Meditação matinal: A RESSURREIÇÃO DE JESUS CRISTO
Alegremo-nos ao ver em Sua glória ressuscitada nosso Salvador, nosso Pai, o melhor Amigo que temos. Alegremo-nos também, por nós mesmos, porque a Ressurreição de Jesus Cristo é para nós um penhor seguro de nossa própria ressurreição e da glória que esperamos um dia ter no Céu em nossa alma e corpo.
Meditação I:
Jesus veio ao mundo não apenas para nos redimir, mas para nos ensinar, com seu exemplo, todas as virtudes, especialmente a humildade e a santa pobreza, que está inseparavelmente unida à humildade. Para isso, Ele escolheu nascer em uma caverna; viver como um homem pobre em uma oficina por trinta anos; e finalmente morrer, pobre e nu, em uma cruz, vendo Suas vestes divididas entre os soldados antes de dar Seu último suspiro; enquanto, depois de Sua morte, Ele recebe o lençol para Seu enterro como uma esmola de outros.
Que os pobres sejam consolados ao verem Jesus Cristo, o Rei do Céu e da Terra, vivendo e morrendo na pobreza para nos enriquecer com Seus méritos e dons. Porque conheceis a graça de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, que, sendo rico, se fez pobre por amor de vós, para que, pela sua pobreza, enriquecêsseis. — (2 Cor. viii. 9). For this cause the Saints, in order to become like unto Jesus in His poverty, despised all earthly riches and honours, so that one day they might go to enjoy with Jesus Christ the riches and honours prepared by God in Heaven for them that love Him. And speaking of these blessings the Apostle St. Paul says that nem olhos viram, nem ouvidos ouviram, nem jamais penetrou no coração do homem o que Deus tem preparado para aqueles que o amam. — (1 Cor. ii. 9).
Ó meu Jesus, eu Te peço por Tua Ressurreição, faze-me ressuscitar glorioso contigo no último dia, para estar sempre unido a Ti no Céu, para louvar-Te e amar-Te para sempre.
Meditação II:
Jesus Christ, then, rose from the dead with the glory of possessing all power in Heaven and on earth, not only as God, but as Man. All the angels and all men are therefore subject to Him. Let us rejoice in thus seeing in glory our Saviour, our Father, and the best Friend we possess.
And let us rejoice for ourselves, because the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is for us a sure pledge of our own Resurrection, and of the glory that we may hope one day to have in Heaven in our soul and in our body. This hope gave courage to the Martyrs to suffer with gladness all the evils of life, and the most cruel torments of tyrants. We must rest assured, however, that none will rejoice with Jesus Christ but they who are willing to suffer in this world with Him; nor will he obtain the crown who does not fight as he ought to fight. He that striveth for the mastery is not crowned except he strive lawfully. — (2 Tim. ii. 5). At the same time let us be assured by what the same Apostle says: that all the sufferings of this life are short and light in comparison with the boundless and eternal joys we hope to enjoy in Paradise. — (2 Cor. iv. 17). Let us labour the more to continue in the grace of God, and continually to pray for perseverance in God’s friendship. Without continual prayer we shall not obtain perseverance, and without perseverance we shall not be saved.
O sweet Jesus, worthy of all love, how hast Thou so loved men that, in order to show Thy love, Thou hast not refused to die wounded and dishonoured on an infamous tree! O my God, how is it there are so few among men who love Thee with their whole heart? O my dear Redeemer, I wish to be one of these few. Miserable that I am to have forgotten Thy love in the past, and given up Thy grace for miserable pleasures! I know the evil I have done. I grieve over it with my whole heart and would wish to die of grief. O my beloved Redeemer, I love Thee now more than myself and am ready to die a thousand deaths rather than lose Thy friendship. Jesus, I thank Thee for the light Thou hast given me. O Jesus, my Hope, leave me not in my own hands. Help me until death.
O Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.
Leitura espiritual: O CÉU QUE DEUS CONQUISTOU PARA NÓS
The bliss of Heaven consists in seeing and loving God face to face. “Everything we expect,” says St. Augustine, “is expressed in a word of one syllable, namely, God.” The reward God promises to us does not consist altogether in the beauty, the harmony, and other advantages of the city of Paradise. God Himself, Whom the Saints are allowed to behold, is, according to the promises made to Abraham, the principal reward of the just in Heaven. I am thy reward exceeding great. — (Gen. xv. 1). St. Augustine asserts that were God to show His face to the damned, “hell would be instantly changed into a paradise of delights.” And he adds that were a departed soul allowed the choice of seeing God and suffering the pains of hell, or of being freed from these pains and deprived of the sight of God, “it would prefer to see God, and to endure those torments.”
The delights of the soul infinitely surpass all the pleasures of the senses. Even in this life, Divine love infuses such sweetness into the soul when God communicates Himself to it that the body is raised from the earth. St. Peter of Alcantara once fell into such an ecstasy of love that, taking hold of a tree, he drew it up from the roots, and raised it with him on high. So great is the sweetness of Divine love, that the holy Martyrs, in the midst of their torments, felt no pain, but were on the contrary filled with joy. Hence St. Augustine says that when St. Laurence was laid on a red-hot gridiron, the fervour of Divine love made him insensible to the burning heat of the fire. Even on sinners who weep for their sins, God bestows consolations which exceed all earthly pleasures. Hence St. Bernard says: “If it be so sweet to weep for Thee, what must it be to rejoice in Thee!”
How great is the sweetness which a soul experiences when, in the time of prayer, God, by a ray of His own light, reveals to it His goodness and His mercies towards it, and particularly the love Jesus Christ has borne to it in His Passion! It feels its heart melting and, as it were, dissolved through love. But in this life we do not see God as He really is: we see Him, as it were, in the dark. We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face. — (1 Cor. xiii. 12). Here below God is hidden from our view; we can see Him only with the eyes of Faith. How great shall be our happiness when the veil is raised, and we are permitted to behold God face to face! We shall then see His beauty, His greatness, His perfection, His amiableness, and His immense love for our souls.
Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred. — (Eccles. ix. 1). The fear of not loving God, and of not being loved by Him, is the greatest affliction which souls that love God endure on the earth; but in Heaven the soul is certain that it loves God and that He loves it; and sees that the Lord embraces it with infinite love, and that this love shall not be dissolved for all eternity. The knowledge of the love Jesus Christ has shown it in offering Himself in sacrifice for it on the Cross, and in making Himself its Food in the Sacrament of the Altar, shall increase the ardour of its love. It shall also see clearly all the graces God has bestowed upon it, all the helps which He has given it, to preserve it from falling into sin, and to draw it to His love. It shall see that all the tribulations, the poverty, the infirmities and persecutions which it regards as misfortunes, have all proceeded from love, and have been the means employed by Divine Providence to bring it to glory. It shall see all the lights, loving calls, and mercies which God had granted to it after it had insulted Him by its sins. From the blessed mountain of Paradise it shall see so many souls damned for fewer sins than it had committed, and shall see that it is saved and secured against the possibility of ever losing God.
Justly, then, has St. Augustine said that to gain the eternal bliss and peace of Paradise, we should embrace eternal labour.
Meditação noturna: "SUA TRISTEZA SE TRANSFORMARÁ EM ALEGRIA"
Meditação I:
Oh, happy are we, if we suffer with patience on earth the troubles of this present life! Distress of circumstances, fears, bodily infirmities, persecutions, and crosses of every kind, will one day all come to an end; and if we be saved, they will all become for us subjects of joy and glory in Paradise: Your sorrow, says the Saviour to encourage us, shall be turned into joy. — (John xvi. 20). So great are the delights of Paradise that they can neither be explained nor understood by us mortals: Nem olhos viram, nem ouvidos ouviram, nem jamais penetrou no coração do homem o que Deus tem preparado para aqueles que o amam. — (1 Cor. ii. 9). Beauties like to the beauties of Paradise, eye hath never seen; harmonies like unto the harmonies of Paradise, ear hath never heard; nor hath ever human heart gained the comprehension of the joys God hath prepared for those that love Him. Beautiful is the sight of a landscape adorned with hills, plains, woods, and views of the sea. Beautiful is the sight of a garden abounding with fruits, flowers, and fountains. Oh, how much more beautiful is Paradise!
To understand how great the joys of Paradise are, it is enough to know that in that blessed realm resides a God omnipotent, Whose care it is to render happy His beloved souls. St. Bernard says that Paradise is a place where “there is nothing thou wouldst not, and everything thou wouldst.” There thou shalt not find any thing displeasing to thyself, and every thing thou dost desire thou shalt find: “There is nothing thou wouldst not.” In Paradise there is no night; no seasons of winter and summer; but one perpetual day of unvaried serenity, and one perpetual spring of unvaried delight. No more persecutions of jealousies are there; for there all sincerely love one another, and each rejoices in each other’s good as if it were his own. No more bodily infirmities or pains are there, for the body is no longer subject to suffering; no poverty is there, for every one is rich to the full, not having anything more to desire; no more fears are there, for the soul being confirmed in grace can sin no more, nor lose that supreme good which it possesses.
Meditação II:
“There is everything thou wouldst.” In Paradise thou shalt have whatsoever thou desirest. There the sight is satisfied in beholding that city so beautiful, and its citizens all clothed in royal apparel, for they are all kings of that everlasting kingdom. There shall we see the beauty of Mary, whose appearance will be more beautiful than that of all the Angels and Saints together. We shall see the beauty of Jesus, which will immeasurably surpass the beauty of Mary. The smell will be satisfied with the perfumes of Paradise. The hearing will be satisfied with the harmonies of Heaven, and the canticles of the Blessed, who will all with ravishing sweetness sing the Divine praises for all eternity. Ah, my God, I deserve not Paradise, but hell; yet Thy death gives me a hope of obtaining it. I desire and ask Paradise of Thee, not so much in order to enjoy as in order to love Thee for ever, secure that it will never more be possible for me to lose Thee. O Mary, my Mother, O Star of the Sea, it is for thee, by thy prayers, to conduct me to Paradise.
Meditação matinal: O AMOR DE JESUS AO MORRER POR NÓS
Jesus morreu por nós para que, por meio de Seu amor por nós, pudesse obter o domínio total de nosso coração. Para esse fimescreveu São Paulo, Cristo morreu e ressuscitou para ser o Senhor tanto dos mortos como dos vivos. — (Rom. xiv. 9). Contemplating the death of Jesus Christ, and the love with which He died for men, the Saints esteemed it little to forfeit for His sake, property, honours, and life itself.
Meditação I:
Quem poderia ter concebido que o Filho de Deus, o Senhor do Universo, para demonstrar Seu amor por nós, sofreria e morreria na cruz, se não o tivesse feito de fato? Com razão, Moisés e Elias, no Monte Tabor, falaram da morte de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo como de um excesso. — (Luke ix. 31). And what could be greater excess of love than for the Creator to die for His creatures?
Para retribuir adequadamente o Seu amor, meu querido Redentor, seria necessário que outro Deus morresse por Ele. Portanto, seria pouco, não seria nada, se nós, pobres vermes miseráveis da terra, entregássemos toda a nossa vida por Ti, que deste a Tua por nós.
O que deve nos estimular ainda mais a amá-Lo é o desejo ardente com o qual, ao longo de Sua vida, Ele ansiava pela hora de Sua morte. Por esse desejo, Ele de fato provou quão grande era Seu amor por nós. Eu tenho um batismo, disse ele, com o qual devo ser batizado; e como estou apertado até que ele se cumpra. — (Luke xii. 50). I must be baptized with the Baptism of My own Blood, to wash away the sins of men, and how am I dying with the desire of My bitter Passion and Death! My soul, lift up your eyes, and behold your Lord hanging upon a disgraceful Cross; behold the Blood which trickles down from His Wounds. Behold His mangled body, all inviting you to love Him. Your Redeemer in His sufferings would have you love Him at least through compassion.
Ó Jesus, Tu não me recusaste Tua vida e Teu precioso Sangue, e eu Te recusarei qualquer coisa que Tu me pedires? Não, o Senhor se entregou a mim sem reservas. Eu me darei a Ti sem reservas.
Meditação II:
St. Francis de Sales, speaking of these words of the Apostle, The charity of Christ presseth us — (2 Cor. v. 14), says: “Knowing that Jesus Christ, being true God, has loved us even to the laying-down of His life for us, and this upon a Cross, do we not feel our hearts as it were in a press, forcibly straitened, and love pressed from them by a violence which is the more powerful as it is the more amiable?” And he adds: “Why, therefore, do we not cast ourselves upon Jesus Christ crucified, to die on the Cross for the love of Him Who has willingly died upon the Cross for the love of us? I will cling to Him, should we say, and will never abandon Him; I will die with Him, and be consumed in the fire of His love. My Jesus has given Himself entirely to me, and I will give myself entirely to Him. I will live and die upon His bosom; neither life nor death shall ever separate me from Him. O Eternal Love, my soul seeks Thee and espouses Thee forever!”
Leitura espiritual: A VIDA FELIZ DAQUELES QUE AMAM A DEUS
Justice and peace have kissed. — (Ps. lxxxiv. 11). Peace resides in every soul in which justice dwells. Hence David said: Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart. — (Ps. xxxvi. 4). To understand these words we must consider that worldlings seek to satisfy the desires of their hearts with the goods of this earth; but, because these cannot make them happy, their hearts continually make fresh demands; and how much soever they may acquire of these goods, they are not content. Hence the Prophet says: Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart. Give up creatures, seek your delight in God, and He will satisfy all the cravings of your heart.
This is what happened to St. Augustine, who, as long as he sought happiness in creatures, never enjoyed peace; but, as soon as he renounced them and gave to God all the affections of his heart, he exclaimed: “All things are hard, O Lord, and Thou alone art repose.” As if he had said: Ah, Lord! I now know my folly. I expected to find felicity in earthly pleasures; but now I know that they are only vanity and affliction of spirit, and that Thou alone art the peace and joy of our hearts.
The Apostle says that the peace which God gives to those who love Him surpasses all the sensual delights a man can enjoy on this earth. The peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding. — (Phil. iv. 7). St. Francis of Assisi, in saying “My God and my All!” experienced on this earth an anticipation of Paradise. St. Francis Xavier, in the midst of his labours in India for the glory of Jesus Christ, was so replenished with Divine consolations, that he would exclaim: “Enough, O Lord! Enough !” Where, I ask, has any lover of this world been found, so satisfied with the possession of worldly goods as to say: Enough, O world, enough; no more riches, no more honours, no more applause, no more pleasures? Ah, no! worldlings are constantly seeking after higher honours, greater riches, and new delights; but the more they have of them, the less are their desires satisfied, and the greater their disquietude.
It is necessary to persuade ourselves of this truth, that God alone can give content. Worldlings do not wish to be convinced of it, through an apprehension that if they give themselves to God, they will lead a life of bitterness and discontent. But with the Royal Prophet, I say to them: O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet. — (Ps. xxxiii. 9). Why, O sinners, will you despise and regard as miserable that life which you have not as yet tried? – O taste and see. Begin to make a trial of it; hear Mass every day; practise Mental Prayer and the Visit to the Most Holy Sacrament; go to Communion at least once a week; fly from evil conversations; walk always with God; and you shall see that, by such a life, you will enjoy that sweetness and peace which the world, with all its delights, has not hitherto been able to give you.
Meditação noturna: VOCÊ SERÁ COROADO
Meditação I:
Imaginemos uma alma que, ao partir deste mundo, entra na eternidade pela graça de Deus. Cheia de humildade e confiança, ela se apresenta diante de Jesus, seu Juiz e Salvador. Jesus a abraça, dá-lhe Sua bênção e a faz ouvir estas palavras de doçura: Venha, minha esposa, venha! Seu sal será coroado! Se a alma precisar ser purificada, Ele a envia ao Purgatório e, resignada, ela aceita o castigo, pois não deseja entrar no Céu, a terra da pureza, se não estiver totalmente purificada. O Anjo da Guarda vem conduzi-la ao Purgatório; ela primeiro lhe agradece pela assistência que ele lhe prestou durante sua vida e depois o segue obedientemente. Ah, meu Deus, quando chegará o dia em que me verei fora deste mundo de perigos, seguro de que nunca mais poderei perder-Te? Sim, irei de bom grado para o Purgatório que será meu; abraçarei com alegria todas as suas dores; será suficiente para mim, naquele fogo, amar-Te com todo o meu coração, pois lá não amarei mais ninguém além de Ti.
Meditação II:
The purgation over, the Angel will return and say to the soul: Come, beautiful soul, the punishment is over; come, and enjoy the Presence of thy God Who is awaiting thee in Paradise. Behold, the soul now passes beyond the clouds, passes beyond the spheres and the stars, and enters into Heaven. O God, what will it say on entering into that beautiful country, and casting its first glance on that city of delights? The Angels and Saints, and especially its own holy advocates, will go to meet it, and with jubilation will they welcome it, saying, Welcome, O companion of our own! Welcome! Ah, my Jesus, do Thou make me worthy of it.
What consolation will the soul not feel in there meeting with relations and friends of its own who have previously entered into Heaven! But greater by far will be its joy in beholding Mary its Queen, and in kissing her feet, and thanking her for the many kindnesses she has done it. The Queen will embrace it, and will herself present it unto Jesus, Who will receive it as a spouse. And Jesus will then present it to His Divine Father, Who will embrace and bless it, saying: Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. And thus will He beatify it with the same beatitude He Himself enjoys. Ah, my God, make me love Thee exceedingly in this life, that I may love Thee exceedingly in eternity. Thou art the object most worthy of being loved; Thou dost deserve all my love; I will love none but Thee. Do Thou help me by Thy grace. And, Mary, my Mother, be thou my protectress.
Meditação matinal: "VOCÊ FOI COMPRADO POR UM ÓTIMO PREÇO"
Devemos dar mais valor à alma do que a todos os bens da Terra. Para nos convencermos dessa verdade, basta saber que o próprio Deus condenou Seu Divino Filho à morte para salvar nossas almas. E o Verbo Eterno não se recusou a comprá-las com Seu próprio sangue. Porque Deus amou o mundo de tal maneira que deu o seu filho unigênito ... para que o mundo fosse salvo por ele. — (John iii. 16, 17).
Meditação I:
O negócio da salvação eterna é para nós o mais importante de todos os assuntos, mas também é o mais negligenciado pelos cristãos. Eles são diligentes e não perdem tempo em procurar ganhar um processo judicial ou uma situação de emolumento. Quantas medidas são tomadas para alcançar esses objetivos! Quantos meios adotados! Eles não comem nem dormem. E que esforços fazem para garantir sua salvação eterna? Como eles vivem? Para salvar suas almas, a maioria dos cristãos não faz nada; pelo contrário, eles fazem de tudo para levar suas almas à perdição; eles vivem como se Morte, Julgamento, Inferno, Céue Eternidade não eram verdades de fé, mas fábulas inventadas pelos poetas. Se uma pessoa perde uma ação judicial ou uma colheita, quão grande é sua dor e angústia! Com que zelo ele se esforça para reparar a perda! Se os mundanos perdem um cavalo ou um cachorro, com que diligência eles o procuram? Mas se perdem a graça de Deus, eles dormem, brincam e riem. Todos se envergonham quando lhes dizem que negligenciam seus assuntos mundanos, mas quão poucos se envergonham de negligenciar os assuntos da eternidade, que são os mais importantes de todos. O mundano diz que os santos eram verdadeiramente sábios, porque buscavam apenas a salvação de suas almas; e ainda assim ele mesmo se ocupa de todos os assuntos mundanos e negligencia totalmente as preocupações da alma. Mas nós lhes rogamos, irmãos, diz São Paulo, que você faça seu próprio negócio. — (1 Thess. iv. 10, 11).
Ah, meu Deus, como passei tantos anos que o Senhor me deu para garantir minha salvação eterna? Tu, meu Redentor, compraste minha alma com Teu Sangue e a entregaste a mim para que eu cuidasse de sua salvação; e eu trabalhei apenas para sua perdição, ofendendo a Ti que me amas com tanta ternura. Agradeço-Te por me dares tempo para poder reparar a grande perda que sofri. Perdi minha alma e Tua graça. Senhor, sinto muito, de todo o coração, por minhas ofensas passadas e resolvo, de agora em diante, perder tudo, até mesmo minha vida, em vez de perder Tua amizade.
Meditação II:
Salvation is the most important affair, because if the soul be lost, all is lost. We ought to set a higher value on the soul than on all the goods of the earth. “The soul,” says St. Chrysostom, “is more precious than the whole world.” To be convinced of this truth it is enough to know that God Himself condemned His Son to death in order to save our souls. The Eternal Word has not refused to purchase them with His own Blood. Hence a holy Father says that man appears to be of as much value as God. And Jesus Christ has asked: What exchange shall a man give for his soul? — (Matt. xvi. 26). For God so loved the world as to give his only begotten son. — (John iii. 16). If, then, such is the value of the soul, for what earthly good shall a man exchange and lose it?
St. Philip Neri with reason could say that he who does not attend to the salvation of his soul is a fool. Were there on this earth two classes of men, one mortal and the other immortal, and were the former to see the latter seeking after the things of this world, its honours, goods, and amusements, they should, certainly exclaim: O fools that you are! You have it in your power to acquire eternal riches, and do you fix your thoughts on those miserable and transitory things? Will you, for these, condemn yourselves to an eternity of torments in the next life? Leave us, for whom all shall end at death, leave us to seek after these earthly goods! But no; we are all immortal. How then does it happen that so many lose their souls for the miserable pleasures of this life? How does it come to pass, says Salvian, that Christians believe in Judgment, Hell, and Eternity, and still live as if they feared them not?
I love Thee above all things, and I resolve always to love Thee, my Sovereign Good, Who art worthy of infinite love. Assist me, my Jesus, that this purpose may not be like my past resolutions to which I have been always unfaithful. Take me out of life rather than suffer me ever again to offend Thee, or ever to cease to love Thee. O Mary, my hope after Jesus, save me by obtaining for me holy perseverance.
Leitura espiritual: CONFISSÃO
I. IMPORTÂNCIA DA CONFISSÃO FREQUENTE
I do not intend to treat in this place of the Confessions of those who commit mortal sins, although I shall say something on proximate occasions and on sacrilegious Confessions; but I will principally speak of the Confessions of timorous souls that love perfection and endeavour constantly to purify their souls more and more from the stain of venial sins.
Cesarius relates that a good priest commanded, in the Name of God, a devil who appeared to him, to tell what was most hurtful to him. The demon answered that nothing was more injurious or displeasing to him than frequent Confession. Jesus Christ once said to St. Bridget, that they who wish to preserve fervour should often purify their souls by accusing themselves in Confession of all their defects, and all their negligence in His service. Cassian says that he who aspires to perfection should aim at great purity of conscience; because from purity of conscience the soul passes to perfect love. Hence love corresponds to cleanness of heart. It is, however, necessary to know that in the present state this purity of soul does not consist in a total exemption from all faults; for except our Divine Saviour and His Divine Mother, there neither has been nor will be in this world, any soul free from all stain. In many things we all offend. — (James iii. 2). But it consists in two things: first, in a careful guard over the heart, to prevent the commission of every deliberate sin, however venial; and secondly, in instantly purifying the soul from any fault that it may commit. Now these two are precisely the fruits of frequent Confession.
In the first place, Confession cleanses the soul from the stains it contracts. St. John Climacus relates that a young man, in order to discontinue the scandalous life that he led in the world, went to a Monastery in order to become a Religious. Before his admission the Abbot told him that if he wished to be received, he must make a public confession of all his sins. The young man, who was sincerely resolved to give himself to God, readily obeyed; and behold, while he confessed his faults in the presence of the monks, a holy Religious who was among them saw a man of venerable aspect cancel from a written paper that he held in his hand, every sin the penitent confessed, so that at the end of the Confession all his sins were cancelled. Now, what then took place in a visible manner, happens invisibly to every one that confesses his sins with the requisite dispositions.
Confession not only washes away the stains of the soul, but it also gives it strength against relapse. The angelic Doctor teaches that the virtue of Penance not only destroys the fault that has been committed, but also prevents it from budding forth again. In his Life of St. Malachy, St. Bernard relates that there was a certain woman who was so much given to impatience and to anger that she became insupportable. Hearing from her that she had never confessed her impatience, St. Malachy induced her to make a Confession of all her sins of anger. St. Bernard states that after her Confession she became so meek and patient that she appeared incapable of resenting any injury or insult that she received.
Hence, to acquire purity of conscience, many Saints confessed their sins every day. Such was the practice of St. Catharine of Sienna, of St. Bridget, of Blessed Colletta, of St. Charles Borromeo, of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and of many others. St. Francis Borgia went to Confession even twice a day. If worldlings cannot bear to appear before those whom they love with a stain on the countenance, what wonder is it that souls that love God should endeavour always to purify themselves more and more, in order to render themselves more pleasing in the eyes of their beloved Lord! Now, I do not intend to require of those who practise frequent Communion to go to Confession every time they communicate; but it is right that they should go to Confession twice or at least once a week, and also when they have committed any deliberate fault.
Meditação noturna: VENDO E DESFRUTANDO DE DEUS PARA SEMPRE
Meditação I:
A beleza dos santos, a música celestial e os outros prazeres do Paraíso formam apenas uma parte menor de seus tesouros. O que dá à alma a plenitude de sua bem-aventurança é ver um Deus amoroso face a face. Santo Agostinho diz que se Deus permitisse que Sua bela face fosse vista pelos condenados, o inferno, com todos os seus tormentos, se tornaria para eles um paraíso. Mesmo neste mundo, quando Deus dá a uma alma em oração o sabor de Sua doce Presença, e por um raio de luz descobre a ela Sua bondade e o amor que Ele tem por ela, tão grande é o contentamento que a alma se sente dissolver e derreter em amor; e ainda assim, nesta vida, não nos é possível ver Deus como Ele é; nós O contemplamos obscurecido, como se através de um véu espesso. O que será, então, quando Deus tirar esse véu de diante de nós e nos levar a contemplá-Lo face a face, abertamente? Ó Senhor, por ter dado as costas a Ti, eu não seria mais digno de Te contemplar; mas, confiando em Tua bondade, espero Te ver e Te amar no Paraíso para sempre. Falo assim porque estou falando com um Deus que morreu para me dar o Paraíso.
Embora as almas que amam a Deus sejam as mais felizes deste mundo, elas não podem, aqui embaixo, desfrutar de uma felicidade plena e completa; o medo, que surge do fato de não saberem se merecem o amor ou o ódio de seu amado Salvador, as mantém, por assim dizer, em sofrimento perpétuo. No Paraíso, porém, a alma tem certeza de que ama a Deus e é amada por Deus; e vê que o doce laço de amor que a mantém unida a Deus jamais será desfeito por toda a eternidade. As chamas de seu amor serão aumentadas pelo conhecimento mais claro que a alma possuirá então do que foi o amor de Deus ao se tornar Homem e ao desejar morrer por ela; e ao ter, além disso, se entregado a ela no Sacramento da Eucaristia. Seu amor aumentará ao contemplar, então, em toda a sua distinção, as graças que Ele lhe concedeu para conduzi-la ao Céu; ela verá que as cruzes que lhe foram enviadas durante a vida foram todas artifícios de Seu amor para torná-la feliz. Verá, além disso, as misericórdias que Ele lhe concedeu, as muitas luzes e apelos à penitência. Do cume desse abençoado monte, ela contemplará as muitas almas perdidas que agora estão no inferno por pecados menores que os seus, e verá a si mesma agora salva, possuída por Deus e certa de que nunca mais poderá perdê-Lo por toda a eternidade. Meu Jesus, meu Jesus, quando chegará esse dia tão feliz para mim?
Meditação II:
The happiness of the blessed soul will be perfected by knowing with absolute certainty that that God Whom it then enjoys, it will be able to enjoy for all eternity. Were there to be any fear in the Blessed that they might lose that God Whom they now enjoy, Paradise would be Paradise no longer. But no; the blessed soul is certain with the certainty which it has of the existence of God, that that supreme Good which it enjoys, it will enjoy for ever. That joy, moreover, will not grow less with time; it will be ever new. The blessed one will be ever happy, and ever thirsting for that happiness; and, while ever thirsting, will be ever satiated.
When, therefore, we see ourselves afflicted with the troubles of life, let us lift up our eyes unto Heaven, and console ourselves by saying: Paradise! The sufferings will one day come to an end; nay, they will themselves become objects over which to rejoice. The Saints await us; the Angels await us; Mary awaits us: and Jesus stands with the crown in His hand wherewith to crown us, if we shall be faithful to Him. Ah, my God, when will that day come on which I shall arrive at possessing Thee, and be able to say unto Thee: My Love, I cannot lose Thee more! O Mary, my hope, never cease from praying for me, until thou Seest me safe at thy feet in Paradise!
Meditação matinal: "AMARÁS O SENHOR TEU DEUS DE TODO O TEU CORAÇÃO"
Porque para isso Cristo morreu e ressuscitou, para ser o Senhor tanto dos mortos como dos vivos. — (Rom. xiv. 9). The Saints, contemplating the death of Jesus Christ, thought it little to give their life and all things for the love of so loving a God. How many Martyrs have sacrificed their lives for Him! How many tender Virgins, renouncing the nuptials of the great, have gone with joy to death to make some return for the affection of a God Who died for their sake! And what have you done for Jesus’ sake?
Meditação I:
Mas uma coisa é necessária. — (Luke x. 42). What is this uma coisa necessária? Não é necessário adquirir riquezas, nem obter dignidades, nem ganhar um grande nome. A única coisa necessária é amar a Deus. Tudo o que não for feito por amor a Deus está perdido. Esse é o maior e o Primeiro Mandamento da Lei Divina. Ao fariseu que perguntou qual era o grande mandamento da Lei, Jesus Cristo respondeu: Amarás o Senhor teu Deus de todo o teu coração... Esse é o maior e o primeiro mandamento. — (Matt. xxii. 37, 38). But this, the greatest of the commandments, is the most despised by men: there are few who fulfil it. The greater part of men love relatives, friends, and even brute animals, but do not love God. Of these St. John says that they have not life – that they are dead. Aquele que não ama permanece na morte. — (1 John iii. 14). St. Bernard says that the reward of a soul is estimated by the measure of her love for God.
Consideremos, então, o quanto esse mandamento de amar a Deus de todo o coração nos é caro. Que objeto mais nobre, mais magnífico, mais poderoso, mais rico, mais belo, mais generoso, mais misericordioso, mais grato, mais amável ou mais amoroso do que Ele mesmo poderia Deus nos dar para amar?
Quem mais nobre do que Deus? Alguns se gabam de uma nobreza familiar de quinhentos ou mil anos, mas a nobreza de Deus, nosso Pai, é eterna. Ele é o Senhor de tudo. Diante de Deus, todos os anjos no céu e todos os nobres na terra são como uma gota de água ou um grão de poeira. Eis que os gentios são como a gota de um balde - eis que as ilhas são como um pouco de pó. — (Is. xl. 15).
Quem mais poderoso do que Deus? Ele pode fazer tudo o que quiser. Por um ato de Sua vontade, Ele criou este mundo e, por outro ato, pode destruí-lo quando quiser.
Quem mais rico? Ele possui todas as riquezas do céu e da terra.
Quem mais bonito? Diante da beleza de Deus, todas as belezas das criaturas se desvanecem.
Quem mais abundante? Santo Agostinho diz que Deus tem um desejo maior de fazer o bem a nós do que nós temos de recebê-lo.
Quem mais misericordioso? Se o pecador mais ímpio da Terra se humilhar diante de Deus e se arrepender de seus pecados, Deus instantaneamente o perdoará e o abraçará.
Quem mais agradecido? Ele não deixa sem recompensa o menor ato que realizamos por Sua causa.
Quem mais amável? Deus é tão amável que, por apenas vê-Lo e amá-Lo no Céu, os santos sentem uma alegria que os torna perfeitamente felizes e contentes por toda a eternidade. O maior dos tormentos dos condenados decorre do fato de saberem que esse Deus é tão amável e que não podem amá-Lo.
Ó bondade infinita! Ó Amor Infinito! Meu Jesus enamorado, enche meu coração com Teu amor para que eu possa me esquecer de mim mesmo e não pensar em nada além de amar e agradar-Te. Agora eu Te consagro meu corpo, minha alma, minha vontade e minha liberdade. Até agora, procurei me satisfazer, para Seu grande desagrado. Estou extremamente arrependido, meu Amor crucificado. De agora em diante, não buscarei nada além de Ti, meu Deus e meu Tudo.
Meditação II:
And who is more loving than God? In the Old Law men might doubt whether God loved them with a tender love; but, after seeing Him die on a Cross for us, how can we doubt the tenderness and the ardent affection with which He loves us? Let us raise our eyes and look at Jesus, the true Son of God, fastened with nails to a gibbet, and let us consider the intensity of the love which He bears us. That Cross, those Wounds, says St. Bernard, cry out, and proclaim to us that He truly loves us. And what more could He do to convince us of His great love than to lead a life of sorrow for thirty-three years, and afterwards die in torments on the infamous tree of the Cross, in order to wash away our sins with His own Blood? Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered himself up for us. — (Ephes. v. 2). Who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. — (Apoc. i. 5). “How,” says St. Philip Neri, “is it possible for him who believes in God to love anything but God?” Contemplating God’s love towards men, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi began one day to ring the bell, saying that she wished to invite all nations of the earth to love so loving a God. St. Francis de Sales used to say with tears: To love our God it would be necessary to have an infinite love; and we throw away our love on vain, contemptible things.”
Alas, my Jesus, how many times have I renounced Thy friendship and made myself a slave of Satan, dishonouring Thy Infinite Majesty! I grieve above all things for having so grievously insulted Thee. Ah, my God, bind my will to Thy feet with the sweet cords of Thy holy love, that it may wish for nothing but what pleases Thee. May I take Thy Will as the sole guide of my life. I renounce everything. Thou alone art sufficient for me.
Leitura espiritual: CONFISSÃO
II. EXAME DE CONSCIÊNCIA
Every one knows that for a good Confession three things are necessary: an Examination of Conscience, Sorrow, and the Purpose to Avoid Sin.
As to the examination of conscience, for those that frequent the Sacraments, it is not necessary to distress the head by efforts to find out all the minute circumstances of venial sins. I would rather see such persons careful to discover the causes and roots of their attachments and tepidity. Some there are who have the same story to tell, and recite the same faults without sorrow, and without any thought of amendment.
For spiritual souls that go frequently to Confession, and guard against deliberate venial sins, it is not necessary to spend a long time in the examination of conscience. With regard to grievous sins, they need not scrutinize the conscience, for had they committed any mortal sin, they would know it without examination. With regard to venial sins, if they have been fully deliberate, they, too, by the remorse that they cause, would make themselves known to the soul. Besides, there is no obligation of confessing all our venial transgressions; consequently we are not obliged to make a strict search after them, and much less after the number, the circumstance, the manner, or the causes of them; it is enough to confess those that are most grievous, and most opposed to perfection, and to tell the rest in general terms. And when you have not certain matter for the Sacrament, tell some sin of your past life for which you have great sorrow; and say, for example: I accuse myself in a special manner of all the faults I have committed in my past life against Charity, Purity, or Obedience. How consoling is the doctrine of St. Francis de Sales on this point. “Be not troubled,” he says, “if you do not remember all your little faults at Confession; for as you often fall imperceptibly, so you are often raised up imperceptibly,” that is, by the acts of love, or by the other good acts that devout souls are accustomed to perform.
Meditação noturna: A PRÁTICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO
I. COMO JESUS CRISTO É MERECEDOR DE NOSSO AMOR POR CAUSA DO AMOR QUE ELE NOS MOSTROU EM SUA PAIXÃO
Meditação I:
Toda a santidade e perfeição de uma alma consiste em amar Jesus Cristo, nosso Deus, nosso soberano Bem e nosso Redentor. Quem Me ama, diz o próprio Jesus Cristo, será amado por Meu Pai Eterno: O próprio Pai os ama, porque vocês me amaram. — (John xvi. 27). Some, says St. Francis de Sales, make perfection consist in an austere life; others in prayer; others in frequenting the Sacraments; others in alms-deeds. But they deceive themselves: perfection consists in loving God with our whole heart. The Apostle wrote: Acima de todas essas coisas, tenha caridade, que é o vínculo da perfeição. — (Col. iii. 14). It is charity which keeps united and preserves all the virtues that render a man perfect. Hence St. Augustine said: “Love God, and do whatever you please”; because a soul which loves God is taught by that same love never to do anything that will displease Him, and to leave nothing undone that may please Him.
Mas talvez Deus não mereça todo o nosso amor? Eu te amei com um amor eterno. — (Jer. xxxi. 3). O man, says the Lord, behold I was the first to love thee. Thou wast not yet in the world, nay, the world itself was not, and I already loved thee. As long as I am God, I love thee; as long as I have loved Myself, I have also loved thee. With good reason, therefore, did St. Agnes, that young holy virgin, reply to those who wished to unite her to an earthly spouse: “I am engaged to another Lover.” “Go,” said she, “O lovers of this world, cease to ask my love; my God was the first to love me. He has loved me from all eternity: it is but just, then, for me to give Him all my affection, and to love none other but Him.”
Meditação II:
As Almighty God knew that man is won by kindness, He determined to lavish His gifts upon him, and so take captive the affections of his heart. For this reason He said: I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love. — (Osee, xi. 4). I will catch men by those very snares by which they are naturally caught, that is, by the snares of love. And such exactly are all the favours of God to man. After having given him a soul created to His own image, with memory, understanding, and will, and a body with its senses, He created Heaven and earth for him; yes, all that exists, all for the love of man, – the firmament, the stars, the planets, the seas, the rivers, the fountains, the hills, the plains, metals, fruits, and a countless variety of animals: and all these God made that they might minister to the uses of man, and that man might love Him in gratitude for so many admirable gifts. The heavens and the earth and all things tell me to love Thee,” says St. Augustine. “My Lord,” he said, “whatever I behold on the earth, or above the earth, all speak to me and exhort me to love Thee; because all assure me that Thou hast made them for the love of me.” The Abbot de Rancé, founder of La Trappe, when from his hermitage he stood and surveyed the hills, the fountains, the birds, the flowers, the planets, and the skies, felt himself animated by each one of these creatures to love that God Who had created all through love for him.
Meditação matinal: "ELA É UM TESOURO INFINITO PARA OS HOMENS"
A terra, os céus e toda a natureza, com espanto, viram Jesus, o Filho Unigênito de Deus, o Senhor do Universo, morrer de dor e angústia intensas em uma cruz vergonhosa - e por quê? Ele nos amou e se entregou por nós. — (Eph. v. 2). And do men believe this and not love God?
Meditação I:
Ó valor inestimável do amor divino que nos torna ricos diante de Deus! É o tesouro pelo qual conquistamos Sua amizade. Ela é um tesouro infinito para os homens, que aqueles que a usam se tornam amigos de Deus. — (Wis. vii. 14). The only thing we ought to fear, says St. Gregory of Nyssa, is the loss of God’s friendship; and the only object of our desires should be its attainment. It is love that obtains the friendship of God. Hence, according to St. Laurence Justinian, by love the poor become rich, and without love the rich are poor. “No greater riches than to have charity. With charity the poor man is rich, and without charity the rich man is poor.”
Quão grande é a alegria que uma pessoa sente ao pensar que é amada por um homem de posição elevada! Mas quão maior deve ser o consolo que uma alma obtém da convicção de que Deus a ama! Eu amo aqueles que me amam. — (Prov. viii. 17). In a soul that loves God the Three Persons of the Adorable Trinity dwell. Se alguém me ama, guardará a minha palavra, e meu Pai o amará, e viremos a ele, e faremos nele morada. — (John xiv. 23). St. Bernard writes that among all the virtues charity is the one that unites us to God. St. Catharine of Bologna used to say that love is the golden chain that binds the soul to God. St. Augustine says that “love is a link connecting the lover with the beloved.” Hence were God not immense, where should He be found? Find a soul that loves God, and there God is certainly found. Of this St. John assures us. Aquele que permanece na caridade permanece em Deus, e Deus nele. — (1 Jo. iv. 16). A poor man loves riches, but he does not therefore enjoy them; he may love a throne, but he does not therefore possess a kingdom. But the man that loves God possesses God. Ele permanece em Deus e Deus nele.
É verdade, ó meu Jesus, que sou tão miserável que muitas vezes Te ofendi depois de tantas luzes e graças especiais. Não sou mais digno de ser consumido naquelas chamas abençoadas com as quais os santos se inflamam. Eu deveria antes queimar no fogo do inferno. Mas Tu me ordenaste que Te amasse, e eu Te obedecerei. Eu Te amarei, Jesus, de todo o meu coração.
Meditação II:
St. Thomas says that love draws in its train all other virtues, and directs them all to unite us more closely to God. Hence, because from charity all virtues are born, St. Laurence Justinian called it the mother of all virtues. Hence St. Augustine used to say: “Love, and do what you wish.” He that loves God can only do what is good; if he does evil he shows that he has ceased to love God. And when he ceases to love God, all things can profit him nothing. If, said the Apostle, I gave, all my possessions to the poor, and my body to the flames, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver, my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. — (1 Cor. xiii. 3).
Love also prevents us from feeling the pains of this life. St. Bonaventure says that the love of God is like honey; it sweetens the bitterest things. And what more sweet to a soul that loves God than to suffer for Him? She knows that by cheerfully embracing sufferings she pleases God, and that her pains shall be the brightest jewels in her crown in Paradise. And who is there that will not willingly suffer and die in imitation of Jesus Christ, Who has gone before us, carrying His Cross, to offer Himself in sacrifice for the love of us, and inviting us to follow His example. If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me. — (Matt. xvi. 24). For this purpose He has condescended to humble Himself to death, and to the opprobrious death of the Cross, for the love of us. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. — (Phil. ii. 8).
O Jesus, I have believed all this, and yet not only have I not loved Thee, but I have frequently offended Thee. Pardon me, I beseech Thee, and keep me ever mindful of the death Thou hast suffered for me, that I may never more offend Thee, but may always love Thee. Holy Mary, Mother of God, enable me to love Jesus: this is the only favour I ask of thee.
Leitura espiritual: CONFISSÃO
III. CONTRIÇÃO
In the second place, sorrow is necessary; this is the principal condition necessary for obtaining the pardon of sins. The most sorrowful, not the longest Confessions, are the best. The proof of a good Confession is found, says St. Gregory, not in the multitude of the words of the penitent, but in true compunction of heart. But let those who go frequently to Confession, and abhor even venial faults, banish all doubts regarding the sincerity of their sorrow. Some are troubled because they do not feel sorrow; they wish to shed tears, and to feel a tender sorrow every time they receive the Sacrament of Penance; and, because with all their efforts they are unable to excite this tender sorrow, they feel always uneasy about their Confessions. But you must be persuaded that true sorrow consists not in feeling it, but in wishing for it. All the merit of virtue is in the will; hence, speaking of the Virtue of Faith, Gerson has said that sometimes a person who wishes to believe has more merit than another who believes. Speaking of sorrow, St. Thomas says that the essential sorrow necessary for Confession is a displeasure at having committed sin; and this sorrow is not in the sensitive part of the soul, but in the will; for sensible sorrow is an effect of the displeasure of the will, which effect we are not always able to produce, because the inferior part does not always follow and obey the superior part of the soul. Whenever the will is displeased, above all things, at having committed sin, the Confession is a good one.
Be careful to abstain from forced efforts to excite sensible sorrow. Remember that, with regard to interior acts, the best are those that we perform with the least violence, and with the greatest sweetness; for the Holy Ghost ordereth all things sweetly and peacefully. — (Wis. viii. 1). Hence the holy penitent Ezechias said of the sorrow that he felt for his sins: Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter. — (Is. xxxviii. 17). He felt great sorrow, but it was accompanied with peace.
When you wish to receive absolution, be careful in your preparation for Confession, first to ask of Jesus Christ, and of the sorrowful Mother Mary, a true sorrow for your sins. Make afterwards, as has been already said, a short examination of conscience, and then as to the sorrow, it is enough for you to say with sincerity: My God, I love Thee above all things; I hope, through the Blood of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of all my sins, for which I am sorry with my whole heart, because by them I have offended and displeased Thine infinite Goodness; I abhor them above every evil, and I unite my abhorrence of them to the abhorrence that Jesus had for them in the Garden of Gethsemani. I purpose, with Thy grace, never more to offend Thee.
And as often as you have sincerely wished to make these acts, go in peace to receive absolution, without fear or scruple. St. Teresa gave another excellent means of removing anxiety about sorrow for sins. “See,” said the Saint, “whether you have a sincere purpose not to commit the sins that you confess; if you have, doubt not that you also have true sorrow.”
Meditação noturna: A PRÁTICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO
II. COMO JESUS CRISTO É MERECEDOR DE NOSSO AMOR POR CAUSA DO AMOR QUE ELE NOS MOSTROU EM SUA PAIXÃO
Meditação I:
Santa Maria Madalena de Pazzi, quando segurava qualquer bela flor em sua mão, ao vê-la se inflamava de amor por Deus e dizia: "E Deus, então, pensou desde toda a eternidade em criar esta flor por amor a mim!" Assim, aquela flor se tornou, por assim dizer, um dardo de amor, que a feriu docemente e a uniu cada vez mais a seu Deus. Por outro lado, Santa Teresa, ao ver árvores, fontes, rios, lagos ou prados, declarava que todas essas coisas belas a repreendiam por sua ingratidão em amar tão friamente um Deus que as criou para que pudessem atraí-la ao Seu amor. Com o mesmo propósito, conta-se que um piedoso eremita, ao caminhar pelo campo, parecia-lhe que as plantas e flores em seu caminho o repreendiam pelo frio retorno de amor que ele dava a Deus; por isso, ele ia batendo gentilmente nelas com seu cajado e dizendo-lhes "Oh, fiquem em silêncio, fiquem em silêncio! Vocês me chamam de infeliz ingrato; vocês me dizem que Deus os criou por amor a mim, mas eu não O amo; mas agora eu os entendo, fiquem em silêncio, fiquem em silêncio; não me censurem mais".
Meditação II:
But God was not satisfied with giving us so many beautiful creatures. He has gone to such lengths to gain our love, as to give us Himself. The Eternal Father did not hesitate to give us even His only-begotten Son: For God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son. — (John iii. 16). When the Eternal Father saw that we were all dead, and deprived of His grace by sin, what did He do? For the immense love, nay, as the Apostle writes, for the exceeding love He bore us, He sent His beloved Son to make atonement for us; and so restore to us that life of which sin had robbed us: Who through his exceeding charity with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ. — (Eph. ii. 4, 5). And in granting us His Son (not sparing His Son, that He might spare us), He has granted us every good together with Him, His grace, His love and Paradise, since assuredly all these gifts are much less than that of His Son: He that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how hath he not also with him, given us all things? — (Rom. viii. 32).
(Primeira sexta-feira de abril)
Meditação matinal: "AS FENDAS DA ROCHA"
Oh, que lugar seguro de refúgio não encontraremos nas sagradas "fendas da rocha", ou seja, nas Chagas de Jesus Cristo? "As fendas da rocha", diz São Pedro Damião, "são as Chagas do Redentor; nelas minha alma depositou sua esperança".
Meditação I:
Não há meio mais seguro de acender em nós o amor divino do que considerar a Paixão de Jesus Cristo. São Boaventura diz que as Chagas de Jesus Cristo, por serem Chagas de amor, são dardos que ferem os corações mais duros, e chamas que incendeiam as almas mais frias: "Ó Chagas, que ferem os corações de pedra e inflamam as mentes geladas!" É impossível que uma alma que crê e pensa na Paixão do Senhor possa ofendê-Lo e não amá-Lo, ou melhor, que não entre em uma santa loucura de amor, ao ver um Deus como que louco por amor a nós: "Vimos", diz São Lourenço Justiniano, "a Sabedoria enfatuada por um amor excessivo". É por isso que os gentios, como diz o Apóstolo, ao ouvi-lo pregar a Paixão de Jesus crucificado, consideraram-na uma loucura: Nós pregamos Cristo crucificado, o que para os judeus é escândalo, mas para os gentios é loucura. — (1 Cor. i. 23). How is it possible, said they, that a God, almighty and most happy, such as He Who is preached to us, could have been willing to die for His creatures?
Ah, meu Jesus, se eu olhar para o Teu corpo, fora dele só vejo feridas e sangue. Se dentro, em Teu Coração, não encontro senão amargura e angústia, que Te fazem sofrer as agonias da morte. Ah, Deus enamorado dos homens, como é possível que uma bondade tão grande e um amor tão grande sejam tão mal correspondidos pelos homens? Costuma-se dizer que o amor é retribuído pelo amor; mas Teu amor - com que tipo de amor ele pode ser retribuído? Seria necessário que um Deus morresse por Ti para recompensar o amor que tens por nós ao morrer por nós. Ó Cruz, ó Chagas, ó Morte de Jesus, vocês me prendem intimamente ao amor de meu amado Jesus!
Meditação II:
Behold your Redeemer expiring, and with His dying breath saying: Ele é consumado. — (John xix. 30). As if He had said: O men, all has been completed and done for your redemption. Love Me, then, since I have nothing more that I can do to make you love Me. My soul, look up at thy Jesus Who is now going to die. Look at those eyes growing dim, that face grown pale, that Heart which is beating with languid pulse, that Body which is now abandoning itself to death: and look at that beautiful Soul which is just on the point of forsaking that Sacred Body. The heavens are darkened, the earth trembles, the sepulchres are opened; signs that now the Maker of the world is about to die. Lo, at last, Jesus, after having commended His Blessed Soul to His Father, first giving a deep sigh from His afflicted Heart, and then bowing His head in sign of the offering of His life, which at this moment He renewed for our salvation, at length, by the violence of His sorrow, expires and renders up His Spirit into the hands of His beloved Father.
Approach, my soul, to this holy Cross. Embrace the feet of thy dead Saviour, and think that He is dead through the love which He bore to thee. Ah, my Jesus, to what has Thy affection towards me reduced Thee? And who, more than I, has enjoyed the fruits of Thy death? Make me, I beseech Thee, understand what love that must have been that a God should die for me, to the end that from this day forth I may love none other than Thee. I love Thee, O greatest Good; O true Lover of my soul, into Thy hands I here commend it. I beseech Thee, by the merits of Thy death, make me to die to all earthly loves, in order that I may love Thee alone, Who art alone worthy of all my love. Mary, my hope, pray to Jesus for me.
Hail, Jesus, our Love, and Mary, our hope!
“O riven Heart, O Love for me now crucified!
Give to my soul repose within Thy wounded side!”
Leitura espiritual: CONFISSÃO
IV. PROPÓSITO DA EMENDA - FIRME, UNIVERSAL, EFICAZ
In the third place, a purpose to sin no more is necessary for a good Confession; and this purpose must be firm, universal, e efficacious.
First, it must be firm. Some say: I would wish nevermore to commit this sin: I would wish never more to offend God. Alas! this expression, I would wish; denotes that the purpose is not firm. In order to have a firm purpose, you must say with a resolute will: I will never more commit this sin: I will never more deliberately offend God.
Secondly, it must be universal. The penitent must purpose to avoid all sins without exception, that is, all mortal Sins. With regard to venial sins, it is sufficient for the validity of the Sacrament to have sorrow for one species of them, and to have a firm purpose to avoid it. Spiritual souls should purpose to avoid all deliberate venial sins; and with regard to indeliberate venial sins, it is enough to resolve to guard against them according to the best of their ability; for it is impossible to avoid all indeliberate sins.
Thirdly, the purpose of avoiding sin must be efficacious; that is, it must make the penitent adopt the means of not relapsing into the sins that he confesses, and must make him avoid the proximate occasions of a relapse. An occasion is called proximate in which a person has frequently fallen into grievous sin, or has been, without a just cause, an occasion of sin to others. It is not enough for penitents to purpose merely to renounce sin: it is necessary also to resolve to remove the occasion of it; otherwise all their confessions, though they should receive a thousand absolutions, will be invalid: for not to remove the proximate occasion of mortal sin is in itself a mortal sin. And, as I have already shown in my Teologia Moral (Lib. 6, n. 454), he that receives absolution without a firm purpose of removing the proximate occasion of mortal sins, commits a new mortal sin, and is guilty of sacrilege.
But some one may say: If I separate from such a person, if I give up such a familiarity, scandal will be the consequence, and it will be an occasion of talk. I answer: You are wrong; you will, on the contrary, give scandal by not removing the occasion, to those who are aware of the friendship; and be assured, that although they may not speak in your presence, they think your conduct deserving of blame. But you will say: To separate from such a one would be an act of incivility, and even of ingratitude, for such a one assists, serves me, and relieves me. Yes, such a one helps to remove you from God, and to make you lead an unhappy life here, and a more unhappy life hereafter. Is it incivility or ingratitude to avoid such a person?
Civility and gratitude are first due to Jesus Christ, Who is a Sovereign of infinite Majesty, and from Whom we have received immense benefits. Do you not then see that it is passion makes you speak in this manner, and makes you seek pretexts in order to bring you to eternal perdition? Ah! give no more pain to the Heart of Jesus Christ. To St. Ludgard, while she was miserably entangled in a dangerous friendship, Jesus appeared, and showed her His Heart grievously wounded. The Saint began to weep over her fault, and took leave of her friend, saying that she could love no other than Jesus Christ, to Whom she had been espoused. Thenceforward she consecrated herself entirely to the love of her Spouse, and became a Saint.
Meditação noturna: A PRÁTICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO
III. COMO JESUS CRISTO É MERECEDOR DE NOSSO AMOR POR CAUSA DO AMOR QUE ELE NOS MOSTROU EM SUA PAIXÃO
Meditação I:
O Divino Filho de Deus, por meio de Seu amor por nós, entregou-Se totalmente a nós: Que me amou e se entregou por mim. — (Gal. ii. 20). In order to redeem us from everlasting death, and to recover for us the Divine grace and Heaven which we had forfeited, He became Man, and assumed flesh like our own: Et verbum caro factum est; E a palavra se fez carne. Eis, então, um Deus reduzido ao nada: Mas esvaziou-se a si mesmo, assumindo a forma de servo (...) e, por hábito, foi encontrado como homem. — (Philipp. ii. 7). Behold the Sovereign Lord of the world humbling Himself so low as to subject Himself to all the miseries which the rest of men endure.
Mas o que é ainda mais surpreendente é que Ele poderia muito bem ter nos salvado sem morrer e sem sofrer nada; no entanto, Ele escolheu uma vida de tristeza e desprezo, e uma morte de amargura e ignomínia, a ponto de expirar em uma cruz - a forca da infâmia, o prêmio dos criminosos mais vis: Ele se humilhou, tornando-se obediente até a morte, até a morte de cruz. — (Philipp. ii. 8). But why, if He could have ransomed us without suffering, why should He choose to die, and to die on a Cross? To show us how He loved us. Que me amou e se entregou por mim. Ele nos amou e, por nos amar, entregou-se a dores, ignomínias e a uma morte mais cruel do que qualquer outro homem jamais suportou neste mundo.
Meditação II:
That great lover of Jesus Christ, St. Paul, has written: The charity of Christ presseth us — (2 Cor. v. 14); wishing to show us by these words that it is not so much the sufferings themselves of Jesus Christ as His love in enduring them that obliges us and, as it were, constrains us to love Him. Let us hear what St. Francis de Sales says on this text: “When we remember that Jesus Christ, true God, has loved us to such an excess as to suffer death, and the death of the Cross for us, our hearts are, as it were, put in a wine-press, and suffer violence, until love be extorted from them; but a violence which, the stronger it is, becomes the more delightful.” He then goes on to say: “ Ah! why do we not therefore cast ourselves on Jesus crucified, to die on the Cross with Him, Who has chosen to die for love of us? I will hold Him, we should say, and I will never let Him go; I will die with Him, and will be consumed in the flames of His love. One flame shall consume this Divine Creator and His miserable creature. My Jesus gives Himself unreservedly to me, and I will give myself unreservedly to Him. I will live and die on His loving Breast; neither life nor death shall ever separate me from Him. O eternal Love, my soul longs after Thee, and makes choice of Thee for ever! Come, O Holy Spirit, and inflame our hearts with love. O love, O death, to die to all other loves, to live solely to that of Jesus Christ! O Redeemer of our souls, grant that we may eternally sing: ‘Live, Jesus! I love Jesus; live, Jesus, Whom I love! Yes, I love Jesus, Who reigns for evermore.’”
Meditação matinal: O AMOR DO CORAÇÃO DE MARIA POR DEUS
Amarás o Senhor teu Deus de todo o teu coração. Em Maria, o amor divino era tão ardente que até os serafins desceram do céu para aprender no coração de Maria como amar a Deus.
Meditação I:
Santo Anselmo diz que "onde quer que haja a maior pureza, há também a maior caridade". Quanto mais um coração é puro e vazio de si mesmo, maior é a plenitude de seu amor para com Deus. Maria Santíssima, por ser toda humildade e não ter nada de si mesma, estava cheia do amor divino, de modo que "seu amor para com Deus superava o de todos os homens e anjos", como escreve São Bernardino. Por isso, São Francisco de Sales a chamou, com razão, de "a Rainha do amor".
De fato, Deus deu aos homens o preceito de amá-Lo de todo o coração: Amarás o Senhor teu Deus de todo o teu coração. — (Matt. xxii. 37); but, as St. Thomas declares, “this commandment will be fully and perfectly fulfilled by men only in Heaven, and not on earth, where it is only fulfilled imperfectly.” On this subject Blessed Albert the Great remarks, that, in a certain sense, it would have been unbecoming had God given a precept that was never to have been perfectly fulfilled. But this would have been the case had not the Divine Mother perfectly fulfilled it. The Saint says: “Either some one fulfilled this precept, or no one; if any one, it must have been the most Blessed Virgin.” Richard of St. Victor confirms this opinion, saying: “The Mother of our Emmanuel practised virtues in their very highest perfection. Who has ever fulfilled as she did that first commandment, Amarás o Senhor teu Deus de todo o teu coração? Nela, o amor divino era tão ardente que nenhum defeito de qualquer espécie podia ter acesso a ela." "O amor divino", diz São Bernardo, "penetrou e encheu de tal forma a alma de Maria, que nenhuma parte dela ficou intocada; de modo que ela amou com todo o seu coração, com toda a sua alma, com toda a sua força, e estava cheia de graça". Portanto, Maria poderia muito bem dizer: Meu Amado se entregou todo a mim, e eu me entreguei todo a Ele: Meu amado para mim, e eu para ele. — (Cant. ii. 16). “Ah! well might even the Seraphim,” says Richard, “have descended from Heaven to learn, in the heart of Mary, how to love God.”
Ó Maria, minha Mãe, você não deseja outra coisa senão ver Jesus amado; obtenha para mim essa graça acima de todas as outras. Não lhe peço bens terrenos, honras ou riquezas. Peço o que seu próprio coração mais deseja para mim. Desejo amar o meu Deus.
Meditação II:
God, Who is love, came on earth to enkindle in the hearts of all the flame of His Divine charity; but in no heart did He enkindle it so much as in that of His Mother; for her heart was entirely pure from all earthly affections, and fully prepared to burn with this blessed flame. Thus St. Sophronius says that “Divine love so inflamed her that nothing earthly could enter her affections; she was always burning with this heavenly flame, and, so to say, inebriated with it.” Hence the heart of Mary became all fire and flames, as we read of her in the sacred Canticles: The lamps thereof are fire and flame — (Cant. viii. 6); fire burning within through love, as St. Anselm explains it; and flames shining without by the example she gave to all in the practice of virtues. When Mary, then, was in this world, and bore Jesus in her arms, she could well be called, “fire carrying fire”; and with far more reason than the woman spoken of by Hippocrates, who was thus called because she carried fire in her hand. Yes, for St. Ildephonsus said that “the Holy Ghost heated, inflamed, and melted Mary with love, as the fire does iron; so that the flame of the Holy Spirit was seen, and nothing was felt but the fire of the love of God.” St. Thomas of Villanova says that the bush seen by Moses, which burnt without being consumed, was a real symbol of Mary’s heart. Therefore with reason, says St. Bernard, was she seen by St. John clothed with the sun: and there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun — (Apoc. xii. 1); “for,” continues the Saint, “she was so closely united to God by love, and penetrated so deeply the abyss of Divine wisdom, that, without a personal union with God, it would seem impossible for a creature to have a closer union with Him.”
O most beautiful Mary, O most amiable Mary, thou hast gained the Heart of God! Take also my heart, and make me a saint. I love thee. In thee is my confidence. Most amiable Mother, pray for me.
Leitura espiritual: CONFISSÃO
V. FALSA VERGONHA
O God, how many souls shall, on account of this accursed shame, burn and burn forever in the very depths of hell! Some Christians, through human respect, and through fear of losing the esteem of others, easily continue for months and years to make sacrilegious Confessions and Communions. In the Chronicles of the Discalced Carmelites it is related that a young girl of great virtue consented to a sin against chastity; she concealed the sin three times in Confession, and went to Communion; after the third Communion she suddenly fell dead. Because she was regarded as a Saint her body was laid in a particular part of the church of the Jesuits; but after the obsequies were finished, and the Church closed, the confessor was conducted by two Angels to the place of interment; she came forth, fell on her knees, and threw from her mouth into a chalice prepared for them, the three consecrated Hosts which had been sacrilegiously received, and miraculously preserved in her breast. The Angels stripped her of the scapular; the miserable girl instantly presented a horrible aspect, and was carried out of sight by two devils.
But how can a Christian that has been so daring as to sin grievously against the Divine Majesty, and has thus merited hell, where he should suffer eternal shame, find an excuse before God for concealing a sin in Confession, in order to avoid the momentary and trifling confusion that would arise from confessing it to a priest? If he wishes to be pardoned by God, and to deliver himself from the hell he has deserved, the shame caused by the confession of his sin disposes him to receive pardon. It is but just that the man that has despised God should humble and confound himself. Adelaide, the sinner, gave a beautiful answer to the devil. Being called by God to a change of life, she was converted, and instantly resolved to make a good Confession; the devil placed before her eyes the shame that she should suffer in confessing all her sins, and said to her: “Adelaide, where are you going?” She courageously answered: “Filthy beast, do you ask me where I am going? I am going to confound myself and to confound you.”
Meditação noturna: A PRÁTICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO
IV. COMO JESUS CRISTO É MERECEDOR DE NOSSO AMOR POR CAUSA DO AMOR QUE ELE NOS MOSTROU EM SUA PAIXÃO
Meditação I:
O amor de Jesus Cristo pelos homens criou Nele um desejo ardente pelo momento de Sua morte, quando Seu amor seria plenamente manifestado a eles; por isso, Ele costumava dizer em Sua vida: Eu tenho um batismo com o qual devo ser batizado, e como estou apertado até que ele seja realizado! — (Luke xii. 50). I have to be baptized in My own Blood; and how do I feel Myself straitened with the desire that the hour of My Passion may soon arrive; for then man will know the love I bear him! Hence, St. John, speaking of that night in which Jesus began His Passion, writes: Sabendo Jesus que era chegada a sua hora de passar deste mundo para o Pai, e tendo amado os seus que estavam no mundo, amou-os até o fim. — (John xiii. 1). The Redeemer called that hour His own hour (hora ejus), porque o tempo de Sua morte foi o tempo desejado por Ele, pois foi então que Ele desejou dar aos homens a última prova de Seu amor, morrendo por eles em uma cruz, oprimido pelas dores.
Mas o que poderia ter induzido um Deus a morrer como um malfeitor em uma cruz entre dois pecadores com tal insulto à Sua Divina Majestade? "O que fez isso?", pergunta São Bernardo. Ele responde: "Foi o amor, descuidado de sua dignidade". Ah, o amor, de fato, quando tenta se dar a conhecer, não procura o que é adequado à dignidade do amante, mas o que servirá melhor para se declarar ao objeto amado. São Francisco de Paula, portanto, tinha boas razões para gritar ao ver um Crucifixo: "Ó caridade! Ó caridade! Ó caridade!" E, da mesma forma, quando olhamos para Jesus na Cruz, todos nós devemos exclamar: Ó amor! Ó amor! Ó amor!
Meditação II:
Ah, if Faith had not assured us of it, who could have ever believed that a God, almighty, most happy, and the Lord of all, should have condescended to love man to such an extent that He seems to go out of Himself for the love of him? We have Seen Wisdom itself, that is the Eternal Word, become foolish through the excessive love He bore to man! So spoke St. Laurence Justinian. “We see Wisdom itself infatuated through excess of love.” St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi said the same. One day, being in an ecstasy, she took a wooden Crucifix in her hands and cried out: “Yes, my Jesus, Thou art mad with love! I repeat it, and I will say it for ever: My Jesus, Thou art mad with love!” But no, says St. Denis the Areopagite: “No, it is not madness, but the ordinary effect of Divine love, which makes him who loves go out of himself in order to give himself up entirely to the object of his love: Divine love causes ecstasy.”
Oh, if men would only pause and, looking at Jesus on the Cross, consider the love He has borne each one of them! “With what love,” says St. Francis de Sales, “would not our souls become enkindled at the sight of those flames which are in the Redeemer’s breast! And oh, what happiness, to be able to be consumed by that same fire with which our God burns for us! What joy, to be united to God by the chains of love!” St. Bonaventure called the Wounds of Jesus Christ, Wounds which pierce the most senseless hearts, and which inflame the most icy souls. How many darts of love come forth from those Wounds, to wound the hardest hearts! Oh, what flames issue from the burning Heart of Jesus Christ to inflame the coldest souls! And chains, how many, from that wounded side, to bind the most stubborn wills!
