The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-09-26
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT.

USduIllul WOFluS anu III I1lu We ANS
and move and have our being; and
why, then, should we find it hard to
love HINT is far easier now, says
Father Russell, S. j., for Jesus has
lived for us and died for us since
then, and now we know Gods love
better than ever.
Even il the Son of God had never
come on earth in visible form-if
Jesus had never died for us, if the
world had never been lost, or, being
lost, had been redeemed in some
other manner: even so we should still
have been bound to love with our
whole hearts the great God who made
us, though then He might seem far
away. But He came nearer to us. In
the depths of the eternal counsels the
Son of God said: Behold | come"
And in the fullness of time He came
AS the Child of Mary, to live life of
poverty and suffering, and to die a
death of agony and shame. He would
not only redeem us, but redeem us
with the most plenteous redemption
amidst all the circumstances and as
sociations best calculated to gain the
whole love of all hearts and souls.
Even when he had come among us in
mortal flesh, tear, sigh, would
have redeemed the world. But not
thus would Jesus redeem the world.
And if (as st. Paul says without
shedding of blood there is no remis-
sion," even so one drop of His blood
would have sufficed to wash away the
sins of thousand worlds.
Deign, o Jesus, pelican of heaven!
Me sinner in Thy blood to lave,
To single drop of which it's given
All the world from all it's sin to
save.
A single drop-but Jesus shed it all.
The old fables pretended that the
pelican of the wilderness nourished it's
f1edglings by plunging it's beak into
its own bosom; and hence it is that
in one of the Irish melodies it is said
of the children of Ireland that their
hearts
like the young of the desert birds
nest
from her breast.
Far beyond the widest dream of
fable, far above the highest fights of
poetry, far beyond all that song or
story has told of the devotedness of
Gods poor creatures towards one an
other, far beyond the uttermost eX-
travagance of human love is the love
of the Heart of Jesus for us. Amongst
creatures the most exaggerated eX
preston of a devoted affection is this:
81 would pour out the last drop of my
hearts blood for your sake" Jesus
alone fulfilled this literally when
upon Calvary the centurion's spear
opened His side at the end, and the
last treasure of His Sacred Heart
rushed out.
And now, when we think of this
great price at which we have been
bought, can we refuse to our Lord
what was His already? AS our Crea-
tor, He had sovereign right to our
hearts, to our entire being. To love
Him was not only duty, but a priv
ilege which We might gladly purchase
by the fervent service of lifetime, if
God in His goodness did not only al
low us but command us to love Him.
But Jesus bought us anew, and at a
great price. If one of our fellow
creatures had done or could do for us
millionth part of what Jesus has
done for our sake, our very heart
would swoon away with the vain de-
sire to express our gratitude.
Long ago, before Jesus came on
earth, the great Emperor Cyrus, in
the course of his victories, took cap
tive the wife of Tigranes, King of
Armenia, who had just been married.
Tigranes went boldly to Cyrus and
entreated to be allowed to ransom his
young Queen at any cost. What will
you give for her ransom?" 81 will
give my life for her." He said this
with such manifest sincerity that the
heart of the conqueror was touched
and he sent them both away to their
home with rich gifts. On their way,
Tigranes said to his bride: How
noble the Emperor looked" 81 did
not see him." she answered: 81 had
only eyes for him who said he would
give his life for me-"
Jesus has not merely said thistle
has done it. The Good Shepherd has
given His life for His flock. Jesus
died for each of us. Each of us in.
dividually can say as we'll as st. Paul
He hath loved me and delivered
Himself for me-" Each of us is there.
fore bound to make that stupendous
act of faith to which ST. John exhorts
us by his example: I'VE have be.
lieved in the love of the Lord Jesus
Each of us must strive earnestly to
escape that terrible malediction of St
Paul: IF any one love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be anathema >
And then. the sacraments, and above
all the Sacrament of His love, that
Sacrament of which Robert Southwell
the poet-martyr of Queen Elizabeths
time, said: 81 marvel not, Lord, that
Thou couldst do it, but that Thou
wouldst do it," of which st. Bernard
said: Sacramentum altaris est amor
amorum; "The Sacrament of the AL
tar is the Love of Loves" which
Richard of ST. Victor could only &C.
count for on the principle, Amor ex.
cessibus vivit, Love lives on ex.
cesSes"