{"id":9260,"date":"2025-06-07T19:49:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T19:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/?page_id=9260"},"modified":"2025-08-07T15:17:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T15:17:51","slug":"daily-meditations-second-week-after-pentecost","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/daily-meditations-second-week-after-pentecost\/","title":{"rendered":"MEDITA\u00c7\u00d5ES DI\u00c1RIAS: SEGUNDA SEMANA AP\u00d3S PENTECOSTES"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\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\tVOLUME III - PART I, pp. 145-191<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/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\tSECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 THE HEART OF JESUS LONGING FOR OUR LOVE<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jesus has no need of us.\u00a0 He is equally happy, rich and powerful, with or without our love, and yet He loves us so intensely that He desires our love as much as if man were His God.\u00a0 This so filled Job with astonishment that he cried out: What is man that thou shouldst magnify him?\u00a0 Or why dost thou set thy heart upon him?<\/em><\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jesus has no need of us.\u00a0 He is equally happy, rich, and powerful with or without our love; and yet, as St. Thomas says He loves us so intensely that He desires our love as much as if man were His God, and His felicity depended on that of man.\u00a0 This so filled holy Job with astonishment that he cried out: What is man that thou shouldst magnify him?\u00a0 Or why dost thou set thy heart upon him?<\/em> \u2014 (Job vii., 17).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0What! can God desire or ask with such eagerness for the love of a worm?\u00a0 It would have been a great favour if God had only permitted us to love Him.\u00a0 If a vassal were to say to his king: “Sire, I love you!” he would be considered impertinent.\u00a0 But what would one say if the king were to tell his vassal, “I desire you to love me?”\u00a0 The princes of the earth do not humble themselves to this; but Jesus, Who is the King of Heaven, is He Who with so much earnestness demands our love: Love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart<\/em>. \u2014 (Matt. xxii., 37).\u00a0 So pressingly does He ask for our hearts: Meu filho, d\u00ea-me seu cora\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em>. \u2014 (Prov. xxiii., 26).\u00a0 And if He is driven from a soul, He does not depart, but stands outside the door of the heart, and calls and knocks to be allowed to return: I stand at the gate and knock<\/em>. \u2014 (Apoc. iii., 20).\u00a0 Jesus beseeches the soul to open to Him, calling her sister and spouse: Open to me, my sister, my love<\/em>. \u2014 (Cant. v., 2).\u00a0 In short, He takes a delight in being loved by us, and is quite consoled when we say, and repeat often: “My God!\u00a0 My God, I love Thee!”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My dearest Redeemer, I will say to Thee with St. Augustine, Thou dost command me to love Thee, and dost threaten me with hell if I do not love Thee; but what more dreadful hell, what greater misfortune, can happen to me than to be deprived of Thy love!\u00a0 If, therefore, Thou desirest to terrify me, Thou shouldst threaten me only that I should live without loving Thee; for this threat alone will terrify me more than a thousand hells.\u00a0 If, in the midst of the flames of hell, the damned could burn with Thy love, O my God, hell itself would become a Paradise; and if, on the contrary, the Blessed in Heaven could not love Thee, Paradise would become a hell.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I see, indeed, my dearest Lord, that I, on account of my sins, did deserve to be forsaken by Thy grace, and at the same time condemned to be incapable of loving Thee; but still I understand that Thou dost continue to command me to love Thee, and I also feel within me a great desire to love Thee.\u00a0 This my desire is the gift of Thy grace, and it comes from Thee.\u00a0 Oh, give me also the strength necessary to put it into execution, and make me, from this day forth, say to Thee earnestly, and from the bottom of my heart, and to repeat to Thee always: My God, I love Thee!\u00a0 I love Thee!\u00a0 I love Thee!<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

ELEVENTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“Let us be careful,” says St. Teresa, “never to be at a distance from Jesus, our beloved Shepherd, or to lose sight of Him: for the sheep which are near their shepherd are always more caressed and better fed, and always receive some choice morsels of that which he himself eats.\u00a0 If by chance the shepherd sleeps, still the lamb remains near him and either waits until his slumber ends, or itself wakens him; and it is then caressed with new favours.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My Redeemer, present in this Most Holy Sacrament, behold me near Thee.\u00a0 The only favour which I ask of Thee is fervour and perseverance in Thy love.\u00a0 I thank thee, O holy faith, for thou teachest and assurest me that in the divine Sacrament of the altar, in that heavenly Bread, bread does not exist; but that my Lord Jesus Christ is all there, and that He is there for love of me.\u00a0 My Lord and my All, I believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacrament; and though unknown to eyes of flesh, by the light of holy Faith I discern Thee in the consecrated Host, as the Monarch of Heaven and earth, and as the Saviour of the world.\u00a0 Ah, my most sweet Jesus, as Thou art my hope, my salvation, my strength, my consolation, so also I will that Thou shouldst be all my love, and the only object of all my thoughts, of my desires, and of my affections.\u00a0 I rejoice more in the supreme happiness which Thou enjoyest, and wilt enjoy for ever, than in any good thing I could ever have in time or in eternity.\u00a0 My supreme satisfaction is that Thou, my beloved Redeemer, art supremely happy, and that Thy happiness is infinite.\u00a0 Reign, reign, my Lord, over my whole soul; I give it all to Thee; do Thou ever possess it.\u00a0 May my will, my senses, my faculties be all servants of Thy love, and may they never in this world serve anything else than to give Thee satisfaction and glory.\u00a0 Such was thy life, O first lover and Mother of my Jesus!\u00a0 Most Holy Mary, do thou help me; do thou obtain for me the grace to live henceforward, as thou didst always live, in the happiness of belonging to God alone.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My Jesus, may I be all Thine, and be Thou all mine!<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Blessed is the man . . . that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors<\/em>. \u2014 (Prov. viii., 34).\u00a0 Blessed is he, who, like the poor who stand before the gates of the rich, is careful to seek for the alms of graces before the doors of the mercy of Mary!\u00a0 And thrice blessed is he, who, moreover, seeks to imitate the virtues which he remarks in Mary, and more especially her purity and her humility.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My hope, succour me!<\/p>

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

XXIV.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST DESIRES NOTHING BUT JESUS CHRIST<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Oh, what security is found in the hidden life for such as wish cordially to love Jesus Christ!\u00a0 Jesus Christ set us the example, by living hidden and despised for thirty years in a workshop.\u00a0 And with the same view of escaping the esteem of men, the Saints went and hid themselves in deserts and caves.\u00a0 It was said by St. Vincent de Paul, that love of appearing in public, and of being spoken of in terms of praise, and of hearing our conduct commended, or that people should say that we succeed admirably and work wonders, is an evil which, while it makes us unmindful of God, contaminates our best actions, and proves the most fatal drawback to the spiritual life.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Whoever, therefore, would make progress in the love of Jesus Christ, must absolutely give a death-blow to self-esteem.\u00a0 But how shall we inflict this blow?\u00a0 Behold how St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi instructs us: “That which keeps alive the appetite for self-esteem is the occupying a favourable position in the minds of all; consequently the death of self-esteem is to keep oneself hidden, so as not to be known to anyone.\u00a0 And till we learn to die in this manner, we shall never be true servants of God.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O my Jesus, grant me a desire to please Thee, and make me forget all creatures and myself also.\u00a0 What will it profit me to be loved by the whole world if I be not loved by Thee, the only love of my soul!\u00a0 My Jesus, Thou camest into the world to win our hearts; if I am unable to give Thee my heart, do Thou be pleased to take it and replenish it with Thy love, and never allow me to be separated from Thee any more.\u00a0 I have, alas, turned my back upon Thee in the past; but now that I am conscious of the evil I have done, I grieve over it with my whole heart, and no affliction in the world can so distress me as the remembrance of the offences I have so often committed against Thee.\u00a0 I am consoled to think that Thou art Infinite Goodness; that Thou dost not disdain to love a sinner who loves Thee.\u00a0 My beloved Redeemer, O sweetest Love of my soul, I have heretofore slighted Thee, but now at least I love Thee more than myself!\u00a0 I offer Thee myself and all that belongs to me.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/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\tMONDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 THE SORROWFUL HEART OF JESUS<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Minha alma est\u00e1 triste at\u00e9 a morte<\/em>.\u00a0 The principal sorrow which afflicted the Heart of Jesus so much was not the sight of the torments and infamy men were preparing for Him, but the sight of their ingratitude towards His immense love.\u00a0 And yet the sight of all these insults did not prevent Him from leaving us this pledge, Himself in the blessed Sacrament.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0It is impossible to consider how afflicted the Heart of Jesus was for love of us and not pity Him.\u00a0 He Himself tells us that His Heart was overwhelmed with such sorrow that this alone would have sufficed to take His life away, and to make Him die of pure grief, if the virtue of His Divinity had not, by a miracle, prevented His death: My soul is sorrowful unto death<\/em>. \u2014 (Mark xiv., 34).\u00a0 The principal sorrow which afflicted the Heart of Jesus so much, was not the sight of the torments and infamy men were preparing for Him, but the sight of their ingratitude towards His immense love.\u00a0 He distinctly foresaw all the sins we should commit after all His sufferings and such a bitter and ignominious death.\u00a0 He foresaw, especially, the horrible insults men would offer to His adorable Heart, which He has left us in this most Holy Sacrament as a proof of His affection.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My adorable and dearest Jesus, behold at Thy feet one who has caused so much sorrow to Thy amiable Heart.\u00a0 O my God, how could I grieve this Heart, which has loved me so much, and has spared nothing to make itself loved by me?\u00a0 But console Thyself, I will say, O my Saviour, for my heart having been wounded, through Thy grace, with Thy most holy love, feels now so much regret for the offences I have committed against Thee, that it would fain die of sorrow.\u00a0 Oh, who will give me, my Jesus, that sorrow for my sins which Thou didst feel for them!\u00a0 Eternal Father, I offer Thee the sorrow and abhorrence Thy Son felt for my sins; and, for His sake, I beseech Thee to give me so great a sorrow for the offences I have committed against Thee, that I may lead an afflicted and sorrowful life at the thought of having once despised Thy friendship.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

TWELFTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0God is charity; and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him<\/em>. \u2014 (1 John iv., 16).\u00a0 He who loves Jesus dwells with Jesus, and Jesus with him.\u00a0 If any one love me . . . my Father will love him; and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him<\/em>. \u2014 (John xiv., 23).\u00a0 When St. Philip Neri received the Holy Communion as Viaticum, on seeing the Most Blessed Sacrament enter his room, he exclaimed: “Behold, my Love!\u00a0 Behold all my good!\u00a0 Hasten and give me my Love!”\u00a0 Let each one of us, then, say here in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: Behold my Love!\u00a0 Behold the object of all my love for my whole life and for all eternity!
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Since, then, my Lord and my God, Thou hast said in the Gospel that he who loves Thee will be beloved by Thee, and that Thou wilt come and dwell in him, and never more leave him, I love Thee above every other good.\u00a0 Do Thou then, also, love me: for I, indeed, esteem being loved by Thee above all the kingdoms of the world.\u00a0 Come and fix Thy dwelling in the poor house of my soul in such a way as Thou mayest no more depart from me.\u00a0 Thou dost not go, if Thou art not expelled; but as I have already done this, so I may do again.\u00a0 \u00a0Ah, never allow such a fresh act of wickedness, such horrible ingratitude to be perpetrated in the world, as that I, who have been so specially favoured by Thee, and who have received so many graces, should again drive Thee from my soul!\u00a0 But this might happen.\u00a0 I, therefore, my Lord, desire death, if it so please Thee; that by dying united to thee, I may live united to Thee for ever.\u00a0 Yes, my Jesus, for this I hope.\u00a0 I embrace Thee; I press Thee to my poor heart; grant that I may always love Thee, and always be beloved by Thee.\u00a0 Yes, my most amiable Redeemer, I will always love Thee; and Thou wilt always love me.\u00a0 I trust that our love will ever be mutual, O God of my soul, and this for all eternity.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My Jesus, I desire always to love Thee, and always to be beloved by Thee.<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0They that work by me shall not sin<\/em>. \u2014 (Ecclus. xxiv., 30).\u00a0 He, says Mary, who endeavours to honour me shall persevere to the end.\u00a0 They that explain me shall have life everlasting<\/em> \u2014 (Ecclus. xxiv., 31); and those who endeavour to make me know and loved by others, will be of the number of the Elect.\u00a0 Promise, then, that whenever you can, be it in public or in private, you will speak of the glories of Mary, and of devotion to her.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, most sacred Virgen!<\/p>

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

\u201cCharity seeketh not her own.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

XXV.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SEEKS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM EVERY CREATURE<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Whoever desires to love Jesus Christ with his whole heart must banish from his heart all that is not God, but is merely self-love.\u00a0 This is the meaning of those words, seeketh not her own<\/em>; not to seek ourselves, but only what pleaseth God.\u00a0 And this is what God requires of us all when He says: Amar\u00e1s o Senhor teu Deus de todo o teu cora\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em>. \u2014 (Matt. xxii., 37).\u00a0 Two things are needful to love God with our whole heart: (1) To clear it of earth; (2) To fill it with holy love.\u00a0 It follows that a heart in which any earthly affections linger can never belong wholly to God.\u00a0 St. Philip Neri said, “that as much love as we bestow on the creature, is so much taken from the Creator.”\u00a0 In the next place, how must the earth be purged away from the heart?\u00a0 Truly by mortification and detachment from creatures.\u00a0 Some souls complain that they seek God and do not find Him; let them listen to what St. Teresa says: “Wean your heart from creatures, and then seek God, and you will find Him.”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/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\tTUESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 THE COMPASSIONATE HEART OF JESUS<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O my Jesus, Thou dost pardon penitent sinners, and Thou dost not refuse to give them in this world everything in Holy Communion, and in the next world everything in eternal glory.\u00a0 Where, then, is a heart to be found so amiable and so compassionate as Thine, O my dearest Saviour?<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Where shall we find a heart more compassionate or tender than the Heart of Jesus, or one that has greater pity for our miseries?
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0This pity induced Him to descend from Heaven to this earth; it made Him say that He was that Good Shepherd Who came to give His life to save His sheep.\u00a0 In order to obtain the pardon of our sins, He would not spare Himself, but would sacrifice Himself on the Cross, that by His sufferings He might satisfy for the punishment due to us.\u00a0 This pity and compassion makes Him say even now: Why will ye die, O house of Israel?\u00a0 Return ye, and live<\/em>. \u2014 (Ezech. xviii., 31).\u00a0 O men, He says, my poor children, why will you damn yourselves by flying from Me?\u00a0 Do you not see that by separating yourselves from Me you are hastening to eternal death?\u00a0 I desire not to see you lost; do not despair; as long as you wish to return, return and you shall recover your life: Retornai e vivei<\/em>.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O compassionate Heart of my Jesus, have pity on me.\u00a0 Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on me.\u00a0 I say now, and beseech Thee to give me the grace always to say to Thee: “Most Sweet Jesus, have mercy on me!”\u00a0 Even before I offended Thee, my Redeemer, I certainly did not deserve any of the favours Thou hast bestowed upon me.\u00a0 Thou hast created me, Thou hast given me so much light and knowledge; and all without any merit of mine.\u00a0 But after I had offended Thee, I not only did not deserve Thy favour, but I deserved to be forsaken by Thee and cast into hell.\u00a0 Thy compassion has made Thee wait for me and preserve my life even when I had offended Thee.\u00a0 Thy compassion has enlightened me and offered me pardon; it has given me sorrow for my sins, and the desire of loving Thee; and now I hope from Thy mercy to remain always in Thy grace.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

THIRTEENTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My eyes and my heart shall be there always<\/em>. \u2014 (3 Kings ix., 3).\u00a0 Behold, Jesus has verified this beautiful promise in the Sacrament of the Altar, wherein He dwells with us night and day.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My Lord, would it not have been enough hadst Thou remained in this Sacrament only during the day, when Thou couldst have had adorers of Thy presence to keep Thee company; but why remain also the whole night, when all the churches are closed, and when men retire to their homes, leaving Thee quite alone?\u00a0 Ah, yes! I already understand Thee: love has made Thee our Prisoner: the excessive love which Thou bearest us has so bound Thee down on earth that neither night nor day canst Thou leave us.\u00a0 Ah, most amiable Saviour, this refinement of love alone should oblige all men ever to stay near Thee in the holy Tabernacle, and to remain with Thee until forcibly compelled to leave Thee; and when they do so, they should all leave at the foot of the altar their hearts and affections inflamed with love towards an Incarnate God Who remains alone and enclosed in a Tabernacle, all eyes to see and provide for them in their necessities, and all heart to love them, and Who awaits the coming day to be again visited by His beloved souls.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Yes, my Jesus, I will please Thee; I consecrate my whole will and all my affections to Thee.\u00a0 O infinite Majesty of God, Thou hast left Thyself in this divine Sacrament, not only that Thou mightest be present with us and near us, but principally to communicate Thyself to Thy beloved souls.\u00a0 But, Lord, who will presume to approach Thee to feed upon Thy Flesh?\u00a0 And who, on the other hand, can keep at a distance from Thee?\u00a0 For this purpose Thou concealest Thyself in the consecrated Host, that Thou mayest enter into us and possess our hearts.\u00a0 Thou burnest with the desire of being received by us, and Thou rejoicest in being united with us.\u00a0 Come, then, my Jesus, come; I desire to receive Thee within myself, that Thou mayest be the God of my heart, and of my will.\u00a0 All that is within me I yield, my dear Redeemer, to Thy love; satisfactions, pleasures, self-will, all I give up to Thee.\u00a0 O Love, O God of love, reign, triumph over my entire self; destroy and sacrifice all in me which is mine and not Thine.\u00a0 Permit not, O my Love, that my soul, which, having received Thee in Holy Communion, is filled with the Majesty of God, should again attach itself to creatures.\u00a0 I love Thee, my God; I love Thee; and I will love Thee alone and forever.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 Draw me by the chains of Thy love!<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0St. Bernard exhorts us, saying: “Let us seek for grace, and let us seek it through Mary.”\u00a0 “She,” says St. Peter Damian, “is the treasurer of divine graces.”\u00a0 She can enrich us, and she desires to do so.\u00a0 She therefore invites and calls us, saying: Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me<\/em>. \u2014 (Prov. ix., 4).\u00a0 Most amiable Lady, most exalted Lady, most gracious Lady, look on a poor sinner who recommends himself to thee, and who places all his confidence in thee.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God!<\/p>

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

XXVI.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SEEKS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM EVERY CREATURE<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0St. Augustine informs us that Tiberius Caesar desired that the Roman Senate should enroll Jesus Christ among the rest of their gods; but the Senate refused to do so on the ground that He was too proud a God and would be worshipped alone without any companion.\u00a0 It is quite true; God will be alone the object of our adoration and love; not indeed from pride, but because it is His just due, and because too, of the love He bears us.\u00a0 For as He Himself loves us exceedingly, He desires in return all our love; and He is therefore jealous of anyone else sharing the affections of our hearts, of which He desires to be the sole possessor: “Jesus is a jealous lover,” says St. Jerome; and He is unwilling, therefore, that we should fix our affections on anything but Himself.\u00a0 And whenever He beholds any created object taking a share of our hearts, He looks on it, as it were with jealousy, as the Apostle St. James says, because He will not endure a rival, but will remain the sole object of all our love: Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the Spirit covet which dwelleth in you<\/em>. \u2014 (James iv., 5).\u00a0 The Lord, in the sacred Canticles, praises His spouse, saying: Minha irm\u00e3, minha esposa, \u00e9 um jardim fechado<\/em>. \u2014 (Cant. iv., 12).\u00a0 He calls her a garden enclosed<\/em> because the soul which is His spouse keeps her heart shut against every earthly love, in order to preserve all for Jesus Christ alone.\u00a0 And does Jesus Christ, perchance, not deserve all our love?\u00a0 Ah, too much, too much has He deserved it, both for His own goodness and for His love towards us.\u00a0 The Saints knew this well, and for this reason St. Francis de Sales said: “Were I conscious of one fibre in my heart that did not belong to God, I would forthwith tear it out.”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/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\tWEDNESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 THE GRATEFUL HEART OF JESUS<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jesus has offered for us all His merits, all His sufferings, all His ignominies, all His Blood and His very life; so that we are under not one but infinite obligations to love Him.\u00a0 Alas! we are grateful towards the very animals.\u00a0 How can it be that we are so ungrateful towards God?<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Heart of Jesus is so grateful, that our Lord cannot behold the most trifling works done for His love \u2013 our smallest word spoken for His glory, a single good thought directed towards pleasing Him \u2013 without giving to each its own reward.\u00a0 He is, besides, so grateful that he always returns a hundredfold for one: You shall receive a hundredfold.<\/em> \u2014 (Matt. xix., 29).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Men, when they are grateful and recompense any benefit done to them, recompense it only once; they, as it were, divest themselves of all the obligation, and then they think no more of it.\u00a0 Jesus Christ does not act thus with us, for He not only recompenses a hundredfold in this life every action that we perform to please Him, but in the next life He recompenses it an infinite number of times throughout eternity.\u00a0 And who will be so negligent as not to do as much as he can to please this most grateful Heart?
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Tell me, O Jesus, what Thou wishest me to do, for I am ready to do everything with Thy help.\u00a0 I believe that Thou hast created me.\u00a0 Thou hast given Thy Blood and Thy life for the love of me.\u00a0 I believe also that for my sake Thou dost remain in the Blessed Sacrament; I thank Thee for it, O my Love.\u00a0 Oh, permit me not to be ungrateful in future for so many benefits and proofs of Thy love.\u00a0 Oh, bind me, unite me to Thy Heart, and permit me not, during the years that remain to me, to offend Thee or grieve Thee any more.\u00a0 I have displeased Thee too much, O my Jesus, it is time that I should love Thee now.\u00a0 Oh, that those many years I have lost would return!\u00a0 But they will return no more, and the life that remains for me may be short; but whether it be short or long, my God, I desire to spend it all in loving Thee, my sovereign Good, Who dost deserve an eternal and infinite love.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Mary, my Mother, let me never again be ungrateful to thy Son.\u00a0 Pray to Jesus for me.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

FOURTEENTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Most amiable Jesus, I hear Thee say from this Tabernacle, in which Thou art present, This is my rest for ever and ever; here will I dwell for I have chosen it.<\/em> \u2014 (Ps. cxxxi., 14).\u00a0 Since then, Thou hast chosen Thy dwelling on our altars in the midst of us, remaining there in the most Holy Sacrament, and since Thy love for us makes Thee there find Thy repose, it is but just that our hearts also should ever dwell with Thee in affection, and should find all pleasure and repose in Thee.\u00a0 Blessed are you, O loving souls, who can find no sweeter repose in the world than in remaining near to your Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament!\u00a0 And blessed shall I be, my Lord, if from this time forward I find no greater delight than in remaining always in Thy presence, or in always thinking of Thee, Who in the Most Holy Sacrament art always thinking of me and of my welfare.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ah, my Lord, and why have I lost so many years in which I have not loved Thee?\u00a0 O miserable years, I curse you; and I bless thee, O infinite patience of my God, for having for so many years borne with me, though so ungrateful to Thy love.\u00a0 And still, notwithstanding this ingratitude, Thou waitest for me; and why, my God, why?\u00a0 It is, that one day, overcome by Thy mercies and by Thy love, I may yield wholly to Thee.\u00a0 Lord, I will no longer resist, I will no longer be ungrateful.\u00a0 It is but just that I should consecrate to Thee the time, be it long or short, which I have still to live.\u00a0 I hope for Thy help, O my Jesus, to become entirely Thine.\u00a0 Thou didst favour me so much when I fled from Thee and despised Thy love; how much more may I hope that Thou wilt favour me, now that I seek and desire to love Thee?\u00a0 Give me, then, the grace to love Thee, O God worthy of infinite love.\u00a0 I love thee with my whole heart; I love Thee above all things: I love Thee more than myself, more than my life.\u00a0 I am sorry for having offended Thee, O infinite Goodness.\u00a0 Pardon me, and with Thy pardon grant me the grace to love Thee much in this life until death, and in the next life for all eternity.\u00a0 O Almighty God, show the world the greatness of Thy power, in the prodigy of a soul ungrateful as mine has been, becoming one of Thy greatest lovers.\u00a0 Do this by Thy merits, my Jesus.\u00a0 It is my ardent desire, and I resolve thus to love Thee during my whole life.\u00a0 Do Thou, Who inspirest me with this desire, give me also the strength to accomplish it.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My Jesus, I thank Thee for having waited for me until now.<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0St. Germanus, addressing the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, says: “No one is saved but through thee; no one is delivered from evils but through thee; there is no one on whom any gift is bestowed but through thee.”\u00a0 Therefore, my Lady and my hope, if thou dost not help me I am lost, and shall be unable to bless thee in Heaven.\u00a0 But Lady, I hear all the Saints say that thou never abandonest those who have recourse to thee.\u00a0 He only is lost who has not recourse to thee.\u00a0 I, then, miserable creature that I am, have recourse to thee, and in thee place all my hopes.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 Mary is my whole confidence; she is the whole ground of my hope!<\/p>

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

XXVII.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SEEKS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM EVERY CREATURE<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0He who would possess God entirely must give himself up entirely to God: My beloved to me, and I to him<\/em> \u2014 (Cant. ii., 16), says the Sacred Spouse.\u00a0 My beloved has given Himself entirely to me, and I give myself entirely to Him.\u00a0 The love which Jesus Christ bears us causes Him to desire all our love; and without all He is not satisfied.\u00a0 On this account we find St. Teresa thus writing to the prioress of one of her convents: “Endeavour to train souls to total detachment from everything created, because they are to be trained for the spouses of a King so jealous that He would have them even forget themselves.”\u00a0 St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi took a little book of devotion from one of her novices, merely because she observed that she was too much attached to it.\u00a0 Many souls acquit themselves of the duty of prayer, of visiting the Blessed Sacrament, of frequenting Holy Communion; but nevertheless they make little or no progress in perfection, and all because they keep some fondness for something in their heart; and if they persist in living thus, they will not only be always miserable, but run the risk of losing all.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/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\tTHURSDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 THE DESPISED HEART OF JESUS<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0There is no greater sorrow for a heart that loves than to see its love despised; and all the more when on one side the love has been great, and on the other the ingratitude has been great.\u00a0 Jesus Christ has offered for us His sufferings, His Blood, His very life, and we have returned Him ill-treatment, contempt, and injuries.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0There is no greater sorrow for a heart that loves than to see its love despised; and so much the more when the proofs given of this love have been great, and, on the other hand the ingratitude great.\u00a0 If every human being were to renounce all his goods, and to go and live in the desert, to live on herbs, to sleep on the bare earth, to macerate himself with penances, and at last give himself up to be martyred for Christ’s sake, what recompense could he render for the sufferings, the Blood, the life that this great Son of God has given for his sake?\u00a0 If we were to sacrifice ourselves every moment unto death, we should certainly not recompense in the smallest degree the love Jesus Christ has shown us by giving Himself to us in the Most Holy Sacrament.\u00a0 Only conceive that God should conceal Himself under the species of bread to become the Food of one of His creatures!\u00a0 But, O my God, what recompense and gratitude do men render to Jesus Christ?\u00a0 What but ill-treatment, contempt of His laws and His maxims, \u2013 injuries such as they would not commit against their enemy, or their slave, or the greatest villain upon earth.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Heart of Jesus, abyss of mercy and love, how is it that, at the sight of the goodness Thou has shown me, and of my ingratitude, I do not die of sorrow?\u00a0 Thou, O my Saviour, after having given me my being, hast given me all Thy Blood and Thy life, offering Thyself up for my sake to ignominy and death; and, not content with this, Thou hast invented the mode of sacrificing Thyself every day for me in the Holy Eucharist, not refusing to expose Thyself to the injuries Thou didst foresee in this Sacrament of love.\u00a0 O my God, how can I see myself so ungrateful to Thee without dying with confusion!\u00a0 O Lord, put an end, I pray Thee, to my ingratitude, by wounding my heart with Thy love, and making me entirely Thine.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

FIFTEENTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I but that it be kindled?<\/em> \u2014 (Luke xii., 49).\u00a0 Father Francis Olimpio, the Theatine, used to say that there was nothing on earth which enkindled such ardent flames of Divine love in the hearts of men as the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.\u00a0 Hence our Lord showed Himself to St. Catherine of Sienna, in the Blessed Sacrament, as a furnace of love, from which issued forth torrents of divine flames, spreading themselves over the whole earth; so much so, indeed, that the Saint, in perfect astonishment, wondered how it was possible that men could live without burning with love for such love on the part of God towards them.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My Jesus, make me burn with the desire of Thee; grant that all my thoughts, and sighs, and desires, and seekings may be for Thee alone.\u00a0 Oh, happy should I be did this Thy heavenly fire fully possess me, and as I advance in years, gradually consume all earthly affections in me!
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Divine Word!\u00a0 O, my own Jesus!\u00a0 I see Thee all sacrificed, all annihilated, and so to say, destroyed on the Altar, for my love.\u00a0 It is, then, but right that, as Thou sacrificest Thyself as a Victim for love of me, I at least should consecrate myself wholly to Thee.\u00a0 Yes, my God and my sovereign Lord, I now sacrifice to Thee my whole soul, my entire self, my whole will and my whole life.\u00a0 I unite this poor sacrifice of mine, O Eternal Father, to the infinite Sacrifice of Himself which Jesus, Thy Son and my Saviour, once offered to Thee on the Cross, and which He now offers to Thee so many times every day on our Altars.\u00a0 Accept it, then, through the merits of Jesus Christ; and grant me the grace to renew it every day of my life, and to die sacrificing my whole self to Thy honour.\u00a0 I desire the grace granted to so many Martyrs, to die for Thy love.\u00a0 But if I am unworthy of so great a grace, grant, at least, my Lord, that I may sacrifice my life to Thee, together with my entire will, by accepting the death which Thou sendest me.\u00a0 Lord, I desire this grace; I desire to die with the intention of honouring and pleasing Thee thereby; and from this moment I sacrifice my life to Thee; and I offer Thee my death, when or wheresoever it may take place.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My Jesus, I desire to die in order to please Thee!<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Allow me also, my most sweet Queen, to call thee, with thine own St. Bernard, “the whole ground of my hope,” and to say with St. John Damascene, “I have placed my whole hope in thee.”\u00a0 Thou hast to obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins; thou, perseverance until death; thou, deliverance from Purgatory.\u00a0 All who are saved obtain salvation through thee: thou, then, O Mary, hast to save me: “He will be saved whom thou willest,” says St. Bonaventure.\u00a0 Will, then, my salvation, and I shall be saved.\u00a0 But thou savest all who invoke thee; behold, then, I invoke thee, and say:<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 O salvation of those who invoke thee, save me!<\/p>

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

XXVIII.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SEEKS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM EVERY CREATURE<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When the heart is detached from creatures, Divine love immediately enters and fills it.\u00a0 Moreover, St. Teresa said: “As soon as the evil occasions are removed, the heart forthwith turns herself to love God.”\u00a0 Yes, for the human heart cannot exist without loving; it must either love the Creator or creatures: if it does not love creatures, then assuredly it will love God.\u00a0 In short, we must leave all in order to gain all.\u00a0 “All for all,” says Thomas \u00e0 Kempis.\u00a0 As long as St. Teresa cherished a certain affection, though pure, towards one of her relations, she did not wholly belong to God; but when afterwards she summoned courage, and resolutely cut off the attachment, then she deserved to hear these words from Jesus: “Now, Teresa, thou art all Mine, and I am all thine.”\u00a0 One heart is quite too small to love this God, so loving and so lovely, and Who merits an infinite love; and shall we then think of dividing this one little heart of ours between creatures and God?\u00a0 The Venerable Lewis da Ponte felt ashamed to speak thus to God: “O Lord, I love Thee above all things, above riches, above honours, friends, relations!” for it seemed to him as much as to say: “O Lord, I love Thee more than dust and smoke and the worms of the earth!”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/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\tFRIDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus<\/em><\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal:\u00a0 THE FAITHFUL HEART OF JESUS<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The faithfulness of the Heart of Jesus gives us confidence to hope for all things although we deserve nothing.\u00a0 God is faithful,<\/em> says St. Paul.\u00a0 Oh, how faithful is the beautiful Heart of Jesus towards those He calls to His love!<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Oh, how faithful is the beautiful Heart of Jesus towards those He calls to His love: He is faithful who hath called you, who also will perform<\/em>. \u2014 (1 Thess. v., 24).\u00a0 The faithfulness of God gives us confidence to hope all things, although we deserve nothing.\u00a0 If we have driven God from our heart, let us open the door to Him, and He will immediately enter, according to the promise He has made: If any one open to me the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him<\/em>. \u2014 (Apoc. iii., 20).\u00a0 If we wish for graces, let us ask for them of God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, and He has promised us that we shall obtain them: If you shall ask the Father anything in my name, He will give it you<\/em>. \u2014 (John xvi., 23).\u00a0 If we are tempted, let us trust in His merits, and He will not permit our enemies to strive with us beyond our strength: God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able<\/em>. \u2014 (1 Cor. x., 13).\u00a0 Oh, how much better is it to have to do with God than with men!\u00a0 How often do men promise and then fail, either because they tell lies in making their promises, or because, after having made the promise, they change their minds: “God is not as man<\/em>,” says the Holy Spirit, “that he should lie; or as the son of man, that he should be changed<\/em>.” \u2014 (Numb. xxiii., 19).
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I know my ingratitude, O my Jesus, and I abhor it.\u00a0 I know that Thou art infinite Goodness, Who deservest an infinite love, especially from me, whom Thou hast so much loved, even after all the offences I have committed against Thee.\u00a0 Unhappy me if I should damn myself; the graces Thou hast vouchsafed to me, and the proofs of the singular affection which Thou hast shown me, would be, O God, the hell of hells to me.\u00a0 Ah, no, my Love, have pity on me; suffer me not to forsake Thee again, and then by damning myself, as I should deserve, continue to repay in hell with injuries and hatred the love that Thou hast borne me.\u00a0 O loving and faithful Heart of Jesus, inflame, I beseech Thee, my miserable heart, so that it may burn with love for Thee, as Thine does for me.\u00a0 My Jesus, it seems to me that now I love Thee, but I love Thee but little.\u00a0 Make me love Thee exceedingly, and remain faithful to Thee until death.\u00a0 I ask of Thee this grace, together with that of always praying to Thee for it.\u00a0 Grant that I may die rather than ever betray Thee again.\u00a0 O Mary, my Mother, help me to be faithful to thy Son.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

SIXTEENTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Had men but always recourse to the Most Blessed Sacrament to seek from it the remedy of their ills, they certainly would not be as miserable as they are.\u00a0 The Prophet Jeremias, lamenting, exclaimed: Is there no balm in Galaad, or is there no physician there?<\/em> \u2014 (Jer. viii., 22).\u00a0 Galaad, a mountain of Arabia, rich in aromatical spices, according to the Venerable Bede, is a figure of Jesus Christ, Who, in this Sacrament, keeps in readiness all the remedies of our woes.\u00a0 Why, then, our Redeemer seems to ask, do you complain of your misfortunes, O ye sons of Adam, when you have the physician and the remedy for them all in this Sacrament?\u00a0 Come to me, and I will refresh you<\/em>. \u2014 (Matt. xi., 28).\u00a0 I will, then, address Thee, O Lord, in the words of the sisters of Lazarus: Behold, he whom thou lovest is sick<\/em>. \u2014 (John xi., 3).\u00a0 Lord, I am that miserable creature whom Thou lovest; my soul is all wounded by the sins I have committed; my divine Physician, I come to Thee that Thou mayest heal me; if Thou wilt, Thou canst cure me; Curai a minha alma, pois pequei contra v\u00f3s<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xl., 5).\u00a0 Draw me wholly to Thyself, my most sweet Jesus, by the all-winning attractions of Thy love.\u00a0 Far rather would I be bound to Thee than become the lord of the whole earth.\u00a0 I desire nothing else in the world but to love Thee.\u00a0 I have but little to give Thee; but could I gain possession of all the kingdoms of the world, I would do so, that I might renounce them all for Thy love.\u00a0 For Thee, then, I renounce what I can; I give up all relatives, all comforts, all pleasures, and even spiritual consolations; for Thee I renounce my liberty and my will.\u00a0 On Thee I desire to bestow all my love.\u00a0 I love Thee, infinite Goodness; I love Thee more than myself, and I hope to love Thee for all eternity.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My Jesus, I give myself to Thee; do Thou accept me!<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My Lady, thou didst say to St. Bridget: “However much a man sins, if he returns to me with a real purpose of amendment, I am instantly ready to welcome him; neither do I pay attention to the greatness of his sins, but to the intention alone with which he comes.\u00a0 I do not disdain to anoint and heal his wounds; for I am called, and truly am, the Mother of Mercy.”\u00a0 Since, then, thou hast both the power and the will to heal me, behold I have recourse to thee, O heavenly physician; heal the many wounds of my soul; with a single word addressed by thee to thy Son I shall be restored.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 O Mary, have pity on me!<\/p>

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

XXIX.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SEEKS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM EVERY CREATURE<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When once the love of God takes full possession of a soul, she of her own accord (supposing always, of course, the assistance of Divine grace) strives to divest herself of everything that could prove a hindrance to her belonging wholly to God.\u00a0 Saint Francis de Sales remarks that when a house catches fire all the furniture is thrown out of the window; meaning thereby, that when a person gives himself entirely to God, he needs no persuasion of preachers or confessors, but of his own accord seeks to get rid of every earthly affection.\u00a0 Father Segneri the Younger called the Divine love a robber, which happily despoils us of all, that we may come into the possession of God alone.\u00a0 A certain man, of respectable position in life, having renounced everything in order to become poor for the love of Jesus Christ was questioned by a friend how he fell into such a state of poverty; he took from his pocket a small volume of the Gospels, and said: “Behold, this is what has stripped me of all.”\u00a0 The Holy Spirit says: If a man shall give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.<\/em> \u2014 (Cant. viii., 7).\u00a0 And when a soul fixes her whole love in God, she despises all, wealth, pleasures, dignities, territories, kingdoms, and all her longing is after God alone; she says again and again: “My God, I wish for Thee only, and nothing more.”\u00a0 St. Francis de Sales writes: “The pure love of God consumes everything which is not God, to convert all into itself; for whatever we do for the love of God is love.”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/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\tSATURDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK AFTER PENTECOST<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o matinal: \u00a0MARY IS OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR<\/em><\/b><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0St. Paul wrote of our Lord Jesus Christ: For in that he himself hath suffered and been tempted he is able to succour them also that are tempted<\/em>. \u2014 (Heb. ii., 18).\u00a0 So, too, had the Mother of Jesus to be tried with many and terrible sufferings in order that, as St. Alphonsus says, she might be in all things like to her Son, and be able to succour and console the miserable.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Blessed Mother of God well deserves the glorious and beautiful title of Perpetual Succour.\u00a0 She has earned this title because of her great sufferings for our sake.\u00a0 “In all things like to her Divine Son is His Mother Mary; and as she is the Mother of Mercy, she rejoices when she succours and consoles the miserable.” \u2014 (St. Alphonsus).\u00a0 But ere she could rejoice as the Consoler and Perpetual Succour of men, she had, like her Divine Son, to be tried, to be tempted, and to suffer.\u00a0 St. Paul wrote of Our Lord Jesus Christ: For in that he himself hath suffered and been tempted he is able to succour them also that are tempted<\/em>.\u00a0 In order to win for Himself the glorious Name of Jesus, and to succour and save mankind, our Divine Lord underwent great sufferings, even to the shedding of the last drop of His precious Blood.\u00a0 So, too, had the Divine Mother to be tried with many and terrible sufferings in order to share with her Son in the work of the Redemption of the human race, and win for herself the glorious name and title of the world’s Perpetual Succour.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Divine Mother suffered in her Child.\u00a0 It is in the sufferings of the child every true and loving mother suffers most keenly.\u00a0 Mary knew the Scriptures well, and from her earliest days of childhood in the Temple kept pondering them in her heart, especially all that concerned the coming of the Redeemer, His life and death.\u00a0 She knew better than Prophet and Priest what the Messias would have to do and to suffer that He might enter into His glory, and so from the hour the Archangel saluted her: Salve, cheio de gra\u00e7a!<\/em> and she was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost and the Word was made Flesh in her womb, sorrows, too, overshadowed her, and filled her with the saddest forebodings.\u00a0 The Angel of her joys soon became the messenger of woe to carry the awful vision of the Cross and Nails before the eyes of Child and Mother from the manger of Bethlehem to the Hill of Calvary.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O my afflicted Mother, thou didst weep bitterly over thy Son Who died for my salvation; but what will thy tears avail me if I am lost?\u00a0 By thy merits, then, obtain for me true contrition for my sins and a real amendment of life.\u00a0 If Jesus and thou, being so innocent, have suffered so much for love of me, obtain that at least I may suffer something for your love.\u00a0 “O Lady,” I will say with St. Bonaventure, “if I have offended thee, in justice wound my heart: if I have served thee I ask for wounds as my reward.\u00a0 It is shameful to see my Lord wounded, and thee wounded, and myself without a wound!\u00a0 Ah, cease not, O Advocate of sinners, to assist my soul in the midst of the combat.\u00a0 I invoke thy Son and thee to succour me in life and in death.\u00a0 O Jesus and Mary, to you I recommend my soul.”<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0How plainly and eloquently does the Picture of the Mother of Perpetual Succour tell of the Mother’s sufferings in her Child.\u00a0 There we see only one sufferer as it were, so united and identified are both in the sorrows.\u00a0 The horrid visions that afflict His eyes afflict her soul, and every quiver of pain in the limbs of the Divine Lamb in her arms makes her heart tremble and agonise.\u00a0 The loving St. Alphonsus says: “From the beginning of His life Jesus had always before His eyes the sad vision of all the torments He would have to endure before He left this earth, as He predicted by the mouth of the Prophet: Minha tristeza est\u00e1 sempre diante de mim<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xxxvii., 18).\u00a0 So, then, my Redeemer, throughout Thy life, I shall find Thee nowhere but on the Cross!\u00a0 Even while sleeping, says Bellarmine, the vision of the Cross was present to the Heart of Jesus.\u00a0 “Christ had His Cross always before His eyes.\u00a0 When He slept, His Heart watched; nor was it ever free from the vision of the Cross.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0So likewise had the Divine Mother to endure her perpetual agony that in all things, she, the Co-Redemptrix of the world, might be like to her Divine Son, the Redeemer.\u00a0 Mary revealed to St. Bridget that when she suckled her Child she thought of the vinegar and gall; when swathing Him, she thought of the cords with which He was to be bound; when bearing Him in her arms, of the Cross to which He would be nailed; when He was sleeping, of His Death.\u00a0 As often as she put on Him His garments, she reflected how they would be torn from His bleeding body one day; and when she beheld His feet and hands, she thought of the nails that would one day pierce them, and then, as Mary said to St. Bridget, “my eyes filled with tears and my heart was tortured with grief.”\u00a0 Thus truly had Mary to suffer and to be tempted, like her Divine Son, so as to be able to succour them also that are tempted, and to merit the glorious title of the world’s Perpetual Succour.\u00a0 Mary is now all-powerful in Heaven, ever acting as our Advocate and interceding for us, says Blessed Amadeus, with her most powerful prayers, for she well sees our miseries and our dangers, and, as our most clement and sweet Lady, compassionates and succours us with a Mother’s love.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O Mother of Perpetual Succour, grant that I may always invoke thy most powerful name, for thy name is help in life, salvation in death.\u00a0 I thank the Lord for having given thee for my good this name so sweet, so amiable, and so powerful.\u00a0 But merely to pronounce thy name is not enough for me.\u00a0 I wish to do so out of love.\u00a0 I wish that love may remind me to call thee always Mother of Perpetual Succour<\/em>.<\/p>

Leitura espiritual:\u00a0\u00a0CORAM SANCTISSIMO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

SEVENTEENTH VISIT<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Loving souls can find no greater delight than to be in the company of those whom they love.\u00a0 If we, then, love Jesus Christ much, behold we are now in His presence.\u00a0 Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament sees us and hears us: shall we, then, say nothing to Him?\u00a0 Let us console ourselves in His company; let us rejoice in His glory, and in the love which so many enamoured souls bear Him in the Most Holy Sacrament.\u00a0 Let us desire that all should love Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, and consecrate their hearts to Him; at least let us consecrate all our affections to Him.\u00a0 He should be all our love and our whole desire.\u00a0 Father Salesius, of the Society of Jesus, felt consolation in only speaking of the Most Blessed Sacrament; he could never visit It enough.\u00a0 When called to the parlour, or on returning to his room, or going about the house, he always profited by these occasions to repeat his visits to his beloved Lord; so much so, that it was remarked that scarcely an hour of the day passed without his visiting Him.\u00a0 At length he obtained the favour of dying by the hands of heretics while defending the truth of the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Oh, had I but the happiness to die for so noble a cause as the defence of this Sacrament, in which, O most amiable Jesus, Thou hast taught us the tenderness of the love which Thou bearest us!\u00a0 But since, my Lord, Thou workest so many miracles in this Sacrament, work this one also; draw my entire self to Thee.\u00a0 Thou indeed desirest that I should be all Thine, and Thou dost also, indeed, deserve that I should be so.\u00a0 Give me the strength to love Thee with all the affection of my soul.\u00a0 Give the goods of this world to whomsoever Thou willest.\u00a0 I renounce them all.\u00a0 I sigh after and desire Thy love alone; this alone do I now and will always seek.\u00a0 I love Thee, my Jesus; grant me the grace always to love Thee, and grant me this alone.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My Jesus, when shall I really love Thee?<\/p>

VISITA A MARIA<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0My most sweet Queen, how pleasing to me is that beautiful name by which thy devout clients address thee: “Mater amabilis<\/em>, Most Amiable Mother!”\u00a0 Yes, my Lady, thou art truly and indeed amiable.\u00a0 Thy beauty has captivated thy Lord Himself: And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty<\/em>. \u2014 (Ps. xliv., 12).\u00a0 St. Bernard says that thy very name is so amiable to thy lovers that when they pronounce it, or hear it, they are inflamed with a fresh desire to love thee: “O sweet, O pious, O exceedingly amiable Mary!\u00a0 Thou canst not be named without inflaming, neither can thy name be heard without enkindling the affections of those who love thee.”\u00a0 It is, then, reasonable, my most amiable Mother, that I should love thee.\u00a0 But I am not satisfied with only loving thee; I desire in the first place on earth, and then in Heaven, to be, after God, thy greatest lover.\u00a0 If my desire is presumptuous, it is thou thyself who art to blame, on account of thy amiability and the special love which thou hast shown me.\u00a0 If thou wert less amiable, my desire to love thee would be less.\u00a0 Accept, then, O Lady, this my desire, and in token thou hast accepted it, do thou obtain for me from God this love for which I ask thee, since He is so well pleased with the love which is borne thee.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ejac<\/em>.\u00a0 My most amiable Mother, I love thee much!<\/p>

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

XXX.\u00a0 HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST SEEKS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM EVERY CREATURE<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o I:
<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0To arrive at a perfect union with God, a total detachment from creatures is of absolute necessity.\u00a0 And to come to particulars, we must divest ourselves of all inordinate affection towards relations.\u00a0 Jesus Christ said: If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple<\/em>. \u2014 (Luke xiv., 26).\u00a0 And wherefore this hatred to relations?\u00a0 Because, generally, as regards the interests of the soul, we cannot have greater enemies than our own kindred: And a man’s enemies shall be those of his own household<\/em>. \u2014 (Matt. x., 36).\u00a0 St. Charles Borromeo declared that he never went to pay a visit to his own family without returning cooled in fervour.\u00a0 And when Father Antony Mendoza was asked why he refused to enter the house of his parents, he replied, “Because I know, by experience, that nowhere is the devotion of a Religious so dissipated as in the house of his parents.”
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When, moreover, the choice of a state of life is concerned, it is certain that we are not obliged to obey our parents, according to the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas.\u00a0 Should a young man be called to the Religious life, and find opposition from his parents, he is bound to obey God, and not his parents, who, as the same St. Thomas says, with a view to their own interests and private ends, stand in the way of our spiritual welfare.\u00a0 “Friends of flesh and blood are oftentimes opposed to our spiritual profit.”\u00a0 And they are content, says St. Bernard, to have their children go to eternal perdition rather than that they should leave home.<\/p>

Medita\u00e7\u00e3o II:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/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

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u21d1 \u00a0<\/a>\u00cdNDICE<\/a>
<\/em>\u21d0 PRIMEIRA SEMANA AP\u00d3S <\/em>PENTECOSTES<\/em><\/a>
\u21d2 TERCEIRA SEMANA AP\u00d3S <\/em>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. 145-191 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Morning Meditation:\u00a0 THE HEART OF JESUS LONGING FOR OUR LOVE \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jesus has no need of us.\u00a0 He is equally happy, rich and powerful, with or without our … Continuar lendo <\/i><\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4884,"parent":0,"menu_order":88,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9260","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9260","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=9260"}],"version-history":[{"count":83,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10747,"href":"https:\/\/societyofthemostholyredeemer.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9260\/revisions\/10747"}],"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=9260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}