If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of the great holiness to which He desires you to attain.
- St. Ignatius -
- St. Ignatius -
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The more we complain of our trials the heavier our burden grows; if on the contrary we humbly and lovingly bear them, the burden becomes light and agreeable.
- Blessed Egidius of Assisi - Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919 As the priest reverently, devoutly, and lovingly gathers up from the paten the tiniest particles of the Host, so should you gather up all the thorns, the trials and the sufferings you meet on your way, to put them in the chalice of love along with the Precious Blood of the Saviour.
Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919 ~ Father Brisson ~ Learn to suffer and to be silent if you wish to live in peace and to attain to great virtue.
- St. John of the Cross - Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919 What is death? It is but the leap of a child springing into his Father's arms.
- Father Tesnieres, SSS., D.D. - Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919 When we feel us too faint, remember Christ's strength. In our fear, let us remember Christ's painful agony that Himself would (for our comfort) suffer before His passion, to the intent that no fear should make us despair.
Blessed Thomas More Source: Whom the Lord Loveth, Imprimatur 1919 “Be not seduced: evil conversations corrupt good morals” (I Cor. 15. 33). Impurity being in itself so shameful, it would seem that no one would venture to take delight in conversing thereon, or in listening to such conversations. But there are shameless persons who find great pleasure in such conversations and even in the singing of obscene songs. Those who speak and sing about obscene things are guilty of giving scandal, and deserve to be called seducers of the innocent. 1. The scandal of such conversations and songs is almost irreparable. It is calculated to seduce and corrupt the young, the innocent. These discourses, these songs palliate the malice and shamefulness of the vice of impurity in a seductive and enticing manner, and by means of obscene jokes and anecdotes, words of double meaning and suggestive allusions, awaken impure representations, which afford the wicked food for sensual gratification, and instruct the innocent in the ways of vice, and corrupt their hearts and their morals. The sharper the dagger, the deeper the wound, and the more refined and suggestive such conversations or allusions, or songs, the more apt they are to deeply impress and take root in the minds and imaginations of the young. “His words are smoother than oil, and the same are darts” (Ps. 54. 22). Whatever is apt to inspire pleasure in impurity cannot be said or sung, or willfully listened to without grievous sin, without scandal. Those who speak of or sing about such matters have either a bad intention or a bad habit. If the former, they are seducers, scandal-givers, the very agents of Satan for the ruin of souls. If the latter, they are bound to use efficient means to correct it; if they neglect doing so, they are equally guilty with those who do so with a bad intention. Words are the signs of thoughts as smoke is of fire. “A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6. 45). The evil man is devoid of shame; he openly professes wickedness; he has no fear of God, who hears and despises him; he has no conscience, for he is wholly indifferent to the bad effects he may produce in his hearers, and to the injury he may do the innocent. He knows he is doing wrong, for he dares not indulge in such filth when respectable persons are present. “Of the fruits of a man’s mouth shall his belly be satisfied, and the off spring of his lips shall fill him. Death and life are in the power of the tongue; they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof ” (Prov. 18. 20, 21). No one can speak or sing about things obscene without having corresponding thoughts; no one can hear or listen to such conversations or songs without being reminded of the obscene things themselves. How difficult, especially for the young, to eradicate the thoughts awakened by such discourses and songs ! Most probably he who uses such language and sings such songs was led astray in the same way. “A man killeth through malice, and when the spirit is gone forth, it shall not return, neither shall he call back the soul that is received” ( Wisd. 16. 14). No matter how wicked are your companions, you can not be justified in using such language, for it arouses impure thoughts and entices to impurity. “All uncleanness... let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints” (Eph. 5. 3). No one is excepted from this rule, be they married or single, old or young, vicious or innocent! In the ashes of burnt wood there is still fire, and he who lows thereon and lays fresh fuel on it, causes a fresh fire to spring up. “Speech is a spark to move our heart” (Wisd. 2. 2). The pleasure those present take in listening to you is a sign of their susceptibility. “I stick fast in the mire of the deep, and there is no sure (secure) standing” (Ps. 68. 3). “Shun profane and vain babblings, for they grow much towards ungodliness, and their speech spreads like a cancer” (2 Tim. 2. 16, 17). There are gatherings in which only one word suffices to turn the conversation to the most obscene subjects, for “birds of a feather flock together.” One earnest Christian could easily put a stop to it! But “let none of us go without his part in luxury; let us everywhere leave tokens of joy, for this is our portion, this our lot” (Wisd. 2. 9). Every one is eager to pour a little more oil on the flames, and this all for fun! But “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8. 37). No one can repair the injury done, for the evil impression is lasting, and the speaker cannot remove it by pious remarks or conversations, for he will only be laughed at! Perhaps by tears of pen ance? But he has led others astray! Bad words brought on bad thoughts in the innocent, then followed reflection, then curiosity, then passion, then pleasure, then desire, then occasion, then the deed followed by many others! The garment of innocence can never be mended. The wound is incurable! Perhaps the victim is now confirmed in lust, or has died in sin, after leading others astray as he himself had been. You have perhaps amended your life, but the harm you have done your neighbor can never be repaired. “Their tongue is like a piercing arrow” (Jer. 9. 8). 2. He who approvingly listens to obscene conversations and songs, is already seduced, because he listens in silence, instead of preventing them; he listens willfully, instead of shunning them; and soon he will join in them, instead of being ashamed of them. Such language is, in some manner, worse than the evil deeds which infuse shame into those who commit them, whilst obscene talk excites the imagination; the deeds shock, but the words please and cause those present to drink in the poison as a delicious beverage! Who are guilty of a culpable silence in this matter? Parents, superiors, those in authority, influential persons. To them God says: “I will require his blood from thy hand” (Ezech. 3. 18). But I do not want to be impolite! Blessed is he who is not ashamed of Jesus Christ, who has the moral courage to remonstrate against such filth! You are bound to avoid the company of those who are wont to converse about obscene matters, whenever it is possible for you to do so. Do like Joseph, fleeing from the seducer! But if you cannot keep away, because you have to work among such a crowd, then if they show their sinfulness, show your virtue by taking no part in the conversation, by not willfully listening to it. Beware of joining them in their laughter! Could you laugh if some one were threatening your life? They are threatening the life of your soul! Your pleased countenance would show the direction of your heart. Remember you cannot serve two masters. When obscene conversations are going on around you, remember that you must not find therein any matter for joking, for a pastime, for any laughter! “He who takes pleasure in the words,” says St. Jerome, “is not far from the deed.” Act like St. Bernardine of Siena in his youth, for his companions, when they saw him coming, would warn each other to cease speaking of obscene subjects. Imitate the youth St. Stanislaus, who was so horrified when an impure word or allusion was uttered in his presence that he would faint away. 3. Evil effects of obscene conversations and songs. In the first place, they are the ruin of good morals, for they rob the young of their innocence, which is the foundation of good morals; they corrupt the principles, which should be the rule of good morals. Secondly, they implant bad morals by robbing the hearers of modesty, which is the safeguard of purity; they make a beaten track to evil company, infuse a love for vice, by making it appear delightful, so that the formerly innocent soon become adepts in vicious practices! “How is the gold become dim, the finest color is changed, and the stones of the sanctuary at the corners of every street?” (Lament. 4. i). Formerly that person was so reserved, but is now so impudent; she was so shy of every look, now she is accustomed to obscene language; formerly she was so bashful in presence of one of the other sex, but now how free, how unrestrained, how dissipated! Formerly she considered such freedom of language so sinful, but now looks upon it as a pleasant pastime. Her ears are accustomed to obscenity, her eyes seek it, her tongue utters and sings it, and the more licentious it is, the more her heart enjoys it. Her first fall has been followed by many others, and the evil has taken deep root. What is once morally rotten, usually remains rotten! Woe to the seducer! Woe to the seduced! “The evil man obeyeth an unjust tongue, and the deceitful hearkeneth to lying lips” (Prov. 17. 4). “The impure tongue is an open tomb” (Ps. 5. 11). Woe to them during their life! All the good despise them as impure beasts, as attacked by a disgusting contagious disease, as agents of Satan! For them there is no more consolation, no more honorable pleasure or supernatural hope! Their life shall be filled with bitter moments, their conscience with frightful reproaches, their soul with sad memories! Woe to them in death, for terrible will be their remorse! Woe to them at judgment! The seducer shall then hear cries of vengeance from the parents whose children he corrupted, from the guardian angels of these little ones, from the blood of Jesus Christ which he has rendered vain for so many souls, and from the souls he has led astray ! “Set a watch to my mouth, and a door round about my lips” (Ps. 140. 3). Source: Sermon Matter, Imprimatur 1915  First Point.—Under the figure of the father of the family who goes out early in the morning to engage laborers for his vineyard, it is easy to recognize God, the common Father of all men. By the agency of His ministers or by the secret promptings of grace He does not cease to call us to Himself, and entreats us to labor in His vineyard, that is to say, in the cultivation of our soul. If the vineyard in which the father of the family sends his workmen represents a figure of the soul, it is in accordance with the word of God itself. In fact, everywhere in Holy Scripture we find that God claims our souls as His domain. And this is, after all, only just, since we belong to Him by the most legitimate titles. Is it not He who has formed us with His own hands? Is it not from Him that we hold all that we have and all that we are ? And not content with having created our soul and enriched it with the most magnificent gifts, God has reconquered it from the demon by redeeming it with His blood; hence we belong to Him by the triple right of birth, conquest, and love. The soul thus redeemed God places in our keeping; it is a trust He has confided to us; it is the field which He commands us to cultivate and make fruitful for Him.
If the field of our soul remain sterile, this fault cannot be imputed to the Father of the family, since He has done for her all He could do. He has placed her in the bosom of the Church, where she receives the abundance of graces which God does not cease to pour out on this blessed soil; He surrounds her with the sacraments, and she participates in all the benefits which Jesus has merited by His death. She has been overwhelmed by every kind of grace and enriched by every blessing. Can she ask of God anything more? In confiding to us the culture of a land thus prepared, has He not the right to expect some fruit in return? Here reflect seriously on yourself; recall the graces you have hitherto received, all the means of sanctification which have been lavished on you, and ask yourself what return you have made ? Second Point.—The different hours at which the father of the family sends the laborers to his vineyard mark the different ages at which we give ourselves to the service of God: infancy, youth, mature years, and old age. At all times of our life, the Father of the human race, our first, our truest Father, comes to us to urge us to labor for our sanctification. He it is who always makes the first advances. He goes out to seek us in the public place, that is to say, in the midst of the dissipation's of life, in the tumult of business, in the pleasures of the world. Our very faults do not discourage Him; however great they may be, still His merciful goodness extends a pardon to us, and even urges us to merit it. He exhorts us to labor for our sanctification by the words which His ministers address by us the religious objects which He exposes to our view; by the examples of virtue of which He makes us witnesses; by the disgrace with which He afflicts us; by the sudden deaths with which He visits our imitators and, perhaps, the accomplices of our sins; in a word, by all the circumstances with which He does not cease to surround us He especially exhorts us by the different sentiments which He excites within us. Have no doubt about it: these pious promptings, which you experience, these holy thoughts which are suggested from time to time to your mind, this remorse which troubles you, the inquietude's, which disturb you at the remembrance of your sins—these are all so many inspirations which God sends you and so many exhortations which He addresses you If hitherto you have remained deaf to His invitations you have reason to fear lest He cease to call you and, as it were, pursue you. Do not persevere in a resistance which may be fatal to you; cease to offer your refusal to His tenderness, and have for your soul as much pity as He Himself has for it. Third Point.-The evening at last had come, and the father of the family said to his steward. "Call the laborers and pay them their hire beginning from the last even to the first. " When the evening of life shall come-that solemn moment when our labors shall have terminated and the recompense shall begin—we shall appear before the Steward, before Jesus, who has been appointed by His Father the Judge of the living and the dead. The soul at her departure from the body, in which she has so long been enclosed, shall see herself suddenly transported to the foot of the supreme tribunal, and the state in which she is found at that moment shall fix her lot for eternity. She shall be for all eternity either adorned and brilliant by the virtues with which she is enriched, or she shall be stained, disfigured, and punished for the sins with which she is covered. And, perhaps, you are surprised to see the Master of the vineyard giving to all the laborers the same recompense,—the same to those who have labored only an hour as to those who have borne the heat and the burdens of the day. This is a warning which Jesus gives us. He would teach us that God shall dispense His recompense, not according to the time engaged, but according to the fervor which has been brought to the work. He regards the quality rather than the quantity of the labor; He weighs the work instead of counting it. Oh, happy are they who from their early youth have borne the yoke of the Lord; they certainly have great advantages; but, at last, the time of labor can also be rewarded because of the devotion which has been given. The traveler who starts on his journey too late may, by hastening, reach and even pass him who started early in the morning and who walked slowly. And this also explains these other words of the Father of the family, viz.: " The first shall be last and the last shall be first. " Our divine Saviour does not wish us to understand that they who begin late in the service of God shall, therefore, precede those who shall have served Him early. Far from us this thought which is so injurious to divine justice and wisdom, and which should be calculated to encourage a delay of conversion so severely condemned. The sense of these words is, simply, that among those who are last in the order of their vocation very many shall become first in the order of glory that we shall see sinners converted, more penetrated by humility, more inflamed by charity than certain just men; and that they who shall have labored for their salvation but a short time, and more effectively, shall surpass those who shall have labored a longer time, but with less zeal and ardor. O my God, how long Thou hast already called me and I have always resisted the voice of Thy grace. Today Thou callest me still, and I wish to profit by this new appeal to labor in Thy vineyard, that is to say, for my salvation, with promptitude, since I have lost so much time; with fidelity, since all my moments belong to Thee; with perseverance since the recompense is given only to those who labor until evening has come; with courage to repair the lost time; with fervor, since Thy recompense shall be measured, not by the time spent in Thy service, but by the ardor with which it shall be accomplished. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  THE parable of the cockle mingled with the good grain in the field of the father of the family, . . . furnishes us an occasion of meditating on the mingling of the good and the bad in the Church of Jesus Christ. Consider how some become bad, why God allows the association of the good and the wicked, what duties devolve on you, and how this mixture of good and bad shall terminate.
First Point. — How men become wicked. We cannot accuse God as the cause of this mingling of good and bad which afflicts the Church so much; every sinner must accuse himself only for his perversions. God has done everything for us that we should be good and virtuous. Not to mention here the sacrifice of the cross, which has been the principle of all justice and every virtue worthy of the name, how many graces have followed for us? Grace of the sacraments, grace of holy inspiration, grace of instruction and good example. There has been no admixture; yet after all this the servants of the good master were obliged to say: "Master, have you not sown good grain in your field? How comes it we find cockle there?" Was ever reply more just? "It is my enemy that has done this." Yes, the demon, ever hostile to Jesus, and the passions ever hostile to our happiness — these are the enemies whose artifices and cruel influence we must always fear. And how does the demon come to pervert even the most virtuous hearts and subject them to his rule? Jesus Himself tells us; he comes in the night, and as a thief. Well does Satan know that, if he presented sin in its true colors to an innocent soul, he should be surely rejected; therefore he presents it under a deceitful color and as if in the night. He persuades us that this thought, this doubt, this society, this association is most innocent, and under the pretext of that pretended innocence we yield and insensibly entangle ourselves in his snares. The evil which is the consequence of our want of foresight is not perceived at once, but it is not the less real. Thus the cockle while it is only in the germ does not appear, but after its growth it saddens our heart. We must constantly watch and be on our guard, if we would protect our hearts from the first attacks of evil; every temptation is easily rejected at the outset, but once let it enter the soul, it will be a difficult thing to drive it out. Therefore it is our blessed Saviour gives us this advice, to which we cannot be too faithful: "Watch," not indeed to hinder the temptation: that is impossible; but "lest you enter into temptation" — that is, not to allow it to enter your heart. Second Point — Why does God allow this mingling of the good and the wicked? It is through His bounty for sinners; the tolerance which God manifests for them is a marvel of His mercy. '*The long patience of God" says St. Paul, " invites sinners to repentance." Isaias says "it is to pardon them that he awaits them; and the prophet Ezechiel adds: "God does not wish the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live." We cannot but admire here the unspeakable goodness of God. If divine justice had struck you when you were under the yoke of sin, where would you be now? Alas, even in this very moment where would you go, if the Supreme Judge came to demand the account which you must one day render? With regard to the just, their mingling with sinners serves for their sanctification. It is in persecutions that virtue is purified; it is in temptations it is strengthened; virtue must be exercised if it shall become sustaining. The trials of every kind to which the wicked subject the good keep them in continual activity and hinder them from growing weary in well-doing. Virtue is never more beautiful than when it is victorious over illusions, seductions, bad examples, contempt, threats, and the persecutions of the world, which are always anxious to corrupt and desirous of being corrupted. Third Point — What should our conduct be with regard to sinners? The tolerance which God man- ifests towards them must oblige us to tolerate them also, and to treat them with sweetness and indul- gence. And by what right could you reject those whom God Himself tolerates? Perhaps this impious one or that sinner, whose conduct is revolting to you, may be destined to become a vessel of election. Perhaps these sinners may be called to a higher sanctity than you whose indiscreet severity would hurl anathemas against them. Alas ! you who have such great need of indulgence, how can you show such little indulgence to others? A second duty towards sinners is to labor as much as you can for their conversion. There are two means to attain this desirable end, and the first is our own example. This means is, the first of all, the most efficacious and most free from all inconvenience. We should give to sinners a salutary horror for vice by the sight of our own virtues, and by seeing what we are they shall learn to blush for what they are. The second means to convert the wicked is prayer. The prayers of the just shall procure for them the grace of conversion. To the prayers of St. Stephen and St. Monica the Church is indebted for her two great lights — St. Paul and St. Augustine. God wishes only to pardon and to bless, but His mercy must be implored by the prayers of the just. By the mouth of His prophet He tells us: " I have sought a man who shall stand between My justice and the sinner, to arrest My arm, but I have not found him." Make it your duty to interpose between God and so many sinners who are rushing blindly to the abyss; this should be a sweet duty to discharge when it is a question of obtaining the conversion of a friend or the salvation of a father So or a mother. How can you refuse to procure for yourself a joy so worthy of a Christian heart? Fourth Point — How shall the mingling of the good and bad terminate? By the chastisement of the wicked and the recompense of the good. " At the time of the harvest, I shall say to the reapers, Gather up first the cockle and bind it in bundles to burn, but the wheat, gather into my barn." Behold the destiny of both: strive to comprehend the consequences, first with regard to sinners. The words of the parable alone suffice to make you appreciate the rigorous chastisement which awaits them. The time of the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. In the harvest time the cockle is gathered and given to the flames, and so the Son of man, at the end of the world, shall send His angels, who shall take from His kingdom all scandalous sinners and those who have committed iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'' Behold the frightful destiny of the wicked. But oh, how much the destiny of the just is to be en- vied! Jesus Himself says: "Then the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." He then adds: "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." O my God, who is there that shall not be awak- ened from sleep, in reflecting on these great truths? Let the impious and libertine close their ears, lest they should hear, but it shall be their own folly and misfortune. For myself I ask, O my God, a docile heart to profit by such an important lesson. Detach my heart from all that is transitory, that I may comprehend and taste what is eternal. Ah, Lord, grant that Thy justice may terrify me, that Thy goodness may assure me, that Thy law may be my rule, and that, walking here below in Thy light, I may attain, one day, to Thy glory. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897 We have finally put together another Gazette. You can view it below and download and print it here.  First Point. THE sea on which the apostles embarked is the image of the world,—the sea strewn with. . . dangers and countless shipwrecks. The ship which carries them is the figure of your soul in its journey towards eternity. The tempest which threatens to submerge them represents the temptations of every kind, which embarrass us on our way to heaven. Every one experiences these temptations, the child and the young man, the full grown man, and the aged; the Trappist in his solitude, as well as the worldly man in the midst of his festivities. The most scrupulous and exact piety is not even a safeguard from their attacks. Did not temptations come to those who were in closest companionship with Christ? Be careful, therefore, lest you believe that your love for God, your fervor in His service, your fidelity in the fulfillment of your duties shall shield you from temptations. This would be a dangerous error. On the contrary, your piety and your innocence shall be the reason for the demon to make greater efforts to bring you under his dominion. There are hearts enough who deliver themselves up as a prey to their enemy. He is assured of these, but he is desirous of choice souls like yours; to make a conquest of them he redoubles his seductive snares. Still you must not be discouraged by temptations, but see in them the consolation that you are not as yet under his dominion. St. Francis de Sales has said that the dogs do not bark after the people who belong to the house, but only after strangers, so the demon leaves in a sad peace those whom he knows belong to him and wearies the others by his pursuits, and invents a thousand artifices to turn them away from the paths of virtue. Alas, he only succeeds too well ! Just cast a glance about you: where are so many souls that were hitherto so fervent? What have become of them ? They have become a prey to the demon and now they languish far from God and from virtue, in a shameful slavery! Weep for them, and conjure our good Lord to keep you far from such misfortunes.
Second Point. While the tempest raged and threatened to engulf the bark on which the apostles sailed, "Jesus slept.- This sleep of Jesus is the occasion of our great temptations and the principle of all our falling; it is the symbol of the languor which conducts a soul to those negligences which she permits, the distractions in which she allows herself to be drawn—certain affections which are wholly natural and which have over her too great sway and especially the facility to commit light faults! True, indeed, these faults do not deprive us of the presence of Jesus, but they diminish the effect of His presence; they do not destroy His grace, but they weaken and diminish it. Grave sins crucify Him in us, while light offenses cause Him to sink into a deep sleep. This sleep of Jesus in our soul is not always a crime, but it is always a misfortune. In fact, it is during His sleep that the storms arise, that the passions are awakened, that the enemy, who never sleeps, renews with greater activity all his dangerous attacks. He is too weak to conquer us when we are divinely assisted, but he awaits the moment to combat with us when we are not assisted by this heavenly aid. If, therefore, you perceive that Jesus sleeps in you, awaken Him immediately. That is to say, if you feel your fervor weakening or your heart growing cold towards God, your courage unequal to the fulfillment of your duties, promptly renew your ardor and take heart again. A soldier should not lay aside his arms when he perceives the approach of the enemy; on the contrary, then it is he should be animated by a new courage. However, be not presumptuous; and never forget that you can do nothing by yourself your strength comes from God; ask Him for His grace most earnestly. Even as the apostles, have recourse to the divine Master, and cry to Him with a profound feeling of your weakness: "Lord, save me, for without your aid I shall perish." Be assured, if you are faithful to invoke God in the moment of danger, if you invoke Him with confidence, the same prodigy which was wrought for the apostles shall be wrought for you ; Jesus shall again command the tempest to be appeased, and tranquillity and calm shall be restored to your soul. Third Point.—But when the temptation shall have passed be assured your work is not over. Either you have successfully resisted, or you have yielded. If you have been fortunate enough to have resisted, do not claim for yourself the glory of this triumph. Be careful to refer all the honor of your victory to God. Gratitude for benefits received shall gain for you new blessings and attract new graces. Moses,after his victory over the Amalekites, erected an altar on the battlefield and there offered to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Bossuet praised the great Conde, the conqueror at Rocroy, for having intoned the Te Deum on the field of battle, thus recognizing that he was indebted to God for his first victory. Imitate these examples, for, since you are weak it is impossible to triumph over the enemy by your own unaided strength? It is to the protection of the Virgin Mother and the assistance which God sends you by His angels that you are indebted for victory; why then take the glory as if it had come from yourself? If you are obliged to admit defeat, then deplore it, but be not cast down or discouraged. Here there are two dangers to be feared: indifference and discouragement. Indifference, alas! is only too frequent. One commits sin and thinks of it no more; one is the enemy of God and remains tranquil. Should you see some loved one die you cannot restrain your tears; but your soul is dead in sin. Shall you be insensible to this spiritual death? Be on your guard against this guilty carelessness. You have offended your God? then cast yourself on your knees and ask for pardon. Your soul is stained by sin? then do not remain in sin, but hasten to wash it away in the sacred waters of penance. Also avoid discouragement. This would be nothing less than a new outrage against God. And let us ask, What can be the motive for discouragement? You have sinned; do you think you are impeccable ? - Are you stronger than Samson, holier than David, or wiser than Solomon? Whence come, therefore, your discouragement and anger? God opens His heart to you; have recourse to His mercy. Instead of being saddened or unduly discouraged, let the remembrance of your faults serve as a motive of greater humility, since you are so weak; more patience, since you have so much to expiate; more charity, since you have so much need of indulgence. Oh, then shall your fault be a happy one, and even as God you shall draw good from evil. O my God, how good Thou. art! Thou experiencest more pity than anger at the sight of Thy children's faults. I wish hereafter to entertain for Thee a truly filial confidence. If I have the misfortune to offend Thee, I shall cast myself into Thy arms, feeling well assured that Thou wilt not reject Thy repentant child. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  THE leper, whose healing is recounted today in the Gospel narrative, is the image of a soul . . . whom sin, and especially the sin of impurity has stained. There is a striking resemblance between the consequences of leprosy and the consequences of the sin of impurity. Leprosy, as it is depicted in our sacred books, produced four effects on the unfortunate victim. First, it corrupted the blood and attacked the very sources of life; 2nd it disfigured the body, and made it an object of disgust; 3d, it condemned the leper to live far from the society of men; 4th, it made his society dangerous because of the contagion. You shall find these different effects in sin, and especially in the sin of impurity. First Point.—As leprosy corrupts the blood, so the sin of impurity corrupts the heart and vitiates the very life of the soul. It not only attacks the surface, but it attacks the most intimate sources of spiritual life. Under its dominion the soul quickly loses its noblest faculties; memory is weakened intelligence enfeebled, and the noblest faculties 'are compelled to give way to ignoble instincts; there is no progress in science; application to study is impossible, no grand and elevated thoughts; the mind is narrowed, and genius becomes extinct. In the heart the effects are still more deplorable. It perverts the most happy dispositions and develops the most shameful desires; conscience is blunted and loses its first delicacy. The victim becomes indifferent to disorders the very thought of which was once revolting; a stupid carelessness succeeds to vivacity of faith and fervor and piety. The tastes, the inclinations, and the very character are changed. Sin has done in the soul what leprosy has done in the body; it has corrupted it at the foundation, it has vitiated the very sources of life. Second Point.—As leprosy disfigures the body and makes it an object of horror and disgust, so sin disfigures our souls and makes them an object of disgust to the heart of God. You would understand this second effect of sin if you could understand the beauty of a soul in a state of grace, the splendor with which it shines, the glory which surrounds it, and the holy pleasure with which God regards it. This beauty, it is true, has nothing exterior, nothing sensible. The prophet tells us " that the glory of the daughter of Sion is within her." None of those splendid rays fall on our mortal eyes, but the splendor is no less real. It is that which gives a charm to infancy, it is that refreshing grace which exercises over our hearts an empire as sweet as it is irresistible. To know the price of a soul adorned by grace, we must consult the Holy Scriptures; for what is more reliable than the testimony of uncreated wisdom? Hear, therefore, what the Holy Spirit says of a soul ornamented with grace and the esteem which He has for it: "I who am your God, I who can deceive none, nor can I be deceived, I declare to you that I only consider silver as dross when compared with a just soul." And is this enough? No; bring together all the gold that is in the bowels of the earth: God considers all that as only a little grain of sand in comparison with a just soul. There are indeed many precious stones in the depths of the sea; they are so beautiful that they serve as ornaments for vanity, and heighten by their splendor the glory of a diadem; but when God compares them with a just soul He finds the soul a thousand times more precious. It is a grand thing to rule over an extensive kingdom, to be seated on a brilliant throne, but all that is nothing when compared with a soul adorned by grace. In a word, unite all glory, all beauty, all grandeur, yet all these cannot approach the beauty, the merit, the excellence of a soul which is clothed with grace and empurpled by the blood of the Son of God made man. Sin, as a hideous leprosy, strips the soul of its beauty and makes it an object of disgust and horror in the eyes of God. It is with tears in their eyes that the prophets deplore the unhappy state of a soul stained and disfigured by sin. Jeremias exclaims: "How has the pure gold been changed into vile metal ! All the glory of the daughter of Sion has departed !" Unfortunate soul ! Who shall give to my eyes two sources of tears to weep for thy misfortune ? Third Point.—The law required that every leper should be driven from the people and separated from his fellows as an unclean being. This is also the destiny of the sinner. As long as a man is in the state of grace, he is the child of God, the heir to heaven, the co-heir with Jesus. What a dignity! He enjoys all the rights of the children of the Church, he shares in all the goods she possesses, he participates in the prayers of the saints in heaven and of the just on earth: he has a right to the merits of the august sacrifice, to all the indulgences which the Church draws from her treasury. What riches! But by sinning he loses everything—he loses his titles of child of God and citizen of heaven, he is deprived of all the merits he has acquired, and even of the right to acquire new merits. True, indeed, he is not cut off from the bosom of the Church; he is always a member of it, but he is a dead member. He receives also certain graces, but they are weak graces, which his bad dispositions render sterile. In a word, he appears living in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of God he is dead. Oh, how horrible is this state, and how much you are to be pitied if you do not understand this misfortune! Fourth Point.—There is a fourth effect common to sin and to leprosy: it is contagion. Leprosy is a malady to be feared so much because it is contagious. The leper communicated his malady to all who approached him, unless suitable precautions were taken. This explains the severity of the laws regarding it and the reason of its universal repulsion. Sin is also contagious, and is communicated and spread by bad words and by bad examples. A vicious friend shall lead you to vice; his corrupting discourse shall rob you of your faith, little by little; his undue confidences shall initiate you into the knowledge of evil ; his insidious words shall cause you to love him, and his conduct shall justify him in your eyes. Fear, then, the influence of a friend who is not most virtuous; break away from his society; fly from him as you would fly from the sight of a serpent; this is the advice which the Holy Spirit gives you by the mouth of the wise man. In giving you this advice, he would teach you that a vicious friend contains within him a subtle poison, which escapes from his whole conduct, insinuates itself into the faculties of the soul, and carries with it ruin and death. O my God, preserve my soul from the leprosy of sin; do not permit that, in becoming Thy enemy, I should lose that which in Thy eyes constitutes my true beauty, and that which can alone give me rights to heaven. Oh, may I never become for others the occasion of scandal or ruin ! But if I have had the misfortune to fall into sin, give me the strength to rise again, and to find in a generous confession both happiness and life, by obtaining Thy friendship again. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897 THE Evangelist, after having recounted the change of water into wine, at the wedding feast of Cana, remarks that, at the sight of this miracle, the disciples of Jesus believed in Him. It was impossible that this result should not follow, since miracles are so much the work of God that He only, or His delegate, could work them. If then the miracles recorded in the holy gospel are true, it is evident that Jesus is all that He claimed to be, viz.,the Son of God. Now the certitude of the evangelical miracles is demonstrated by their character and by the character of those who relate them, and by the monuments which give testimony of them; it is impossible, therefore, to question their authenticity.
First Point.—The character of these evangelical facts demonstrates their certitude. We observe at once they are important; they were extraordinary circumstances and calculated to arrest attention. At the birth of Jesus, the angels announced Him by a magnificent canticle ; a brilliant star announced Him to the people of the East; the Magi come to the palace of Herod to inquire for the newly born child. He is seen walking on the waters and commanding the tempest; in the middle of a repast He changes water into wine; with a few loaves He feeds many thousands of men; by a word He heals the sick and raises the dead to life. At His death the sun is obscured, the earth trembles, the veil of the temple is rent in twain. Facts so remarkable as these must necessarily attract public attention Moreover, these extraordinary facts must claim the liveliest attention, since their object was the abolition of the old worship and the foundation of the new one. The pagans on account of their attachment to idolatry, the Jews because of their respect for the Mosaic law, could not but take the most lively interest in these facts, which prepared destruction for their temples and synagogues. The second character of the Gospel miracles is their publicity. They are not, as the false prodigies which some affect to compare with them, obscure or hidden facts, to which only a small number of competent witnesses testify. They are public facts, evident and easily verified. It was in all the cities of Palestine, in the public places, under the very eyes of the doctors of the law, that Jesus manifested His power. They on whom these miracles were performed are designated by name, by their dwelling, by their profession; they still reside, after their healing, in the same villages which witnessed their infirmities. The twofold fact of their malady and their healing is quickly known by their relatives and friends and fellow-citizens; their presence alone recalls to the whole country the prodigy to which they owe their health. Thus the very character of the evangelical facts destroys every suspicion of deceit and illusion, and alone should suffice to hinder us from questioning their truthfulness. Second Point.—The certitude of the Gospel miracles comes from the character of the witnesses who attest them. And who are the witnesses who testify? They are, in the first place, the apostles and the disciples of the Saviour, and among them there are eight who present their testimony in writing. See, then, eight contemporary authors who recount facts of which they have been, almost all, witnesses or participators. And this is not enough; but beside these eight witnesses, whose writings we have, we know that, at the same time, the other apostles and all the disciples of Jesus, to the number of eighty at least, professed and proclaimed and attested the truth of the facts recorded. This important consequence must be admitted, that of all the most celebrated and unvarying facts of antiquity there are none so well attested as the miracles of Jesus. The history of Socrates, for example, is guaranteed by only two disciples, viz., Plato and Xenophon, still no one ever doubts concerning their narration. How does it happen, then, that any one could be found to deny the Gospel miracles ? What motive can the unbeliever allege to refuse the testimony of so many, who by their writings or their living words have transmitted to us the history of Jesus? Shall it be said they were deceived, or that they combined to deceive the world? These two suppositions cannot bear for a moment serious examination. It is impossible for the apostles to have been deceived. Whatever idea may be formed of them, of their ignorance, of their credulity, we shall never persuade ourselves that during three entire years their Master could have been able to impose on them, and concerning daily facts so numerous and so visible. Ignorance and credulity do not go so far as that. There would remain a contradiction too shocking, between the idiotic character of the apostles, which must be admitted in this hypothesis, and their character which is evident from their writings, from their labors, and from their success. Therefore, the apostles have not been deceived. It is equally impossible that the apostles wished to deceive. This impossibility is evident when we consider at what time, in what places, and before whom the apostles published the miracles of their Master. It was at the very moment when the facdts occurre; it was in the city of Jerusalem, the scene of the principal events; it was in the midst of a multitude of false witnesses, when the least deception would have sufficed to confound them. It must be admitted that the time, the place, and the persons were badly selected to propagate an imposition. In fine, these men, who are supposed to be cheats and impostors, preached the purest morality, practiced the sublimest virtues, astonished and confounded their persecutors by the simplicity, the ingenuity, and the noble assurance of their discourses. They converted the world by the sanctity of their lives, and at length died in the midst of torments. How could they do all this for the senseless pleasure of sustaining a falsehood? We cannot recognize in these traits of character either impostors or liars. But the apostles are not the only ones who give testimony to the truth of the Gospel miracles; they are recognized and admitted by the very enemies of Jesus. The Jews thought they would weaken their effect on the people by attributing them to the power of the demon, and hence they accused their Author of violating the tranquillity of the Sabbath. But these accusations were so many witnesses in favor of the Gospel facts, since to blame them was an affirmation of their existence. Third Point—The miracles which Jesus wrought have existing monuments to give testimony for them. There is a monument, visible to every one and permanently abiding with us, which is constantly testifying to the truth of the miracles worked by our Lord and Saviour: it is the establishment of His Church in the world. It could not exist, in fact, except as a consequence and the result of miracles. Strive to form a just idea of the enterprise of the apostles. They labored to substitute an austere morality, all abnegation and penance, for a morality which was easy and convenient; they taught incomprehensible mysteries, instead of fanciful fables; they taught that He who had been crucified on an infamous cross must be adored; they must triumph over the repugnance of passions, the pride of reason, popular prejudices, and the power of the Roman emperors; and by what means shall all this be effected ? Here it is that the finger of God is most visible. Twelve poor fishermen, without credit, without eloquence, without wealth, without any human aid, undertake and execute the most extraordinary revolution which the annals of the human race have ever recorded. It is certainly most remarkable that under these unfavorable circumstances the apostles, sustained by the authority of miracles, should succeed; but that without miracles, and what is stranger still, with miracles reputed as false, they should succeed, this would be an inexplicable phenomenon, and a thousand times more incredible than all the miracles of Christianity. That the pagan world should abandon its false deities and embrace the religion of a crucified God, it must have had some reason for belief. But the apostles proclaimed nothing else except the miracles of Christ. The world has witnessed miracles, and miracles so certain that the sharpest and most discerning can discover not the slightest vestige of trickery or deceit. The establishment of the Christian religion is the most splendid proof of this, since it constantly testifies to the truth of the evangelical facts. Jesus Christ has, then, performed miracles; but God only can do this; therefore, Jesus is God. Adorable Jesus, in the midst of blasphemies uttered by impiety, it is sweet for me to reflect on the titles Thou hast to my adorations as the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. Thus my faith is enlivened; and may my love also become more ardent. Amen. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  WE shall today, consider how we lose Jesus, how we should seek Him, and where we shall find Him.
First Point—How we lose Jesus. We lose Jesus by sin, and we lose Him through our spiritual dryness. In the first case the loss of Jesus is a punishment; in the second it is, ordinarily, a trial. We lose Jesus by sin: He departs from the soul when the demon enters it; He leaves it alone with the horrible master it has chosen. To lose Jesus, His friendship, His grace, the sweetness of His conversations, and His benedictions, and the consolations of His love—to lose this God, who is in heaven the joy of the angels and of the elect, and to find in His place the angel of darkness, the tyrant of hell, and the tormentor of the reprobate, what a loss! what a misfortune ! However, behold the lot you have made for yourself by sin. You have lost Jesus, the Friend of your infancy, who lately received your first promises and your first vows; who lisped with you the first simple lessons of faith; who called you to eat with Him a delicious bread, who shed on your soul such sweetness that the memory of it causes your tears to flow; oh, how you are to be pitied! lose Jesus by spiritual dryness, but usually this is a trial. Without having been unfaithful to her promises or engagements, the soul finds herself suddenly alone on the journey of life. She believes she possesses Jesus, and behold, He has abandoned her. She relies on His assistance, she hopes for His light, His counsel, His grace, but He is far from her. She has lost Him, or at least, as with the disciples at Emmaus, He has concealed His presence from her. This trial surely awaits us, for , after the sweetness of the first days, God ordinarily allows dryness of soul to follow, to know if we serve Him for Himself or for the favors we receive. In these circumstances, we should be generous and constant. To be happy in the performance of duty is a gift of God, and is never merited; but to be faithful to duty when it is an act depending on ourselves is always a sure indication of a heart solidly virtuous. Second Point—How should we seek Jesus? We should seek Him eagerly, with confidence and with perseverance. Behold Mary: hardly has she perceived the absence of Jesus than she goes, at once, in search of Him. She inquires for Him of all those whom she meets; she calls Him, and she shall know no rest until she finds Him. Imitate her example. When you have had the misfortune to lose Jesus by sin, recall Him at once: run and cast yourself at the feet of the priest, implore pardon, and merit it by your Repentance. Why remain at enmity with God a week or even a day? Do you not know that if you should die in that state, your eternal unhappiness would be assured ? And may you not die early, and at any moment? Seek Jesus with confidence. After the commission of sin, do not aggravate your misfortune by discouragement or mistrust. Why are you discouraged? Virtue is a rude and difficult pathway, it is not extraordinary that your progress should be slow, difficult, and marked by repeated falls; but these falls, these obstacles, are they reasons for discouragement? No! you must employ greater vigilance, develop greater energy, and seek in God the strength which you have not, and then go forward with confidence. The traveller who is discouraged by the length or the difficulties of the journey shall never arrive at his destination; he only shall reach it who resolutely continues his journey. Therefore seek Jesus with confidence, being well assured that He shall aid you in your seeking, and that He shall receive you with a goodness wholly paternal. Seek Jesus with perseverance. Our Lord has spoken a word which we should often reflect upon: "He who would be saved must persevere to the end." It is indeed something to begin well. It is a grand thing for us to have received an education profoundly Christian; it is a happy guarantee for salvation that our youth should be passed in the practice of love and virtue; but this is not enough. We must persevere; and this is the difficulty. Constancy seems to be a virtue unknown to the human heart. Very many begin well but end badly. Do not imitate them, but imitate Mary in her ardor and in her perseverance in seeking the divine Infant. She will not allow herself to be discouraged, but continues her search until she has found the object of her regrets and her tears. You have prayed, it is true, and you still pray, but God seems to turn away from your entreaties; do not be discouraged; continue, multiply your prayers in proportion to the difficulties you may meet with, and God will give you the consolation of His love. He shall keep strict account of your sighs which you have sent towards heaven, of the prayers which were so often a cross, and a cross without unction; the more painful the test shall have been, the greater shall be the recompense. Third Point—Where shall we find Jesus ? It was in the temple that Mary found her Son, and it is also in the temple that we shall find Jesus when we shall have lost Him. If this loss is the punishment of your sins, there is in His house a salutary pool, on the shores of which He stands ready to heal you. He is not found in those profane assemblies where you go to stifle the remorse which disturbs your conscience. He is not found in those frivolous books which shall only accomplish the ruin of your piety. He is not found among those frivolous people whose dissipation is an excuse for your own; but He is in the temple, and there you must come to find Him. In the sacred tribunal you shall learn what you must do to approach Him, or, rather, He Himself will come to you, and by the mouth of His minister He will speak to you. After the pardon of your faults, He will re-enter your heart, and you will experience happiness in recovering His grace. If the loss of Jesus is a trial, it is also a joy to know that it is in the temple that you can find Him. In the temple there is an altar—on the altar there is a tabernacle, and love for us holds Jesus enclosed in it. There it is we must seek Him in communion, or at least in prayer. Listen to this voice of sweet friendship, but take no heed of vain terrors which only separate you from your divine Master. "If you have faith," says St. Augustine, "the absence of the Lord is only seeming. He is there, ever near you, concealed under eucharistic veils.' Go to Him, cast yourself into His arms with a confidence wholly filial; then you shall feel that peace is born again in your heart." Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  IT is faith which, today, leads the Wise Men to the feet of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is faith which can alone lead us to heaven and to God. But,"to attain this happy result, our faith must be marked by the same characters which rendered it so admirable in the Wise Men, viz., docility, generosity, and constancy. First Point —The faith of the Wise Men has been a docile faith. See with what promptitude they correspond with grace! They say: "We have seen His star in the East, and we have come to adore Him." There is no delay, no hesitation between the promptings of grace and their correspondence to it. This promptitude is one of the first conditions of a return to God. There are in life certain solemn and happy circumstances when grace speaks clearly to our heart. For instance, when we make a retreat, or receive good advice, or see some good example, or listen to a most touching instruction, or hear of the death of some one whom we have loved, or when we learn something which stirs us to the very depths of our heart, this is the star which must lead us to Christ! Happy is he who shall follow it with docility; his conversion is assured. Under the influence of grace which speaks, urges, and solicits, we are all-powerful; there are no bonds which we cannot break, no obstacles which we cannot overcome. The Cananaean woman, Magdalene, and the prodigal son succeeded in the work of their sanctification because they were prompt to follow the inspirations of grace. But woe to him who looks backward, arrested by the countless considerations which the demon never fails to place before our eyes. The light disappears, conscience sleeps again, and the evil penetrates deeper than ever. Is not this your experience? How many times has grace enlightened your mind and moved your heart, and still you have always deferred your return. You have reason to fear that so much resistance to grace may be punished by its withdrawal. Second Point — The faith of the Wise Men was a generous faith. What tongue can tell the sacrifices they made? They are idolaters and strangers to the customs and languages of the countries through which they must pass; they are separated from Bethlehem by a great distance, and a respectable tradition tells us they were kings. How many difficulties arise from these different circumstances! They could allege the cares of their kingdoms, attachment to an hereditary worship, the length and difficulty of the journey, the fear of being deceived by the character of the star which served as guide—but no such thought hindered them. In fact, nothing arrests them; they leave everything, and set out on their journey resolutely. What a comparison between your conduct and theirs, and how the comparison should cause you to blush for your conduct! At length they appear before Herod. Even in the presence of this king, so cruelly jealous, you shall not see the Wise Men dissimulate the object of their journey or conceal their sentiments. They openly declare to him that they have come, not to adore him, but to adore Him whose star they have seen. They are at once apostles and martyrs; and this is still the conduct of Christians really worthy of the name. The world is a master just as cruel and as jealous as Herod ever was; it wishes to be worshipped, or you shall incur its disgrace; but the true Christian smiles at the menace of the world and remains faithful to his God, at the cost of the most sorrowful sacrifices. The coward heart, a slave of human respect, a slave of pride or ambition, instead of openly declaring his faith, conceals it; thus he paralyzes the action of grace, and, deceived by sterile desires, he defers his coming to God until a time that never comes. It is needless to say such conduct is not a model for imitation. The generosity of the Wise Men was evident, especially in their obedience. God had sent them an angel to warn them. He commanded them to return to their country by another way. At once they obeyed, without thinking of inquiring the reasons for such a strange order, without murmur or complaint. They resume their journey, on the road indicated, although it might be longer or more difficult. But what of the promise given to Herod? What shall the king say, what shall all Jerusalem think of the violation of their word? They are not at all disturbed by this thought; God has spoken: that is sufficient. They know only how to obey. Do likewise in all the circumstances of your life. When you know the will of God, strive to accomplish it, and put aside all human considerations. Third Point —The faith of the Wise Men is constant. Although their faith was tested severely, still it surmounted every obstacle. The first trial of their faith was the disappearance of the star which had hitherto guided them. It leaves them as soon as they had entered Jerusalem and Herod's court. Hence two thoughts naturally follow from this: the first is, that to enjoy the holy communications of grace, it is necessary to live far from certain people, far, especially, from the society of Herods and the enemies of Christ. Do you wish to find your star, that is to say, to recover your first piety, the fervor of a certain epoch in your life ? Depart from the world, from the tumult of business, from dissipation and pleasures—then shall your star reappear. The second instruction we must receive is that God does not give extraordinary lights and graces, unless the ordinary means are wanting. The star was useless to the Wise Men when they were in the midst of the doctors of the law, who could have indicated to them the way they should follow to find Jesus. And thus the soul which is in the Church, who has for its guide the priests of the Lord, should not complain of the privation of certain interior lights. The soul has her spiritual guide whom she should consult and abandon herself to his direction. If this aid were wanting, God shall supply it by particular graces. But the faith of the Wise Men must be tested once more. The star at length stops, but where? Doubtless over a magnificent palace, for what other dwelling could be worthy of God? But no; it stops over an abandoned hut. They enter—and find it a stable! And what do they find there? On a little straw a child is lying, scarcely protected from the cold by the clothes which cover Him; near Him are only two adorers, Mary and Joseph. What a test for ordinary faith! Are they not deceived? Was the star they followed indeed the star of Jacob? Was the long journey they made well considered ? But their faith is fortified by the very difficulties which should have shaken it. There is in their heart neither doubt nor hesitation. Behold them at the feet of the divine Infant, kissing with love the little hands which He presents to them, adoring with respect their God concealed under the appearance of infancy. They open their treasures and place at His feet the triple tribute of their homage—gold because He is a king, myrrh because He is a man, and frankincense because He is their God. O Jesus, my God, concealed through love for me, no longer under the appearance of infancy, but under the eucharistic veils, I come to offer Thee, not gold, but the homage of a heart which loves Thee. I place my offering, not at the foot of the crib, but at the foot of Thy tabernacle. What a happiness for me, O my God, if after having recognized Thee, adored Thee, and loved Thee here below, under the veil which hides Thee from my mortal eyes, I shall merit the happiness to contemplate Thee, to adore Thee, and to love Thee in the bosom of Thy eternity, where Thou manifestest Thyself to Thy elect, face to face, and without veil of any kind. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  IHS - THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
IF all the names which, have been given to the children of men, the most august and the most . . . lovable is the name of Jesus. It contains in itself all that the prophets announced as greatest, all that the patriarchs have dreamed of as most gracious; it recalls at once what is most amiable in virtue, what is most tender in love, and what is most august in religion. Besides, it is an angel that has brought this name from heaven to earth; and St. Bernard says that the name of Jesus is at the same time a light, a nourishment, and a remedy. First Point — The name of Jesus is a light. It enlightens the mind of the priest when preaching to the people. It is by the name of Jesus that the universe has been converted; at this divine name the darkness of idolatry gave place to the light of the Gospel. St. Peter, at his first preaching, converted three thousand persons by the power of Jesus' name. St. Paul, on his way to Damascus, experienced its happy effects; he was struck, as if by a thunderbolt, while he was hastening to put the Christians to death. He heard a voice which said to him: "Why do you persecute Me?'' "And who are you?'' he answered. The voice replied: "I am Jesus." At the sound of this name an unknown light shone before his eyes, and he understood the meaning of it all. ''Lord," says the persecutor, now become a vessel of election, '' what wilt Thou have me to do? Speak, for I am ready." St. Paul, convinced by his own experience of the power of this holy name, made it his support in his apostolic journeys, and without other arms than this divine name he converted the world. Rome, Athens, and Corinth experienced, each in turn, the power of his word. He confounded the learned, astonished the Areopagus, and caused the proconsul to tremble in his tribunal; but it was not by his credit nor by his eloquence that he triumphed; he admitted that he was not skilful in the art of speaking well, but he knew Jesus crucified, and it was to this sacred name he owed all his success. The effects of the name of Jesus are still the same. What light it sheds on the soul! Is it necessary to detach the hearts of the rich from their earthly goods? Reason fails against cupidity, but let the name of Jesus be pronounced and it shall recall Him who became poor through love, and soon love shall lead to a contempt for riches. Is it necessary to instil resignation in the heart of the poor man ? The name of Jesus shall remind him of the poor Infant in the manger, and will make his poverty precious. Do you strive to stifle vengeance in the depth of some outraged heart by reasoning? Then all your efforts shall be in vain; but let the name of Jesus be mentioned, and the vindictive one shall remember the amiable Victim, who, although outraged and insulted, not only pardoned His executioners but excused them. His heart is open to mercy. St. John Gualbert had resolved to avenge his brother, who had been cruelly assassinated. It was on Good Friday he met the murderer, and, taking his sword in hand, he prepared to strike him, when the murderer fell at his feet and asked his life in the name of Jesus crucified. At once John felt the sword fall from his grasp; he lifted his enemy from the ground, embraced him, and pardoned him. In all your doubts, in all your temptations, pronounce the Holy Name of Jesus with faith, and the most precious lights shall dissipate your doubts, and shall show you the way you should walk to find your Saviour and your God. Second Point — The name of Jesus is a nourishment. There is in this blessed name some hidden virtue which goes to the very soul, penetrates it and warms it, and like some mysterious substance spreads throughout our whole being a certain strength and joy. Who has not experienced this wonderful effect? In the maladies of the soul, when temptations increase to violence, when the sources of holy consolations seem closed, when we feel ourselves growing weak, the heart without strength and the will without energy: everything in the service of God and in the practice of duty is tasteless, insipid, loathsome; then let us come to the foot of the altar, or before a crucifix, and medi- tate on the name of Jesus. At once confidence shall be born in this again, and our forces shall revive. What is the source of this fervor which is experienced at the foot of a crucifix or before an altar? The lover of Jesus is occupied in repeating His name or reflecting on its sweetness. He does not know how to formulate sublime prayers; he only knows how to repeat the name of Jesus, and he repeats it a thousand times without wearying at the repetition, and this adorable name, as some burning flame, warms his heart and consoles him. "I do not know,'' said St. Bernard, "if you understand the marvellous effects of the name of Jesus, but as for me, everything, without this divine name, is insipid and wearisome. I must tell you, a book has no attractions for me if I do not find the name of Jesus in it; a conference or instruction cannot please me if Jesus is not mentioned in it. Jesus is honey to my mouth, melody to my ears, and a joyful song to my heart.'' If you look for the secret of this unspeakable sweetness which the loving heart discovers in the Holy Name of Jesus, you shall find it is born of a mysterious perfume attached to everything which comes from heaven. But should it not come also from the memories which this name awakens in the heart? See what sweet thoughts are grouped about this amiable name, as delicious fruits lie about the tree which produces them! The neglects and the adoration in the manger, the memory of virtues hidden during thirty years in the house of Joseph, the lessons and the blessings of a life which St. Peter sums up in two words, "He went about doing good;" the opprobrium and sorrows of Calvary — all this recalls the name of Jesus. How, then, shall we not feel stirred while meditating on it? O Holy Name of Jesus, sacred and penetrating oil, whose unction has been poured out from the beginning, and only asks to be still poured out, pour Thyself with profusion in my heart, fill it with the infinite sweetness and the charms of Thy love, that, being purified by Thee, united to Thee, and satiated by the happiness of loving Thee, I may see verified in me these words of the Holy Spirit: " Thy name is as oil poured out, and it is why Thy servants have loved Thee exceedingly." Third Point — The name of Jesus is a remedy. It heals every malady. First, the maladies of the body. The innumerable cures wrought by the apostles are so many consequences of the power of Jesus' name. There is nothing which can resist this divine name. Jesus Himself has proclaimed this truth. " He that shall believe in Me, shall work miracles greater than mine. In My name he shall expel demons. He shall have nothing to fear, neither the serpent's bite nor the effect of poisons. He shall impose hands on the sick and they shall be healed." The name of Jesus heals maladies of the heart. There are in life some cruel moments, when the wearied soul implores death as the only resource. In this sadness the name of Jesus shall remind you of the sadness of the amiable Victim in the Garden of Olives, and it shall reanimate and strengthen you. If ever you are the victim of ingratitude or of the injustice of men, the name of Jesus shall console you, and strengthen you by recalling the treason of Judas, the abandonment by the apostles, and the unworthy preference given to Barabbas. If despair threatens to invade your soul, then recall the name of Jesus; it is, says St. Ambrose, a name of hope, a name full of sweetness, a name which gives joy. The name of Jesus heals the maladies of the soul. The great malady of the soul, that which must be especially feared, because it attacks the very sources of supernatural life, is sin. The name of Jesus is a sovereign remedy for it. And why? Because it makes us detest sin by recalling its malice; because it makes us avoid sin by giving us strength in temptations; because it makes us weep for sin, by reminding us of the love of Him whom we offend. Learn then to pronounce this blessed name with respect — it is the name of your God; with love — it is the name of your Benefactor; and with confidence — it is the name of your Saviour. O Name of Jesus, holy and adorable name, how much I love to speak and think of it! Be also honey for my lips, and melody for my heart. In dying, may my lips still murmur this name, and may I never cease to repeat it here on earth, until the moment when with the angels I may forever bless it. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  "THE holy old man Simeon, having blessed Jesus, said to Mary: ''This Child is set for the fall . . . and the resurrection of many in Israel, and a sword of sorrow shall pierce thy heart." Simeon made these two prophecies, one concerning Jesus and the other concerning Mary. We should reflect on both, since they are calculated to suggest useful reflections.
First Point — The prophecy which relates to Jesus. When Simeon declared that Jesus should be the ruin of many, we must not understand that He shall be the author of their ruin, or that He shall lead men to it. This would be simply impious. The Sacred Scriptures, which this divine Child has inspired, are full of His love for all men, His desire to see them merit it, and to obtain their salvation. Simeon wishes to announce that Jesus shall become, not the cause, but the occasion of loss to very many. Jesus shall be what Isaias announced He should be, and what St. Paul declares He has been, viz., "The stone on which they shall fall, and on which many of the children of Israel shall be injured." You shall find those who shall accuse Him because of their fall on that stone, on which their feet have stumbled. Far from Jesus being the cause of our loss, the cause is traceable to ourselves, because we refuse to hear Him, or to obey Him, or to follow Him. It is in a very different sense that holy Simeon said to Mary that Jesus shall be the resurrection of many. In fact. He is not only the occasion of our salvation, as He is of our loss, but He is the true cause of it; He is the general cause of salvation for all men by the benefit of redemption; and He is the particular cause of salvation for the just, because it is He who, by His grace, has wrought their justification. By His passion and death He has opened for us the gates of heaven; He has shown us the way to heaven by His law; by His example He guides us there, and by His strength sustains us in the journey of life. Our salvation, therefore, comes from Him, while our loss comes from ourselves. If you have been stained by sin, you can blame only yourselves for your faults, while, if you have persevered in justice, you must be grateful to Him for your innocence. And thus, among the children of Israel, Jesus has been the resurrection of one part and the ruin of the other: some He has saved, but others are lost through their own fault. What He has been for the age in which He lived and for the nation which possessed Him, He has not ceased to be for all ages and for the whole human race. He has been the resurrection of those who hear His voice, who believe His word, who conform to His law, and who are attached to Him; but He is the ruin of those who disdain to hear Him who refuse to believe Him, who resist His instructions and who disobey His precepts. The manner in which this oracle of Simeon is ac- complished must suggest to us a very sorrowful reflection. When we consider the number of the Jews for whom Jesus was the ruin, and the number for whom He was the resurrection, what a vast dis- parity there exists! On the one hand we behold a handful of disciples, on the other a multitude of enemies. While almost all the citizens loudly demanded that He should be crucified, what a small number of faithful followers retired apart with Him, trembling for themselves and weeping for the Saviour ! The number was small that preserved for Him a personal attachment. Now what was true in His time has been always true; it is true today. The unfortunate disproportion among those for whom Jesus is the resurrection, and those for whom He is the ruin, has continued from generation to generation, even until now. This has been an object of profound sorrow for the pious souls who are members of Christ's Church, and woe to us if we are insensible to it! This culpable indifference should make us tremble, lest we should be numbered among those unfortunates who could make Jesus the cause of their salvation, but instead make Him the occasion of their reprobation. Second Point. — Holy Simeon announced to Mary that a sword of sorrow should pierce her heart. This prophecy of the holy old Simeon has been fulfilled in Mary, and with a cruel precision. It is the destiny of mortals that no one can exempt himself from the law which condemns all to suffer. Even she who by special privilege was exempted from the stain of Adam has been obliged to submit to this severe condition of suffering. Although she had been declared blessed, and that she should see, in the future, all generations publish her honor, still her heart was a prey to the most bitter affliction. Her august character of Mother of God, which proclaimed her the happiest of women, however, ren- dered her the most afflicted of mothers. For other mothers it is a matter of supremest joy to possess a son, but for Mary it was a subject of constant distress and sadness, because she knew for what fright- ful destinies she had given birth to her Son. St. John, in the Apocalypse, records that he saw Jesus under the figure of a lamb immolated. The sorrowful Mother of Jesus had this lamentable spectacle before her eyes during her whole life. The sweetness of those caresses which she lavished on her Son, the tenderness of her cares with which she surrounded Him, were constantly empoisoned by this horrible image. The very circumstances best calculated to excite her joy recalled the sorrows which awaited her. When she rejoiced to have found Him in the Temple, after an absence of three days, the thought that she should one day lose Him in a more sorrowful manner came quickly to her mind. If she rejoiced at having snatched Him from the fury of Herod, at once she thought that it was only for a death still more cruel she had preserved Him. She rejoiced, it is true, to see Him walking through the cities and villages, working miracles, strewing blessings at every footstep, surrounded by multitudes full of enthusiasm and gratitude; but she saw that same multitude turn against Him with fury, demand His death with loud cries, hasten His punishment, and to insult and raillery add their cruelty. Thus, from the day when the fatal destiny of her Son was revealed to her, the life of Mary was only one long and continual agony. If the heart of Mary was so violently disturbed by the sufferings of her Son, and when she could only foresee them, what must have been her cruel agony when she saw His sufferings realized before her eyes? The desolate Agar, wandering in the desert of Bersabee, was crushed by affliction at seeing the state to which her son Ismael had been reduced. This is the ordinary effect of sorrow, it is the natural promptings of a mother's love; but with the Mother of God everything is supernatural. A love like hers demands the greatest sacrifice. She never left this Son, so dear to her, and she shall not abandon Him until His last sigh on the cross. The Virgin of Nazareth walks to the mountain on which her Son is to be immolated. She walks, followed by some other daughters of Sion, weeping with her for their well-beloved Jesus, and while He shall there consummate the holocaust of His life they shall consummate holocausts of their hearts. There nothing is lost for her which can bring her the deepest affliction; she hears all, sees all — all the cruelties of the executioners and the torments of her Son she feels in her own heart. Moreover, although the fury of the Jews had spared her life, the Fathers of the Church do not hesitate to attribute to Mary the glory of martyrdom; and this martyrdom, although not stained by blood, is not the less heroic. The other martyrs suffered with Jesus reigning in heaven; Mary suffered with Jesus while He suffered on the cross; the prospect of His glory sustained their constancy, but the sight of His humiliations disconcerted the Mother. The love of God was for them a solace, but for Mary it was an increase of sorrow. O Mary, my Mother, engrave deeply in my heart the memory of thy sorrows, that I may better comprehend how much thou hast paid for the sad privilege of having me for thy child. And Thou, amiable Jesus, give me the grace to follow Thee as my Guide, to imitate Thee as my Model, and to obey Thee as my King, that Thou mayst be for me, not the occasion of my ruin, but the cause of my resurrection and salvation. Amen. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  THE birth of Jesus in the crib of Bethlehem presents for our consideration a prodigy of humility and a prodigy of goodness.
First Point — The crib in Bethlehem is a wonder of humility. Pride has ever been the source of the greatest misfortunes. Adam wishes to become like to God, and he is forthwith expelled from the garden of delights. The pride of Cain is aroused at the preference which God manifests for the sacrifices of Abel, and Cain becomes the murderer of his brother. The children of Noe construct a tower, which, they say, shall be a lasting monument to their greatness, and this act of pride is punished by the confusion of tongues. Even now, pride begets dissensions, hatred, and wars which desolate empires, and schisms which rend the Church. Since pride is the greatest of all the vices, it was necessary to apply a remedy to it at once, and what more efficacious remedy can there be than the humility of a God? The Divine Word offers Himself for our redemption by saying to God His Father: "Holocausts for sin are no longer pleasing to Thee. Behold Me, Lord, Thy eternal Son, united to a mortal body; behold Me, the heir of David, poor, forsaken, and reduced to the horrors of misery. For a throne, I have a manger; for a palace, I have a stable; for a royal mantle, I have swaddling-clothes, and for courtiers I have some poor shepherds." What humility! Can you ever comprehend all its greatness? Know it well, nothing would have been easier for this Child than to have been born in a superb palace, of a celebrated or renowned princess, and in the midst of a court eager to serve Him. He could do all this, since the earth, with all that it contains, belongs to Him. "All things under heaven are mine." But has not this example flattered our vices instead of extirpating them ? Is it not an excuse for our pride, instead of a remedy? Men love riches, as they are the source of honors which are often as vain and fleeting as their origin; but the Saviour, by His birth in a stable, has taught men to love poverty. Men attach much importance to an illustrious origin; but Jesus is born of a daughter of David and the world ignores Him; and this royal daughter, who is a spectacle for angels, is unable to find in Bethlehem a friendly hand that shall assist her in her poverty. Men are also proud of their studies and their science; they blush to be found in contact with people without education or instruction; but the God of the manger calls about Him simple and ignorant shepherds. Of what then shall men henceforth be proud? How can a proud man dare to look at the crib? He who possesses every perfection consents to be reckoned as nothing. He who fills all places by His immensity is compelled to seek an asylum in a stable. He before whom all men are as small insects becomes like to them to save them. Can there be an abnegation like to this? O my humble Master! who shall not be instructed by this mystery, when he sees Thee treated as the meanest of men, rejected by every one, relegated to a poor dwelling, and surrounded by vile animals? Why dost Thou hide Thyself under a veil so unworthy of Thy greatness? Thy love answers: it is to confound the pride of men. O man, you are but the dust of the earth, still you dream only of grandeur and frivolity, while your God conceals Himself under the form of a slave. You are but a plaything of vanity, and constantly sigh for new ornaments; while your God is naked and so poor that His mother can scarcely find wherewith to cover His sacred body. If, after this wonder of humility, you still seek to exalt yourself, it would be indeed a wonder, and it would be a prodigy of pride. Second Point — The crib is a prodigy of goodness. Let us suppose that the only son of the greatest king of the earth, unmindful of his rank, his birth, and all the pleasures of the court of which he is the brightest ornament, should come in the midst of us and share the labors of the most unfortunate; and let us suppose that, wishing to solace them as far as he can, he should ask of his father to charge him with the obligations of all, and to fulfill these obligations he should expose himself to the rigors of the seasons and the fury of a thousand enemies, would he not be a monster, worthy of our anathemas, who should not love such a generous prince? And who is this Son of the great King? He is the Word of God, eternal, equal to His Father in everything, a Father who is truly worthy of the name, and who places in His Son all His delights. The human race, lost by its own crimes, was about to perish. The hand of the Most High was prepared to hurl His thunders against men, but His Son, this merciful Son, restrained Him, and His anger is changed to tenderness. But a sacrifice is necessary. Well, He shall be the Victim. The crib in Bethlehem is the altar on which He is offered. O infant God, how dear Thou art to me! The tears Thou didst shed are for me; the sorrows Thy delicate members experience have been occasioned by me, and still Thy charity makes all these sufferings light and tolerable. To understand this prodigy of goodness well, we should meditate on the sorrowful circumstances which accompany the entrance of Jesus into the world. He is born in the middle of a winter night, — the cold seizes His weak body, — His mother looks about for garments to cover Him, and finds only some poor clothes which scarcely serve their purpose. He is born to be the Saviour of men, and men despise Him and reject Him from their society as the last of all men. Hardly is He born than He at once begins to exercise the functions of a Saviour; His tears are falling in the manger. Do not suppose that the tears of the Infant Jesus come only from a natural cause, as the tears of other children. No; His soul, reasonable at all times, sees all the crimes of men. He weeps for men, and His tears are the tears of penance. And you are the cause of these tears, you unthinking Christians, who, by refusing to receive Him in the sacrament of His love, close the door of your heart against Him, as on the day of His birth the rich closed the doors of their houses against Him. You are the object of those tears, worldly young men, who are plunged in pleasures while He endures for you the greatest sufferings. You, slaves of vanity, you are the objects of those tears, you who seek the esteem and praise of men while He is born in misery and lives in opprobrium for love of you. O my divine and amiable Master, it is indeed a great prodigy that Thou shouldst come to me and testify so much love for me; but it is a prodigy greater still that I should acknowledge Thy love so little. After all that Thou hast suffered for me, should I find it too hard to suffer something for Thee? Good Jesus, unveil to my heart the mystery of the crib at Bethlehem, make me understand well its divine teachings, that, through love for Thee, I may know how to suffer and be humble, since Thou hast suffered and wast humiliated through love for me. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  WHEN a king wishes to go through his kingdom and visit his people, an armed herald .... precedes him and announces his arrival. Everything which might inconvenience his passage is removed; triumphal arches are erected in his honor, and flowers are strewn on the way which he shall pass. Well, the King Jesus is coming to visit us; already His herald has preceded Him, inviting you to do Him honor. St. John the Baptist asks of you, in the name of his Master, not indeed to cast flowers on His way or to erect triumphal arches, but he does require that you should fill the void which is in your heart and adorn it with virtues. "Every valley shall be filled." He indicates the virtues you must acquire; but there are two especially viz., humility, which shall bring down your pride, and a spirit of faith, which shall smooth your pathway. " Every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked ways shall be made straight."
First Point — The first disposition which the precursor demands in the name of his Master is humility. '' Every mountain and every hill shall be brought low." These two expressions seem to indicate two kinds of pride. The larger kind increases beyond measure, and seems to lift us up as a high mountain, the weight of which crushes everything else that is near it. This is the first pride of which we must divest ourselves. There is another, more delicate and hidden, represented by the hills, and seems rather to be self-complacency, that raises us above others. This pride, although less crim- inal, no less hinders the coming of the Saviour. If Jesus shall approach you, you must begin by hum- bling yourself in your own estimation. Pride, in all its shades, is the sworn enemy of the Saviour; it has occasioned the loss of the first man, and it is still the cause of all the disorders which disturb the world. Pride of independence is the source of revolts against superiors; pride of ambition is the source of the catastrophes which desolate society; pride of reason is the principle of incredulity which refuses the yoke of faith; pride of science is the cause of schisms which rend the bosom of the Church; pride of human respect makes us blush for our faith and abandon our Christian duties; pride of vanity begets love of the world, taste for dress, luxury, the ruin of families, and the loss of innocence. This must be sufficient to tell you the horror which pride inspires in Him who has come to destroy sin, which is, after all, the pride of our first father. Pride explains the humiliations of the crib, the thirty years of Jesus' life in the house of a poor artisan, the severity of a moral all abnegation and humility, the opprobrium and the humiliations of the cross; to oppose it not only are lessons and precepts necessary, but the force of example is required to remove every excuse and to confound forever all human vanity. Jesus might have been born in the palace of a king and in the midst of opulence. ''If He had wished it," says Bossuet, "what golden coronet could have encircled His head, and what royal purple could cover His shoulders!'' But He has not wished it. He has selected the other extremity, just precisely to teach us, by His example, loving humility. May you comprehend these great and exalted lessons, and, in the school of the divine Master, may you learn the practice of humility. Second Point— The crooked ways shall be made straight. You find indicated here, under these symbolic expressions, one of those virtues which the world hardly suspects, but which the eye of God contemplates with pleasure; it is purity of intention or a spirit of faith. The man and the Christian, in their reflective acts, have always a motive which determines them. Man acts through self-love, through self-complacency, goodness of heart, or natural inclination; and these acts are wholly natural, without merit before God, because God rewards only what is done for Him. The Christian, on the contrary, finds in his faith the motives of his conduct. He acts for God. Having Him for the object, he wishes to please or glorify Him, and hence his acts are supernatural in virtue of this principle, that an action always participates in the nature of the motive which determines it; and his acts are meritorious before God, since they are performed for Him. When God depicts the just man, He defines him "a man who lives by faith." Jesus, the Just One by excellence, declares, that " His life is to do the will of His Father.'' This is also the life of a Christian who knows how to be faithful to his vocation; it is his glory, it is his true greatness. In fact, true exaltation presupposes continual ab- negation, and to impose silence on the passions; to put aside all interest or self-love, all inclinations and affections, and to seek in the very bosom of God the reason of our acts, of our judgments, and our affections. If this is not true greatness, then where shall it be found ? And precisely because this spirit of faith supposes higher exaltation, it is most rare among men. Not to speak of so many good, though worldly, men who multiply their good works through purely natural motives, how many are there, otherwise pious and regular, who are wanting in their conduct and even in their piety this right intention which seeks only God and His good pleasure? They are kind and good, but rather by their natural goodness of heart than by their charity; they are generous to certain persons, and yet without pity for others. They pray, it is true, but only to find consolation; they abridge or prolong their conversation with God, as they experience in it fervor or dryness; they are interested friends, to whom Jesus could well say, as to the multitude which followed Him: ''It is not for My sake that you follow Me, but in the hope that I shall again multiply the bread for you." It is true they confess and communicate, but it is through habit, or to do as others do, or to please a master or a friend; in a word, they act for others, rather than for God. These are the winding and the crooked ways which the holy precursor invites us to make straight. And so hitherto, perhaps, you have been charitable through caprice, goodness of heart, or through ostentation. Now be charitable to please God, who is charity itself, and to please Jesus, who is in the person of each one who suffers. Hitherto you have brought, perhaps, to the exercise of your zeal dispositions which are wholly human; good and anxious for some, but stormy and intolerant for others; you are ardent when successful, but discouraged when your efforts are sterile. Now seek the will of God, rather than success and the interests of self-love. Then you shall never be cast down. Hitherto you have sought in prayer, in confession, and in communion your consolations and your joys; and hence followed sadness, tears, and perhaps resistance, when your hopes were not realized. Rectify these views, which are wholly natural. Go to God with simplicity of heart, which always obeys when commanded, which submits when forbidden, and finds peace only in holy obedience; then you shall make straight the paths which shall conduct you to God. Adorable Jesus, Thou didst come to this world only to enter my heart. Deign to enter there and take possession of it, and make it worthy to receive Thee. Enlighten me on everything which may render me displeasing in Thine eyes. Or rather, O good Jesus! create in me a new heart; fill up what is void, by adorning it with virtue; humble my pride, correct my perverse inclinations, that all the ways may be opened to Thee to come and reign in my heart and possess it forever. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897  THE Jews had sent some messengers to ask of St. John the Baptist if he were the Messiah, ... or, at least, if he were Elias, or a prophet. He replied : " No ! I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord." By these simple and modest words, St. John gives us an admirable lesson in humility, and his humility is made manifest by three principal traits: he refuses all kinds of honor, he speaks of himself in the most modest terms, and he eulogizes Him who is considered his rival.
First Point — St. John refuses all honors. At once he refuses those honors to which he has no right. The object of the Jews, in addressing St. John the question, '' Who art thou?" was to compel him to declare if he was, or was not, the Messiah. The mere expression of such a doubt filled the precursor with confusion. He was sorrowfully surprised at the thought that anyone should confound him with the Master. He therefore rejects this supposition with all the strength of an indignant soul, and boldly and emphatically declares that he is not the Messiah — "And he confessed and did not deny, and confessed, I am not the Christ." But they still urge him: ''Who, then, art thou? art thou Elias? and he said to them, I am not. Art thou a prophet? He answered. "No" The humility of St. John had here to undergo a severe trial. In fact the Jews were disposed, if he had wished it, to recognize him as their king, their liberator, and even as the Messiah. He had but to say a single word, and the whole synagogue would have come to do him homage; but St. John is too humble to accept a title and honors which he does not merit, and hence he declares without hesitation that he is not the Christ. His humility goes farther; he refuses even the honors to which he has a just right. Without being the Christ, St. John the Baptist was great enough to be extolled and praised; without any usurpation he could claim at least the titles which Jesus had given him on several occasions. If he were not really Elias, he was a figure of him. He represented him. and he exercised, in the first coming of the Son of God, the ministry which Elias shall exercise at His second coming. He leads the same life as Elias led, he manifests the same virtues, the same zeal, the same mortifications, and the same fearlessness before the powers of the earth. True, he was not Elias in reality, but he was Elias in spirit and in virtue. With the same truth, he could accept or refuse the title of prophet. He could refuse it, since the minister of the prophets consisted in announcing, from afar, the coming of the promised Messiah. His mission was to show that the Messiah had come to the Judeans. This, however, was not to prophesy, but only to announce what already existed. He could also accept the title of prophet; the Messiah whom he preached existed in truth, but He had not yet manifested Himself. His mission hitherto remained in the class of future things, so that he was really predicting and prophesying what he announced. So that, between the two, St. John, without hesitation, takes the part which is most favorable to his profound humility. But Jesus bestows on him, with superabundance, the glory of which he had deprived himself; He declared that not only was St. John the Baptist a prophet, but that he was more than a prophet, thus realizing what He had so often preached, i,e, that ''he who humbles himself shall be exalted." Second Point — St. John speaks of himself in the most modest terms. The Jews, dissatisfied by the response which St. John had given, said to him: "Who art thou, what sayest thou of thyself?" He answered: ''I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord. I indeed baptize in water, but there is One in your midst whom you do not know, whose shoes I am not worthy to loose." The holy precursor abstained as much as possible from declaring whom he was, and confined himself strictly to the questions which were proposed to him. He was content to modestly, but positively, avow what he was not. But a precise question puts him to the necessity of an explanation and to say exactly who he is. He speaks of himself, but it is because he is constrained to do so. It is an avowal which is forced from his modesty, and by declaring the truth he shall still more conciliate this duty with his sentiments of humility. He shall say only what is necessary to make known his mission. The interests of his Master demand it, but he shall say it in the most simple terms, and far from all pretension and praise for himself: ''I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord." It was simply impossible for him to speak of himself in a more modest manner. A voice is only a mere sound, entirely without substance. St. John, therefore, declares that he is absolutely nothing by himself. For a moment put yourself in the place of St. John the Baptist. Think that some one comes with authority to demand who you are, what have you to say of yourself? Candidly, what response should you make? Would you, as the holy precursor, be principally occupied in preventing an opinion, too advantageous, which might be formed of you? Would you acknowledge with the same frankness what was wanting in you? And, if obliged to speak of what was advantageous to you, would you do so as simply and as modestly as St. John did? Third Point — While St. John speaks of himself and of all that concerns him with so much modesty and reserve, he enlarges with pleasure on the grandeur of Jesus, and finds also in praising Him the means of humbling himself. This is the conduct of one who possesses a truly humble heart. As much as he tries to conceal in secret the gifts which he has received from God, just so much does he love to publish the gifts with which others are adorned. His modesty suffers from the eulogies he receives, while his charity rejoices at those which he gives. Are these your sentiments? Do you love to bestow praise rather than to receive it? Are you eager to extol the good qualities of your neighbor, and to be forgetful of his defects? How rare are dispositions like these, and yet how suitable they are in a Christian soul? O my God, how far I am from having the sentiments of humility which Thy holy precursor had ! I am as proud as he was humble. Do not permit, Lord, that I should ever forget the nothingness from which Thou hast drawn me; and if I am obliged to extol the good which I possess, let it be only to make known the greatness of Thy power and the magnificence of Thy gifts. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897 THE disciples of St. John came to ask of Jesus if He were the Messias so long promised to the . . . world. He answered them by working miracles, and added: "Blessed is he who shall not be scandalized in Me." What a sorrow it is to think that the amiable Son of God could be an object of scandal for any one! We will now consider how frequent is this scandal and how criminal it is.
First Point. — It is indeed strange that Jesus and His religion should be an object of scandal and contradiction among men; yet such was the prediction of the holy old man, Simeon: "Behold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many, and for a sign which shall be contradicted." Never has a prediction been verified with more constant precision. Jesus was an object of scandal for the Pharisees by the splendor of His virtues. These haughty hypocrites could not endure Him whose wisdom compelled them to blush. They wished Him to be considered as a Samaritan, a sinner, one possessed by the demon, and they put Him to death. His poverty and humiliations were a scandal to the Jewish people. These worldly people imagined the Messias to be a conquering king, who should reduce all other nations under His empire, and they refused to recognize the Messias in the humble Jesus. The Gentiles were scandalized at the Cross, which they regarded as a folly. He had been an object of scandal for the pagan emperors, who persecuted Him for three hundred years, in the person of His disciples. The bloody persecutions ceased, but the scandal still remains. Even in His Church Jesus is an object of contradiction. The incredulous are scandalized at the mysteries which their proud reason rejects, because they cannot comprehend His mysteries. The libertine is scandalized at the severity of His Christian morality, and which he pretends is above and beyond the strength of men. The heretics are scandalized at the undeniable authority of His Church, and raise against her the standard of revolt. And lax Christians, in still greater numbers, are scandalized at the abasement of His mercies; while slaves of a miserable human respect blush at His name and the duties which that name imposes. Such ingratitude is indeed revolting; but are you wholly exempt from it? Is it true that Jesus is not for you an object of scandal? You love riches and Jesus despised them; you seek after pleasures, and Jesus condemned them; you are fond of the world, Jesus rejected the world. How, then, can you say that you love Jesus, when you love nothing which He has commanded, but, on the contrary, love precisely what He has forbidden? In thus Jesus an living, you cannot deny that Jesus is for you an object of contradiction. While you do not despise His name, His doctrine and His love are a scandal for you! Yes, Jesus is a scandal for you, O vindictive man! because He has pardoned injuries; Jesus is a scandal for you, vain young woman, because He practiced humility; Jesus is a scandal for you, young man, because He has loved purity; and for you, who do not know how to obey or mortify yourselves, Jesus is also a scandal, because He has practiced obedience even to the death of the Cross. O my Jesus, inspire in my heart a true love for Thee, that henceforth nothing shall be a scandal to me, in Thy doctrine. Thy life, or Thy humiliations. I shall strive to become like Thee by loving what Thou loved and by despising that which Thou despised, and by practicing the virtues of which Thou hast given an example. Second Point. — To be scandalized at Jesus is a crime. What greater outrage can there be against God, than to be scandalized at His benefits, and to seek in His infinite goodness some reason for revolt against Him? In fact, what is it, says Bourdaloue, that scandalizes and disheartens us in the religion we profess? Precisely that in which God manifests His love for us. All those mysteries which shock our delicacy — those mysteries of a God made man, a God humiliated, a God persecuted, a God dying — are these anything else than the fulfillment of that grand word spoken to us by God Himself — ''God has so loved the world"... Pope St. Gregory signalizes and deplores this criminal conduct, when he exclaims: ''Man has taken as an object of scandal against his God the very things which should inviolably attach him to his God." In fact, it is evident, if anything were capable of uniting us closely to God, inspiring us with zeal for Him, and making us ready to sacrifice everything for His honor, it is certainly the thought that God has died for us and was annihilated for us. This thought has produced marvelous fruits in the saints — prodigies of virtue, heroic conversions, renunciation of the world, and dispositions generous enough for martyrdom. And what has done all that? The sight of the God-Man, and of a God sacrificed for the salvation of men. This it is which has gained their hearts and filled them with intensest love. It is also that which has been the occasion of scandal for certain Christians and induced them to lead an idle, impure, and disorderly life. At the sight of this disorder, Tertullian indignantly exclaims: ''Be scandalized, if you will, at everything, but at least spare the person of your Saviour; spare His cross, since it is the source of your life ; spare it, since it is the hope of the whole world.'' If it were the angels who were offended at it, or were scandalized, this would be in a measure tolerable, since Jesus has not suffered for them. But since it is for you that the Saviour has come, and for you He has wished to die, the scandal should recoil on you and upon all crea- tures." Learn, therefore, at the foot of your Saviour's cross, the sentiments with which the memories of His mercies should inspire you. See, in His voluntary abasement, not a motive for blushing, but a reason for loving Him. It is not necessary to be a Christian to reason in this way, but it is necessary thus to think to be a Christian. The more you enter into these sentiments, the more you will participate in the grace and spirit of Christianity; and in proportion as these sentiments shall grow less in you, so too will the spirit of Christianity decrease in you. Let the worldlings run after the world and its vanities, but as for you, strive to cling closely to the person of your lovable Redeemer. There is no salvation except through Him; love His teaching, love His example, and love His religion, and then you will not make a subject of scandal that which is the principle of your salvation and the foundation of your perfection. O my Saviour, do not permit that I should ever be scandalized at what Thou hast done for me and the divine teachings Thou hast given me. Impress on my heart such a high esteem for Thy humiliations and sufferings, that Thy cross may be at once my strength, my guide, and my glory. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897 O Most holy God! Who lovest purity and innocence, grant to my children the precious gift of purity. Woe to them should the vice of impurity take hold of their hearts! How miserable would they not be! O Lord, do Thou guard them! Keep with Thy powerful hand this monster far from them. Without Thy special help they cannot preserve the virtue of chastity. O God, grant them this help. By it let their hearts be like sanctuaries, unprofaned, undefiled by any impure thought or feeling; by it let their eyes be modest, bashful; their ears and mouth unapproachable, and closed to any impropriety in word and deed. By Thy grace fill them with hatred against whatever may be contrary to decency, and let them persevere, body and soul, in unimpaired purity, so that they may always stretch out to Thee pure hands, and that their bodies may continue to be hallowed temples of the Holy Ghost. O God, lover of pure souls, let my children belong to the number of Thy favorites; let the blessing and the happiness and prosperity which, according to Thy gracious dispositions, accompany holy purity come upon my children. Amen.
Holy Virgin Mary, most chaste mother and intercessor of pure souls; St. Joseph, most chaste spouse of the Holy Virgin; St. Aloysius, angel in the flesh; and all ye holy virgins and children, and all ye saints in heaven, assist me with your powerful intercession, so that the Lord, who has given you the grace of unimpaired innocence and chastity, may also bestow this same great gift upon my children. Amen. Source: The Christian Mother, the Education of Her Children and Her Prayer, Imprimatur 1880  The most precious virtue we can have is that of purity and it isn't even thought of much anymore. Our society is saturated with impurity. One can't even go to the grocery store with out seeing immodesty. It is everywhere. It's a hard job teaching the precious little souls God puts in our care about this most important virtue.
AS I begin this talk there rises up before me a beautiful picture. I see the Blessed Virgin Mary as a little girl, sitting at the side of her mother, St. Anna, and listening attentively to her instructions. How well instructed Our Lady was! And when we think of her we think of all virtues, surely; but there is especially one that shines forth in her with unequalled splendor. Of this, the pearl of virtues, I am going to speak now. A good child, as everybody knows, must be obedient, kind and gentle, devout and pious. And now I am going to tell you what else a good child must be-- something without which a child simply cannot be a model of obedience, gentleness, and piety. That something is the lily-like virtue of holy purity—a jewel among the virtues. Yes, a good child must be modest, chaste, and pure. Be sure of this, my little people, for you and for everyone else purity is the most important and most necessary virtue for happiness in this life and in the eternal life to come. Without it you will make no progress in goodness and will never amount to much of anything in any way. Words cannot tell how priceless this virtue is. It is more precious than mountains of gold and silver; all the diamonds and gems of the world are as nothing when compared with this pearl of great price-- holy purity. We can best understand what purity is telling what impurity is. And what is impurity? You have seen lovely, snow-white lilies on the altar, haven't you? How beautiful, how fragrant they are! Now, take such a lily and throw it into the gutter, into the mud of the street, and trample on it. Then pick it up and look at it. That is a picture of impurity! How ugly! Rather than soil in the least the lily of holy purity you must avoid everything that would endanger it: companions, places, movies, books, pictures. As soon as you feel that a thing is not nice, have nothing to do with it. Be willing to lose everything, even life itself, rather than your pearl of great price. Remember that you are a temple of God and that the Holy Ghost dwells within you. Remember that your body is holy, that it was consecrated to God in Baptism, that it is sanctified in Holy Communion. You are like a church, like an altar. How dreadful it is to desecrate such holy places! Now, if you would not keep certain parts of your body covered you would blush for shame; and others would cry, "Shame on you!" and turn their faces away. People cover such parts even when they go in bathing. And one who purposely and without necessity or for the sake of impure pleasure uncovers these parts on oneself or others or looks at them or touches them or lets others do this, commits a sin against holy purity. I t can quickly and easily become a big sin, too. Indeed, impurity is so hateful to God that it can even be a big sin only to think willingly and with pleasure of such forbidden things, or willingly to talk about or listen to such things when bad, wicked persons make fun of them or tell stories about them or sing immodest songs. Whenever you are tempted to do anything that is not modest, think of God and say, " I can't and I won't! God is watching me." You cannot go to any place where God and your Guardian Angel do not see you. But suppose you have lost your pearl of great price already—then what? Ah, then you must not be discouraged and give up and let yourself go. No, never! You can get it back—the pearl of virtue regained. And while you are still young it is all the easier. The chains of bad habit are not yet so strong. You can break them now, with the help of Jesus and Mary. Just make a sincere and sorrowful confession. Your sins will be forgiven and he will help you, so that you never throw that lily into the gutter again. But maybe you never soiled the lily yet. Maybe you can say—as so many can: "With God's grace I have always been chaste and modest and pure." Oh, how happy you are! You don't know how happy! You cannot imagine from how many sufferings and temptations you are free because of your purity. You have no idea of how lovingly the Lord of heaven and earth looks down upon you, and the Blessed Virgin, and all the angels and saints. Why, you could never even dream of the wonderful reward you'll get for your holy purity in heaven! But you will always have to be careful, always on your guard, especially in our day and country. The devil has traps set everywhere. He wants to catch souls in the net of impurity. So I'll tell you what to do in order to avoid his snares and those of his allies, the world and the flesh. You must be watchful and keep strict guard over your senses and your imagination. In this you must be resolute and constant. You must carefully observe exterior modesty, especially when dressing or undressing, and also in toilet rooms. But remember that what is necessary for cleanliness or such like reasons is not sinful. Indeed, great cleanliness in this regard is a real help to holy purity. Fight at once all thoughts against this pearl of virtues by turning your mind away and having recourse to prayer; by saying little ejaculatory prayers for help; by pronouncing over and over again the powerful names of Jesus and Mary; by thinking especially of the eternal truths: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. And remember this well: it is no sin when these thoughts come, no sin to have them. They are temptations, and temptation is no sin, but an incentive to sin. As long as you do not really want them, as long as you do not entertain them, as long as your will does not consent to the temptation, you commit no sin. On the contrary, by bravely fighting the temptation you show your love for God in very deed and merit to receive from Him a hundredfold reward in heaven. If you happen to see or hear anything that is dangerous or immodest, turn away from it at once with disgust and refuse to think of it at all. Do not let yourself be led astray by curiosity. Do not keep thinking of such things. What you need to know will be told you in due time; and if there is something that you think you should know, ask it privately of a person who is able to inform you in a nice, helpful way—like Mother, for instance. Never read a book that is not modest and that causes you temptations against the pearl of virtues; and do not even look at pictures in papers and magazines if they are not decent. Look out especially for bad companions, wicked and nasty persons, who show at once by their conduct and words that they are impure. If you see that they are a danger to others, report them at once to teacher or pastor or parents. Do not let yourself be fooled when children of the devil laugh at you or tell you with scorn that this or that is not a sin, and you know that it really is a shameful and immodest thing. Such persons are liars and deceivers! Above all, pray every day for the grace of holy purity. Receive Holy Communion often. It is the very best means of remaining pure. And the next best means is devotion to Mary. It is a beautiful and well worthwhile practice to say the rosary every day just for the grace that your soul may ever be lily-like in its purity and your body ever be the unsullied temple of the Holy Ghost. If you cannot say the whole rosary each day you can at least practice the devotion of the three Hail Marys. Every morning, with your morning prayer, say three Hail Marys in honor of Mary's spotless virginity and for the grace of purity during the day. Then add the prayer: "O Mary, my good Mother, keep me this day from mortal sin." And every evening, with your evening prayer, say three Hail Marys for the same intention and add the words: "O Mary, my good Mother, keep me this night from mortal sin." Heart of Mary, bless the way, Keep us all by night and day. Heart of Mary, Mystic Rose, Send us all a sweet repose. Heart of Mary, Morning Star, Ward off danger near or far! Heart of Mary, by thy sorrow, Keep us upright through the morrow. Heart of Mary, by thy grace, Give us with the saints a place. Source: "Talks for Boys and Girls," imprimatur 1931  First Point. - We are naturally led to consider the two comings of our blessed Saviour. The first, when He comes to save men; and the second, when He shall come to judge them. These two comings are attended by very different circumstances. In the first, it is a hidden God, who seems to fear manifesting Himself, and He veils His majesty under the charms of infancy. In the second, it shall be a terrible God, who will appear in splendor. His voice will resound as thunder, and will cause the powers of heaven to tremble. In the first coming the prophets represent Him to us as a gracious King, who comes in all kindness; but in the other coming, they show Him to us with thunderbolts in His hands and indignation in His face. At the first coming, the shepherds and wise men kiss His feet and contemplate Him with love, while the angels invite men to rejoice. ''Behold, I announce to you tidings of great joy." Angels also will come to announce Him at the end of time, but they will announce Him by a terrifying trumpet-sound, which shall awaken the dead in their tombs. At Bethlehem, everything calls for love and confidence, but at the end of the world everything will inspire fear and terror. At His first coming, the poor swaddling-clothes shall be the sign by which He will be recognized, but at His second coming, the sun eclipsed and the moon stained by blood shall be the signs of His advent. The first coming takes place in the silence of the night; the other, amid thunder and lightning. At Bethlehem, He is in a manger, in the stable; but then, He will be on a throne and will come in a brilliant cloud. What relations can these two comings have, so widely different in their circumstances and in their objects, that the Church, which does nothing except in profound wisdom, begins the holy season, when she prepares her children for the coming of Christ the Saviour, by the spectacle of Jesus as our Judge? She wishes that the remembrance of the one should serve as a preparation for the other. By fear of the judgments which Jesus shall render as sovereign Judge of the universe, she wishes to determine our rebellious hearts to profit by the mysteries of love which Jesus our Liberator will teach us. Fear smooths the way to love, and we shall understand better the benefit of redemption in all its extent when we shall be vividly impressed by the rigor of those judgments from which this benefit will preserve us. Let us, therefore, enter into the spirit of the Church, our mother, and by contemplating Jesus in the clouds which will serve as a tribunal, we shall dispose ourselves to adore Him in the manger which serves Him as a cradle.
Second Point. — Let us consider the signs which shall announce the second coming of the Son of God, and the principal circumstances which will accompany His coming. The sun will refuse its light to terrified men; the moon will appear as if stained by blood; the sea in frightful convulsions, threatening to overflow its barriers; densest darkness will cover the earth as with a thick veil of mourning; angels will come to announce that the end of time has arrived — the human race awaiting, in consternation, in frightful anxiety, the end which these sad signs foretell. However, the destruction of the universe is not the most appalling in the last scenes which will terminate all the scenes of the world. For what is it, after all, that the world should be effaced, when we know that it must perish? But on the ruins of the world, the Son of man, announced by so many prodigies, preceded by justice, surrounded by majesty, comes from heaven in all the pomp of His power, in the midst of the acclamations of the heavenly court, who attend Him! What a contrast between glory and destruction, between life and death! Behold the picture which the Prophet Daniel has made of it: "I beheld attentively, until the thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days was seated. His throne was like flames of fire and its wheels of burning fire. A swift stream of fire issued forth from before Him. A million of angels ministered to Him and a thousand million stood before Him. The Judge is seated and the books were opened. I beheld one like the Son of man advance towards the Ancient of days; and they presented them before Him. And they gave Him honor, power, and kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him. His power is an everlasting power which shall not be taken away from Him, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed. My spirit trembled. I, Daniel, was affrighted at these things.'' And who shall not be terrified? O my God, behold me at Thy feet, seized with terror at the remembrance of Thy judgments! Have pity on me before the day of Thy vengeance arrives, for on that day there shall be no longer pity or pardon. Third Point. — Let us consider the rigor with which Jesus shall deal towards impenitent sinners on the day of His justice. He will command His angels to separate the wicked from the elect, as if they were unclean animals. He will place before their eyes the iniquities which have stained their miserable lives; and when He shall have confounded them before the eyes of the whole world, He will turn on them the eyes of His majesty. But who could endure the weight of His avenging looks? How true it is to say that sinners shall implore the mountains to crush them and death to annihilate them! But no, this will not happen; they must endure the agony of His terrible gaze, they must live to render by their sufferings eternal homage to that justice which they have so shamefully outraged. To understand to what extent sinners are hideous in the eyes of God, it will suffice to meditate on the first word He will address them. It is a word of indignation and disgust: "Depart from Me," and His voice, like to thunder-sound, shall resound to the extremities of the earth. At this anathema hell rejoices at the victims which are given and the demons rush forth to receive their prey. A saint thought he heard a voice issue from the throne of God to plead the cause of the sinner, and the following dialogue ensued: "Lord, dost Thou not recognize the work of Thy hands, and Thy privileged creature? O my God, suspend Thy sentence and Thy vengeance. These whom Thou rejectest are the very ones for whom Thou didst die; they are Thy children, the heirs to Thy Kingdom." But He answers: "I do not know them! They have blasphemed My name, they have despised My love, they are ingrates. They have employed My very gifts against Me, and now I have cursed them. Depart from Me forever.'' " But, O my God, behold their tears, hear their lamentations. They form a large part of Thy children! Do not allow them to perish forever." But He answers: " Have they not outraged Me? Indeed they weep, but it is with rage, not in love. How often have I spoken to their hearts, how often have I tried to lead them back to Me, and they have closed their ears to My voice. Now I curse them, let them go far from My presence. Depart, ye cursed!" O my God, I am not astonished, if the remembrance of Thy judgments has converted so many sinners, peopled the deserts with holy anchorites, and wrung tears from so many holy penitents. Is it possible to weep too bitterly for the faults which must be expiated in hell, unless they are expiated here on earth? My God, what shall be my misfortune, if, after having reflected on the terrors and the regrets which will follow Thy second coming, I shall not profit by the means of salvation which the first coming affords me ! Do not permit it, O my God, and grant that I may never abuse Thy love and Thy mercy. Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897 |
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