed that she was too much attached to it. Many souls acquit themselves of the duty of prayer, of visiting the Blessed Sacrament, of frequenting Holy Communion; but nevertheless they make little or no progress in perfection, and all because they keep some fondness for something in their heart; and if they persist in living thus, they will not only be always miserable, but run the risk of losing all.
Meditación II:
We must, therefore, beseech Almighty God, with David, to rid our heart of all earthly attachments: Create a clean heart in me, O God. — (Ps. l. 12). Otherwise we can never be wholly His. He has given us to understand very plainly that whoever will not renounce everything in this world cannot be His disciple: Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be my disciple. — (Luke xiv. 33). For this reason the ancient Fathers of the Desert were accustomed first to put this question to any youth who desired to associate himself with them: “Dost thou bring an empty heart that the Holy Spirit may fill it?” Our Lord said the same thing to St. Gertrude when she besought Him to signify what He wished of her: “I wish nothing else He said, but to find a heart devoid of creatures.” We must therefore say to God with great resolution and courage: O Lord, I prefer Thee to all; to health, to riches, to honours and dignities, to applause, to learning, to consolations, to high hopes, to desires, and even to the very graces and gifts which I may receive of Thee! In short, I prefer Thee to every good which is not Thee, O my God! Whatever benefit Thou grantest me, O my God, nothing besides Thyself will satisfy me. I desire Thee alone, and nothing else.
Meditación matutina: EL CORAZÓN DESPRECIADO DE JESÚS
No hay mayor dolor para un corazón que ama que ver despreciado su amor; y tanto más cuando por una parte el amor ha sido grande, y por otra ha sido grande la ingratitud. Jesucristo ha ofrecido por nosotros sus sufrimientos, su Sangre, su vida misma, y nosotros le hemos devuelto malos tratos, desprecios e injurias.
Meditación I:
No hay mayor dolor para un corazón que ama que ver despreciado su amor; y tanto más cuando las pruebas dadas de este amor han sido grandes, y, por otra parte la ingratitud grande. Si todo ser humano renunciara a todos sus bienes, y se fuera a vivir al desierto, a alimentarse de hierbas, a dormir sobre la tierra desnuda, a macerarse con penitencias, y al fin se entregara al martirio por amor de Cristo, ¿qué recompensa podría dar por los sufrimientos, la Sangre, la vida que este gran Hijo de Dios ha dado por él? Si nosotros nos sacrificáramos a cada instante hasta la muerte, ciertamente no recompensaríamos en el menor grado el amor que Jesucristo nos ha demostrado entregándose a nosotros en el Santísimo Sacramento. Sólo concibe que Dios se oculte bajo la especie del pan para convertirse en el Alimento de una de sus criaturas. Pero, Dios mío, ¿qué recompensa y gratitud rinden los hombres a Jesucristo? Qué sino malos tratos, desprecio de Sus leyes y Sus máximas, - injurias tales que no cometerían contra su enemigo, o su esclavo, o el mayor villano de la tierra.
Oh Corazón de Jesús, abismo de misericordia y de amor, ¿cómo es que, a la vista de la bondad que me has mostrado, y de mi ingratitud, no muero de dolor? Tú, oh Salvador mío, después de haberme dado mi ser, me has dado toda tu Sangre y tu vida, ofreciéndote por mí a la ignominia y a la muerte; y, no contento con esto, has inventado el modo de sacrificarte cada día por mí en la Sagrada Eucaristía, no rehusando exponerte a las injurias que preveías en este Sacramento de amor. Oh Dios mío, ¡cómo puedo verme tan ingrato a Ti sin morir de confusión! Oh Señor, pon fin, Te ruego, a mi ingratitud, hiriendo mi corazón con Tu amor, y haciéndome enteramente Tuyo.
Meditación II:
And can we think upon all the injuries which Jesus Christ has received, and still receives every day, and not feel sorrow for them, and not endeavour by our love to recompense the infinite love of His Divine Heart – this Divine Heart which ever remains with us in the Most Holy Sacrament, inflamed with the same love towards us, and anxious to communicate every good gift to us, and to give Itself entirely to us, ever ready to receive and pardon us whenever we return? Him that cometh to me, I will not cast out. — (John vi. 37). We have been accustomed to hear of the Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, of Jesus born in a stable, of Jesus dead on the Cross. O my God, if we knew that another man had conferred on us any of these benefits, we could not help loving him! It seems that God alone has, so to say, this misfortune amongst men, that, though He has done His utmost to make them love Him, yet He cannot attain this end, and, instead of being loved, He sees Himself despised and neglected. All this arises from the forgetfulness of men for the love of God.
Ah, dear Jesus, remember the Blood and tears Thou hast shed for me, and forgive me. Let not all Thy sufferings be lost upon me. But though Thou didst see how ungrateful and unworthy of Thy love I have been, yet Thou didst not cease to love me even when I did not love Thee, nor even desire that Thou shouldst love me; how much more, then, may I not hope for Thy love, now that I desire and sigh after nothing but to love Thee, and to be loved by Thee. Oh, do Thou fully satisfy this my desire; or rather, this Thy desire, for it is Thou that hast given it to me. Grant that this day may be the day of my thorough conversion; so that I may begin to love Thee, and may never cease to love Thee, my sovereign Good. Make me in everything die to myself in order that I may live only to Thee, and that I may always burn with Thy love. O Mary, thy heart was the blessed altar that was always on fire with Divine love: my dearest Mother, make me like to thee; obtain this from thy Son, Who delights in honouring thee, by denying thee nothing that Thou askest of Him.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DECIMOQUINTA VISITA
He venido a arrojar fuego sobre la tierra; ¿y qué quiero sino que se encienda? — (Luke xii. 49). Father Francis Olimpio, the Theatine, used to say that there was nothing on earth which enkindled such ardent flames of Divine love in the hearts of men as the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Hence our Lord showed Himself to St. Catherine of Sienna, in the Blessed Sacrament, as a furnace of love, from which issued forth torrents of divine flames, spreading themselves over the whole earth; so much so, indeed, that the Saint, in perfect astonishment, wondered how it was possible that men could live without burning with love for such love on the part of God towards them.
Jesús mío, haz que arda en deseos de Ti; haz que todos mis pensamientos, suspiros, deseos y búsquedas sean sólo para Ti. ¡Oh, feliz sería si este Tu fuego celestial me poseyera completamente, y a medida que avanzo en años, consumiera gradualmente todos los afectos terrenales en mí!
¡Oh, Verbo Divino! ¡Oh, Jesús mío! Te veo todo sacrificado, todo aniquilado, y por decirlo así, destruido en el Altar, por mi amor. Es, pues, justo que, ya que Tú te sacrificas como Víctima por amor a mí, yo al menos me consagre enteramente a Ti. Sí, mi Dios y mi soberano Señor, ahora te sacrifico toda mi alma, todo mi ser, toda mi voluntad y toda mi vida. Uno este pobre sacrificio mío, oh Padre Eterno, al infinito Sacrificio de Sí mismo que Jesús, tu Hijo y mi Salvador, te ofreció una vez en la Cruz, y que ahora te ofrece tantas veces cada día en nuestros Altares. Acéptala, pues, por los méritos de Jesucristo; y concédeme la gracia de renovarla cada día de mi vida, y de morir sacrificando todo mi ser a Tu honor. Deseo la gracia concedida a tantos Mártires, de morir por Tu amor. Pero si soy indigno de una gracia tan grande, concédeme, al menos, Señor mío, que pueda sacrificarte mi vida, junto con toda mi voluntad, aceptando la muerte que Tú me envíes. Señor, deseo esta gracia; deseo morir con la intención de honrarte y agradarte con ello; y desde este momento sacrifico mi vida a Ti; y te ofrezco mi muerte, cuando o donde quiera que tenga lugar.
Eyac. Jesús mío, ¡deseo morir para complacerte!
VISITA A MARÍA
Allow me also, my most sweet Queen, to call thee, with thine own St. Bernard, “the whole ground of my hope,” and to say with St. John Damascene, “I have placed my whole hope in thee.” Thou hast to obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins; thou, perseverance until death; thou, deliverance from Purgatory. All who are saved obtain salvation through thee: thou, then, O Mary, hast to save me: “He will be saved whom thou willest,” says St. Bonaventure. Will, then, my salvation, and I shall be saved. But thou savest all who invoke thee; behold, then, I invoke thee, and say:
Eyac. Oh salvación de los que te invocan, ¡sálvame!
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
XXVIII. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO BUSCA DESPRENDERSE DE TODA CRIATURA
Meditación I:
When the heart is detached from creatures, Divine love immediately enters and fills it. Moreover, St. Teresa said: “As soon as the evil occasions are removed, the heart forthwith turns herself to love God.” Yes, for the human heart cannot exist without loving; it must either love the Creator or creatures: if it does not love creatures, then assuredly it will love God. In short, we must leave all in order to gain all. “All for all,” says Thomas à Kempis. As long as St. Teresa cherished a certain affection, though pure, towards one of her relations, she did not wholly belong to God; but when afterwards she summoned courage, and resolutely cut off the attachment, then she deserved to hear these words from Jesus: “Now, Teresa, thou art all Mine, and I am all thine.” One heart is quite too small to love this God, so loving and so lovely, and Who merits an infinite love; and shall we then think of dividing this one little heart of ours between creatures and God? The Venerable Lewis da Ponte felt ashamed to speak thus to God: “O Lord, I love Thee above all things, above riches, above honours, friends, relations!” for it seemed to him as much as to say: “O Lord, I love Thee more than dust and smoke and the worms of the earth!”
Meditación II:
The Prophet Jeremias says that the Lord is all goodness towards him who seeks Him: The Lord is good to the soul that seeketh him. — (Lam. iii. 25). But he understands it of a soul that seeks God alone! O blessed loss! O blessed gain! To lose worldly goods, which cannot satisfy the heart and are soon gone, in order to gain the sovereign and eternal Good, which is God! It is related that a pious hermit, one day while a king was hunting through the woods, began to run to and fro as if in search of something. The king, observing him thus occupied, inquired of him who he was and what he was doing; the hermit replied: “And may I ask your majesty what you are engaged about in this desert?” The king made answer: “I am going in pursuit of game.” And the hermit replied: “I, too, am going in pursuit of God.” With these words he went his way. During the present life this must likewise be our only thought, our only purpose, to go in search of God in order to love Him, and in search of His will in order to fulfil it, ridding our heart of all love of creatures. And whenever some worldly good presents itself to our imaginations to solicit our affection, let us be ready with this answer: “I have despised the kingdom of this world, and all the charms of this life for the sake of the love of my Lord Jesus Christ.” And what else are all the dignities and grandeurs of this world but smoke, filth, and vanity, which all disappear at death? Blessed he who can say: “My Jesus, I have left all for Thy love; Thou art my only Love; Thou alone art sufficient for me.”
Fiesta del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
Meditación matutina: EL CORAZÓN FIEL DE JESÚS
La fidelidad del Corazón de Jesús nos da confianza para esperar todas las cosas aunque no merezcamos nada. Dios es fiel, dice San Pablo. ¡Oh, qué fiel es el hermoso Corazón de Jesús para con los que llama a su amor!
Meditación I:
Oh, qué fiel es el hermoso Corazón de Jesús hacia los que llama a su amor: Fiel es el que os ha llamado, que también cumplirá. — (1 Thess. v. 24). The faithfulness of God gives us confidence to hope all things, although we deserve nothing. If we have driven God from our heart, let us open the door to Him, and He will immediately enter, according to the promise He has made: Si alguien me abre la puerta, entraré en él y cenaré con él.. — (Apoc. iii. 20). If we wish for graces, let us ask for them of God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, and He has promised us that we shall obtain them: Si pedís algo al Padre en mi nombre, Él os lo dará.. — (John xvi. 23). If we are tempted, let us trust in His merits, and He will not permit our enemies to strive with us beyond our strength: Fiel es Dios, que no os dejará ser tentados más de lo que podéis. — (1 Cor. x. 13). Oh, how much better is it to have to do with God than with men! How often do men promise and then fail, either because they tell lies in making their promises, or because, after having made the promise, they change their minds: “Dios no es como el hombre,” says the Holy Spirit, “que mienta; o como el hijo del hombre, que se transforme.” — (Numb. xxiii. 19).
Conozco mi ingratitud, oh Jesús mío, y la aborrezco. Sé que Tú eres la Bondad infinita, que mereces un amor infinito, especialmente de mí, a quien tanto has amado, aun después de todas las ofensas que te he hecho. Infeliz de mí si me condenara; las gracias que me has concedido y las pruebas del singular afecto que me has demostrado, serían, oh Dios, el infierno de los infiernos para mí. Ah, no, Amor mío, ten piedad de mí; no permitas que vuelva a abandonarte, y entonces, condenándome, como merecería, siga pagando en el infierno con injurias y odio el amor que me has profesado. Oh amoroso y fiel Corazón de Jesús, inflama, te lo suplico, mi miserable corazón, para que arda de amor por Ti, como el Tuyo arde por mí. Jesús mío, me parece que ahora Te amo, pero Te amo muy poco. Haz que te ame mucho y que te sea fiel hasta la muerte. Te pido esta gracia, junto con la de rogarte siempre por ella. Haz que muera antes que volver a traicionarte. Oh María, Madre mía, ayúdame a ser fiel a tu Hijo.
Meditación II:
God cannot be unfaithful to His promises, because, being Truth itself, He cannot lie; nor can He change His mind, because all that He wills is just and right. He has promised to receive all that come to Him, to give help to him that asks it, to love him that loves Him; and shall He, then, not do it? Hath he said, then, and will he not do it? Oh, that we were as faithful with God as He is with us! Oh, how often have we, in times past, promised Him to be His, to serve Him and to love Him; and then have betrayed Him, and, renouncing His service, have sold ourselves as slaves to the devil! Oh, let us beseech Him to give us strength to be faithful to Him for the future! Oh, how blessed shall we be if we are faithful to Jesus Christ in the few things that He commands us to do; He will, indeed, be faithful in remunerating us with infinitely great rewards; and He will declare to us what He has promised to His faithful servants: Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. — (Matt. xxv. 21).
Oh, that I had been as faithful towards Thee, my dearest Redeemer, as Thou hast been faithful to me. Whenever I have opened my heart to Thee, Thou hast entered in, to forgive me and to receive me into Thy favour; whenever I have called Thee, Thou hast hastened to my assistance. Thou hast been faithful with me, but I have been exceedingly unfaithful towards Thee. I have promised Thee my love, and then have many times refused it to Thee; as if Thou, my God, Who hast created and redeemed me, wert less worthy of being loved than Thy creatures and those miserable pleasures for which I have forsaken Thee. Forgive me, O my Jesus.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DECIMOSEXTA VISITA
Si los hombres no recurrieran siempre al Santísimo Sacramento para buscar en él el remedio de sus males, ciertamente no serían tan miserables como son. El profeta Jeremías, lamentándose, exclamó: ¿No hay bálsamo en Galaad, o no hay médico allí? — (Jer. viii. 22). Galaad, a mountain of Arabia, rich in aromatical spices, according to the Venerable Bede, is a figure of Jesus Christ, Who, in this Sacrament, keeps in readiness all the remedies of our woes. Why, then, our Redeemer seems to ask, do you complain of your misfortunes, O ye sons of Adam, when you have the physician and the remedy for them all in this Sacrament? Ven a mí, y yo te refrescaré. — (Matt. xi. 28). I will, then, address Thee, O Lord, in the words of the sisters of Lazarus: He aquí, aquel a quien amas está enfermo. — (John xi. 3). Lord, I am that miserable creature whom Thou lovest; my soul is all wounded by the sins I have committed; my divine Physician, I come to Thee that Thou mayest heal me; if Thou wilt, Thou canst cure me; Sana mi alma, porque he pecado contra ti. — (Ps. xl. 5). Draw me wholly to Thyself, my most sweet Jesus, by the all-winning attractions of Thy love. Far rather would I be bound to Thee than become the lord of the whole earth. I desire nothing else in the world but to love Thee. I have but little to give Thee; but could I gain possession of all the kingdoms of the world, I would do so, that I might renounce them all for Thy love. For Thee, then, I renounce what I can; I give up all relatives, all comforts, all pleasures, and even spiritual consolations; for Thee I renounce my liberty and my will. On Thee I desire to bestow all my love. I love Thee, infinite Goodness; I love Thee more than myself, and I hope to love Thee for all eternity.
Eyac. Jesús mío, me entrego a Ti, ¡acéptame!
VISITA A MARÍA
My Lady, thou didst say to St. Bridget: “However much a man sins, if he returns to me with a real purpose of amendment, I am instantly ready to welcome him; neither do I pay attention to the greatness of his sins, but to the intention alone 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.” Since, then, thou hast both the power and the will to heal me, behold I have recourse to thee, O heavenly physician; heal the many wounds of my soul; with a single word addressed by thee to thy Son I shall be restored.
Eyac. ¡Oh María, ten piedad de mí!
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
XXIX. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO BUSCA DESPRENDERSE DE TODA CRIATURA
Meditación I:
When once the love of God takes full possession of a soul, she of her own accord (supposing always, of course, the assistance of Divine grace) strives to divest herself of everything that could prove a hindrance to her belonging wholly to God. Saint Francis de Sales remarks that when a house catches fire all the furniture is thrown out of the window; meaning thereby, that when a person gives himself entirely to God, he needs no persuasion of preachers or confessors, but of his own accord seeks to get rid of every earthly affection. Father Segneri the Younger called the Divine love a robber, which happily despoils us of all, that we may come into the possession of God alone. A certain man, of respectable position in life, having renounced everything in order to become poor for the love of Jesus Christ was questioned by a friend how he fell into such a state of poverty; he took from his pocket a small volume of the Gospels, and said: “Behold, this is what has stripped me of all.” The Holy Spirit says: Si un hombre diera toda la hacienda de su casa por amor, la despreciaría como nada. — (Cant. viii., 7). And when a soul fixes her whole love in God, she despises all, wealth, pleasures, dignities, territories, kingdoms, and all her longing is after God alone; she says again and again: “My God, I wish for Thee only, and nothing more.” St. Francis de Sales writes: “The pure love of God consumes everything which is not God, to convert all into itself; for whatever we do for the love of God is love.”
Meditación II:
The Sacred Spouse said: He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me. — (Cant. ii. 4). This cellar of wine, writes St. Teresa, is Divine love, which, on taking possession of a soul, so perfectly inebriates it, as to make it forgetful of everything created. A person intoxicated is as it were dead in his senses; he neither sees, nor hears, nor speaks: and so it happens to the soul inebriated with Divine love. She has no longer any sense of the things of the world; she wishes to think only of God, to speak only of God; she recognises no other motive in all her actions but to love and to please God. In the Sacred Canticles the Lord forbids them to awake His beloved, who sleeps: Stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please. — (Cant. ii. 7). This blessed sleep, enjoyed by souls espoused to Jesus Christ, says St. Basil, is nothing else than “the utter oblivion of all things,” a virtuous and voluntary forgetfulness of every created thing, in order to be occupied solely with God, and to able to exclaim with St. Francis: “Deus meus et omnia – My God and my All!” My God, what are riches, and dignities, and the goods of this world, compared with Thee! Thou art my All, and my every Good. “My God and my All!” Thomas à Kempis writes: “Oh, sweet word! It speaks enough for him who understands it; and to him who loves, it is most delicious to repeat again and again: My God and my All! My God and my All!
Meditación matutina: MARÍA ES NUESTRA MADRE DEL PERPETUO SOCORRO
San Pablo escribió de nuestro Señor Jesucristo: Porque en cuanto él mismo padeció y fue tentado, es poderoso para socorrer también a los que son tentados. — (Heb. ii. 18). So, too, had the Mother of Jesus to be tried with many and terrible sufferings in order that, as St. Alphonsus says, she might be in all things like to her Son, and be able to succour and console the miserable.
Meditación I:
The Blessed Mother of God well deserves the glorious and beautiful title of Perpetual Succour. She has earned this title because of her great sufferings for our sake. “In all things like to her Divine Son is His Mother Mary; and as she is the Mother of Mercy, she rejoices when she succours and consoles the miserable.” — (St. Alphonsus). But ere she could rejoice as the Consoler and Perpetual Succour of men, she had, like her Divine Son, to be tried, to be tempted, and to suffer. St. Paul wrote of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Porque en cuanto él mismo padeció y fue tentado, es poderoso para socorrer también a los que son tentados. Para ganar para Sí el glorioso Nombre de Jesús, y para socorrer y salvar a la humanidad, nuestro Divino Señor se sometió a grandes sufrimientos, hasta el derramamiento de la última gota de Su preciosa Sangre. Así también la Divina Madre tuvo que ser probada con muchos y terribles sufrimientos para participar con su Hijo en la obra de la Redención del género humano, y ganar para sí el glorioso nombre y título del Perpetuo Socorro del mundo.
La Madre Divina sufrió en su Hijo. Es en los sufrimientos del hijo donde toda madre verdadera y amorosa sufre más intensamente. María conocía bien las Escrituras, y desde su más tierna infancia en el Templo las meditaba en su corazón, especialmente todo lo que se refería a la venida del Redentor, a su vida y a su muerte. Sabía mejor que el Profeta y el Sacerdote lo que el Mesías tendría que hacer y sufrir para entrar en su gloria, y así, desde el momento en que el Arcángel la saludó: ¡Salve, llena eres de gracia! y fue cubierta por la sombra del Espíritu Santo y el Verbo se hizo carne en su seno, también los dolores la cubrieron y la llenaron de los más tristes presentimientos. El Ángel de sus alegrías se convirtió pronto en el mensajero del dolor para llevar la terrible visión de la Cruz y los Clavos ante los ojos del Niño y de la Madre, desde el pesebre de Belén hasta la colina del Calvario.
O my afflicted Mother, thou didst weep bitterly over thy Son Who died for my salvation; but what will thy tears avail me if I am lost? By thy merits, then, obtain for me true contrition for my sins and a real amendment of life. If Jesus and thou, being so innocent, have suffered so much for love of me, obtain that at least I may suffer something for your love. “O Lady,” I will say with St. Bonaventure, “if I have offended thee, in justice wound my heart: if I have served thee I ask for wounds as my reward. It is shameful to see my Lord wounded, and thee wounded, and myself without a wound! Ah, cease not, O Advocate of sinners, to assist my soul in the midst of the combat. I invoke thy Son and thee to succour me in life and in death. O Jesus and Mary, to you I recommend my soul.”
Meditación II:
How plainly and eloquently does the Picture of the Mother of Perpetual Succour tell of the Mother’s sufferings in her Child. There we see only one sufferer as it were, so united and identified are both in the sorrows. The horrid visions that afflict His eyes afflict her soul, and every quiver of pain in the limbs of the Divine Lamb in her arms makes her heart tremble and agonise. The loving St. Alphonsus says: “From the beginning of His life Jesus had always before His eyes the sad vision of all the torments He would have to endure before He left this earth, as He predicted by the mouth of the Prophet: Mi dolor está continuamente ante mí. — (Ps. xxxvii., 18).” So, then, my Redeemer, throughout Thy life, I shall find Thee nowhere but on the Cross! Even while sleeping, says Bellarmine, the vision of the Cross was present to the Heart of Jesus. “Christ had His Cross always before His eyes. When He slept, His Heart watched; nor was it ever free from the vision of the Cross.”
So likewise had the Divine Mother to endure her perpetual agony that in all things, she, the Co-Redemptrix of the world, might be like to her Divine Son, the Redeemer. Mary revealed to St. Bridget that when she suckled her Child she thought of the vinegar and gall; when swathing Him, she thought of the cords with which He was to be bound; when bearing Him in her arms, of the Cross to which He would be nailed; when He was sleeping, of His Death. As often as she put on Him His garments, she reflected how they would be torn from His bleeding body one day; and when she beheld His feet and hands, she thought of the nails that would one day pierce them, and then, as Mary said to St. Bridget, “my eyes filled with tears and my heart was tortured with grief.” Thus truly had Mary to suffer and to be tempted, like her Divine Son, so as to be able to succour them also that are tempted, and to merit the glorious title of the world’s Perpetual Succour. Mary is now all-powerful in Heaven, ever acting as our Advocate and interceding for us, says Blessed Amadeus, with her most powerful prayers, for she well sees our miseries and our dangers, and, as our most clement and sweet Lady, compassionates and succours us with a Mother’s love.
Oh Madre del Perpetuo Socorro, concédeme invocar siempre tu nombre poderosísimo, pues tu nombre es ayuda en la vida, salvación en la muerte. Doy gracias al Señor por haberte dado para mi bien este nombre tan dulce, tan amable y tan poderoso. Pero no me basta con pronunciar tu nombre. Deseo hacerlo por amor. Deseo que el amor me recuerde llamarte siempre Madre del Perpetuo Socorro.
Lectura espiritual: CORAM SANCTISSIMO
DECIMOSÉPTIMA VISITA
Las almas amantes no pueden encontrar mayor deleite que estar en compañía de aquellos a quienes aman. Si, pues, amamos mucho a Jesucristo, he aquí que ahora estamos en su presencia. Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento nos ve y nos oye: ¿no le diremos, pues, nada? Consolémonos en su compañía; alegrémonos de su gloria y del amor que tantas almas enamoradas le profesan en el Santísimo Sacramento. Deseemos que todos amen a Jesús Sacramentado y le consagren su corazón; al menos consagrémosle todos nuestros afectos. Él debe ser todo nuestro amor y todo nuestro deseo. El Padre Salesio, de la Compañía de Jesús, se consolaba hablando sólo del Santísimo Sacramento; nunca podía visitarlo bastante. Cuando se le llamaba al locutorio, o al volver a su habitación, o al ir por la casa, aprovechaba siempre estas ocasiones para repetir sus visitas a su amado Señor; tanto, que se observaba que apenas pasaba una hora del día sin que le visitase. Finalmente obtuvo el favor de morir a manos de herejes mientras defendía la verdad de la Presencia Real en el Santísimo Sacramento.
¡Oh, si tuviera la dicha de morir por una causa tan noble como la defensa de este Sacramento, en el que, oh amabilísimo Jesús, nos has enseñado la ternura del amor que nos profesas! Pero ya que, mi Señor, haces tantos milagros en este Sacramento, haz también éste; atrae todo mi ser hacia Ti. Tú deseas que yo sea todo tuyo, y mereces que lo sea. Dame la fuerza para amarte con todo el afecto de mi alma. Da los bienes de este mundo a quien Tú quieras. Yo renuncio a todos ellos. Sólo deseo y anhelo tu amor; sólo esto busco ahora y buscaré siempre. Te amo, Jesús mío; concédeme la gracia de amarte siempre, y concédeme sólo esto.
Eyac. Jesús mío, ¿cuándo te amaré de verdad?
VISITA A MARÍA
My most sweet Queen, how pleasing to me is that beautiful name by which thy devout clients address thee: “Mater amabilis, Most Amiable Mother!” Yes, my Lady, thou art truly and indeed amiable. Thy beauty has captivated thy Lord Himself: Y el rey deseará mucho tu hermosura. — (Ps. xliv. 12). St. Bernard says that thy very name is so amiable to thy lovers that when they pronounce it, or hear it, they are inflamed with a fresh desire to love thee: “O sweet, O pious, O exceedingly amiable Mary! Thou canst not be named without inflaming, neither can thy name be heard without enkindling the affections of those who love thee.” It is, then, reasonable, my most amiable Mother, that I should love thee. But I am not satisfied with only loving thee; I desire in the first place on earth, and then in Heaven, to be, after God, thy greatest lover. If my desire is presumptuous, it is thou thyself who art to blame, on account of thy amiability and the special love which thou hast shown me. If thou wert less amiable, my desire to love thee would be less. Accept, then, O Lady, this my desire, and in token thou hast accepted it, do thou obtain for me from God this love for which I ask thee, since He is so well pleased with the love which is borne thee.
Eyac. Mi amabilísima Madre, ¡te quiero mucho!
Meditación vespertina: LA PRÁCTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO
XXX. EL QUE AMA A JESUCRISTO BUSCA DESPRENDERSE DE TODA CRIATURA
Meditación I:
Para llegar a la unión perfecta con Dios, es absolutamente necesario un desprendimiento total de las criaturas. Y para llegar a lo particular, debemos despojarnos de todo afecto desmedido hacia las relaciones. Jesucristo dijo: Si alguno viene a mí y no aborrece a su padre y a su madre, a su mujer y a sus hijos, a sus hermanos y a sus hermanas, y aun también su propia vida, no puede ser mi discípulo.. — (Luke xiv. 26). And wherefore this hatred to relations? Because, generally, as regards the interests of the soul, we cannot have greater enemies than our own kindred: Y los enemigos de un hombre serán los de su propia casa. — (Matt. x., 36). St. Charles Borromeo declared that he never went to pay a visit to his own family without returning cooled in fervour. And when Father Antony Mendoza was asked why he refused to enter the house of his parents, he replied, “Because I know, by experience, that nowhere is the devotion of a Religious so dissipated as in the house of his parents.”
When, moreover, the choice of a state of life is concerned, it is certain that we are not obliged to obey our parents, according to the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas. Should a young man be called to the Religious life, and find opposition from his parents, he is bound to obey God, and not his parents, who, as the same St. Thomas says, with a view to their own interests and private ends, stand in the way of our spiritual welfare. “Friends of flesh and blood are oftentimes opposed to our spiritual profit.” And they are content, says St. Bernard, to have their children go to eternal perdition rather than that they should leave home.
Meditación II:
It is surprising, in this matter, to see some fathers and mothers, even though God-fearing, yet so blinded by mistaken fondness, that they use every effort and exhaust every means to hinder the vocation of a child who wishes to become a Religious. This conduct, however (except in very rare cases), cannot be excused from grievous sin. But someone may say: What, then, and if such a youth does not become a Religious can he not be saved? Are, then, all who remain in the world cast away? I answer: Those whom God does not call into Religion may be saved in the world by fulfilling the duties of their state; but those who are called from the world and do not obey God, may, indeed, possibly be saved; but they will be saved with difficulty, because they will be deprived of those helps which God had destined for them in Religion, and for want of which they will not accomplish their salvation. The theologian Habert writes that he who disobeys his vocation remains in the Church like a member out of joint, and cannot discharge his duty without the greatest pain; and so will hardly effect his salvation. Whence he draws this conclusion: “Although, absolutely speaking, he can be saved, yet he will enter on the way, and employ the means of salvation, with difficulty.”
The choice of a state of life is compared by Father Lewis of Granada to “the main-spring” of a watch: if the main-spring be broken, the whole watch is out of order; and the same holds good with regard to our salvation, – if the state of life be out of order, the whole life is out of order too. Alas, how many poor youths have lost their vocation through their parents, and have afterwards come to a bad end, and have themselves proved the ruin of their family!
