{"id":7958,"date":"2025-04-09T15:31:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/?page_id=7958"},"modified":"2026-05-13T16:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:08:20","slug":"daily-meditations-fifth-week-after-easter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/daily-meditations-fifth-week-after-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"MEDITACIONES DIARIAS: QUINTA SEMANA DESPU\u00c9S DE PASCUA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVOLUME II - PART II, pp. 221-254<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Meditaci\u00f3n matutina:\u00a0 \u201cASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE\u201d\u00a0 (Gospel of Sunday.\u00a0 John xvi. 23-30)<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Toda la vida de los Santos ha sido una vida de meditaci\u00f3n y oraci\u00f3n; y todas las gracias por medio de las cuales han llegado a ser Santos han sido recibidas por ellos en respuesta a la oraci\u00f3n. Por tanto, si queremos salvarnos y llegar a ser santos, debemos estar siempre a las puertas de la misericordia divina y rogar y pedir, como una limosna, todo lo que necesitemos.\u00a0 Pide y recibir\u00e1s.<\/em><\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Pide y recibir\u00e1s.<\/em>\u00a0 Somos pobres en todo; pero si oramos somos ricos en todo; porque Dios ha prometido conceder la oraci\u00f3n de quien le ora. \u00c9l dice: Pide y recibir\u00e1s.<\/em>\u00a0 \u00bfQu\u00e9 mayor amor puede mostrar un amigo hacia otro que decirle: P\u00eddeme lo que quieras y yo te lo dar\u00e9. Esto es lo que el Se\u00f1or nos dice a cada uno de nosotros. Dios es Se\u00f1or de todas las cosas. Promete darnos cuanto le pidamos; si, pues, somos pobres, la culpa es nuestra, porque no le pedimos las gracias de que tenemos necesidad. Y por eso la oraci\u00f3n mental es moralmente necesaria para todos, porque cuando la dejamos de lado, mientras estamos ocupados en las preocupaciones del mundo, prestamos poca atenci\u00f3n al alma; pero cuando la practicamos descubrimos las necesidades del alma, y entonces pedimos las gracias correspondientes y las obtenemos.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Toda la vida de los santos ha sido meditaci\u00f3n y oraci\u00f3n; y todas las gracias por medio de las cuales han llegado a ser santos las han recibido en respuesta a la oraci\u00f3n. Por tanto, si queremos salvarnos y llegar a ser santos, debemos estar siempre a las puertas de la Divina Misericordia para pedir y rogar, como una limosna, todo aquello de lo que tengamos necesidad. Necesitamos humildad: pid\u00e1mosla y seremos humildes. Necesitamos paciencia en las tribulaciones: pid\u00e1mosla y seremos pacientes. El amor divino es lo que deseamos: pid\u00e1moslo y lo obtendremos.\u00a0 Pedid y se os dar\u00e1<\/em> \u2014 (Matt. vii. 7) is God’s promise, which cannot fail.\u00a0 And Jesus Christ, in order to inspire us with the greater confidence in our prayers, has promised us that whatever be the graces we shall ask of the Father in His Name, for the sake of His love or His merits, the Father will give us them all: En verdad, en verdad os digo que si ped\u00eds algo al Padre en mi nombre, \u00e9l os lo dar\u00e1.<\/em>. \u2014 (John xvi. 23).\u00a0 And in another place He says that if we ask of Him anything in His own Name and through His merits, He will grant it: Si me pides algo en mi nombre, eso har\u00e9<\/em>. \u2014 (John xiv. 14).\u00a0 Yes; because it is of Faith that whatever God can do can also be done by Jesus Christ, Who is His Son.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Council of Trent teaches, in the words of St. Augustine, that, though man is not able with the aid of the grace ordinarily given to fulfil all the Commandments, still he can, by prayer, obtain the additional helps necessary for their observance. \u00a0\u201cGod does not command impossibilities,\u201d says St. Augustine, \u201cbut by His precepts He admonishes you to do what you can, and to ask what you cannot do; and He assists you that you may be able to do it.\u201d \u00a0To this may be added another celebrated passage of St. Augustine: \u201cBy our Faith, which teaches that God does not command impossibilities, we are admonished what to do in things that are easy, and what to ask in things that are difficult.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But why does God, Who knows our weakness, permit us to be assailed by enemies which we are not able to resist? \u00a0The Lord, answers the holy Doctor, seeing the great advantages which we derive from the very fact that we have of necessity to pray to Him, permits us to be attacked by enemies more powerful than we are, that we may ask His assistance. \u00a0Hence they who are conquered cannot excuse themselves by saying that they had not strength to resist the assault of the enemy; for had they asked aid from God He would have given it; and had they prayed, they would have been victorious. \u00a0Therefore, if they are defeated, God will punish them.\u00a0 St. Bonaventure says that if a general lose a fortress in consequence of not having sought timely succour from his sovereign, he shall be branded as a traitor. \u00a0Thus God regards as a traitor the Christian who, when he finds himself assailed by temptations, neglects to seek the Divine aid. \u00a0Ask,<\/em> says Jesus Christ, and you shall receive.<\/em> \u00a0Then, concludes St. Teresa, he that does not ask does not receive. \u00a0This is conformable to the doctrine of St. James: You have not, because you ask not. <\/em>\u2014 (James iv. 2). \u00a0St. John Chrysostom says that prayer is a powerful weapon of defence against all enemies.\u00a0 \u201cTruly prayer is a great armour.\u201d \u00a0St. Ephrem writes that he who fortifies himself beforehand by prayer prevents the entrance of sin into the soul. \u00a0\u201cIf you pray before you work, the passage into the soul will not be open to sin.\u201d \u00a0David said the same: Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies. <\/em>\u2014 (Ps. xvii. 4).
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If we wish to lead a good life, and to save our souls, we must learn to pray. \u00a0\u201cHe,\u201d says St. Augustine, \u201cknows how to live well who knows how to pray well.\u201d<\/p>

Lectura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a1VITA, DULCEDO! \u00a1SALVE, VIDA NUESTRA, DULZURA NUESTRA!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXVII. MAR\u00cdA ES NUESTRA DULZURA; HACE DULCE LA MUERTE A SUS CLIENTES<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As\u00ed ser\u00e1 tambi\u00e9n tu muerte si eres fiel a Mar\u00eda. Aunque hayas ofendido a Dios, ella te procurar\u00e1 una muerte dulce y feliz. Y si por casualidad en ese momento est\u00e1s muy alarmado y pierdes la confianza a la vista de tus pecados, ella vendr\u00e1 y te animar\u00e1, como hizo con Adolfo, conde de Alsacia, que abandon\u00f3 el mundo y entr\u00f3 en la Orden de San Francisco. En las Cr\u00f3nicas de la Orden se nos dice que ten\u00eda una tierna devoci\u00f3n a la Madre de Dios, y que cuando estaba a punto de morir su vida anterior y los rigores de la justicia divina se presentaron ante su mente, y le hicieron temblar ante el pensamiento de la muerte, y temer por su salvaci\u00f3n eterna. Apenas hab\u00edan entrado estos pensamientos en su mente, cuando Mar\u00eda, que siempre est\u00e1 activa cuando sus siervos sufren, acompa\u00f1ada de muchos Santos, se present\u00f3 ante el moribundo, y le anim\u00f3 con palabras de la mayor ternura, diciendo: \"Mi amado Adolfo, t\u00fa eres m\u00edo, t\u00fa te has entregado a m\u00ed, y ahora \u00bfpor qu\u00e9 temes tanto a la muerte?\". Al o\u00edr estas palabras, el siervo de Mar\u00eda se sinti\u00f3 instant\u00e1neamente aliviado, el miedo se desterr\u00f3 de su alma, y expir\u00f3 en medio de la mayor paz y alegr\u00eda.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Tengamos, pues, buen coraz\u00f3n, aunque seamos pecadores, y sint\u00e1monos seguros de que Mar\u00eda vendr\u00e1 a asistirnos en la muerte, y nos confortar\u00e1 y consolar\u00e1 con su presencia, con tal s\u00f3lo que la sirvamos con amor durante el tiempo que nos quede de estar en este mundo. Nuestra Reina, dirigi\u00e9ndose un d\u00eda a Santa Matilde, prometi\u00f3 que asistir\u00eda en la muerte a todos sus clientes que, durante su vida, la hab\u00edan servido fielmente. \"Yo, como Madre tiern\u00edsima, estar\u00e9 fielmente presente en la muerte de todos los que piadosamente me sirvan, y los consolar\u00e9 y proteger\u00e9\". Oh Dios, qu\u00e9 consuelo ser\u00e1 en ese \u00faltimo momento de nuestras vidas, cuando nuestra suerte eterna est\u00e1 tan pronto por decidirse, ver a la Reina del Cielo asisti\u00e9ndonos y consol\u00e1ndonos con la seguridad de su protecci\u00f3n.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Adem\u00e1s de los casos ya citados en los que hemos visto a Mar\u00eda asistir a sus siervos moribundos, hay innumerables otros registrados en diferentes obras. Este favor le fue concedido a Santa Clara; a San F\u00e9lix, de la Orden de los Capuchinos; a Santa Clara de Montefalco; a Santa Teresa; a San Pedro de Alc\u00e1ntara. Pero, para nuestro consuelo com\u00fan, relatar\u00e9 lo siguiente: Cuenta el padre Crasset que Mar\u00eda de Oignies vio a la Sant\u00edsima Virgen junto a la almohada de una devota viuda de Willembroc, enferma de violentas fiebres. Mar\u00eda estaba a su lado, consol\u00e1ndola y refresc\u00e1ndola con un abanico. De San Juan de Dios, que era devoto de Mar\u00eda, se cuenta que esperaba que ella le visitara en su lecho de muerte, pero al no verla llegar se afligi\u00f3 y tal vez incluso se quej\u00f3. Pero cuando lleg\u00f3 su \u00faltima hora, se le apareci\u00f3 la divina Madre y, reprendi\u00e9ndole suavemente por su poca confianza, le dirigi\u00f3 las siguientes tiernas palabras, que bien pueden animar a todos los siervos de Mar\u00eda: \"Juan, no est\u00e1 en m\u00ed abandonar a mis clientes en semejante momento\". Como si hubiera dicho: \"Juan, \u00bfen qu\u00e9 estabas pensando? \u00bfPensabas que te hab\u00eda abandonado? \u00bfY no sabes que nunca abandono a mis clientes a la hora de la muerte? Si no vine antes, fue porque no hab\u00eda llegado tu hora; pero ahora que ha llegado, he aqu\u00ed que te llevo; vayamos al Cielo.\" Poco despu\u00e9s expir\u00f3 el Santo y huy\u00f3 a aquel bendito reino, para dar all\u00ed gracias por toda la eternidad a su amant\u00edsima Reina.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n vespertina:\u00a0\u00a0LA PR\u00c1CTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXXIII. \"LA CARIDAD NO ENVIDIA\". - EL QUE AMA A JES\u00daS NO ENVIDIA A LOS GRANDES DEL MUNDO, SINO S\u00d3LO A LOS QUE SON MAYORES AMANTES DE JESUCRISTO<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Las siguientes son las se\u00f1ales que indican si trabajamos \u00fanicamente para Dios en cualquier empresa espiritual. 1.- Si no nos perturba el fracaso de nuestros planes, porque cuando vemos que no es la voluntad de Dios, tampoco lo es ya la nuestra. 2.- Si nos alegramos del bien hecho por otros tan de coraz\u00f3n como si lo hubi\u00e9ramos hecho nosotros. 3.- Si no tenemos preferencia por un cargo m\u00e1s que por otro, sino que aceptamos de buen grado el que nos impone la obediencia a los superiores. 4.- Si despu\u00e9s de nuestras acciones no buscamos el agradecimiento o la aprobaci\u00f3n de los dem\u00e1s, ni nos afecta en modo alguno si nos encuentran faltas o nos rega\u00f1an, estando satisfechos de haber agradado a Dios. Y si cuando el mundo nos aplaude no nos envanecemos, sino que salimos al encuentro de la vanagloria, que podr\u00eda hacerse sentir, con la respuesta del bienaventurado Juan de \u00c1vila: \"\u00a1Vete! Llegaste demasiado tarde, pues todo se ha dado ya a Dios\".
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Esto es entrar en el gozo del Se\u00f1or; es decir, gozar del disfrute de Dios, como est\u00e1 prometido a sus siervos fieles: Bien, siervo bueno y fiel; porque has sido fiel en lo poco... entra en el gozo de tu Se\u00f1or.<\/em>. \u2014 (Matt. xxv. 23).\u00a0 And if it falls to our lot to do something pleasing to God, what more, asks St. John Chrysostom, can we desire?\u00a0 “If thou art found worthy to perform something that pleases God, dost thou seek other recompense than this?”\u00a0 The greatest reward, the brightest fortune that can befall a creature is to give pleasure to his Creator.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And this is what Jesus Christ looks for from a soul that loves Him: Put me,<\/em> He says, as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm. \u2014 <\/em>(Cant. viii. 6). \u00a0He desires us to place Him as a seal on our heart and on our arm: on our heart, in order that whatever we intend doing we may intend solely for the love of God; on our arm, in order that, whatever we do, all may be done to please God; so that God may be always the sole end of all our thoughts and of all our actions. \u00a0St. Teresa said that he who would become a Saint must live free from every other desire than that of pleasing God; and her first daughter, the Venerable Beatrice of the Incarnation, said: \u201cNothing whatever could repay the slightest thing done for God.\u201d\u00a0 And with reason; for all things done to please God are acts of Charity which unite us with God, and obtain for us everlasting rewards.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLOS D\u00cdAS DE ROGATIVA - LUNES<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Meditaci\u00f3n matutina:\u00a0 CONDICIONES DE LA ORACI\u00d3N<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Todo lo que pidiereis orando, creed que lo recibir\u00e9is, y os vendr\u00e1.<\/em>. \u2014 (Mark xi. 24).\u00a0 Many pray, but they do not obtain what they pray for, because they do not pray as they ought.\u00a0 Usted pregunta<\/em>dice Santiago, y no recibes, porque pides mal<\/em>. \u2014 (James iv. 3).\u00a0 To be heard by God we must ask with humility, confidence, and perseverance.\u00a0 And what prayers, O my God, wilt Thou ever hear, if Thou hearest not those which are made as Thou wishest them to be made?<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Consideremos la condiciones de la oraci\u00f3n<\/em>. Muchos oran, pero no obtienen el objeto de sus oraciones, porque no oran como deben.\u00a0 Usted pregunta<\/em>dice Santiago, y no recibes, porque pides mal<\/em>. \u2014 (James iv. 3).\u00a0 To pray well it is necessary, in the first place, to pray with humility.\u00a0 Dios resiste a los soberbios y da gracia a los humildes<\/em>. \u2014 (James iv. 6).\u00a0 God rejects the petitions of the proud, but does not allow the humble to depart without hearing all their prayers.\u00a0 La oraci\u00f3n del que se humilla traspasar\u00e1 las nubes. . . y no se apartar\u00e1 hasta que el Alt\u00edsimo lo contemple.<\/em>. \u2014 (Ecclus. xxxv. 21).\u00a0 This holds, even though they have been hitherto sinners.\u00a0 Un coraz\u00f3n contrito y humillado, oh Dios, no despreciar\u00e1s<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. l. 19).\u00a0 Secondly, it is necessary to pray with confidence.\u00a0 Nadie ha esperado en el Se\u00f1or, y ha sido confundido<\/em>. \u2014 (Ecclus. ii. 11).\u00a0 Jesus Christ has taught us to call God, in our petitions for His graces, by no other name than that of Padre<\/em>para hacernos orar con la misma confianza con que un ni\u00f1o recurre a sus padres. Quien reza con confianza, obtiene toda gracia.\u00a0 Todo lo que pidiereis orando, creed que lo recibir\u00e9is, y os vendr\u00e1\".<\/em>. \u2014 (Mark xi. 24).\u00a0 And who, says St. Augustine, can fear that the promises of God, Who is Truth itself, will be violated.\u00a0 God, says the Scripture, is not like men, who promise but do not perform, either because they intend to deceive, or because they change their minds.\u00a0 Dios no es como hombre para que mienta, ni como hijo de hombre para que cambie. \u00bfHa dicho, pues, y no har\u00e1?<\/em> \u2014 (Num. xxiii. 19).\u00a0 And why, adds the same St. Augustine, should the Lord so earnestly exhort us to ask His graces, if He did not wish to bestow them upon us?\u00a0 By His promises He has bound Himself to grant us the graces we ask of Him.\u00a0 “By promising,” says St. Augustine, “He has made Himself a debtor.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Pero algunos dir\u00e1n: Soy un pecador y, por tanto, no merezco ser escuchado. Santo Tom\u00e1s responde que la eficacia de la oraci\u00f3n para obtener la gracia no depende de nuestros m\u00e9ritos, sino de la misericordia divina.\u00a0 Todos<\/em>dice Jesucristo, el que pide, recibe<\/em> \u2014 (Matt. vii. 8); that is, every one whether he be a just man or a sinner.\u00a0 But the Redeemer Himself takes away all fear when He says: Am\u00e9n, am\u00e9n os digo: Si ped\u00eds algo al Padre en mi nombre, \u00e9l os lo dar\u00e1<\/em>. \u2014 (John xvi. 23).\u00a0 As if He said: Sinners, if you are without merits, I have merits before My Father.\u00a0 Ask, then, in My Name, and I promise that you will receive whatsoever you ask.\u00a0 But it is necessary to know that this promise does not extend to temporal favours, such as health, goods of fortune, and the like; for God often justly refuses these graces, because He sees that they would be injurious to our salvation.\u00a0 “The physician,” says St. Augustine, “knows better than the patient what is useful.”\u00a0 The holy Doctor adds that God refuses to some through mercy what He gives to others because He is angry.\u00a0 Hence we should ask temporal blessings only on condition that they will be profitable to the soul.\u00a0 But spiritual graces, such as pardon of sins, perseverance, Divine love, and the like, should be asked absolutely, and with a firm confidence of obtaining them.\u00a0 Si<\/em>dice Jesucristo, t\u00fa que eres malo, sabes dar buenas d\u00e1divas a tus hijos, \u00a1cu\u00e1nto m\u00e1s tu Padre del cielo dar\u00e1 el buen Esp\u00edritu a los que se lo pidan!<\/em> \u2014 (Luke xi. 13).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Sin Tu ayuda, oh mi amado Redentor, no puedo hacer nada. Pero T\u00fa has prometido conceder todo lo que te pidamos. Confiando, pues, en tus promesas, mi querido Jes\u00fas, te pido el perd\u00f3n de todos mis pecados: Te pido la santa perseverancia; pero, sobre todo, te pido el don de tu santo amor.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Above all, perseverance in prayer<\/em> is necessary. \u00a0In his commentary on Chapter XI of St. Luke\u2019s Gospel, Cornelius \u00e0 Lapide says that the Lord \u201cwishes us to persevere in prayer even to importunity.\u201d \u00a0This may be inferred from the following passages of Scripture: We ought always to pray. \u2014 <\/em>(Luke xviii. 1). \u00a0Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times. \u2014 <\/em>(Luke xxi. 36). \u00a0Pray without ceasing. <\/em>\u2014 (1 Thess. v. 17). \u00a0It may be also inferred from our Lord\u2019s repeated exhortations to prayer. \u00a0Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. \u2014 <\/em>(Luke xi. 9). \u00a0It might be sufficient to have said: Ask;<\/em> but no; the Lord wishes us to understand that we ought to imitate beggars, who do not cease to ask,<\/em> to entreat,<\/em> and to knock at the door,<\/em> until they receive an alms. \u00a0But final perseverance, in particular, is a grace which is not obtained without continual prayer. \u00a0We cannot merit this grace of perseverance; but, according to St. Augustine, it may be merited in a certain manner. \u00a0\u201cThis gift,\u201d says the holy Doctor, \u201ccan be suppliantly merited; that is, it may be obtained by supplication.\u201d \u00a0Let us, then, if we wish to be saved, pray always, and never cease to pray. \u00a0And let all confessors and teachers, if they desire the salvation of souls, never cease to exhort their penitents or hearers to prayer. \u00a0And, in conformity with the advice of St. Bernard, let us always have recourse to the intercession of Mary. \u00a0\u201cLet us ask for grace, and let us ask it through Mary: for what she asks she obtains, and her prayer cannot be fruitless.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O my God, I hope Thou hast already pardoned me; but my enemies will not cease to fight against me till death. \u00a0Unless Thou dost assist me, I shall lose Thee again.\u00a0 Ah! through the merits of Jesus Christ, I ask holy perseverance. \u00a0Do not permit me to be separated from Thee.\u00a0 And I ask the same grace for all who are at present in the state of grace. I put all confidence in Thy promise, that Thou wilt give me perseverance if I continue to ask it from Thee. \u00a0But I fear that in my temptations I shall neglect to haye recourse to Thee, and thus relapse into sin. \u00a0I therefore ask of Thee the grace never more to neglect prayer. \u00a0Grant that in the occasions in which I shall be in danger of relapsing, I may recommend myself to Thee, and may invoke the aid of the most Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. \u00a0O my God, this I purpose, and this I hope to do with the assistance of Thy grace. \u00a0Hear me for the sake of Jesus Christ. \u00a0O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me the grace that in all dangers of losing God, I may have recourse to thee and to thy Son.<\/p>

Lectura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0SPES NOSTRA, SALVE - \u00a1SALVE, ESPERANZA NUESTRA!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXVIII. MAR\u00cdA ES LA ESPERANZA DE TODOS<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Los herejes modernos no pueden soportar que saludemos y llamemos a Mar\u00eda nuestra esperanza<\/em>: \"\u00a1Salve, esperanza nuestra!\" Dicen que s\u00f3lo Dios es nuestra esperanza, y que \u00c9l maldice a los que ponen su confianza en las criaturas con estas palabras del Profeta Jerem\u00edas: Maldito sea el hombre que conf\u00eda en el hombre<\/em>. \u2014 (Jer. xvii. 5).\u00a0 Mary, they exclaim, is a creature; and how can a creature be nuestra esperanza<\/em>? Esto es lo que dicen los herejes; pero, a pesar de ello, la santa Iglesia obliga a todos los Eclesi\u00e1sticos y Religiosos a que cada d\u00eda levanten la voz y, en nombre de todos los fieles, invoquen y llamen a Mar\u00eda con el dulce nombre de \"nuestra Esperanza\", la esperanza de todos.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0El Doctor Ang\u00e9lico Santo Tom\u00e1s, dice que podemos poner nuestra esperanza en una persona de dos maneras: como un principal<\/em> causa, y como mediar<\/em> uno. Quien espera un favor de un rey, lo espera de \u00e9l como se\u00f1or; lo espera de su ministro o favorito como intercesor. Si el favor es concedido, viene primariamente del rey, pero viene a trav\u00e9s de la instrumentalidad del favorito; y en este caso el que busca el favor tiene raz\u00f3n al llamar a su intercesor su esperanza. El Rey del Cielo, siendo Bondad Infinita, desea en grado sumo enriquecernos con sus gracias; pero porque se requiere confianza de nuestra parte, y para aumentarla en nosotros, nos ha dado a su propia Madre para que sea nuestra Madre y Abogada, y a ella le ha dado todo el poder para ayudarnos; y por eso quiere que depositemos en ella nuestra esperanza de salvaci\u00f3n y de toda bendici\u00f3n. Los que ponen sus esperanzas en las criaturas solas, independientemente de Dios, como hacen los pecadores, y para obtener la amistad y el favor de un hombre, no temen ultrajar a Su Divina Majestad, son ciertamente maldecidos por Dios, como dice el Profeta Jerem\u00edas. Pero los que esperan en Mar\u00eda, como Madre de Dios, que es capaz de obtenerles las gracias y la vida eterna, son verdaderamente bienaventurados y agradables al Coraz\u00f3n de Dios, que desea ver honrada a la m\u00e1s grande de sus criaturas; pues ella le am\u00f3 y honr\u00f3 en este mundo m\u00e1s que todos los hombres y \u00e1ngeles juntos. Y por eso llamamos justa y razonablemente a la Sant\u00edsima Virgen \"nuestra Esperanza\", confiando, como dice el Cardenal Belarmino, \"que obtendremos por su intercesi\u00f3n, lo que no obtendr\u00edamos con nuestras propias oraciones sin ayuda.\" \"Le rezamos -dice el docto Su\u00e1rez- para que la dignidad de la intercesora supla nuestra propia indignidad; de modo que -contin\u00faa- implorar a la Sant\u00edsima Virgen con tal esp\u00edritu no es desconfianza en la misericordia de Dios, sino temor de nuestra propia indignidad.\"
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0No es, pues, sin raz\u00f3n que la santa Iglesia, en las palabras del Eclesi\u00e1stico, llama a Mar\u00eda la madre de la santa esperanza<\/em>. \u2014 (Ecclus. xxiv. 24).\u00a0 She is the Mother who gives birth to holy hope in our hearts; not to the hope of the vain and transitory goods of this life, but of the immense and eternal goods of Heaven.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\u00a1Salve, pues, oh esperanza de mi alma!\", exclama San Efr\u00e9n, dirigi\u00e9ndose a esta Divina Madre; \"\u00a1salve, oh salvaci\u00f3n cierta de los cristianos; salve, oh auxiliadora de los pecadores; salve, fortaleza de los fieles y salvaci\u00f3n del mundo!\". Otros Santos nos recuerdan que, despu\u00e9s de Dios, nuestra \u00fanica Esperanza es Mar\u00eda; y por eso la llaman, \"despu\u00e9s de Dios, su \u00fanica Esperanza.\"<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n vespertina:\u00a0\u00a0LA PR\u00c1CTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXXIV. \"LA CARIDAD NO ENVIDIA\" - EL QUE AMA A JES\u00daS NO ENVIDIA A LOS GRANDES DEL MUNDO, SINO S\u00d3LO A LOS QUE SON MAYORES AMANTES DE JESUCRISTO<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:\u00a0
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0La pureza de intenci\u00f3n se llama la alquimia celestial por la que el hierro se convierte en oro; es decir, las acciones m\u00e1s triviales, como trabajar, tomar las comidas, recrearse o descansar, cuando se hacen por Dios, se convierten en el oro del amor santo. Por eso, Santa Mar\u00eda Magdalena de Pazzi cree con certeza que aquellos que hacen todo con una intenci\u00f3n pura van directamente al Para\u00edso, sin pasar por el Purgatorio. Se relata en la Tesoro espiritual<\/em> que era costumbre de un piadoso ermita\u00f1o, antes de emprender cualquier trabajo, detenerse un poco y levantar los ojos al Cielo; al pregunt\u00e1rsele por qu\u00e9 lo hac\u00eda, respondi\u00f3: \"Estoy apuntando\". Con esto quer\u00eda decir que, as\u00ed como el arquero, antes de disparar su flecha, apunta para no errar el blanco, as\u00ed \u00e9l, antes de cada acci\u00f3n, apuntaba a Dios, para estar seguro de agradarle. Nosotros debemos hacer lo mismo; e incluso durante la realizaci\u00f3n de nuestras acciones es muy bueno que de vez en cuando renovemos nuestra buena intenci\u00f3n.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Those who have nothing else in view in their undertakings than the Divine will, enjoy that holy liberty of spirit which belongs to the children of God; and this enables them to embrace everything that pleases Jesus Christ, however repugnant it may be to their own self-love or human respect. \u00a0The love of Jesus Christ establishes His lovers in a state of total indifference; so that all is the same to them, be it sweet or bitter; they desire nothing for their own pleasure, but all for the pleasure of God. With the same feelings of peace they address themselves to small and great works; to the pleasant and the unpleasant: it is enough for them if they please God.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Meditaci\u00f3n matutina:\u00a0 DIOS SE HA COMPROMETIDO A CONCEDERNOS BIENES ESPIRITUALES, NO TEMPORALES<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0S\u00f3lo podemos esperar obtener aquellas gracias que pedimos en el Nombre y por los m\u00e9ritos de Jesucristo. \"Pero\", dice San Agust\u00edn, \"si pedimos algo perjudicial para nuestra salvaci\u00f3n no puede decirse que se pida en el Nombre del Salvador\". Cuando veamos que Dios no nos concede dones temporales, tengamos la seguridad de que s\u00f3lo nos los niega porque nos ama, y porque ve que las cosas que pedimos s\u00f3lo perjudicar\u00edan nuestro bienestar espiritual.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Considere que la promesa de nuestro Se\u00f1or de escuchar nuestras oraciones no se aplica a nuestras peticiones de bienes temporales<\/em>No podemos pedir gracias a Dios, sino s\u00f3lo a los que piden gracias espirituales necesarias, o en todo caso \u00fatiles, para la salvaci\u00f3n del alma. S\u00f3lo podemos esperar obtener las gracias que pedimos en el Nombre y por los m\u00e9ritos de Jesucristo. \"Pero\", como dice San Agust\u00edn, \"si pedimos algo perjudicial para nuestra salvaci\u00f3n, no puede decirse que se pida en el Nombre del Salvador\". Lo que es perjudicial para la salvaci\u00f3n no puede esperarse del Salvador; Dios no lo concede ni puede concederlo; \u00bfy por qu\u00e9? Porque nos ama. Un m\u00e9dico que tiene consideraci\u00f3n por un enfermo no le permitir\u00e1 tomar alimentos que sabe que le har\u00e1n da\u00f1o. Y \u00a1cu\u00e1ntas personas no cometer\u00edan los pecados que cometen si fueran pobres o estuvieran enfermas! Mucha gente pide salud o riquezas, pero Dios no se las da, porque ve que ser\u00edan ocasi\u00f3n de pecar, o al menos de volverse tibio en su servicio. Por eso, cuando pedimos estos dones temporales, debemos a\u00f1adir siempre esta condici\u00f3n. si son provechosas para nuestras almas<\/em>. Y cuando veamos que Dios no nos las da, tengamos la seguridad de que las rechaza s\u00f3lo porque nos ama, y porque ve que las cosas que pedimos s\u00f3lo perjudicar\u00edan nuestro bienestar espiritual.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Y a menudo rogamos a Dios que nos libre de alguna tentaci\u00f3n molesta que trata de inducirnos a renunciar a su gracia; pero Dios no nos libra, para que nuestra alma est\u00e9 m\u00e1s estrechamente unida en amor con \u00c9l. No son las tentaciones ni los malos pensamientos los que nos da\u00f1an y nos separan de Dios, sino el consentimiento al mal. Cuando el alma, por la asistencia de la gracia de Dios, resiste a una tentaci\u00f3n, hace un gran avance en el camino de la perfecci\u00f3n. San Pablo nos dice que estuvo muy atribulado por tentaciones de impureza, y que rog\u00f3 tres veces a Dios que le librase de ellas: Me fue dado un aguij\u00f3n de mi carne, un \u00e1ngel de Satan\u00e1s para que me abofetease; por lo cual rogu\u00e9 tres veces al Se\u00f1or que se apartase de m\u00ed.<\/em>\u00a0 \u00bfY qu\u00e9 le respondi\u00f3 el Se\u00f1or? Le dijo: Basta con tener Mi gracia: Mi gracia te basta<\/em>. \u2014 (2 Cor. xii. 7-9).\u00a0 Thus should we, in the temptations which assault us, pray God to deliver us from them, or at least to help us to resist them.\u00a0 And when we thus pray, we should be quite certain that God is already helping us to resist them: Me invocaste en la aflicci\u00f3n, y yo te libr\u00e9. Te escuch\u00e9 en el lugar secreto de la tempestad<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. lxxx. 8).\u00a0 God often leaves us in the storm for our greater good; but still He hears us in secret, and gives us His grace to strengthen us to resist and to be resigned.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All temporal gifts which are not necessary for salvation ought to be asked conditionally; and if we see that God does not give them, we must feel sure that He refuses them for our greater good. \u00a0But with regard to spiritual graces, we must be certain that God gives them to us when we ask Him. \u00a0St. Teresa says that God loves us more than we love ourselves. \u00a0And St. Augustine has declared that God has a greater desire to give us His grace than we have to receive it: \u201cHe is more willing to bestow His favours upon you than you are desirous of receiving them.\u201d \u00a0And after him, St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi has said that God feels a kind of obligation to the soul that prays, and, as it were, says to it: \u201cSoul, I thank thee that thou askest Me for grace.\u201d \u00a0For then the soul gives God an opportunity of doing good to it, and of thus satisfying His desire of giving His grace to all. \u00a0And how can it ever happen that God will not hear a soul that asks for the things which He most delights to give? \u00a0When the soul says: \u201cLord, I ask Thee not for riches, honours, the goods of this world, but I only beg for Thy grace. \u00a0Deliver me from sin; give me a good death; give me Paradise; give me Thy love,\u201d which is the grace that, as St. Francis de Sales says, we ought to pray for above all others, \u201cgive me resignation to Thy will\u201d \u2014 when the soul prays thus, how is it possible that God should refuse to hear it? \u00a0And what prayers, O my God, wilt Thou ever hear, asks St. Augustine, if Thou hearest not those that are made as Thou wishest them to be made: \u201cIf Thou hearest not these, what dost thou hear?\u201d \u00a0And St. Bernard says that when we ask for spiritual graces of this kind, the desire of obtaining them an only come to us from God Himself; so the Saint turns to God, and says to Him: \u201cWherefore hast Thou given the desire unless Thou art willing to satisfy it?\u201d \u00a0But above all, the words of Jesus Christ should revive our confidence, when we are praying for spiritual graces: If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him? <\/em>\u2014 (Luke xi. 13). \u00a0If you, who are full of evil and of self-love, are unable to refuse your children the good things which they ask, how much more will your heavenly Father, Who loves you more than any earthly father can love his family, grant you His spiritual gifts, when you ask Him for them?
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let us pray, then, and be ever praying, if we wish to be saved. \u00a0Let prayer be our most delightful occupation; let prayer be the exercise of our whole life. \u00a0And when we are praying for particular graces, let us never forget to ask for the grace to continue to pray; because if we ever leave off praying we shall be lost. \u00a0There is nothing easier than prayer. \u00a0It costs us little to say: Lord, stand by me! \u00a0Lord, assist me! \u00a0Lord, give me Thy love! and the like. \u00a0What can be easier than this? \u00a0But if we do not do so we cannot be saved. \u00a0Let us pray, then, and let us always shelter ourselves under the intercession of Mary: \u201cLet us seek for grace, and let us seek it through Mary,\u201d says St. Bernard. \u00a0And when we recommend ourselves to Mary, let us be sure that she hears us and obtains for us whatever we want. \u00a0The same Saint says: \u201cNeither the means nor the will can be wanting to her.\u201d \u00a0And St. Augustine thus addresses her: \u201cRemember, O most pious Lady, that it has never been heard that any one who fled to thy protection was forsaken.\u201d \u00a0Ah, no, says St. Bonaventure, he who invokes Mary, finds salvation; and therefore he calls her \u201cthe salvation of those who invoke her.\u201d \u00a0Let us, then, in our prayers always invoke Jesus and Mary; and let us never neglect to pray.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eternal Father, I humbly adore Thee, and thank Thee for having created me, and for having redeemed me through Jesus Christ. \u00a0I thank Thee most sincerely for having made me a Christian, by giving me the true Faith, and by adopting me as Thy child in the Sacrament of Baptism. \u00a0I thank Thee for having, after the numberless sins I had committed, waited for my repentance, and for having pardoned, as I humbly hope, all the offences I have offered to Thee, and for which I am now sincerely sorry, because They have been displeasing to Thee, Who art infinite goodness. \u00a0I thank Thee for having preserved me from so many relapses, of which I would have been guilty if Thou hadst not protected me. \u00a0But my enemies still continue, and will continue till death, to combat against me, and to endeavour to make me their slave. \u00a0If Thou dost not constantly guard and succour me with Thy aid, I, a miserable creature, shall return to sin, and shall certainly lose Thy grace. \u00a0I beseech Thee, then, for the love of Jesus Christ, to grant me holy perseverance unto death. \u00a0Jesus, Thy Son has promised that Thou wilt grant whatsoever we ask in His Name. \u00a0Through the merits, then, of Jesus Christ, I beg, for myself and for all the just, the grace never again to be separated from Thy love, but to love Thee forever, in time and eternity. \u00a0Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.<\/p>

Lectura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0SPES NOSTRA, SALVE - \u00a1SALVE, ESPERANZA NUESTRA!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXIX. MAR\u00cdA ES LA ESPERANZA DE TODOS<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0San Efr\u00e9n, reflexionando sobre el orden actual de la Providencia, por el que Dios quiere que todos los que se salven lo sean por medio de Mar\u00eda, se dirige as\u00ed a ella: \"Oh Se\u00f1ora, no dejes de velar por nosotros; pres\u00e9rvanos y gu\u00e1rdanos bajo las alas de tu compasi\u00f3n y misericordia, pues, despu\u00e9s de Dios, no tenemos otra esperanza que en ti\". Santo Tom\u00e1s de Villanueva repite lo mismo, llam\u00e1ndola: \"nuestro \u00fanico refugio, ayuda y asilo\". San Bernardo parece dar la raz\u00f3n de esto cuando dice: \"Mira, oh hombre, los designios de Dios - designios por los cuales \u00c9l puede dispensarnos m\u00e1s abundantemente su misericordia; porque, deseando redimir a todo el g\u00e9nero humano, ha puesto todo el precio de la redenci\u00f3n en las manos de Mar\u00eda, para que Ella lo dispense a voluntad.\"
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0En el libro del \u00c9xodo leemos que Dios orden\u00f3 a Mois\u00e9s hacer un propiciatorio de oro pur\u00edsimo, porque desde all\u00ed le hablar\u00eda: Har\u00e1s tambi\u00e9n un propiciatorio de oro pur\u00edsimo. . . Desde all\u00ed te dar\u00e9 \u00f3rdenes y te hablar\u00e9...<\/em>. \u2014 (Exod. xxv. 17, 22).\u00a0 St. Andrew of Crete says that “the whole world embraces Mary as being this propitiatory.”\u00a0 And, commenting on his words, a pious author exclaims: “Thou, O Mary, art the propitiatory of the whole world.\u00a0 From thee does our most compassionate Lord speak to our hearts; from thee He speaks words of pardon and mercy; from thee He bestows His gifts; from thee all good flows to us.”\u00a0 And therefore, before the Divine Word took flesh in the womb of Mary, God sent an Archangel to ask her consent: because He willed that the world should receive the Incarnate Word through her, and that she should be the source of every good.\u00a0 Hence St. Irenaeus remarks that as Eve was seduced by a fallen angel to flee from God, so Mary was led to receive God into her womb, obeying a good Angel; and thus by her obedience repaired Eve’s disobedience, and became her advocate, and that of the whole human race.\u00a0 “If Eve disobeyed God, yet Mary was persuaded to obey God, that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of the virgin Eve.\u00a0 And as the human race was bound to death through a virgin, it is saved through a Virgin.”\u00a0 And Blessed Raymond Jordano also says that “every good, every help, every grace that men have received and will receive from God until the end of time came, and will come to them by the intercession and through the hands of Mary.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0El devoto Blosius, entonces, bien podr\u00eda exclamar: \"Oh Mar\u00eda, t\u00fa que eres tan amorosa y bondadosa con todos los que te aman, dime, \u00bfqui\u00e9n puede ser tan infatuado y desafortunado como para no amarte? T\u00fa, en medio de sus dudas y dificultades, iluminas las mentes de todos los que, en sus aflicciones, recurren a ti. T\u00fa alientas a los que acuden a ti en tiempo de peligro; t\u00fa socorres a los que te invocan; t\u00fa, despu\u00e9s de tu divino Hijo, eres la salvaci\u00f3n segura de tus fieles siervos. Salve, pues, oh esperanza de los desesperados; oh socorro de los abandonados. Oh Mar\u00eda, t\u00fa eres todopoderosa, pues tu Divino Hijo, para honrarte, cumple al instante todos tus deseos.\"<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n vespertina:\u00a0\u00a0LA PR\u00c1CTICA DEL AMOR DE JESUCRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXXV. \"LA CARIDAD NO ENVIDIA\". - EL QUE AMA A JES\u00daS NO ENVIDIA A LOS GRANDES DEL MUNDO, SINO S\u00d3LO A LOS QUE SON MAYORES AMANTES DE JESUCRISTO<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Muchos, por otra parte, est\u00e1n dispuestos a servir a Dios, pero debe ser en tal empleo, en tal lugar, con tales compa\u00f1eros, o bajo tales circunstancias, o bien abandonan el trabajo o lo hacen con mala gracia. Tales personas no tienen libertad de esp\u00edritu, sino que son esclavas del amor propio; y por eso ganan muy poco m\u00e9rito con lo que hacen: llevan una vida atribulada, porque el yugo de Jesucristo les resulta una carga. Los verdaderos amantes de Jesucristo s\u00f3lo se preocupan de hacer lo que a \u00c9l le agrada; y por la raz\u00f3n de que le agrada, cuando \u00c9l quiere, y donde \u00c9l quiere, y de la manera que \u00c9l quiere, y si \u00c9l quiere emplearlos en un estado de vida honrado por el mundo o en una vida de oscuridad e insignificancia. Esto es lo que significa amar a Jes\u00fas con un amor puro; y en esto debemos ejercitarnos, luchando contra el ansia de nuestro amor propio, que nos impulsar\u00eda a buscar funciones importantes y honorables, y que se adapten a nuestras inclinaciones.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Te amo, Jes\u00fas m\u00edo; Te amo con toda mi alma; Te amo m\u00e1s que a m\u00ed mismo, oh verdadero y \u00fanico Amante de mi alma; pues \u00bfqu\u00e9 amigo sino T\u00fa ha sacrificado jam\u00e1s su vida por m\u00ed? Lloro al pensar que he sido tan ingrato contigo. \u00a1Infeliz de m\u00ed! Ya estaba perdido, pero conf\u00edo en que, por tu gracia, me has devuelto la vida. Y \u00e9sta ser\u00e1 mi vida, amarte siempre, mi Bien Soberano. Hazme amarte, oh amor infinito, y no te pido nada m\u00e1s. Oh Mar\u00eda, Madre m\u00eda, ac\u00f3geme por siervo tuyo, y g\u00e1name la aceptaci\u00f3n de Jes\u00fas, tu Hijo.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We must, moreover, be detached from all exercises, even spiritual ones, when the Lord wishes us to be occupied in other works of His good pleasure. \u00a0One day, Father Alvarez, finding himself surrounded with business, was anxious to get rid of it in order to go and pray, because it seemed to him that during that time he was not with God, but our Lord then said to him: \u201cThough I do not keep thee with Me, let it suffice thee that I make use of thee.\u201d \u00a0This is a profitable lesson for those who are sometimes disturbed at being obliged, by obedience or by charity, to leave their accustomed devotions; let them be assured that such disturbances on these and like occasions do not come from God, but either from the devil or from self-love. \u00a0\u201cGive pleasure to God, and die.\u201d \u00a0This is the grand maxim of the Saints.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O my Eternal God, I offer Thee my whole heart; but what sort of heart, O God, is it I offer Thee? \u00a0A heart created, indeed, to love Thee; but which, instead of loving Thee, has so many times rebelled against Thee.\u00a0 But behold, my Jesus, if there was a time when my heart rebelled against Thee, now it is deeply grieved and penitent for the displeasure it has given Thee. \u00a0Yes, my dear Redeemer, I am sorry for having despised Thee; and I am determined to do all to obey Thee, and to love Thee at every cost. \u00a0Oh, draw me wholly to Thy love; do this for the sake of the love which made Thee die for me on the Cross.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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(25 de mayo)<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n matutina:\u00a0 LA VIDA DE POBREZA DE JES\u00daS EN LA TIERRA<\/em><\/strong><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0El mundo ense\u00f1a a sus seguidores que la felicidad consiste en la posesi\u00f3n de riquezas, placeres y honores; pero este mundo enga\u00f1oso fue condenado por el Hijo de Dios cuando se hizo Hombre.\u00a0 Ahora es el juicio del mundo<\/em>. \u2014 (John xii. 31).\u00a0 This condemnation began in the Stable of Bethlehem.\u00a0 Jesus Christ wished to be born there in poverty, that through His poverty we might become rich, and from His Divine example pluck out of our hearts all affections for earthly possessions.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Fue ordenado por Dios que en el momento en que Su Hijo naciera en esta tierra se promulgara el decreto del Emperador obligando a todos a ir a inscribirse en el lugar de su nacimiento. Y as\u00ed sucedi\u00f3 que Jos\u00e9 tuvo que ir con su esposa a Bel\u00e9n para inscribirse seg\u00fan el decreto del C\u00e9sar. Llegado el momento del parto, Mar\u00eda, expulsada de las dem\u00e1s casas e incluso del asilo com\u00fan de los pobres, se vio obligada a permanecer aquella noche en una cueva, y all\u00ed dio a luz al Rey del Cielo. Es verdad que, si Jes\u00fas hubiera nacido en Nazaret, habr\u00eda nacido igualmente en estado de pobreza; pero entonces habr\u00eda tenido al menos una habitaci\u00f3n seca, un peque\u00f1o fuego, ropa de abrigo y una cuna m\u00e1s c\u00f3moda. Pero no, \u00c9l eligi\u00f3 nacer en esta fr\u00eda caverna sin un fuego que lo calentara; \u00c9l eligi\u00f3 tener un pesebre por cuna, y un poco de paja espinosa por cama, para poder sufrir m\u00e1s.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Entremos, pues, en la cueva de Bel\u00e9n; pero entremos all\u00ed con Fe. Si entramos all\u00ed sin Fe, no veremos m\u00e1s que un pobre ni\u00f1o que nos mueve a compasi\u00f3n al contemplar a alguien tan hermoso, temblando y llorando de fr\u00edo y por el pinchazo de la paja sobre la que yace. Pero si entramos con Fe, y consideramos que ese Ni\u00f1o es el Hijo de Dios, que por amor a nosotros ha bajado a esta tierra y ha sufrido tanto para pagar la pena de nuestros pecados, \u00bfc\u00f3mo no agradecerle y amarle?
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O my sweet Infant, how is it possible that, knowing how much Thou hast suffered for me, I can have been so ungrateful to Thee, and have offended Thee so often!\u00a0 But these tears which Thou sheddest, this poverty Thou hast chosen for the love of me, make me hope for the pardon of all the offences I have committed against Thee.\u00a0 I repent, my Jesus, of having so often turned my back upon Thee; and I love Thee above all things, my God and my All!\u00a0 My God, from this day forth Thou shalt be my only Treasure and my only Good.\u00a0 I will say to Thee, with St. Ignatius of Loyola, “Give me Thy love, give me Thy grace, and I am rich enough.”\u00a0 I wish for, and desire nothing else.\u00a0 Thou alone art sufficient for me, my Jesus, my Life, my Love.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After the example of our Saviour the Saints sought to despoil themselves of everything, and in poverty to follow Jesus Christ Who was Himself poor. \u00a0St. Bernard says: \u201cThe poverty of Christ is richer than all the world\u2019s treasures.\u201d \u00a0It animates us in acquiring the riches of Heaven and in despising those of the world. \u00a0St. Paul wrote: I count all things but as dung that I may gain Christ. \u2014 <\/em>(Phil. iii. 8). \u00a0Compared with the grace of Jesus Christ the Apostle considered everything else as mere dung and filth. \u00a0St. Francis Borgia abandons all his wealth for a life of poverty in the Society of Jesus.\u00a0 St. Francis of Assisi gave back even his very shirt to his father that he might live all his life like a poor beggar.\u00a0 He who covets possessions, said St. Philip Neri, will never become a Saint. \u00a0And so it is; for the heart that is full of this world has no room for Divine love. \u00a0Dost thou bring an empty heart? was a question the monks of old asked of those who came to join them. \u00a0They meant to say: If thou dost not bring an empty heart thou canst never belong entirely to God. \u00a0For where thy treasure is there is thy heart also. \u2014 <\/em>(Matt. vi. 21). \u00a0Each one\u2019s treasure is what he loves and prizes. \u00a0Once when a certain rich man died St. Anthony of Padua published his damnation from the pulpit; and as a sign of the truth of what he said he told the people to go to the place where he had kept his money, and that there they would find the wretched man\u2019s heart. \u00a0They did go, and they actually found his heart, still warm, in the midst of his money.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Happy is the man who can say with St. Paulinus: \u201cLet the rich enjoy their riches and kings their kingdoms; Christ is my possession, my kingdom, and my glory.\u201d \u00a0\u201cGive me Thy love together with Thy grace and I am rich enough,\u201d said St. Ignatius. \u00a0Let us never fail to have recourse to Mary, the Divine Mother, and love her after God above all things. \u00a0She enriches with graces all who love her. \u00a0With me are riches . . . that I may enrich them that love me. \u2014 <\/em>(Prov. viii. 18, 21).
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O my infant God, I see Thee trembling with cold on the straw, crying and weeping for my sake \u2013 oh, how can I live without loving Thee? \u00a0O my God, how could I have offended Thee so much, knowing, as I did by Faith how much Thou hast suffered for me. \u00a0But this straw that torments Thee, this vile manger in which Thou art lying, those loving tears Thou sheddest, those tender cries Thou dost utter \u2013 all make me firmly hope for pardon and for the grace to love Thee for the rest of my life. \u00a0I love Thee, O Divine Child! \u00a0I give myself all to Thee. \u00a0O Mary, great Mother of this great Son, and most beloved by Him, pray to Him for me.<\/p>

Lectura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0SPES NOSTRA, SALVE - \u00a1SALVE, ESPERANZA NUESTRA!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXX. MAR\u00cdA ES LA ESPERANZA DE TODOS<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0San Germ\u00e1n, reconociendo en Mar\u00eda la fuente de todo nuestro bien y que nos libra de todo mal, la invoca as\u00ed: \"\u00a1Oh, soberana Se\u00f1ora m\u00eda, t\u00fa eres la \u00fanica que Dios ha designado para ser mi consuelo aqu\u00ed abajo; t\u00fa eres la gu\u00eda de mi peregrinaci\u00f3n, la fuerza de mi debilidad, la riqueza de mi pobreza, el remedio para la curaci\u00f3n de mis heridas, el alivio de mis dolores, el fin de mi cautiverio, la esperanza de mi salvaci\u00f3n! Escucha mis plegarias, ten piedad de mis l\u00e1grimas, te conjuro, oh t\u00fa que eres mi Reina, mi refugio, mi amor, mi ayuda, mi esperanza y mi fuerza\".
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0No debe sorprendernos, pues, que San Antonino aplique a Mar\u00eda el siguiente vers\u00edculo del Libro de la Sabidur\u00eda: Ahora todas las cosas buenas vinieron a m\u00ed junto con ella<\/em>. \u2014 (Wisd. vii. 11).\u00a0 For as this Blessed Virgin is the Mother and dispenser of all good things, the whole world, and more particularly each individual who lives in it as a devout client of this great Queen, may say with truth that, with devotion to Mary, both he and the world have obtained everything good and perfect.\u00a0 The Saint thus expresses his thought: “She is the Mother of all good things; and the world can truly say that, with her, it has received all good things.”\u00a0 And hence the Blessed Abbot of Celles expressly declares that “when we find Mary, we find all good.”\u00a0 Whoever finds Mary finds every good thing, obtains all graces and all virtues; for by her powerful intercession she obtains all virtues; for by her powerful intercession she obtains all that is necessary to enrich him with Divine grace.\u00a0 In the Book of Proverbs Mary herself tells us that she possesses all the riches of God, that is to say, His mercies, that she may dispense them in favour of her lovers: Conmigo hay riquezas. . . y gloriosas riquezas. . . para enriquecer a los que me aman.<\/em>. \u2014 (Prov. viii. 18, 21).\u00a0 And therefore St. Bonaventure says that “We ought all to keep our eyes constantly fixed on Mary’s hands, that through them we may receive the graces we desire.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a1Oh, cu\u00e1ntos que antes eran orgullosos se han vuelto humildes por la devoci\u00f3n a Mar\u00eda! \u00a1Cu\u00e1ntos, en medio de las tinieblas, han encontrado la luz! \u00a1Cu\u00e1ntos que estaban desesperados han encontrado confianza! \u00a1Cu\u00e1ntos que estaban perdidos han encontrado la salvaci\u00f3n por el mismo poderoso medio! Y esto lo predijo claramente en casa de Isabel, en su propio c\u00e1ntico sublime: He aqu\u00ed que desde ahora me llamar\u00e1n bienaventurado todas las generaciones<\/em>. \u2014 (Luke i. 48).\u00a0 And St. Bernard, interpreting her words, says: “All generations call thee blessed, because thou hast given life and glory to all nations; for in thee sinners find pardon, and the just perseverance in the grace of God.”<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n vespertina:\u00a0 LA FELIZ MUERTE DE LOS SIERVOS DE DIOS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Preciosa es a los ojos del Se\u00f1or la muerte de sus santos.<\/em> \u2014 (Ps. cxv. 15).\u00a0 St. Bernard says that the death of the just is called precious, because it is the end of labour and the gate of life.\u00a0 To the Saints death is a reward, because it is the end of sufferings, pains, struggles, and the fear of losing God.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Esa palabra Salida<\/em>, que tanto espanta a los mundanos, no alarma a los justos; porque para ellos no es doloroso dejar todos los bienes mundanos, pues Dios ha sido su \u00fanica riqueza; ni los honores, pues los han despreciado; ni los parientes, pues s\u00f3lo los han amado en Dios. Por eso, como repet\u00edan frecuentemente en vida, as\u00ed ahora con redoblada alegr\u00eda exclaman en la muerte: \u00a1Mi Dios y mi Todo!<\/em>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ni los dolores de la muerte los afligen; se regocijan ofreciendo a Dios los \u00faltimos momentos de la vida en testimonio de su amor por \u00c9l, uniendo el sacrificio de sus vidas al sacrificio de Jesucristo ofrecido en la Cruz, por amor a ellos.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a1Oh, qu\u00e9 consuelo para los santos es pensar que ahora ha pasado el tiempo en que pod\u00edan haber ofendido a Dios, y estaban en constante peligro de perderlo! Oh, qu\u00e9 alegr\u00eda poder entonces abrazar el Crucifijo, y decir: En paz, en la mismidad, \u00a1dormir\u00e9 y descansar\u00e9!<\/em> \u2014 (Ps. iv. 9).\u00a0 The devil will endeavour at that time to disquiet us by the sight of our sins; but if we have bewailed them, and have loved Jesus Christ with our whole heart, Jesus will console us.\u00a0 God is more desirous of our salvation than the devil is for our perdition.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Adem\u00e1s, la muerte es la puerta de la vida. Dios es fiel y, en efecto, en ese momento consolar\u00e1 a los que le han amado. Incluso en los dolores de la muerte, les dar\u00e1 un anticipo del Cielo. Sus actos de confianza, de amor a Dios, de deseo de contemplarle pronto, ser\u00e1n para ellos el principio de aquella paz de la que gozar\u00e1n por toda la eternidad. Qu\u00e9 alegr\u00eda, en particular, proporcionar\u00e1 el santo Vi\u00e1tico a quienes puedan decir, con San Felipe Neri: \u00a1He aqu\u00ed mi amor! \u00a1He aqu\u00ed mi Amor!<\/em><\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We should therefore fear, not death,<\/em> but sin<\/em>, which alone makes death so terrible. \u00a0A great servant of God, Father Colombiere, said: \u201cIt is morally impossible for one who in life has been faithful to God to die an unhappy death.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He who loves God is desirous of death, which will unite him eternally to God. \u00a0It is a sign of but little love for God, not to desire soon to behold Him.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let us be resigned to the hour of death and the loss of all worldly possessions. \u00a0We may do this now meritoriously, but then it must be done forcibly and with danger of being lost. \u00a0Let us live as though every day were to be the last of our lives. \u00a0Oh, how well does he live who lives always with the remembrance of death present to his mind!
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O my God, when will the day arrive in which I shall see Thee and love Thee face to face? \u00a0I do not deserve it; but Thy Wounds, O my Redeemer, are my hope. \u00a0I will say to Thee with St. Bernard: Thy Wounds are my merits.<\/em> \u00a0And hence I will take confidence, and will also says to Thee with St. Augustine: May I die, O Lord, that I may behold Thee!<\/em> \u00a0O Mary, my Mother, in the Blood of Jesus Christ, and in thy holy intercession, do I hope to be saved, and to come to praise thee, thank thee, and love thee forever in Heaven.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFIESTA DE LA ASCENSI\u00d3N<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Meditaci\u00f3n matutina:\u00a0 \"LEV\u00c1NTATE, OH SE\u00d1OR, A TU LUGAR DE DESCANSO\"<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0En la Ascensi\u00f3n de nuestro Sant\u00edsimo Se\u00f1or contemplamos c\u00f3mo, cuarenta d\u00edas despu\u00e9s de su Resurrecci\u00f3n, ascendi\u00f3 triunfante al Cielo, rodeado de gran gloria, a la vista de su santa Madre y de sus disc\u00edpulos.\u00a0 Levantad vuestra puerta, oh pr\u00edncipes, y alzaos, oh puertas eternas, y entrar\u00e1 el Rey de gloria. <\/em>\u2014 (Ps. xxiii. 7).\u00a0 O Paradise!\u00a0 O Paradise!\u00a0 When, O Lord, shall I see Thee face to face, and embrace Thee, without fear of ever losing Thee?<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0El hogar leg\u00edtimo del Salvador resucitado era el Cielo, el hogar de los Bienaventurados, pero Jes\u00fas quiso permanecer todav\u00eda en la tierra durante cuarenta d\u00edas, apareci\u00e9ndose una y otra vez a Sus disc\u00edpulos antes de ascender al Cielo, para fortalecer su Fe en Su Resurrecci\u00f3n y darles consuelo y esperanza. Mientras tanto, los \u00c1ngeles deseaban ardientemente tener a su Rey en su patria celestial, y por eso le suplicaban continuamente con las palabras de David: Lev\u00e1ntate, Se\u00f1or, a tu lugar de descanso<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. cxxxi. 8).\u00a0 Come, O Lord, come quickly, now that Thou hast redeemed men: come to Thy kingdom and dwell with us.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0He aqu\u00ed que ha llegado la hora solemne y nuestro Sant\u00edsimo Salvador asciende al Monte Olivete con sus Ap\u00f3stoles y disc\u00edpulos en n\u00famero de ciento veinte aproximadamente. Luego, levantando las manos al cielo, Jes\u00fas los bendice y asciende triunfante a los cielos, rodeado de gran gloria. Cuando un monarca hace su entrada solemne en su reino, no atraviesa las puertas de su capital, pues son retiradas para abrirle paso en la ocasi\u00f3n. Por eso, cuando Jesucristo entra ahora en el Para\u00edso, los \u00c1ngeles gritan: Alzad vuestras puertas, oh pr\u00edncipes, y levantaos, oh puertas eternas, y entrar\u00e1 el Rey de la Gloria.<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xxiii. 7).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a1Oh Para\u00edso! \u00a1Oh Para\u00edso! \u00bfCu\u00e1ndo, oh Se\u00f1or, Te ver\u00e9 cara a cara, y Te abrazar\u00e9, sin temor de perderte jam\u00e1s?<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before Jesus Christ died for us, Paradise was closed; but to-day-Thou dost mount the skies, O Lord, leading a glorious number of captives, all the multitude of blessed souls who have come forth from Limbo, and ascend to Heaven with Thee. \u00a0Thou hast ascended on high; thou hast led captivity captive. \u2014 <\/em>(Ps. lxvii. 19).\u00a0 By His death and glorious ascension to-day into Heaven our Saviour has opened Paradise for all who love Him.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ah, how lamentable, that after all Jesus has suffered to win the Kingdom of Heaven for men, so many foolish sinners should renounce it for worthless pleasures, for a mere nothing, and exchange the bliss of Heaven for the torments of hell!
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Mediator, we have received in Baptism grace to become the sons of God, and if sons, heirs also, heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ<\/em>: but St. Paul adds: yet so if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. <\/em>\u2014 (Rom. viii. 17). \u00a0The Apostle then exhorts us all to suffer with courage, strengthened by the hope of Paradise: For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come which shall be revealed in us. \u2014 <\/em>(Rom. viii. 18). \u00a0No beggar is so foolish as not gladly to exchange his rags for a great kingdom.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O my Jesus, when I look upon my sins I am ashamed to seek for Paradise, but when I look on Thee upon the Cross I cannot cease to hope for Heaven, knowing, as I do, that Thou didst die to atone for my sins and obtain Paradise for me. \u00a0Ah, my Jesus, when will the day arrive that shall free me from all danger of losing Thee? \u00a0O Mary, Queen of Heaven, thy intercession is all-powerful with God. \u00a0In thee I put my trust.<\/p>

Lectura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0SPES NOSTRA, SALVE - \u00a1SALVE, ESPERANZA NUESTRA!<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

XXXI. MAR\u00cdA ES LA ESPERANZA DE TODOS<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0El piadoso Lanspergio hace que Nuestro Se\u00f1or se dirija as\u00ed al mundo: \"Hombres, pobres hijos de Ad\u00e1n, que viv\u00eds rodeados de tantos enemigos y en medio de tantas pruebas, procurad honrar de un modo especial a Mi Madre y a la vuestra: pues he dado a Mar\u00eda al mundo para que sea vuestro modelo, y para que de ella aprend\u00e1is a llevar una vida buena; y tambi\u00e9n para que sea un refugio al que pod\u00e1is acudir en todas vuestras aflicciones y pruebas. La he hecho, Hija M\u00eda, tal que nadie debe temer ni tener la menor repugnancia a recurrir a ella; y para ello la he creado de tal disposici\u00f3n benigna y compasiva, que no sabe despreciar a nadie que se refugie en ella, ni puede negar su favor a quien lo busque. El manto de su misericordia est\u00e1 abierto a todos, y no permite que nadie salga de sus pies sin consolarlo.\" Sea siempre alabada y bendecida la inmensa bondad de nuestro Dios por habernos dado esta Madre y Abogada tan grande, tan tierna, tan amorosa.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Oh Dios, \u00a1cu\u00e1n tiernos son los sentimientos de confianza expresados por el enamorado San Buenaventura hacia Jes\u00fas, nuestro amant\u00edsimo Redentor, y Mar\u00eda, nuestra amant\u00edsima Abogada! Dice: \"Cualquiera que sea la suerte que Dios prevea para m\u00ed, s\u00e9 que no puede negarse a s\u00ed mismo a nadie que le ame y le busque de todo coraz\u00f3n. Le abrazar\u00e9 con mi amor; y si no me bendice, a\u00fan as\u00ed me aferrar\u00e9 a \u00c9l tan estrechamente que no podr\u00e1 prescindir de m\u00ed. Si no puedo hacer otra cosa, al menos me esconder\u00e9 en Sus Llagas, y, tomando all\u00ed mi morada, ser\u00e1 s\u00f3lo en \u00c9l donde me encontrar\u00e1\". Y el Santo concluye: \"Si mi Redentor me rechaza a causa de mis pecados, y me aleja de sus sagrados pies, me arrojar\u00e9 a los de su amada Madre Mar\u00eda, y all\u00ed permanecer\u00e9 postrado hasta que haya obtenido mi perd\u00f3n; porque esta Madre de misericordia no sabe, ni ha sabido nunca, hacer otra cosa que compadecer a los miserables, y satisfacer los deseos de los m\u00e1s desvalidos que acuden a ella en busca de socorro; y por eso, si no por deber, al menos por compasi\u00f3n, comprometer\u00e1 a su Hijo a que me perdone.\"
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"M\u00edranos, pues\", exclamemos, con palabras de Eutimio, \"m\u00edranos, oh Madre compasiva; pon sobre nosotros tus ojos de misericordia, porque somos tus siervos, y en ti hemos puesto toda nuestra confianza.\"<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n vespertina:\u00a0 EL GOZO DE LOS BIENAVENTURADOS EN EL CIELO ES VER Y AMAR A DIOS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Consideremos qu\u00e9 es lo que en el Cielo hace completamente felices a sus santos ciudadanos. El alma en el Cielo ve a Dios cara a cara, y conociendo su infinita belleza y todas las perfecciones que le hacen digno de infinito amor, no puede menos de amarle con todas sus fuerzas, y amarle mucho m\u00e1s que a s\u00ed misma. Es m\u00e1s, como olvid\u00e1ndose de s\u00ed misma, el alma no piensa en otra cosa que en ver feliz a Aquel que es su Amado y su Dios; y viendo que Dios, \u00fanico objeto de sus afectos, goza de infinita felicidad, esta felicidad de Dios constituye todo su Para\u00edso. Si un alma fuese capaz de algo infinito, su propio gozo ser\u00eda tambi\u00e9n infinito al ver que su Amado es infinitamente feliz, pero como una criatura no es capaz de gozo infinito, al menos est\u00e1 tan saciada de gozo que no desea nada m\u00e1s. Y \u00e9sta es aquella satisfacci\u00f3n por la que suspiraba David cuando dec\u00eda: Estar\u00e9 satisfecho cuando aparezca tu gloria<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xvi. 15).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As\u00ed tambi\u00e9n se cumple lo que Dios dice al alma cuando la admite en el Para\u00edso: Entra en el gozo de tu Se\u00f1or<\/em>. \u2014 (Matt. xxv. 21).\u00a0 He does not bid the joy enter into the soul, because this, His joy, being infinite, cannot be contained in the creature; but He bids the soul enter into His joy, that it may receive a portion of it, and such a portion as will satisfy it and fill it with delight.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Por eso, en nuestra oraci\u00f3n, entre todos los actos de amor hacia Dios, no hay ninguno m\u00e1s perfecto que el deleitarse en la felicidad infinita de que Dios goza. Este es ciertamente el ejercicio continuo de los Bienaventurados en el Cielo; de modo que el que se goza a menudo en la alegr\u00eda de Dios comienza en esta vida a hacer lo que espera hacer en el Cielo por toda la eternidad.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0El amor de Dios con que arden los Santos en el Para\u00edso es tal, que si alguna vez entrara en sus pensamientos el temor de perderlo, o pensaran que no deben amarle con todas sus fuerzas, como ahora le aman, este temor les har\u00eda experimentar la angustia del infierno. Pero no; porque est\u00e1n tan seguros, como est\u00e1n seguros de Dios, de que siempre le amar\u00e1n con todas sus fuerzas, y de que siempre ser\u00e1n amados por Dios, y este amor mutuo nunca cambiar\u00e1 por toda la eternidad. Oh Dios m\u00edo, hazme digno de esto, por los m\u00e9ritos de Jesucristo.<\/p>

Meditaci\u00f3n II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This happiness, which constitutes Paradise, will be further increased by the splendour of that delightful city of God, the beauty of its inhabitants, and by their companionship, especially by that of the Queen of all, Mary, who will appear fairer than all, and by that of Jesus Christ, Whose beauty again will infinitely surpass that of Mary.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The joy of the Blessed will be increased by the knowledge of the many dangers to salvation which they all passed through in this life. \u00a0What, then, will be the thanksgivings offered to God by those who, through their own sins, deserved hell, and now find themselves there on high, when they see so many sinners condemned to hell for less sins than their own, while they are saved, and sure of not losing God, and destined to enjoy eternally those boundless delights of Heaven, of which they will never grow weary. \u00a0In this life, however great and continual be our joys, with time they always weary us; but as for the delights of Paradise, the more they are enjoyed the more they are desired; and thus the Blessed are ever satisfied and filled with these delights, and ever desire them; they ever desire them, and ever obtain them. \u00a0Wherefore that sweet song with which the Saints praise God and thank Him for the happiness He has given them, is called a new song<\/em>: Sing to the Lord a new song. <\/em>\u2014 (Ps. xcvii. 1). \u00a0It is called new,<\/em> because the rejoicings of Heaven seem ever new, as though they were experienced for the first time; and thus they ever rejoice in them, and ever long for them; and, while they ever long for them, they ever enjoy them. \u00a0Thus, as the damned are called \u201cvessels of wrath\u201d \u2013 vasa irae \u2013<\/em>\u00a0the Blessed are called \u201cvessels of divine love\u201d \u2013 vasa charitatis.
<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Justly, then, does St. Augustine say that to obtain this eternal blessedness there ought to be eternal labour.\u00a0 Hence it was little the anchorites did with all their penitential works and prayers to gain Heaven: it was little for the Saints to leave their riches and kingdoms to gain Paradise; little that so many Martyrs suffered, enduring racks and burning irons and cruel deaths to win Paradise.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let us at least suffer joyfully the crosses God sends, for they will procure for us everlasting bliss. \u00a0When pains, infirmities, or other adversities afflict us, let us lift our eyes to Heaven and say: One day all these sorrows will end and I hope after that to enjoy God<\/em> for<\/em> ever!<\/em> \u00a0Let us endure everything; let us despise all created things. \u00a0Jesus awaits us, and stands with the crown in His hands to make us kings in Heaven.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But, O my Jesus, how can I aspire to so great a good \u2013 I who have so often, for the miserable pleasures of earth, renounced Paradise and trodden Thy grace underfoot? \u00a0Yet, Thy Blood gives me courage to hope for Paradise though I have so often deserved hell. \u00a0I hope for it because Thou hast died upon the Cross in order to bestow Paradise upon those who have not deserved it.\u00a0 O my Redeemer and my God, I resolve never more to lose Thee. \u00a0Thy Kingdom come! \u00a0Through the merits of Thy Blood grant me to enter Thy Kingdom one day, and meantime enable me perfectly to fulfil Thy will which is the greatest good and a Paradise on earth for all who love Thee.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O ye who love God, while we live in this valley of tears, let us sigh for Paradise\u2014<\/p>

To there behold and love our God!
When will that wished-for dawn arise?
While now I cry, \u2019twixt smiles and tears,
Ah, when? ah, when shall end my fears?
O Paradise! \u00a0O Paradise!<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINDULGENCED PRAYER OF ST. ALPHONSUS<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

In honour of Our Blessed Lady.<\/span><\/i><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to <\/span>thee, who art the Mother of my Lord, and Queen of the\u00a0<\/span>world, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I <\/span>have recourse to-day \u2013 I, who am the most miserable of all.\u00a0 <\/span>I render thee my most humble homage, O great Queen, and\u00a0<\/span>I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me\u00a0<\/span>until now, particularly for having delivered me from hell,\u00a0<\/span>which I have so often deserved.\u00a0 I love thee, O most amiable\u00a0<\/span>Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to\u00a0<\/span>serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make\u00a0<\/span>others love thee also.\u00a0 I place in thee all my hopes; I\u00a0<\/span>confide my salvation to thy care.\u00a0 Accept me for thy\u00a0<\/span>servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of\u00a0<\/span>Mercy.\u00a0 And since thou art so powerful with God,\u00a0<\/span>deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain me the\u00a0<\/span>strength to triumph over them until death.\u00a0 Of thee I\u00a0<\/span>ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ.\u00a0 From thee I hope\u00a0<\/span>to die a good death.\u00a0 O my Mother, by the love which\u00a0<\/span>thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me all times,\u00a0<\/span>but especially at the last moment of my life.\u00a0 Leave me\u00a0<\/span>not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in Heaven,\u00a0<\/span>blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Amen.\u00a0 So I hope.\u00a0 So may it it be.<\/span><\/p>

Indulgence. \u2013 300 days toties quoties.<\/em>
Plenary Indulgence once a month.<\/em><\/h6><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u21d1 \u00a0<\/a>CONTENIDO<\/a>
<\/em>\u21d0\u00a0CUARTO <\/em>WEEK AFTER<\/em> EASTER<\/em><\/a>
\u21d2\u00a0OCTAVA DE LA ASCENSI\u00d3N<\/em><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOLUME II – PART II, pp. 221-254 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER Morning Meditation:\u00a0 \u201cASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE\u201d\u00a0 (Gospel of Sunday.\u00a0 John xvi. 23-30) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The whole life of the Saints has been one of meditation and prayer; and … Seguir leyendo <\/i><\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4884,"parent":0,"menu_order":80,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7958","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7958"}],"version-history":[{"count":88,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12866,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7958\/revisions\/12866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}