{"id":7960,"date":"2025-04-09T15:32:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/?page_id=7960"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:22:14","slug":"daily-meditations-octave-of-the-ascension","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/daily-meditations-octave-of-the-ascension\/","title":{"rendered":"MEDITA\u00c7\u00d5ES DI\u00c1RIAS: OITAVA DA ASCENS\u00c3O"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVOLUME III - PARTE I, pp. 1-57<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFRIDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ASCENSION*<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

* [The title given in the book for this day is Friday after Ascension<\/em>.]<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO \u00c9 UM FOGO QUE INFLAMA O CORA\u00c7\u00c3O - \"Tu amoris in eis ignem accende\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Sabemos, por nossa f\u00e9, que o Esp\u00edrito Santo procede do Pai e do Filho por meio de seu amor m\u00fatuo um pelo outro e, portanto, que o dom do amor que o Senhor infunde em nossas almas, e que \u00e9 o maior de todos os dons, \u00e9 particularmente atribu\u00eddo ao Esp\u00edrito Santo.\u00a0 A caridade de Deus \u00e9 derramada em nosso cora\u00e7\u00e3o pelo Esp\u00edrito Santo que nos \u00e9 dado<\/em>. \u2014 (Rom. v. 5).\u00a0 Hence in this Novena we should especially consider the great excellence and value of Divine love that we may desire it, and labour to obtain it by devout exercises, but particularly by fervent prayer, for Jesus has said: Seu Pai, que est\u00e1 nos c\u00e9us, dar\u00e1 o bom Esp\u00edrito \u00e0queles que lhe pedirem<\/em>. \u2014 (Luke xi. 13).<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Deus ordenou na Antiga Lei que o fogo fosse mantido continuamente aceso em Seu altar: O fogo do altar sempre arder\u00e1<\/em>. - (Lev. vi. 12). S\u00e3o Greg\u00f3rio diz que nossos cora\u00e7\u00f5es s\u00e3o os altares de Deus, nos quais Ele deseja que o fogo de Seu amor esteja sempre aceso. E, portanto, o Pai Eterno, n\u00e3o satisfeito em ter nos dado Seu Filho Jesus Cristo para nos salvar por Sua morte, tamb\u00e9m nos daria o Esp\u00edrito Santo para habitar em nossos cora\u00e7\u00f5es e mant\u00ea-los continuamente inflamados com Seu amor. E o pr\u00f3prio Jesus declarou que foi para influenciar nosso cora\u00e7\u00e3o com esse santo amor que Ele veio ao mundo, e que nada mais desejava do que v\u00ea-lo aceso: Eu vim para enviar fogo sobre a terra; e que mais quero eu sen\u00e3o que ele se acenda?<\/em> \u2014 (Luke xii. 49).\u00a0 Hence, forgetting the injuries and ingratitude He received from men in this world, when He had ascended into Heaven, He sent down upon us the Holy Ghost.\u00a0 O most loving Redeemer, dost Thou, then, love us not only in Thy sufferings and ignominies, but also in Thy Heavenly glory?
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0At\u00e9 agora, \u00f3 meu Deus, nada fiz por Ti, que fizeste coisas t\u00e3o grandes por mim! Infelizmente, minha mornid\u00e3o pode merecer que Tu me vomites de Tua boca! \u00d3 Esp\u00edrito Santo, quente o que \u00e9 frio<\/em>livrai-me de minha tepidez e acendei em mim um grande desejo de agradar-Vos.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hence it was that the Holy Ghost chose to appear in the form of fiery tongues. \u00a0And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire. \u2014 <\/em>(Acts ii. 3). \u00a0Wherefore the Church instructs us to pray: \u201cMay the Holy Ghost, we beseech Thee, O Lord, inflame us with that fire which our Lord Jesus came to cast upon the earth, and which He ardently desired to be enkindled.\u201d \u00a0This was the holy Fire which has inspired the Saints to do such great things for God, to love their enemies, to desire contempt, to renounce all worldly goods, and to embrace with cheerfulness, even torments and death. \u00a0Love cannot remain idle, and never says: It is enough.<\/em> \u00a0The soul that loves God, the more she does for her Beloved, the more she desires to do for Him, in order to please Him, and to draw down His love the more. \u00a0This holy love is enkindled in mental prayer: In my meditation a fire shall flame out. \u2014 <\/em>(Ps. xxxviii. 4). \u00a0If, therefore, we desire to be on fire with the love of God, we must delight in prayer; this is the blessed furnace in which this Divine ardour is enkindled.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O Lord, I now renounce all self-gratification, and would rather die than displease Thee. \u00a0Thou didst appear in the shape of fiery tongues: I consecrate my tongue to Thee, that I may never use it to offend Thee. \u00a0Thou gave me my tongue, O God, to praise Thee, and I have made use of it to offend Thee, and to draw others into offences against Thee! \u00a0I am sorry for these things with my whole soul.\u00a0 Oh, for the love of Jesus Christ, Who in His mortal life honoured Thee so much with His tongue, grant that I also from this day forward may honour Thee, by always proclaiming Thy praises, by frequently invoking Thy assistance, and by speaking of Thy goodness and of the infinite love which Thou deserves! \u00a0I love Thee, my sovereign Good; I love Thee, O God of love! \u00a0O Mary, most dear spouse of the Holy Ghost, obtain for me this holy fire.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0 O SACRIF\u00cdCIO DA MISSA<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For every high-priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins. \u2014 <\/em>(Heb. v. 1).\u00a0 The priest, then, is placed by God in the Church in order to offer sacrifice. \u00a0This office is peculiar to the priests of the Law of grace, to whom has been given the power of offering the great Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Son of God \u2013 a Sacrifice sublime and perfect in comparison with the ancient sacrifices, the entire perfection of which consisted in being the shadow and figure of our Sacrifice.\u00a0 They were sacrifices of calves and oxen, but the Sacrifice of the Mass is the Sacrifice of the eternal Word made Man. \u00a0Of themselves they had no efficacy, and were therefore called by St. Paul weak and needy elements. \u2014 <\/em>(Gal. iv. 9). \u00a0But the Mass has power to obtain the remission of temporal penalties due to sins, and to procure an increase of grace, and more abundant helps for those in whose behalf it is offered.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus Christ performed no action on earth greater than the celebration of Mass. \u00a0In a word, of all actions that can be performed, the Mass is the most holy and dear to God, as well on account of the oblation presented to God, that is, Jesus Christ, a Victim of infinite dignity, as on account of the first Offerer, Jesus Christ, Who offers Himself on the altar by the hands of the priest. \u00a0\u201cThe same now making the offering,\u201d says the Council of Trent, \u201cby the ministry of priests, Who then offered Himself on the Cross.\u201d \u00a0St. John Chrysostom said: \u201cWhen you see a priest offering, do not believe that this is done by the hand of a priest; the offering is made rather by the hand of God invisibly stretched out.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All the honours that the Angels by their homage, and men by their virtues, penances, and martyrdoms, and other holy work, have ever given to God, could not give Him as much glory as a single Mass. \u00a0For all the honours of creatures are finite honours, but the honour given to God in the Sacrifice of the altar, because it proceeds from a Divine Person, is an infinite honour. \u00a0Hence we must confess that of all actions the Mass, as the Council of Trent says, is the most holy and divine: \u201cWe must needs confess that no other work can be performed by the faithful so holy and divine as this tremendous Mystery itself.\u201d\u00a0 It is, then, as we have seen, an action the most holy and dear to God \u2013 an action that appeases most efficaciously the anger of God against sinners, that beats down most effectually the powers of hell, that brings to men on earth the greatest benefits, and that affords to the souls in Purgatory the greatest relief. \u00a0It is, in fine, an action in which, as St. Udo, Abbot of Cluny, has written, consists the entire salvation of the world: \u201cOf all the favours granted to me, this is the greatest: it is truly by the most generous ardour of His love that God instituted this mystery, without which there would be no salvation in this world.\u201d \u00a0And, speaking of the Mass, Timothy of Jerusalem said that by it the world is preserved. \u00a0But for the Mass the earth should have long since perished on account of the sins of men.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

\"A caridade n\u00e3o age com perversidade.\"<\/em><\/p>

I. AQUELE QUE AMA JESUS CRISTO EVITA A MORNID\u00c3O E BUSCA A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0S\u00e3o Greg\u00f3rio, em sua explica\u00e7\u00e3o dessas palavras, \"n\u00e3o age perversamente\", diz que a Caridade, entregando-se cada vez mais ao amor de Deus, ignora tudo o que n\u00e3o \u00e9 correto e santo. O Ap\u00f3stolo j\u00e1 havia escrito no mesmo sentido, quando chamou a Caridade de v\u00ednculo que une as virtudes mais perfeitas na alma.\u00a0 Tenha caridade, que \u00e9 o v\u00ednculo da perfei\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em>. \u2014 (Col. iii. 14).\u00a0 And whereas Charity delights in perfection, she consequently abhors that lukewarmness with which some persons serve God, to the great risk of losing charity, divine grace, their very souls and their all.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0At the same time it must be observed that there are two kinds of tepidity or lukewarmness; the one unavoidable, the other avoidable.\u00a0 From that which is unavoidable, the Saints themselves are not exempt; and this comprises all the failings which are committed by us without full consent, but merely from our natural frailty.\u00a0 Such are, for example, distractions at prayers, interior disquietudes, useless words, vain curiosity, the wish to appear, tastes in eating and drinking, the movements of concupiscence not instantly repressed, and such like.\u00a0 We ought to avoid these defects as much as we possibly can; but, owing to the weakness of our nature, caused by the infection of sin, it is impossible to avoid them altogether.\u00a0 We ought, indeed, to detest them after committing them, because they are displeasing to God; but as we have already remarked, we ought to beware of making them a subject of alarm or disquietude.\u00a0 St. Francis of Sales wrote as follows: “All such thoughts as create disquietude are not from God, Who is the Prince of Peace; but they proceed always from the devil, or from self-love, or from the good opinion we have of ourselves.”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Such thoughts, therefore, as disturb us, must be straightway rejected, and made no account of. \u00a0It was said also by the same Saint Francis regarding indeliberate faults, that, as they were involuntarily committed, so are they cancelled involuntarily. \u00a0An act of sorrow, an act of love, is sufficient to cancel them. \u00a0The venerable Sister Mary Crucified, a Benedictine nun, saw once a globe of fire, on which a number of straws were cast, and were all forthwith reduced to ashes. \u00a0She was given to understand by this figure, that one act of Divine love, made with fervour, destroys all the defects we may have in our soul.\u00a0 The same effect is produced by the Holy Communion, according to what we find in the Council of Trent, where the Eucharist is called \u201can antidote by which we are freed from daily faults.\u201d \u00a0Thus the like faults, though they are indeed faults, do not hinder perfection; that is, our advancing to perfection; because no one attains perfection before he arrives at the kingdom of the Blessed.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSATURDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ASCENSION*<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

* [The title given in the book for this day is Saturday after Ascension<\/em>.]<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO \u00c9 UMA LUZ QUE ILUMINA A ALMA - \"O Lux Beatissima\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Lux Beatissima!<\/em>\u00a0 O Esp\u00edrito Santo, que \u00e9 chamado de a mais aben\u00e7oada Luz, \u00e9 Aquele que n\u00e3o apenas inflama nossos cora\u00e7\u00f5es para am\u00e1-Lo, mas tamb\u00e9m dissipa todas as trevas e nos revela a vaidade das coisas terrenas. \u00d3 Esp\u00edrito Santo, visita-me com Tua gra\u00e7a e concede-me o dom do entendimento, para que, pela contempla\u00e7\u00e3o das coisas celestiais, eu possa separar meus pensamentos e afei\u00e7\u00f5es de todas as vaidades deste mundo miser\u00e1vel.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Um dos piores efeitos do pecado de Ad\u00e3o em n\u00f3s foi o fato de cegar nossa raz\u00e3o por meio das paix\u00f5es que obscureceram a mente. Oh, qu\u00e3o miser\u00e1vel \u00e9 a alma que se permite ser governada por qualquer uma das paix\u00f5es! A paix\u00e3o \u00e9 um vapor, um v\u00e9u, que n\u00e3o nos permite ver a verdade. Como pode fugir do mal aquele que n\u00e3o sabe o que \u00e9 o mal? Essa obscuridade aumenta na propor\u00e7\u00e3o em que nossos pecados aumentam. Mas o Esp\u00edrito Santo, que \u00e9 chamado Luz muito aben\u00e7oada,<\/em> com Seus raios divinos, n\u00e3o apenas inflama nosso cora\u00e7\u00e3o para am\u00e1-Lo, mas tamb\u00e9m dissipa nossa escurid\u00e3o e nos revela a vaidade de todas as coisas do mundo, o valor dos bens eternos, a import\u00e2ncia da salva\u00e7\u00e3o, o valor da gra\u00e7a, a bondade de Deus, o amor infinito que Ele merece de n\u00f3s e o imenso amor que Ele nos demonstrou.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00d3 Esp\u00edrito Santo, Divino Consolador, eu Te adoro como meu verdadeiro Deus, assim como adoro a Deus Pai e a Deus Filho. Suplico-Te que me visites com Tua gra\u00e7a e Teu amor, e que me concedas o dom do entendimento, para que eu possa compreender os Mist\u00e9rios Divinos e, pela contempla\u00e7\u00e3o das coisas celestiais, possa separar meus pensamentos e afei\u00e7\u00f5es de todas as vaidades deste mundo miser\u00e1vel.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sensual man perceiveth not those things that are of the spirit of God. <\/em>\u2014 (1 Cor. ii. 14). \u00a0Man, absorbed in the pleasures of the earth, knows but little of these truths, and hence he unhappily loves that which he should hate, and hates that which he should love. \u00a0St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi exclaimed: \u201cO love not known, O love not loved!\u201d \u00a0And hence St. Teresa said, that God is not loved because He is not known. \u00a0Wherefore the Saints ever sought light from God: Send forth thy light; illumine my darkness; open thou my eyes.<\/em> \u00a0Yes, because without light, precipices cannot be avoided, nor God be found.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O Holy and Divine Spirit, I believe that Thou art truly God, and one God with the Father and with the Son. \u00a0I adore and acknowledge Thee as the Giver of those lights by which Thou hast discovered to me the evil I have done by offending Thee, and the obligation I am under of loving Thee. \u00a0I thank Thee for them, and am exceedingly sorry for having offended Thee. \u00a0I have deserved to be abandoned by Thee in my darkness, but I am sensible Thou hast not yet abandoned me. \u00a0Continue, O Eternal Spirit, to enlighten me, and make me know still more and more Thy infinite goodness, and give me strength to love Thee for the future with my whole heart. \u00a0Add grace upon grace, that so I may be sweetly overcome, and constrained to love no other but Thee. \u00a0I thank Thee through the merits of Jesus Christ. \u00a0I love Thee, my sovereign Good; I love Thee more than myself. \u00a0I desire to be all Thine; accept of me, and suffer me not to depart from Thee any more. \u00a0O Mary, my Mother, assist me always by thy holy intercession.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0 O SACRIF\u00cdCIO DA MISSA<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 St. Bonaventure says that in each Mass God bestows on the world a benefit not inferior to that which He conferred by His Incarnation. \u00a0This is conformable to the celebrated words of St. Augustine: \u201cO venerable dignity of the priests, in whose hands, as in the womb of the Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate!\u201d \u00a0Moreover, St. Thomas teaches that since the Sacrifice of the altar is nothing else than the application and renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross, a single Mass brings to men the same benefits and salvation that were produced by the Sacrifice of the Cross. \u00a0St. John Chrysostom says: \u201cThe celebration of a Mass has the same value as the death of Christ on the Cross.\u201d \u00a0And of this we are still more assured by the holy Church in the Collect for the Sunday after Pentecost: \u201cAs many times as this commemorative Sacrifice is celebrated, so often is the work of our Redemption performed.\u201d \u00a0The same Redeemer Who once offered Himself on the Cross is immolated on the altar by the ministry of His priests. \u00a0\u201cFor the Victim is one and the same,\u201d says the Council of Trent: \u201cthe same now offering by the ministry of priests, Who then offered Himself on the Cross, the manner alone of offering being different.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a word, the Mass is, according to the prediction of the Prophet, \u201cthe good and the beautiful thing\u201d of the Church: For what is the good thing of him, and what is his beautiful thing, but the corn of the elect and wine springing forth virgins. <\/em>\u2014 (Zach. ix. 17). \u00a0In the Mass, Jesus Christ gives Himself to us by means of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, which is the end and object of all the other Sacraments, says the angelic Doctor.\u00a0 Justly, then, has St. Bonaventure called a Mass a compendium of all God\u2019s love and of all His benefits to men.\u00a0 Hence the devil has always sought to deprive the world of the Mass by means of the heretics, constituting them precursors of Antichrist, whose first efforts will be to abolish the holy Sacrifice of the altar, and, according to the Prophet Daniel, in punishment of the sins of men, his efforts shall be successful: And strength was given him against the continual sacrifice on account of sins. \u2014 <\/em>(Dan. viii. 12).
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Most justly, then, does the holy Council of Trent require of priests to be most careful to celebrate Mass with the greatest possible devotion and purity of conscience: \u201cIt is sufficiently clear that all industry and diligence is to be applied to this end, that it (the Mystery) be performed with the greatest possible inward cleanness and purity of heart.\u201d \u00a0And in the same place the Council justly remarks, that on priests who celebrate this great Sacrifice negligently, and without devotion, shall fall the malediction threatened by the Prophet Jeremias: Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently. \u2014 <\/em>(Jer. xlviii. 10). \u00a0A servant of God used to say that the life of a priest should be nothing else than preparation and thanksgiving for Mass.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

II. AQUELE QUE AMA JESUS CRISTO EVITA A MORNID\u00c3O E BUSCA A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0A tepidez, portanto, que impede a perfei\u00e7\u00e3o, \u00e9 aquela tepidez que pode ser evitada quando uma pessoa comete faltas veniais deliberadas; porque todas essas faltas cometidas de olhos abertos podem ser efetivamente evitadas pela gra\u00e7a divina, se tivermos o desejo. Por isso, Santa Teresa disse: \"Que Deus o livre do pecado deliberado, por menor que seja\". Tais s\u00e3o, por exemplo, inverdades intencionais, pequenas detra\u00e7\u00f5es, impreca\u00e7\u00f5es, express\u00f5es de raiva, zombarias do pr\u00f3ximo, palavras cortantes, palavras de autoestima, animosidades nutridas no cora\u00e7\u00e3o, apegos desordenados a pessoas de sexo diferente. \"Esses s\u00e3o uma esp\u00e9cie de verme\", escreveu a mesma Santa, \"que n\u00e3o \u00e9 detectado antes de ter comido as virtudes\". Por isso, em outro lugar, ela deu esta admoesta\u00e7\u00e3o: \"Por meio de pequenas coisas, o dem\u00f4nio faz buracos para que grandes coisas entrem.\"
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Devemos, portanto, tremer diante de tais faltas deliberadas, pois elas fazem com que Deus feche Suas m\u00e3os para n\u00e3o nos conceder Suas luzes mais claras e Seus aux\u00edlios mais fortes, e nos privam das do\u00e7uras espirituais; e o resultado disso \u00e9 fazer com que a alma realize todos os exerc\u00edcios espirituais com grande cansa\u00e7o e dor; E assim, com o passar do tempo, ela come\u00e7a a deixar de lado a ora\u00e7\u00e3o, as comunh\u00f5es, as visitas ao Sant\u00edssimo Sacramento e as novenas; e, no final, ela provavelmente deixar\u00e1 de lado toda a piedade, como n\u00e3o raro tem acontecido com muitas almas infelizes.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This is the meaning of that threat which our Lord makes to the tepid: Thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot; but because thou art lukewarm<\/em> . . . I<\/em> will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. \u2014 <\/em>(Apoc. iii. 15,16). \u00a0How wonderful! \u00a0He says, I would thou wert cold! \u00a0<\/em>What! \u00a0And is it better to be cold, that is, deprived of grace, than to be tepid? \u00a0Yes, in a certain sense it is better to be cold; because a person who is cold may more easily change his life, being stung by the reproaches of conscience; whereas a tepid person contracts the habit of slumbering on in his faults, without bestowing a thought, or taking any trouble to correct himself; and thus he makes his cure, as it were, desperate: St. Gregory says, \u201cTepidity, which has cooled down from fervour, is a hopeless state.\u201d \u00a0The Venerable Father Lewis da Ponte said that he had committed many defects in the course of his life; but that he had never made a truce with his faults. \u00a0Some there are who make friends with their faults, and from that springs their ruin; especially when the fault is accompanied with some passionate attachment, of self-esteem, of ambition, of liking to be seen, of heaping up money, of resentment against a neighbour, or of inordinate affection for a person of a different sex. \u00a0In such cases there is great danger of those threads, as it were, becoming chains, as St. Francis of Assisi said, which will drag down the soul to hell. \u00a0At all events, such a soul will never become a saint, and will forfeit that beautiful crown, which God had prepared for her, had she faithfully corresponded to grace. \u00a0The bird no sooner feels herself loosed from the snare, than she immediately flies; the soul, as soon as she is loosed from earthly attachments, immediately flies to God; but while she is bound, though it be but by the slightest thread, it is enough to prevent her flying to God. \u00a0Oh, how many spiritual persons there are who do not become saints, because they will not do themselves the violence to break away from certain little attachments!<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDOMINGO NA OITAVA DA ASCENS\u00c3O<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 AMOR DIVINO: UMA FONTE QUE SATISFAZ - \"Riga quod est aridum\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Deus, que nos ama e deseja nos ver felizes, clama e d\u00e1 a conhecer a todos: Se algu\u00e9m tem sede, venha a mim<\/em>. Eu lhe darei o Esp\u00edrito Santo, que o tornar\u00e1 aben\u00e7oado nesta vida e na pr\u00f3xima.\u00a0 Riga quod est aridum!<\/em>\u00a0 \u00d3 meu Jesus, eu Te pe\u00e7o, d\u00ea-me a \u00e1gua do Teu amor que me far\u00e1 esquecer a terra e viver somente para Ti, que \u00e9s o infinitamente am\u00e1vel!<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O amor \u00e9 chamado de fonte viva, fogo, Caridade<\/em>.\u00a0 Fons vivus, ignis, Charitas<\/em>. Nosso bendito Redentor disse \u00e0 mulher samaritana: Mas aquele que beber da \u00e1gua que eu lhe der n\u00e3o ter\u00e1 sede para sempre<\/em>. \u2014 (John iv. 13).\u00a0 Love is the water which satisfies our thirst; for he that truly loves God with his whole heart, neither seeks nor desires anything else: because in God he finds every good.\u00a0 Hence, happy in possessing God, he frequently exclaims with joy: Meu Deus e meu Tudo!<\/em>\u00a0 Deus Todo-Poderoso se queixa de muitos que buscam prazeres ef\u00eameros e miser\u00e1veis nas criaturas e O abandonam, que \u00e9 a Bondade Infinita e a Fonte de toda alegria: Abandonaram-me, a mim, a fonte de \u00e1gua viva, e cavaram para si cisternas, cisternas rotas, que n\u00e3o ret\u00eam \u00e1gua<\/em>. \u2014 (Jer. ii. 13).\u00a0 Meanwhile God, Who loves us and desires to see us happy, cries out and makes known to all: Se algu\u00e9m tem sede, venha a mim<\/em>. \u2014 (John vii. 37).\u00a0 He who desires to be happy, let him come to Me, and I will bestow upon him the Holy Ghost, Who will make him blessed, both in this life and in the next.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Domine, da mihi hanc aquam! Senhor, d\u00ea-me desta \u00e1gua!<\/em> \u2014 (John iv. 15).\u00a0 O Jesus, with the Samaritan woman I beseech Thee, give me of this water of Thy love, which will make me forget the earth, and live only for Thee alone, Who art the infinitely amiable One.\u00a0 Riga quod est aridum!<\/em>\u00a0 Minha alma \u00e9 um solo est\u00e9ril, que n\u00e3o produz nada al\u00e9m das ervas daninhas e dos espinhos do pecado. Oh, regue-a com Sua santa gra\u00e7a, para que ela possa produzir algum fruto para Sua gl\u00f3ria, antes de deixar este mundo na morte!<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He, then, that believes in Jesus Christ, and loves Him, shall be enriched with so many graces, that from his heart shall spring up fountains of holy virtues, which shall not only preserve his life, but also give life to others. \u00a0And indeed this water is the Holy Ghost, the sustaining love which Jesus Christ promised to send from Heaven, after His Ascension: Now this he said of the Spirit, which they should receive who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not glorified. <\/em>\u2014 (John vii. 39).
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The key which opens the channels of this blessed water is holy prayer, which obtains all good things in virtue of the promise: Ask and you shall receive. \u00a0<\/em>We are weak, and blind, and poor, and miserable, but prayer will obtain for us strength, and light, and wealth, and happiness.\u00a0 Theodoret says: \u201cPrayer, though but one, can effect all things.\u201d \u00a0He who prays receives all he asks for. \u00a0God desires to give us His graces, but He desires that we should pray for them.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O Fountain of living water, O sovereign Good, how often have I deserted Thee for the defiled waters of the earth, which have deprived me of Thy love! \u00a0O that I had rather died than offend Thee! \u00a0But for the future I will seek after nothing but Thee, my God. \u00a0Succour me, and make me always faithful to Thee. \u00a0Mary, my hope, keep me always under thy holy protection.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0 A SUBLIME DIGNIDADE DO SACERD\u00d3CIO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In his Epistle to the Christians of Smyrna, St. Ignatius, Martyr, says that the priesthood is the most sublime of all created dignities: \u201cThe apex of dignities is the priesthood.\u201d \u00a0St. Ephrem calls it an infinite dignity: \u201cThe priesthood is an astounding miracle, great, immense, and infinite.\u201d \u00a0St. John Chrysostom says, that though its functions are performed on earth, the priesthood should be numbered among the things of Heaven.\u00a0 According to Cassian, the priest of God is exalted above all earthly sovereignties, and above all celestial heights \u2014 he is inferior only to God. \u00a0Innocent III says that the priest is placed between God and man; inferior to God, but superior to man.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 St. Denis calls the priest \u201ca divine man.\u201d \u00a0Hence he has called the priesthood \u201ca divine dignity.\u201d \u00a0In fine, St. Ephrem says that the gift of the sacerdotal dignity surpasses all understanding. \u00a0For us it is enough to know, that Jesus Christ has said that we should treat His priests as we would His own person: He that heareth you, heareth me; he that despiseth you, despiseth me. \u2014 <\/em>(Luke x. 16). \u00a0Hence St. John Chrysostom says, that “he who honours a priest, honours Christ, and he who insults a priest, insults Christ.\u201d \u00a0Through respect for the sacerdotal dignity, St. Mary of Oignies used to kiss the ground on which a priest had walked.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The dignity of the priest is estimated by the exalted nature of his office. \u00a0Priests are chosen by God to manage on earth all His concerns and interests.\u00a0 \u201cDivine,\u201d says St. Cyril of Alexandria, \u201care the offices confided to priests.\u201d \u00a0St. Ambrose has called the priestly office \u201ca divine profession.\u201d \u00a0A priest is a minister destined by God to be a public ambassador of the whole Church, to honour Him, and to obtain His graces for all the faithful. \u00a0The entire Church cannot give to God as much honour, nor obtain so many graces, as a single priest by celebrating a single Mass; for the greatest honour that the whole Church without priests could give to God would consist in offering to Him in sacrifice the lives of all men. \u00a0But of what value are the lives of all men compared with the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is a Sacrifice of infinite value? \u00a0What are all men before God but a little dust? \u00a0As a drop of a bucket . . . as a little dust. <\/em>\u2014 (Is. xl. 15, 17). \u00a0They are but a mere nothing in His sight. \u00a0All nations are before him as if they had no being at all. <\/em>\u00a0Thus, by the celebration of a single Mass, in which he offers Jesus Christ in Sacrifice, a priest gives greater honour to the Lord, than if all men by dying for God offered to Him the sacrifice of their lives. \u00a0By a single Mass he gives greater honour to God than all the Angels and Saints, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, have given or shall give to Him; for their worship cannot be of infinite value, like that which the priest celebrating on the altar offers to God.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Moreover, in the holy Mass the priest offers to God an adequate thanksgiving for all the graces bestowed even on the Blessed in Paradise; but such a thanksgiving all the Saints together are incapable of offering to God.\u00a0 Hence it is that on this account, also the priestly dignity is superior even to all celestial dignities. \u00a0Besides, the priest, says St. John Chrysostom, is an ambassador of the whole world, to intercede with God and to obtain graces for all creatures. \u00a0The priest, according to St. Ephrem, \u201ctreats familiarly with God.\u201d \u00a0To priests every door is open.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus has died to institute the priesthood. \u00a0It was not necessary for the Redeemer to die in order to save the world; a drop of His Blood, a single tear, or prayer, was sufficient to procure salvation for all; for such a prayer, being of infinite value, would be sufficient to save not one but a thousand worlds. \u00a0But to institute the priesthood, the Death of Jesus Christ has been necessary. \u00a0Had He not died, where should we find the Victim that the priests of the New Law now offer? \u00a0Where find a victim altogether holy and immaculate, capable of giving to God an honour worthy of God? \u00a0As has been already said, all the lives of men and Angels are not capable of giving to God an infinite honour like that which a priest offers to Him by a single Mass.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

III. AQUELE QUE AMA JESUS CRISTO EVITA A MORNID\u00c3O E BUSCA A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O mal da tepidez decorre do pouco amor que os homens t\u00eam por Jesus Cristo. Aqueles que est\u00e3o cheios de autoestima; aqueles que freq\u00fcentemente levam a s\u00e9rio ocorr\u00eancias que s\u00e3o contr\u00e1rias a seus desejos; que praticam grande indulg\u00eancia consigo mesmos por causa de sua sa\u00fade; que mant\u00eam o cora\u00e7\u00e3o aberto a objetos externos e a mente sempre distra\u00edda, com uma \u00e2nsia de ouvir e saber tantas coisas que n\u00e3o t\u00eam nada a ver com o servi\u00e7o de Deus, mas servem apenas para satisfazer a curiosidade particular; que est\u00e3o prontas para se ressentir de toda pequena desaten\u00e7\u00e3o dos outros e, consequentemente, s\u00e3o frequentemente perturbadas e se tornam negligentes na ora\u00e7\u00e3o e no recolhimento que, em um momento, s\u00e3o todas devo\u00e7\u00e3o e alegria, e no outro, todas impaci\u00eancia e melancolia, assim como as coisas acontecem de acordo com ou contra seu humor; todas essas pessoas n\u00e3o amam Jesus Cristo, ou O amam muito pouco, e lan\u00e7am descr\u00e9dito sobre a verdadeira devo\u00e7\u00e3o.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Mas se algu\u00e9m se encontrar afundado nesse infeliz estado de tepidez, o que deve fazer? Certamente, \u00e9 dif\u00edcil para uma alma que se tornou morna retomar seu antigo fervor; mas nosso Senhor disse que o que o homem n\u00e3o pode fazer, Deus pode muito bem fazer.\u00a0 As coisas que s\u00e3o imposs\u00edveis para o homem s\u00e3o poss\u00edveis para Deus<\/em>. - (Lucas xviii., 27). Quem orar e empregar os meios certamente alcan\u00e7ar\u00e1 seu desejo.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Agora, o primeiro meio \u00e9 o desejo de perfei\u00e7\u00e3o. Os desejos piedosos s\u00e3o as asas que nos elevam da terra; pois, como diz S\u00e3o Louren\u00e7o Justiniano, o desejo \"fornece for\u00e7a e alivia a dor\". Ele d\u00e1 for\u00e7a para caminhar em dire\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0 perfei\u00e7\u00e3o e alivia o cansa\u00e7o da jornada. Aquele que tem um desejo real de perfei\u00e7\u00e3o n\u00e3o deixa de avan\u00e7ar continuamente em dire\u00e7\u00e3o a ela; e avan\u00e7ando assim, ele deve finalmente chegar a ela. Ao contr\u00e1rio, aquele que n\u00e3o tem o desejo da perfei\u00e7\u00e3o sempre retroceder\u00e1 e sempre se encontrar\u00e1 mais imperfeito do que antes. Santo Agostinho diz que \"n\u00e3o avan\u00e7ar no caminho de Deus \u00e9 retroceder\". Aquele que n\u00e3o se esfor\u00e7a para avan\u00e7ar se ver\u00e1 levado para tr\u00e1s pela corrente de sua natureza corrupta.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They, then, who say, \u201cGod does not wish us all to be saints,\u201d make a great mistake. \u00a0Yes; for St. Paul says, This is the will of God, your sanctification. <\/em>\u2014 (1 Thess. iv. 3). \u00a0God wishes us all to be saints, and each one according to his state of life: the Religious as a Religious; the secular as a secular; the Priest as a Priest; the married as married; the man of business as a man of business; the soldier as a soldier; and so of every other state of life. \u00a0Most beautiful, indeed, are the instructions which my great patroness, St. Teresa, gives on this subject. \u00a0She says, in one place, \u201cLet us enlarge our thoughts; for hence we shall derive immense good.\u201d \u00a0Elsewhere: \u201cWe must beware of having poor desires; but rather put our confidence in God, in order that, by forcing ourselves continually onwards, we may by degrees arrive where, by the Divine grace, so many Saints have arrived.\u201d \u00a0And in confirmation of this she quoted her own experience, having known how courageous souls make considerable progress in a short period of time.\u00a0 \u201cBecause,\u201d said she, \u201cThe Lord takes as much delight in our desires, as if they were put into execution.\u201d \u00a0In another place she says: \u201cAlmighty God does not confer extraordinary favours, except where His love has been earnestly sought after.\u201d \u00a0Again, in another passage, she remarks: \u201cGod does not fail to repay every good desire even in this life, for He is the Friend of generous souls, provided only they do not trust in themselves.\u201d \u00a0This Saint herself was endowed with just such a spirit of generosity; so that she once even said to our Lord, that were she to behold others in Paradise enjoying Him more than herself, she would not care; but were she to behold any one loving Him more than she should love Him, this she declared she knew not how she could endure.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We must, therefore have great courage: O Senhor \u00e9 bom para a alma que o busca. <\/em>\u2014 (Lam. iii. 25). \u00a0God is surpassingly good and liberal towards a soul that heartily seeks Him. \u00a0Neither can past sins prove a hindrance to our becoming Saints, if only we have the sincere desire to become so. \u00a0St. Teresa remarks: \u201cThe devil strives to make us think it pride to entertain lofty desires, and to wish to imitate the Saints; but it is of great service to encourage ourselves with the desire of great things, because, although the soul has not all at once the necessary strength, yet she nevertheless makes a bold flight, and rapidly advances.\u201d \u00a0The Apostle writes: To them that love God, all things work together unto good. <\/em>\u2014 (Rom. viii. 28). \u00a0And the Gloss adds \u201ceven sins\u201d; even past sins can contribute to our sanctification, inasmuch as the recollection of them keeps us more humble, and more grateful, when we witness the favours God lavishes upon us, after all our outrages against Him. \u00a0I am not capable of anything, the sinner should say, nor do I deserve anything; I deserve nothing but hell; but I have to deal with a God of infinite bounty, Who has promised to listen to all that pray to Him.\u00a0 Now, as He has rescued me from a state of damnation, and wishes me to become holy, and now proffers me His help, I can certainly become a saint, not by my own strength, but by the grace of my God, Who strengthens me: I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. \u2014 <\/em>(Phil. iv. 13).\u00a0 Once, thus, we have good desires, we must take courage, and trusting in God, endeavour to put them into execution; but if afterwards we encounter any obstacle in our spiritual enterprises, let us repose quietly on the will of God. \u00a0God\u2019s will must be preferred before every good desire of our own. \u00a0St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi would sooner have remained without perfection than possess it without the will of God.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSEGUNDA-FEIRA DENTRO DA OITAVA DA ASCENS\u00c3O<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO \u00c9 UM ORVALHO QUE FERTILIZA - \"In aestu temperies: dulce refrigerium\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Amor Divino fertiliza os bons desejos, os prop\u00f3sitos sagrados e as boas obras de nossa alma, e essas s\u00e3o as flores e os frutos que a gra\u00e7a do Esp\u00edrito Santo produz. \u00d3 Esp\u00edrito Santo e Divino, n\u00e3o viverei mais para mim mesmo. Passarei todos os dias que me restam de vida amando e agradando a Ti.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Amor Divino \u00e9 um orvalho que fertiliza a alma. Assim, a Santa Igreja nos ensina a orar: Que a infus\u00e3o do Esp\u00edrito Santo purifique nosso cora\u00e7\u00e3o e o fertilize com a aspers\u00e3o interior de seu orvalho<\/em>. O amor fertiliza nossos bons desejos, nossos prop\u00f3sitos santos e as boas obras de nossa alma; essas s\u00e3o as flores e os frutos que a gra\u00e7a do Esp\u00edrito Santo produz. O amor tamb\u00e9m \u00e9 chamado de orvalho, porque esfria o calor dos maus desejos e das tenta\u00e7\u00f5es. Por isso, o Esp\u00edrito Santo tamb\u00e9m \u00e9 chamado de refresco no excesso de calor e consolo em nossa tristeza. In aestu temperies; dulce refrigerium<\/em>.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00d3 Esp\u00edrito Santo e Divino, n\u00e3o viverei mais para mim mesmo; os dias que me restarem de vida, gastarei inteiramente em Te amar e agradar. Por isso, eu Te pe\u00e7o que me conceda o dom da ora\u00e7\u00e3o. Vem, Tu, ao meu cora\u00e7\u00e3o e ensina-me a orar como devo. D\u00e1-me for\u00e7as para n\u00e3o negligenciar a ora\u00e7\u00e3o nos momentos de secura e cansa\u00e7o; e d\u00e1-me o esp\u00edrito de ora\u00e7\u00e3o, isto \u00e9, a gra\u00e7a de orar a Ti de tal maneira e de oferecer-Te as ora\u00e7\u00f5es que Te sejam mais aceit\u00e1veis.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This dew descends into our hearts in the time of prayer.\u00a0 A quarter of an hour\u2019s prayer is sufficient to appease any passion of hatred or of inordinate love, however ardent it may be: He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me. \u2014 <\/em>(Cant. ii. 4). \u00a0Holy meditation is this cellar of wine, where love is set in order, to love God above all things, and our neighbours as ourselves.\u00a0 He who loves God loves prayer; and he who loves not prayer will find it morally impossible to overcome his passions.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was lost by my sins, O my God, but I now see from the favour which Thou hast shown me, that Thou desirest my sanctification and salvation; and I certainly desire to become holy, that I may please Thee, and love more ardently Thy infinite Goodness. \u00a0I love Thee, my sovereign Good, my Love, and my All; and because I love Thee, I give my whole self to Thee. \u00a0O Blessed Virgin Mary, protect me.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0 GRANDEZA DO PODER SACERDOTAL<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The dignity of the priest is also estimated by the power that he has over the real and the mystic body of Jesus Christ.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With regard to the power of priests over the real Body of Jesus Christ, it is of Faith that when they pronounce the words of Consecration the Incarnate Word has obliged Himself to obey and to come into their hands under the sacramental species. \u00a0We are struck with wonder when we hear that God obeyed the voice of Josue \u2013 The Lord obeying the voice of man \u2013 <\/em>and made the sun stand when he said: Move not, O sun, towards Gabaon, . . . and the sun stood still. <\/em>\u2014 (Jos. x. 12-13). \u00a0But our wonder should be far greater when we find that in obedience to the words of His priests \u2013 HOC EST CORPUS MEUM \u2013 God Himself descends on the altar, that He comes wherever they call Him, and as often as they call Him, and places Himself in their hands, even though they should be His enemies. \u00a0And after having come, He remains entirely at their disposal; they move Him as they please, from one place to another; they may, if they wish, shut Him up in the Tabernacle, or expose Him on the altar, or carry Him outside the church. \u00a0They may, if they choose, eat His flesh, and give Him as food to others. \u00a0\u201cOh, how very great is their power,\u201d says St. Laurence Justinian, speaking of priests; \u201ca word falls from their lips and the Body of Christ is there substantially formed from the matter of bread, and the Incarnate Word come down from Heaven, is found really present on the table of the altar!\u00a0 Never did Divine goodness give such power to the Angels.\u00a0 The Angels abide by the order of God, but the priests take Him in their hands, distribute Him to the faithful, and partake of Him as food for themselves.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With regard to the mystic<\/em> body of Christ, that is, all the faithful, the priest has the power of the keys, or the power of delivering sinners from hell, of making them worthy of Paradise, and of changing them from the slaves of Satan into the children of God. \u00a0And God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse or give absolution, provided the penitent is capable of it. \u00a0\u201cSuch,\u201d says St. Maximus of Turin, \u201cis this judiciary power ascribed to Peter that its decision carries with it the decision of God.\u201d \u00a0The sentence of the priest precedes, and God subscribes to it, writes St. Peter Damian. \u00a0Hence St. John Chrysostom thus concludes: \u201cThe Sovereign Master of the universe only follows the servant by confirming in Heaven all that the latter decides upon earth.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Priests are the dispensers of the divine graces, and the companions of God. \u00a0\u201cConsider the priests,\u201d says St. Ignatius, Martyr, \u201cas the dispensers of divine graces and the associates of God.\u201d \u00a0\u201cThey are,\u201d says St. Prosper, \u201cthe glory and the immovable columns of the Church; they are the doors of the eternal city, through them all reach Christ; they are the vigilant guardians to whom the Lord has confided the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; they are the stewards of the king\u2019s house, to assign to each according to his good pleasure his place in the hierarchy.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Were the Redeemer to descend into a church, and sit in a confessional to administer the Sacrament of Penance, and a priest to sit in another confessional, Jesus would say over each penitent, Ego te absolvo.<\/em> \u00a0The priest would likewise say over each of his penitents, Ego te absolvo,<\/em> and the penitents of each would be equally absolved. \u00a0How great the honour that a king would confer on a subject whom he should empower to rescue from prison as many as he pleased! \u00a0But far greater is the power that the Eternal Father has given to Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ has given to His priests, to rescue from hell not only the bodies but also the souls of the faithful: \u201cThe Son,\u201d says St. John Chrysostom, \u201chas put into the hands of the priests all judgment; for having been as it were transported into Heaven, they have received this divine prerogative. \u00a0If a king gave to a mortal the power to release from prison all prisoners, all would pronounce such a one happy; but the priests have received from God a far greater power, since the soul is more noble than the body.\u201d<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

IV. OS MEIOS DE EVITAR A MORNID\u00c3O E ALCAN\u00c7AR A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O segundo meio de perfei\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e9 a resolu\u00e7\u00e3o de pertencer totalmente a Deus<\/em>. Muitos s\u00e3o chamados \u00e0 perfei\u00e7\u00e3o; s\u00e3o impelidos a ela pela gra\u00e7a, concebem um desejo por ela; mas como nunca se decidem de fato a adquiri-la, vivem e morrem no mau cheiro de sua vida morna e imperfeita. O desejo de perfei\u00e7\u00e3o n\u00e3o \u00e9 suficiente se n\u00e3o for acompanhado de uma firme determina\u00e7\u00e3o de alcan\u00e7\u00e1-la. Quantas almas se alimentam apenas de desejos, mas nunca d\u00e3o um passo sequer no caminho de Deus! \u00c9 sobre esses desejos que o Homem S\u00e1bio fala quando diz: Os desejos matam os pregui\u00e7osos<\/em>. \u2014 (Prov. xxi. 25).\u00a0 The slothful man is ever desiring, but never resolves to take the means suitable to his state of life to become a saint.\u00a0 He says: “Oh, if I were but in solitude, and not in this house!\u00a0 Oh, if I could but go and reside in another monastery, I would give myself up entirely to God!”\u00a0 And meanwhile he cannot support a certain companion; he cannot put up with a word of contradiction; he is dissipated about many useless cares; he commits a thousand faults of gluttony, of curiosity, and of pride; and yet he sighs out to the wind: “Oh, if I had but . . .!” or “Oh, if I could but . . .!”\u00a0 Such desires do more harm than good; because some regale themselves upon them, and in the meantime go on leading a life of imperfection.\u00a0 It was a saying of St. Francis of Sales: “I do not approve of a person who, being engaged in some duty or vocation, sighs for some other kind of life than is compatible with his actual position, or for other exercises unfitted for his present state; for it merely serves to dissipate his heart, and makes him languish in his necessary duties.”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We, must, therefore, desire perfection, and resolutely take the means towards it. \u00a0St. Teresa says: \u201cGod only looks for one resolution on our part, and will afterwards do all the rest Himself: the devil has no fear of irresolute souls.\u201d \u00a0For this reason mental prayer must be used, in order to take the means which lead to perfection. \u00a0Some make much prayer, but never come to a practical conclusion. \u00a0The Saint again says: \u201cI would rather have a short prayer, which produces great fruits, than a prayer of many years, wherein a soul never gets further than resolving to do something worthy of Almighty God.\u201d\u00a0 And elsewhere she says: \u201cI have learnt by experience that whoever, at the beginning, brings himself to the resolution of doing some great work, however difficult it may be, if he does so to please God, he has no reason to be afraid.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTER\u00c7A-FEIRA DENTRO DA OITAVA DA ASCENS\u00c3O<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO \u00c9 UM REPOUSO QUE REFRESCA - \"In labore requies: in fletu solatium\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Amor Divino \u00e9 chamado de descanso no trabalho de parto, conforto no luto<\/em>. Uma alma que ama a Deus encontra paz e contentamento em todas as tribula\u00e7\u00f5es e adversidades, simplesmente dizendo: Esta \u00e9 a vontade do meu Deus<\/em>.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Amor Divino tamb\u00e9m \u00e9 chamado de descanso no trabalho, conforto no luto. In labore requies, in fletu solatium<\/em>. O amor \u00e9 um repouso que refresca, porque o principal efeito do amor \u00e9 unir a vontade do amante com a do amado. Para uma alma que ama a Deus, em toda afronta que recebe, em toda dor que suporta, em toda perda que sofre, \u00e9 suficiente para torn\u00e1-la resignada saber que tais coisas lhe s\u00e3o permitidas pela vontade de seu Amado. Ele encontra paz e contentamento em todas as tribula\u00e7\u00f5es e adversidades, dizendo: Essa \u00e9 a vontade do meu Deus<\/em>. Essa \u00e9 a paz que supera todos os prazeres dos sentidos: A paz de Deus que excede todo o entendimento<\/em>. \u2014 (Philipp. iv. 7).\u00a0 St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, by merely repeating: “it is the will of God,” was immediately filled with joy.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00d3 meu Deus, quantas vezes, para seguir minha pr\u00f3pria vontade, opus-me \u00e0 Tua santa vontade e a desprezei. Desejo, de hoje em diante, am\u00e1-Lo de todo o meu cora\u00e7\u00e3o.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Everyone in this world must carry his cross; but St. Teresa says that the cross is hard to those who drag it, but not to those who embrace it. \u00a0Thus, the Lord knows well how to strike and how to heal. \u00a0He woundeth, <\/em>saith holy Job, and cureth; he striketh, and his hands shall heal.<\/em> \u00a0The Holy Ghost, by His sweet unction, renders even ignominies and torments sweet and amiable.\u00a0 Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. \u2014 <\/em>(Matt. xi. 26). \u00a0Thus ought we to say in all the adversities which befall us: So be it done, O Lord, for so hath it pleased Thee.<\/em> \u00a0And when the fear of any temporal calamity alarms us, let us always say: \u201cDo with me, O Lord, whatever Thou pleasest; I will accept all as coming from Thee.\u201d \u00a0It is good, as St. Teresa advises, frequently in the course of the day to offer ourselves in this manner to God.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.<\/em> \u00a0What wouldst Thou have me to do? \u00a0I will do all that Thou requires of me. \u00a0Thy will shall be my only desire, my only love.\u00a0 Holy Spirit, strengthen my weakness. \u00a0Thou art goodness itself: how can I love any other but Thee? \u00a0O do Thou draw all the affections of my heart to Thyself, by the sweet attractions of Thy holy love. \u00a0I renounce all, to give myself entirely to Thee. \u00a0Accept of me, and succour me. \u00a0O Mary, my Mother, pray for me.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual: \u00a0O SACERD\u00d3CIO SUPERA TODAS AS OUTRAS DIGNIDADES CRIADAS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sacerdotal dignity is the most noble of all the dignities in this world. \u00a0\u201cNothing,\u201d says St. Ambrose, \u201cis more excellent in this world.\u201d \u00a0It transcends, says St. Bernard, \u201call the dignities of kings, of emperors, and of Angels.\u201d \u00a0According to St. Ambrose, the dignity of the priest as far exceeds that of kings, as the value of gold surpasses that of lead. \u00a0The reason is, because the power of kings extends only to temporal goods and to the bodies of men, but the power of the priest extends to spiritual goods and to the human soul. \u00a0\u201cHence,\u201d says St. Clement, \u201cas much as the soul is more noble than the body, so much is the priesthood more excellent than royalty.\u201d \u00a0\u201cPrinces,\u201d says St. John Chrysostom, \u201chave the power of binding, but they bind only the bodies, while the priest binds the soul.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The kings of the earth glory in honouring priests: \u201cIt is a mark of a good prince,\u201d says Pope St. Marcellinus, \u201cto honour the priests of God.\u201d \u00a0\u201cThey willingly,\u201d says Peter de Blois, \u201cbend their knee before the priest of God; they kiss his hands, and with bowed down head receive his benediction.\u201d \u00a0\u201cThe sacerdotal dignity,\u201d says St. Chrysostom, \u201ceffaces the royal dignity; hence the king inclines his head under the hand of the priest to receive his blessing.\u201d \u00a0In the Council of Nice, the Emperor Constantine wished to sit in the last place, after all the priests, and on a seat lower than that which they occupied; he would not even sit down without their permission. \u00a0The holy king, St. Boleslaus, had so great a veneration for priests, that he would not dare to sit in their presence.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sacerdotal dignity also surpasses the dignity of the Angels. \u00a0The Angels in Heaven cannot absolve from a single sin. \u00a0The Guardian Angels procure for the souls committed to their care grace to have recourse to a priest that he may absolve them: \u201cAlthough,\u201d says St. Peter Damian, \u201cAngels may be present, they yet wait for the priest to exercise his power, but no one of them has the power of the keys \u2013 that is, to bind and to loose.\u201d \u00a0When St. Michael comes to a dying Christian who invokes his aid, the holy Archangel can chase away the devils, but he cannot free his client from their chains till a priest comes to absolve him. \u00a0After having given the order of priesthood to a holy ecclesiastic, St. Francis de Sales perceived, that in going out he stopped at the door as if to give precedence to another. \u00a0Being asked by the Saint why he stopped, he answered that God favoured him with the visible presence of his Angel guardian, who before he had received priesthood always remained at his right and preceded him, but afterwards walked on his left and refused to go before him. \u00a0It was in a holy contest with the Angel that he stopped at the door. \u00a0St. Francis of Assisi used to say, \u201cIf I saw an Angel and a priest, I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the Angel.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Besides, the power of the priest surpasses that of the Blessed Virgin Mary; for, although this Divine Mother can pray for us, and by her prayers obtain whatever she wishes, yet she cannot absolve a Christian from even the smallest sin. \u00a0\u201cThe Blessed Virgin was eminently more perfect than the Apostles,\u201d says Innocent III: \u201cIt was, however, not to her, but only to the Apostles, that the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.\u201d\u00a0 St. Bernardine of Sienna has written: \u201cHoly Virgin, excuse me, for I speak not against thee: the Lord has raised the priesthood above thee.\u201d \u00a0The Saint assigns the reason of the superiority of the priesthood over Mary; she conceived Jesus Christ only once; but by consecrating the Eucharist, the priest, as it were, conceives Him as often as he wishes, so that if the Person of the Redeemer had not as yet been in the world, the priest, by pronouncing the words of Consecration, would produce this great Person of a Man-God. \u00a0\u201cO wonderful dignity of priests,\u201d cries out St. Augustine, \u201cin whose hands, as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.\u201d \u00a0Hence priests are called the parents of Jesus Christ: such is the title that St. Bernard gives them, for they are the active cause by which He is made to exist really in the consecrated Host.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator; since by saying the words of Consecration, he creates, as it were, Jesus in the Sacrament, by giving Him a sacramental existence, and produces Him as a Victim to be offered to the Eternal Father. \u00a0As in creating the world it was sufficient for God to have said: Let it be made, and it was created \u2013 He spoke, and they were made \u2014<\/em>(Ps. xxxii. 9) \u2013 so it is sufficient for the priest to say, \u201cHoc est corpus meum,\u201d and behold the bread is no longer bread,<\/em> but the Body of Jesus Christ. \u00a0\u201cThe power of the priest,\u201d says St. Bernardine of Sienna, \u201cis the power of the Divine Person; for the Transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world.\u201d \u00a0And St. Augustine has written: \u201cO venerable sanctity of the hands! \u00a0O happy function of the priest! \u00a0He that created me (if I may say so) gave me the power to create Him; and He that created me without me is Himself created by me!\u201d\u00a0 As the Word of God created Heaven and earth, so, says St. Jerome, the words of the priest create Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \u201cAt a sign from God there came forth from nothing both the sublime vault of the heavens and the vast extent of the earth; but not less great is the power that manifests itself in the mysterious words of the priest.\u201d \u00a0The dignity of the priest is so great, that he even blesses Jesus Christ on the altar as a Victim to be offered to the Eternal Father. \u00a0In the sacrifice of the Mass, writes Father Mansi, Jesus Christ is the principal Offerer and Victim; as Minister, He blesses the priest, but as Victim, the priest blesses Him.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

V. OS MEIOS DE EVITAR A MORNID\u00c3O E ALCAN\u00c7AR A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The first resolution must be to make every effort, and to die rather than commit any deliberate sin whatever, however small it may be.\u00a0 It is true that all our endeavours, without the Divine assistance, cannot enable us to vanquish temptations; but God wishes us on our part frequently to use this violence with ourselves, because then He will afterwards supply us with His grace, will succour our weakness, and enable us to gain the victory.\u00a0 This resolution removes from us every obstacle to our going forward, and at the same time gives us great courage, because it affords us an assurance of being in the grace of God.\u00a0 St. Francis de Sales writes: \u201cThe best security we can possess in this world of being in the grace of God, consists not indeed in feeling that we have His love, but in a pure and irrevocable abandonment of our entire being into His hands, and in the firm resolution of never consenting to sin, either great or small.\u201d\u00a0 This is what is meant by being of a delicate conscience.\u00a0 Be it observed that it is one thing to be of a delicate conscience, and another to be of a scrupulous conscience.\u00a0 To be of a delicate conscience is requisite to become a saint; but to be scrupulous is a defect, and does harm; and on this account we must obey our directors, and rise above scruples, which are nothing else but vain and unreasonable alarms.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hence it is necessary to resolve on choosing the best; not only what is agreeable to God, but what is most agreeable to Him, without any reserve. \u00a0St. Francis de Sales says: \u201cWe must start with a strong and constant resolution to give ourselves wholly to God, and protest to Him that for the future we wish to be His without any reserve, and then we must afterwards often renew this same resolution.\u201d \u00a0St. Andrew Avellini made a vow to advance daily in perfection. \u00a0It is not necessary for every one who wishes to become a saint to make it the matter of a vow; but he must endeavour every day to make some steps forward in perfection. \u00a0St. Laurence Justinian has written: \u201cWhen a person is really making progress, he feels in himself a continual desire of advancing; and the more he improves in perfection, the more this desire increases; because as his interior light increases each day more and more, he seems to himself always to be wanting in every virtue, and to be doing no good at all; and if, perchance, he is aware of some good he does, it always appears to him very imperfect, and he makes small account of it. \u00a0The consequence is, he is continually labouring to acquire perfection without ever feeling wearied.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tQUARTA-FEIRA DENTRO DA OITAVA DA ASCENS\u00c3O<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 DIVINE LOVE STRENGTHENS US \u2014 \u201cFortis est ut mors delectio.\u201d<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O amor \u00e9 forte como a morte<\/em>. \u2014 (Cant. viii. 6).\u00a0 As there is no created power that can resist death, so with the soul that loves God there is no difficulty that love cannot overcome.\u00a0 O my Jesus, send Thy Holy Spirit that He may come and strengthen me to do and suffer something for Thy love before death overtakes me.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Fortis est ut mors delectio.<\/em>\u00a0 O amor \u00e9 forte como a morte.<\/em>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As there is no created power than can resist death, so to the soul that loves God, there is no difficulty which yields not to love.\u00a0 When the soul that loves would please its Beloved, love overcomes all losses, contempt, and sorrows: \u201cNothing is so hard but that it may be conquered by the fire of love.\u201d This is the most certain mark by which to know whether a soul really loves God, its being as faithful to Him when things are adverse as when they are prosperous.\u00a0 St. Francis de Sales says: \u201cGod is just as amiable when He chastises us as when He consoles us, because He does both from love.\u201d
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00d3 Deus da minha alma, eu digo que Te amo, mas o que fa\u00e7o por Teu amor? Nada. \u00c9 um sinal, portanto, de que ou n\u00e3o Te amo ou Te amo muito pouco. Envie, portanto, \u00f3 Jesus, o Esp\u00edrito Santo sobre mim, e venha me fortalecer para fazer e sofrer algo por Teu amor antes que a morte me alcance. N\u00e3o permita, Senhor, que eu saia desta vida frio e ingrato, como tenho sido at\u00e9 agora. D\u00ea-me for\u00e7as para amar os sofrimentos, por causa dos muitos pecados pelos quais mereci o inferno. \u00d3 meu Deus, que sois todo bondade e todo amor, desejais habitar em minha alma, da qual tantas vezes Vos expulsei; vinde e tomai posse dela; habitai nela e fazei-a toda Vossa.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When God afflicts us the most in this life, He loves us the most. \u00a0St. John Chrysostom considered St. Paul bound in chains more happy than St. Paul rapt to the third heavens. \u00a0Hence the holy Martyrs, in the midst of their torments, rejoiced, and gave thanks to God for the great favour He conferred upon them in allowing them to suffer for His love. \u00a0And the other Saints, when tyrants were wanting to afflict them, became their own tormentors by the penances which they imposed upon themselves, in order to please God. \u00a0St. Augustine says: \u201cHe who loves, either does not feel the labour, or the labour itself is loved.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I love Thee, O my Lord; and if I love Thee, Thou art with me, as St. John assures me: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him. \u2014 <\/em>(1 John iv. 16).\u00a0 Since, therefore, Thou art with me, increase the flames, the chains of Thy love, that I may neither desire, nor seek, nor love any other but Thee, and thus bound by Thy love, may never separate myself from Thee anymore.\u00a0 I desire, O Jesus, to be Thine, to be all Thine. \u00a0O Mary, my Queen and advocate, obtain for me love and holy perseverance.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual: \u00a0IR \u00c0 SANTA COMUNH\u00c3O<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Of all the Sacraments the adorable Sacrament of the altar is the most excellent. \u00a0The other Sacraments contain the gifts of God, but the Holy Eucharist contains God Himself. \u00a0Hence St. Thomas says that the other Sacraments have been instituted by Jesus Christ to prepare men either to receive or to administer the Blessed Eucharist, which, according to the holy Doctor, is the consummation of the spiritual life; because from this Sacrament is derived all the perfection of the soul. \u00a0For all perfection consists in a union with God; and of all the means of uniting the soul to Him there is none better than Holy Communion by which, as Jesus Christ Himself has said, the soul becomes as it were one thing with Him.\u00a0 He that eateth my flesh . . . abideth in me and I in him. <\/em>\u2014 (John vi. 57). \u00a0Hence St. John Chrysostom says that Jesus has given His Body to us under the species of bread that we may become one thing with Him. \u00a0And St. Cyril of Alexander teaches that as two pieces of wax melted together become one, so we, by Holy Communion, are similarly united with Jesus Christ.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Our Saviour instituted this Sacrament under the form of food to show that, as corporal food is changed into our flesh, so this heavenly Bread becomes one thing with us; but with this difference, that earthly food is converted into our substance, while this divine Bread transforms those who eat into Jesus Christ. \u00a0This is the reason why Rupert makes our Lord say: \u201cEat, and you shall be by grace what I am by nature.\u201d \u00a0And this is what our Lord deigned to say one day to St. Augustine: \u201cI will not be changed into you, but you shall be changed into me.\u201d\u00a0 The principal effect of this Sacrament is to preserve in the soul the life of grace. \u00a0Hence, it is called bread; for as earthly bread supports corporal life, so this heavenly Bread preserves the life of the soul which consists in the grace of God.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Eucharist is, according to the Council of Trent, the divine medicine that purifies the soul from venial faults, and preserves it from mortal sins. \u00a0Like a stream of water, this Sacrament extinguishes the ardour of the passions by which we are consumed. \u00a0Let him in whose soul the flame of some particular passion is kindled approach Holy Communion, and he will find the passion altogether, or at least in a great measure, destroyed. \u00a0\u201cIf any of you,\u201d says St. Bernard, \u201cdoes not experience so frequent or so violent motions of anger, of envy, or of lust, let him give thanks to the Body of the Lord that produces fruit in his soul.\u201d \u00a0The angelic Doctor teaches that the Communion gives us strength to overcome all the attacks of the devil. \u00a0\u201cIt repels every assault of the demons.\u201d \u00a0St. John Chrysostom asserts that when we receive the Holy Eucharist, the devils are put to flight, and the Angels fly to our assistance. \u00a0Moreover, this Sacrament infuses into the soul great interior peace, a strong inclination to virtue, and a great willingness to practise it, and thus renders it easy to walk in the path of perfection.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Holy Communion, as St. Thomas teaches, infuses divine charity into the heart. \u00a0Jesus Christ protested that He came into the world for no other purpose than to kindle in our souls the holy fire of divine love. \u00a0I come to cast fire on the earth, and what will I but that it he kindled? <\/em>\u2014 (Luke xii. 49). \u00a0The Venerable Father Olimpio, of the Order of Theatines, used to say, that there is no Mystery of Redemption more apt to inflame us with the love of Jesus Christ than the Sacrament of the altar in which He gives Himself entirely to us, and pours forth all His love. \u00a0Hence, speaking of the institution of this Sacrament, St. John says: Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them unto the end. <\/em>\u2014 (John xiii. 1). \u00a0He loved them to the end,<\/em> that is, according to the commentators, he loved them to the utmost of His power. \u00a0Hence the Council of Trent said that in this Sacrament Jesus \u201cpoured forth, as it were, all the riches of His divine love towards man.\u201d \u00a0Holy Communion has been called by St. Thomas \u201cthe Sacrament of love\u201d; and by St. Bernard \u201cthe love of loves.\u201d \u00a0St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to call the day of Communion \u201cthe day of love\u201d; and would say that a soul after Communion might exclaim with Jesus dying on the Cross: It is consummated!<\/em> \u00a0For after having given Himself to me, God has nothing more to give me; nor can I desire anything else from Him.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

VI. OS MEIOS DE EVITAR A MORNID\u00c3O E ALCAN\u00c7AR A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Devemos come\u00e7ar rapidamente e n\u00e3o esperar pelo dia seguinte. Quem sabe se depois encontraremos tempo ou n\u00e3o! Eclesiastes nos aconselha: Tudo o que suas m\u00e3os puderem fazer, fa\u00e7a-o com empenho<\/em>. (Eccles. ix. 10).\u00a0 What thou canst do, do it quickly, and defer it not; and he adduces the reason why: Pois nem a obra, nem a raz\u00e3o, nem a sabedoria, nem o conhecimento estar\u00e3o no inferno, para onde voc\u00ea est\u00e1 indo<\/em>. (...) Porque na pr\u00f3xima vida n\u00e3o h\u00e1 mais tempo para trabalhar, nem livre-arb\u00edtrio para merecer, nem prud\u00eancia para fazer o bem, nem sabedoria ou experi\u00eancia para tomar bons conselhos, pois depois da morte o que est\u00e1 feito est\u00e1 feito. Uma freira do convento de Torre de Specchi, em Roma, cujo nome era Irm\u00e3 Bonaventura, levava uma vida muito morna. Chegou um religioso, o Padre Lancisius, para dar os exerc\u00edcios espirituais \u00e0s freiras, e a Irm\u00e3 Bonaventura, n\u00e3o sentindo nenhuma inclina\u00e7\u00e3o para se livrar de sua tepidez, come\u00e7ou a ouvir os exerc\u00edcios sem nenhuma boa vontade. Mas logo no primeiro serm\u00e3o, ela foi conquistada pela gra\u00e7a divina, de modo que imediatamente foi aos p\u00e9s do padre que pregava e lhe disse, com um tom de verdadeira determina\u00e7\u00e3o: \"Padre, quero me tornar uma santa, e rapidamente uma santa\". E, com a ajuda de Deus, ela o fez, pois viveu apenas oito meses depois desse acontecimento e, durante esse curto per\u00edodo, viveu e morreu como santa.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 David said: And I said, now have I begun. <\/em>\u2014 (Ps. lxxvi. 11). So likewise did St. Charles Borromeo speak: \u201cToday I begin to serve God.\u201d \u00a0And we should act in the same way as if we had hitherto done no good whatever; for indeed, all that we do for God is nothing, since we are bound to do it. Let us therefore each day resolve to begin afresh to belong wholly to God. \u00a0Neither let us stop to observe what or how others act. \u00a0They who become truly saints are few. \u00a0St. Bernard says: \u201cOne cannot be perfect without being singular.\u201d \u00a0If we would imitate the common run of men, we should always remain imperfect, as for the most part they are. \u00a0We must overcome all, renounce all, in, order to gain all. \u00a0St. Teresa said: \u201cBecause we do not come to the conclusion of giving all our affection to God, so neither does He give all His love to us.\u201d \u00a0Oh God, how little is all that is given to Jesus Christ, Who has given His Blood and His life for us!\u00a0 \u201cHowever much we give,\u201d says the same Saint, \u201cis but mire, in comparison of one single drop of Blood shed for us by our Blessed Lord.\u201d \u00a0The Saints know not how to spare themselves, when there is a question of pleasing a God Who gave Himself wholly, without reserve, on purpose to oblige us to deny Him nothing. \u00a0St. Chrysostom wrote: \u201cHe gave all to thee, and kept nothing for Himself.\u201d \u00a0God has bestowed His entire Self upon thee; there is, then, no excuse for thee to behave reservedly with God. \u00a0He has even died for us all, says the Apostle, in order that each one of us may live only for Him Who died for us: Christ died for all; that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them. \u2014 <\/em>(2 Cor. v. 15).<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTHURSDAY, OCTAVE DAY OF THE ASCENSION*<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

* [The title given in the book for this day is Thursday within the Octave of Ascension<\/em>.]<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO FAZ COM QUE DEUS HABITE EM NOSSAS ALMAS - \"Dulcis Hospes Animae\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Esp\u00edrito Santo \u00e9 chamado de Doce h\u00f3spede da alma<\/em>. Essa foi a grande promessa feita por Jesus Cristo \u00e0queles que O amam: Se me amais, guardai os meus mandamentos; e eu rogarei ao Pai, e ele vos dar\u00e1 outro Par\u00e1clito, para que fique convosco para sempre.<\/em>. \u2014 (John xiv. 15, 16).<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Esp\u00edrito Santo \u00e9 chamado de Doce h\u00f3spede da alma<\/em>. A grande promessa feita por Jesus Cristo \u00e0queles que O amam foi esta: Se me amais, guardai os meus mandamentos; e eu rogarei ao Pai, e ele vos dar\u00e1 outro Par\u00e1clito, para que fique convosco para sempre.<\/em>. \u2014 (John xiv. 15, 16).\u00a0 Hence the Holy Ghost will never abandon the soul, if the soul does not drive Him away: Ele n\u00e3o desampara, a menos que seja desamparado<\/em>.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Deus, portanto, habita em nossa alma quando O amamos, mas Ele declara que n\u00e3o est\u00e1 satisfeito conosco a menos que O amemos de todo o cora\u00e7\u00e3o. Santo Agostinho escreve que o Senado Romano n\u00e3o admitia Jesus entre seus deuses, porque, diziam eles, Ele \u00e9 um Deus orgulhoso, que n\u00e3o quer que outro seja adorado a n\u00e3o ser Ele mesmo. E assim \u00e9; Ele n\u00e3o admite um companheiro no cora\u00e7\u00e3o que O ama; Ele deve habitar l\u00e1 sozinho e ser o \u00fanico objeto amado. E quando Ele v\u00ea que n\u00e3o \u00e9 o \u00fanico objeto amado, fica com ci\u00fames, por assim dizer, como escreve S\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o Cris\u00f3stomo, das criaturas que dividem com Ele um cora\u00e7\u00e3o que Ele deseja ter inteiramente para Si.\u00a0 Voc\u00ea acha que a Escritura diz em v\u00e3o? O esp\u00edrito que habita em voc\u00eas cobi\u00e7a a inveja<\/em>. \u2014 (James iv. 5).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00d3 meu Deus, vejo que desejas que eu seja todo Teu. Muitas vezes O expulsei de minha alma e, ainda assim, Voc\u00ea n\u00e3o se recusa a voltar para mim e a se unir a mim. Oh, agora tome posse de todo o meu ser. Eu me entrego hoje inteiramente a Ti.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a word, as St. Jerome says, Jesus is jealous. \u00a0Hence the heavenly Spouse praises the soul which, as the turtle dove, lives alone and hidden from the world: Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove\u2019s \u2014 <\/em>(Cant. i. 9), because He desires that the world should not take any part of that love which He desires to have entirely Himself.\u00a0 Again, the spouse is praised because she is a garden enclosed. \u2014 <\/em>(Cant. iv. 12). \u00a0A garden closed up against all worldly love. \u00a0Can it be that Jesus does not deserve all our love? \u00a0\u201cHe gave His whole self to Thee,\u201d says St. John Chrysostom, \u201cleaving nothing for Himself.\u201d\u00a0 He has given Thee His Blood and His life; nothing more remains for Him to give thee.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do Thou accept of me, O Jesus, and grant that, for the future, I may never live one moment deprived of Thy love. \u00a0Thou seekest me, and I seek no other but Thee.\u00a0 Thou desirest my soul, and my soul desires no other but Thee. \u00a0Thou lovest me, and I love Thee; and because Thou lovest me, bind me in such a manner to Thee, that I may never more be separated from Thee. \u00a0O Queen of Heaven, pray for me.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual: \u00a0IR FREQUENTEMENTE \u00c0 COMUNH\u00c3O<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which of the two, asks Cassian, is the more humble \u2013 the man that communicates often or he that communicates but seldom? \u00a0He answers that the person that frequently receives Jesus Christ is the more humble, because he knows his infirmities, and therefore seeks more frequently the remedy of his disease. \u00a0The angelic Doctor says that though to abstain from Communion through humility and fear is pleasing to God, still the love and confidence that induce a soul to receive Him are more acceptable in His sight. \u00a0Love and hope, to which the Scriptures constantly exhort us, are preferable to fear.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You will say: I do not know whether I am in the state of grace. \u00a0But I ask, do you expect that an Angel will come from Heaven to assure you that you are in the state of grace? \u00a0Is it not enough for you to have the assurance of your confessor? \u00a0You ought to place more confidence in the testimony of the minister of God than in the revelations of all the Angels of Paradise; for in receiving a communication from Angels, there might he an illusion, but in listening to the confessor who, in your regard, holds the place of God, there is no danger of deception.\u00a0 Whenever, then, your spiritual Father allows you to communicate, take care not to obey the suggestions of the devil by abstaining from Communion through fear and scruples.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I cannot, you will say, bring myself to communicate often, because I constantly commit faults and never amend. \u00a0The greater you perceive your infirmities to be, the more frequently you ought to seek a remedy for them in Holy Communion. \u00a0\u201cBecause,\u201d says St. Ambrose, \u201cI always sin, I should always use a remedy.\u201d \u00a0We buttress walls that are leaning, not to make them erect but to prevent them from falling. \u00a0You say that you perceive in yourself no amendment. \u00a0Will you improve without the aid of Holy Communion? \u00a0No; you will, on the contrary, grow worse every day. \u00a0Father Granada says that \u201che that desires to be cured of his infirmities should not abstain from this great remedy.\u201d \u00a0The bare remembrance of having communicated in the morning, and the thought of having to communicate the next day, makes a person more watchful and more attentive to the correction of his faults. \u00a0Besides, the Sacrament Itself infuses an increase of light and strength into the soul. \u00a0Theologians generally assert that the Holy Eucharist produces more grace than all the other Sacraments, because it contains Jesus Christ Himself who is the Author of grace. \u00a0A present that a prince makes with his own hand is more valuable than the gifts that he dispenses through the hands of others.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You will say: I feel myself distracted, cold, and without devotion. \u00a0What, I ask, do you understand by devotion?\u00a0 If you mean sensible fervour, I say that it is not necessary: it is enough to have fervour in the will, or a determination to do what you know to be pleasing to God.\u00a0 This is the true devotion and fervour that God demands of you; and though you do not feel this fervour of the will, you should, notwithstanding, communicate in order to obtain it by means of the Holy Sacrament. \u00a0For if you abstain from Communion because you have not sensible fervour, you will, as Gerson says, imitate the folly of those who, when cold, refuse to approach the fire because they do not feel warm. \u00a0According to St. Laurence Justinian, this Sacrament sometimes produces its effect, though we do not perceive it. \u00a0St. Bonaventure says: \u201cAlthough you feel tepid, approach with confidence; for the greater your infirmity the more you stand in need of a physician.\u201d \u00a0Do not be deterred from frequent Communion because you experience more devotion when you communicate seldom than when you communicate often. \u00a0He that eats but seldom eats with great eagerness but with less profit; and, if you communicate but seldom you may, perhaps, feel a little more of sensible fervour, but you will also receive less fruit; because your soul will want the food that gives strength to avoid sins and imperfections. \u00a0Seek not, then, sensible devotion in your Communions. \u00a0Communicate only for the purpose of uniting your soul more closely to God, and be assured that, as often as you communicate with that view, your Communions will be productive of great fruit.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

VII. OS MEIOS DE EVITAR A MORNID\u00c3O E ALCAN\u00c7AR A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O terceiro meio de se tornar um santo \u00e9 ora\u00e7\u00e3o mental<\/em>. John Gerson escreve: \"Aquele que n\u00e3o medita sobre as verdades eternas n\u00e3o pode, sem um milagre, levar a vida de um crist\u00e3o. A raz\u00e3o \u00e9 que, sem a ora\u00e7\u00e3o mental, a luz nos falta e andamos na escurid\u00e3o. As verdades da f\u00e9 n\u00e3o s\u00e3o vistas pelos olhos do corpo, mas pelos olhos da mente, quando meditamos; aquele que n\u00e3o medita nelas, n\u00e3o as v\u00ea e, portanto, caminha na escurid\u00e3o; e estando na escurid\u00e3o, ele facilmente se apega \u00e0s coisas sens\u00edveis, por causa das quais ele acaba desprezando o eterno\". Santa Teresa escreveu o seguinte ao bispo de Osma: \"Embora pare\u00e7amos n\u00e3o descobrir em n\u00f3s mesmos nenhuma imperfei\u00e7\u00e3o, quando Deus abre os olhos da alma, o que costuma fazer na ora\u00e7\u00e3o, elas aparecem claramente\". E S\u00e3o Bernardo j\u00e1 havia dito que aquele que n\u00e3o medita \"n\u00e3o se abomina a si mesmo, simplesmente porque n\u00e3o se conhece\". \"A ora\u00e7\u00e3o\", diz o Santo, \"regula os afetos e dirige as a\u00e7\u00f5es\"; ela mant\u00e9m os afetos da alma em ordem e dirige todas as nossas a\u00e7\u00f5es para Deus; mas sem a ora\u00e7\u00e3o os afetos se apegam \u00e0 terra, as a\u00e7\u00f5es se conformam aos afetos e, dessa forma, tudo entra em desordem.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We read of an awful example of this in the life of the Venerable Sister Mary Crucified of Sicily. \u00a0Whilst this servant of God was praying, she heard a devil making a boast that he had succeeded in withdrawing a Religious from the Community-prayer; and she saw in spirit, that after this omission the devil tempted her to consent to a grievous sin, and that she was on the point of yielding.\u00a0 She forthwith accosted her, and by a timely admonition prevented her falling. \u00a0St. Teresa said, that whoever leaves off prayer \u201cvery shortly becomes either a brute-beast or a devil.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O Jesus, my Love, I repent of my lukewarmness, I am determined to love Thee as much as I can, and I wish to become a saint; and I wish to become a saint for this reason, in order to give Thee pleasure, and to love Thee exceedingly in this life and the next! \u00a0I can do nothing of myself, but Thou canst do all things; and I know that Thou wishest me to become a saint. \u00a0I see already by Thy grace my soul sighs only for Thee, and seeks nothing else but Thee. \u00a0I wish to live no more for myself; Thou desirest me to be wholly Thine, and I desire to be wholly Thine. \u00a0Come, and unite me to Thyself, and Thyself to me. \u00a0Thou art Infinite Goodness; Thou art He who hast loved me so much; Thou art, indeed, too loving and too lovely; how, then, can I love any thing but Thee? \u00a0I prefer Thy love before all the things of this world; Thou art the sole object, the sole end of all my affections. \u00a0I leave all to be occupied solely in loving Thee, my Redeemer, my Comforter, my Hope, my Love, and my All.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF ASCENSION*<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

* [The title given in the book for this day is Friday within the Octave of Ascension<\/em>.]<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO \u00c9 UM V\u00cdNCULO SAGRADO QUE UNE A ALMA A DEUS<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Assim como o Esp\u00edrito Santo \u00e9 o v\u00ednculo indissol\u00favel que une o Pai e o Verbo Eterno, Ele tamb\u00e9m \u00e9 o v\u00ednculo que une nossas almas a Deus. \u00d3 Amor, Teu v\u00ednculo \u00e9 t\u00e3o forte que \u00e9 capaz de ligar at\u00e9 mesmo Deus e uni-lo \u00e0s nossas almas!<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As the Holy Ghost, Who is uncreated Love, is the indissoluble bond uniting the Father and the Eternal Word, so also He unites the soul with God: \u201cCharity is a virtue,\u201d says St. Augustine, “uniting us with God.”\u00a0 Hence St. Laurence Justinian with great joy exclaims: \u201cO Love, how strong is Thy bond, which is capable of binding God!\u201d The bonds of the world are bonds of death, but the bonds of God are bonds of life and salvation: Suas faixas s\u00e3o uma liga\u00e7\u00e3o saud\u00e1vel<\/em> \u2014 (Ecclus. vi. 31), because the bonds of God, by means of love, unite us with God Who is our true and only life.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Antes da vinda de Jesus Cristo, os homens se afastaram de Deus e, apegados \u00e0 Terra, recusaram-se a unir-se ao Criador; mas nosso amoroso Senhor nos atraiu a Ele pelos la\u00e7os do amor, conforme predisse o Profeta Oseias: Eu os atrairei com as cordas de Ad\u00e3o, com as faixas do amor<\/em>. \u2014 (Osee xi. 4).\u00a0 These bonds are His benefits, His lights, His calls to love Him, and His promises of Heaven; but, above all, they are the gifts which Jesus Christ has bestowed upon us in giving us Himself in the Sacrifice of the Cross, and in the Sacrament of the Altar, and ultimately in sending down upon us the Holy Ghost.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Meu querido Jesus, Tu realmente fizeste muito para me obrigar a Te amar, pagaste muito caro para comprar meu amor; muito ingrato, portanto, eu seria se Te amasse pouco, ou se dividisse meu cora\u00e7\u00e3o entre Ti e as criaturas, depois de teres derramado Teu Sangue e dado Tua vida por mim. Desejo desapegar-me de todas as outras coisas, a fim de dedicar todo o meu afeto a Ti. Mas sou fraco demais para realizar esse desejo; Tu, que me inspiraste com ele, d\u00e1-me for\u00e7as para realiz\u00e1-lo.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Prophet Isaias exclaims: Loosing the bonds from off thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. \u2014 <\/em>(lii. 2). \u00a0O my soul, thou who art created for Heaven, loose from off thy neck the bonds of the earth, and unite thyself to God by the bonds of love. \u00a0Have charity, which is the bond of perfection. \u2014 <\/em>(Col. iii. 14). \u00a0Love is a bond which unites with itself all other virtues, and makes the soul perfect.\u00a0 \u201cLove,\u201d says St. Augustine, \u201cand do what thou pleasest.\u201d \u00a0Yes, love God and do what thou wilt, because he who loves God, carefully avoids giving any offence to his Beloved, and seeks in all things to please Him.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O my Jesus, pierce my poor heart with the sweet dart of Thy love that I may ever languish with the desire of Thee, and be dissolved with the love of Thee. \u00a0May I ever seek only Thee, desire only Thee, and find only Thee! \u00a0O Jesus, I desire only Thee alone. \u00a0Grant that I may ever repeat during life, and especially at the hour of my death: I desire Thee alone! \u00a0O Mary, my Mother, pray that from henceforth I may never desire anything but God
<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual: \u00a0IR FREQUENTEMENTE \u00c0 COMUNH\u00c3O<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You say again: I abstain from Communion to escape the censure of others that see my imperfections and rebuke me for communicating so frequently. \u00a0To this pretext I answer: If you communicate with the advice of your director, and through a motive of advancing in divine love or of correcting your defects, be not disturbed by the complaints or censures of others. \u00a0According to Blessed John of Avila, they who censure others for frequent Communion perform the office of the devil. \u00a0Will you then pay attention to their remarks? \u00a0Listen to the words of St. Francis de Sales: \u201cIf,\u201d he says, \u201cthey ask you why you communicate so often, tell them that two classes of persons should communicate frequently, the perfect to preserve perfection; and the imperfect, to attain perfection; the strong, lest they become weak; and the weak, to grow strong; the sick to be cured, and the healthy, to prevent sickness. \u00a0And as to yourself, tell them that, because you are imperfect, weak, and infirm, you stand in need of frequent Communion. \u00a0Tell them that all who are free from worldly occupations, because they have the opportunity, and all who are engaged in them, because they have need of Communion, should communicate frequently.\u201d \u00a0In conclusion, he says: \u201cPhilothea, communicate often, and as often as possible, with the advice of your spiritual Father; and believe me that, as the hares on our mountains become white because they feed only on snow, so, by eating purity itself in this Sacrament you will become all pure.\u201d \u00a0To St. Frances of Rome, as she was going to Communion, the devil said: \u201cHow can you, who are so full of venial sins, dare receive the Immaculate Lamb?\u201d \u00a0Perceiving that the enemy wished to deprive her of Communion, she banished him by spitting in his face. \u00a0The Blessed Virgin immediately appeared to her, and, after having praised her conduct, said that our defects, instead of being an obstacle, should be an incentive to Communion, since, in Communion, we find the remedy of all our miseries.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You will perhaps say: I have not time to prepare as I ought for Holy Communion. \u00a0I answer: if your time is spent in useless occupations or discourses, then your excuse is frivolous. \u00a0But if you be employed in performing the duties of your office, or of obedience, rest assured that the discharge of these duties, with a view to please God, will be an excellent preparation for Communion.\u00a0 St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi was once engaged in making bread, when the bell rang for Communion; she instantly obeyed the call, and in an ecstasy received the Holy Sacrament. \u00a0Hence she was accustomed to say to her Sisters: \u201cOffer to God all your actions as a preparation for Communion, perform them with the intention of pleasing Him, and communicate.\u201d \u00a0Whenever the want of time arises from your being employed in the performance of your duties, in the care of the sick, or in the performance of any work of charity that cannot be deferred, you should never abstain from Communion in consequence of not having sufficient time for preparation.\u00a0 But be careful to avoid as much as possible all unnecessary conversations and amusements, and when you foresee that in the morning you will not have time to prepare for Communion, endeavour on the preceding evening to make some preparation, by reading a book of piety, and by making the acts that ought to be made in the morning; or rise a little before the usual hour and spend whatever time may be at your disposal in preparation for the Holy Sacrament.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Oh! what great and continual progress is made in divine love by those who, with a strong desire, frequent Holy Communion! \u00a0Oh! how wonderfully does the Lord draw them to His love! \u00a0St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi once saw a soul suffering in Purgatory for having through carelessness omitted one Communion. \u00a0And we read in her Life that she several times burst into tears because a Sister in her Community abstained from Communion through negligence. \u00a0Be assured that of all your devotions there is none more dear to Jesus Christ than your Communions. \u00a0For all perfection consists in a perfect union with God; and Holy Communion is the action that unites the soul most closely to Jesus, and consequently you can do nothing more pleasing in His sight. \u00a0Hence, the same St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to say: \u201cI would rather die than omit a Communion permitted by obedience.\u201d<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

VIII. OS MEIOS DE EVITAR A MORNID\u00c3O E ALCAN\u00c7AR A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Aquele que deixar de orar deixar\u00e1 de amar Jesus Cristo. A ora\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e9 a fornalha aben\u00e7oada onde o fogo do amor santo \u00e9 aceso e mantido vivo: E em minha medita\u00e7\u00e3o um fogo se acender\u00e1<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xxxviii. 4).\u00a0 It was said by St. Catherine of Bologna: \u201cThe person that foregoes the practice of prayer breaks the chain which binds the soul to God.\u201d It follows that the devil, finding the soul cold in Divine love, will have little difficulty in inducing her to partake of some poisonous fruit or other.\u00a0 St. Teresa said, on the contrary: \u201cWhosoever perseveres in prayer, let him hold for a certainty, that with however many sins the devil may surround him, the Lord will eventually bring him into the haven of salvation.\u201d In another place the Saint says: \u201cWhoever halts not in the way of prayer arrives sooner or later.\u201d And elsewhere she writes that it is on this account the devil labours so hard to withdraw souls from prayer, because he well knows that he has missed gaining those who faithfully persevere in prayer.\u00a0 Oh, how great are the benefits that flow from prayer!\u00a0 In prayer we conceive holy thoughts, we practise devout affections, we excite great desires, and form efficacious resolutions to give ourselves wholly to God; and thus the soul is led for His sake to sacrifice earthly pleasures and all disorderly appetites.\u00a0 It was said by St. Aloysius Gonzaga: \u201cThere will never be much perfection without much prayer.\u201d Let him who longs for perfection mark well this notable saying of the Saint.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We should not go to prayer in order to taste the sweetness of Divine love; whoever prays from such a motive will lose his time, or at least derive little advantage from it. \u00a0A person should go to prayer solely to please God, that is, solely to learn what the will of God is in his regard, and to beg of Him the help to put it in practice. \u00a0The Venerable Father Antony Torres said: \u201cTo carry the cross without consolation makes souls fly to perfection. \u00a0Prayer unattended with sensible consolations confers greater fruit on the soul. \u00a0But pitiable is the poor soul that leaves off prayer because she finds no relish in it.\u201d \u00a0St. Teresa said: \u201cWhen a soul leaves off prayer, it is as if she cast herself into hell without any need of devils.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 O AMOR DIVINO \u00c9 UM TESOURO QUE CONT\u00c9M TODO O BEM - \"Infinitus thesaurus hominibus\".<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Amor Divino \u00e9 aquele tesouro para o qual, segundo o Evangelho, devemos deixar todas as coisas, pois esse amor nos torna participantes da amizade de Deus.\u00a0 Um tesouro infinito que aqueles que o usam se tornam amigos de Deus<\/em>.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Amor Divino \u00e9 aquele Tesouro, para o qual, como diz o Evangelho, o homem deve abrir m\u00e3o de todas as coisas, pois esse amor nos torna participantes da amizade de Deus: Um tesouro infinito para os homens, que aqueles que o usam se tornam amigos de Deus<\/em>. \u2014 (Wis. vii. 14).\u00a0 “O men,” says St. Augustine, “whither go ye in search of good things?\u00a0 Seek the one only Good in Whom are all good things.”\u00a0 But we cannot find the only Good \u2013 namely, God \u2013 unless we renounce the things of the earth.\u00a0 St. Teresa writes: “Detach thy heart from creatures, and thou shalt find God.”\u00a0 He who finds God, finds all that he can desire.\u00a0 Deleite-se no Senhor, e ele lhe conceder\u00e1 o desejo de seu cora\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xxxvi. 4).\u00a0 The human heart is continually seeking after such good things as may make it happy, but if it seek them from creatures, how much soever it may acquire, it will never be satisfied with them; but if it seek only God, God will satisfy all its desires.\u00a0 Who but the Saints are most happy in this world?\u00a0 And why?\u00a0 Because they desire and seek only God.\u00a0 A certain prince, going to the chase, saw a solitary running swiftly through the forest, and asked him what he was seeking for in that desert place.\u00a0 The solitary replied: “And thou, O prince, what art thou in quest of?”\u00a0 The prince: “I am going in quest of wild beasts.”\u00a0 “And I,” said the hermit, “am going in quest of God.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Meu Deus, at\u00e9 agora eu n\u00e3o Te busquei, mas a mim mesmo e \u00e0s minhas pr\u00f3prias gratifica\u00e7\u00f5es, e por isso dei as costas a Ti, meu soberano Bem. Mas me consolo com as palavras de Jeremias: O Senhor \u00e9 bom para a alma que o busca.<\/em> \u2014 (Lam. iii. 25).\u00a0 These words assure me that Thou, my God, art all goodness towards him who seeks Thee.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The tyrant offered St. Clement gold and gems if he would renounce Jesus Christ; on which the Saint exclaimed with a deep sigh: \u201cAlas, God is put in competition with a little mire!\u201d \u00a0Happy is he who knows the value of the treasure of Divine love and seeks to obtain it! \u00a0He who obtains it will divest himself of all things else, that he may possess God alone. \u00a0\u201cWhen the house is on fire,\u201d says St. Francis de Sales, \u201call the goods are thrown out of the windows.\u201d \u00a0And Father Paul Segneri the Younger, a great servant of God, was accustomed to say that love was a thief which robbed us of all worldly affections, so that we can in all truth say: \u201cWhat do I desire, but Thee alone, my God?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My beloved Saviour, I know the evil I have committed in forsaking Thee, and I repent of it with my whole heart.\u00a0 I know Thou art an infinite Treasure. \u00a0I will not abuse the light. \u00a0I forsake all things, and choose Thee for my only Love. \u00a0My God, my Love, my All, I love Thee, I desire Thee, I sigh after Thee. \u00a0Come, O Holy Spirit, and destroy in me by Thy sacred fire every affection which has not Thee for its object. \u00a0Grant that I may be all Thine, and that I may conquer every thing to please Thee. \u00a0O Mary, my advocate and my Mother, do thou help me by thy prayers.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual: \u00a0PREPARA\u00c7\u00c3O PARA A SAGRADA COMUNH\u00c3O<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 St. Francis de Sales says, that our Saviour can never be seen more amiable and more tender, in all that He has done for us, than in Holy Communion, in which He, so to say, annihilates Himself and becomes Food, that He may unite Himself to the hearts and bodies of His faithful. \u00a0Therefore the learned Gerson used also to say, that there was no means more efficacious than the Holy Communion whereby to enkindle devotion and the holy love of God in our souls.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And, indeed, if we speak of doing something agreeable to God, what can a soul do more agreeable to Him than to receive Communion? \u00a0St. Denis teaches us that love always tends towards perfect union; but how can a soul be more perfectly united with Jesus than in the manner of which He speaks Himself, saying: He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him. <\/em>\u2014 (John vi. 57). \u00a0St. Augustine says, that if every day you receive this Sacrament, Jesus will be always with you, and you will always advance in divine love.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Again, if there is question of healing our spiritual infirmities, what more certain remedy can we have than the Holy Communion, which is called by the sacred Council of Trent \u201ca remedy whereby we may be freed from daily faults, and be preserved from mortal sins.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Whence does it come, asks Cardinal Bona, that in so many souls we see so little fruit from frequent Communion, and that they constantly relapse into the same faults? \u00a0He replies: \u201cThe fault is not in the Food, but in the disposition of him who receives It.\u201d \u00a0Can a man, <\/em>says Solomon, hide a fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn? <\/em>\u2014 (Prov. vi. 27). \u00a0God is a consuming fire. \u00a0He comes Himself in the Holy Communion to enkindle this divine fire; how is it, then, says William of Paris, that we see so diabolical a miracle as that souls should remain cold in divine love in the midst of such flames?
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All comes from the want of proper dispositions, and especially from the want of preparation.<\/em> \u00a0Fire immediately inflames dry but not green wood; for this latter is not fit to burn. \u00a0The Saints derived great benefit from their Communions, because they prepared themselves with very great care. \u00a0St. Aloysius Gonzaga devoted three days to his preparation<\/em> for Holy Communion, and three days he spent in thanksgiving<\/em> to his Lord.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To prepare well for Holy Communion a soul should be disposed on two main points: it should be detached from creatures, and have a great desire to advance in divine love.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01.\u00a0 In the first place, then, a soul should detach itself from all things, and drive everything from its heart which is not God. He that is washed,<\/em> saith Jesus, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. \u2014 <\/em>(John xiii. 10).\u00a0 Which signifies, as St. Bernard explains it, that in order to receive this Sacrament with great fruit, we should not only be cleansed from mortal sins, but our feet also should be washed, that is, we should be free from all earthly affections; for, being in contact with the earth, they excite a sort of repugnance in God, and soiling the soul, prevent the effects of Holy Communion.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 St. Gertrude asked our Lord what preparations He required of her for the Holy Communion; and He replied: \u201cI only ask that thou shouldst come empty of thyself, to receive Me.\u201d
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a02.\u00a0 In the second place it is necessary, in the Holy Communion, to have a great desire to receive Jesus Christ and His holy love. In this sacred Banquet, says Gerson, only those who are famishing receive their fill; and the most Blessed Virgin Mary had already said the same thing: He hath filled the hungry with good things. <\/em>\u2014 (Luke i. 53). \u00a0As Jesus, writes the Blessed Father Avila, came into this world only after He had been much and long desired, so does He only enter a soul that desires Him; for it is not becoming that such Food should be given to him who has a loathing for It. \u00a0Our Lord one day said to St. Matilda: \u201cNo bee flies with such impetuosity to flowers, to suck their honey, as I fly to souls in the Holy Communion, driven by the violence of my love.\u201d\u00a0 Since, then, Jesus Christ has so great a desire to come into our souls, it is right that we also should have a great desire to receive Him and His divine love in the Holy Communion. \u00a0St. Francis de Sales teaches us that the principal object a soul should have in view in communicating should be, to advance in the love of God; since He, Who for love alone gives Himself to us, should be received for love.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o noturna:\u00a0\u00a0A PR\u00c1TICA DO AMOR DE JESUS CRISTO\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>

IX. OS MEIOS DE EVITAR A MORNID\u00c3O E ALCAN\u00c7AR A PERFEI\u00c7\u00c3O<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O resultado da pr\u00e1tica da ora\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e9 que a pessoa pensa constantemente em Deus. \"O verdadeiro amante\", diz Santa Teresa, \"est\u00e1 sempre atento ao ser amado. E da\u00ed se segue que as pessoas que oram est\u00e3o sempre falando de Deus, sabendo, como sabem, qu\u00e3o agrad\u00e1vel \u00e9 a Deus que Seus amantes se deleitem em conversar sobre Ele e sobre o amor que Ele lhes tem, e que assim se esforcem para acend\u00ea-lo nos outros\". O mesmo santo escreveu: \"Jesus Cristo est\u00e1 sempre presente nas conversas dos servos de Deus, e Ele fica muito satisfeito por ser o objeto de seu deleite\".
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0A ora\u00e7\u00e3o, mais uma vez, cria o desejo de se retirar para a solid\u00e3o, a fim de conversar a s\u00f3s com Deus e manter o recolhimento interior no cumprimento dos deveres externos necess\u00e1rios; eu digo necess\u00e1rio<\/em>O homem de ora\u00e7\u00e3o deve amar a solid\u00e3o e evitar a dissipa\u00e7\u00e3o em assuntos sup\u00e9rfluos e in\u00fateis, caso contr\u00e1rio, perder\u00e1 o esp\u00edrito de recolhimento, que \u00e9 um grande meio de preservar a uni\u00e3o com Deus: Minha irm\u00e3, minha esposa, \u00e9 um jardim fechado<\/em>. \u2014 (Cant. iv. 12).<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The soul espoused to Jesus Christ must be a garden closed to all creatures, and must not admit into her heart other thoughts, nor other business, but those of God or for God. \u00a0Hearts thrown open never become holy. \u00a0The Saints, who have to labour in gaining souls to God, do not lose their recollection in the midst of all their labours, either of preaching, confessing, reconciling enemies, or assisting the sick. \u00a0The same rule holds good with those who have to apply to study. \u00a0How many from excessive study, and a desire to become learned, become neither holy nor learned, because true learning consists in the science of the Saints; that is to say, in knowing how to love Jesus Christ; whereas, on the contrary, Divine love brings with it knowledge and every good: All good things come to me together with her <\/em>\u2014 (Wis. vii. 11), that is, with holy charity. \u00a0St. John Berchmans had an extraordinary love for study, but by his great virtue he never allowed study to interfere with his spiritual interests. \u00a0The Apostle exhorts us: Not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety. <\/em>\u2014 (Rom, xii, 3). \u00a0A priest especially must have knowledge; he must know things, because he has to instruct others in the Divine Law: For<\/em> the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth. \u2014 (Mal.<\/em> ii. 7). \u00a0He must have knowledge, but unto sobriety.<\/em> \u00a0He that leaves prayer for study shows that in his study he seeks himself, and not God. \u00a0He that seeks God leaves study (if it be not absolutely necessary) in order not to omit prayer.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u21d1 \u00a0<\/a>\u00cdNDICE<\/a>
<\/em>\u21d0\u00a0QUINTO <\/em>WEEK AFTER EASTER<\/em><\/a>
\u21d2\u00a0SEMANA DE PENTECOSTES<\/em><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOLUME III – PART I, pp. 1-57 FRIDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ASCENSION* * [The title given in the book for this day is Friday after Ascension.] Morning Meditation:\u00a0 DIVINE LOVE IS A FIRE THAT INFLAMES THE HEART \u2014 “Tu … Continuar lendo <\/i><\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4884,"parent":0,"menu_order":81,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7960","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7960"}],"version-history":[{"count":105,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12994,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7960\/revisions\/12994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}