MEDITAÇÕES DIÁRIAS: SEMANA DE NATAL

Meditação matinal:  JESUS VEM PARA LANÇAR FOGO SOBRE A TERRA

       Eu vim para lançar fogo sobre a terra, e o que quero senão que ele se acenda? - (Lucas xii., 49).
     Antes da vinda do Messias, quem amava a Deus na Terra? Ele era conhecido, de fato, em um canto do mundo, ou seja, na Judeia; e mesmo lá, quão poucos O amavam quando Ele veio! Ainda hoje, são poucos os que pensam em preparar seus corações para que Jesus nasça neles! O que você acha? Deseja ser classificado entre os ingratos?

Meditação I:
     Os judeus solenizaram um dia chamado por eles de Die ignis - o dia do fogoO dia de Natal é chamado de "Dia de Natal", em memória do fogo com o qual Neemias consumiu o sacrifício ao retornar do cativeiro da Babilônia. Mesmo assim, e de fato com mais razão, o dia de Natal deveria ser chamado de Dia de Fogo no qual um Deus vem como uma pequena criança para lançar o fogo do amor no coração dos homens.
     Eu vim para lançar fogo sobre a terraAssim falou Jesus Cristo. Antes da vinda do Messias, quem amava a Deus na Terra? Alguns adoravam o sol, outros os brutos, outros as próprias pedras e outros ainda criaturas mais vis. Poucos anos após o nascimento do Redentor, Deus passou a ser mais amado pelos homens do que antes, desde a criação do homem. Ah, na verdade, todo homem, ao ver um Deus vestido de carne e escolhendo levar uma vida tão difícil e sofrer uma morte tão ignominiosa, deve se inflamar de amor por um Deus tão amoroso!  Oh, se você rasgasse os céus e descesse; se os montes se derretessem diante de sua presença (...) se as águas ardessem em fogo. - (Is. lxiv., 1). Oh, certamente o Senhor acenderia uma fornalha tal no coração humano que até mesmo as almas mais congeladas captariam a chama de Seu amor abençoado! E, de fato, após a Encarnação do Filho de Deus, quão brilhantemente o fogo do amor divino ardeu nas almas amorosas! Quantos jovens, quantos nobres e até mesmo monarcas deixaram riquezas, honras e até mesmo reinos para buscar o deserto ou o claustro, para que lá, na pobreza e na obscura reclusão, pudessem se entregar sem reservas ao amor de seu Salvador! Quantos mártires partiram alegres, divertindo-se em seu caminho para os tormentos e a morte! Quantas jovens virgens recusaram as mãos oferecidas pelos grandes do mundo para irem e morrerem por Jesus Cristo e, assim, retribuírem em alguma medida a afeição de um Deus que se rebaixou para assumir a carne humana e morrer por amor a eles!
     Ó Jesus, Tu não poupaste nada para induzir os homens a Te amar! Ó Verbo Encarnado, Tu foste feito Homem para acender o amor divino em nossos corações. Eu Te amo, ó Verbo Encarnado! Eu Te amo, ó soberano Bem! Não permita que eu me separe de Ti! Não permita que eu me separe de Ti!

Meditação II:
     It may, indeed, be asserted without fear of contradiction that God was more loved in one century after the coming of Jesus Christ than in the entire forty centuries preceding His appearance on earth.  Yes; all this is most true; but now comes a tale for tears.  Has this been the case with all men?  Have all men sought to correspond with the immense love of Jesus Christ?  Alas! my God, the greater number have combined to repay Him with nothing but ingratitude!  And you also, my brother, tell me what sort of return have you made up to this time for the love your God has borne you?  Have you always shown yourself thankful?  Have you ever seriously reflected what these words mean — a God to be made Man, a God to die for Thee?
     A certain man while hearing Mass one day without devotion, as too many do, at these concluding words of the last Gospel: E o Verbo se fez carne — (John i., 14), made no external act of reverence.  At the same moment a devil struck him a blow, saying: “Thankless wretch, thou hearest that a God was made Man for thee, and dost thou not even deign to bend the knee?  Oh, if God had done the like for me I should be eternally engaged in thanking Him!”
     Tell me, O Christian, what more could Jesus Christ have done to win thy love?  If the Son of God had engaged to rescue His own Father from death, to what lower depth of humiliation could He have stooped than to assume human flesh and lay down His life in sacrifice for His salvation?  Men appreciate the good graces of a prince, of a prelate, of a nobleman, of a man of letters, and even of a vile animal; and yet these same people set no store by the grace of God, but renounce it for mere smoke, for a brutal gratification, for a handful of earth, for a nothing!
     What sayest thou, dear brother?  Dost thou wish to be ranked among such ungrateful ones?  Go, find thyself a prince more courteous, a master, a brother, a friend more amiable, and one who has shown thee a deeper love.
     Ah, how comes it that we are so ungrateful towards God, the same God Who has bestowed His whole self upon us, Who has descended from Heaven to earth, has become an Infant to save us and to be loved by us?  Come, let us love the Babe of Bethlehem!  Let us love Jesus Christ Who, in the midst of such sufferings, has sought to attach our hearts to Him.
     O my sweet, amiable and holy Child, Thou art at a loss what more to do in order to make Thyself loved by men!  And how is it that Thou shouldst have encountered such ingratitude from the majority of men!  I see that few, indeed, know Thee, and fewer still love Thee!  Ah, my Jesus, I too desire to be reckoned among this small number.  But Thou knowest my weakness.  Thou knowest my past treasons.  For pity’s sake do not abandon me, or I shall fall away even worse than before.  O Mary, my Mother, thou art the Mother of fair love — (Ecclus. xxiv., 24), do thou obtain for me the grace to love my God.  I hope it of thee.

Leitura espiritual:  JESUS VEM PARA CHAMAR OS PECADORES

Meditação noturna:  JOSEPH VAI PARA BETHLEHEM COM SUA SANTA ESPOSA

Meditação I:

     And Joseph also went up … to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. — (Luke ii., 4).
     God had decreed that His Son should be born, not in the house of Joseph, but in a cave and stable for animals, in the poorest and most painful way that a child can be born; and therefore He so disposed events that Caesar should publish an Edict that every one should go and enroll himself in the city whence he drew his origin.  When Joseph heard this order he was much agitated as to whether he should leave or take with him the Virgin Mother, as she was now near childbirth.  My spouse and my lady, said he to her, on the one hand I should not wish to leave you alone; on the other, if I take you, I am afflicted at the thought that you will have to suffer much during this long journey, and in such severe weather.  My poverty will not permit me to conduct you with that comfort which you require.  But Mary answers him, and encourages him with these words: My Joseph, do not fear; I shall go with you; the Lord will assist us.  She knew, by divine inspiration, and also because she was well versed in the prophecy of Micheas, that the Divine Infant was to be born in Bethlehem.  She therefore takes the swathing bands, and the other poor garments already prepared, and departs with Joseph.  And Joseph also went up . . . to be enrolled with Mary.
     My dear Redeemer, I know that in this journey Thou wert accompanied by hosts of Angels from Heaven; but here on earth, who was there to bear Thee company?  Thou hast only Joseph, and Mary who carries Thee within herself.  Disdain not, O my Jesus, to let me also accompany Thee, miserable and ungrateful as I have been.  I now see the wrong I have done Thee; Thou didst come down from Heaven to make Thyself my companion on earth, and I by my frequent offences have ungratefully left Thee!  When I remember, O my Saviour, that for the sake of my own wicked pleasures, I have so often separated myself from Thee and renounced Thy friendship, I could wish to die of sorrow.  But Thou didst come into the world to pardon me; pardon me then quickly, for I repent with all my soul of having so often turned my back upon Thee and forsaken Thee.  I purpose and I hope, through Thy grace, never more to leave Thee, or separate myself from Thee, O my only Love!

Meditação II:
     Let us consider the devout and holy discourses which these two saintly spouses must have held together during the journey, concerning the mercy, goodness, and love of the Divine Word, Who was shortly to be born, and to appear on earth for the salvation of men.  Let us also consider the praises, the blessings, the thanksgivings, the acts of humility and love, which these two illustrious pilgrims uttered on their way.  This holy Virgin, so soon to become a Mother, certainly suffered much in so long a journey, made in the midst of Winter, and over rough roads; but she suffered in peace and with love.  She offered to God all these her sufferings, uniting them to those of Jesus, Whom she carried in her womb.  Oh, let us also unite ourselves with Mary and Joseph, and accompany them in the journey of our life; and, with them, let us accompany the King of Heaven, Who is about to be born in a cave, and make His first appearance in the world as an Infant, but an Infant the poorest and most forsaken that was ever born amongst men.  And let us beseech Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, that, through the merits of the sufferings which they endured in this journey, they would accompany us in the journey that we are making to eternity.  Oh, happy shall we be if in life and in death, we are always accompanied by these Three Great Personages!
     My soul has become enamoured of Thee, O my amiable Infant-God.  I love Thee, my sweet Saviour; and since Thou hast come upon earth to save me and to dispense to me Thy graces, this one grace only do I ask of Thee: never permit me to separate myself from Thee again.  Unite me, bind me to Thyself, enchain me with the sweet cords of Thy holy love.  O my Redeemer and my God, who will, then, have the heart to leave Thee, and to live without Thee, deprived of Thy grace?  Most holy Mary, I come to accompany thee on this journey; and thou, O my Mother, cease not to accompany me in the journey I am making to eternity.  Assist me always, but especially when I shall find myself at the end of my life, and near that moment on which will depend either my remaining always with thee to love Jesus in Paradise, or my being for ever separated from thee and hating Jesus in hell.  My Queen, save me by thy intercession; and let my salvation be in loving thee and Jesus for ever, in time and in eternity.  Thou art my hope; I hope for all from thee.

Meditação matinal:  "HOJE NASCEU PARA VOCÊS UM SALVADOR"

      Eis que vos trago boas novas de grande alegria, que o será para todo o povo, porque hoje vos nasceu o Salvador. - (Lucas. ii., 10, 11).
     Levantem-se, nobres e camponeses! Maria convida todos - ricos e pobres, justos e pecadores - a entrar na Gruta de Belém para adorar e beijar os pés de seu Filho recém-nascido. Venham, então, todas as almas devotas - entrem e vejam o Criador do Céu e da Terra em um pequeno feno, sob a forma de um pequeno Menino; o poder de Deus, por assim dizer, aniquilado, e a sabedoria de Deus enlouquecida, por excesso de amor! Venho, então, querido Jesus, para beijar Teus pés e oferecer-Te meu coração.

Meditação I:
     Eis que lhes trago boas novas de grande alegria. . . Neste dia nasceu para vocês o Salvador!  E que notícia poderia ser uma alegria maior para uma raça de pobres exilados condenados à morte do que receber a notícia de que seu Salvador havia chegado, não apenas para livrá-los da morte, mas para obter a liberdade de retornar a seu próprio país? E é isso que os anjos anunciam a vocês: Um Salvador nasceu para você!  Jesus Cristo nasceu para livrá-los da morte eterna e para abrir o Céu para vocês, nossa verdadeira pátria, da qual fomos banidos por causa de nossos pecados.
     Assim que Maria entrou na caverna, começou a orar; e quando chegou a hora de sua entrega, eis que ela viu uma grande luz e sentiu em seu coração uma alegria celestial. Ela abaixa os olhos - e, ó Deus, o que ela vê? Um bebê tão terno e belo que a enche de amor! Mas Ele treme, chora e estende os braços para mostrar que deseja que ela O tome em seu seio. "Estendi minhas mãos para buscar as carícias de minha Mãe", como Jesus disse a Santa Brígida. Maria chama José. "Venha, José, venha e veja, pois o Filho de Deus já nasceu." O velho entrou e, prostrando-se, chorou de alegria.
     Maria, segurando-o em seu peito, adora-o como seu Deus, beijando seu rosto como seu filho. Então, apressadamente, ela procura cobri-Lo e O envolve em faixas. Mas, ó Deus, como são duras e ásperas! São as roupas dos pobres, são frias e úmidas, e naquela caverna não há fogo para aquecê-las.
     Levantemo-nos e entremos, a porta está aberta. Não há satélites para dizer que esta não é a hora. A Caverna está aberta e sem guardas ou portas, de modo que todos podem entrar quando quiserem para buscá-Lo e falar com Ele, e até mesmo para abraçar seu Rei Menino, se O amarem e O desejarem.
     Senhor, eu não teria ousado me aproximar de Ti, vendo-me tão deformado pelo pecado; mas já que Tu, meu Jesus, me convidaste com tanta cortesia e me chamaste com tanto amor, não vou recusar. Depois de ter dado as costas a Ti tantas vezes, não acrescentarei um novo insulto ao recusar, por desconfiança, esse convite afetuoso e amoroso. É verdade que meu coração já Te ofendeu em algum momento, mas agora está arrependido. Confesso que fui um traidor, cruel e ingrato, que fui eu quem Te fez sofrer tanto e Te fez derramar tantas lágrimas no estábulo de Belém, mas Tuas lágrimas são minha esperança. Sou um pecador, é verdade, e não mereço ser perdoado, mas venho diante de Ti, que, sendo Deus, te tornaste uma criancinha para obter o perdão para mim. Pai Eterno, se eu merecer o inferno, olhe para as lágrimas de Teu Filho inocente. Ele Te pede que me perdoe nesta noite, uma noite de alegria, de perdão e salvação.

Meditação II:
     Let every soul, then, enter the Cave of Bethlehem.  Behold and see that tender Infant, Who is weeping as He lies in the manger on that miserable straw.  See how beautiful He is: look at the light which He sends forth, and the love which He breathes; those eyes send out arrows which wound the hearts that desire Him; the very stable, the very straw cry out, says St. Bernard, and tell you to love Him Who loves you; to love God Who is infinite Love, and Who came down from Heaven, and made Himself a little Child, and became poor, to make you understand the love He bears you, and to gain your love by His sufferings.
     Come and say to Him: “ Ah, beautiful Infant! tell me whose Child art Thou?”  He replies: “My Mother is this pure and lovely Virgin who is standing by Me.”  “And Who is Thy Father?”  “My Father,” He says, “is God.”  How is this?  Thou art the Son of God, and art so poor; and why?  Who will acknowledge Thee in such a condition?  Who will respect Thee?”  “Ah,” replies Jesus, “holy Faith will make known Who I am, and will make Me loved by those whose souls I come to redeem and to inflame with My love.”  I am not come, says He, to make Myself feared, but to make Myself loved; and therefore I wished to show Myself to you for the first time as a poor and humble Infant, that, seeing to what My love for you has reduced Me, you might love Me the more.  But tell me, my sweet Infant, why dost Thou turn Thine eyes on every side?  What art Thou looking for?  I hear Thee sigh; tell me wherefore are these sighs?  O God! I see Thee weep; tell me wherefore dost Thou weep?  Yes, replies Jesus, I turn My eyes around; for I am seeking for some soul that desires Me.  I sigh out of desire to see Myself near to a heart that burns for Me, as I burn with love for it.  But I weep; and it is because I see but few souls who seek Me and wish to love Me.
     Come, then, O all ye devout souls.  Jesus invites you to come and kiss His feet this night.  The shepherds who came to visit Him in the stable of Bethlehem brought their gifts; you must also bring your gifts.  What will you bring Him?  The most acceptable present you can bring Him is that of a contrite and loving heart.
     O Jesus, Thou must know that I am poor and that I have nothing to give Thee.  I have nothing but my penitent heart.  This I now offer Thee.  Yes, O Infant, I repent of ever having offended Thee, and I hope for pardon from Thee.  But the forgiveness of my sins alone is not sufficient for me.  On this night Thou dost grant great spiritual graces; I also desire that Thou shouldst bestow a great grace on me – it is, the grace to love Thee.  Now that I am about to approach Thy feet, inflame me wholly with Thy holy love, and bind me to Thee; but bind me so effectually that I may never more be separated from Thee.  I love Thee, O my God, Who didst become a little Child for my sake; but I love Thee very little; I desire to love Thee very much, and Thou hast to enable me to do it.  I come, then, to kiss Thy feet, and I offer Thee my heart; I leave it in Thy hands; I will have it no longer; do Thou change it and keep it forever; do not give it back to me again; for if Thou dost, I fear lest it should betray Thee afresh.
     Most holy Mary, thou who art the Mother of this great Son, but who art also my Mother, it is to thee that I consecrate my poor heart; present it to Jesus and He will not refuse to receive it when presented by thee.  Do thou, then, present it, and beg Him to accept it.

Leitura espiritual:  A PALAVRA ETERNA, SENDO GRANDE, TORNA-SE PEQUENA

Meditação noturna: O NASCIMENTO DE JESUS EM BETHLEHEM

Meditação I:
     The birth of Jesus Christ brought universal joy to the whole world.  He was the Redeemer Who had been desired and sighed after for so many years; and therefore He was called the Desired of the nations, and the Desire of the eternal hills.  Behold Him already come, and born in a little cave.  Let us consider that this day the Angel announces to us also the same great joy that he announced to the shepherds: Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people; for this day is born to you a Saviour. — (Luke ii., 10).
     What rejoicing there is in a country when the heir is born to a king!  But surely we ought to keep still greater festival when we see the Son of God born and come down from Heaven to visit us, urged to this by the tenderness of His mercy: Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us. —( Luke i., 78).  We were lost; and behold Him Who came to save us: He came down from Heaven for our salvation. — (Symb. Nic.).  Behold the Shepherd Who came to save His sheep from death by giving His life for their sake: I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. — (John x., 11).  Behold the Lamb of God, Who came to sacrifice Himself, to obtain for us the divine favour, and to become our Deliverer, our Life, our Light, and even our Food in the most Holy Sacrament!
     I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; seek thy servant. — (Is. ix., 6).  O Lord I am that sheep which, by following after my own pleasures and caprices, have miserably lost myself; but Thou, Who art at once the Shepherd and divine Lamb, art He Who came down from Heaven to save me by sacrificing Thyself as a victim on the Cross in satisfaction for my sins.  Behold, the Lamb of God; behold him who taketh away the sins of the world. — (Ps. cxviii., 176).  If, therefore, I desire to amend my life, what need I fear?  Why should I not confide entirely in Thee, O my Saviour, Who wert born on purpose to save me?  Behold, God is my saviour; I will put my trust in him, and will not fear. — (Is. xii., 2).  What greater proof couldst Thou give me of Thy mercy, O my dearest Redeemer, to inspire me with confidence, than to give me Thyself?  O my dear Infant, how grieved I am that I have offended Thee!  I have made Thee weep in the stable of Bethlehem.  But since Thou are come to seek me, I throw myself at Thy feet; and although I behold Thee afflicted and humbled, lying upon straw in the manger, I acknowledge Thee for my supreme King and Sovereign.  I feel that Thy tender infant-cries invite me to love Thee, and demand my heart.  Behold, my Jesus, I present it to-day at Thy feet; change it and inflame it, O Thou Who didst come into the world to inflame the hearts of men with Thy holy love.

Meditação II:
     St. Maximus says that for this reason amongst others, Christ chose to be laid in the manger where the animals were fed, to make us understand that He had become Man also to make Himself our Food: “In the manger, where the food of animals is placed, He allowed His limbs to be laid, thereby showing that His own body would be the eternal Food of men.”  Besides this, He is born every day in the Blessed Sacrament in the hands of the Priest at holy Mass; the Altar is the Crib, and there we go to feed ourselves on His flesh.  Some one might desire to have the holy Infant in his arms, as the aged Simeon had; but Faith teaches us that, when we receive Communion, the same Jesus Who was in the manger of Bethlehem is not only in our arms, but in our breasts.  He was born for this purpose, to give Himself entirely to us: A child is born to us, a son is given to us. — (Is. ix., 6).
     I hear Thee, O my Jesus, say to me in Thy manger: Love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. — (Is. xii., 2).  And I will answer: Ah, my Jesus, if I do not love Thee, Who art my Lord and my God, whom shall I love?  Thou callest Thyself mine, because Thou wert born in order to give Thyself entirely to me; and shall I refuse to be Thine?  No, my beloved Lord, I give myself entirely to Thee; and I love Thee with my whole heart.  I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee, O sovereign Good, the one only Love of my soul. I beseech Thee accept me this day, and do not permit me evermore to cease to love Thee.  O Mary, my Queen, I pray thee, through that consolation which thou didst enjoy the first time thou didst behold thy new-born Son and didst give Him thy first kiss, beseech Him to accept me for His servant, and to enchain me forever to Himself by the gift of His holy love.

Meditação matinal:  "A REDENÇÃO DE SEU POVO"

       Bendito seja o Senhor Deus de Israel, porque visitou e efetuou a redenção do seu povo. - (Lucas. i., 68).
     Até então, todos nós éramos escravos do inferno. Mas o que a Palavra Eterna e o Soberano Senhor fizeram para nos libertar dessa escravidão? Ah, quem acreditaria nisso se a santa fé não nos assegurasse? Quem poderia ter concebido isso? Mas a santa fé nos diz e nos assegura que esse Senhor Supremo e Soberano, sendo em forma de Deus, esvaziou-se a si mesmo, assumindo a forma de servo - para nos libertar da escravidão de nosso inimigo mortal.

Meditação I:
     O Deus Todo-Poderoso é o Senhor de tudo o que existe ou pode existir neste mundo, mas Ele não governou o coração da humanidade que gemia sob a tirania miserável do diabo. Antes da vinda de Jesus Cristo, esse tirano era o senhor, e até mesmo se fez adorar pelos homens como um deus, com incenso e sacrifícios, não apenas de animais, mas até mesmo de seus próprios filhos e de suas próprias vidas. E ele, seu inimigo e tirano, que recompensa lhes deu? Ele torturou seus corpos com a mais bárbara crueldade, cegou suas mentes e, por um caminho de dor e miséria, conduziu-os a tormentos eternos. Foi esse tirano que o Verbo Divino veio derrubar e, assim, libertar a humanidade de seu miserável cativeiro, a fim de que as infelizes criaturas, libertadas das trevas da morte, resgatadas do cativeiro desse monstro selvagem e esclarecidas quanto ao verdadeiro Caminho da Salvação, pudessem servir a seu verdadeiro e legítimo Mestre, que as amava como um Pai e, deixando de ser escravas de Satanás, desejava torná-las Seus próprios filhos amados: Para que, libertados das mãos de nossos inimigos, pudéssemos servi-lo sem temor. - (Lucas I., p. 74). Nosso Salvador veio, então, para nos libertar da escravidão desse inimigo mortal; mas como? - De que maneira Ele nos libertou? Vamos aprender com São Paulo o que Ele fez: O qual, sendo em forma de Deus, não teve por usurpação ser igual a Deus, mas esvaziou-se a si mesmo, tomando a forma de servo, tornando-se em semelhança de homens. - (Phil. ii., 6).
     Ó meu Jesus, Você teve o prazer de se tornar um servo por amor a mim e para me libertar das correntes do inferno; e não apenas o servo de Seu Pai, mas também dos homens e dos carrascos, até a entrega de Sua vida! E eu, por amor a algum prazer miserável e venenoso, tantas vezes abandonei Teu serviço e me tornei escravo do demônio! Amaldiçoo mil vezes os momentos em que, por um abuso perverso de meu livre arbítrio, desprezei Tua graça, ó Majestade Infinita. Com piedade, perdoa-me e prende-me a Ti com aquelas deliciosas correntes de amor com as quais manténs Tuas almas escolhidas em contato mais próximo contigo. Eu Te amo, ó Verbo Encarnado! Eu Te amo, ó meu Soberano Bem! Oh, nunca mais permita que eu me separe de Ti.

Meditação II:
     Our Saviour Jesus was, says the Apostle St. Paul, the only-begotten Son of God, equal to His Father, eternal as His Father, almighty as His Father, immense, most wise, most happy, and sovereign Lord of Heaven and earth, of Angels and of men, no less than His Father; but for love of man He stooped to the lowly form of a servant, clothing Himself in human flesh, and likening Himself to men; and since sin had made them vassals of the devil, He came in the form of man to redeem them, offering His sufferings and death in satisfaction to the divine justice for the punishment due to them.  Ah! who would have believed it, if holy Faith did not assure us of it?  Who could ever have hoped for it?  Who could ever have conceived it?  But Faith tells us that this supreme and sovereign Lord emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.
     From His tenderest childhood, the Redeemer, by becoming a servant, was eager to begin and wrench from the devil that dominion which he had over man, according to the prophecy of Isaias: Call his name – Hasten to take away the spoils: Make haste to take away the prey. — (Is. viii., 3).  “That is,” as St. Jerome explains it, “suffer the devil to reign no longer.”  Behold Jesus, scarcely born, says the Venerable Bede, before He is registered in the Census of Caesar, and for our liberation “is Himself inscribed in the list of servitude.”  Observe how, in token of His servitude, He begins to pay off our debts by His sufferings; how He allows Himself to be wrapped in swaddling clothes (a type of the cords which should bind Him at a later day, to be led to death by cruel executioners).  “God suffers Himself,” says a certain author,” to be bound up in swaddling-bands, because He had come to release the world from its debts.”
     I beseech Thee, O my Jesus, by all the sufferings of Thy life and death, do not suffer me ever more to leave Thee!  Suffer me not to be separated from Thee!  Suffer me not to be separated from Thee!
     O Mary, my refuge, thou hast hitherto been my sweet advocate, for it is thou who didst prevail on God still to wait for me and to pardon me with so much mercy.  Succour me now, and obtain for me the grace to die, and to die a thousand times, rather than ever again to lose the grace of God.  Amen.

Leitura espiritual:  SOBRE AS VANTAGENS DO ESTADO RELIGIOSO

Meditação noturna:  JESUS NASCE CRIANÇA

Meditação I:
     Consider that the first sign which the Angel gave to the shepherds, by which to discover the new-born Messias, was, that they would find Him in the form of an Infant: You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. — (Luke ii., 12).  The littleness of infants is a great attraction for love; but a still greater attraction must the littleness of the Infant Jesus be to us, Who, being the incomprehensible God, has made Himself small for the love of us.  For our sake He has become a little Child.
     Adam came into the world at a full age; but the Eternal Word chose to appear as an Infant – a child is born to us – that He might thus attract our hearts to Himself with greater force.  So would He be born Who willed to be loved.  He came into the world not to inspire terror, but to be loved; and for this reason He preferred to show Himself at His first appearance, as a tender, weak Infant.  “Our Lord is great, and greatly to be praised,” says St. Peter Chrysologus.  My Lord is great, and therefore He deserves highly to be praised on account of His Infinite Majesty.  But when the Saint considered Him as a little Child in the stable of Bethlehem, he exclaimed with tenderness: “My Lord is a little Child and greatly to be loved.”  My great and supreme God has made Himself little for me, and deserves my love.
     Ah, how is it possible that any one can reflect with faith on a God become a little Child, crying and weeping on the straw in a cave, and yet not love Him, and invite all men to love Him, as did St. Francis of Assisi, who said: “Let us love the Child of Bethlehem, let us love the Child of Bethlehem.”  He is an Infant; He does not speak, He only cries; but, O my God, are not these cries all voices of love, with which He invites us to love Him, and demands our hearts!
     Eternal Father, I, a miserable sinner, worthy of hell, have nothing of my own to offer Thee in satisfaction for my sins; I offer Thee the tears, the sufferings, the blood, the death of this Infant, Who is Thy Son; and through them I implore pity from Thee.  If I had not this Son to offer Thee, I should be lost; there would be no longer any hope for me; but Thou hast given Him to me for this purpose, in order that, in offering Thee His merits, I might have a good hope of my salvation.  My ingratitude, O Lord, is great; but Thy mercy is still greater.  And what greater mercy could I hope for from Thee, than that Thou shouldst give me Thy own Son for my Redeemer, and as the Victim for my sins.  For the love, therefore, of Jesus Christ, forgive me all the offences that I have committed against Thee, of which I repent with my whole heart, because by them I have offended Thee, O infinite Goodness.  And for the sake of Jesus Christ I ask of Thee holy perseverance.

Meditação II:
     Let us consider, moreover, that infants also gain our affection because we consider them innocent; but all other infants are born with the infection of original sin.  Jesus was born an Infant, but He was born holy – holy, innocent, undefiled. — (Heb. vii., 26).  My beloved, says the holy Spouse, is all ruddy with love, and all white with innocence, without a spot of any sin: Meu amado é branco e corado, escolhido entre milhares. — (Cant, v., 10).  In this Infant did the Eternal Father find His delight, because, as St. Gregory says, “in Him alone He found no fault.”
     Let us miserable sinners comfort ourselves, because this Divine Infant has come down from Heaven to communicate His Innocence to us by means of His Passion.  His merits, if we only knew how to apply them to ourselves, can change us from sinners into innocents and saints: in these merits let us place all our confidence; through them let us continually ask for graces from the Eternal Father, and we shall obtain everything.
     O my God, if I should again offend Thee, after Thou hast waited for me with so much patience, after Thou hast assisted me with so much light, and forgiven me with so much love – I should indeed deserve a special hell for myself.  O my Father, do not forsake me, I pray Thee.  I tremble when I think of the number of times I have betrayed Thee; how many times I have promised to love Thee, and then have again turned my back upon Thee?  O my Creator, let me not have to lament the misfortune of seeing myself again deprived of Thy favour.  Permit me not to be separated from Thee!  Permit me not to be separated from Thee!  I repeat it, and will repeat it to my very last breath; and do Thou always give me the grace to repeat to Thee this prayer: Permit me not to be separated from Thee!  My Jesus, my dearest Infant, enchain me with Thy love.  I love Thee and will always love Thee.  Permit me not to be ever again separated from Thy love.  I love thee, too, my Mother; oh, do thou also love me.  And if thou lovest me, this is the favour I beg thee to obtain for me – that I may never cease to love my God

Meditação matinal:  E COM ELE HÁ ABUNDANTE REDENÇÃO - (Sl. cxxix., 7).

     Grande foi o pecado do homem, mas maior, diz o Apóstolo, foi a dádiva da Redenção.  Não como a ofensa, mas também o dom. - (Rom. v., 15). Não foi apenas suficiente, mas superabundante.  E com ele uma redenção abundante. Eu Te amo, ó bondade infinita! Eu Te amo, ó Deus mais amável!

Meditação I:
     Consolai-vos, consolai-vos, povo meu, diz o vosso Deus. Falai ao coração de Jerusalém (...) porque o seu mal chegou ao fim. - (Is. xl., 1, 2). A razão é que o próprio Deus descobriu uma maneira de salvar o homem, ao mesmo tempo em que Sua justiça e Sua misericórdia serão satisfeitas.  A justiça e a paz se beijaram. - (Sl. lxxxiv., 11). O próprio Filho de Deus se tornou homem, assumiu a forma de um pecador.  Ele apareceu para tirar nossos pecadosdiz São João. - (1 Jo. iii., 5). Ele se apresentou diante de seu Pai celestial e se ofereceu para pagar pela humanidade; e então o Pai o enviou à Terra para assumir a aparência do homem pecador e ser feito em tudo semelhante aos pecadores: Deus enviando seu próprio Filho à semelhança da carne pecaminosa. - (Rom. viii., 3). E São Paulo acrescenta: E do pecado condenou o pecado na carne. - (Ibid.).
     Deus, portanto, a fim de salvar a humanidade e, ao mesmo tempo, satisfazer as reivindicações de Sua justiça, teve o prazer de condenar Seu próprio Filho a uma vida dolorosa e a uma morte vergonhosa. E isso pode ser verdade? O próprio Jesus Cristo afirma isso: Deus amou o mundo de tal maneira que deu seu Filho unigênito. - (Jo. iii., 16). Um Deus condescende em amar os homens, vermes miseráveis, que foram rebeldes e ingratos para com Ele; e amá-los a ponto de dar Seu Filho unigênito, Aquele a quem Ele amava tanto quanto a Si mesmo! Ele não deu um servo, nem um anjo, nem um arcanjo, mas Seu próprio Filho! Ele O entregou a nós, humildes, pobres, desprezados; Ele O entregou nas mãos de escravos, para ser tratado como um criminoso, até mesmo para ser morto, coberto de vergonha, em uma forca infame. Ó graça! Ó força do amor de Deus! exclama São Bernardo.
     Ó meu Redentor e meu Deus, e quem sou eu para que o Senhor tenha me amado e ainda continue a me amar tanto! O que o Senhor já recebeu de mim que O obrigou a me amar assim? O que, a não ser ofensas e provocações, que foram motivo para que me abandonasse e me banisse para sempre de Sua face? Mas, ó Senhor, eu aceito todas as penalidades, exceto essa! Perdoe-me, ó meu amado Infante, pois estou arrependido de todo o meu coração. Ó Maria, minha Mãe, vós sois minha esperança e o refúgio dos pecadores.

Meditação II:
     Say to the faint-hearted: Take courage and fear not . . . God Himself will come and will save you. - (Is. xxxv., 4).  Be no longer in despair, O poor sinners!  What fear can you have that you will not be pardoned when the Son of God comes down from Heaven to save you?  If you cannot by your own works appease an offended God, behold One Who can appease Him!  This very Infant Whom you now see reposing on straw, and weeping – He with His tears, propitiates Him.  You have no grounds for being sad any more, says St. Leo, on account of the sentence of death fulminated against you, now that Life Itself is born for you – “nor is there any lawful reason for sadness when it is the Birthday of Life.”  And St. Augustine: “O sweet day for penitents!  To-day sin is taken away, and shall the sinner despair?”  If you are unable to render due satisfaction to the divine justice, look on Jesus Who does penance for you.  Already does He commence to do it in this little Cave, and He will persevere in doing penance all His life and finally bring it to an end only on the Cross to which, according to St. Paul, He affixed the decree of your condemnation cancelling it in His own Blood: Blotting out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, which was contrary to us.  And he hath taken the same out of the way, fastening it to the cross. - (Coloss, ii., 14).
     Pardon me, O my beloved Infant, for I am sorry with my whole heart for every single displeasure I have given Thee.  O Redeemer, and Redeemer again and again of my soul! my soul is now enamoured of Thee and loves Thee.  Thou hast loved me above measure, so that, overcome by Thy love, I could no longer resist its winning appeals.  I love Thee, then, O Infinite Goodness!  I love Thee, O most lovable God!  Do Thou never cease to enkindle more and more in my heart the flames and fiery darts of love.  For Thy own glory cause Thyself to be greatly loved by one who has greatly offended Thee.  O Mary, assist a poor sinner who desires to prove faithful to God.  Help me to love Him and to love Him exceedingly.

Leitura espiritual:  SOBRE AS VANTAGENS DO ESTADO RELIGIOSO (continuação)

Meditação noturna:  JESUS EM FAIXAS

Meditação I:
     Imagine that you see Mary, having now brought forth her Son, take Him reverently in her arms, adore Him as her God, and then wrap Him up in swathing-bands: she wrapped him up in swaddling-clothes. - (Luke ii., 7).  The Holy Church says the same: “His tender limbs in swathing-bands the Virgin Mother binds.”  Behold the Infant Jesus, Who obediently offers His little hands and feet, and allows Himself to be swathed.  Consider how every time the Holy Infant allowed Himself to be swathed He thought of the cords with which He would one day be led captive in the Garden, and of those also which would bind Him to the pillar, and of the nails which would fasten Him to the Cross; and, thinking of these things, He willingly allowed Himself to be bound, in order to deliver our souls from the chains of hell.  Bound, then, in these swaddling-clothes, and turning to us, Jesus invites us to unite ourselves closely to Him with the sweet bonds of love.  And turning to His Eternal Father, He says: My Father, men have abused their liberty, and, rebelling against Thee, have made themselves the slaves of sin; but I, to make satisfaction for their disobedience, am willing to be bound and confined in swathing bands.  Bound with these, I offer Thee my liberty, in order that man may be delivered from the slavery of the devil.  I accept these bands; they are dear to Me, because they represent the cords with which, from this moment, I offer Myself to be one day bound and led to death for the salvation of men.
     And what fear can I have of Thy chastisements, O my beloved Infant, now that I see Thee in these swathing-bands, depriving Thyself, so to say, of the power of raising Thy hand to punish me?  Thou dost give me to understand by these bands that Thou wilt not chastise me, if I will loose myself from the chains of my vices, and bind myself to Thee.  Yes, my Jesus, I resolve to free myself.  I repent with all my heart of having separated myself from Thee, by abusing that liberty which Thou hast given me.  Thou dost offer me another and a nobler liberty; a liberty which delivers me from the chains of the devil, and places me among the children of God.

Meditação II:
     His bands are a healthful binding. - (Ecclus. vi., 31).  The bands of Jesus were the healthful binding to heal the wounds of our souls.  Therefore, O my Jesus, Thou didst will to be wrapped in swathing-bands for the love of me.  “O Love, how great is thy bond, which could bind a God!” O Divine Love, Thou alone couldst make my God Thy Prisoner.  And shall I then, O Lord, refuse to have myself bound by Thy holy love?  Shall I for the future, be so unfaithful as to loose myself from Thy sweet and amiable chains?  And for what?  To make myself a slave of hell?  O my Lord, Thou remainest bound in this manger for the love of me; I desire always to remain bound to Thee.  St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to say that the bands which we ought to take are a firm resolution of uniting ourselves closely to God by means of love; detaching ourselves at the same time from all affection for any thing that is not God.  For this reason also it seems that our loving Jesus has allowed Himself to be, as it were, bound and a Prisoner in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, under the sacramental species, that He might see His beloved souls made also prisoners of His love.
     Thou hast given Thyself up to be imprisoned in these bands for the love of me; I will be a prisoner of Thy immense love.  O blessed chains, O beautiful emblems of salvation, which unite souls to God, bind also my poor heart!  But bind it so fast, that it may never in future be able to disengage itself from the love of this sovereign Good.  My Jesus, I love Thee; I bind myself to Thee; I give Thee my whole heart, my whole will.  No, I will never leave Thee again, my beloved Lord.  O my Saviour, Who, to pay my debts, didst will not only to be wrapped by Mary in swathing-bands, but even to be bound as a criminal by the executioners, and thus bound, go through the streets of Jerusalem, to be led to death as an innocent lamb to slaughter; O Thou Who didst will to be nailed to the Cross, and didst not come down from it until Thou hadst given up Thy life upon it – permit me not, I beseech Thee, ever to separate myself again from Thee, so as to see myself once more deprived of Thy grace and of Thy love.  O Mary, who didst bind in swathing-bands this Thy innocent Son, bind me also, a miserable sinner, I pray thee; bind me to Jesus, so that I may never again leave His feet; that bound to Him I may always live and die thus bound, in order that I may have the happiness to enter into that blessed country, where I shall no longer have the power, and no longer the fear, of separating myself from His holy love.

Meditação matinal:  DEUS SE FEZ NOSSO

     Diga-me, cruel Herodes, por que você ordena que tantos bebês inocentes sejam assassinados e sacrificados em prol de sua ambição de reinar? Por acaso teme que o Messias que acaba de nascer possa lhe roubar o reino? Esse Rei que agora nasceu veio, não para vencer por meio de lutas, mas para subjugar o coração dos homens, sofrendo e morrendo por seu amor.

Meditação I:
     O cruel Herodes ordenou que os bebês inocentes fossem assassinados e sacrificados à sua ambição, temendo, talvez, que o Messias recém-nascido lhe roubasse o reino. "Por que você está tão perturbado, Herodes?", pergunta São Fulgêncio. "Este Rei que nasceu veio, não para derrotar os reis lutando, mas para subjugá-los morrendo." Esse Rei veio para reinar no coração dos homens, sofrendo e morrendo por seu amor. "Ele veio", continua o Santo, "não, portanto, para que pudesse combater vivo, mas para que pudesse triunfar morto". Deixem Herodes de lado, ó almas devotas, e vamos nos concentrar em nós mesmos. Por que, então, o Filho de Deus veio à Terra? Foi para se entregar a nós? Sim. Isaias nos garante isso: Uma criança nasceu para nós e um filho nos foi dado. O amor que esse amoroso Salvador tem por nós e o desejo que Ele tem de ser amado por nós O levaram a fazer isso. Sendo Seu, Ele Se tornou nosso! Esse Deus sobre o qual ninguém pode governar, por assim dizer, se entregou cativo ao amor. O amor obteve a vitória sobre Ele e, por ser Seu, colocou-O em nossa posse. "Nasceu Aquele que pertencia a Si mesmo", diz São Bernardo. Aquele que pertencia totalmente a Si mesmo escolheu nascer para nós e tornar-se nosso; o amor triunfa sobre Deus! Deus amou tanto o mundo a ponto de dar Seu Filho unigênito! E eis que Ele já chegou do céu em um estábulo, como uma criança - nascido para nós e dado a nós.  Uma criança nasceu para nós e um filho nos foi dado. - (Is. xi., 6). Foi exatamente isso que o anjo quis dizer ao se dirigir aos pastores: Hoje nasceu para você um Salvador. - (Lucas ii., 11). É como se dissesse: Ó homens, ide à gruta de Belém; ali adorai o Menino que encontrareis deitado na palha de uma manjedoura e tremendo de frio. Saibam que Ele é o Deus de vocês, que não consentiria em enviar qualquer outro para salvá-los, mas viria Ele mesmo para ganhar para Si todo o amor de vocês.
     Oh, meu amado Infante, meu querido Redentor, já que desceste do Céu para Te entregar a mim, o que mais devo procurar no Céu ou na Terra além de Ti? Sê Tu o único Senhor de meu coração; possui-o inteiramente. Que minha alma ame somente a Ti e busque agradar somente a Ti!

Meditação II:
     In divers ways had God already striven to win the hearts of men: at one time with benefits, at another, with threats, and again with promises; but He had still fallen short of His aim.  His infinite love, says St. Augustine, made Him devise the plan of giving Himself entirely to us by the Incarnation of the Word, in order thus to oblige us to love Him with our whole hearts.  “Then Love found out the plan of delivering up Itself!”  He could have sent an Angel, a Seraph, to redeem man.  But aware that man, had he been redeemed by a Seraph, would have to divide his heart by partly loving his Creator, and partly loving this redeemer, God, Who wished to possess the entire heart and the entire love of man, “wished therefore to be,” as says a pious author, “both our Creator and Redeemer Himself.”
     And not only has Jesus Christ given Himself to all men in general, but He has wished, moreover, to give Himself to each one in particular.  This it was caused St. Paul to say: He loved me and delivered Himself for me. — (Gal. ii., 20).  So that, dear child of God, if there had been no others in the world beside yourself, the Redeemer would have come for the sake of you alone and would have given His Blood and His life for you.
     My God, my Beloved, has given Himself all to me; it is but reasonable for me to give myself all to my God.  Let others strive after and enjoy, if enjoyment can ever be found apart from Thee, the goods and fortunes of this world.  Thee alone do I desire, Who art my fortune, my riches, my peace, my hope in this life and in eternity.  Behold, then, my heart, I give it wholly to Thee.  It is no longer mine own, but Thine.
     O happy thou, most holy Virgin Mary; thou wert wholly and always God’s own – all fair, all pure and without spot.  I have not belonged to God in the past, but now I wish to be His, and to be His entirely.  O my hope, obtain me strength to be grateful and faithful to Him till death!  Amen.  This is my hope.  So may it be.

Leitura espiritual:  SOBRE AS VANTAGENS DO ESTADO RELIGIOSO (continuação)

Meditação noturna:  JESUS TOMANDO LEITE

Meditação I:
     As soon as Jesus was swathed, He looked for and took milk from the breast of Mary.  The Spouse in the Canticles desired to see her little brother taking milk from his mother: Who shall give thee to me for my brother, sucking the breasts of my mother. - (Cant, vii., 1).  This Spouse desired, but did not see Him; but we are they who have had the happiness of seeing the Son of God made Man, and become our Brother, taking milk at the breast of Mary.  Oh, what a spectacle must it not have been to Paradise to see the Divine Word become an Infant, sucking milk from a Virgin who was His own creature!  He, then, Who feeds all men and all animals upon the earth, is become so weak and so poor, that He requires a little milk to sustain His life!  Sister Paula, the Camaldolese, in contemplating a little image of Jesus taking milk, felt herself at once inflamed with a tender love for God.  Jesus took but little of this milk, and took it but seldom in the day.  It was revealed to Sister Mary Anne, a Franciscan, that Mary only gave Him milk three times in the day.  O milk most precious to us, to be changed into blood in the veins of Jesus Christ, and afterwards to be made by Him a bath of salvation in which to cleanse our souls!
     O my sweet and most amiable Infant, Thou art the Bread of Heaven which sustains the Angels; Thou dost provide all creatures with food; and yet how art Thou reduced to the necessity of begging a little milk to preserve Thy life!  O Divine Love, how hast Thou been able to make a God so poor as to be in want of a little food?  But I now understand Thee, O my Jesus; Thou didst take milk from Mary in this Cave, to offer it afterwards to God changed into blood, as a sacrifice on the Cross, and in satisfaction for our sins.  Give, O Mary, give all the milk thou canst to this Son, because every drop has to serve to wash away the sins from my soul, and to nourish it afterwards in Holy Communion.

Meditação II:
     Let us consider also that Jesus took milk in order to nourish the Body which He wished to leave us as food in the Holy Communion.  Therefore, my little Redeemer, whilst Thou dost take milk, Thou art thinking of me; Thou art thinking of changing this milk into blood, to be shed afterwards at Thy death, and with that price ransom my soul, and feed it in the Most Holy Sacrament which is the saving milk with which Thou preservest our souls in the life of grace: “Christ is your milk,” says St. Augustine.  O beloved Infant, O my Jesus, let me also exclaim with the woman in the Gospel: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. — (Luke xi., 27).  Blessed art thou, O Mother of God, who hadst the happiness to give milk to the Incarnate Word!  Oh, permit me, in company with thy divine Son, to take from thee the milk of a tender and loving devotion to the infancy of Jesus and to thyself, my dearest Mother.  And I thank Thee, O Divine Infant, Who didst allow Thyself to be in need of milk, in order to prove to me the great love Thou bearest me.  It is precisely this that our Lord gave St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi to understand – that He had reduced Himself to the necessity of taking milk, in order to make us comprehend the love that He has for redeemed souls.
     O my Redeemer, how can any one who believes what Thou hast done and suffered to save us, refuse to love Thee?  And I, how could I know this, and yet be so ungrateful to Thee?  But Thy goodness is my hope; and this makes me know that if I wish for Thy grace, it is mine.  I repent, O sovereign Good, of having offended Thee, and I love Thee above everything.  Or rather, I love nothing; I love and will love Thee alone; Thou art, and shalt always be, my only Good, my only Love.  My dear Redeemer, give me, I pray Thee, a tender devotion to Thy holy Infancy, such as Thou hast given to so many souls, who, meditating on Thee as an Infant, and forgetting all else, seem unable to think of anything but of loving Thee.  It is true that they are innocent, and I am a sinner; but Thou didst become a Child to make Thyself loved even by sinners.  I have been such; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, and I desire nothing but Thy love.  O Mary, give me a little of that tender love with which thou didst give milk to the Infant Jesus.

Meditação matinal: "A FLECHA ESCOLHIDA"

     Ele me fez uma flecha escolhida; em sua aljava ele me escondeu. - (Is. xlix., 2).
    O Cardeal Hugo observa que, assim como o caçador mantém em reserva a melhor flecha para o último tiro, a fim de garantir sua presa, "assim foi Jesus Cristo reservado no seio de Seu Pai até que viesse a plenitude dos tempos, e Ele foi enviado para ferir os corações dos fiéis".

Meditação I:
     Santo Agostinho diz que Deus, a fim de cativar o amor dos homens, lançou vários dardos de amor em seus corações. "Deus sabe como disparar suas flechas contra o amor: Ele envia a flecha para que Ele possa fazer um amante." O que são essas flechas? São todas as criaturas que vemos ao nosso redor; pois Deus as criou todas para o homem, para que o homem possa amá-Lo; por isso o mesmo santo diz: "O céu e a terra e todas as coisas me dizem para Te amar". Parecia ao santo que o sol, a lua, as estrelas, as montanhas, as planícies, os mares e os rios falavam com ele e diziam: Agostinho, ame a Deus, porque Deus nos criou para você, para que você O ame. Quando Santa Maria Madalena de Pazzi segurava em sua mão uma bela fruta ou flor, ela declarava que a fruta ou a flor era um dardo em seu coração que a feria com o amor de Deus. Santa Teresa disse que todas as coisas belas que vemos, os lagos, os rios, as flores, as frutas, os pássaros - todos nos ofendem com nossa ingratidão a Deus, pois todos são sinais do amor que Ele nos tem. Conta-se que um piedoso eremita, caminhando pelo campo, imaginou que as ervas e as flores o repreendiam por sua ingratidão; por isso, à medida que avançava, batia nelas gentilmente com seu cajado, dizendo-lhes "Calem-se! Eu entendo vocês! Não mais! Vocês me insultam com minha ingratidão, pois Deus os criou com tanta beleza por minha causa, para que eu possa amá-Lo, e eu não O amo! Oh, fique em silêncio, eu entendo! Chega! Chega!"
     Assim, todas essas criaturas eram tantos dardos de amor no coração dos homens. Mas Deus não estava satisfeito apenas com esses dardos; eles não eram suficientes para conquistar o amor dos homens.  Ele me fez uma flecha escolhida; na sua aljava me escondeu.  Assim, entre todas as Suas dádivas, Deus manteve Jesus em reserva até que a plenitude dos tempos chegasse, e então O enviou como uma última flecha para ferir com amor o coração dos homens.  Tuas flechas são afiadas; debaixo de ti cairão povos. - (Sl. xliv., 6). Ah, quantos corações feridos eu vejo ardendo de amor diante da manjedoura de Belém! Quantos aos pés da Cruz do Calvário! Quantos diante da Santa Presença do Santíssimo Sacramento em nossos altares!
     Ah, meu Senhor, diga-me, há mais alguma coisa que possa inventar para fazer com que seja amado? Faça com que Suas invenções sejam conhecidas entre as pessoas, como gritou Isaías. Ó almas redimidas, vão e publiquem em todos os lugares os dispositivos amorosos desse Deus amoroso que Ele planejou e executou para fazer-Se amado pelos homens!

Meditação II:
     St. Peter Chrysologus says our Redeemer took many various forms to attract the love of men.  “For our sake He showed Himself under different forms Who remains in the form of His majesty.”  The unchangeable God would appear now as a Child in a stable, now as a Boy in the workshop, now as Criminal on a scaffold, and now as Bread on the Altar!  In these varying figures Jesus chose to exhibit Himself to us; but whatever the character He assumed, it was always the character of a Lover.
     Oh, how God longs to see, and how dearly He loves, a heart that is wholly His!  Ah, what delicate and loving caresses does He not bestow; what good things, what delights, what glory does God not prepare in Paradise for a heart that is wholly His!  The Venerable Father John Leonard de Lettera, a Dominican, one day beheld Jesus Christ under the appearance of a hunter traversing the forest of this earth with an arrow in His hand.  The servant of God asked Him wherefore He was thus engaged.  Jesus answered that He was seeking after hearts.  Who knows whether now in these days the Infant Redeemer will have the success to hit and make a prize of some hearts after which He has been pursuing for a long time, and hitherto has been unable to wound and capture!
     Devout souls, if Jesus gains us, we shall also gain Jesus.  The advantage of such an exchange is all on our side.  “Teresa!” said the Lord one day to this Saint, “up to this time, you have not been all Mine.  Now that you are all Mine, be assured that I am all yours.”  Love is the bond which binds the Lover with the loved one, says St. Augustine.  God has every wish to embrace us and unite us to Himself, but it is also necessary for us to strive and unite ourselves to God.
     My dear Jesus, inflame me with Thy holy love, since for this end Thou didst come upon the earth.  Lord, I have hitherto been ungrateful and blind.  Now that I see Thee trembling with cold on the straw, crying and weeping for me – O my Infant God, how can I live without loving Thee!  O Mary, great Mother of this great Son, and most beloved by Him, pray to Him for me.

Leitura espiritual:  SOBRE AS VANTAGENS DO ESTADO RELIGIOSO (continuação)

Meditação noturna:  JESUS DEITADO SOBRE A PALHA 

Meditação I:
     Jesus is born in the stable of Bethlehem.  His poor Mother has neither wool nor down to make a bed for the tender Infant.  What does she do, then?  She gathers together a handful of straw into the manger, and puts Him to lie upon it: And she laid him in the manger. — (Luke ii., 7).  But, O my God, how hard and painful is this bed for an infant just born; the limbs of a babe are so delicate, and especially the limbs of Jesus, which were formed by the Holy Spirit with a special delicacy, in order that they might be the more sensible to suffering.  A body thou hast fitted to me. — (Heb. x., 5).
     Wherefore the hardness of such a bed must have caused Him excessive pain – pain and shame; for what child, even of the lowest of the people, is ever laid on straw as soon as he is born?  Straw is a bed fit only for beasts; and yet the Son of God had none other on earth than a bed of miserable straw!  St. Francis of Assisi, one day, as he sat at table, heard these words of the Gospel: And laid him in a manger; and he exclaimed: “What? My Lord was laid on the straw, and shall I continue to sit?”  And so he arose from his seat, threw himself on the ground, and there finished his scanty meal, mingling with it tears of tenderness as he contemplated the sufferings that the Infant Jesus endured whilst He lay on the straw.
     O Lover of souls, O my loving Redeemer! is not, then, the sorrowful Passion that awaits Thee, and the bitter death that is prepared for Thee on the Cross, sufficient, but that Thou must, even from the commencement of Thy life, even from Thy Infancy, begin to suffer?  Yes, because even as an Infant Thou wouldst begin to be my Redeemer, and to satisfy the divine justice for my sins.  Thou didst chose a bed of straw to deliver me from the fire of hell, into which I have so many times deserved to be cast.  Thou didst cry and mourn on this bed of straw to obtain for me pardon from Thy Father.  Oh, how these Thy tears afflict me, and yet console me!  They afflict me from compassion at seeing Thee, an innocent Babe, suffering so much for sins not Thy own; they console me, because Thy sufferings assure me of my salvation, and of Thy immense love for me.

Meditação II:
     But why did Mary, who had so earnestly desired the birth of this Son – why did she, who loved Him so much, allow Him to lie and suffer on this hard bed, instead of keeping Him in her arms?  This is a mystery, says St. Thomas of Villanova: “Nor would she have laid Him in such a place, unless there had been some great mystery in it.”  This great mystery has been explained by many in different ways, but the explanation most pleasing to me is that of St. Peter Damian: Jesus wished as soon as He was born to be placed on the straw, in order to teach us the mortification of our senses: “He laid down the law of martyrdom.”  The world had been lost by sensual pleasures.  From the time of Adam multitudes of his descendants had thus been lost.  The Eternal Word came from Heaven to teach us the love of suffering; and He began as a Child to teach it by choosing for Himself the most acute sufferings that an infant could endure.  It was, therefore, He Himself Who inspired His Mother to cease from holding Him in her tender arms, and to place Him on the hard bed, that He might the more feel the cold of the cave and the pricking of the rough straw.
     But, my Jesus, I will not leave Thee alone to cry and to suffer.  I also will weep; for I alone deserve to shed tears on account of the offences I have committed against Thee.  I, who have deserved hell, will not refuse any suffering whatever, so that I may regain Thy favour, O my Saviour.  Forgive me, I beseech Thee; receive me once more into Thy friendship, make me love Thee, and then chastise me as Thou wilt.  Deliver me from eternal punishment, and then treat me as it shall please Thee.  I do not seek the pleasures of this life; he does not deserve pleasure who has had the temerity to offend Thee, O infinite Goodness.  I am content to suffer all the crosses Thou shalt send me; but, my Jesus, I will love Thee still.  O Mary, who didst sympathise by thy sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus, obtain for me the grace to suffer all my trials with patience.  Woe to me, if, after so many sins, I do not suffer something in this life!  And blessed shall I be if I have the happiness to accompany thee in thy sufferings, O my sorrowful Mother, and Thee, O my Jesus, always afflicted and crucified for love of me.

Meditação matinal: A BREVIDADE DA VIDA

     Toda carne é grama. A vida do homem é como a vida de uma folha de grama. A morte chega, a grama seca. Eis que a vida termina, e a flor de toda grandeza e de todos os bens mundanos cai!  A grama secou e a flor caiu!    

Meditação I:
     O que é sua vida? É um vapor que aparece por um pouco de tempo. - (James, iv., 15).
     O que é sua vida? É um vapor que se dissipa com um sopro de vento e não é mais visto. Todos sabem que precisam morrer, mas a ilusão de muitos é que imaginam que a morte está tão distante, como se nunca fosse chegar. Mas Jó nos diz que a vida do homem é curta.  Homem nascido de mulher, que vive pouco tempo, ... que nasce como uma flor e é destruído. - (Jó xiv., 12). O Senhor ordenou a Isaías que pregasse essa verdade ao povo.  Chora... Toda carne é grama... De fato, o povo é grama. A grama secou e a flor caiu.. - (Is. xl. 6 sqq.). A vida do homem pode ser comparada à de uma folha de grama; a morte chega, a grama seca; eis que a vida termina, e a flor de toda grandeza e de todos os bens mundanos cai.
    Meus dias, diz Jó, foram mais rápidas do que um poste. - (Jó ix., 25). A morte corre para nos encontrar mais rapidamente e nós, a todo momento, corremos tão rapidamente para a morte. Cada passo, cada respiração nos aproxima de nosso fim. "O que eu escrevo", diz São Jerônimo, "é muito tirado da vida". Durante o tempo em que escrevo, me aproximo da morte.  Todos nós morremos e, como as águas que não voltam mais, caímos na terra. - (2 Reis xiv., 14). Vejam como o riacho corre para o mar, e as águas que passam nunca mais voltam! Assim, meu irmão, seus dias passam e você se aproxima da morte. Os prazeres, as diversões, as pompas, os louvores e as aclamações passam; e só me resta a sepultura. - (Jó xvii., 1). Na hora da morte, a lembrança dos prazeres desfrutados e de todas as honras adquiridas nesta vida servirá apenas para aumentar nossa dor e nossa desconfiança de obter a salvação eterna. Então, o miserável mundano dirá: "Minha casa, meus jardins, meus móveis da moda, meus quadros, minhas roupas, em pouco tempo não serão mais meus, e só me resta a sepultura.”
     Ah, meu Deus e Senhor de infinita majestade! Tenho vergonha de me apresentar diante de Ti. Quantas vezes Te desonrei, preferindo um prazer sórdido, a indulgência da raiva, do capricho ou da vaidade, à Tua graça? Ó meu Redentor, eu adoro e beijo Tuas santas feridas, que infligi por meus pecados, mas por meio das quais espero o perdão e a salvação. Ó meu Jesus, faze-me compreender o grande dano que Te causei ao deixar-Te, a Fonte de todo bem, para beber águas pútridas e envenenadas. Agora só me resta a dor, o remorso de consciência e os frutos do inferno.  Pai, não sou digno de ser chamado de seu filho. - (Lucas xv., 21). Meu Pai, não me rejeite. É verdade que não mereço mais a graça que me tornaria Teu filho; mas Tu disseste: Volte-se para mim, . . . e eu me voltarei para você. - (Zach. i., 3). Desejo amar-Te durante o resto de minha vida e não desejo amar nada além de Ti. Ajude-me; dê-me santa perseverança e Seu santo amor. Maria, meu refúgio, suplique a Jesus Cristo por mim.

Meditação II:
     How great is the folly of those who, for the miserable and transitory delights of this short life, expose themselves to the danger of an unhappy death, and afterwards of an unhappy eternity.  Oh! how important is that last moment, that last gasp, that last closing scene!  On it depends an eternity either of all delights or of all torments — a life of eternal happiness or of everlasting woe.  Let us consider that Jesus Christ submitted to a cruel and ignominious death in order to obtain for us the grace of a good death.  That we may at that last moment die in the grace of God is the reason why He gives us so many calls, so many lights, and admonishes us by so many threats.
     If there were two tickets in a lottery, on one of which was written Inferno and on the other Heaven, what care would you not take to draw that which would give you a right to Paradise, and to avoid the other, by which you would be condemned to a place in hell!  O God! how the hands of those unhappy men tremble who are condemned to throw the die on which life or death depends!  How great will be your terror at the approach of that last hour, when you will say: On this moment depends my life or death for eternity; on this depends whether I shall be forever happy or forever in despair!  St. Bernardine of Sienna relates, that at death a certain prince exclaimed, with trembling and dismay: Behold, I have so many kingdoms and palaces in this world; but if I die this night I know not what apartment shall be assigned to me in the next.
     Brother, if you believe that you must die, that there is an eternity, that you can die only once, and that if you then err, your error will be forever irreparable, why do you not resolve to begin at this moment to do all in your power to secure a good death?  St. Andrew Avellino said with trembling: “Who knows what will be my lot in the next life?  Shall I be saved or damned?”  Oh! hasten to apply a remedy in time; resolve to give yourself sincerely to God, and begin from this moment a life which, at the hour of death, will be to you a source, not of affliction, but of consolation.  Give yourself up to prayer, frequent the Sacraments, avoid all dangerous occasions, and, if necessary, leave the world, secure to yourself eternal salvation, and be persuaded that to secure eternal life no precaution can be too great.
     O my dear Saviour, how great are my obligations to Thee!  How hast Thou been able to bestow so many graces on so ungrateful a traitor as I have been?  Thou didst create me; and in creating me Thou didst see the injuries which I would commit against Thee.  Thou didst redeem me by dying for me: and then, too, Thou didst see the ingratitude which I would be guilty of towards Thee.  Being placed in the world I turned my back upon Thee by my sins.  My soul was dead and Thou didst restore me to life.  I was blind, and Thou didst enlighten me.  I had lost Thee, and Thou didst enable me to find Thee.  I was Thy enemy, and Thou didst make me Thy friend.  O God of mercy, make me feel the obligations which I owe Thee, and make me weep over the offences which I have committed against Thee.  O Eternal Father, I abhor and detest, above all evils, the injuries I have done Thee.  Have mercy on me for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Look at Thy Son dead on the Cross.  Sanguis ejus super me.  May His Blood flow upon me and wash my soul!  Mary, my Queen and Mother, assist me by thy intercession.  Mother of God, pray for me.

Leitura espiritual:  SOBRE AS VANTAGENS DO ESTADO RELIGIOSO (continuação)

Meditação noturna: JESUS DORMINDO

Meditação I:
     Very short and painful were the slumbers of the Infant Jesus.  A manger was His cradle, straw was His bed, and straw His pillow; so that the sleep of Jesus was often interrupted by the hardness of this rough and painful little bed, and by the severe cold of the cave.  Notwithstanding this, overcome by nature, the sweet Babe from time to time slept amidst His sufferings.  But the sleep of Jesus differed much from that of other children; the slumbers of other children are useful for the preservation of life, but not for the operations of the soul, because the soul being buried with the senses in sleep, does not then work; but such was not the sleep of Jesus Christ: I sleep, and my heart watcheth. — (Cant, v., 2).  His body was asleep, but His soul was watching, because it was united to the Person of the Word, Who could not slumber, nor be lulled to sleep by the senses.  The Holy Infant, therefore, slept; but while He slept He thought of all the sufferings He was to endure for our love during His life and at His death.  He thought of the fatigues He was to undergo in Egypt and in Nazareth during His poor and despised life.  He thought then, in particular, of the scourges, of the thorns, of the ignominies, of the agonies, and of that desolate death that He was at last to suffer upon the Cross; and whilst He was sleeping He offered all this to His Eternal Father to obtain for us pardon and salvation.  So that our Saviour, even while sleeping, was meriting for us and appeasing His Father, and obtaining graces for us.
     My beloved and holy Infant, Thou sleepest, and oh, how much do not Thy slumbers enamour me!  With others, sleep is the emblem of death; but in Thee it is the sign of eternal life, because whilst Thou art reposing, Thou are meriting for me eternal salvation.  Thou sleepest; but Thy Heart sleeps not, it is thinking of Thy suffering and dying for me.  Whilst Thou art sleeping Thou art praying for me, and obtaining for me from God the eternal rest of Paradise.  But before Thou dost take me to repose with Thee, as I hope, in Heaven, I desire that Thou shouldst repose for ever in my soul.

Meditação II:
     Let us now beseech the Divine Child, by the merit of His blessed slumbers, to deliver us from the deadly slumber of sinners who unhappily sleep in the death of sin, forgetful of God and of His love; and to give us the blessed sleep of the Sacred Spouse, of which He said: Stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please. — (Cant, ii., 7).  This is the sleep that God gives to His beloved souls, which is none other, as St. Basil says, “but the most profound oblivion of all things;” and this is when the soul forgets all earthly things, to attend only to God and to the things that concern His glory.
     There was a time, O my God, when I drove Thee away from me; but I trust that, by knocking so often at the door of my heart – at one time by making it afraid, at another by enlightening it, then by words of love – Thou hast already obtained an entrance there.  This, I say, is my hope; because I feel a great confidence that I have already been forgiven by Thee; I feel a great hatred and repentance for the offences I have committed against Thee – a repentance that gives me a great sorrow; but a sorrow that brings peace, a sorrow that comforts me and makes me hope assuredly for pardon from Thy goodness.  I thank Thee, my Jesus, and I pray Thee never again to depart from my soul.  I know indeed that Thou wilt not leave me, if I do not drive Thee away; and this is the grace I ask of Thee (and I pray Thee to give me Thy assistance that I may always seek it of Thee), that Thou wouldst not permit me ever to drive Thee from me.  Make me forget everything, to think only of Thee Who hast always thought of me and of my welfare.  Make me always love Thee in this life, so that, breathing forth my soul in Thy arms, united to Thee, it may repose eternally in Thee without fear of losing Thee again.  O Mary, assist me in life and assist me in death, so that Jesus may always repose in me, and that I may always repose in Jesus.

Meditação matinal:   A PALAVRA ETERNA SE TORNA UM SERVO

     Santo Ambrósio diz que Jesus foi amarrado em panos para que eu pudesse ser libertado das correntes; Sua pobreza é meu patrimônio; a fraqueza do Senhor é minha força; Suas lágrimas lavaram minha culpa! Ó meu Jesus, Vós quisestes tornar-Vos servo por amor a mim e para me libertar das cadeias do inferno. Prenda meu coração a Teus pés para que ele não se afaste mais de Ti.    

Meditação I:
     Muito grande seria a sua ingratidão para com o seu Deus, ó alma cristã, se você não amasse Jesus depois que Ele se agradou de ser amarrado em panos, para que você pudesse ser libertado das correntes do inferno; depois que Ele se tornou pobre, para que você pudesse ser participante de Suas riquezas; depois que Ele se fez fraco, para lhe dar poder sobre seus inimigos; depois que Ele escolheu sofrer e chorar, para que, por Suas lágrimas, seus pecados pudessem ser lavados.
     Mas, ó Deus, quão poucos são os que se mostram gratos por um amor tão imenso, amando fielmente este seu Redentor! Infelizmente, a maior parte dos homens, depois de um benefício tão incomparável, depois de tantas grandes misericórdias e tanto amor, ainda diz a Deus: Senhor, não Te serviremos; preferimos ser escravos do diabo e condenados ao inferno a ser Teus servos. Ouça como Deus repreende esses infelizes ingratos: Rompeste as minhas ligaduras, e disseste: Não servirei. - (Jer. ii., 20). O que você acha? Você também já foi um desses? Mas diga-me, enquanto vivia longe de Deus e era escravo do diabo - diga-me, você se sentiu feliz? Você se sentiu em paz? Ah, não, as palavras divinas nunca podem falhar: Porquanto não serviste ao Senhor teu Deus com gozo e alegria de coração, servirás ao teu inimigo com fome, com sede, com nudez e com falta de tudo. - (Deut. xxviii., 47). Como você preferiu servir a seu inimigo em vez de servir a seu Deus, veja como esse tirano o tratou. Ele o fez gemer como um escravo acorrentado, pobre, aflito e privado de todo consolo interior. Mas venha, levante-se; Deus fala a você enquanto ainda pode ser libertado dos grilhões da morte que o prendem: Solta as ataduras de teu pescoço, ó cativa filha de Sião. - (Is. lii., 2).
     Ó Jesus, eu já fui escravo do inferno; mas agora que estou livre dessas cadeias infelizes, eu me consagro inteiramente a Ti; eu Te dou meu corpo, meus bens, minha vida, minha alma, minha vontade e toda a minha liberdade. Não desejo mais pertencer a mim mesmo, mas somente a Ti, meu único Bem. Prendei meu coração a Vossos pés, para que ele não se afaste mais de Vós. Ó Maria Santíssima, obtém para mim a graça de viver sempre ligado a Teu Filho pelas benditas cadeias do amor. Diga a Ele que me aceite como escrava de Seu amor. Ele concede tudo o que você pede. Reze a Ele, reze a Ele, por mim. Essa é minha esperança.

Meditação II:
     Make haste while time is left, unbind thyself, poor soul, who hast become the voluntary slave of hell.  Strike off these cursed chains that hold thee fast as a prey for hell, and bind thyself to God instead with chains of gold, chains of love, chains of peace, chains of salvation: suas faixas são uma ligação saudável. — (Ecclus. vi., 31).  But in what maimer are souls bound to God?  By love: Tenha caridade, que é o vínculo da perfeição. — (Col. iii., 4).  A soul that always walks by the single way of the fear of punishment, and from this single motive avoids sin, is always in great danger of quickly relapsing into sin; but he that attaches himself to God by love is sure not to lose Him as long as he loves Him; and for this reason we must continually beg God to grant us the gift of His holy love, always praying and saying: O Lord, keep me united with Thee, never suffer me to be separated from Thee and from Thy love.  The fear which we ought rather to desire and beg of God is a filial fear, the fear of ever displeasing this our good Lord and Father.  Let us, too, always have recourse to most holy Mary, our Mother, that she may obtain for us the grace to love nothing but our God, and unite us so closely by love to her Blessed Son, that we may never again see ourselves separated from Him by sin.
     Ah, my God, after all the favours Thou hast shown me, after pardoning me so repeatedly, and when now Thou dost enlighten me with so clear a knowledge, and invitest me to love Thee with so tender an affection, if I should ever be so wretched as again to turn my back upon Thee, how could I presume ever to receive pardon afresh!  Should I not fear that in the same instant Thou wouldst cast me headlong into hell?  Ah, never permit it; let me say again: “Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.”
     O Mary, my refuge, thou hast hitherto been my sweet advocate; for it was thou who didst prevail on God still to wait for me and to pardon me with so much mercy; help me at present, obtain for me the grace to die, and to die a thousand times, rather than ever again to lose the grace of my God.

Leitura espiritual:  A QUEDA E A RESSURREIÇÃO DE MUITOS

Meditação noturna:   "ELE NÃO DIFERE EM NADA DE UM SERVO" - (Epístola para o domingo, Gal. iv., 1-5)

Meditação I:
     He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, says St. Paul.  On considering the immense mercy in the work of human redemption, St. Zachary had good reason to exclaim: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people. — (Luke i., 68).  Blessed forever be God Who hath vouchsafed to come down upon the earth and be made Man in order to redeem mankind: That being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we may serve him without fear. — (Ib. 74).  In order that, loosened from the shackles of sin and death, wherein our enemies held us fast bound and enthralled, we may fearlessly, and with the freedom of the children of God, love Him and serve Him during this life, and afterwards go to possess and enjoy Him face to face in the kingdom of the Blessed that had been closed against us heretofore, but now thrown open to us by our divine Saviour.
     We were, in fact, all the slaves of hell; but what has the Eternal Word, our Sovereign Lord, done to free us from that slavery?  From being Lord He became a servant.  And why?
     Almighty God is Lord of all that is, or that can be in the world: In thy power are all things; for thou hast created all. — (Esther xiii., 9).
     Now, though this Sovereign King bore sway over the Angels in Heaven, and ruled all creation, He did not rule over the hearts of men.  Mankind was groaning under the miserable tyranny of the devil.  But the Prophet Isaias long ago foretold that our Redeemer would destroy the empire which Satan held over mankind: And the sceptre of their oppression thou hast overcome. — (Is. ix., 4).  Why does the Prophet call Satan an oppressor?  Because, says St. Cyril, this heartless master exacts from the poor sinners who become his slaves heavy tribute, in the shape of passions, hatreds, disorderly affections by means of which he binds them in a still greater servitude and at the same time scourges them.  Behold, Jesus is scarcely born, says the Venerable Bede, before He assumes Himself the form and office of a servant, in order to win us freedom from this slavery of Satan.  In token of His servitude He begins to pay off our debts by His sufferings.  God suffers Himself to be bound in swaddling-bands because He had come to free the world.
     My Sovereign Lord and Redeemer, I was lost!  Thou hast ransomed me from hell.  But unhappy me!  I have often since ruined myself again, and Thou hast as often released me again from eternal death.  I am Thine, save me.  Since, as I hope, I am Thine, suffer me never more to cast myself away by rebelling against Thee.  I am resolved to suffer death, and a thousand deaths, rather than ever again become Thy enemy and the slave of hell.  I entreat Thee to grant me Thy grace that I may always ask Thee for help to overcome the devil.  O Mary, obtain this grace for me, by the love which thou bearest to thy Son.

Meditação II:
     The world stood in admiration of that grand act of Charity which St. Paulinus performed in consenting to become a slave for the ransom of the son of a poor widow.  But what comparison does this bear with the Charity of our Redeemer, Who, in order to rescue us from the slavery of the devil and from death, our just due, being God chose to become a servant, to be fast bound with cords, to be nailed to the Cross, and thereon in the end to lay down His life in a sea of sorrow and ignominy?  In order, says St. Augustine, that the servant might become lord, God chose to become a servant.
     “O amazing condescension of Thy bounty towards us!  O inestimable tenderness of Thy charity!” exclaims the Holy Church, “that Thou mightest redeem the servant Thou hast delivered up the Son.”  Thou, then, O God of boundless Majesty, hast been so fascinated with love for men, that to redeem these Thy rebellious servants Thou hast consented to condemn Thy only Son to death.  But, O Lord, replies the holy man, Job: What is man, that thou shouldst magnify him, or why dost thou set thy heart upon him? — (Job vii., 17).  What is man, who is so vile and has proved so ungrateful to Thee, that Thou shouldst make him so great, by honouring and loving him to such an excess?  Tell me, why are the salvation and happiness of man of so much importance to Thee?  Tell me why Thou lovest him so much, that it would seem as if Thy Heart were set on nothing else but to love man and to make him happy?
     Since Thou, O my Jesus, hast paid the price of my ransom, I beseech Thee let not that Blood which Thou hast shed for me be lost to me.  I am sorry that I have despised Thee, O my Love – but grant me more sorrow.  Make me know the evil I have committed in offending Thee.  Most holy Mary, pray to Jesus for me and for all sinners.  Obtain for me light and grace to love thy Son Who has loved me so much.

Meditação matinal:  NEGLIGÊNCIA DO TEMPO

     Ele chamou contra mim o tempo. - (Lament. i., 15).
    Todo o tempo que não é gasto com Deus é tempo perdido. Na hora da morte, os mundanos desejarão mais um ano, mais um mês, mais um dia - mas não o obterão. Então lhes será dito que para eles o tempo não existirá mais. Ah, meu Jesus, eu estive tantos anos no mundo, e quantos eu gastei por Ti?

Meditação I:
     Não há nada mais precioso do que o tempo, mas não há nada menos estimado e mais desprezado pelos homens do mundo. é isso que São Bernardo lamenta quando diz: "Nada é mais precioso do que o tempo, mas nada é considerado mais barato". O santo acrescenta: "Os dias da salvação passam, e ninguém reflete que o dia que passou dele jamais poderá voltar." Você verá um jogador passar noites e dias jogando. Se perguntar a ele o que está fazendo, sua resposta será: "Estou passando o tempo". Você verá outros que ficam parados por várias horas na rua, olhando para os que passam e falando sobre assuntos obscenos ou inúteis. Se lhes perguntar o que estão fazendo, dirão: "Estamos passando o tempo". Pobres pecadores cegos que perdem tantos dias! Dias que não voltam mais!
     Ó tempo desprezado durante a vida, você será ardentemente desejado pelos mundanos na hora da morte. Eles então desejarão mais um ano, mais um mês, mais um dia; mas não o obterão: então lhes será dito que o tempo não existirá mais. Quanto pagariam, então, por outra semana ou outro dia, para acertar as contas de sua consciência? Para obter uma única hora, eles dariam, diz São Lourenço Justiniano, todas as suas riquezas e posses mundanas, mas essa hora não será dada.
     Ah, meu Jesus, o Senhor gastou toda a Sua vida para a salvação de minha alma. Não houve um único momento de Sua vida em que não tenha se oferecido ao Pai Eterno para obter para mim o perdão e a glória eterna. Passei tantos anos no mundo, e quantos deles gastei por Ti? Ah! Tudo o que me lembro de ter feito produz remorso de consciência. O mal foi grande, o bem foi muito pequeno, e tudo cheio de imperfeições e tepidez, de amor-próprio e distrações. Ah, meu Redentor! Tudo isso se deve ao meu esquecimento do que fizeste por mim. Eu me esqueci de Ti, mas Tu não te esqueceste de mim; quando fugi de Ti, Tu me seguiste e me chamaste tantas vezes para Teu amor.

Meditação II:
     The Prophet exhorts us to remember God and to procure His friendship, before the light fails.  Remember thy Creator . . . before the sun and the light be darkened. - (Eccles, xii., 1).  How great the distress and misery of a traveller who, when the night has come, perceives that he has missed his way, and that there is no time to correct his mistake.  Such at death will be the anguish of the sinner who has lived many years in the world, and has not spent them for God.  The night cometh, when no man can work. - (John ix., 4).  For him death shall be the night in which he will be able to do nothing.  He hath called against me the time.  Conscience will then remind the worldling of all the time that God has given him, which he has spent in the destruction of his soul; of all the calls and graces that he has received from God for his sanctification, and these he has voluntarily abused.  The sinner will then see that the way of salvation is forever closed.  Hence he will weep and say: O fool that I have been!  O time lost!  O life misspent!  O lost years, in which I could have become a Saint, but have not!  And now the time of salvation is gone forever.  But of what use are these sighs and lamentations, when the scene is about close – the lamp on the point of being extinguished – and when the dying sinner has reached that awful moment on which eternity depends?
     Behold me, O Jesus!  I will resist no longer.  Shall I wait till Thou abandon me?  I am sorry, O Sovereign Good! for having separated myself front Thee by sin.  I love Thee, O infinite Goodness, worthy of infinite love.  Ah! do not permit me ever again to lose the time which Thou in Thy mercy givest me.  Ah! remind me always, O my beloved Saviour, of the love Thou hast borne me and of the pains Thou hast endured for me.  Make me forget all things, that, during the remainder of my life, I may think only of loving and pleasing Thee.  I love Thee, my Jesus, my Love, my All!  I promise to make acts of love whenever Thou remindest me.  Give me holy perseverance.  I place all my confidence in the merits of Thy Blood.  I also trust in thy intercession, O my dear Mother Mary!

Leitura espiritual:  SOBRE AS VANTAGENS DO ESTADO RELIGIOSO (continuação)

Meditação noturna:  JESUS ESPERANDO

Meditação I:
     The tears of the Infant Jesus were very different from those of other new-born babes: these weep through pain; Jesus did not weep from pain, but through compassion for us and through love: “They weep on account of suffering, Christ out of compassion,” says St. Bernard.  Tears are a great sign of love.  Therefore did the Jews say when they saw the Saviour weeping for the death of Lazarus: Behold how he loved him. - (John xi., 36).  Thus also might the Angels have said on beholding the tears of the Infant Jesus: “Behold how He loves them.”  Behold how our God loves men; since for the love of them we see Him made Man, become an Infant, and weeping.  Jesus wept, and offered to His Father His tears to obtain for us the pardon of our sins.  “These tears,” says St. Ambrose, “washed away my sins.”  By His cries and tears He implored mercy for us who were condemned to eternal death, and thus He appeased the indignation of His Father.
     My beloved Infant, whilst Thou wert weeping in the stable of Bethlehem, Thou wert thinking of me, beholding even my sins, which were the cause of Thy tears.  And have I, O my Jesus, instead of consoling Thee by my love and gratitude at the thought of what Thou hast suffered to save me – have I increased Thy grief and the cause of Thy tears?  If I had sinned less Thou wouldst have wept less.  Weep, yes, weep, for Thou hast cause to weep in seeing such great ingratitude of men for Thy so great love.  But since Thou weepest, weep also for me; Thy tears are my hope.  I also weep for the offences I have offered Thee, O my Redeemer; I hate them, I detest them, I repent of them with my whole heart.  I weep for all those wretched days and nights of mine in which I lived Thy enemy and deprived of Thy beautiful grace; but what would my tears avail, O my Jesus, without Thine?

Meditação II:
     Oh, how eloquently did the tears of this Divine little One plead in our behalf!  Oh, how dear they were to God!  It was then that the Father caused the Angels to proclaim that He made peace with men, and received them into His favour: And on earth peace to men of good will. - (Luke ii., 14).  Jesus wept through love, but He also wept through grief in seeing that so many sinners, even after all His tears and so much blood shed for their salvation, would yet continue to despise His grace.  But who would be so hard-hearted, on seeing an Infant God weeping for our sins, as not to weep also, and detest those sins that have made this loving Saviour shed so many tears?  Oh, let us not increase the sorrows of this Innocent Babe; but let us console Him by uniting our tears to His!  Let us offer to God the tears of His, Son, and let us beseech Him for their sake to forgive us!
     Eternal Father, I offer Thee the tears of the Infant Jesus; for their sake forgive me.  And Thou, my dear Saviour, offer to Him all the tears which Thou didst shed for me during Thy life, and with them appease Him for me.  I beseech Thee also, O my Love, to soften my heart by these tears, and to inflame it with Thy holy love.  Oh, that I could from this day forth console Thee by my love as much as I have pained Thee by offending Thee.  Grant therefore, O Lord, that the days which remain to me of life may no more be spent in offending Thee, but only in weeping for the offences I have offered Thee, and in loving Thee with all the affections of my soul.  O Mary, I beseech thee by that tender compassion which thou didst so often feel at seeing the Infant Jesus in tears, obtain for me a constant sorrow for the offences which I have ungratefully committed against Him.