# Meditations For Every Day In The Year/From Easter to Pentecost

EASTER SUNDAY.
Christ Our Resurrection.
" Rise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee." (Ephes. v. 14.)
I. When Christ raised His body from the dead, He decorated it with all the attributes of glory. Lacerated and deformed before, it now becomes beautiful and lovely. Reflect on the difference which exists between a body that is dead, pale, wan, and motionless, and the same body when it is invested with the attributes of glory. The same difference exists between a soul in sin, and in the state of grace. The same difference, with due proportion, is to be found between a fervent and a tepid soul. In the state of tepidity the soul slumbers, as it were; it is void of all heroical motion; it is insensible in regard to spiritual things; it is filled with idle fancies and vain trifles; and pursue shadows instead of real and substantial good. It conceives itself to be in a good state, whilst in reality it may be addressed as God addressed the Bishop of Laodicea in the Apocalypse of St. John, " Thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Apoc. iii. 17.)
II. Our Saviour is ready to raise us from the state of tepidity and sin, if we consent on our part, and therefore He says of Himself, " I am the resurrection and the life." (John xi. 25.) He is the cause and author of both, as well in regard to the soul as the body. What a bene​fit it is to be raised from the death of sin or tepidity, and to be placed in the bright light of the children of God, and to be enabled to pursue the road of virtue with fervor. This benefit Christ will bestow upon you to-day in the Eucharist if you approach Him with fervor. Hence He is called the bread of life; and if we shall owe to Him the resurrection of our bodies "at the last day" (John vr. 40), so are we now indebted to Him for the resurrection of our souls. (Jno. vi. 35, 40.)
III. The marks by which we may discover if we have really risen with Christ are our attention to spiritual things, and our disregard of the things of this world. "If ye be risen with Christ," says St. Paul, "seek the things that are above." (Colos. iii. 1.) Seek, therefore, only heavenly things, and as " Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more" (Rom. vi. 9), so you, having risen from the state of sin or tepidity to grace and fervor, persevere in your "newness of life," and continually guard against relapsing into your former state.
EASTER MONDAY
Christ's Resurrection.
I. Sufficient time having elapsed to evince the reality of Christ's death, early on the third day His divine soul hastened to bring the holy Fathers out of Limbo, to comfort His blessed mother and His disconsolate disciples, and to fill the whole world with His glory. How the holy prisoners in Limbo rejoiced when they saw that the hour of their deliverance had arrived! Free in like manner, O Lord! my soul from " the lion's mouth" and from " the deep lake," and suffer not my enemies, the devil, the world, and the flesh, to domineer over me.
II. What were the feelings of the holy Fathers, when, ​leaving Limbo, they saw the dead body of Christ! How their affections glowed for the being who suffered so much for them! When our Lord immediately afterwards reunited this body to His soul, the oracle of David was fulfilled: " The Lord hath reigned, He is clothed with beauty; the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded Himself." (Ps. xcii. 1.) He now assumed the four properties of a glorified body, viz., Lucidness, by which He becomes brighter than the sun itself; Subtilty, by which He can penetrate the sepulchre, and every other material substance; 3. Agility, by which He can move Himself to the most remote place, in the smallest division of time; 4. Impassibility, so that He is now incapable of suffering or dying. Thus crowned with glory, our triumphant Redeemer may say in the words of David, "Thou hast turned for Me My mourning into joy; Thou hast cut My sackcloth, and hast compassed Me with gladness." (Ps. xxix. 12.)
III. The eternal Father, joined by all His angels and the liberated saints of Limbo, congratulates the glorious Saviour of mankind, and they exclaim, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction." (Apoc. v. 12.) Join your voice with theirs, and say, "This is the day which the Lord has made: let us be glad and rejoice therein." (Ps. cxvii. 24.) Be convinced that the tribulations of the just are short, and their joys eternal, and that " if we suffer with Christ, we shall be also glorified with Him." (Rom. viii. 17.)
EASTER TUESDAY.
Christ's Apparition to His Mother.
I. Christ made known His resurrection by different means: 1. By Saints, who rose in their bodies and appeared to many; 2. By angels, who appeared at the sepulchre; 3. By appearing in His own proper person, "showing Himself alive, after His passion, by many proofs; for forty days appearing." (Acts i. 3.) In the same manner is he accustomed to display Himself to His faithful servants, by the agency of pious men, by their guardian angels, and immediately by Himself. " He who loveth me," He says Himself, " shall be loved by My Father; and I will love Him, and will manifest Myself to Him." (John xiv. 21.) Love Him, therefore, in order that you may receive this favor.
II. It is piously believed that Christ first appeared to His blessed mother in order that she, who had drunk deepest of the cup of His affliction, might be the first to enjoy the glory of His resurrection. " As ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation." (2 Cor. i. 7.) She believed with the most certain faith, and expected with the most ardent hope the hour of His resurrection, and therefore her desires were not frustrated. Learn hence to desire heavenly things with fervor, and patiently to wait for the destined hour. " If it make any delay, wait for it; for it shall surely come, and it will not be slack." (Hab. ii. 3.)
III. What were the feelings which Christ and His mother experienced at this joyful meeting? What expressions of affection passed between them! The Saints who had long been dead, Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David, might well congratulate her in the language of the ​Church, " Thou, daughter, art blessed by the Lord, for by thee we have been made partakers of the fruit of life. Do you in like manner rejoice with holy Mary, and address her in the language of the Church at this holy time: " Rejoice, O Queen of heaven! because He whom thou broughtest forth is risen from the dead. Pray for us, therefore, O holy Queen, to thy adorable Son; He will not refuse to grant the petition, which you address to Him."
WEDNESDAY.
Apparition of Angels to Devout Women.
I. " And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen." (Mark xvi. 2.) These devout women brought ointment and perfumes, in order to perform the last offices of love to their Lord, by anointing His body. For this purpose they rise very early, " it being yet dark." (John xx. 1.) Learn hence to spare no expense or labor in the service of God, consistently with your abilities. Follow the principle, and adopt the expression of the Wise Man, " We must prevent the sun to bless thee, O God! and adore thee at the dawning of the light." (Wis. xvi. 28.) Examine whether you be so early employed in the service of your Creator.
II. " And they said one to another, Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" (Mark xvi. 3.) Such were their anxiety and conversation on the way. But they no sooner arrived at the tomb, than, "looking, they saw the stone rolled back." Thus we frequently imagine many difficulties to exist in the way of virtue and perfection; but when we begin to walk resolutely in that way, we find them either entire​ly removed by the grace of God, or greatly diminished. "And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side." God rewards the piety of these women with the vision of an angel. " And His countenance was as lightning, and His raiment as snow." (Matt, xxviii. 3.) Who would not wish to dwell forever in such happy company!
III. " Fear not, for I know you seek Jesus, who was crucified." (Matt, xxviii. 5.) Among the titles of the glorified Jesus, that of His having been crucified stands in the first place. Hence you should learn to appreciate duly the value of suffering, " and to glory in nothing but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Gal. vi. 14.) St. Paul, who was a faithful imitator of the suffering Son of God, says of himself, " I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." (1 Cor. ii. 2.) Imagine what sincere joy the holy women experienced when they heard that Christ had risen! "They went out quickly from the sepulchre, with fear and great joy, running to tell His disciples." (Matt, xxviii. 8.)
THURSDAY.
Christ Appears to Magdalene.
I. " But Mary stood without the sepulchre, weeping." (John xx. 11.) Ponder the fervent love and unshaken constancy of this devout penitent, which prompted her still to remain at the sepulchre when her companions had left it. Hence she deserved to see our Lord the first; for, as St. Gregory, commenting on this passage of the Evangelist observes, " Persevere in the essence of a good work." Learn hence to seek God, when you have lost Him by sin, or when by desolation He withdraws Him​self from you. You must seek Him with sincerity and ardent affection, in order " that you may find Him whom your soul loveth." (Cant. iii. 4.)
II. Though angels appeared and asked Mary, " Woman, why weepest thou?" (John xx. 13), they could not satisfy her mind and affection. No worldly comfort, nothing in fact but God Himself, can satisfy the soul that truly seeks God. Christ assumed the appearance of a gardener and presented Himself before her; Magdalene immediately applied to Him and asked, " If thou hast taken Him away, tell me where thou hast laid Him; and I will take Him away." (John xx. 15.) How great was the force of her love! No place, no danger, no toil, could prevent her from seeking Him. Examine if your love be of so sterling a character.
III. "Jesus saith to her, Mary." Christ often conceals Himself from His servants, and seems to be at a great distance from them, when in reality He is very near. He acts thus to inflame our desire and love; but He discovers Himself at last, and as Sara remarked, "after tears and weeping, He poureth in joyfulness."' (Tob. iii. 22.) Beg your Saviour to be so familiar with you as interiorly to call you by your name, and so to speak to your heart that you may know His voice, and with holy Magdalene, be more and more inflamed with His divine love.
FRIDAY.
Christ Appears to other Women.
I. While the holy women who had visited the sepulchre were returning to the city, Christ appeared to them on the way, and said, " All hail!" (Matt, xxviii. 9.) Ponder here the goodness of God, who affords comfort at a ​seasonable hour, and majses no exception of persons. Recollect that the same word was used by the angel Gabriel to the blessed Virgin, and believe that it produced in their hearts the effects which are signified. Thus speak to my soul, O Lord, " Let thy voice sound in My ears, for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely." (Cant. ii. 14.)
II. " But they came up, and took hold of His feet, and worshipped Him." (Matt, xxviii. 9.) Thus were they permitted to touch and kiss His sacred feet. With what reverence and joy they do it! To reward their good desires of anointing the body of their Lord in the sepulchre, Christ " anointed them with the oil of gladness above their fellows." (Ps. xliv. 8.) Conceive hence with what affection you ought to embrace, not the feet only, but the whole of Christ in the sacrament, as often as you approach it. Do not suffer Him to depart from you, until He has given you His blessing, as the angel did to the devoutly-importunate Jacob.
III. "Jesus said to them, Be not afraid. Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee; there they shall see Me." (Matt, xxviii. 10.) Admire the sweet conduct of Christ in removing all fear from His servants, and in comforting them. Meditate on the title which He gives to His disciples, " My Brethren." He who is the King of glory does not disdain to call poor, ignorant fishermen His brethren. Oh what a happiness it is to have such a brother! Love Him, therefore, as your brother, and place all your confidence in Him; for if " a brother that is helped by his brother," as the Wise Man says, "is as a strong city" (Prov. xviii. 19), how much more is he who is assisted by such a brother as Christ?
SATURDAY.
Peter and John go to the Sepulchre.
I. The devout women relate to the disciples what they had seen at the sepulchre, and it "seemed to them as an idle tale." (Luke xxiv. 11.) The Apostles were as yet attached to sensible things, and were not enlightened by the Holy Ghost. The mysteries of the Cross and Resurrection always appear folly to the wise ones of this world. Entreat Christ to enlighten your darkness, and not to suffer you to follow the incredulity or fashionable errors of the world.
II. Peter and John, more desirous than the rest of discovering the truth, ran to the monument, entered it, and: found all to be as the women had related. But they neither saw angels, nor did Christ appear to them, for their greater trial, and because they ought to have believed those whom Christ had ordered to communicate the news of His resurrection to them. Learn hence the importance of " believing, although you have not seen," when the object of faith rests on the divine veracity.
III. On the same day, Christ, as we learn from St. Luke, appeared to Peter, who "went away wondering in himself at that which had come to pass." " The Lord has risen indeed," the Apostles exclaimed, " and hath appeared to Simon." Thus Christ confirmed St. Peter, in order that He might afterwards confirm others in their faith. He had denied his Lord and Master; but having satisfied for his guilt by due penance, he now deserved consolation. Among all the disciples He seems to have loved Christ most, and to have felt the most poignant grief at His death. Learn to accompany your Redeemer in His sufferings, in order that you may ​rejoice with Him in his resurrection; for "according to the multitude of your sorrows in your heart His comforts will give joy to your soul." (Ps. xciii. 19.)
LOW SUNDAY.
Christ the Prince of Peace.
" I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for He will speak peace unto His people." (Ps. lxxxiv. 9.)
I. We are told in the Gospel of to-day, that Christ appeared to His disciples, and said to them thrice, "Peace be to you." (John xx. 29.) " He is our peace," as the Apostle observes (Ephes. ii. 14), " thinking thoughts of peace, and not of affliction" (Jer. xxix. 11), and therefore, among many other titles, He is called by Isaias, " The Prince of peace." (Is. ix. 6.)
II. It is our duty to maintain peace with God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Man frequently feels domestic war, "for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh" (Gal. v. 17), and therefore royal David cries out, " There is no peace for my bones" (Ps. xxxvii. 4), and another prophet, "A man's enemies are they of his own household." (Micheas vii. 6.) Our passions and evil propensities may be understood to be these household enemies. This triple peace your Lord and Saviour intends to bring you to-day in the Eucharist, unless you prevent Him; for the Eucharist is properly a peace offering between God and man. It is also a symbol and bond of charity between us and our neighbors; and lastly, as St. Cyril observes, " It restrains the raging tyranny of the flesh, and intrenches us round with perfect peace." Hence, David observes, God " hath placed peace in thy borders, and filled thee with the fat of corn." (Ps. cxlvii. 3.)
​III. Christ brought peace, as we read in the Gospel of to-day, when "the doors were shu%M and when the disciples were assembled together in prayer. Shut, therefore, carefully the gates of your senses, and retire to the closet of your heart, and the Lord will say to you, " I will give peace in your coasts, you shall sleep, and there ihall be none to make you afraid." (Levit. xxvi. 6.) Above all things, however, divest yourself of everything like sin; for "there is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord." (Is. xlviii. 22.)
MONDAY.
The Disciples Going to Emmaus. — I.
I. " Behold, two of them went that same day to a town named Emmaus." (Luke xxiv. 13.) They went, therefore, on the very day of the resurrection, to a neighboring town, and while they were discoursing together on the Lord's passion, and the reports of His resurrection, Christ Himself joined them on the way. Learn from this fact how He is delighted with the pious discourses of His followers, particularly when His passion is their subject. The disciples did not know Christ, because their faith was as yet unsteady. Hence, if you wish to understand divine things, you must possess firm faith, "for if you will not believe, you shall not continue." (Is. vii. 9.) God is frequently near us when we take no notice of Him.
II. How amiably Christ insinuated Himself into the company of His disciples! "What are these discourses," he asks, " that ye hold one with another as ye walk, and are sad?" Like a good physician, He searches for the wound, in order to apply a cure. They answered, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, ​mighty in work and word, before God and all the people." (Luke xxiv. 17, 19.) The testimony was honorable to our Saviour. Such ought to be the character of every one who is employed in gaining souls, and of every faithful Christian. They should join action to their words and professions, and first teach by example what they wish others to practise. " That discourse," says the great St. Gregory, " more easily penetrates the heart of an audience which is recommended by the orator's life."
III. Consider the words of their divine companion, " Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His glory?" (Luke xxiv. 26.) It was necessary thai His sufferings should precede His glory. How can ycu expect to enter into His glory when you are continually seeking your own ease, convenience, and satisfaction in everything, and when you cannot endure to suffer the least for Him. Reflect how little you have hitherto suffered in God's cause,' and remember at the same time that " the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away." (Matt. xi. 12.)
TUESDAY.
The Disciples Going to Emmaus- II.
I. Christ walks with His disciples, and explains to them the mysteries of His passion. How their hearts must have been inflamed with the fire of divine love, which burns in its proper element, so near them! They had reason to say to one another afterwards, "Was not our heart burning within us while He was speaking in the way?" (Luke xxiv. 32.) Fervor is a sign of Christ's presence in the soul, as are tepidity and coldness of His absence.
​II. Having arrived at the end of their journey, the two disciples invite their unknown companion to remain with them. He seems inclined to go farther, but they prevail on Him to stay. Although He desires nothing more than to be with us, for " His delight is to be with the children of men" (Prov. viii. 31), yet He loves to be entreated, and in a manner forced, by earnest prayer, to remain with us. Such was the sweet compulsion of Jacob in regard to the angel when he said, " I will not let thee go except thou bless me." (Gen. xxxii. 26.) Thus also did the Canaanite woman, by still urging after the first repulse, obtain the cure of her daughter.
III. " While He was at table with them, He took bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to them, and they knew Him." (Luke xxiv. 30.) These singular actions and their effects show that this was a sacramental entertainment, as the holy Fathers generally teach. The souls of those who receive worthily are truly enlightened by the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, and their eyes are opened to see, acknowledge, and love the infinite goodness of its Author. Immediately after Christ had discovered Himself, He disappeared from them; for He does not wish His disciples to entertain themselves too long even in spiritual consolations, but return to their employments. Hence the two disciples "rose up the same hour, and went back to Jerusalem" (Luke xxiv. 30), and with joy related all that had happened.
WEDNESDAY.
Christ Appears in the Absence of St. Thomas. — I.
I. " When it was late, that same day, and the doors were shut, Jesus came, and stood in the midst" of the disciples, " and said to them, Peace be to you." (John ​xx. 19.) This was the sixth time that Christ appeared on the day of His resurrection, to console and comfort His friends. Ponder the circumstances of this last apparition. 1. It was late in the evening, to teach you that you ought to await with patience the pleasure of your Lord. 2. He entered whilst the doors were shut, to show the powers of His glorified body. You must shut the inlets of your senses if you wish to entertain Christ as He wishes to be entertained. You must be, in the language of the Canticles, " a garden enclosed and a fountain sealed up." (Cant. iv. 12.) 3. He stood in the midst of His disciples, as a master among His scholars, as a shepherd amongst His flock, and like the sun in the centre of the planetary world. Stand thus, O Lord! in the centre of my soul; teach, feed, and enlighten it.
II. He says to His disciples, "Peace be to you." He does not wish them fame, nor power, nor riches, nor honors, but peace with God, with their neighbor and themselves. Learn to appreciate this peace above all earthly goods, and to purchase it at any expense. Pray that " the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding," may "keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. iv. 7.)
III. To confirm their faith in His resurrection still more, "He asks them if they have any food; "and they offered Him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honey-comb." (Luke xxiv. 42.) To convince His Apostles that He was no phantom, He ate. Observe what pains Christ took to convince His Apostles and all mankind of the fact of His resurrection. He knew that the whole system of His divine doctrine was built upon it, and He always appeals to it as to the test of His mission. The incredulity and obstinacy of the Apostles and disciples on this subject, observes one of the holy Fathers, have increased our ​faith. Who can disbelieve in the resurrection, when such incredulous and obstinate men were at last convinced of it, and shed their blood in its defence? The resurrection of Christ, however, will be of no advantage to you, unless you rise with Him to a newness of life.
THURSDAY.
Christ Appears in the Absence of Thomas. — II.
I. After Christ had eaten, He ordained His Apostles missionaries, teachers, and pastors of His flock. He first, however, repeats the words "Peace be to you," to show them how necessary peace and unity are in the sacred ministry. " As My Father has sent Me," He continues, "I also send you." (John xx. 21.) He communicates the same authority to them which the Father had given .to Him; and as the Father had sent Him, not to seek His ease, but the salvation of mankind, through pains and affliction; in the same manner, to gain the same object by the same means, did He send His Apostles, Hence, apostolical men ought to love sufferings when the glory of God can be promoted by them.
II. "When He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." (John xx. 22.) Christ might as easily have communicated the divine Spirit to them without breathing on them, but He did so, to inspire His followers with a reverence for similar ceremonies of His Church. By these ceremonies the Holy Ghost is imparted to the soul, or His divine grace given, in many cases by virtue of the work performed, and in others in consequence of the merits and disposition of the person who performs them, or for whom they are performed. Beg of Almighty God to bestow on you something, at least, of His divine Spirit, to enable you, ​after having risen with Christ, like Him, " to die no more" (Rom. vi. 9), and not to relapse again into your former sins and failings.
III. " Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain they are retained." (John xx. 23.) Ponder the power and dignity expressed in these words. God never gave the same power to the priests of the old law, nor to the angels themselves. He did not confine this power to any determinate number of priests, nor to the quality of the priests, or of the sins, but gave it for the benefit of all, in the sacrament of Penance. Admire the riches and bounty of God's mercy, and thank Him for such an easy remedy for your sins. The sacrament of Penance is truly "a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for. the washing of the sinner." (Zach. xiii. 1.)
FRIDAY.
Christ Appears in the Presence of Thomas.
I. As yet one of the Apostles refused to believe in the resurrection of his Master. St. Thomas had fallen into this incredulity, because he was separated from the rest when Christ had first appeared to the disciples, because he stubbornly refused his assent to the fact of his Saviour's resurrection on the sufficient testimony of others, and because he presumptuously prescribed to God the condition on which alone he would consent to believe. "Unless I shall see in His hands," he said, "the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John xx. 25.) During the space of eight days he persisted obstinately in his incredulity, in spite of all the persuasions and reasons of the other Apostles. Learn ​from this to avoid singularity, as a dangerous rock, on which many a one, otherwise virtuous, has split. Be slow to prefer your own judgment in spiritual things to that of others. Meditate on the goodness of your God, who, as He permitted St. Peter to fall, during His passion, in order to show us the weakness of human nature and to teach us humility, so permits St. Thomas to remain so long incredulous, to teach us the necessity of " believing what we have not seen," and what reason cannot fathom, provided we have sufficient motives to be convinced that God's veracity is pledged for the certainty of the tenet.
II. Like a good shepherd Christ seeks His lost sheep. He returns to the Apostles, He enters again, whilst the doors are shut, salutes them as before, and turning to St. Thomas, without an angry look or a word of reproach, amiably addresses him, " Put in thy finger hither," He says, "and see My hands, and bring hither thy hand and put it into My side: and be not incredulous, but faithful." (John xx. 27.) Oh how his heart must have been inflamed when he put his hand into those burning furnaces of love! So ought you to be inflamed when you approach the holy Eucharist.
III. Consider the admirable acknowledgment of St. Thomas, " My Lord and my God." He confesses that Jesus is true man and true God, acknowledging His human nature in the first and His divine nature in the second word. Ponder these two titles: since He is your Lord, act not for yourself, but for Him; and as He is your God, give Him the honor and worship which He deserves. Say with the Royal Psalmist, "To Thee, O Lord! will I cry, and I will make supplication to my God, "O Lord, my God, I will give praise to Thee forever." (Ps. xxix. 9, 13.)
SATURDAY.
Why Christ retained the Wounds in His Glorified Body.
I. Christ chose to retain the marks of His wounds in His glorified body for various reasons, i. He wished to strengthen His disciples and His followers in the belief of His resurrection, by showing them that it was the same body which was nailed to the cross that had risen again. 2. He wished to increase our confidence, by showing us the marks of His triumph over the world, encouraging us to "have confidence," as He says, "I have overcome the world." (John xvi. 33.) 3. He carried these wounds as a perpetual memorial of His love towards us, and in order to incite us to return love for love, by suffering for Him. Hence, St. Paul, who fully appreciated His motive, says of himself, " I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body." (Gal. vi. 17.)
II. He retains these wounds to convince us that He will take special care of us whilst He is in heaven. " Can a woman forget her infant? Yet will not I forget thee; behold, I have graven thee in My hands." (Is. xlix. 15.) He continually presents these wounds to His Father to plead in our behalf. Hence we may address the Father in the words of David, " Behold, O God, our protector! and look upon the face of Thy Christ." (Ps. lxxxiii. 10.)
III. His wounds are to the Church what the fountains that watered it were to Paradise. They are the sources of every grace to the faithful. Hence Isaias says, " Ye shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's fountains." (Is. xii. 3.) These divine wounds afford a refuge for the afflicted and distressed soul in all the accidents and crosses which attend us in this vale of tears. Whenever ​therefore, your mind and heart are oppressed, enter thou into the rock with Isaias, " and hide thee in the pits, from the face of the fear of the Lord." (Is. ii. 10.) Remember that that "rock is Christ," and those pits His sacred wounds. Remain, therefore, " in the cliffs of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall." (Cant. ii. 14.)
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.
Christ the Good Shepherd.
" The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing; He hath set me in a place of pasture." (Ps. xxii. 1.)
I. In the Gospel of this day Christ says of Himself, " I am the good Shepherd." (John x. 11.) Ponder how well He merits this title. Jacob was a good shepherd, and he says of himself, " Day and night was I parched with heat and with frost, and sleep departed from my eyes." (Gen. xxxi. 40.) But Christ was still a better pastor, for after suffering these heats and colds. He finally laid down His life for His sheep. He even descended to their level and below them, for He verified the oracle of Isaias, " He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter." (Is. liii. 7.) But what shepherd ever fed His sheep with His own blood? In order to elevate them to a supernatural state of happiness, Christ has done so. He gave them His flesh for food and His blood for drink. Who would not wish to be guided by such a shepherd?
II. This divine shepherd will visit you to-day, to feed you, and to defend you from the wolves of hell. There is no part of a shepherd's duty which He does not perform most willingly. Hence He says by His prophet, " Behold, I Myself will seek My sheep: and will visit them as the shepherd visits his flock: I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures; I will seek that which was lost, ​and that which was driven away I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken; and I will strengthen that which is weak, and that which is fat and strong I will preserve, and I will feed them in judgment." (Ezech. xxxiv. 11.) Such is the Shepherd who invites you to receive Him.
III. It is your duty to take care that there be nothing in your soul which may offend this pure and all-seeing Shepherd. Purify yourself, therefore, from all sin, and divest yourself of all affections to sin. Besides, He says, " My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John x. 27.) Listen then to Him, and obey Him, in order that you may ever remain in His fold.
MONDAY.
Christ Appears to Seven Disciples. — I.
I. " There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, and Nathanael." (John xxi. 2.) Peter invites them to fish, and they all show a readiness to accompany him: "We also come with thee." This is an emblem of that union which ought to exist among evangelical laborers, whom Christ pronounces to be "fishers of men." The disciples employ themselves in this occupation, both to relieve their poverty and want, and to prevent idleness. Imitate their example; and know that every descendant of Adam is destined some way or other " to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow;" and that idleness is the root of every evil.
II. " They labored all night and caught nothing." Thus human industry is ever vain, unless blessed with the divine concurrence. " Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." (Ps. cxxvi. 1.) This Is chiefly the case in regard to the conversion of souls, ​for in these affairs no man ought to place confidence in his own abilities or exertions, but he ought to ground all his hopes of success on the assistance of heaven. " Neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth, but God who giveth the increase." (1 Cor. iii. 7.) During the night of sin, no action, meritorious of eternal Lie, can be performed; thus every action, however virtuous otherwise, unless done in a state of grace, is lost. Detest sin, then, above every other evil.
III. " But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus." (John xxi. 4.) Thus Christ is frequently at hand to relieve our necessities, when we think the least of it. He asks them if they have any food, although He knew that they had none, because He wishes us to acknowledge our wants before He relieves them. He then commands them: "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast, therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes." Learn hence how valuable is the virtue of obedience to the will of God. "An obedient man shall speak of victory." (Prov. xxi. 28.)
TUESDAY
Christ Appears to Seven Disciples.— II.
I. St. John, knowing from the miraculous draught of fishes that the person must be Christ, without hesitation pronounced, " It is the Lord." (John xxi. 7.) Peter immediately cast himself into the sea, in order to approach his Master. In St. John is figured the contemplative life, which is quick-sighted in discovering our Lord, and immediately points Him out to others. St. Peter represents the fervor of active life, which is always ardent and ​forward in works of piety and zeal. Apply yourself to both states in proper proportion, in order that by contemplation you may discover the will of God, and reduce it to practice in the state of active life.
II. "As soon as they came to land they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread." He Himself invites them to eat, to show His goodness and paternal providence to mankind in general, and to His Apostles and their successors in particular. He will not suffer those who are employed in His service to endure want, if they place their confidence in Him, and " seek first the kingdom of God and His justice." (Luke xii. 31.) He invites all to partake of His munificence: "Come to Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you." (Matt. xi. 28.) Accept of His invitation, and "cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee." (Ps. liv. 23.)
III. Those whose duty it is to exercise the office of "fishers of men" ought to follow the injunction of their Master, Jesus Christ, and cast their net on the "right side." In nothing whatsoever are purity of motive and right intention more necessary than in the works of the ministry. " The Apostles," writes St. Bernard, " spread their nets to catch fish, and not gold and silver." It is the duty of every Christian, as well as of the ministers of the Gospel, to aim at the salvation of their neighbors' souls. " God has given charge to every one, of his brother." In his proper sphere and department of life every one ought to be an apostle. Examine how you perform this duty, and whether you be actuated by right intentions and purity of motives.
WEDNESDAY.
Christ Commits His Sheep to Peter.
I. Christ had destined Peter to be His vicar on earth, because He Himself was going to the Father, and because His flock could not be left without some visible shepherd. Before He gave him this appointment, He thrice asked him, " Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me?" (Jno. xxi. 15), to show us how well grounded they ought to be in the love of God who undertake the care of souls. Pastors, parents, and masters ought then to be forcibly actuated by this divine principle, for they have all, in their different departments, the care of souls. Examine yourself, and discover whether you have a sufficient stock of this sterling and necessary virtue to discharge the duties of your calling, as they should be.
II. Christ, when Peter had said that he loved Him, rejoined, " Feed My iambs — Feed My sheep." The faithful are the flock of Jesus Christ, and the Apostles and their successors are commissioned to feed this flock, by teaching, preaching, and administering the sacraments, and by giving good example. Those who have embraced this calling have an important duty to perform. Let them remember with fear and trembling the prophetic description of the bad pastor of Israel: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: you ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat, but my flock you did not feed." (Ezech. xxxiv. 2.) Let the faithful, too, remember that they owe respect to those whom Christ has commissioned to feed them; that the validity of sacraments is independent of the virtues or the vices of lawful pastors, and that submission to them is a duty.
​III. Christ foretold to St. Peter the kind of death which he was to suffer for His sake, as a certain pledge of their mutual love. Learn then to consider sufferings, and even death itself, as marks of God's affection for you, as they really are. He chastises those whom He loves. Jesus Christ chose sufferings for His mortal portion: He chose what was best; He performed the will of His Father; consequently, the man who has sufferings to endure, imitates his Saviour, and is specially favored by his Creator.
THURSDAY.
Christ Appears on the Mount.
I. How ineffable the goodness of our Lord, who, in order that all His disciples might see Him at once, and be convinced of His resurrection, ordered them to repair to a mountain in Galilee! This was probably that memorable apparition, which St. Paul mentions when he says: "Then He was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once." (i. Cor. xv. 6.) Imagine with what fervor the disciples went to witness this spectacle. O that you would imitate them, when you present yourself before Him in His church!
II. Christ appeared to them, comforted them, and confirmed them in their faith. He then said, "all power is given to me in heaven and in earth." (Matt, xxviii. 1 8.) This power, as God, He had from all eternity, but He received it in time, as man, in reward of His sufferings and merits. Rejoice at the power of that divine Being, who loves you so affectionately. Feel confidence under His protecting wing, and say with the prophet: " If armies in camps should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear; if a battle should rise up against me in this I will be confident." (Ps. xxvi. 3.)
​III. " Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt, xxviii. 19.) He thus institutes the sacrament of Baptism, and ordains, that it shall take the place of ancient circumcision. As circumcision was the entrance into the number of God's chosen people, of old, so is Baptism the entrance into His Church in the new law. But the advantages of Baptism are far greater. But Baptism, or faith alone, is not sufficient for salvation; the observance of God's commandments is also requisite. " Teaching them," continues Jesus Christ, "to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you." St. James emphatically writes: "Whosoever shall keep the -whole law; but offend in one point, is become guilty of all." (James ii. 10.) Admit, then, the necessity of good works, and observe the whole law in perfection.
FRIDAY.
Other Apparitions.
I. Our Lord, as St. Luke writes: "showed Himself alive, after His passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them." (Acts i. 3.) Christ remained with with them for so long a time, in order to increase and strengthen their faith in His resurrection. Although during that time, He was always present with them in an invisible manner, yet He only favored them with His visible presence at intervals. Like a tender mother He wished to accustom them by degrees to more solid and substantial spiritual food, than the consolation of His personal presence.
II. In these apparitions, Christ as St. Luke observes, "spoke of the kingdom of God." He did not converse with them on worldly trifles, or objects of idle curiosity, ​but of the means of gaining the kingdom of God, by tribulations and sufferings. " The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away." (Matt, xi. 12.) Learn hence willingly to engage in pious conversation. It is very probable, that during these forty days, Christ delivered many instructions to his Apostles concerning the form and government of His future Church, which have been handed down to us by tradition. Entreat your Saviour to converse with you in the secret closet of your heart, and there instruct you in His holy law. Say with the Prophet; " Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me thy justifications." (Ps. cxviii. 12.)
III. Reflect seriously within yourself, how often God has spoken interiorly to your heart, concerning the kingdom of God, moving you to a desire of ensuring it, by works of mortification, temperance, charity, and perfection. Perhaps you have not paid attention to His voice. Listen to Him for the future, lest He inflict on you some of those plagues of which Moses speaks. " The Lord shall increase thy plagues, and the plagues of thy seed, plagues great and lasting, infirmities, grievous and perpetual, because thou nearest not the voice of the Lord thy God." (Deut. xxviii. 59, 62.)
SATURDAY.
Circumstances Attending Christ's Apparitions.
I. The various circumstances, which accompanied the apparitions of Christ after His resurrection, are like those, which attend His interior visits to the souls of His faithful servants. His apparitions were always of short duration, and they were more or less frequent according to the dispositions and fervor of those, to whom He appeared. The same economy of providence God observes ​in regard to the devout soul; He does not always evince His presence with it by sensible consolations, nor are these consolations without interruption. Inflame your heart with His love, that you may the oftener enjoy His presence, and in order that you may be able to say with the spouse in the Canticle: " If you find my beloved, tell Him, that I languish with love." (Cant. v. 8.)
II. Christ generally appeared unexpectedly, and as unexpectedly withdrew Himself. Thus He increased the desire of His disciples for the favor of His personal presence. In the same manner He visits His faithful souls. Hence, St. Bernard observes: "Joy and content may be found in this world in the presence of the spouse, but not satiety." Do not, therefore, expect, that your soul will be fully satisfied with spiritual joy in this world, but be content to taste only the sweetness of the divine presence. If you love your God, as you ought, you may justly Say with holy David: "I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear." (Ps. xvi. 15.)
III, The times and places of Christ's apparitions, were various. So it is with His interior visits to the soul; they sometimes take place during prayer, sometimes during sermons, or spiritual reading, and at other times, in the midst of occupation and business. "The spirit breatheth where He will." (John iii. 8.) Sometimes Christ appears in disguise, as He did to the affectionate Magdalene, and to the disciples going to Emmaus; sometime in His own shape and figure, and at other times He employs the ministry of angels. In the same manner He manifests Himself to His faithful servants now; sometimes immediately by Himself, at other times obscurely, and more frequently by the voice of superiors, directors, and instructors. Beseech Him to open your eyes, so that you may know Him in whatever manner ​He appears to you. Say with the spouse; " Show me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where Thou feedest, where Thou liest in the mid-day." (Cant. i. 6.)
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.
Christ the Comforter of your Soul.
" The Lord, therefore, will comfort Sion, and will comfort all the ruins thereof, and He will make her desert, as a place of pleasure. " (Is. ii. 3.)
I. Christ says in the gospel of to-day, "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you." (John xvi. 22.) Reflect how numerous are "the afflictions of the just," (Ps. xxxiii. 20.) from within and without; how vain and empty are all the pleasures of the world; and that no solid comfort can be found, except in God, and in the pursuit of heavenly things. Hence our Lord is pronounced by St. Paul, to be " the God of all consolation, who comforteth us in all our tribulations." (2. Cor. i. 3.)
II. In the Eucharist, Christ is properly the comforter of the afflicted. Therefore David sings, "Thou hast prepared a table before me, against them that afflict me; and my chalice, which inebriateth me, how goodly it is!" (Ps. xxii. 5.). The Eucharist is an ocean overflowing with spiritual delight, inebriating the mind with ineffable sweetness. "Thou hast visited the earth and hast plentifully watered it, Thou hast many ways enriched it.'" (Ps. lxiv. 10.) If it do not enrich you the reason must be because you do not bring with you proper dispositions.
III. The necessary dispositions to enjoy the delights of this spiritual banquet are, 1. A sincere grief for your past sins; for " according to the multitude of my sorrows ​in my heart, Thy comforts have given joy to any soul." (Ps. xciii. 19.) 2. You must feel an aversion to the follies and vanities of this world, and must hunger and thirst after spiritual things. Hence our Lord says, by the mouth of Jeremias, " I have inebriated the weary soul, and I have filled every hungry soul." (Jer. xxxi. 25.) Approach then with confidence, "that ye may suck and be filled with the breasts of her consolation." (Is. lxvi. 11.)
MONDAY.
The Benefit of Creation.— I.
I. What were you before God created you? Nothing; and you would always have remained so had not God, out of mere goodness, without any merits of yours, given you existence. From among millions of possible beings he selected you. After having decreed to give you a being, He might have given you any other form than that which you possess. There was nothing to prevent Him from placing you among the works of inanimate or irrational nature. " Cannot I do with you as the potter„ O house of Israel, saith the Lord; behold, as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel." (Jer. xviii. 6.)
II. That God has given you a rational soul, is a second benefit. Ponder the excellences of this soul of yours. It is a pure spirit, like the angels and God Himself. Learn, then, that the nature of your soul requires that you should seek spiritual things, and not attach yourself so miserably as you do to corporal pleasures and transitory goods. This soul of yours is by its own nature immortal, and cannot be destroyed by any created power, and will not be destroyed by the Creator. As you are ​immortal by nature, take care that you be so by grace; for sin is the death of the soul.
III. God has endowed this soul with many noble faculties, chiefly the memory, the understanding, and the will. Your free-will renders you supreme master of your own actions. Reflect what returns you can make to the great Creator for such favors. At least, return Him these faculties without spot or blemish, and beware lest you suffer the reproach, "Thou hast forsaken the God who begot thee, and hast forgotten the Lord who created thee." (Deut. xxxii. 18.)
TUESDAY.
The Benefit of Creation.— II.
I. Wonderful combinations and perfections are discoverable in the composition of your body. "Thy hands have made me," exclaimed the enraptured Job, "and fashioned me wholly round about." (Job x. 8.) Observe with what variety of members and senses God has furnished your body. They are all adapted to the convenience of each other, and of the whole body. Everything is disposed in its proper place, so that there is nothing wanting in this stupendous fabric, nothing superfluous. Hence David cries out, "Thou hast formed me and hast laid Thy hand upon me. Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me; it is high, and I cannot reach it." (Ps. cxxxviii. 5.) That is, as St. Basil explains it, " In the structure of my body Thy knowledge is magnificently displayed, and I cannot reach it."
II. Every member of your body is a particular and distinct favor of God. Reflect how wretched you would be had you been born blind, deaf, or dumb. How grateful you would be to the man who should restore to you ​the use of any one of your limbs it you had lost it! How much more grateful, then, ought you to be to God for having given them to you whole and entire! Take care that you do not abuse any of them to the displeasure and dishonor of their Creator, "by yielding them to serve uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity, but yield them to serve justice unto sanctification." (Rom. vi. 19.)
III. How just it is that he who created you entirely should likewise entirely possess you. For "Who," asks the Apostle, "planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof?" (1 Cor. ix. 7.) God has planted you as a choice vine in his vineyard; yield Him, therefore, the fruits of piety, charity, patience, and every Christian virtue. "All that you possess," writes St. Bernard, "you owe to Him from whom you have received it."
WEDNESDAY.
The Benefit of Preservation. — I.
I. By creation God gave you yourself but once; but by preservation He does the same every moment of your life. Unless He preserved you, you would immediately fall into your original non-existence. The noon-beam has not so strict a dependence on the sun as you have on God. The man who is held by another from a high tower over a deep precipice, every moment in danger of falling, would not be so daringly mad as to revile and insult the man who held him. So ought you not to dare to insult God, who holds your thread of mortal existence in His hand.
II. As you cannot live without God, so you cannot exercise any action of life without His immediate concurrence. Without this you cannot even move your hand, open your eyes, or utter a word; "for in him," ex​claimed St. Paul, "we live, and we move, and we are." (Acts xvii. 28.) Hence St. Augustine thus expressed his gratitude: "You place me under obligations to you, O Lord, every moment, because every moment you bestow great benefits on me."
III. God does not merely preserve your life, but guards it from innumerable evils and miseries which others suffer. Thus the miseries of others constitute your benefit. Ask yourself why you are not, like many others, blind, deaf, dumb, lame, or oppressed with a thousand diseases and infirmities? Why have you not, like so many others, been slain or met with accidental death? God has hitherto delivered you from all these misfortunes, in order that you, being grateful for so many favors, "might serve Him without fear, in holiness and justice before Him, all your days." (Luke i. 74.)
THURSDAY.
The Benefit of Preservation.— II.
I. As your preserver, God has not only removed evils from you, as we have already seen, but, acting the part of a most indulgent parent, He has provided you most abundantly with every necessary and convenience. His hands have furnished this lower world for you as a temporary habitation; He has enlightened it with the sun, moon, and stars for your benefit and delight, and has stored it with living animals for your use. In fine, whatever you admire on the surface of the earth or below it, whatever ranges on it or swims in the sea, or inhabits the regions of the air, are all yours. "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen; moreover, the beasts also of the fields, the birds of the air and the ​fishes of the sea, which pass through the paths of the sea." (Ps. viii. 5, 8.) "If there be such delight in the earth, which is man's prison-house," exclaims St. Augustine, " what must there be in our future palace?"
II. Not content with having provided all these things for you, God' condescends to concur with creatures for your advantage. In the fire He warms you; He enlightens you in the sun; in the air He refreshes you; and He feeds you in your food. Say, therefore, with St. Augustine, " As there is no hour or moment, O Lord, in which I do not enjoy your benefits, so ought there to be no moment in which you are not present before my eyes by remembrance, and in which I do not love you with all my strength."
III. God has bestowed other benefits on you that belong to the mind. Such are good education, parental care, the counsel and example of the virtuous, the endowments of knowledge, the conveniences of life, perhaps with little labor of yours, which others have to obtain with the sweat of their brow, and sometimes at the imminent danger of losing their souls. Say with the Psalmist, " What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me?" (Ps. cxv. 3.) He desires nothing in return but yourself. " My son," He says, "give Me thy heart." (Prov. xxiii. 26.)
FRIDAY.
The Benefit of Redemption.— I.
I. In order that you may the better understand the extent of this benefit, reflect how miserable you would be were you to become a slave to some cruel tyrant, who should force you to endure perpetual imprisonment, hunger, and thirst, and frequent scourges. Remember ​what the children of Israel suffered in their Egyptian bondage and their captivity at Babylon. Reflect what you would have to suffer were you enslaved by some unfeeling Turkish despot, and what would you not give for your ransom?
II. The slavery of sin is far more severe than this. Sin enslaves us to the devil, as St. Paul observes (2 Tim. ii. 26), and renders us subject to the torments of hell. We were all thus enslaved, and there were no means by which we could be delivered from this tyranny, had not the only begotten Son of God descended from heaven and undertaken to atone for our sins, and deliver us from this cruel bondage. We owe this benefit to Him "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity." (Titus ii. 14.)
III. Christ did not do this for His own advantage, or because He had any need of us. " Thou art my God," says David, "for Thou hast no need of my goods." (Ps. xv. 2.) He did not act thus from any deserts of ours, which then neither were nor could be any, but from His own mere goodness and mercy. " In His love and in His mercy," says Isaias, " He redeemed them, and lifted them up all the days of old." (Is. lxiii. 9.) Who would not love so loving a Lord, and surrender himself entirely to that Being, without whose assistance he would have been entirely lost?
SATURDAY.
The Benefit of Redemption. — II.
I. The manner in which Christ redeemed you from the slavery of sin was most efficacious. The Royal Prophet might well tell the world that " with Him there is plentiful redemption." (Ps. cxxix. 7.) By His absolute ​power, He might have remitted all sin without assuming human nature; but if He did choose to unite His divinity to human nature, He might have satisfied the rigor of His Father's justice by the least suffering after His incarnation. But your Redeemer suffered so much in order that " where sin abounded, grace" also might " abound more." (Rom. v. 20.) He wished also to leave you a perfect example, " that you should follow His steps." (1 Peter ii. 21.)
II. Christ suffered in every scene of His life. His pains commenced in the manger, and they were continued in His circumcision, and during His flight into Egypt. He suffered from hunger and thirst, and cold and nakedness. During His passion He was scourged at the pillar, crowned with thorns, and nailed to an ignominious cross. He suffered al' this for His enemies, that is, for all sinners. Who ever suffered so much for his friends? Hence the Church, unable to restrain her feelings of gratitude and admiration, gives vent to them in the enthusiastic words, on the eve of Easter, " O happy fault, which deserved to have such and so great a Redeemer."
III. What return ought you to make to such a Redeemer? Ask yourself, with St. Bernard, "If I owe my whole self to God for having been created, what more shall I add for having been restored, and restored, too, in such a manner? For I was not so easily restored as created." Consider yourself henceforward as the servant of Jesus Christ; thank Him for the favor He has bestowed on you, and surrender yourself entirely to His service. Reflect often on the admonition of the Apostle, " You are bought with a great price; glorify and bear God in your body." (1 Cor. vi. 20.)
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.
Christ your Advocate.
" Behold, the Lord God is my helper; who is he that shall condemn me." (Is. 1. 9.)
I. We are told in the Gospel of the present Sunday, that Christ said to His disciples, " I go to Him that sent Me, and it is expedient for you that I go." (John xvi. 5, 7.) Our Lord went to His eternal Father to plead for us, in the supreme consistory of heaven, as our patron, advocate, and intercessor. "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just," says St. John (1 Ep. ii. 1); and St. Paul writes, "There is one mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim. ii. 5.) It is, therefore, truly expedient that He should go to the Father to intercede for us, for we have been guilty of many crimes.
II. What an advantage it would be to a criminal to have in an earthly court the king's own and only son for his advocate, willing and desirous of promoting his pardon. Such a one in your regard is Jesus Christ, " who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." (Apoc. i. 5.) He is infinitely powerful, and consequently well able to obtain for you every favor and grace of which you stand in need, for He says, " All things are delivered to Me by My Father." (Luke x.
III. You ought to wish for the happy hour, in which your Advocate will enter your soul in the holy Eucharist. Then you can unfold all your miseries, necessities, and distress, and induce him to plead for your efficacious redress. Take care, then, that your soul be pure from sin and divested of every affection to it; "for wisdom," ​says the Wise Man, " will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sin." (Wis. i. 4.) Remember that your Advocate is uncreated wisdom itself.
MONDAY.
The Benefit of Adoption.— I.
I. " Behold, what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be named, and should be the sons of God!" (1 John iii. 1.) This Father of mercy was not satisfied with sending His only Son to redeem us; He has also adopted us for His children. This favor is greater in proportion to the meanness of the person adopted, the dignity of God who adopts you, and the sublime condition to which He elevates you. What is more vile or base than man, and what more exalted than God? As to his body, man is nothing but a composition of the dust of the earth, subject to a thousand infirmities, and destined to become ultimately the food of loathsome worms. As to His soul He is constantly subject to sin, an abyss of ignorance, and a model of inconstancy. Reflect how contracted are his intellectual faculties, how small is His portion of knowledge, and to what miseries He is subject. Hence Job exclaims, " What is man, that Thou shouldst magnify him, or why dost Thou set Thy heart upon him?" (Job vii. 17.)
II. On the other hand, God, who has adopted you, is infinitely great, good, and almighty. What a dignity it is to be the adoptive Son of such a being! If it were considered a wonderful elevation in the Patriarch Joseph to be taken out of prison and made Lord of Egypt (Gen. xli. 40), in Saul to have been taken by the Prophet when seeking his father's asses, and anointed ​king (i Kings 9), and in David from "following the ewes" (Ps. lxxvii. 70), to be raised to a throne, what ought we to think of the dignity of becoming the adoptive sons of God? Dust and ashes are associated to the sovereign Lord of all things, and the companion of worms is destined to become the companion of angels.
III. Under what obligations you are to God for having thus honored you, " raising the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor man out of the dung-hill, that He may place him with princes." (Ps. cxii. 7.) O exalted honor! you who do not deserve, even to be the servant of God, are made His adoptive Son. "Acknowledge, therefore, O Christian! your dignity," writes the eloquent St. Leo, " and since you are become a partaker of the divine nature, clo not by any unworthy behavior Oegenerate to your former baseness."
TUESDAY.
The Benefit of Adoption. — II.
I. Many advantageous consequences result to manr from the benefit of adoption. It places us under the special protection of God, who governs, maintains, and defends us, as an affectionate father does his children. Hence royal David exclaims, "As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear Him." (Ps. cii. 13.) By the prophet Isaias he makes still greater promises : " Can a mother forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee." (Is. xlix. 15.) How great is our security when we are protected by such a Father! When He stands with us, we need not fear who stands against us.
II. By this adoption we are made " partakers of the ​divine nature" (2 Pet. i. 4) and, in an inferior sense, even gods, according to the expression of the Psalmist, " I said ye are Gods, and all of you the sons of the Most High." (Ps. lxxxi. 6.) By this adoption we partake in some degree of the divine perfections — such as wisdom, fortitude, justice, charity, and God's other attributes, which are His by His own nature, and communicated to us by grace. Learn, then, duly to appreciate a benefit, which assimilates you in some respect to God.
III. The benefit of adoption makes us heirs to the kingdom of heaven, according to the expression of the Apostle, " You are heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ." (Rom. viii. 17.) Consider heaven, therefore, as your inheritance, and say with the philosopher whom the light of reason instructed in this truth, " I am born for greater things than to be the slave of my own flesh." Direct your thoughts and affections, therefore, to heaven, where your eternal treasure exists; contemn mortal things, and surrender your mind to such only as are great and everlasting, and "do" not degenerate from the lofty thoughts of the sons of God."
WEDNESDAY
The Benefit of Adoption.—III.
I. We have contracted many obligations, in consequence of our adoption by Almighty God. We are bound, in the first place, to love tenderly, and from our whole hearts, so affectionate a parent. If earthly children naturally love their parents, from whom they have received only what is temporal, with how much greater ardor ought you to love your God, " who is your Father, that hath possessed you, and made you, and created you?" (Deut. xxxii. 6.)
​II. We are bound not only to love God, but also to honor him as our Father, and to show that respect and reverence which His service and our duty require. " Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayst be long lived upon the land " (Exod. xx. 12); and God Himself says, by the prophet Malachias, " If, then, I be a father, where is my honor?" (Malach i. 6.) We cannot show this respect and honor, to our Father without imitating Him. Christ therefore says, "Be ye therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt. v. 48.) And St. Paul, who had deeply imbibed the spirit of his Master, tells his Ephesian converts, " Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children." (Eph. v. 1.) You must imitate His sanctity and impeccability, His charity, mercy, and justice, together with His other perfections. "Ye shall be holy," He says, "because I am holy." (Lev. xi. 45.)
III. We are bound, in consequence of the benefit of adoption, to fear our Father. " Let every one fear His Father." (Lev. xix. 3.) If children of this world are afraid of offending their parents, lest they should be disinherited by them, how much more reason have we to fear God? Beware, lest it may ever be said of you, " I have brought up children, and exalted them, but they have despised me." (Is. i. 2.) You will despise Him, if instead of His will, you follow your own, and prefer your own ideas to His counsels and commands.
THURSDAY.
Benefits from the Sacraments.
I. Your heavenly Father is not simply content to have adopted you for His son, but He has employed various means, in order to make you persevere in the ​grace of that adoption. The chief of these means are the seven sacraments, through which, as through so many channels, He wishes His favorite graces to flow, and render your soul fertile in good works. In these you can find an antidote against every disease, and assistance in every distress. Hence, the Church may say to you with the Prophet: "You shall draw waters with joy, out of the Saviour's fountain." (Is. xii. 3.)
II. The infinite wisdom of God has adapted the sacraments to all our spiritual wants and necessities. By Baptism we are regenerated, freed from original sin, and admitted into the Church. This regenerated life is increased and strengthened by Confirmation. The Eucharist is its solid and substantial support. If it be attacked by any spiritual disease, or even if it be vitally injured, we have a remedy in Penance, and Extreme Unction arms it for the last and most dangerous combat. Holy Orders and Matrimony are instituted, in order to enable those, who embrace them, to perform their important duties consistently with the Spirit of God and religion. We may truly say with the Psalmist,. " Blessed are they, that dwell in thy house, O Lord," (Ps. lxxxiii. 5.) that is in the true Church of Jesus Christ.
III. These fountains of grace are open to all; none are excluded from them, however poor they may be. Hence the Prophet exclaims: "All ye that thirst, come to the waters, and you that have no money, make haste; buy and eat." (Is. lv. 1.) These fountains are continually flowing, like the widow's oil mentioned in the fourth book of Kings, as long as there are empty vessels (that is, humble souls,) to receive the life-giving waters. The efficacy of the sacraments does not depend on the virtues or vices of their ministers; but they infallibly work their effect, by virtue of their divine institution, ​provided the receiver places no impediment. Be thankful to God for so great a benefit, and always approach them worthily.
FRIDAY.
Benefits from the Guardianship of Angels.
I. " He hath given His angels charge over thee," says holy David, "to keep thee in all thy ways." (Ps. xc. 11.) Our heavenly Father is not content to make us His sons; but, with unparalleled kindness, provides us with tutors and guardians. This charge He has committed to the angels: they are the ministers of His graces, — they guard and protect us. "'Are they not all ministering spirits," asks the Apostle, " sent to minister for these, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?" (Heb. i. 14.)
II. To whom has He committed this charge of us? To the angels, who are His most noble creatures, who are pure spirits, immortal by nature, " full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." (Exod. xxviii. 12.) They are more powerful than the most numerous and best disciplined army; they are adorned with every kind of grace and glory, and they continually enjoy the beatific vision. To the care of these superior beings, weak, frail and imperfect man is committed. " In their hands they shall bear thee up, less thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Ps. xc. 12.) Learn to appreciate the favor, which God does you, in placing you under the protection of His angelic spirits.
III. The conviction, that you are under the special protection of the angels, ought to excite you, as St. Bernard remarks, " to reverence, devotion, and confidence in them: reverence, because they are present; ​devotion, for their benevolence; and confidence in their vigilant custody." "If I should give myself to be thy servant," said young Tobias to Raphael his guardian, " I should not make a worth}' return for thy care." (Tob. ix. 2.) Reverence, therefore, your angel guardian with affection; and do not presume to do in his presence, that, which you would be ashamed of doing before men. " Take notice of him, and hear his voice," says the Lord, "and I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and I will afflict them that will afflict thee" (Exod. xxiii. 21), " and my angel shall go before thee." (Exod. 23.)
SATURDAY.
Benefits from the Patronage of Saints.
I. Our heavenly Father has not only provided us with angel-guardians, but also with patrons, advocates, and models, in the Saints, who reign with God in heaven. He is our judge, and we have in the saints interposers to plead in our behalf, and to move Him to mercy. "Go to my servant Job," He says, "and offer for yourself a holocaust, and my servant Job shall pray for you; his face I will accept, that folly may not be imputed to you." (Job. xlii. 8.)
II. With what care and affection the Saints in heaven perform their office, and what benefits result to us from their intercession! It is said of holy Jeremias, in the second book of Machabees, " This is a lover of his brethren and of the people of Israel, this is he that prayeth much for the people, and for all the holy city. " (2. Mach. xv. 14.) What confidence may we not place in the protection of advocates so powerful! If it be an object of high importance to possess a powerful friend in the ​court of a worldly prince, of how much more consequence is it, to have numerous friends in the court ot heaven?
III. How diligent you ought to be in honoring and in invoking the Saints, and especially those of your name, and your particular patrons, in order that they may obtain for you, the blessings and graces of heaven! Above all, reverence and pray to the Queen of angels and saints, who, as St. Epiphanius styles her, " is the mother of the living." She surpasses all the citizens of heaven, both in her affection for us, and in power with her divine Son. Thank your Saviour for having committed your cause to so potent an advocate, and recommend yourself with all earnestness to her care, "for she never denies help to those, who petition for it, nor does she ever intercede in vain with her Son."
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.
Christ the Bestower of all Good Gifts.
"Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am needy and poor." (Ps. lxxxi. i.)
I. Christ tells his disciples in the gospel of the present Sunday. " Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name, ask, and you shall receive." (John xvi. 24.) Imagine yourself, on one hand, to be a poor, forlorn, naked beggar, standing in need of every thing necessary for your spiritual life, and Christ, on the other, infinitely rich, infinitely liberal, and desirous of making you a partaker of His bounty. Listen to His solemn invitation, " Ask, and you shall receive." Never did the most bounteous sovereign make so liberal a promise. " Come over to Me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with My fruits." ​(Ecclus. xxiv. 26.) He is more willing to give than we are to receive.
II. This bountiful Lord will visit you to-day in the Eucharist, and if you be grateful in His sight, He will say to you, as King Assuerus did to Esther, " What is thy petition, Esther, that it may be granted thee, and what wilt thou have done? although thou askest half my kingdom, thou shalt have it.', (Est. vii. 2.) Examine what you stand most in need of, and be ready with your petition, as Esther was. Adorn your soul, as she did her person, in order that you may please your Lord, when He comes.
III. There are impediments, which will render your petitions of no avail. 1. "God doth not hear sinners." (John ix. 31.) As long, then, as you persist in sin, you will not be heard. 2. He does not grant the request of those, who pray for vain and unprofitable things; but dismisses their petition with a rebuke, " you know not what you ask." (Matt. xx. 22.) Those are unheard, who. pray with tepidity, "Because thou art lukewarm, I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth." (Apoc. iii. 16.} Your Lord requires perseverance and constancy in your prayer. " He who perseveres in knocking" (Luke xi.), " will receive the loaves, even for his importunity, as many as he needeth." (Luke v. 8.)
MONDAY.
The Benefit of Prayer.— I.
I. We are continually invited by the Church to pray, particularly during these rogation days. The dignity and excellence of prayer are very great. Prayer is an act of religious worship offered to God, and accepted by ​Him, as sacrifice and incense, according to the expression of David, "Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight; the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." (Ps. cxl. 2.) By prayer we become companions of the angels, and treat familiarly with God Himself. God conceives Himself honored by our prayers, as He tells us by His prophet, " Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." (Ps. xlix. 15.)
II. In consequence of the miseries of this mortal life, and its continual dangers, prayer is essentially necessary for us. The life of our soul is in constant peril from the devil, who is "as a roaring lion, going about, seeking whom he may devour," (i. Peter v. 8.), and from the allurements of pleasure, which continually assail us. Our mortal life is never exempt from dangers, arising from war, famine and pestilence, from sickness, loss of goods, from the death of our friends, and from innumerable other crosses and afflictions. Hence, we ought to address our Lord in the language of king Josaphat, " As we know not what to do, we can only turn our eyes to Thee." (2 Paralip. xx. 12.)
III. By His general providence, God might have redressed all our evils and necessities, without our having recourse to Him by prayer. This is His conduct in relation to every other creature. But, in order to endear us the more to Him, He has decreed, that we should beg these favors from Him, and thus show our dependence on Him, and acknowledge Him to be the author of all good. Hence, He has given us an express command, and enforced it by His Son Jesus Christ, who teaches us, that "we ought always to pray." (Luke xviii. 1.) Reflect upon your spiritual and temporal necessities, " and go with confidence to the throne of grace, that you may ​obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid." (Heb. iv. 16.)
TUESDAY.
The Benefit of Prayer.— II.
I. Consider more in particular the benefits and efficacy of this holy exercise. St. Jerome says of it, "it overcomes the invincible, and bindeth down the Almighty;" that is, it interests His mercy in our behalf, and ties down the hands of His justice from punishing us. " Let Me alone," said God to Moses, when he was praying for the people, "that My wrath may be kindled against them." (Exod. xxxii. 10.) Prayer is a general resource against all difficulties and temptations, and as St. Prosper says, " is a scourge, to the devil." Moses, by lifting up his hands in prayer, obtained victory for the children of Israel over the Amalecites. (Exod. xvii. 11.) Josue by his prayers, obtained from God, that the day should be lengthened, by making the sun and moon appear to stand still, " the Lord obeying the voice of man." (Jos. x. 14.) With how much more reason may we hope for spiritual blessings, when we fervently pray for them!
II. " Prayer," says St. Augustine, " is the key of heaven," because it procures for us every heavenly blessing. By it we receive the spirit of God; for Christ says, " Your Father from heaven will give the good spirit to them that ask Him." (Luke xi. 13.) Prayer increases sanctifying grace, and procures us more frequent supplies of actual grace. It strengthens our virtues, and every supernatural gift. Our faith, besides, in this holy exercise is enlivened, our hopes are invigorated, and our charity inflamed. For in prayer ​we acknowledge God to be the author of our faith, the foundation of our hope, and the object of our affections.
III. All these favors, and whatever else we can desire for our spiritual goods, our Lord is readier to bestow, than we to ask. " It shall come to pass," He says, " that before their call, I will hear, as they are yet speaking I will hear." (Is. lxv. 24.) If we do not obtain what we ask for, the reason is, either because we offer Him undue petitions, or do not pray in the manner in which we ought. Even in refusing this kind of petitions, God shows His mercy to us; "for in His mercy," observes St. Augustine, "He denies those things, which He could not grant but in His wrath." Be grateful to the giver of all good gifts, for the privilege of addressing Him in prayer, and on all occasions take advantage of it.
WEDNESDAY.
The Benefit of Prayer—III.
I. In order to receive the advantages resulting from prayer, we must know how to pray. " Before prayer," says the Wise Man, " prepare thy soul." (Ecclus. xviii. 23 ) This preparation consists, 1. In prostrating ourselves with all humility of heart before our God, and in acknowledging our unworthiness to appear in His pure sight, as did the publican, and the centurion in the Gospel. " He hath regard to the prayers of the humble, and hath not despised their petition." (Ps. ci. 18.) And "the prayer of him that humbleth himself, shall pierce the clouds." (Ecclus. xxxv. 21.) To pray well, we must, in the second place, be in peace and charity with our neighbors, and pardon all their offences against us. " When you shall stand to pray, forgive, if you have any thing against any man." (Mark xi. 25.) 3. We must ​feel for the distresses of our fellow-men. "He that stoppeth His ear against the cry of the poor, shall also cry himself, and shall not be heard." (Prov. xxi. 13.)
II. To pray well, we must observe the conditions which our divine Legislator has imposed. " When thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and, having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret." (Matt. vi. 6.) We must retire from all distracting objects, and shut the doors of our senses. We must pray " in spirit and in truth." (John iv. 23.) We must seriously apply our minds, and our hearts must be in unison with the petition of our lips, else we shall be ranked in the number of those to whom Christ applied the words of the prophet: "This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me." (Matt. xv. 8.) We must, in fine, entertain a lively faith and confidence; for your Saviour has said "All things, whatsoever you ask, when ye pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you." (Mark xi. 24.)
III. There are three grounds upon which this confidence ought to be built. 1. The love which the eternal Father bears us. Christ said, " The Father Himself loveth you." (John xvi. 27.) He who bestowed on you His only begotten Son surely will not refuse to grant your earnest entreaty when you pray for blessings. 2. The second ground is the merits and passion of the Son, who is our Mediator and Advocate, and who assures us, "Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, that will I do." (John xiv. 13.) 3. The Holy Ghost himself intercedes for us, for St. Paul says, " The Spirit himself asketh for us, with unspeakable groanings." (Rom. viii. 26.)
OUR LORD'S ASCENSION.
Christ the King of Glory.
" Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet." (Is. lx. i. and Ps. xlvi. 6.)
I. Christ is often called in the inspired pages the King of glory, and on this day He triumphs in the most complete manner, by ascending to the highest heavens in great glory and majesty. He is the source from which glory issues to all the Saints, and whence the several gifts of grace flow upon the faithful. This is especially the day of His triumph; and as earthly princes are accustomed on similar occasions to be more profuse of their gifts, so on this day our triumphant Saviour has bestowed His thousand benefits on mankind. "Ascending on high," says the Apostle, " He led captivity captive, He gave gifts to men." (Eph. iv. 8.)
II. This King of glory will visit you to-day, concealed in the cloud of the Eucharistic species, in order that by bestowing on you the gifts of His grace, He may make you a partaker of His glory. " The glory of Libanus shall come to thee to beautify the place of My sanctuary, and I will glorify the place of My feet." (Ps. lx. 13.) What a favor is this! what may you not hope for from so liberal a guest!
III. How ought you to receive this King of glory? " Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter." (Ps. xxiii. 7.) The gates of the soul are its interior powers, by which .intercourse is kept up between the soul and exterior objects. They enter through these, and through ​the same she passes to them. Lift up, therefore, these gates on high: raise them to such subjects only as are heavenly and eternal, and then the King of glory will enter, and make you a partaker of His majesty and greatness.
FRIDAY.
Christ's Ascension.— I.
I. Forty days having elapsed since the resurrection of Christ, during which time He has comforted, instructed, and confirmed His Apostles, He " at length appeared to the eleven as they were at table." (Mark xvi. 14.) He led them to Mount Olivet, in order that He might commence His triumph, where His passion had begun. Observe with what tenderness and love He does all this; and learn that no other path than the path of suffering leads to glory,
II. Christ said to them, " But stay you in the City, till you be endued with power from on high." (Luke xxiv. 49.) If the Redeemer did not wish His Apostles to be too forward in preaching and in doing works for the universal good of mankind, but wished them first to receive power from on high, how proper is it that those who have not been trained up in Christ's school as they were, should first prepare themselves in private, by prayer and the practice of virtue, for the works of the ministry, and for appearing before their neighbors. Every feeling of zeal is not to be trusted. True zeal is the last consequence of the pure love of God, and embraces within itself the emanations of every virtue. Unless your zeal be of this character, it is a dangerous principle of action.
​III. When they had arrived at the Mount, Christ lifted up His hands, to signify the fulness of His benediction, and blessed them- Then raising Himself up by His own inherent power, as He did at His resurrection, He ascended by degrees, until a bright cloud snatched Him from their sight. Imagine how the disciples rejoiced in the glory of their Lord, " Who made the clouds His chariot, and who walked on the wings of the wind." (Ps. ciii. 3.) Let it be said of you, that you wish and are determined to ascend with Christ, and that "in your heart you are disposed to ascend by steps." (Ps. lxxxiii. 6.) Make continual progress from one virtue to another, until you reach the mount of perfection.
SATURDAY.
Christ's Ascension.— II.
I. Christ being out of the sight of His disciples, entered heaven in a triumphant manner. He was accompanied by an infinite multitude of angels, who had come forth to meet Him, and followed by a numerous train of holy Fathers, whom He had redeemed from captivity. u Ascending on high, He led captivity captive." (Eph. iv. 8.) Contemplate and admire His solemn entry into heaven. " God ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with sound of trumpet" (Is. xlvi. 6), whilst the celestial spirits invited each other to sing His praises. " Sing to the Lord, sing ye to God, who mounteth above the heaven of heavens to the east." (Ps. lxvii. 33.) , II. When Christ appeared before the throne of His eternal Father, He presented Him with the holy captives, as spoils taken from the infernal enemy. He then gives Him an account of His mission. " I have glorified Thee ​upon earth, I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do, and now glorify Thou Me, O Father, with Thyself. I have manifested thy name to men." (John xvii. 4.) The Father welcomes His Son's return to His eternal throne, united to another nature. Then was fulfilled the oracle of David: "The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou at My right hand." (Ps. cix. 1.)
III. What joy existed then in Heaven! The holy captives were enraptured with the beatific vision; the angels rejoiced in their company, and were delighted, that the seats which had been vacated by the apostate angels were again filled. All rejoiced in the humanity of the second person of the Trinity, which they saw honored according to its merits. With loud acclaim, they all united and sang, " Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain, to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction." (Apoc. v. 12.) Join your weak praises with theirs, and rejoice that you have so powerful an advocate with the Father. Fix your thoughts, as the Apostles did, where their Head and yours is gone.
SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
Christ Your Pledge of Glory.
The Lord will give grace and glory; He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence. (Ps. lxxxiii. 12.)
I. How great is the glory which God communicates to His elect in heaven; how noble is the habitation of the just, and what happy union and harmony exist among them! Our divine Lord promises us that, in due time, we shall enjoy this glory and this exalted society, and, ​as a pledge, in the meanwhile gives us His own body and blood. Hence the Church, grateful for the favor, cries out, " O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, and a pledge of future glory given to us!"
II. How you would be delighted, were some emperor, who had it in his power to realize his word, to promise you a kingdom, after a certain term of years, and in the meantime were to give you his only son as a pledge! " There is no other nation so great, that hath Gods so nigh them, as our God is present to all our petitions." (Deut. iv. 7.) He is now present, to nourish us, in order that he may afterward reward us.
III. This Divine pledge does not only give us an earnest of future glory, but even now, if not prevented, it produces some of these glorious effects in our souls. It brings with it the lustre of habitual grace, than which nothing is more glorious in the sight of God. It renders the soul in some respect impassible, that is, not subject to be moved or disturbed by any worldly adversity. It gives us spiritual agility to obey the commands of God with promptness and fervor. It endows the soul with a certain degree of subtilty, and enables it to pass through every difficulty. Prepare yourself, therefore, to receive it, and bless the infinite mercy of God, " who hath given the pledge of the spirit in our hearts." (2. Cor. i. 22.)
MONDAY.
The Glory of Heaven, in itself.
I. Speaking of His ascension, Christ told His disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you" (John xiv. 2.) " Christ's ascension," writes the eloquent St. Leo, " is our promotion, so that where the glory of the Head is gone before ​there is hope that the rest of the body will follow." Give God thanks, for having vouchsafed to call you to His holy service, and contemplate the happiness that will accompany the reward of your fidelity to that service.
II. " Heavenly happiness," as divines observe, from Boetius, " is a state made perfect by the concurrence of every good." In heaven no evil can assail you, and there will be nothing wanting for which you can possibly wish. " There" (writes St. Gregory), " there will be light without eclipse, joy without sighs, desire without pain, love without sorrow, satiety without cloying, safety without danger, life without death, health without impairment, and so of every other kind of happiness, without the mixture of any evil, from which nothing in this life is free."
III. All this excess of happiness will be eternal and cannot be lost. After uncounted millions of ages, these joys will be equally intense and equally new. " Your joys," says Christ, "no man shall take from you." (John xvi. 22.) Reflect how different are the enjoyments of this life; how full of fear, how mixed with sorrow, how surrounded with anxiety and danger, and finally, how brief. Of earthly joys St. Bernard writes, "While they are possessed, they burthen; while they are loved, they defile; and when they are passed, they torment." Examine your past life and see if this be not an accurate description of all your unlawful enjoyments. If it be, then prefer the joys of heaven to all that this wretched earth can give.
TUESDAY.
Heavenly Glory,— The Place and Company.
I. Imagination would torture itself in vain to conceive the glory, the beauty, and the happiness of heaven. " O Israel," exclaimed an enraptured prophet, "O Israel, how great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of His possession!" (Baruch iii. 24.) This is that city which St. John describes in his Apocalypse. Its gates are pearl, it is surrounded by walls of jasper, and its foundations are of the most precious stones. The city itself and the streets are of pure gold: "The city needeth not the sun nor the moon to shine in it, for the Lamb is the lamp thereof." (Apoc. xxi. 18.) Cry out with the Psalmist, 44 How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts, my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord." (Ps. lviii. 2.)
II. The company which the blessed will enjoy will be a great source of happiness. " There will be" there, " a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and people, and tongues." (Apoc. vii. 9.) There will be an immense number, without any dissension; distinction of degrees without envy; free communication without confusion. There we shall enjoy our friends in perfection. If it be pleasure in this life to converse with learned, amiable, and affectionate companions, how much greater will be the satisfaction to associate with angelic spirits, endowed with every kind of science and virtue, and to live forever in the company of patriarchs and prophets, of apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins, and all the other saints of heaven?
III. How vile and contemptible every earthly object ​appeared to the Apostles after they had seen their Lord ascend to heaven! So should they appear to you. Reflecting on heaven as the term of your existence, you should bid adieu to this world before it bids adieu to you, and leave nothing undone to secure for yourself a place in those heavenly mansions.
WEDNESDAY.
Heavenly Glory, in Regard to the Soul.
I. The soul will be completely penetrated with God, in a more perfect degree than heated iron is with fire. The memory will be constantly employed in the recollection of most delightful objects. The mind cannot be diverted from the present happiness which it enjoys. "They shall publish the memory of the abundance of Thy sweetness, and shall rejoice in Thy justice. " (Ps. cxliv 7.)
II. The understanding will be entirely absorbed in contemplating the vision of God. It will instantly behold the divine nature, the trinity of persons, the attributes of God, and other objects which are now mysterious. Then it will see the profound secret of God's decrees, and of His providence over each individual of the human family. "We see now through a glass in an obscure manner," writes St. Paul, "but then face to face." (r Cor. xiii. 12.) Exclaim with enraptured David, " Thy friends, O God, are made exceeding honorable." (Ps. cxxxviii. 17.)
III. The will, in an ineffable manner will adhere to God, and will be, as it were, transformed into Him by love and overflow with joy. The oracle of the Royal Prophet will then be fulfilled, "They shall be inebriated ​with the plenty of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of pleasure." (Ps. xxxv. 9.) Their whole occupation will be to contemplate, love, and enjoy their Creator; to praise, bless, and thank Him; to congratulate Him for His perfections, and to love one another. Who would not consent to suffer not only patiently, but willingly, the afflictions of this life to purchase such a crown of glory? How true is the sentiment of the Apostle of the Gentiles, "The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed to us!" (Rom. viii. 18.)
THURSDAY.
Heavenly Glory, in Regard to the Body.
I. The qualities of a glorified body are lucidness, impassibility, agility, and subtilty. The bodies of the glorified just will possess these properties, after their souls have united themselves to them. "Then shall the just shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matt. xiii. 43.) They will suffer no more. " They shall not hunger nor thirst," says the author of the Apocalypse. (Apoc. vii. 16.) Their agility will be perfect; "The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds." (Wisdom iii. 7.) Like pure spirits, they will be able to penetrate other bodies, and be forever freed from the necessities belonging to a vegetative life, for " they will be as the angels of God." (Matt. xxii. 30.)
II. Each of the senses will enjoy its particular gratification. The sight will be delighted in beholding the glorious bodies of the Saints, particularly of Christ and His blessed mother. " I know," says holy Job, " that my Redeemer liveth, and in my flesh I shall see my God." ​(Job xix. 25.) Celestial harmony, such as mortal ear has never listened to, will regale the sense of hearing. The odors of heaven will gratify the smell. " Your Saints, O Lord," exclaims a pious and learned theologian, " will flourish as the lily, and shall be with you as the odor of balm." The taste will be delighted with something far more exquisite than material food: " The Lord will make them drink of the torrent of pleasure." (Ps. xxxv. 9.) The feeling, also, will be completely gratified. "The eye hath not seen," says St. Paul, " nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Cor. ii. 9.)
III. How earnestly you ought to labor to attain this great reward! "The kingdom of heaven," says Jesus Christ, "suffereth violence." (Matt. xi. 12.) Offer, then, to your will and passions that necessary violence, for none but the violent can bear away this prize.
FRIDAY.
Expectation of the Holy Ghost. — I.
I. After the Apostles had witnessed the ascension of their Lord and Master into heaven, they returned to the city, and assembling in one room, prepared themselves by continual prayer and fervent acts of devotion, for the reception of the Holy Ghost. "All these," says St. Luke, " were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brethren." (Acts. i. 14.) Learn from their conduct, that the dispositions requisite for the receiving, of the Holy Ghost, are, 1. Retirement from noise and profane company. 2. Perseverance in prayer. 3. Concord, and union of mind. 4. The company of the Blessed Virgin.
​II. If Christ wished His Apostles to prepare themselves in this manner for the reception of the Holy Ghost, how much more necessary is it for those, who have embraced the same vocation, to remain in solitude and retirement, and to prepare themselves, by the continual contemplation of divine things, for their office, until " they be endued with power from on high?" (Luke xxiv. 49.) Imitate the fervor of the Apostles, in preparing yourself for the reception of the divine spirit; pray with the Royal Penitent, " Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within my bowels," (Ps. 1. 12.) and be convinced that no one can be saved, without the influence of the Holy Ghost.
III. The coming of the Divine Spirit was delayed ten days, in order that we might learn to expect with patience, the coming of the Lord, whose presence in our souls, though of short duration, will abundantly recompense every delay. "God by delaying," observes the pious St. Augustine, " increases our desire; by our desiring, He enlarges our hearts, and makes them more capacious."
PENTECOST-EVE.
Expectation of the Holy Ghost.— II.
I. Consider the causes, which induced the Divinity to communicate the Holy Ghost to mankind. The first was the infinite goodness of God, "Whoso loved the world, as to give His only begotten Son." (John iii. 15.) Although the world had treated this only begotten Son so ill, God nevertheless for our advantage was determined to send the Holy Ghost " to teach us all truth." (John xvi. 13.) The second cause was the prayers and ​merits of Christ. " I will ask the Father," he says, "and He shall give you another Paraclete." (John xiv. 16.) The third motive was, to perfect the work of our redemption by bestowing on us the gifts of his divine grace, thus enabling us to obtain heaven.
II. Nothing can be more excellent or divine than this gift, for it is nothing less than God Himself. " The charity of God is poured out into our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us." (Rom. v. 5.) With Himself, therefore, He gives us all good things, for the Holy Ghost is, as the Church sings, "the bestower of gifts, and the light of our hearts." " He that believeth in me (as the Scripture saith), out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water. Now this He said of the Spirit, which they should receive, who believed in Him." (John vii. 39.)
III. To whom is this divine Spirit given? First, to poor, illiterate fishermen; for God is the Father of the poor, "and His communication is with the simple." (Prov. iii. 32.) Secondly, He is given to all faithful souls, who fervently desire this gift. " I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh," says God, by the prophet Joel. (Joel ii. 28.) Pray therefore, with a fervent desire, and prepare yourself worthily, in order that this divine guest may come and abide with you forever.