MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 31ST

 
THE LAST DAY IN THE YEAR

“Work whilst it is day; the night cometh when no man can work” (John 9, 4).

First Prelude: Imagine yourself before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, to render an account of your past life.

Second Prelude: O my Saviour, grant me grace to know my faults of the past year, and to recognize the means to regulate my interior for the future, and thus to promote my spiritual welfare.

FIRST POINT

REVIEW OF THE PAST

Now, at the close of the year, let us reflect upon the innumerable benefits that God in His infinite goodness has bestowed upon us. He has preserved our life, and with paternal care, provided for all our needs. He has lavished His graces upon us to purify and sanctify our souls. Daily He has called us to the Banquet of His Love, to confidential intercourse with Him in prayer. Daily, too, by loving inspirations He has taught us, admonished us and incited us to the practice of virtue. Filled with profound gratitude ought we not cry out with the Psalmist: “What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me?” (Ps. 115, 12). We ought, likewise, be thankful for the sufferings and tribulations which the heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom and love has sent us.

When we consider the innumerable benefits of our God, does not the question force itself upon us: Have I used all these things as God willed that I should use them, for the correction of my faults and for the acquisition of virtue? Oh, of how much sloth, lukewarmness, and ingratitude have I been guilty in the service of my God! How many faults have I committed! How many opportunities of practicing charity, patience, fervor, humility and mortification have I neglected! Let us, in bitterness of soul, lament our great loss, and ask forgiveness. Hastening to the crib of the Divine Saviour, Who has assumed all our guilt and has become our hostage, we will place all our confidence in His infinite love and mercy, and by way of expiation for our faults and negligences we will present to the heavenly Father the sufferings and humiliations of His Divine Son.

Which infidelity of the past year do I now most regret? Which cross has brought me the greatest blessings?

SECOND POINT

WHOLESOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Having concluded the past, we will now consider the future. How much time God has apportioned for us to work at our salvation, is not known to us. Perhaps the coming year will be the last of our lives. Oh! how zealously ought we then begin it! How forcibly should we not rouse all our energy to labor at our sanctification! Let us rivet our attention particularly upon that point against which we failed most in the past year. With great solicitude, let us seek the most appropriate means to guard against it, and to ensure daily progress in virtue. May we not consider as directed to us the warning of the Lord: “Work whilst it is day; the night cometh when no man can work” (John 9, 4) ? Oh, how wise are the religious who always live as if each day were their last; how calm they will be when their last hour is sounding! With what hope, with what confidence, can they not appear before the judgment seat of God!

Although God, in His infinite Wisdom, has withheld from us the number of our days, we are certain that these days will bring us sufferings, crosses, tribulations. We will, however, with loving resignation, accept in advance the crosses God has destined for us, and magnanimously submit to all the discomforts, mortifications and reverses inseparable from our daily duties and from the zealous striving for perfection. What graces and blessings will not the cross borne humbly, patiently, and lovingly, merit for us!

Let us ask ourselves today: “What sacrifice does God demand of me? What means must I employ in order to correspond to His designs?”

Affections: O my God, what a plenitude of graces and benefits has Thy infinite generosity bestowed upon me during the past year? Can I ever thank Thee adequately? Alas! To my great confusion I must acknowledge that I justly deserve Thy chastisements because of my ingratitude and my abuse of Thy benefits. Pardon, O benign Father, the negligence, the indolence and the infidelity of Thy poor, weak child. By means of prayer and the Sacraments, Thou didst offer me abundant graces to enable me to fulfill Thy holy Will zealously in the duties of my vocation, but I have shamefully abused Thy love by resisting grace. Do Thou, O my beloved Jesus, supply all my negligences through Thy infinite merits; increase Thy love in my heart, that in the future I may courageously and steadfastly follow Thee on the way of the cross, to Thy glory.

Resolution: Today I will perform all my duties with special fervor and zeal.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Work whilst it is day.”

Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 30TH

 
THE SHEPHERDS AT THE CRIB

“And it came to pass that after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this Word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us!’ And they came with haste and they found Mary and Joseph and the Infant lying in the manger” (Luke 2, 15, 16).

First Prelude: In spirit kneel in the stable at Bethlehem, and see the shepherds prostrating themselves in adoration before the sweet Infant.

Second Prelude: O my Saviour, grant that I may learn from the shepherds to follow Thy inspirations promptly and joyfully, and to labor zealously for the promotion of Thy glory.

FIRST POINT

THE SHEPHERDS HASTEN TO THE CRIB OF THE SAVIOUR

With reverence and holy awe, the shepherds receive the tidings of the angels. Animated with a lively faith, they hasten to Bethlehem to see Him for Whom they so ardently longed, and for Whose advent they so frequently and fervently sighed. They do not tarry until daybreak but putting aside their concerns, the guarding of their flocks, they depart. They are intent only upon reaching Bethlehem, to see that which had been announced to them. What an admirable example of correspondence to divine grace! When prompted by grace are we eager to co-operate with it? We should be ready to go everywhere, to do whatsoever we have recognized as the holy Will of God, and not permit ourselves to be intimidated by human respect or earthly considerations. Who could describe the faith and the devotion with which the pious shepherds adored the great God in the tiny Babe! How highly must they not have prized their simple life on beholding such humility! How dear must not their poverty have been to them! Let us thank the Divine Child for the consoling lessons He gave us by calling the shepherds to His crib. Even here our Saviour shows that He manifests to the simple and lowly of heart what He withholds from the wise and learned. Let us then love simplicity and candor, for possessing these, we may approach our Blessed Saviour with confidence, especially in the Sacrament of His Love.

SECOND POINT

THE SHEPHERDS ANNOUNCE THE JOYFUL TIDINGS

The evangelist relates that the shepherds returned from the crib, praising and glorifying God because of all they had seen and heard. Indeed, they had reason to rejoice that among so many millions they were deemed worthy to see and adore the newborn Saviour, the Redeemer of the world, the Expected among nations. In the words of the angel, that all peoples would rejoice, they recognized the commission to announce the wonders they had witnessed and to give testimony of the fulfillment of the promise made to Israel. Let us admire here the workings of divine love in the hearts of the Shepherds. Filled with holy gratitude, they desire to draw all hearts to the crib, that all may participate in the same graces. But far greater than the joy and happiness which the shepherds experience, is that which the dear Lord affords us when we are permitted not only to adore and praise Him, but to receive Him into our hearts. If we wish to determine the fruit we derive from our prayers and Holy Communions, we should note whether we are animated with an ardent desire to promote the honor of God and the salvation of souls. Whoever neglects the opportunities of promoting the welfare of souls, loses much merit and manifests but little love of Jesus. Let us implore the Divine Child to inflame our hearts with His ardent love.

Affections: O my beloved Saviour, filled with joy, I also appear at Thy crib, in order to adore Thee, to love Thee and to offer Thee the gratitude of my heart, in union with the happy shepherds. How pleasing to Thee were the faith, the simplicity, the candor of these loyal, childlike souls! How bounteously didst Thou reward them with graces and blessings! Oh, let my heart be filled with their sentiments! Let me participate in the enlightenment and the operations of grace which Thou dost so generously impart to simple, candid souls who seek Thee alone in the fulfillment of their duties. Grant me zeal animated by Thy love, that I may lead others to Thee, so Thou mayest be known, loved and praised by all in time and in eternity.

Resolution: With zeal and joy, we will fulfill the holy will of God in the duties of our vocation.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Let us go over to Bethlehem and let us see what the angel has announced to us, this word that is come to pass.”

Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 29TH

THE CANTICLE OF THE ANGELS

“And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: ‘Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a saviour, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will’ ” (Luke 2, 9-14).

First Prelude: Imagine you hear the canticle of the angels on the plains of Bethlehem, and follow them to the manger where they adore the Divine Child in profound humility.

Second Prelude: O Jesus, give me a heart that will seek Thy honor, so that I may taste the fullness of the heavenly peace announced by the angels.

FIRST POINT

THE CANTICLE OF THE ANGELS

Scripture tells us “The heavens show forth the glory of God” (Ps. 18). This took place in a most particular manner in that holy night when Christ, the Lord, appeared on earth as a sweet Infant. Behold, the heavens are opened, and with the voices of unnumbered angels, resounds the canticle: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will’ ” (Luke 2, 14). Here-with they announced the design which the Divine Saviour had in His Nativity, the glory and the salvation of mankind. Indeed, glory was offered to God in this mystery, since He received from His only begotten Son in human form, a homage that was worthy of Him.

To glorify God and promote His honor must be our aim in all our actions and omissions. Nothing will then be able to disturb our peace, for we shall possess that good will to which peace has been promised. The more intensely a soul is imbued with the burning desire to glorify God and to fulfill His holy Will perfectly, the richer and rarer is the peace that she enjoys. Let us strive, then, to remove from our will everything contrary to the good pleasure of God, so that even on earth, we may possess the peace that surpasses all understanding and is a foretaste of that eternal peace, wherewith God will reward and rejoice His faithful ones throughout eternity.

SECOND POINT

CONTEMPLATE THE ANGELS OFFERING THEIR HOMAGE TO THE DIVINE LORD

How great must not the astonishment, reverence and love of the holy angels have been when they saw their Lord and King reposing in the crib, under the humble semblance of a child! But with a still greater humility, they adored Him as their God and venerated His exalted majesty hidden under the veil of profound abasement. St. Paul says: “All the angels of God adore Him” (Hebr. 1-6). Let us rejoice in the profound homage proffered the Christ-Child, let us ardently long to possess their love, that we may worthily praise our Divine Saviour; to emulate their purity, that we be worthy to draw upon ourselves His divine complacence; to be imbued with their zeal for His honor, that we may be consumed with the desire to win all hearts for Him.

May the angels be our models in adoring the Blessed Sacrament where we perpetually find the Divine Child that once lay in the stable in Bethlehem. We were not privileged to adore Him there, but here in union with the angels we may in our feeble way participate in their homage. The words of the Psalmist: “Thou hast made man a little less than the angels” (Ps. 8, 60), refer to religious, in particular; hence their lives must be angelic,—more heavenly than earthly. While they perform their vocational duties, in which they are actually carrying out the designs of God, the spirit should lift itself to Him in prayer, and contemplate Him in union with the angels.

Am I solicitous to imitate the purity of the angels in my conduct, and thus to render my prayer more acceptable to my Divine Redeemer?

Affections: O Divine Saviour, Thou joy of angels and of men, I prostrate myself in adoration before Thy crib and offer Thee, in reparation for my unworthiness, the pure and lofty homage which the angelic choirs present to Thee unremittingly. In profound reverence, I consecrate my heart and soul, all that I am and have to thee, to be employed in Thy service, solely for Thy honor and glory. O Divine Infant, that camest down to earth to restore the honor of the heavenly Father, give me the good will that seeks naught, desires naught, but to please God alone and win all hearts for Him. Grant us, O Lord, Thy peace which is the embodiment of all good and the pledge of the blissful peace that awaits us in heaven.

Resolution: We will unite ourselves frequently during the day with the holy angels, to offer the Christ-Child our adoration.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will!”

Prayer: Take, O Lord . . .

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 28TH

FEAST OF HOLY INNOCENTS

“Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and sending, killed all the sons that were born in Bethlehem and in all the borders thereof from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men” (Matt. 2, 16).

First Prelude: Call to mind the sequence of events leading to the massacre of the holy infants.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, through the sufferings of Thy holy Childhood, infuse into my heart courage and resignation, that I may carry my daily cross meritoriously.

FIRST POINT

THE DESIGNS OF GOD CONCERNING THE HOLY INNOCENTS

We read in Holy Scripture: “The Souls of the just are in the hands of God” (Wis. 3, 1). The Holy Innocents, the victims of the cruelty of Herod, were fortunate, indeed, since in return for short sufferings they were admitted into the kingdom of everlasting peace. By their early death, God preserved them from the innumerable dangers and storms of this woeful earthly existence. They escaped not only temporal needs, but also the serious perils that threaten the welfare of the soul. Had a long life been their portion perhaps they, too, would have rejected the God-sent Messiah, would have made themselves guilty of deicide, and incurred eternal damnation. As it was, however, they were permitted to give testimony of Jesus Christ by their blood; they were permitted to be the first flowers of that abundant harvest of martyrs; they were destined to glorify the crib of the Son of God through the sacrifice of their lives. What a tribute of thanks will they not offer to the Divine Redeemer throughout all eternity, for the incomparable grace of their glorious election!

The mothers of these innocent victims did not fathom this mystery of grace and were inconsolable in their grief. They considered the death of their little ones as the greatest misfortune, as the shattering of their fondest hopes. How would they not have rejoiced, had it been revealed that God would draw so much good from the malicious act of Herod, that a transient tribulation could be converted into a source of so much joy! How often do we conduct ourselves similarly in depressing recurrences, which in reality are only the workings of divine mercy! Let us, therefore, take to heart the salutary lesson of this feast, namely, that God directs all things, even the apparently evil, to the welfare of His chosen ones, that He directs all things to ultimate good.

SECOND POINT

IT IS A BENEFIT TO SUFFER FOR THE HONOR OF GOD

Although we are not exposed to the painful tortures of martyrdom, in religious life, and especially as Christian educators, we will find various discomforts, mortifications and sufferings. Ascetics compare religious life to martyrdom, and concede also that the length of the former renders it more burdensome. All the exercises of religious life are directed to the subjugation of the passions and the mortification of self will, with the ultimate purpose that the spirit may rise to heavenly things and live for God alone. The Holy Innocents, in their sufferings, testify to the designs of our Lord relative to the elect. He Himself proclaims, through His example in the crib, the great truth that innocence, too, must perform penance. All who wish to resemble the Redeemer must suffer in union with Him.

To suffer for the love of God is, therefore, a sign of predilection, it is the means by which a soul can prove her love for God, it is the measure of our eternal happiness. Oh, how we deceive ourselves if we try to evade sufferings, if we consider them as a punishment and endure them with ill will! How happy, on the contrary, are they who suffer for justice’s sake and live for God!

Do I consider the sufferings of life as the coin wherewith to purchase my future happiness? Do I bear the little hardships of my holy vocation with the sincere desire to resemble my Saviour?

Affections: O Divine Child, Who camest into the world to redeem and sanctify us, what great sacrifices didst Thou not impose upon Thyself, even in the crib, that I might recognize that only a penitential, mortified life can lead to Thy love, and to perfect union with Thee. Yes, henceforward, with the help of Thy grace, I will work zealously at my sanctification. With childlike confidence I will submit to the direction of Thy Divine Providence. Through the voluntary acceptance of the daily contradictions, I will try to secure strength and courage to overcome all difficulties in the road to perfection.

Resolution: I will unite the mortifications that God may require of me today, with the sufferings that my dear Saviour endured for me in the crib.

Spiritual Bouquet: “To those who love God, all things tend to good.”

Prayer: Take, O Lord . . .

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 27TH

FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST

“He that loveth cleanness of heart for the grace of his lips shall have the king for his friend” (Prov. 22, 11).

First Prelude: Behold St. John reclining upon our Lord’s bosom at the Last Supper.

Second Prelude: O beloved disciple, obtain for us from the Sacred Heart of Jesus the grace of perfect purity of heart that we may be made receptive for His divine love and worthy of the especial love of His holy Mother.

FIRST POINT

ST. JOHN TEACHES US THAT PURITY OF HEART IS A PREREQUISITE FOR PERFECT LOVE OF GOD

St. John, called the beloved disciple, appears today at the court of the Divine Child, in order to have us penetrate deeper into the mysteries of the love of the Incarnate God. Who would be more fit for this holy task than that disciple to whom it was granted, while resting on the bosom of Christ, to contemplate love in its very source, in His Divine Heart, whence he drew the streams of living waters, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge embodied
in his writings.

According to the verdict of the Fathers, St. John was specially beloved of the Saviour for his perfect purity of heart. In him, indeed, are verified the words: “He that loveth cleanness of heart for the grace of his lips, shall have the king for his friend.” It is not surprising then that St. John was vouchsafed a closer familiarity with his Master than were the other disciples. If anyone should have been permitted to be the confidant of the thrice holy God and admitted to the knowledge of His mysteries, it surely must have been that disciple whose heart was freer from earthly inclinations than that of any other Apostle, and who was worthier to see God insofar as this is possible on earth, in accordance with the words of Christ: “Blessed are the clean of heart; for they shall see God” (Matt. 5, 8).

In placing the feast of St. John so near Christmas, Holy Mother Church wishes to honor holy virginity in a special manner. She considers it a fruit of the blessed Nativity of the Incarnate Son of God, a fruit of the divine love manifested therein, of the grace brought us by our Saviour. It is that infinite love, first manifested in the crib and later in its perfection on the cross, which has enamored so many noble souls and constrained them to offer Jesus their heart without reserve. This holy virginity has become for all who have chosen it the fertile soil upon which all good and all Christian perfection has matured to such marvelous sanctity.

Thank God that He has called you to so exalted a vocation, and endeavor to correspond most zealously to this great grace of election, by persevering prayer, by strict custody of your senses and the affections of your heart, by detachment from all earthly inclinations, that Jesus may give you His Heart and render you worthy of His Divine Friendship.

Do we strive to draw from the Heart of Jesus that science of pure souls which teaches us to know God better and to love Him more intensely?

SECOND POINT

JESUS ENTRUSTS HIS VIRGINAL MOTHER TO THE

PROTECTION OF ST. JOHN

When Jesus died upon the cross, He left His Blessed Mother on earth. Who would be deemed worthy to be custodian of so rare a treasure? Since Jesus loved no one more dearly than His holy Mother, He willed to entrust her to none else than the beloved disciple. From the heights of the cross our Lord saw this disciple who persevered with Him and, as a reward for his fidelity, He entrusted to him His dearest treasure. John should be a son to Mary, and Mary, a mother to John; “When Jesus therefore had seen His Mother and the disciple standing, whom He loved, He saith to the disciple: ‘Behold, thy mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own” (John 19, 26-27).

These words of Jesus produced a most filial devotion in heart of the Apostle and a most tender, maternal love in the heart of Mary. With what marvelous gifts did not the Saviour adorn the soul of the Apostle to make him worthy of His exalted position! What a plenitude of graces did not the prayers of Mary and the familiar intercourse with her effect in John! St. Thomas of Villanova’s words relative to St. Joseph can fittingly be applied to the beloved disciple: “If a single salutation of this Virgin effected sanctification in the precursor even before birth, what must not intercourse with her of many years have produced!” Extol the Lord for the innumerable graces that were imparted to St. John through the hands of the Blessed Mother. Beg the saint to present you to our Lady and commend you to her maternal care.

If all Christians are to consider Mary as their Mother and invoke her as such, then religious, who are the spouses of her Divine Son, have a special claim to her. Therefore, address yourselves to this good Mother with childlike confidence, and you shall never want enlightenment, strength, and consolation.

Is it my aim to imitate St. John in his sincere love of the Mother of God, and in his confident intercourse with her?

Affections: St. John, thou Apostle of love, who wast so dear to the Heart of the Divine Master, who didst penetrate with the vision of spotless purity the mystery of the Incarnate Eternal Wisdom, lead us to the manger of Him Whose delight it is to be with the children of men, Who seeks pure hearts, for His abode. Obtain for us the grace that Mary, given to us as Mother through thee, take us under her patronage and help us according to thy example to imitate her virtues and render ourselves daily more worthy of the title “Children of Mary.” Let us ever experience, especially in the hour of death, how good it is to love Mary.

Resolution: For the love of Jesus and Mary, and to merit their especial pleasure, I will aspire to great purity of heart.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He that loveth cleanness of heart . . . shall have the king for his friend.”

Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 26TH

FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN

“And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and things among the people. Now there arose some of the synagogue, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke” (Acts 6, 8). ‘Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God’ (Acts 7, 54-55).

First Prelude: Behold the saint at the moment of his death, his eyes raised to heaven, praying for his executioners.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, inflame my heart with ardent love of Thee, that I may exercise it faithfully on the many occasions offered.

FIRST POINT

ST. STEPHEN WAS REPLETE WITH THE GRACE AND THE STRENGTH OF THE HOLY GHOST

“The grace of God, our Saviour, hath appeared to all men” (Tit. 2, II). Holy Church exclaims on Christmas day, and today she invites all her children to rejoice when she says, “Come, let us adore the new-born Saviour, Who hath today crowned St. Stephen” (Office). This saint, who as the first martyr gave such glorious testimony of the Lord, is a precious fruit of that superabundant grace which Jesus has poured out upon mankind at His advent into the world. The fire that Jesus had come to cast on the earth enkindled the heart of the holy deacon and inflamed him with holy zeal, which impelled him to spread the doctrine of Christ more and more.

Holy Scripture styles him a man of faith, and full of the Holy Spirit “And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6, 8). Undoubtedly, it was largely through his influence that the number of disciples increased so rapidly in Jerusalem. Dare we wonder that the spirit of iniquity rose up in arms against this man so full of the Holy Spirit, and goaded the Jews on to destroy him? “They were cut to the heart, and gnashed their teeth at him” we read further in the Acts (7, 54). Such or similar persecutions are, by divine decree, the portion of those who in all sincerity aim at virtue and sanctity.

Let not, then, the fear of tribulations discourage us, for God will not suffer His faithful servants to lack heavenly consolations. “Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7, 56).

How must a look into heaven have entranced the holy martyr!

Was it not a foretaste of eternal bliss? How must the sight of the Redeemer have strengthened and encouraged him to brave any danger, since he saw in Christ the reward promised to the faithful combatant! But what rendered St. Stephen worthy of such distinction? The Holy Ghost dwelt in his heart because it was pure and spotless; the Holy Ghost filled him with lively faith and burning love, freed him from the fetters of earthly things, so that his mind and heart were constantly directed heavenward, and his glance fixed upwards more with the eye of the spirit than with the bodily eye.

We, too, must prepare a pure and pleasing abode for the Holy Ghost in our heart, that He may replenish it and elevate our desires heavenwards. We will draw nigh to the crib of the Saviour with the living faith and the burning love of St. Stephen. The hard resting place on which our Saviour reposes, like the humiliations and sacrifices that He demands of His servants, will not frighten us, and we will, rather, comprehend the mysteries of His holy Childhood, in all simplicity, and receive the treasure of His grace into our hearts.

SECOND POINT

THE HEROIC LOVE OF ST. STEPHEN

It was the love of the Incarnate God that so powerfully incited St. Stephen to love his God in return, and that with his whole heart, even to the immolation of his life. Therefore he rejoiced to be found worthy, as first martyr, to shed his blood for Him Who had shed His amid excruciating torments on the Cross. This is the power of love, imbibed from the contemplation of the excessive love of God for us, of which St. Paul says: “The charity of Christ presseth us” (2 Cor. 5, 14).

In order to strengthen him in his combat, Jesus vouchsafed Stephen a look into His glory, but He did not deliver him from the hands of his enemies. He himself appeared on earth that by poverty and renunciation, by immolation, and finally by a painful death, He might enter into His glory, into which He desires His servants to enter, but only after they, too, have trodden the path of suffering. “Everyone who does not renounce all that he possesses cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14, 33), and “Who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 14, 33). These are the words of our Divine Saviour, which all the saints and all true Christians have pondered in their hearts. The Lord offers to all opportunities to testify their love, if not by bloody martyrdom then, at least, by countless greater or lesser sufferings attendant upon the faithful discharge of the duties of our vocation, and especially the striving for perfection.

St. Stephen suffered cheerfully and heroically because of his great love. He even prayed for his executioners while suffering death at their hands. What a glorious example of love of God and of neighbor! We, however, often lack the necessary strength of soul in the least sufferings; the smallest pebbles of reverses and contradictions smite us to the ground, and we consider them an oppressive burden. We find it hard to pardon an insult, an insignificant fault or offense; and to requite good for evil, we deem impossible. Oh, how weak and inefficient is our love of Jesus! Let us seek to strengthen it by frequent meditation on the boundless love of the Son of God, which drew Him down into this vale of tears to submit to the humiliations of the manger and, later, to the greatest sufferings. Let us implore this love especially when receiving the Sacrament of Love, in which the Lord is so eager to impart His sentiments to our hearts. In sorrow and tribulations, in imitation of St. Stephen, we will look unwaveringly upon the Saviour, Who watches our combat from the heights of heaven, and rejoices at the victory we achieve by the aid of His all-powerful grace.

Affections: O my Divine Saviour, is it not the self-same immeasurable love and mercy that revealed Thee yesterday in the poverty and lowliness of the manger, in the weakness and amiability of childhood, that today reveals Thee in heavenly glory encouraging Thy holy martyr to persevere in the struggle, by holding out to him the crown of victory? Yes, O my Jesus, Thou wouldst say: The more you resemble Me in renunciation and patience, in humility and faithful imitation on the way of the cross, the more glorious will be your portion in Me and My glory! Oh enrich us with Thy graces, enrich us with the love of God and of neighbor, that therein we may find strength to fight for Thee, in order to enter Thy glory, to which Thou didst today call Thy faithful servant.

Resolution: I will beg St. Stephen for great love of God and of neighbor.

Spiritual Bouquet: “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7, 55).

Prayer: Our Father . . .

MEDITATION FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

“And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born, and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger; because there was not any room for them in the inn” (Luke 2, 6-7).

First Prelude: Behold the uncomfortable, poor, and unworthy cave in which Mary and Joseph are forced to seek shelter. It is midnight and profound silence reigns about.

Second Prelude: O Divine Saviour, I will contemplate Thy birth; let me realize this mystery of Thy love, that I may love Thee more ardently and follow Thee more perfectly.

First Point

THE NEW-BORN SAVIOUR

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people” (Luke 2, 10), said the angel to the shepherds, announcing the birth of the Saviour.

What a vast field for contemplation! There lies a true Child of man, Who is at the same time the Son of God. He appears weak and helpless, and yet, He is the Eternal Word of Whom it is written: “In the beginning was the Word” (John I, 1). This Child is small—so small that the narrow crib gives Him sufficient room; but this little Child is at the same time the immeasurable, omnipresent God, Who fills heaven and earth. How poor is this Child, and still, this poor Child is the King of kings, of Whose empire there shall be no end, Who distributes the treasures of heaven and earth according to His good pleasure.

The almighty, eternal God, to Whose power everything is subject, has abased Himself and become a weak Child. What does all this signify? What drew the supreme Lord into the lowly stable, into the crib? Why has He humbled Himself so profoundly, abased Himself so completely? It was done out of love for you, to draw your heart to His, to excite you to return love for love.

Let us penetrate with the eye of faith, the tiny yet magnanimous Heart of this Child, our God. What fiery ardor do we behold therein! What is all the love of the seraphim compared with a spark of the love that burns in the Heart of this little Child for us poor sinners!

Behold, my soul, how the heart of the Christ-Child burns with love for you. Will you not finally begin to love Jesus, Who has so loved you? Love Him with all your heart. Offer Him today the hospitality of your heart and beg of Him that His tiny, love-inflamed Heart may inflame yours.

O Mary and Joseph, give me of the fire of your love, that I may celebrate this mystery in a worthy manner and with the angels join in the hymn of praise: “Glory to God in the highest!” Oh, what blessedness to be at the crib of the Saviour and realize the truth of the words: “I bring you tidings of great joy!”

As a religious, I have especial reasons for rejoicing at the crib of the new-born Saviour, for here He laid the foundation of religious life. Here He reveals to us the most perfect poverty, the most humble obedience, the most ardent charity;—here we find infinite purity and sanctity, and here it is that He wills to impart to us grace to follow Him steadfastly on the path of the evangelical counsels.

In spirit let us hasten to the crib of Bethlehem, there to renew our holy vows, and to offer ourselves as an oblation to the Infant Saviour. Then the peace which the angels announced will fill our hearts and we shall partake in the fullest measure of the graces and blessing which the Infant Saviour so gladly bestows on well-prepared hearts.

Second Point

THE FIRST ADORERS OF THE SAVIOUR

There we find, first of all, the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of the new-born Saviour. Who can comprehend what passed in the heart of Mary, when for the first time she saw before her the Divine Child! She took Him into her blessed arms, offered Him as oblation to the Heavenly Father and presented Him to the blessed spirits for veneration. Her hands were the consecrated altar upon which, at His entrance into the world, He Who is the propitiation for our sins, immolated Himself.

It was Mary who first tendered to the Divine Child, in the name of all mankind, her profoundest adoration and the most heartfelt gratitude for the benefit of the Incarnation. No one comprehended so well as Mary the immense love of God in this stupendous mystery, accordingly her gratitude was most acceptable to God.

Must not this thought be the cause of our joy and happiness when we kneel at the crib, to offer our adoration and homage in union with hers, to the Infant Saviour?

On this sacred spot we find St. Joseph, too, who next to the Blessed Virgin is nearest to Jesus. With what sentiments of reverence may he have prostrated himself in humble adoration before the Divine Child! With what ardent love and heartfelt joy may he have taken the Divine Child in his arms and pressed Him to his heart! How were his thoughts and affections united with the Saviour; how happy was he in the possession of such a treasure!

Hosts of angels who had doubtlessly entered the cave with Mary and Joseph, sang hymns in adoration and praise of their Creator made Man. Who could stand back at such a time? Open your ranks, ye heavenly spirits, make way for me to the crib; for love of me the Word was made Flesh.

Well might the conviction of my unworthiness repulse me, but the Saviour, Whose goodness and affability as the Apostle says, “appeared today” (Titus 3, 4), invites the heavy-laden and burdened to come to Him that He may refresh them.

We will hasten, therefore, to the crib with confidence, kneel before the Divine Child in all humility, begging for a realization of the touching lessons and examples He here imparts to us.

Affections: O Divine Saviour, Who dost love the pure, the simple and the humble of heart, and callest such to Thy manger, behold, I give Thee my poor heart; infuse into it the virtues of Thy holy Childhood, that my whole life may redound to Thy glory, and I become worthy, in union with Mary and Joseph, and all the angels and saints, to thank Thee for all eternity for the inestimable benefit of the Incarnation.

O holy, mysterious night, so full of grace, in which the Eternal Word descended from His heavenly home and became Man! Rejoice and be glad with us, ye heavenly hosts, for the Almighty has worked an incomprehensibly great wonder.

The King of eternal glory has assumed the form of a servant, and appeared in this world as a delicate, tender, loving Child. The glory of His splendor illuminates the spiritual darkness.

He came, our sweetest Saviour, to make us children of God, for it is His pleasure to dwell among us. O Thou amiable, Divine Child, when I consider the incomprehensible love and mercy that induced Thee to assume our human nature, my heart overflows with joy, admiration, adoration and thanksgiving, and my lips must remain silent.

No tongue can worthily praise and extol the glory and grace of Thy holy Incarnation. Thou art the great God, the Prince of Peace, the heavenly Bridegroom of our souls. Thou art our Peace, our Salvation, our Bread of life.

What can we give Thee in this hour, other than the oblation of our good will, according to the angels’ bidding! We lay it, with the promise of our love and fidelity, at Thy feet. Strengthen and confirm in us the holy sentiments inspired by Thy grace.

O Mary and Joseph, in your midst let us lay at the feet of the Holy Infant our tribute of adoration and fervent love, singing with the angels: “Glory to God, in the highest!” (Luke 2, 14).

Praise and thanksgiving be to our Blessed Saviour, Who replenishes our souls with His divine peace!

Resolution: With heartfelt joy and gratitude, we will renew our vows and good resolves at the crib of the Divine Child.

Spiritual Bouquet: “This day is born to you a Saviour” (Luke 2, 11).

Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 24TH

 
CHRISTMAS EVE

“Sanctify yourselves today and be prepared; for tomorrow you shall see the glory of the Lord become manifest” (Office of Holy Church).

First Prelude: In spirit, enter the cave in which the Saviour of the world is to be born. See the Virgin Mother, in profoundest recollection and fervent prayer at the birth of her Divine Child. St. Joseph is kneeling apart, likewise silently wrapped in prayer.

Second Prelude: O my holy Mother, impart to me thy sentiments that I may worthily approach the manger of my Divine Saviour on this holy night, and fervently renew the immolation of my vows to our new-born King.

FIRST POINT

THE BLESSED VIRGIN PREPARES FOR THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOUR

Consider how ardently the Blessed Virgin longed for the moment of the birth of her Divine Child! Her intimate union with the Lord and God of her heart, her desire to see and adore Him visibly in the flesh, her ardor to present her treasure to the world for the salvation of mankind, made her heart burn so vehemently that she could hardly suppress the fire of love. How lively was her faith, how firm and full of confidence her hope, how well prepared her heart! Obedience had led her into the lowly stable, and she deemed herself happy in being permitted to share such extreme poverty with the Lord of heaven and earth.

Oh, that it were vouchsafed us to take one glance into this pure, spotless heart, which from the first moment of its existence throbbed with love for God! Oh, that a spark of this love should transform our heart into a delightful abode for our dear Saviour, Who will soon enter it in Holy Communion! We will endeavor as far possible to make Mary’s sentiments our own, and rejoice in the thought that our dear Mother was the first who offered the Infant Saviour the gifts of poverty, chastity, obedience and holy love. It must be for us a source of joy still to find Mary at the crib, and thus to be able to unite our sacrifice with hers. Oh, the joy we give our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the holy angels by renewing our holy vows, and, as it were, uniting with them to tender the homage of our adoration to the new-born Saviour! Let us beg them to replenish our heart with holy affections, pious desires, and fervent resolutions, that Christ, at His advent, may find us worthy of the graces we need to carry out our renewed promises with unswerving fidelity.

SECOND POINT

OUR GIFTS TO THE INFANT SAVIOUR

How lovely has the Holy Ghost disposed the interchange of gifts with the Infant Saviour on the beautiful feast of Christmas! What a blessed exchange! Our Saviour gives us Himself, wholly, and we, too, give ourselves wholly to Him. After He has inundated our soul with graces during this novena, reanimated us, opened our eyes and filled our hearts with holy joy, we dare approach Him to renew the vows that we once made in the blessed hour of our profession. Let us remember that the renewal of our offering is no less pleasing to Jesus than was our first consecration; on the contrary, we manifest even greater fidelity and more ardent love today by the fervent renewing of our holy vows.

When we consecrated ourselves to God at the foot of the altar on the day of our profession we had but a faint knowledge of our obligations as religious. We simply followed the call of God and surrendered ourselves unreservedly to Him with lively faith and tender love. Now that we understand more fully the import of the sacrifice we made to God by pronouncing our holy vows, we honor Him in a greater degree by the renewal of these sacred promises, and our repeated cheerful oblations give glorious testimony that His yoke is sweet and His burden light.

Let us confidently approach our Divine Saviour, our beloved Bridegroom, in the Sacrament of His Love, and in spirit review all the proofs of His special love to the present moment. Let us revert to the day of our profession, to the day of our entrance into religion, to the days of youth, and even childhood; yes, let us look even into the ocean of eternity. When God, of old made the world, He thought of each one of us, foresaw our trials, our sacrifices and sufferings, and disposed all with infinite love for our salvation. The love of Jesus is immutable, immeasurable and incomprehensible. Must we not exclaim: “What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me?” (Ps. 115). And if, in turn, we requite such love with faithlessness, cowardice and tepidity, must not a feeling of deep shame and confusion come over us? Must we not realize how degrading it is to take back the smallest particle of the oblation once made to the Lord?

Far be it from us to act thus. With absolute fidelity, we will anew vow poverty, for which Jesus promises us the infinite treasures of His Sacred Heart; we will vow obedience, for which He gives us His benign Providence, we will offer Him our virginal love in exchange for His eternal, unchangeable love. Oh, blessed moment of the renewal of our vows! Only a few more hours and we shall kneel at the foot of the altar as on the day of our profession to receive the new-born Saviour of the world. Oh, that the love which fills our hearts might burst into flames! Let us seek to increase it by recollection, by fervent aspirations and hidden sacrifices, that our heavenly Bridegroom may receive us with joy, and most generously impart to us the best Christmas gift—His inexpressible peace.

Affections: O my Jesus, Divine Bridegroom of my soul, with tender love I desire anew on this Holy Night to lay at Thy sacred feet, the sacrifice of my holy vows. I immolate myself as cheerfully and whole-heartedly as I did on the ever-memorable day, when Thou gavest me the right to call myself Thy spouse. With Thy grace I resolve to keep my vows more faithfully than heretofore, to strive for the highest perfection. Yes, my Jesus, my oblation must be perfect; I will seek nothing, love nothing, save Thee alone. I will renounce all, so that my heart may taste of the full wealth of Thy poverty. My vow of obedience, by which I renew the immolation of my whole being, shall augment my happiness. Oh, that animated by Thy spirit, I would win many souls to Thee by the faithful discharge of the duties of my holy calling! O Divine Child, with all the ardor of my soul I cry to Thee: make me like to Thee; let me become as a child in dependence, in poverty, in innocence, a child ever worthy of Thy love and of the solicitude of Thy virginal Mother! O Mary and Joseph, ye first adorers of the Saviour, lead me to Him and offer Him the sacrifice of my love, that He may accept it with pleasure and may draw the bonds that unite me with Him ever closer, that full of genuine, heartfelt joy I may sing with the angels: “Glory to God in the highest!”

Resolution: I will beg the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph and the holy angels to imbue me with holy sentiments and assist me in the preparation for the reception of my dear Lord and Saviour.

Spiritual Bouquet: “The Lord is nigh! Rejoice and be glad!”

Prayer: Take, O Lord…

No Room in the Inn

MEDITATION FOR—DECEMBER 23RD

“And it came to pass that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: Because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and she wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2, 1, 7).

First Prelude: Behold Mary and Joseph on the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem—hosts of angels accompanying them.

Second Prelude: Grant, O Divine Saviour, that the nearer I approach to the great day of Thy bountiful Nativity, I may excite a more ardent desire and prepare my heart with greater zeal for Thy advent by the practice of virtue and fidelity to my vows.

FIRST POINT

MARY AND JOSEPH GO TO BETHLEHEM

The heavenly Father willed that His well-beloved Son should be born in poverty and lowliness. He, therefore, ordained that Caesar Augustus issue an edict, in consequence of which, Mary and Joseph should go to Bethlehem. This apparent necessity served but to cover our Blessed Lord’s desire to suffer, His humility, His patience and His love of holy poverty. Such love He infused into the heart of His holy Mother, who, though poor, had to undertake a long journey despite the inclemency of the season, and to suffer many hardships. But she endured all with patience, even with cheerfulness for her heart was occupied solely with her Divine Saviour, her only treasure. At times she interrupted her silence to converse with St. Joseph, but it was only to speak of divine things. Difficult and precarious as their journey was, nevertheless, the thought of their Divine Child made them esteem all sufferings as naught.

Oh, that we would imitate the wonderful example of the Holy Family on this journey! Jesus willed to be born not in Nazareth, but in the course of a journey, to teach us that we have no lasting abode here below, that we must seek our home in heaven and detach our heart from all earthly affections. Mary and Joseph teach us how to keep Jesus, our sole Good and highest Treasure, and for love of Him gladly to leave all else. Well may they have felt keenly the privations attendant upon their sojourn in a strange place especially for the Divine Child! But they divined the ineffable designs of God and realized that nothing less than total detachment and absolute contempt of all earthly things was worthy of their God.

Do I seek nothing in this world but to resemble my Divine Model? Do I often call to mind that I am a stranger on earth and that my home is in heaven? Does my zeal in the observance of poverty mark me as a worthy child of the Holy Family?

SECOND POINT

MARY AND JOSEPH FIND NO SHELTER

The gospel tells us that Mary and Joseph found no room in the inns. Enjoying their comfortable homes, the wealthy of Bethlehem suffered the Son of God and Saviour of the world to seek in vain for shelter in His own city and family. Oh, if the inhabitants had known the strangers, if they had known that there was a question of giving shelter to the long-expected Messiah, with what reverence and exquisite joy would they have welcomed Mary and Joseph to their hearths!

The painful mystery of Bethlehem is still recurring in our day. Jesus finds shelter in only a few hearts, because so few wish to receive Him. He is the Lord and Master of the whole world, and yet with His Mother and St. Joseph He must seek refuge in a poor stable. Like a weary traveler, Jesus even now incessantly knocks at the door of our heart saying: Open to Me, My beloved, open to Me and admit no stranger; open to My love, empty your heart and expand it, I will replenish it. I have traversed the whole world and found naught but refusals and insults; do you open to Me that I may enter and find recompense with you for the coldness of men.

Oh, let us rejoice that the Saviour will come and dwell in our hearts! Let us reserve for Him not only the best place, but our whole heart; for though He despised neither the stable nor the manger, He will disdain to enter a divided heart. Let us also rejoice in the happiness furnished us in our holy vocation of harboring and serving the Saviour, Himself, in the person of the children and the poor according to the promise of Jesus: “What you have done to the least of My brethren, you have done unto Me” (Math. 25, 45), and “He that shall receive one such little child in My name receiveth Me” (Math. 18, 5).

Affections: What a sublime example of virtue dost Thou set me in Thy journey to Bethlehem, O Virgin Mother of my Saviour, and thou, her purest bridegroom, St. Joseph! What humility and obedience do I admire in you! Ye have truly imbibed the spirit of Jesus; love of poverty and seclusion has captivated your hearts. Oh, let me hasten to Bethlehem in your holy company, to behold the wonders of the Most High! Let me share your ardent love, your fervor. Divine Saviour, behold we are preparing for Thy gracious advent. Thou shalt not first knock at the door of our hearts to beg admittance; no, we entreat Thee, come into our hearts, watching and expecting we stand at the door until Thou comest! Oh, yes, come soon that Thou mayest no longer be our Emmanuel, but also our Jesus, our Saviour. With all the ardor of our soul, we cry to Thee: “O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the expectation of the Gentiles, and their Saviour, come and save us, O Lord our God.”

Resolution: I will often today be mindful of the presence of God, and by numerous acts of humility, meekness and patience prepare a worthy resting place in my heart for my Divine Saviour.

Spiritual Bouquet: “They found no room in the inn.”

Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

Bethlehem - House of Bread

MEDITATION FOR—DECEMBER 22ND

“And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art little among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall He come that is to be the ruler of Israel” (Mich. 5, 2).

First Prelude: Picture the insignificant city of Bethlehem, which the Saviour chose for His birthplace.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, Thou true Bread of Life, give me grace to make preparations becoming the worthy reception of Thy Divine Majesty, that I may participate in the glorious fruits of union with Thee.

First Point

BETHLEHEM SIGNIFIES “HOUSE OF BREAD”

From Bethlehem the mysterious Bread was to come which should save the world from starvation and impart new life to all peoples. Of old, the city had been called “Ephrata” that is, “fruitful” because it had been destined in the divine plan of Eternal Wisdom to give to mankind the most precious fruit, the Saviour of the world.

The surrounding country was especially rich in cereals and wine. Here, even in His very Birth, Jesus willed to foreshadow the Sacrament of His Love in which, beneath the species of bread and wine, He wills to nourish His elect. David, who prefigured the Messiah, was also born in Bethlehem; on these blessed plains, he tended his father’s sheep. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the true King of Israel, pastures his lambkins on the fertile plains of Holy Church.

Oh, the adorable designs of the infinite wisdom of God! In all the dispositions of Divine Providence, do we not behold the most tender love for us, His creatures?

One glance into our own lives proves this beyond doubt. What we deemed insignificant, was ordained by God’s all-wise decree to lead us to our eternal destiny. Oh, how shall we one day adore the inscrutable ways of God and reverently thank Him for all that His paternal Heart has done for us!

Let us then abandon ourselves confidently to the direction of the all-wise and omnipotent God, Who with inexpressible mildness guides the destinies of the weak.

Second Point

JESUS THE TRUE BREAD OF LIFE

In infinite love, Jesus has given Himself under the form of bread and wine to be the food of our souls. Oh, the ineffable wisdom of Jesus, to conceal His Sacred Body and Blood under the form of bread in the Sacrament of His Love! Bread constitutes the chief food of man, can be easily procured and never excites disgust. O blessed Bread, heavenly Food, which contains in itself all sweetness! The worthy reception of this Bread of Life produces in our souls all the effects that earthly bread produces in the body. It preserves, strengthens, invigorates, refreshes, and delights the soul. This is, verily, the bread of love, which is more indispensable to the soul than earthly bread to the body. Sad to say, many are more solicitous to preserve bodily life than to secure an increase of grace and their salvation. What sacrifices are not made cheerfully when there is even the faintest hope of thereby lengthening one’s earthly life only a few years!

Though the bread the Saviour gives is the pledge of everlasting life, of future glory, still the majority of men make little or no effort to partake of this bread. Had Jesus deposited in Holy Communion the power to lengthen this mortal life for only a hundred years, how eagerly should all these lukewarm and indifferent Christians hasten to the Table of the Lord! Oh! the blindness of these poor creatures buried in earthly concerns!

Oh, that we at least should in some measure comprehend the infinite love of Jesus! We should then approach His Table with a holy eagerness and gladly impose some sacrifices upon ourselves, that we may receive this heavenly Food worthily and that it may preserve us to life everlasting. During this holy season, we will examine ourselves as to our preparation for Holy Communion, and renew ourselves in this all-important action.

Affections: O my Jesus, Thou didst not despise the little town of Bethlehem, but didst choose it for Thy birthplace. Thou dost, likewise, not disdain to take up Thy abode in a poor unworthy heart, provided it is free from sin and adorned with virtues. I realize full well how much there is yet lacking before I can truly say that my heart is a worthy resting place for Thee. To whom shall I have recourse in my poverty and need but to Thee, O Jesus, Thou truly Good Shepherd of my soul, Who dost so lovingly invite the burdened and the heavily laden, in order to refresh them? Thou gavest me all when Thou gavest Thyself in this Sacrament of Love. I, too, offer myself entirely to Thee, with all that I have and am. Oh, grant that through Thy all-powerful grace, I may remain most intimately united with Thee in life and in death! With the universal Church, we cry to Thee today: “O King of the Gentiles and their desired one, the cornerstone that joinest two walls; come and save man, whom Thou didst form out of slime.”

Resolution: By fervor in the practice of virtue, I will strive to prepare my heart ever better for Holy Communion.

Spiritual Bouquet: “I am the living Bread; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.”

Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

My Lord and My God

MEDITATION FOR—DECEMBER 21ST

“Peace be to you! Then He said to Thomas: ‘Put in thy finger hither and see My hands; and bring hither thy hand and put it into My side; and be not faithless, but believing,’ Thomas answered and said to Him: ‘My Lord and my God!’ ” (John 20, 26-28).

First Prelude: Behold St. Thomas in an ecstasy of joy and amazement at sight of his beloved Master.

Second Prelude: O my Saviour, imbue me with a lively faith and ardent love, that I may work efficaciously at the sanctification of self.

FIRST POINT

ST. THOMAS, THE EXAMPLE OF A LIVING FAITH

In her admirable wisdom, Holy Mother Church commemorates the feast of St. Thomas in close proximity to the feast of the Nativity. The faith of this Apostle in His Lord and God once wavered; now, Mother Church invites her children to approach the manger of the Christ Child strengthened by the living faith that animated the soul of Thomas after Christ had touched his heart. Our Lord permitted the doubt of the Apostle that, until the end of time, the once doubting Thomas might obtain for us the grace of humble submission of our understanding, that we might recognize in the Infant Jesus Him for Whom the nations wait. The words of our Lord to Thomas: “Blessed are they that have not seen and have believed” (John 20, 29) are applicable to us. Do we not desire such simple, submissive faith? Assuredly, we long for God to aid our weakness that we may feel the effects of His bountiful presence and in all humility greet the little Child in the manger as our Lord and God.

The saints call this living faith the door through which Christ enters our hearts, to dwell therein. Jesus delights to be where faith reigns, for He would enrich us with a living faith, to make our heart His tabernacle and throne. Through the presence of Jesus in His elect, He becomes their light, their strength, and their joy. Such faith qualified St. Thomas for his arduous missionary labors, gave him strength and grace to banish ignorance from countless hearts, and by his teaching, to inculcate the doctrine of Jesus Christ, his Lord and God. Such is the power of faith, which makes us strong in Christ Jesus, and imbues us with a heavenly life, hidden with Christ in God.

What profit will accrue to us in virtue of a lively faith if, in its light, we study the mysteries of our holy religion and regulate our life accordingly! Behold, our God offers Himself in inexpressible abasement and profound humiliation, for love of us! He longs not only to suffer pain and contempt but even to die the most ignominious death on the cross. This sacred truth, pondered in the light of faith, will render all things sweet and desirable. How full of consolation the inspired words: “If we suffer with Him we shall also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8, 17).

SECOND POINT

ST. THOMAS, THE EXAMPLE OF A TENDER AND ARDENT LOVE FOR JESUS

St. Thomas had laid his hand in the side of Jesus and touched the furnace of love, whose flames instantly transmitted themselves to his heart in such measure that, falling on his knees and overcome by love, he exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” The divine fire of love never again died out in him. It grew constantly, accompanied him on all his apostolic journeys, even in his labors among the pagans, strengthened him in all sufferings and led him, finally, to a glorious martyrdom.

Oh, that we had the smallest particle of the fire that burned in the heart of the Apostle! With what fervor should we then approach Jesus and with what ardor and longing, transform our hearts into His favorite abode! Let us at least endeavor to love God as much as is within our power. We know not whether God has decreed us many years more, or whether He will, perhaps, call us soon. We know, however, that with the measure with which we mete out it shall be measured back to us. The measure of our love of God here below will be the measure of our love in heaven. Oh, how strong should the fire of divine love burn in our hearts even now, if we used every opportunity to nourish it! Thanks to the goodness of God, it is not too late. It is still possible for us to attain to a high degree of divine love, which grows rapidly, if sought perseveringly.

Let us be zealous in exciting acts of love and beg Jesus when He gives Himself to us wholly in the Sacrament of His Love, to bestow His love on us, as He did on St. Thomas. But let us also gladly make the sacrifices which the unbloody martyrdom of religious life demands of us, day by day, and prove our love to Jesus by our deeds.

Affections: O glorious Apostle, St. Thomas, who hast led so great a number of infidel nations to Christ, we pray thee guide us to the manger of our Emmanuel, Who will manifest Himself to His Church in a few days. In order to appear worthily in His holy presence, we stand in need of heavenly light, and a living faith. Obtain it for us, O holy Apostle, together with that ardent love which thou didst draw from the Heart of the Saviour. We, too, wish to be of the number of those who, not seeing, still believe; we long to prostrate ourselves before the new-born Saviour, and lovingly to cry out in all humility: “My Lord and my God!” Pray also, O glorious Apostle, for all missionaries, who are thy successors, that the Sun of Justice may anew enlighten the countries moistened and fructified with thy blood. Therefore, we pray today, with the universal Church: “O Orient, Brightness of Eternal Light, King of Glory, come and enlighten those that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

Resolution: I will strive to be recollected in God today, and frequently excite acts of faith and love.

Spiritual Bouquet: “My Lord and my God!”

Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

Jesus, Live in My Heart

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 20TH - Prayer Before

“And the Light shineth in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it . . . He came unto His own and His own received Him not” (John I, 5).

First Prelude: Behold our Divine Saviour, according to St. John in the Apocalypse, knocking at the door of our hearts and asking for admittance.

Second Prelude: O my beloved Saviour, let me be of the number of those who give Thee their whole heart, and in whom Thou canst take up Thy permanent abode.

FIRST POINT

IN WHAT SOULS JESUS DOES NOT TAKE UP HIS PERMANENT ABODE

Though our Blessed Lord desires ardently to dwell in our hearts, but few know how to secure His presence permanently. Divine grace is not imparted to all in like measure. This measure is determined by the receptiveness and the various needs of each soul. Does not the Lord dispense His gifts as He in His infinite wisdom sees fit? In many souls, however, Jesus cannot take up a lasting abode. They have, indeed, turned to Him with a contrite heart, but soon they relapse into their former sins, as though they had never repented of them. How our Lord should love to bestow spiritual gifts abundantly on all if they would only lay greater stress upon prayer, mortification, and self-denial!

Living, as we do, in voluntary distractions, yielding to sensual delights, dare we express astonishment at our spiritual dryness, at aridity in meditation or tepidity at Mass and Holy Communion? Perhaps we commit no grave faults, but are we not frequently guilty of minor transgressions, which darken our mind and rob us of delight in heavenly things? How great is such ingratitude toward the infinite goodness of God! He would dwell in our hearts, but we think not of Him; He would enrich us, but we are indifferent to His treasures; He would speak to us but we heed Him not; He would draw us unto Himself, but we elude His sweet attractions. Are not in such souls the words of St. John verified; “He came unto His own and His own received Him not” (John I, II)?

O soul, that cravest a few paltry alms from creatures, a few delights which cannot satisfy you, how happy, how wealthy could you be if you truly loved God! What peace should be yours were you to live for Him! Have you not yet experienced the truth of St. Augustine’s words: “Thou hast created our heart for Thee, O Lord; it cannot rest till it rest in Thee?”

Am I solicitous to prepare an agreeable and lasting dwelling place for our dear Lord? Have not my voluntary distractions and infidelities, the desire to see and be seen, often forced my good Jesus to withdraw from me, or at least hindered Him from imparting His graces to me generously?

SECOND POINT

WE FIND AND PRESERVE THE LORD IN SOLITUDE

The Lord desires to dwell in us mystically. The prophet Isaias has said of Him: “Verily, Thou art a hidden God” (45, 15), and St. Augustine assures us that he foolishly sought the Lord without, while He dwelt within his soul. If we would find the Saviour we must love seclusion and retirement, for who would find what is hidden must seek it in seclusion. Animated by a living and ardent love, we must retire into the secret chamber of our heart, close the doors of our senses and seek God in all sincerity through faith and love.

To souls that are guided by the principles of faith, love discloses what faith conceals. They feel an ardent desire to serve God, to labor for Him, to regain lost time, and to repair all former omissions and transgressions. Exercising themselves in the accomplishment of all the good to which grace inspires them, they acquire, more and more, the spirit of true zeal. Oh, that this heavenly fire would consume all worldly affections, all attachment to vain, earthly gratifications, and transform our heart into a well-garnished sanctuary of the Lord! O happy souls in whom the presence of the good God is so powerfully manifest! Such souls constantly feel themselves drawn to Him by fervent aspirations and intense desires! Possessing God in the depths of their heart inasmuch as this is possible here below, they are convinced of His most tender love, and neither life nor death shall be able to sever them from Him.

O blessed solitude, O hidden treasure of religious life! Far from the tumult of the world, far from creatures and distractions, religious souls fathom ever more the infinite affability of their Creator and become impregnated with His love. To them the words of the Saviour apply: “I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you” (John 15, 16). They taste the delights of sweet converse with God, and like the saints are never less alone than when in solitude, far from creatures, they commune with God.

Affections: What happiness, O Lord, to hear Thy voice “Behold, I stand at the gate and knock” (Apoc. 3, 20). Lord, Thou wilt enter my heart! Oh, what an inexpressible grace for me! In Thy ineffable goodness Thou hast overlooked all my defects and shortcomings. Though I love Thee, Lord, and strive for virtue, I must fear Thou wilt find nothing in my heart that will please Thee. Oh, may Thy almighty grace inflame my poor, cold heart with the fire of holy love, so that in future it may belong wholly to Thee, that Thou canst possess it and rule it according to Thy good pleasure. O Mary, Mother of God, who wast so intimately united with Him, Whom heaven and earth cannot contain, prepare our hearts, that thou mayest be able to deposit thy Son therein with joy and pleasure, when He deigns to visit us in Holy Communion. With all the faithful of Holy Church we cry: “O Key of David and Sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and no man shutteth; who shutteth and no man openeth; come and take out of prison him who is in fetters, and who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

Resolution: I will frequently retire into my heart in the course of the day, and in silence hold communion with my Saviour.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Behold, I stand at the gate and knock.”

Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .

Prayer After

Preparing the Way of the Lord

 
MEDITATION FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19TH

“Prepare ye the Way of the Lord” (Luke 3, 4).

First Prelude: Hear Holy Church ever anew admonishing the faithful, and picture her good children redoubling their zeal in their preparation the nearer they approach to the day of Christ’s advent.

Second Prelude: O Lord, let me recognize my great need of Thy assistance, that by interior recollection and fervor in prayer I may endeavor, with all my strength, to draw down upon myself Thy graces and blessings.

FIRST POINT

PRAYER, A NECESSARY MEANS OF PARTICIPATION IN GOD’S GRACES

Realizing what obstacles still obstruct the way for our Divine Saviour, have we not sufficient reason for discouragement on account of the enormity of the task before us, especially when we consider our weakness and utter misery? Experience has only too clearly proved that of our own strength we cannot for one moment resist evil and do good. Realizing the full malice of perverted nature, is it not natural that we turn to God in fervent prayer, Who is powerful of Himself to release us from so deplorable a condition? Therefore, we cry to Him for grace and mercy: O Divine Word, direct my footsteps! Come, O Sun of Justice, by Thy light and warmth, vivify those who sit in the shadow of death! O Saviour of the world, come and redeem us!

No time is more appropriate for prayer than the time of preparation for Christmas. We will, therefore, unite ourselves with our dear Saviour, Who, as our High Priest, persevered in constant prayer before His birth. Oh, how ardent were His entreaties as He pleaded for the whole world with the Father! At that time, He prayed for each one of us; our momentary needs were before Him and even then He commended them to His heavenly Father. With what confidence must not this thought inspire us! God Himself prayed for me; how could such a prayer remain ineffectual! It depends upon me alone whether or not I shall partake of the bountiful fruits of this prayer which will flow to me in abundance, provided I desire them ardently and persevere in prayer. Is not this my duty, and in consideration of my misery, a dire necessity, though, at the same time, a mystery of peace and happiness?

Our needs are so great and manifold that we can ill afford to cease praying, no more than the poor can desist begging for alms. There is, further, no nobler nor sweeter occupation for us than communion with God; a life of prayer will make a paradise of this place of exile, will give us a foretaste of heaven. No matter how great the difficulties that we experience in prayer, we will persevere courageously and use violence to acquire a good so necessary and so conducive to our happiness. We will often call to mind the promise of Christ “Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name that will I do” (John 14, 13).

SECOND POINT

SILENCE AND RECOLLECTION AID US TO ACQUIRE THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER

The nearer the great day approaches, the more diligently must we guard our hearts against distractions, that we may the oftener ponder the mystery of the infinite love of God in the Incarnation. Let us recall the good resolutions with which we desire to rejoice the heart of our Blessed Saviour. If by means of recollection we succeed in banishing all unnecessary cares and solicitude, then we shall be able to offer an acceptable dwelling place to the Infant Saviour. But we shall never acquire recollection of spirit and interior silence unless we carefully avoid every unnecessary word, for exterior silence cuts off all superfluous thoughts and desires. It is the custodian of the heart, and the faithful and persevering exercise of it fosters the spirit of prayer.

How solicitously should we, therefore, observe silence! Is it not meet for souls consecrated to God in the religious state, espoused to Jesus, to immolate to Him all the affections and inclinations of their hearts, all the faculties of their souls? Like the angels, who while beholding the Beatific Vision, hasten whither their office calls them, and bear heaven whithersoever they go, silent souls remain constantly in the heaven of interior solitude, occupying themselves with God’s perfections, Whom they behold uninterruptedly in prayer and recollection, and give Him love for love, as a child its father. Religious, who so frequently receive their Saviour in Holy Communion, find Him like Mary in the tabernacle of their heart, there to praise Him every hour, to live for Him and to cherish affectionate intercourse with Him.

Oh, what holy desires animate souls thus intimately united with God! In union with Mary and Joseph and all pious souls, they offer to the Christ-Child in the manger the oblation of most ardent love.

Let us incessantly entreat the Holy Spirit to form and mold that tender piety in our hearts which will give our life and our efforts to acquire virtue the correct and proper trend. All depends upon our acquiring the spirit of prayer, even at the cost of a hard struggle, for through it we not only receive grace to combat our faults, but acquire the necessary strength for the practice of virtue. Above all let us be faithful in the observance of silence, the ornament and mainstay of religious life, and remove from our minds what might hinder our intercourse with God, that Jesus, who loves to impart the plenitude of His grace to interior and silent souls, will find our hearts well disposed at His advent.

Affections: O Divine Saviour Whose infinite sanctity becomes more and more manifest to us in meditation, we realize how zealously we must cleanse ourselves of our faults. Thy ineffable clemency has called us to intimate union with Thee even in this life, and one day to behold Thee face to face in heaven. Oh, render us worthy of such a sublime calling; Thou alone canst do it by Thy all-powerful grace. We entreat Thee, by the ever blessed Virgin Mary who gave Thee, the Source and Author of all graces, to the world. Through Mary and in union with her, we dare to approach Thee and pray with all the ardor of our souls; “O Thou Root of Jesse, Who art a signal to the people in whose presence the Kings are silent, and unto whom the nations cry ‘Come and deliver us now and delay no longer.’ ”

Resolution: I will prepare for the advent of the Lord by silence and fervent prayer.

Spiritual Bouquet: “The Lord is nigh” (Ps. 44, 19).

Prayer: Jesus, my Lord, my King . . .

Continuation of The Magnificat

 
MEDITATION FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18

“He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away” (Luke I, 53).

First Prelude: In spirit, remain with your holy Mother in the house of Zachary, and hear the continuation of her canticle.

Second Prelude: O holy Virgin, obtain for me a great desire for heavenly goods and grace to be generously satiated with them.

FIRST POINT

“HE HATH FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS”

With what a holy eagerness did the soul of Mary long for the advent of the Saviour, and how richly was she, in turn, replenished with every good! In His infinite goodness God will satiate all who ardently long for His graces. This is manifest in the lives of the saints. They hungered and thirsted for an increase of love, of grace, and of all virtues, with a truly fiery ardor, and God, with the utmost liberality, dispensed to them the plenitude of His gifts. Oh, that all souls were gifted with such hunger, so indispensable to perfection! Alas, there are countless lukewarm souls whose desire for perfection is weak and who shirk every exertion. Of these St. Alphonsus said: “They are ever wishing to advance but because they hesitate to apply the proper means they make no progress. Their desire is ineffective and, consequently, they have but little to hope for.”

Oh, that the intensity of our desire may exercise violence over the Heart of our Divine Saviour! We will endeavor to elicit holy desires in our souls, especially when Jesus comes to us in the Sacrament of His Love, for He gladly fills the hungry with good things. What infinite wealth is at our disposal when we receive the author of all grace in Holy Communion! All who approach His holy Tabernacle with intense hunger for this heavenly Bread shall be overwhelmed with graces; those, on the contrary, whose desire is faint shall go away empty.

Why do we not advance in love of God and of neighbor, in humility, patience, and mortification? How do we account for our coldness and indifference when approaching the holy Table? We will heed the words of the Blessed Virgin; “He hath filled the hungry with good things.” If our desire for Jesus were more ardent, it would not be so with us. What will we do in the future?

SECOND POINT

“THE RICH HE HATH SENT EMPTY AWAY”

Who are these rich whom the Lord sends away empty? Are they not primarily those who attach their hearts to temporal things, and seek only the contemptible pleasures of the world? They are, also, the proud, who, puffed up with their imaginary virtues and good qualities, are sufficient unto themselves and have no need of God and His grace. There are not a few even among those consecrated to God in the religious life who still take delight in temporal goods, sensible enjoyments and idle conversations. No spiritual joys can fall to their lot, because they seek consolation not in God but in creatures. They are earthly minded, consequently God must needs send them away empty. Attachment to external, sensible consolations is one of the greatest obstacles to true progress in virtue. It debars love of prayer and spiritual joy. Are not souls thus attached to be pitied? They seek consolation where it is not to be found. They suffer Jesus laden with His graces and heavenly consolations to knock in vain at the door of their heart and refuse Him admittance.

Much more pitiable is the condition of those who in their pride imagine themselves rich enough in virtue. Not seldom their work done with great pains, is as so much dust scattered to the winds. They have not labored for Him; therefore, God cannot reward them, He must send them away empty. To them the words of St. John in the Apocalypse apply; “Thou sayest, ‘I am rich and made wealthy, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor and blind and naked’ ” (Apoc. 3, 17).

Let us fear being numbered among those who have no share in the treasures of God’s gifts. Let us scrutinize our heart to the very depth, to see whether there is not concealed therein a dangerous tendency or self-complacency, which we dare not even admit to ourselves.

Affections: O holy Virgin, great as thy love of God was thy longing for the heavenly treasures. Therefore, in Thee we see thy promise most wonderfully and gloriously fulfilled. Obtain for us an ardent desire for humility and love, for patience and meekness, that possessing these virtues we may be pleasing to God. Obtain for us great hunger for the Bread of Angels that Jesus may be able to satiate us with His infinite treasures. How gloriously does thy canticle continuously resound in the Church through all the centuries! Let us share thy ardent devotion, O Mary, when we pronounce thy inspired words to praise and thank God for His benefits.

Resolution: I will often excite in my heart a longing for the grace and love of God.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich He hath sent empty away.”

Prayer: O Jesus living in Mary . . .

Mary Extols the Lord for The Benefits Conferred Upon All Peoples Through The Incarnation

MEDITATION FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17

“And His mercy is from generation to generation unto them that fear Him. . . . He hath put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble” (Luke i, 50–52).

First Prelude: Remain, in spirit, with your holy Mother in the house of Zachary, and listen attentively to the continuation of her sublime canticle.

Second Prelude: O holy Virgin, let me learn of thee childlike fear of God and humble confidence in His infinite goodness.

FIRST POINT

“HIS MERCY IS FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM”

These words of the Blessed Virgin give her a new claim to her glorious title, Mother of Mercy. When praising God, she is mindful, not only of the benefits conferred upon her by His infinite goodness and of those which she is yet to receive, but she considers herself, likewise, under obligations to the Most High for the benefits bestowed on others. With our Blessed Mother, all holy souls have ever realized that the Sun of Justice not only diffuses light and warmth upon them, but that it sheds its benign rays over all the centuries. For all these graces they incessantly thank God all the more since they consider themselves the happy recipients of God’s gifts to their fellow men. Their hearts are replete with holy joy in the service of so good and generous a Master.

Why does Mary say that the mercy of God will be the portion of those that fear Him? Does not fear imply discouragement and is it not more likely that God will show mercy to them that hope in Him? This is very true, but he hopes the most of God who fears Him most, and fear of God impels us to co-operate with grace. Our growth in grace, however, is proportioned to our confidence in God. Holy Scripture says: “The eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him” (Ecclus. 15:20).

Possessing this holy fear of God, we may confidently hope in the mercy of the Lord; we should do a great injustice were we to yield to despondence and discouragement even for a moment. Let us, therefore, walk before God with that holy fear which detests the slightest sin, which repents of past sins with humble compunction, and our childlike fear will become the solid foundation of our hope.

Do we frequently consider that, as religious, we are under obligation to thank God also for the favors He has conferred upon others? Am I intent upon avoiding the least voluntary faults?

SECOND POINT

“HE HATH PUT DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR

SEAT AND EXALTED THE HUMBLE”

Heaven and earth testify to the truth of Mary’s words. God exercised might when He hurled the rebellious angels, puffed up with pride, from their heavenly thrones into the dark abyss, and elevated the deeply humbled members of the human race to the thrones vacated by the angels. The fall of King Pharao, of Saul, of the haughty Aman, and terrifying examples of all centuries, teach us the unrelenting rigor of the Lord in dealing with the proud, but also the love and predilection with which He elevates the humble and simple. Man can rise to true greatness only through humility, and only on the path of humility can he make progress in perfection. Does not perfection consist solely in our earnest endeavor to resemble Jesus? His pre-eminent virtue, however, is humility.

For this reason the spiritual writers so urgently counsel humility, again and again pointing to the fact that humility is the most essential virtue, which draws down upon us abundant graces and serves at once as a foundation for all other virtues. Let it be our earnest endeavor to become pleasing to God by repeated interior and exterior acts of humility and so to merit His blessing upon our labors. We will imitate the example of the saints, who humbled themselves profoundly before every task. Acknowledging our utter misery, our weakness, our ignorance and inconstancy before God, we will beg His grace with childlike confidence, and we, too, shall be justified in anticipating success in our undertakings.

Affections: O my Lord and my God, be it far from me ever to glory, save in Thee, the true source of all good! In Thee, O Lord, I place all my trust. Praised and blessed be Thy mercy, for having dealt with me so paternally. Do Thou always direct my way according to Thy wonderful mercies. O holy Virgin, who by thy profound humility wert so pleasing to God as to be worthy of the most exalted dignity, obtain this virtue for me, that it may aid me in securing the salvation of my soul and open to me the heavenly treasures of grace. O my Mother and my hope, through thy intercession obtain for me the grace to love thy Divine Son for all eternity.

Resolution: I will strive by repeated acts of humility to merit the grace of God upon all my actions.

Spiritual Bouquet: “He hath put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble.”

Prayer: O Mary, my Queen . . .

Mary's Thanksgiving: The Magnificat

 
MEDITATION FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBBER 16

“And Mary said: ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour’ ” (Luke i, 46).

First Prelude: In spirit, enter the house of Zachary and hear the Blessed Virgin’s Magnificat in answer to Elizabeth, who calls her blessed.

Second Prelude: O Mary, teach us how to praise and thank God for the manifold gifts bestowed upon us.

First Point

“MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD”

When Mary heard Elizabeth praise and exalt her, she could not conceal the extraordinary gifts that God had bestowed upon her. She could not do it because humility does not blind souls to the singular graces with which they have been favored. The higher God elevates humble souls the lower they sink in their own esteem, directing all their gifts back to the Divine Giver. Mary dared not pass over in silence the graces so generously imparted to her, because she was chosen to give testimony of the great mystery that God had wrought in her. With holy exultation, she cried out, “My soul doth magnify the Lord!” Mary did not say: “My soul hath magnified the Lord” or “It will magnify Him” but “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” The praise of God was her sole occupation on earth. She performed incessantly the sacred office of the angels in heaven. Her whole life was an uninterrupted “Magnificat” and she praised and exalted God not only in her words and sentiments, but in all her works.

Oh, that we would faithfully employ all our faculties, preserving our strength, our knowledge, our vocation, for the glory of God! That we would worthily discharge our sacred duties in the exalted dignity to which God has called us! Let us strive earnestly to withdraw our soul from the sway of passions, and devote it ever more to the service of God. Filled with God, the soul will love to commune with Him and will find exquisite delight in singing His praise, for “out of the fullness of heart the mouth speaketh.”

As Mary, in humility and modest reserve, spoke little with men, but now that the honor and glory of God were concerned hesitated not to speak freely and explicitly, so should we, likewise, observe the greatest reserve in intercourse with men, and pour out our hearts to God alone.

Am I always grateful to God in word and deed for the many graces and benefits imparted to me? Is not useless intercourse with creatures a hindrance to my communing with God in prayer and meditation and the cause of my negligence in singing His praises?

Second Point

“MY SPIRIT HATH REJOICED IN GOD, MY SAVIOUR”

The heart of Mary must have been filled with inexplicable delight when she said: “My spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour.” No creature was able to treasure the benefit of the Redemption so highly as she. Filled with holy joy, she calls God her Lord and Saviour, realizing that He has in a most extraordinary manner overwhelmed her with graces. He has preserved her from original sin, and destined her to be the channel of salvation for all men. Knowing that all good things came to her through Him, she rejoices in the Saviour, Who now dwells within her bosom. Oh, my soul, arise in imitation of the example of Mary and likewise rejoice in God, your Saviour! If you desire joy then love Him, for in Him you will find all that your heart desires. For you, too, He will open heaven and in His goodness allow you to participate in the treasures of grace that He so generously dispenses through His Blessed Mother. Sad to say, there are but few who realize what constitutes true joy of heart and genuine peace of soul. The majority seek happiness in temporal goods. But who suffers himself to be fettered by the love of creatures, is not capable of loving God with all his heart, and, consequently, not receptive for the exalted, supernatural joy that God so lavishly infuses into the hearts of His faithful children. A pure, God-fearing life, the uninterrupted struggle with our evil propensities, persevering zeal in prayer and good works, are indispensable to the full enjoyment of spiritual delights. Voluntary venial sins and tepidity, and above all lack of humility and charity, render us unworthy of God’s especial graces and favors.

Affections: O holy Virgin, blest Mother of God, thou dost not only sing the praises of the Lord with thy lips, but thy whole life, thy admirable sanctity far surpassing the sanctity of all angels and men is an uninterrupted hymn of praise, extolling the goodness of our God. I pray thee, unite my weak and feeble praise with thine and offer it to thy Divine Son, that it may become pleasing to Him. Oh, how gladly should I cry out with the Psalmist “I will be glad and rejoice in Thee; I will sing to Thy Name, O Thou most High!” (Ps. 9, 2). But, alas, my utter misery ever bears me down. O Mary, my holy Mother, look graciously upon my poverty. Let a spark of divine love inflame my poor heart, that I may always walk in the presence of God, and with devotion, praise and thanksgiving extol His mercies.

Resolutions: I will seek to make my heart receptive for God’s grace, by disengaging it more and more from all earthly things.

Spiritual Bouquet: “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

Prayer: O Jesus living in Mary . . .